Chapter 10
Shy smelled the heated cauldron before he saw his dads carrying it to the front of the table. He and Teck stood and headed down to the cauldron, joining their fathers and grandfather for the next part of the ceremony.
Their mom moved over a seat and slipped an arm around Kaya. This portion of the ceremony would be performed in their native language, and their mom would translate for Kaya, the way that their grandmother had translated for her during her own joining ceremony.
His dads set the cauldron on an iron stand in front of the raised platform. The bottom of the cauldron glowed red hot, and the scent of heated metal filled the air. A wooden handled poker stuck out of the top of the cauldron.
Their grandfather spoke loudly in their native language, addressing Shy and Teck together.
Do you swear to protect your mate to your last fighting breath?
He and Teck answered together in the word that meant yes.
Do you promise to hold her heart carefully forever?
Yes.
Do you promise to love her above all others to the best of your abilities?
Yes.
What is the name of your beloved mate?
Shy looked at Kaya, meeting her curious gaze with his own. He and Teck spoke her name at the same time.
“Kaya.”
Adriel pulled the poker from the cauldron. The end – the symbol of Kaya’s name – was glowing bright red.
Continuing in their native tongue, Adriel said, “Take this brand in silence to prove yourself worthy of your mate.”
Then he pressed the brand over Teck’s heart and held it there. The brand sizzled against his flesh, but Teck didn’t even flinch as the brand was melted into his skin. Adriel set the brand in the cauldron for a few moments to reheat it, and then he settled it over Shy’s heart, pressing it deeply into his skin.
Shy had never felt anything so painful in all his life. The pain radiated from the brand, and it took every ounce of power he had to not make a single sound of pain. Adriel pulled away the brand and dropped it into the cauldron, and a cheer rose up from the den.
Kaya raced to them, tears shining in her eyes, clutching the dark green aloe leaves that their mother had given her to tend them. He and Teck moved her outside quickly and hugged her, and she was careful not to touch the branded marks.
She cracked one of the leaves, scooped out the thick gel, and applied it to their brands. “What does this mean?”
“It’s the symbol for your name,” Teck said. The brand was an oval that was open on one side next to a sideways figure eight.
“It’s beautiful,” she said. “Did it hurt?”
“You’re worth it,” Shy said. “And it completes our claiming. You’re wearing our marks on your neck, and we’re wearing your name over our hearts.”
“You’re well and truly stuck with us forever, lilenta,” Teck said.
“I couldn’t be happier.”
When the aloe had soothed some of the pain and Kaya had fussed over them for several minutes, they headed back into the tent to eat with the den. Shy left his brother and mate at the long table and went to fix plates for them from the enormous meal the den had put together to celebrate their joining. There was every kind of meat and side dish, with a separate table covered with desserts. Shy filled two plates and carried them back to the table, placing one in front of his mate and giving the other to Teck.
She smiled, and he loved to see it. So sweet and full of love. They hadn’t known each other long, but he was already thoroughly enchanted with her. A low hum of conversation flowed from the den as they ate. During the meal, Adriel told Kaya about the den and their history.
“Do the Centaurs have any special customs like we do for hunting on the full moon?” Teck asked.
“No. We had celebrations for marriages and births, but nothing like the whole group going hunting once a month.”
“The mates who can’t shift stay behind in the den during the full moon,” Filene said, “and some of the males stay as guards.”
“I can’t go hunting with you?” Kaya asked.
“We usually hunt in our shifts, but I think we can work something out so you can participate,” Teck said.
“Good. I’d like be part of the hunt and watch you. I bet you’re both amazing hunters.”
When the meal was over, the den gathered in the center of their underground city to perform the final part of the joining ceremony. Teck and Shy stood on either side of Kaya as Adriel addressed the den.
“To mark the final part of the mating bond between Kaya, Teck, and Shy, the den will shift as one and pledge their allegiance to their union.”
Kaya bit her lip and smiled up at them. “I finally get to see both of you in your shifts.”
“Just remember to stand still and hold out your hands, palms down,” Teck said. “The den will walk by you on either side, and brush along your hands. We’ll be the last ones, and then we’ll lead you to our tent and stay there until we’re able to shift into our human forms in a couple of hours.”
“And then?” she whispered, her eyes darkening.
“Then we’ll chase the moon from the sky with the sound of our pleasure,” Shy said.
She sighed and bit her lip again, the subtle scent of her arousal filling the air.
They stripped, and she carefully folded their trousers and set them on the ground, along with their shoes and arm bands. After a final kiss, Shy stepped back and reached for his shift. In moments, he was in his bear form and shaking himself out. Teck shifted next to him – their bears were almost identical. Kaya dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around their necks.
“Just beautiful,” she said. “You’re so sexy as males, but you’re beautiful bears. I hope our children can shift. They’d be so lucky to look like you.”
Shy chuffed and pressed his nose to her throat. She giggled and rubbed his ear.
Adriel grunted behind them, and he and Teck lumbered away from their mate to the back of the crowd of bears. Along the outside of the sea of bears were the children who were too young to shift and the mates who couldn’t shift, including their mother and their aunts.
Kaya rose to her feet and held out her hands, palms down. She smiled and the den began to move, splitting into two lines as they walked by her and rubbed her scent along their backs. It felt like forever before he and Teck reached her, and they rubbed against her and then beckoned her to follow them. She picked up their things and joined them.
“My arms are killing me,” she whispered. She held open the flap of their tent and Shy followed Teck inside. “That was really cool, though.”
She looked at the clock and said, “Your mom said it takes two or three hours for you to come out of your shift. Most of the den was going to hunt. Did you want to go with them?”
He and Teck grunted and shook their heads. She laughed.
“Okay, okay,” she said. She sat on the floor in front of them, and Teck moved forward and put his paw gently on her shoulder. She stretched out on the rug, and he and Shy took their time scenting her. Her skin was naturally sweet smelling and so soft. He licked her neck and the bare expanse of belly that was exposed when she lifted her hands over her head. With a giggle, she pushed on his head and said, “That tickles!”
When they’d satisfied their bears’ curiosity with their mate, they settled on either side of her. The time passed quickly as she shared about her life in the Centaur city. Shy wished he could talk to her, but he was glad they had the time to listen. She missed some things about her old life, but she was excited for what their new life together would bring. She drifted off to sleep after a while, curled up against Teck’s side, with one arm curled over Shy’s paw.
His sweetheart was amazing, inside and out, and he couldn’t wait to see what the future held.
* * *
Kaya woke as Teck and Shy were shifting back to their human forms. She watched with fascination as their bodies changed. She touched Teck’s chest as the fur receded, and then she brushed her fingers lightly over the brand.
“It’s healed,” she said.
“The metal that’s used to make the brand is a special alloy that scars permanently, even after we shift. Since we have accelerated healing in our shifted forms, if the brand wasn’t permanent, then all that pain would have been for nothing.”
“I’m glad it’s permanent.”
“When we have kids, we’ll brand their names on our backs,” Shy said. “Our fathers have six brands on their backs.”
“Ouch,” she said with a chuckle. “Will I need to get any brands for our kids? That might change how many I want.”
Teck shook his head. “Only the males. We can have as many as you’d like.”
She tilted her head. “Do you guys want to have a big family?”
“We want whatever you want,” Shy said.
She rolled her eyes. “I’m being serious.”
Teck scooped her up in his arms and stood. He kissed her, and she melted against him, wrapping her arms around his neck. The braids had come loose as he’d shifted, and she sank her fingers into his hair and tugged lightly.
“We want to fill the tent with kids, sweetheart,” Shy said. “How’s that for serious?”
Teck laid her down on the bed and helped her strip. She stretched her arms over her head with a soft purr. “Sounds like we’ll be busy.”
Teck had never made love to a woman like this before, but he knew that Shy and Kaya hadn’t ever been in this situation either. They’d been saving this kind of love, without even knowing when they’d meet. He was glad he’d never been this intimate before, but he was also thankful for some whispered wise council from his Uncle Tavian who shared his mate Shaylee with Lynk. Making sure that Kaya was very turned on and well prepared was the most important thing.
Teck climbed onto the bed next to Kaya and stretched out. He cupped her face and kissed her, delving his tongue into her mouth. She grasped his hair again, her fingers twisting in the thick locks as a soft moan built in her throat. He didn’t have to look to know that Shy was playing with her pussy. The scent of her arousal was growing stronger, and he’d quickly learned the sweet sounds she made when she was turned on.
Trailing his fingers down her throat, he continued to kiss her, cupping one breast and rubbing his thumb over her nipple. He plucked the nipple, rolling and tugging it gently as she writhed next to him, her moans lost against his mouth. Tending to her other breast, he brought that nipple to tight perfection, and then he lifted from her mouth to kiss the peaks. Letting his teeth brush against her buds, he teased them with his tongue as she panted for breath.
She moaned loudly and then arched up under him. Teck released her nipple and laid his palm on her belly, pressing her gently back to the bed.
“Shy’s not done with you yet, lilenta,” he said roughly.
Her nails dug into his arm, and she blinked passion-filled eyes at him. “I need more.”
She twisted as much as she could under their holds, her head thrashing on the bed. “Please, Teck.”
He sat up and grabbed the lube. Flipping the lid, he poured some on his fingers and warmed it with his thumb. He put the lube behind him on the bed and turned back to them.
Kaya groaned loudly, twisting her hips to the side and showing Teck her bottom. Shy grasped her thigh and turned his head so that he was still playing with her pussy, but he had given Teck the perfect view of her tightest place. Sliding behind her, Teck pushed one arm under her back and flattened his hand on her chest to hold her close, and then he rubbed his wet fingers in slow circles around her anus. She gasped and pushed back her hips, but he kept his fingers where they were. He pushed the tip of one finger inside, and she moaned, curling her hands around his arm and flexing her hips. He fingered her slowly, pushing more of his finger into her bottom with each pass.
“Fuck,” she whispered hoarsely, “that feels so good.”
When his finger was buried in her ass, he could feel Shy’s fingers in her pussy. He growled in her ear and gently bit the lobe. “Do you like this, lilenta? Do you like our fingers in your body?”
“Yes,” she said, the word punctuated with a moan.
“You want more?”
“All of it. I want everything,” she said.
He kissed her throat, fitting his mouth over one of the mating marks and sucking her flesh into his mouth as he added a second finger. Her ass was so tight, but he worked her slowly, easing into her until she relaxed and began to move with him and Shy. When he added a third finger, she screamed in climax, her body squeezing his fingers as she bucked and writhed in their hold. He scissored his fingers, stretching her while she was lost to the pleasure.
Shy moved up her body, kissing her trembling belly as Teck reached for the lube and coated his cock. He’d never been so hard in his life. Kaya curled her leg around Shy’s hip as they faced each other, spreading her lower body for them both as Shy entered her pussy.
She kissed Shy, and then she reached her hand for Teck, and he moved behind her, grasping the base of his cock and pressing the head to her anus. She tensed, but then she started to moan as Shy slipped his hand between them and began to play with her clit.
Teck pushed into her slowly as Shy pulled out. She felt so good. His bear roared in happiness as he filled her fully, at the same moment that Shy pressed into her pussy. Totally filled by her mates, Kaya inhaled sharply and then dropped her head back to look at Teck. Her eyes were full of love and passion, and he knew that he’d never be the same.
He pulled from her ass slowly, cupping her hip and watching the motion. As he pushed back in, Shy pulled from her pussy, and the two set up a slow rhythm to drive her wild. He wanted to be deep inside her when she came again, and for her to take them with her. He couldn’t think of anything better.
“You’re so tight,” he said, groaning as he pushed into her faster, their bodies moving together as if they’d done it a hundred times before, instead of this most important first time.
“Teck, fuck, Teck,” she said, mewling.
“I’m right here,” he said, his voice a low growl as he fought coming before she did. “Come for us, Kaya. Take us with you.”
He punctuated his words with a fast press of his hips to hers, burying himself in her hard and fast. He growled, and it vibrated in his chest, his bear anxious to complete their mating bond as a true trio, the three of them coming, he and his brother marking her from the inside in the most alpha-male way they knew how.
She inhaled sharply and cried out, both of their names on her lips as she came. He followed her, filling her with come until he was shaking with the raw pleasure that ran through him.
He held her close, kissing every exposed bit of skin he could. He felt complete in a way he hadn’t expected, as if his whole life he’d been missing not just his truemate, but this new, strong bond between them. She was truly theirs, and they were hers.
Forever.
Easing from her, he went to the washroom and ran a cloth under hot water and brought it to the bed and cleaned her body of the lube. Then he cleaned himself and tossed the rag in a clothes basket by the sink.
Kaya rolled to her back as he joined her and Shy on the bed. She pulled Teck to her, cupping his face and staring at him for a quiet moment. “I love you. I think I’ve loved you for years, but this isn’t dream love, it’s real. So, so real.”
His heart clenched. “I love you, too, Kaya.”
They kissed, and then she turned to his brother and told him the same thing. Teck didn’t feel any jealousy toward his brother. He was content that they were well matched with their mate, and whatever came in their lives, he knew that the three of them could handle anything together.
That was how it was supposed to be. Twin bears for one very special female.
Shy laughed and Kaya grinned.
“What’s so funny?” Teck asked, sliding his palm across her thigh.
“Our sweetheart’s ready to go again,” Shy said. “If we are.”
“Always ready,” Teck promised. “Anytime and anyplace.”
“Right here and right now is good for starters,” she said as she pushed Teck to his back and straddled him. “We haven’t chased the moon from the sky yet.”
Shy rose behind her, cupping her bottom with a wicked smile. “I think we came pretty close.”