“This is why I was so confused about Sin when I met him,” I blurt out. “Because all the accounts of fated mates were coupled shifters who would never look twice at another person and wouldn’t have even considered the possibility of having another fated mate. I thought we only got one, but I was wrong, and I think if you’re able to consider the possibility of adding another person to your mating, then you have a third out there somewhere. It’s fate. You’re going to find them. I believe that.”
The expressions on the faces of the shifter-mare couples morph from worry to relief as if all of them can imagine having a third mate, which makes sense to me. I wouldn’t want Gael solely reliant on me for sustenance, and I’m glad Sin is here to help with that.
“I think we’re going to have to have a group mating ceremony, so let’s plan to do it the last night of the summit. That way everyone who wants to participate has time to sort what they want for their ceremony, clothing, flowers, etc. And please spread the word, that way any more fated mates cropping up can join without asking permission. I need a volunteer to organizetaking on the sign up sheet for the ceremony,” Anja announces, but there aren’t any immediate volunteers from the pairings, and I don’t blame them for wanting to focus on each other, so I catch Gael’s eye and ask without asking if I should.
He smiles at me and pulls me down for a sweet kiss. “That’s fine, if you want.”
I reach over to Anja and pull on her sleeve. “I’ll take care of the sign up sheet.”
Anja gives me a relieved smile and pats my chest. “Thank you. I was worried I would have to do that too.”
I chuckle softly. “Nah. I’d never make my best friend do all the work for the species, especially since I’m the one who put her in this situation.”
Anja immediately punches my shoulder. “You’re damn right!”
I laugh and pull her into a hug, but immediately let her go when another couple appears with the same look of hope on their faces as the rest of these pairs. I wave them all over to me, stepping away from my mates, and start taking down the information we need for a mating ceremony.
I might not have gotten one of these yet, but I’m not going to pressure my mates into doing it before we are all ready. Besides, I think I’d rather have my ceremony be focused on me and my mates, than participate in a group event for the chance to have the species leaders perform the ceremony.
It’s an honor, no doubt, but considering my best friend is one species leader, and my mate is another, I think it will be fine if I wait until everyone’s ready. I have the proof on my skin that I belong to them; I can wait for the rest.
Chapter 21
Present Day
Sin
The rest of the summit becomes an unprecedented celebration and homecoming party. People who’ve never had much opportunity to mix spend days getting to know each other and talking. Long overdue conversations happen during the week-long summit, so many that we barely see the inside of our hotel room.
Gael and Anja work double time as most of the matings happen between shifters and mare, and there are some interesting traditions that need to be mixed for the group mating ceremony at the end of the week, but he’s so fucking happy that it’s hard to pull him away from the people to rest, and even when we do, the other species leaders are there with their own unique set of issues, requests, and challenges. They are the governing leaders, and there are treaties to negotiate or renew, and I get roped into more conversations than I expect because the otherspecies have never had the opportunity to make treaties with humans before.
As the de facto leader of the humans who know about magic, I’m swamped with requests, not just from the species leaders, but clan leaders as well. People want to learn more about humans, which is surprising since they live on this planet with humans, but they’ve been as disconnected to humans as they have been with each other. They want to learn, but they need to take it in baby steps, according to most of the requests I get. I don’t understand it at all, but according to what I learn, Phin working outside of his clan was so unusual as to be unheard of, and the reason he told us he would have to quit his job was because Arden had taken the option away from him.
I barely see either of my lovers as the end of the summit comes closer, and while the atmosphere is full of hope and happiness, open communication, and the sharing of knowledge, it is exhausting for all of us. The group mating ceremony at the end of the week boasts fifty-seven fated mate pairings, including four shifter-mare-human pairings that found their third while out on the town. I officially have four people under me as the de facto species leader, and all four of the others agree that I should continue in the role.
When we finally say goodbye to our new friends and the old ones, Gael and I both have panda eyes, and Phin’s worry for us has reached new heights. He puts himself in charge of our trip home, insisting that we sleep on the plane, and I do.
Gael looks like he didn’t sleep a wink when we hit the tarmac, which wakes me up enough to worry about him again, and by the time I get him behind closed doors in the privacy of our home, he looks so bad I regret not having more time together at the summit. We simply didn’t have enough time to connect and spend time feeding Gael. He told us he was fine, but it’s fully caught up with him now that we’re home.
Gael collapses against Phin, and our mate carries him to our bedroom, stripping him and putting him in the bed. Gael barely blinks before he slips into sleep, and Phin whines in his throat, distressed by how quickly he went down. I hug Phin from behind, kissing his back and taking a deep breath. It’s hard to get in the mood, but Gael needs us to feed him, and it’s been a week since I’ve had time to take care of Phin. Despite sleeping on the flight, I’m ready to drop into bed and sleep with Gael, but I want him to wake up with his energy stores refreshed at least a little.
“Let me fuck you,” I murmur, reaching around to palm Phin’s cock over his pants.
Phin stiffens in my palm, melting into his surrender with a nod. “Yes, please do.”
“We were planning on feeding Gael anyway, we’ll just have to do it while he’s sleeping,” I say, unbuttoning his pants and helping him out of them as he pulls his shirt over his head.
I push him onto the bed, pull my clothes off and grab the lube off the nightstand. This is going to be messy, so I make a detour to the bathroom to grab a towel, sliding it under Phin’s ass and settling between his legs.
Phin holds the back of his legs, giving me an excellent view of his furry ass as I spread lube over him and my fingers. I spear my middle finger into him, enjoying the rich heat and soft insides of my mate. He’s delicious in every way, but in this moment, staring at me with a hazy gaze because he loves the sensation of penetration so much, he’s as beautiful as Gael in my eyes, loved just as much with as much devotion as I’ve given our mare.
“I love you,” I remind him, working a second finger into his soft channel. I love the feel of it as I spread my fingers to open him up and stretch him. He doesn’t need much, and his body instantly relaxes. I take my time before pushing the third finger in, even though he’s ready in less than a minute. I love playing with him, taking him to the edge where he begs.
“More.”
His whispered plea sings in my heart and mind, and I give him what he needs, turning my wrist to spread him wide on my fingers. The noises he makes spur me on, and even though he doesn’t need it to take my cock, I shift to get all four of my fingers into him. Twisting and turning them inside, I push my hand in past my knuckles until the rim of his ass hooks on my thumb.
“Please, please, please, please,” he begs, rocking on my hand as I play in his soft insides. It’s a texture thing for me. I love how he feels, silky and smooth, but he’s right. It’s time to give him what he’s begging for.
