We both stumble into the car together, laughing, despite the circumstances. As soon as we’re inside that leather interior, I feel frisky as hell. I turn the key and pull out onto the roads. Glancing over at Jackson’s crotch, I feel my cock begin to grow.

“You know, maybe we should get a room somewhere halfway tonight,” I say.

He grins. The sharp edges of his teeth can be seen, so sexy. “Oh yeah? You ready for round two?”

“I am beyond ready. My man is looking incredible today,” I say, reaching out to feel his stomach. “And it turns me on to know that something of mine is inside you, growing.”

His hand slides onto my thigh, pushing inward. I hold the wheel steady as I feel his fingers grace the edges of my shaft. I gulp down. My slick is soaking right now. “Mmm,” he whispers. “You’re so heroic.”

Suddenly, a loud banging sound happens from the trunk of the car. “Seriously?” I bite my tongue and scowl.

“Uh, what exactly did my dad put in there?” Jackson looks back, anxiously. I pull off to the side of the road. Another loud banging noise is heard and this time, we’re both cautious.

I reach under the driver’s seat and find a small bat. I take it in my hand and hold it steady. Jackson looks mortified. “What are you going to do with that thing?”

I look down at the bat and shrug. “I don’t know! I’m just trying to be prepared. What if it’s one of those trapper betas. Maybe your dad is actually a crazy axe murderer!”

“My dad is not an axe murderer, Logan,” he says. “Come on. It’s probably a squirrel or something.”

We both step out of the car and tip toe toward the trunk. “Okay. On three,” Jackson whispers. “One. Two. THREE!”

He swings open the trunk. I have the bat over my head like a total lunatic. And inside the vehicle is…

“Jonas?!” Jackson cries out, astonished.

“Uh, hey guys. So about that hotel. I’d really appreciate it if you’d get me a separate room. I’m not exactly into watching—”

“Oh, you little bastard,” Jackson sighs. “You had us completely freaked!”

“What the hell?” I laugh loudly and scratch my head.

Jonas climbs out of the trunk and stretches his arms real wide. “I’m going with you,” he says. “I want to find a mate too and I won’t be able to if I hide out in my room forever. Please, don’t tell papa.”

I try to reason with him because his plan is totally crazy. “Your dads have most likely already found out,” I say.

“Actually, I don’t think so,” he says.

Curious, I interrogate him. “And why not? What did you do?”

Jonas gulps, looking at Jackson for some help. When he realizes he’s not going to get that, he comes clean. “Okay, don’t be pissed. But I know how to use my ability. I kind of figured it out last year.”

Jackson laughs. “You what?”

“Uh, yeah. I can kind of bend time, I guess. I don’t really understand it fully yet. I’m pretty sure the camp is stuck in the time that I left. It should last for about an hour,” he says, looking quite proud of himself.

Jackson doesn’t know whether he should feel outraged or excited. “You better hope your ability is safe,” he says. “Because if it is, you are completely awesome.”

“I still don’t know if he should come. I mean, what if we do run into one of those trapper guys? They’d make a ton of coin off of us,” I say.

Jonas’s ability is incredibly powerful. I’m actually kind of jealous. All I was blessed with was a good nose, insane dreams, and the body to die for. Oh, and I guess I’m chosen by the goddesses and shit. There is that.

“Did you already forget? Look, I’m getting in the car before I say anything further. You want to get to the caves before dark? Then you better start driving!” Jonas slams the door open and jumps into the back seat.

“Well,” I say. “He’s got a point.”

“Cheeky little bastard,” Jackson mutters, shaking his head.

In the car, we turn around and wait for his little explanation. He reaches into his satchel and pulls out a leather bag. Removing the top thread, he parts it open. “Remember this?”

A golden light comes from the center of the bag. “Shit,” mutter. “The arrowhead. How in the hell did we forget about it?”

“I can give you one reason why we forgot.” Jackson touches his belly.

“So, I’m coming with you, right?” Jonas’s eyes are lit up with excitement. I can’t exactly tell him no.

Jackson’s eyes are closed. He communicates to me: “If he’s coming, he’s staying in a room at least ten doors down.” I nod.

“Fine. Whatever. I have a feeling that the arrowhead will somehow come into play, so I guess I have to give in,” I say.

Jonas claps his hands readily. “Yes!”

I put my foot on the pedal and peel out onto the road. Jackson switches on the radio, closing his eyes with a smile. I place my hand back on his thigh. Jackson can’t help but telepathically communicate to me. “Go ahead. Slide that hand down a bit.”

“At least wait until we get to the hotel,” Jonas growls. “It’s cool that you’re all ‘in love’ and shit, but there are other omegas here now too.”

“You’ll find a mate,” I tell him. “I’m sure the goddesses are plotting it out, right as we speak.”

“They better be. It’s taken them long enough,” he groans.

Both Jaguars can’t stop talking and plotting, as we drive on a big stretch of highway. Jackson’s family is totally interesting, but sometimes their active minds can give me a headache. In reality, seeing the light snow on the mountains is making me more tired than usual.

In the distance is a red sign: VACANCY. “Finally,” I whisper. “Somewhere to rest.”

“Aw, is my bear tired?” Jackson coos.

He rubs my biceps and actually scoops into my seat for a kiss. I swerve the car to a stop, just as we get into the parking lot. “C’mon!” I cry out, laughing. “You almost made me crash.”

“I just want to kiss you,” he says.

I feel his warm lips on mine. I smell that nutty, oaky scent of his, flood my senses. As soon as it hits my nostrils, my cock perks right up. Jonas grumbles something unrecognizable and walks toward the lodge’s lobby.

“I guess we should follow him,” Jackson remarks. I agree with him. Although, I want to kiss him forever first.

When we step inside the lobby, I look upward at the magnificent woodwork. Large bears have been carved into the pillars. Antlers line the ceiling. A fireplace warms a section off to the side. The feeling is really great in here.

Jonas tosses a set of keys into my hands. “I took care of it. You’re on the third floor. I’m on the second. Cool?”

What is up with this family and throwing keys at me? “Cool.”

Jackson blushes when I look at him. Even though we grew up together, the time we spent apart sometimes comes through. We still have so much to learn about one another. It’s these times in our life where we can do just that.

I wrap my arm around his shoulder and kiss his forehead. The hallway stretches in front of us. I pause to take a heavy glance at the ancient patterns on the carpet. I wonder how long this lodge has been here for. Maybe centuries. There is a lot of history in these woods. More than I ever understood.

“You’re so damn cute. You know that?” I ask him.

He smirks and blushes even more. “Maybe a little.”

I jam the key inside our door and push it open. “Here we are,” I sing. Jackson doesn’t actually say anything back. His gaze is off to somewhere else, deep in his mind.

“How’re you doing, baby? Do you need anything?” His face has turned pale. That’s when I realize that he’s probably feeling some of the first effects of childbearing.

I jump into that bathroom and grab a trashcan. “Here!” I dive and throw it underneath him.

He tries to hold it back, playing it off all cool, but I know better. Our twins are already causing a ruckus in that belly. “I’m fine. I’m f-f-f-ii… oh goddess, no!”

I quickly close the door to shield him from the other guests. “Oh, my omega. I’m so sorry!” I reach down and rub his back, which is about all I can do right now, besides worry.

He wipes his face and groans. “Shit. There goes my uncle Dale’s stew,” he says. “I can’t believe it. I didn’t realize I’d start feeling it so fast.”

“You’re a jaguar. You guys are always feeling things more quickly. Plus, I think I’ve got some pretty strong-binding spunk or something.”

He frowns, opens the door, and carefully pushes the trash into the hallway. “I’m sorry. I wanted to be sexy for you. I felt fine on the drive!”

I kneel down and kiss his cheek. “Jackson. It’s totally fine. I mean, besides the piece of steak hanging from your chin, you’re the sexiest omega in the world to me.”

“Oh, you bastard!” Jackson furiously runs to a mirror to check if there is in fact a piece of meat hanging from his chin.

Knowing I have to correct my little joke, I walk up behind him and put my arms around his waist. He leans back and rests his head against my clavicle.

“I’m just messing with you, darling,” I say. “You have always been sexy to me. Remember our first sleepovers? I couldn’t wait to touch you.”

“You were creepy,” he says. This time, I blush. “Just kidding. You know I loved that. I still love your creepiness.”

“It’s the bear in me,” I say, already kissing down the back of his neck.

“Before you go down any further, we should really figure out what Jonas’s arrowhead even is,” he says.

I stop at the bottom of his spine, smelling his warm slick. My cock is throbbing underneath these pants, but I know I have to stop myself. We’re on a journey to fix literally everything, so maybe I should just chill for a second.

“Yeah, but how?” I ask him.

“On the way up to the lobby, I noticed a small shop. Did you see it? It was near the edge of the clearing,” he says.

I furrow my finger into his belt loops. “Yeah, I saw it. So what?”

“So, it was a crystal and rock shop,” he says.

“And?” I tap my foot impatiently. “It’s just one of those tourist shops. We’re not going to find anything in there.”

“Fine.” He just stands there in silence. I can tell I’ve pissed my beautiful omega off, so I give in.

“Alright, alright. I’ll go. But I’m telling you, I won’t find anything there,” I say.

I could die for a shower right now. A nice hot shower with my mate. That sounds perfect to me. I love getting frisky in the water. Instead, I have to go to some weirdo’s shop and somehow bring up something about a mystical arrowhead.

Outside, the sun has already set. The darkness has pervaded the region and it’s getting really fucking cold. “What did I do to deserve this?” I joke around with myself.

The shop has a flickering, neon sign: “MAGIC ROCKS.” I laugh a little to myself, knowing that none of the rocks inside will have any sort of magic in them. As I open the door, a very tall and skinny man smiles at me. “We’re open!” He exclaims. He’s clearly a beta.

“What can I do for ya?” he asks. I squint my eyes and pretend I’m looking for something in particular.

“I don’t know. I’m just kind of wandering around,” I admit.

“Well, most people are,” he says. “Don’t worry. I won’t bug ya.”

I smile, trying to come off as someone completely normal. But when his gaze doesn’t fade from mine, I suddenly remember Uncle Dale’s warnings. The trappers are everywhere, especially off of the roads. I don’t know, though. This guy looks pretty normal for a beta.

“Do you get many customers here?” My voice sounds loud amongst the heavy silence. I clear my throat anxiously.

“Not really,” he says, with a strange lack of emotion. His next question is what really irks me. “Say, were you the guy with the set of cute jaguars?”

I shudder a little, but manage to try and steer the conversation. “Do you know anything about arrowheads? I found something the other day and I’m looking for information.”

Something very fucking weird happens. It’s as if we both sense what’s about to happen. With a short nod, I trigger my own instincts. I see his arm move from behind the counter, hidden.

Quicker than I’ve ever shifted, I go full bear on him. I jump at him, feeling my claws come in. I barely even hear his gunshot.

I slash the owner, but keep the wounds surface level. I don’t want to kill anyone tonight. At least, not yet. I grab his gun and throw it across the floor. Jackson and Jonas come running in from the outside. I’m baffled. “How did you--?”

“No time to ask questions!” Jackson shouts.

His ability. It’s obvious. He was watching the whole time.

“He got my shoulder, but I think I’m fine,” I say.

I keep the man’s arm behind his back and give him the biggest bear hug, but it’s not friendly or loving in any way. “Who are you?” I ask him.

“I’m just a shop owner. Let me go!” He’s practically crying, but his stupid shotgun nicked my shoulder, so he’s going to have to pay a little.

“Don’t you lie to me. Jackson, check inside the counter for any identification,” I say.

“You bastards will pay!” His screaming is only making the situation worse.

“Aha!” Jackson holds a bounty sheet into the air. “He’s a trapper. I knew it!”

“You knew it?” I ask Jackson.

The cute smile on his face doesn’t mean that he’s off the hook just yet. “I was watching you. Oh, come on. I knew you’d be safe,” he says.

I shake my head. “Sheesh.”

Jonas walks up calmly to the man. Smiling, he punches him in the stomach. “You’re going to tell us what this is or we’ll take you right to the camp grounds and have the guard do what they want with you.”

The trapper grins wildly. “Like hell I will.” He spits directly onto my foot.

Jackson walks up to the man and kneels down. He puts his hand over the man’s face and closes his eyes. A strange humming noise reverberates around us. Jackson’s skin turns blue again, just like the other night. All of our eyes light up in front of him.

The humming noise grows and grows, until it turns into a loud tearing noise. The whole room begins to shake. Trinkets fall off of the shelves. The rocks rattle in their cages.

“I have found all that we need to know,” Jackson says, almost robotically.

Then, he falls to the floor. “Jackson!” I scream.

He blinks his eyes until the strange fog leaves him. “I’m good. Don’t worry. I’m fine. Just give me a second,” he says.

“My omega. I knew I shouldn’t have come over here. I just knew it. Oh, kitten. I’m so sorry. I’m always getting you into trouble,” I say.

Jackson just takes a deep breath and hops back onto his feet. Jonas reaches into his satchel and ties the man’s arms and feet together. A strip of duct tape seals the whole deal.

“There we go.” Jonas stands in front us, proud of his deed.

“Logan, I’m fine. Trust me. I know we’ve got our twins to think about, but I can hold my own. At least, right now I can,” he says.

“From now on, we all need to be more careful,” I say. “You turned blue again. What did you see? What happened just now?”

“Let me show you,” Jackson says, putting his palm up to my face.

Suddenly, I’m transported into another realm. I see our twins growing. I’m… am I inside my mate’s womb?! Okay, this is getting really fucking weird.

“Breathe,” I say aloud. “You’re fine. Just go with it.”

Suddenly, I see everything. I see all of our memories together. I remember sneaking out of seventh grade class together. I see us at our birthday parties. There are so many memories that I forgot. We’ve really been through it all.

Jackson removes his palm from my face and kisses me with enough force to make me fall against the back wall. “Damn! That was intense!”

Jackson nods his head with haste. An excitement has overcome him. “Ever since we physically bonded, my ability has changed. It’s tied to memory. It’s so vivid. I think maybe our twins are controlling it. Is that totally crazy?”

“Crazy? Our whole world is absolutely insane. Our dads never really gave us the heads-up on these types of issues, so we’re just going to have to figure it out by trial and error. If our twins are somehow controlling your abilities, then they’re going to be completely badass!”

“You should check out how badass you look right now,” Jonas says, smiling.

In the store mirror is my reflection and it’s not exactly pretty. I raise my hand into the air and examine my bloody claws. “Oops.” I laugh, shifting back to normal.

“Hey, you looked sexy,” Jackson pouts.

I whisper in his ear. “I’ll shift for you later, kitten.”

Jonas looks down at the wriggling store owner. We’re all thinking the same thing: “What in the heavens are we going to do about this guy?”

Jackson jumps onto his heal. “Oh yeah! Follow me!”

Reaching into the bottom of the crystal crate, he flick a switch. The crystals drain and a back door opens. “Gotcha,” Jackson says.

We walk inside to a glowing light. Then, the door closes on us, and the light shuts off, leaving us in absolute darkness.