Chapter 40


    Chapter 40 Shifting


    Delta team circled them all night. They stayed far enough away to give them the illusion of privacy.


    Thea fell asleep around two in the morning. She woke up when she heard ric making pained noises.


    She sat up and saw him on all fours, fur sprouting out of his arms.


    Joints popping, bones cracking. Kai and Conri sat watching next to her. His shirt ripped in half as his


    back changed shape and grew. The rest of his clothes followed suit as he morphed. It seemed to take


    forever. Finally, it wasplete, and a beautiful, big ck wolf with a silver-white undercoat on his


    paws shook out its coat. He sniffed the air, turned, and stared right at Thea. One leap, and hended in


    front of her. He put his muzzle against her neck and breathed in deep. Thea reached up and ran her


    fingers through his fur.


    “Hi, handsome,” she said.


    He shivered then licked her marking spot. She shivered. He gently put his teeth against her skin.


    “Hey! No!” Thea pushed against him.


    He growled and came back toward her neck. She put her arms up to block him, and he bit into her


    forearm going for her marking spot. He immediately released her and backed away. It looked like he


    was fighting with ric inside.


    Kai and Conri stepped in front of Thea. The wolf looked at them and growled, then whimpered. Then he


    laid down. Ears down, tail down, chin on the ground.


    “It’s okay, guys,” Thea said. “I think ric has control now.”


    They stepped aside, keeping an eye on him. Thea beckoned him, and he inched his way over on his


    belly, keeping a submissive posture. When he reached her, he looked up at her, then at her bleeding


    arm. He inched closer and looked at her again, asking permission. She nodded.


    He started licking the wounds. They immediately began to heal, sending pleasurable shivers


    throughout Thea’s body. This was another thing mates could do. It was an intimate thing, and it didn’t


    just heal. It felt amazing. He kept licking until the wounds were closed, and her skin was clean of any


    blood. Her dress still had bloodstains on it. He rested his head on the ground, ears down.


    Thea maneuvered, so his head rested on herp. She stroked his face and head.


    “Wow,” Conri said.


    “If ric had trouble taming his wolf, what chance do we stand?”


    “Just remember to be prepared,” Kai said.


    About an hourter, as the sun was rising, Conri stood up suddenly.


    “I think it’s happening,” he said. He hunched over. He kept his cries of pain in for a while until he


    couldn’t. It looked like he was fighting the shift.


    “Conri, babe,” Thea said.


    “Rx. Let it happen.”


    ric’s wolf whined in sympathy.


    Conri tried to rx, and that’s when fur started sprouting from him. He began to morph, then stopped. It


    started again, and suddenly another big, ck wolf was standing before them. His tail had a silver-


    white undercoat.


    This time, Thea decided to be proactive. She stood up.


    “Hey,” she said.


    “Want to y?”


    Conri’s wolf turned toward her, and she took off. He chased after her, got in front of her to cut her off.


    She faked left and went right. He bounded back to chase her again. This time he encircled her, curling


    his body around her. She ducked and ran under him. He turned, watched her, andid down with a


    whine, moping.


    Thea walked back and sat down in front of him. He scooted closer and wrapped his head and neck


    around hers, like a hug. She reached her arms around his neck and hugged him back. She raked her


    fingers through the fur of his shoulder and neck. He breathed in her scent. He licked her neck and put


    his incisors on the skin of her shoulder, giving little nibbles up and down.


    “Ow! That hurts,” Thea said. She pushed against him just as he reached her marking spot. He froze


    there. She could sense Conri battling his wolf for control.


    “Not again. You can’t mark me!”


    He nibbled with his incisors a little more aggressively. ric’s wolf came up behind Thea and stared


    down Conri’s wolf. Kai stood off to the side between them.


    “Hey, guys,” Kai said. “Why don’t you go for a run? Huh? Burn off some of that energy? You know what


    Dad said. You can’t mark her yet.”


    ric’s wolf lunged, and Conri’s wolf released Thea to take the hit. Thea rolled out of the way and


    stood up. ric got Conri to chase him, and they ran around for a while.


    Thea looked at her shoulder.


    “That’s a nasty bruise,” Kai said.


    “l get him back.”


    Kaiughed.


    “No doubt.”


    The two ck wolves came back a whileter,id down next to Thea, and panted as she pet them.


    Not long after, Kai began his shift. ‘


    His was the quickest. He was already practiced in submitting to Thea. It was second nature for him to


    let his wolf take control and handle the shift for him. He didn’t fight it at all.


    He was ck too, with a silver-white undercoat on his chest. He turned to Thea and slowly stalked


    toward her. He walked right into her, pushing her down onto her back. He crouched down andid on


    top of her.


    “Oof. Really? Like what chance do I have of overpowering you right now?” Thea said.


    He licked her face, buried his nose in her hair, and breathed in and out. He stayed like that for a while.


    “You’re really heavy,” Thea said.


    She tried to wiggle out from underneath him, but he wouldn’t let her. She tried harder, and he mped


    down on her marking spot on the other shoulder. He didn’t puncture the skin. That wasn’t his intention.


    He was telling her to be still. The pressure on that spot sent tingles throughout her body, and she


    rxed and moaned involuntarily.


    Kai’s wolf bit a little harder, trying to tell her something else. The pleasure she felt was interrupted by


    pain when he bit harder still. Thea cried out, and Conri and ric growled right as Kai whimpered in


    apology. He loosened his grip, stood up, moved over, andid next to Thea. He looked at her, then


    looked at his back.


    “You want me to ride you? You want to go for a run?”


    His jaw dropped open, and his tongue rolled out of his mouth, hanging out the side.


    “Okay,” she said.


    She climbed onto his back, and the three ck wolves took off. Delta team surrounded them as they


    ran around the packnds. They stopped at the pack house, and the Alpha and Luna came out to see


    their sons’ wolves.


    Thea slid off Kai. The triplets’ wolves licked their parents. Their father looked at Thea’s bloody dress


    and bruised neck and shoulders. He looked at his sons, mind linking them. The three ck wolves


    hung their heads and tucked their ears and tails. Luna Ada also spoke her piece to them in mind link.


    “Are you okay, Thea?” Alpha Ulric said.


    “Yes, sir.”


    “You should heal quickly after today. You were born a few hours after them. Shouldn’t be long.”


    “Alpha? Can you tell me what their names are?”


    “Axel, Caleb, and Damon.” He pointed to ric, Conzi, then Kai.


    “They all said to tell you that you’re mates. Their wolves are very adamant about it and want to mark


    you if that wasn’t clear. ric says he’s sorry he didn’t get control of Axel in time. Axel also says he’s


    sorry he bit your arm. You bit her arm?” Alpha Ulric said something to Axel and ric in mind link. Axel


    hung his head.


    Luna Ada went to Thea and checked her arm out. A faint outline of Axel’s bite, raised and white,


    scarred the skin of her forearm.


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    “Well, you’ll have a story to tell your children, I guess,” Luna Ada said.


    Thea walked over to Axel and ran her hand over his back.


    “It’s okay, my love,” she said. “I understand.”


    He crouched down.


    “He wants you to get on,” Luna Ada said.


    Thea climbed onto his back.


    “Remember, you can’t mark her when she’s in wolf form either,” Alpha Ulric said. He added something


    in mind link.


    Axel stood up, made sure Thea was secure, then trotted off. Caleb and Damon followed with Delta


    team surrounding them.


    They did anotherp, running through the woods, then came back to the meadow where they set up


    the nkets. Axelid down, and Thea slid off. She put her forehead against his.


    “I love you,” she said.


    Caleb nudged her back with his nose. She turned and did the same to him. Damon patiently awaited


    his turn. He was rewarded with an extra kiss on the nose.


    The three ck wolves with silver-white patches shifted back to their human forms. Thea smiled at


    them.


    “How was it?” she said.


    “Amazing,” Kai said.


    “I’m so sorry,” ric said.


    “Oh, honey, no, it’s okay,” Thea said. She held her arm out.


    “See? All good.” She pulled him into a hug.


    “I’m sorry too,” Conri said. “I think Caleb thought he was giving you a massage.”


    “Maybe only do that when I’m in wolf form?” Thea said.


    “Yeah,” Conri said.


    “Damon was using the marking spot to calm you, then to try to get you to shift,” Kai said.


    “I’m sorry he was too tough.”


    “It’s okay, guys,” Thea said. “Tell me about mind linking and how it feels to run as a wolf!”


    “Let’s eat while we talk,” Conri said. “I’m starving.”


    They each put on a pair of basketball shorts and cozied up to Thea. They pulled out food and drinks


    and ate while they described things.


    “The first thing was smelling you, Thea,” ric said. He took a bite of his peach. “By the way, I think I


    figured out why we all love peaches.”


    “Yeah,” Conri said.


    “Your scent. You smell like peaches.”


    “It’s delicious,” Kai said. He leaned in and took a whiff of her neck.


    “Axel went crazy,” ric said.


    “He took the reins before I could figure out how to take them back. All he wanted was you. He kept


    saying, ‘Mine. My mate. Mine.’ Things along those lines.”


    “Yeah, you were smart to distract Caleb,” Conri said. “ When he got to your marking spot, I had a


    difficult time stopping him. Good thing Axel was there. Caleb’s in here, just staring at you, adoring you.


    ‘My beautiful mate. We need to mark her.’ He can’t get you out of his head.”


    “Yeah,” Kai said. “More of that from Damon. ‘Mate this, mate that.’ I don’t think they’re going to be able


    to think about anything else until we mark you. They’re relentless.”


    “Alphas,” Thea said, shaking her head.


    “And not to rub it in your face and say I told you so, but we told you we were mates, and we are,” Conri


    said.


    “Okay, you were right,” Thea said. She smiled. “We’re mates.”


    “We’re mates,” the triplets said together.


    “Do you guys feel different? Are there more tingles when you touch me?”


    “Oh yeah,” they all said, lust in their eyes.


    “I can feel you more too. I can’t hear your thoughts yet, but I think I feel them,” Conri said.


    “I really can’t wait to mark you .. . and finish the mating process.”


    “It’s so weird to think everyone will be watching us,” Thea said.


    “And feeling it too.”


    “It’s supposed to be a big deal for the pack under normal circumstances,” ric said.


    “But considering it’s you, I have a feeling it will be pretty spectacr.”


    “Not to mention the fact that there’s three of you. That’s got to triple whatever magic goes through to


    the pack,” Thea said.


    “Who do you want to mate you first?” Conri said.


    She bit her lip. “It’s going to be painful for me, so which of you-”


    “Is okay with hurting you?” Conri said. He shrunk back.


    “ It’s not fair. Why do you have to be the one who hurts? I wish I could take it for you.”


    Thea rubbed his back.


    “Thank you, Con,” she said.


    A tear fell from his eye. She kissed it from his cheek and shivered at the tingles that ran through her.


    “I think I already feel more tingles too,” she said.


    “You don’t have to be first, Con.”


    “l do it,” ric said. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I’ll bear the burden.”


    Thea wrapped her other arm around ric and kissed him.


    “Kai? Are you okay with that?” Thea said.


    Kai nodded. “Honestly, I would have a difficult time with it, and I’d look weak to the pack. ric should


    do it. Plus, he is the oldest. He should go first.”


    “By an hour,” Thea said, smiling and shaking her head.


    “ So then Con goes second because he was born next?”


    “And I’ll gost,” Kai said.


    “Because you’re the baby of the family?” Thea said.


    “Technically, you were bornst,” Kai said.


    “I was born first,” Thea said. “In my family.”


    “But after all of us,” Kai said. He smiled at her.


    “Come here,” Thea said, beckoning him closer.


    He came and nestled between her legs. They allid down and enjoyed the tingles while they waited


    for Thea to shift.