Ch. 551..560

Chapter 0551

His words are meant to be pacifying, to help me calm down so I can focus. But the idea that my magic has changed sounds terrible. Especially when I just started to get a hang of the things I have been practicing. The magic I have been doing over the last few weeks has been all vicarious through Elena and Gentry. Or more accurately their magic has been vicarious through me. I have just been the filter since I have a magic filter or metabolism and can't fight off most spells and incantations.

But what am I supposed to do now? How do I get us out of this? Our whole group could be suffering because I can't get us out of a torrential tornado.

"Okay, Oliver, I take back anything hateful I may have said out of jealousy for you being able to feel her emotions. Is it like this all the time?"

"She's actually just processing 'what if' questions right now. Wait until she's really worried or angry. Although, I wonder if I can feel the same from you two now or if your emotions filter through her to me. Since she is our link."

Cam and Oliver continue to muse about the nuances of our connection while I stand here in the middle trying to find a way to get us out of here. My flame is licking at my insides at their lack of urgency at the situation.

"Hey, sweetness. Breathe, okay. I think you might be approaching this from the wrong angle." Dakota wraps his arms around my waist from behind and rests his chin on the top of my head. "What do you mean? We have to get out of here and I can't make the magic work." I close my eyes and take a deep breath in spite of myself.

"Oliver said that now you are marked, your magic probably changed and you said you can't touch the wind with your magic, but I can hear it singing. It's a protection, but how would I know that?"

"You can hear it?"

"Yeah. It kind of sounds like the pups when they are giggling at the training grounds, but also like a melody, but I don't know the song. What if you had to hold onto all of the magic to get us here, but you weren't meant to hold all of it forever, just until you were ready for all of us, or more likely, we were ready and worthy of being mated to you."

"Can you feel the wind?"

"I don't actually know, but I am kind of interested in finding out. Will you help me?" He walks us forward and raises his arm in front of us and extends his fingers so his palm is facing the edge of the tornado. He tightens his grip on my waist as I raise my hand and place it on the back of his, lacing my fingers with his. I can feel the hum of the wind now, through his hand. It's so cool to be on this side of it.

I close my eyes and lean back into him, this is real magic. Being able to share this part of me with him, with all of them. I can feel the wind playing, like he said, but it's not ready to subside yet. I never thought about the elements having emotions, but if I had to place an emotion or personality on the wind, I would match it with Dakota. Playful and warm on a good day, lightly caressing the skin, but harsh and erratic when angered. My eyes fly open.

"What is it, Tiny? What did you figure out?" Cam walks closer, although I don't know how we have any space to move around at all. The circle the tornado made around us can't be more than six feet across and my guys aren't exactly compact.

"Let me have your hand." I don't release the hold I have on Kota's outstretched fingers, while I take Cam's hand in my other hand and the sensation intensifies, but it is still just the wind element that I can feel. "The wind seems to have attached itself to Dakota, but I can feel it too and it intensifies when I have contact with you. I wonder if I adjusted to you, if I would also be able to feel the wind?" I think out loud. "There's only one way to find out." He opens his arms and laughs at Dakota's protests fo my moving away.

I reposition myself in his arms, the same way I was with Dakota, but neither of us feel the wind at all. I can still faintly hear it though. I close my eyes and just feel around to see what comes up, maybe I shared a small part of an element with each of them. Dakota got wind, what did I give to Cameron and Oliver?

 

Chapter 0552

I lean into the comfort of Cam's arms and lace the fingers of my right hand with his. Where Oliver has always seen me and been able to read me, Cam has always been constant. He's a steady and calm leade moving forward but bringing everyone along with him. Then it hits me, literally hits me in the center of the chest and I fall back into his chest.

"Whoa, you alright, Love?"

"Yeah. Do you feel that though? It's like a pulse."

He takes a deep breath and when he lets it out I smile as it blows stray strands of hair around my face. "Wow! Is it like this all the time?"

"What do you feel?"

"I can feel...something...flowing up into one of my feet and through my body and back down through the other foot, but it is like a pulse. Like a circuit with a pulse, but it isn't energy or electricity, it's more fluid. Does that even make sense?"

"Yeah. Try pulling up on it, I have an idea."

He does and I can feel the swirls of cool and hot in my arm. The fire that seems to want to live in my skin is being caressed by the cool water swirling from him. I lift our arms together and take aim... "AH!! What the hell?!?"

"AHAHAHAHA! I am so glad you didn't tell me what you were doing! There's no way he wouldn't have known." Cam is still holding me, laughing his ass off, along with Oliver and I, while we stare at a very drenched Dakota. I can't help the thought, encouraged by my wolf, that I really like a water logged, shirtless Dakota very, very much.

"Where did water even come from? We aren't near a lake or stream or anything!" He shakes his hair out like a GQ model and tries, and fails, to look irritated.

"We were able to pull it up from the ground, but I have to admit it is a good look on you" I wink at Dakota and his eyes go from his blue with hazel swirls to almost black in an instant.

Cam's intake of breath and Dakota and Oliver's quick movement to me, let me know I am in big trouble, but I don't think it's the bad kind. Dakota scoops me up by my butt and wraps my legs around his waist, then smashes his lips to mine and I can feel my entire body heat up and I don't think it's the fire magic.

All three of them growl in surround sound and then Dakota pulls away enough to look in my eyes. "Keeping my hands to myself is becoming more and more difficult and it's only been, what an hour or so, since we whata marked you? How in the hell are we supposed to get anything done? You told me I looked good after you tried to drown me, I should be angry or irritated at the least, but all I want to do is take you up to our room and you are so not ready for that." He rests his forehead to mine and takes a deep breath. "How do you wind me up in one second and have the power to calm me down in the next?"

I give him a small kiss. "Let's be honest, it wouldn't be me if it wasn't complicated kiss him again and he lets me slide down his body. He makes sure that I can feel the state I left him in though and I just roll my eyes and look at Oliver. "Dakota wind, Cam is water, you must be earth then." He still looks unsure, but I don't know what he would be unsure of. I marked him and let him. mark me. He's a part of me, of this, of us now. I don't know if I will ever get past this one insecurity that he has.

Unlike the twins, I face him and slide my palms over the backs of his hands. I keep eye contact with him as I lace our fingers together. I could feel the deep, bass-like rumble the minute our skin made contact. We don't have to say anything or even

us

think about it. The dirt around our

starts to crack and swirl around our feet. He gives me one of his rare, blinding full smiles and I'm pretty sure my heart stopped and by the wink he gives me, he knows what

that does to me.

"That should not be hot, but it. so. is!" Dakota groans. "And it does NOT help that now I can feel both of their feelings for you." He points an accusing finger at Cam and Oliver. "I'm going to have a permanent hard-on!"

I start laughing. "It's not that bad, is it?"

"Are you kidding? Every time you say something smart, which is all the fucking time, this one lights up." He points to Cam. "But, I was, at best, able to ignore it. Now there's no hope. And then you go and fight someone, anyone, even the pups, he gets excited and starts fidgeting around so no one notices the tent he's pitching. And to top it all off, you get a rise out of me every time you just say my damn name!" "Dakota, seriously?!" He's just being dramatic.

"See!" He basically yells and points down at himself and I laugh. That's all I can do.

"I thought you said you liked it when I say your whole name." I feel bad if it makes him uncomfortable. I'll have to watch it. I actually like calling him by his full first name when everyone else uses the nickname. It feels special, but I won't if he was kidding.

"Oh, he does like it, Bitty. The problem is, he likes it too much." Oliver laughs in my ear, then kisses me on the neck. My whole body shivers at the contact and he laughs again.

"Well, I don't regret marking all of you and I can't take it back, so deal." I stick my tongue out at him.

"I'll give you something to do with that tongue once we figure out how to get out of here." The comment came from Cam this time and now I know we are getting into dangerous territory if his will is starting to crack and he's making innuendos.

I shake out my head and step back. "Can you all feel your element? My guess is we have to use them independently to get rid of this thing. We will probably have to figure out how to combine them too to deal with Adrielle and the Rogue King. Then we need to decide what to do with Mike and the rest of his goons. I feel like our to-do list doesn't get any shorter, even with all of the things we keep checking off."

 

Chapter 0553

We try for what seems like forever to get our elements to work. The positive side is that the twins now no longer need help to manipulate theirs. The downside is we have no idea what to do with them or what else we are missing, and the tornado still isn't coming down. We have all tried firing at it individually and in every combination that there could possibly be. We can't link anyone outside of it still and I am getting more and more anxious that something bad is happening and Gentry and Elena are keeping us in here on purpose.

"What if it isn't the magic? What if it's something else we need to do?" Cam muses. "I mean we have tried everything that any of us can think of as far as combinations and blasting our way out does not seem to be the answer. And I am not walking toward that thing after it flung Kota on his ass. Although that memory will live rent free in my memory forever."

I sit on the ground looking up at the tornado. I can see the opening above us. The sky looks exactly as it did when we were first surrounded. So time has either stood still or it's an illusion.

"Oh sh*t!" I jumped up. "It's not real!" I squeal.

"What do you mean not real? How is this tornado, that I can feel, not real?" Dakota laughs half heartedly.

"Part of learning about magic is being able to see it in action. Especially with Glamours. You have to be able to see past the magic, the glamour, the illusion, to see what's really there or not there. If that's the deal, we have to all be able to see past this tunnel."

"Okay, let's say I believe you,

because I really do, but I also don't have any idea what that means. I don't think expected to be a part of your magic, just that you would be a badass and better than all of us and I would live happily in your shadow." Dakota sits down and leans his back against my legs, which is probably a funny sight since his head still reaches my waist like this.

I absently run my fingers through his hair while I'm still thinking. I can still feel the hum of the wind when I make contact with him. It's trying to tell me something, but the message is garbled. Then a wave of envy washes over me and is gone almost as quickly as Cam sits on my other side, mirroring Dakota. I giggle as I start to run my fingers through his hair too. The short stubble feels good under my nails. I look down in front of me, a space clearly left, but not occupied yet. I look for Oliver and he's watching us with a curious expression.

"I still don't know how this works. You have two hands and two Alphas, and..."

"Stop talking and get over here.

There is clearly a space that needs

to be filled, I clearly need you. Cameron and Dakota clearly need you. You are the missing piece. You were the first to connect to me. You were the go-between when everything was going down with 4 Kaley you managed to get them to pull their heads out of their asses." I pat the twins on the head. "You connected with the magic long before I did. And I think your doubt right now is what is keeping us in this f*cking hole" I say as sternly as I can, but I can't hold it looking at him and his concerned puppy dog eyes. That is a look Dakota usually gives, and I can't help but ease his mind with a smile on my face. "I need all my Alphas, are you going to leave me hanging here, missing one?" I try for my own pouty face as I tilt my head to the side.

"We are so f*cked aren't we?" He grumbles walking over to me and sitting in between my feet, leaning back on my thighs.

"If she does this she could ask me to sit naked shaking a hornets nest and I would do it without question." Dakota purrs. And I giggle at his ridiculousness.

 

 

Chapter 0554

I stand there alternating playing with all of their hair as they all relax into me. It's funny, even with all of their weight, I don't feel unstable, my muscles aren't fatiguing at all and their dead weight is not light at all. How do I help them see through this illusion? Oliver won't be a problem, he just doubts his place. Hell, I denied mine for a long time, even when people flat out told me what was going to happen, or at least their version of it. I don't think anyone thought that we would have four Alphas, that I would be equal to the twins, that it was even possible for Oliver to ascend his rank.

Then I see the ripple. It's small and short lived but it's there. We are getting somewhere.

"Hey, Smalls. I like the hair pulling, but can you tell me what you are excited about?" I can hear Dakota's laugh in his words.

"I saw the illusion ripple. We are getting somewhere, I just don't know what we did to make that happen." I am talking fast now, but I can't move or do anything with all of them leaning on me like this. Oliver laughs and I can tell he's holding something back.

"What?! What have you figured out now? I'm actually kind of jealous that you see things so much faster than me."

"I think that's the point though. You finally saw the ripple when the three of us literally sat on you and made you stay still." He starts laughing again. "It's not always on you to fix things and if we are truly equal, then you have to let us help you, let us in on your thoughts. This is our pack now, not just Cam and Kota's. All four of us carry the same weight, it's already been a lot and we are just getting started. The answer to every problem is 'how are WE going to fix it?' If I have to believe that I belong here as much as the rest of you, then you have to believe you aren't alone anymore and Cam and Kota have to believe they are enough."

Both twins gasp and turn to look at him.

"Don't act surprised. Bitty's right, we

are here cause we aren't done hashing sh*t out. She's still stuck in her own world, I am still in my Gamma mindset and the two of you are wondering why you needed two more people as Alpha's to run this pack. Well, I don't know if you noticed, but our mate is so special and rare that she's a magnet for the worst kinds of trouble. There was no way only one or two mates were going to survive the never ending torrent of bullsh*t coming our way and she's so much more than a Luna."

"I'm actually glad there are three of us." Cam starts and I have no idea where he's going with this. "I would feel inadequate next to her if it was just me or me and Kota. At least

with the three of us, she lives on a pedestal and we can be compared more equally."

The tube shimmers some more.

"Oh, yes!! I totally saw that!" Dakota goes to move and I grip his hair. To keep him in place. Our insecurities are still there, not quite resolved. We kept talking, letting out all our doubts, many I didn't realize any of these guys carried around and we would be readdressing later. As the

funnel dies down we the

the

surrounding area, it's very dark. If we didn't have our wolf's sight we wouldn't be able to see our hands in front of our faces.

"I wonder where everyone is." Dakota whispers.

"I wonder if everyone is okay." Oliver adds.

"I hope Mike is strung up in a cell." Cam grumbles.

"I want to know how long we were really in there."

 

 

Chapter 0555

Dakota goes to move but I stop him again. "Wait, we don't know what happened. We can't just blindly walk around. There could be traps or guards that aren't friendly if things didn't go our way." "What are you thinking, Tiny?"

"It's obviously been long enough that there isn't someone standing watch. I'm actually hoping that's a good thing." "You're thinking that if our side somehow lost they would have put a guard here." Cam's following my train of thought. "Yes, but there are plenty of places around here to hide out too, so we can't be too comfortable either."

"You'd think one of your team would be here too. They are more protective of you than we are." Oliver smiles at me.

"I know my team and they wouldn't leave us without some kind of protection or overwatch. Nathaniel knows we're out, but the question is, do we sit here and wait or head towards the packhouse? We don't know what's happened or what could still be going on. If we leave this spot will we be putting others in danger?"

"Can you still link them now that your warrior link is gone and you are marked?" Dakota asks.

"I don't know, I didn't even think to try." I take a deep breath and feel for that link in my head. I can feel Jena, but that might be because she's mated to my brother and a part of my pack now. I search deeper for Lil, Nathaniel and Wyatt. I'm nervous as I search for them and almost give up, but then I get it. A spark, that little light that lets me know Lil is there trying to push through. I reach for it in my mind and tug. ***"Oh sh*t, Midge!!! Where the f*ck have you four been?****

***"We didn't go anywhere. We got locked in that tornado thing and it took us a little bit to get out.****

***"Uh, no. Your windstorm took off with you like Dorothy. You've been gone for weeks.****

"Lil, says we've been gone for weeks." A chorus of expletives come from all my guys.

***"Where are you guys? Is it safe for us to head to you?"***

***"Yeah, we're good. Lots to tell you. We're all at the packhouse, everyone's gonna be so excited to see you." ***"We're on our way."***

11***

I take off, not even looking back at the guys, knowing they will follow without question. I shift and we run fast through the woods. Everything seems brighter, all the colors are enhanced now, the smells are sharper.

***"Wow! I can smell each rabbit and squirrel differently."*** Dakota laughs in my head.

***"Don't get distracted, you can make friends with the tiny fluff balls later."*** Oliver laughs at him.

****I was actually thinking tracking is going to be so much more precise. I'll have to test it with the pups when they get back. They will never win at hide and seek again. Even with all of the tricks Smalls teaches them."***

We all laugh.

***" Of course you're thinking about how to beat children at a game.' .**** Cam digs at him too.

***"Hey, don't knock it, they are ruthless."***

***"I can see the packhouse!"*** I don't know why that makes me emotional, but even in my wolf form I can feel the moisture build behind my eyes.

We are finally running down our

street and up to the front lawn of the packhouse shift without thinking twice. I have never been so excited to see a building before. I turn to look at my guys and notice they are all still in wolf form. They are all exactly the same size, but now they all have a black triangular patch on their chest that is the same color as my wolf.

***"What's up guys? Shift. Let's go inside and figure out what's happening."***

***"Bitty, we haven't learned the 'shift with clothes on' thing and none of us is in a position to be in our human form naked in front of you." ***"Wha....Ohhhhh."***

***

****I mean unless you want us to drag you upstairs and finish this." Dakota adds in a sultry voice I don't think I've ever heard him use before. "I just want the options out there.**** ***"You're an idiot. Love, will you go get us shorts please."***

I laugh, they are going to keep me on

my toes, that's for sure. "I'll be right back." I don't have to go far, we keep extra clothes all over the place for quick changes like this. Once they have shifted and are properly

covered we walk to the back yard where all of our friends are sitting

around the fire. Once Sierra catches

sight of us it's pandemonium. Everyone jumps up giving us hugs and back slaps. Lots of conversations that I can't quite follow are going on. We finally walk over to join them at the fire so we can all actually catch up.

"So what actually happened? One minute you were all marking each other, which was so hot by the way." Sierra fans herself. "Then you were surrounded by that swirl of wind and we were all kind of thrown back on our asses and it disappeared with you in it.

 

 

Chapter 0556

"We didn't move. Or at least I don't think we moved." Cam says sitting down on a long bench and pullin me onto his lap. I will probably never sit in my own chair ever again.

"Yeah, nothing changed for us, we were just trapped in the funnel." Dakota adds sitting next to us.

"We had a few things to figure out before the magic that was trapping us would let us go. How long were we actually in there? Lil said 'weeks.' How many exactly? And what's been going on since we went in." Oliver asks, sitting on my other side.

"Shorty's birthday is in three days." Mateo looks at all of us.

I gasp and look at my guys. We've been in there for almost a month. What the hell? "It felt like hours to us. That's crazy."

"That explains why I'm starving now." Dakota laughs at me, then stands. "You want anything Sweetness?" He asks, grazing my cheek with the back of his knuckles.

"Umm, Yes, please."

"That's so weird to watch." I look over to Nathaniel, my confusion is probably clear on my face. "You're letting someone do something for you and not fighting them. It's just weird."

All of our friends laugh and I join in, he's not wrong.

"I like it when you blush Bitty." Oliver whispers in my ear and grabs my hand.

"We'll have to find other ways to make her blush." Cam mutters back and I just shake my head.

When Dakota comes back he has a tray of food for all four of us. We dig in while the others tell us about what's been happening since we disappeared. ANd we tried to explain what was happening in the inside of the tunnel. But how do you explain insecurities to all of the people who are supposed to follow you?

They brought Mike back and put him

in one of the cells in the basement. Jena made sure that they pulled out all forms of comfort and shackled him to the wall by his arms and legs. Gentry has been in charge of his food, making sure he gets the same blend of herbs that was given to us. All of the guys have been taking turns going in to beat him each day. After some serious arguing, Mateo let Jena go in with him to deliver her own brand of torture to him. I don't think my brother was ready for what she did, based on the look on his face when she re-lived it for us. Mike will not sit properly for a very long time. But he's still alive for now. I feel like that is a ticking time bomb, and we are asking for trouble, but they want to see if they can get any other information out of him using his own tactics.

Gentry and Elena have been trying different things for the fire, some of the protections around it have been brought down, but whoever set this up didn't trust anyone and gave it more protections than necessary. They must have known that Kaley and Kevin couldn't be trusted or might mess up the setup.

As I sit here, listening to my friends, I find my focus going to the fire over and over again. I can't help thinking now that have my primary element in fire, I wonder if I could touch it without getting burned. What if the solution is just that simple? All I have to do is reach in and pull out the source of the fire. I'm pulled from my thoughts though when Sam speaks up.

"Alright, now that we have all the formal 'what's been happening conversations.' Is anyone going to mention the fact that the guys went in as twins and a Gamma and came out triplets? He's looking around at everyone and I can tell he's been holding that in for a while. "I mean

that is crazy, right? Even their eyes match. Even Little Bit's eyes are the same, somehow you got skipped over on the physical enhancements though, you are still the smallest person I have ever seen, but damn guys. I can only tell Oliver apart because he has tattoos. That is

trippy, and you all give off the same aura. Eh, Little Bit's is stronger. That's probably the only not surprising thing about all of this." He laughs at his own joke after all his rambling.

"Well now we have to get matching tattoos, so we can keep throwing people off." Dakota laughs, "But what I really want to do is sleep. We didn't get any in that vortex thing and now I'm starting to feel it."

"No sleep, huh? Are you sure you're going to get any now?" Sam keeps laughing.

"NO, no! We are not talking about any of that. I can't do it." My brother stands up waving his hands and I can feel my face going even more red.

"Like we said it felt like only a couple hours, you d*ck." Oliver throws a pillow at Sam. "Stop making your Alpha self conscious."

"Oh, damn. There are four of you as Alphas now. Who's going to be our Gamma then? I mean, we don't really have a Luna either, which is who the Gamma is for. You know, you make my brain hurt sometimes Midge." Lil laughs.

"We'll figure it out. I'm sure the Moon Goddess has something planned. But, I'm tired too, let's go and we can keep hashing this out in the morning with everyone. Cam stands with me in his arms, but for the first time in a really long time, he lets me walk into the packhouse on my own two legs.

 

 

Chapter 0557

We head inside and I move towards the stairs and an arm wraps around my waist.

"Where do you think you're going?" Dakota growls in my ear.

"Upstairs." I point over my shoulder.

"Not that way, Smalls. This way." He throws me over his shoulder and walks to the back of the staircase and we meet up with Cam and Oliver at the elevator.

"I thought you said you weren't ready to go up there." I try to look at them, but Dakota isn't putting me down for anything.

"We said we were waiting for our mate, or I guess mates. Now it's the only place any of us are going to sleep."

"But..."

"Don't worry Bitty. We just want to sleep tonight, apparently a lot has happened and we haven't slept for almost a month." "Sleeping is all that is happening tonight." Cam finished Oliver's thought.

"You are all doing the twin thing now." I grumble propping my elbow on Dakota's back. "Well, I guess it's a triplet thing now. I wonder why you weren't triplets to begin with. You have all always looked very similar."

"I think one of us needed the Gamma instinct or none of us would have been good enough to keep you close." Cam caresses my face the same way Dakota did earlier. I love the way that they are all touchy feely, but it's also very overwhelming. I have not had this much physical contact with anyone, ever, outside of training. Even when Jena and I basically lived attached at the hip.

I can already feel how attached to them I am. There's no way I could separate from all of them for any length of time. The mate bond is so immediate. I wonder if it works the same for mates who didn't know each other before. Like with Jena and Mateo. She resisted him, but I thought that was more due to her experience with Mike, but maybe she was resisting being with a stranger. I have at least known all of these guys my whole life.

We make it up to the Alpha suite and Dakota lets me down in front of him and turns me around to face the entryway. It's just like I remember. The soft chairs positioned in front of a fireplace and the floor to ceiling bookshelves. The fireplace isn't lit this time, but it is just as beautiful as I remember it.

Dakota sets me down as we move to the right towards the bedroom and bathroom. "You can shower first, I think mom moved all your things up here before we went into the tornado. If we have been gone a month, I can imagine all of our stuff is up here. She likes to reorganize when she worries." He walks me through the bathroom and opens the massive closet to reveal exactly what he predicted. Women's clothes lined one whole side of the closet and mens clothes lined the other.

"I knew she like you more than any of us." Cam laughs. "There's three of us and she has us sharing one side of the closet."

"We can move stuff. I really don't need this much space." I look at him worried.

"Stop, Love. I was kidding. Thanks to

your magic and whatever else is going on we all wear the same size and will probably dress alike, just to mess with people even more. I see lot of Ong sleeves in our future until we can match the tattoos Oliver has." He leans down to kiss me on the forehead. "Shower and get ready for bed. I'm beat."

I jump in to wash off the dirt and grime from whatever day that was. I was actually worried about taking too long, but couldn't help it. All of the different jets just hit sore muscles didn't know I had. I will say it was a little nerve wracking getting in and out though, since there isn't an actual door on the bathroom. It has a doorway so it's not completely open, but there is definitely zero room for privacy. I have to keep reminding myself that these guys are my mates. They are going to see me naked eventually and I can't be timid with three extremely hot mates.

I wrap myself in a towel and head back into the closet. I grab my own underwear and shorts, there's no need to give them false hopes, but do grab one of the new t-shirts that's meant for all of them and doesn't have anyone's scent on it yet and throw that over my head. I have to sneak past the shower with Dakota's very defined butt on display along with his chiseled back muscles

flexing as he rinses off the front of

his body.

"If you stand there staring any longer, I'm going to think you want me to pull you in here." He laughs as I let out a little squeak and run into the other room and straight into Oliver.

"It's okay to look Bitty, we're yours to look at, but remember we can feel your desire now too, even if it is muted."

"I was wondering about that." Cam comes over from the entryway carrying a tray with glasses and a plate of something. "Normally new mates are attacking each other, especially after they have marked. The mating part is kind of the natural next step."

"Maybe it's different for us. Well I guess everything has been different for us. But we technically missed the full moon after marking. Isn't that like an Alpha ritual or right of passage?" I ask.

"Yeah, I forgot about that." Dakota comes in toweling his hair. "But we are going to go at your pace. We don't have a reason to rush this and your desire is muted. I can feel you, but it's like from a distance. There's got to be a reason for that."

I know I just ate, but the sandwich Cam made hit the spot as I waited for him to finish his shower. There is no shame in their game as all three of them sport boxer briefs and nothing else to sleep in. At least the last time we were like this they all had t-shirts on. Oh boy.

"You are mine right now." Dakota grabs me. "Those two hogged you the last time."

"That's okay, she'll end up over here eventually." Oliver challenges.

"No way."

"Wanna bet? She flops around like a fish. She'll sprawl across Cam for a bit and end up next to me by morning. Same would happen if she started over here."

"So what you're saying is by letting Cam sleep in the middle we are both getting screwed." The three of them let out deep laughter and I can't help but smile at the idea that they are mine and for right now, no one is trying to take them away.

 

 

Chapter 0558

I wake up before everyone, as usual and try to move as little as possible as I extract myself from all the limbs holding me down. Oliver wasn't wrong though. I started the night in Dakota's arms and somehow ended up on the other side of Cam, tucked under his arm, while Oliver had my hips pulled back to him with our legs tangled. It's quit the extraction, but for once none of them wake up when I try to move. I don' know if it's because we have marked each other and I have basically committed to staying in the pack so their minds are at ease or if it's because we are up in the Alpha suite and I technically don't have to leave to do anything. There's a kitchen up here that I know is fully stocked. The fireplace with the reading nook in the entryway, the full massive bathroom and closet and my guys are all up here. We could hide away for a while and pretend the sh*tshow isn't still going on outside. And for just a little bit longer that's exactly what I want.

I head to the kitchen to make coffee and as I head back through the entry landing I notice a very familiar book on one of the tables next to the reading chairs. It's the grimoire that Elena gave me, and new pages are marked.

I sit in the chair and get comfortable. I love that she doesn't hover, but knows that I need the guidance and the time to just go through things at my own pace and ask questions when I need to. I have no idea how long I have been sitting here and so engrossed in this new spell that I don't hear Cam walk into the room. I jump as he kisses me on the cheek.

"Oh damn!! You scared the sh*t out of me!"

"I'll have to remember that you can be completely distracted by a book and your reading room to the point of not being able to use your cheater enhanced abilities against us." He chuckles under his breath and sits in the other chair with a coffee in hand. Oh wow, I was so distracted that he made it by me, to the kitchen and back and I had no idea. "Don't look so shocked Tiny, this is our safe space. No one comes up here unless it's absolutely necessary, you can let your guard down."

"Unless you really don't want to be attacked by us," Another kiss on the cheek. "Then I would keep a little of your guard up." Dakota sits on the arm of my chair. "We need to get a couple more chairs in here." He looks around the space.

"We can just move to the living room..." I start.

"No, you like this space, Bitty. The living room has the TV and a bunch of other distractions. You like the simplicity of this space, so we want to be here... with you." Oliver kisses my other cheek, but stays standing.

"So what's on the list of assignments today?" Cam asks over his cup.

"The grimoire was here when I woke up. Not sure if it was here last night, but I don't think so. There were a couple new spells marked for me to learn. I wish there was some type of description of what the spell is for or what it is supposed to do, though. Especially when they look super complicated like this." I turn it

towards Oliver and he makes a face.

"I don't remember that one from before and I flipped through the whole book. Maybe I missed something?" He says it like a question, but we all know he most definitely did not miss anything. He doesn't miss anything. "Well, let's treat like information to know, but we won't do anything with it until we understand what it's for. At least Elena and Gentry are both here right now and Elena is going to be here permanently, so that will be helpful. You can train regularly on your magic and we can learn what the hell we are doing with these elements now that we all have them."

I nod. "We should go check in with everyone. I want to know how all of our warriors are and get a rundown of any other damage to the pack grounds that we might need to handle before the Rogue King comes our way, since we know he's coming, and anything we can put in place now to protect us." They nod to me.

"I also have one request." Cam looks

at me like he's going to say

something I don't like and I clench my jaw, bracing for it. "I don't want you to go down to see Mike." I inhaled sharply, that was going to be my next stop after they woke up. I want to confront him. I need to confront him. “Hear me out, Love: We didn't kill him, because we need him to lure the Rogue King and this witch Adrielle out, but I talked to Mateo and other than the ramrod from Jena, he's taken every single punishment with a smugness, that tells us he's up to something. I trust Mateo's judgment. I trust Brett and Kyle on this, something is off. It's like he's waiting, biding his time and you are the only thing he has wanted. Until we can figure out his endgame, will you promise not to go down to the cells? Not even to use the gym. Being in the house is too close for my wolf, and I am barely holding onto control of him."

 

Chapter 0559

I roll my eyes and scrub my face with my hands. How can I argue with a request like that? Even though I want to so badly. I want my turn to beat the sh*t out of him, but I know if the situation was reversed and it was Kaley in the room, smugly waiting for my mates, I would ask them not to go too. They just sit there waiting for my answer patiently, even Dakota, who is only slightly more patient than Sam. I take a deep breath and run through every scenario in my head, anyway to get my turn, now, but I can't find one. I roll my eyes at myself. They are my mates, and this isn't a hard request, why am I being difficult? It's the first thing he has asked of me, and he actually asked. I take another deep breath and nod my head.

"Fine, for now, but I want my chance too. I deserve that much since I didn't get to do anything about Kaley. He took that away from me too. That b*tch didn't deserve the easy way out either." My eyes are focused on the floor in front of me and I can feel the tension in the room, if I tried I could probably taste it on my tongue. It's so thick.

"Will you ever tell us the whole truth about that, Smalls? I know we don't deserve it and now there really isn't anything we can do to make up for it, but I want to know anyway, when you're ready to tell us." "Maybe. Someday. Right now I just want to get through this Rogue King bullsh*t." I sigh.

"Well then let's go see our team and get a game plan together."

We all get up and head back to the bedroom to change. "Speaking of 'our team.' I was thinking about Sam's question last night."

"What question, Bitty?"

"The Gamma question. I didn't think about it before, but everyone always thought about our connection as a Gamma to a Luna, but since we are mates and you are an Alpha now, we are in need of a Gamma." "Even if you are an Alpha too?" Dakota says muffled through pulling on a shirt.

"For one thing Jena and Mateo should not be forced to deal with all four of us." I laugh. "And another thing we want a Gamma line here, we don't know if the next female leader will be an Alpha or a Luna, we want to make sure we set up our pack for success for any scenario, now that we know there is more than one possibility. I was thinking about asking Lil to stay. She's a Delta from her pack, but she has always been my right hand with Elite Warrior missions. I also know her, Jena and I work well together. That has been tested time and time again as well."

"That is something else I would

really like to hear about, Tiny. Your time with the Elite Warriors. You

gel

were gone for almost two years, and I want to know about you as a warrior outside of this pack." Cam smiles at me, like he's seeing me for the first time.

"I was actually going to suggest Lil as well. Her and I were pretty much in agreement when it came to anything that had to do with you." Oliver plants a kiss on the top of my head. And that would give you a female team of your own essentially. Jena is your Beta, Lil would be your Gamma and Sierra is your Delta. When and if Lil finds her mate we will have our team rounded out too."

"Well then! Let's go ask if Lillian wants to stick around our crazy ass pack permanently!" Dakota throws me over his shoulder and I laugh as we head to the elevator. "You do know I can walk, right? I feel like we've had this conversation before."

"Oh, I know, Smalls. But once you are in work mode, trying to touch you becomes increasingly more difficult even though watching you work is probably the biggest turn on ever "Now we're all laughing as step in. Dakota does let me down in the elevator though so I can walk out of my own accord.

"What about Wyatt and Nathaniel?"

we

"What about them?" Cam asks.

"I don't want to lose them either. They have been a part of my team since the beginning too."

"I actually assumed they were a part of the 'Bitty package deal.' If we got you, Lil and Jena, they would be like a special bonus." Oliver laughs at me.

"Really!?" I turn to look at all of them.

"Anything for you, Love." Cam kisses me on the lips, then Oliver takes his turn. Not, to be outdone, Dakota grabs me and dips me down before he kisses me. And of course that's when the doors to the elevator open...to everyone waiting for us.

 

 

Chapter 0560

"Well that's a sight to see!" Sierra laughs at us and I can feel my cheeks flare with embarrassment.

Of course Dakota doesn't let me up right away either, reveling in my discomfort like a true pain in the ass. "Get used to it Sweetness, this is your life now and I will take every opportunity to put my hands on you, no matter who's in the vicinity." My eyes are wide in shock.

"You wouldn't dare?" I say it like a question, 'cause he wouldn't possibly put me through that in front of pack members would he?

"Try me." He growls in my ear.

This time I put more force into him letting go of me. "Okay, we need to talk about the game plan." I look right at Sierra who is trying and failing to not laugh at me. "Shut up." I grumble as we walk towards the offices. "Did anyone get a chance to search the Alpha's office for anything that can harm us?"

"Yep, and we found plenty. Someone was really after your parents." Wyatt said, walking past us. "Elena and Gentry spent a lot of time here. They found the bundle in the desk, just like you talked about Midge. They also found some kind of crazy ass totem behind the family picture, that we think might have been Kaley based on how sloppy it was put together. So, they were clearly given directions on some things and went off the reservation on others. There was an extra barrier put on the windows and doors too, more than likely to keep Midge out and away, but that clearly had no effect on her. As far as we know, it's clear. So Alpha Midge, let us know if your Spidey-senses go off."

I laugh as we all file in and I look

around the office. I haven't been in here since that day. It looks exactly the same though. All dark panels

and old wood. Like a mid centunnet

library with gold accents

everywhere. All handles and pulls are a yellow gold colored metal, some small decorative statues and bookends are the same.

"We are going to have to do something about expanding this office with four of us. I don't want Smalls in another room." Dakota kisses me on the temple.

"There's a lot of things we will probably need to adjust about the packhouse with our setup." Cam muses, firing up the computer. "Okay, so first things first. The pentagram. Is there anything else we need to do to it?"

"No, Alpha Cameron. The four of you displaced it and Elena and I have been working to get things together to reset it once the fire pit is in our control." Gentry steps up from the back of the group.

"What do you mean in our control?" I ask her.

"Since Kaley and her father were assumed to have set the fire under orders, the control of the fire should have gone to the ones who set it free, which would be the four of you. Naturally, we thought that maybe our troubles stemmed from you.

being stuck in your vortex. & net

+ince

you have returned we still cannot work with or manipulate it in any way, meaning someone or

something still has control over it or no one has control over it. And that is detrimental in either scenario. The fire is still trapped or bound to something, We need to release it before we can reset the pentagram to be beneficial for your pack."

"Umm, I know we just rebuilt the thing, but should we burn down the Cunningham's house for good measure? You know, just in case they have other voodoo stuff lying around I mean no one is going to

to live there after everything they did, so it's going to sit useless anyway." I stare at Nathaniel. He has never said so many words at once that didn't involve unintelligible code geek speak.