Chapters 14 & 15

Chapter 14: An Abundance of Sweet Potatoes

Wrenley

Wrenley stayed with Analise, Maris, and Liander through midmorning. They walked with her through the village and introduced her to several people. When the three of them left her, Wrenley continued to walk around. She remained lost in thought for most of the morning and found herself watching the different families she passed as they carried about their day.

Although the Women of Chaos hadn't acted like the cities they came from weren't inherently bad, Wrenley had found herself imagining that they had to been pretty strict. That maybe they were run like a dictatorship and that perhaps the people there were oppressed and unhappy.

It would have made more sense that these people had been kicked out, presumably after being rejected from their rightful mate.

That was definitely not the case. It could be argued that maybe she had just been ineractin to those that the system worked for. But as she walked around observing a group of children playing tag in the middle of the road, watching parents mingling in chairs along the side as they watched their children, she thought that maybe it was the Women of Chaos who had it all wrong.

They were angry because who they were supposed to be with decided they didn't want to be with them. And they had let that color their opinion on the entire city and all the people in it. Misery loves company and all that. Instead of villainizing one person, they villainized the whole. 

How could it make them mad enough to want it to leave and in turn, kill everyone that remained in the city? On the one hand, she understood how they could be severely angry at the person who rejected them. And to some degree, even those who supported their decision. But mass exocide seemed a little harsh. 

She understood deep resentment. She understood harboring anger and frustration. She understood what it must be like for them having felt their barely started bonds deteriorating with nothing that they could do to prevent it.

She actually understood wanting to punish the person responsible for their misery.

What she didn't understand was the willingness to kill an innocent person on blind (and flawed) principle alone. Because the bottom line was that Maz had not rejected any of them and they killed him in cold blood. There was nothing they could say to justify that. Not as far as Wrenley was concerned.

She continued to walk through the quiet streets, listening to the laughter and the soft chatter. She knew she had a job to do. But she wasn't sure where to go to get the answer. Wrenley imagined that it was the Primals were who they considered to be the elders. But there was something that made her hesitate in going to see them.

Now seems like an opportune time. When the five Primals of the five clans were gathered in one place. And yet she still hesitated.

She thought back on the stories that Raider had told her. They all seemed a little far fetched. She kept having to remind herself that she was in a fairy tale. The laws of physics were different here. But then she thought, maybe if something that shouldn't be in the fairy tale had indeed disrupted their ecosystem, could it not create something like a pandemic that would affect everyone?

Maybe it was enough to interfere with the sky’s assignments. As strange as it was, maybe that was what had caused the forest to become so bloody.

The streets were quieting as she continued to walk. It really was a cute, quaint place. As long as she didn't look over the surrounding walls in the distance. The bloody trees looming in the landscape, looking like the promise of a horror movie in action. It was disturbing. At the very least, and although the aromas of the city were pleasant and prevalent, there was always that underline bitter tang of blood through the air and on her tongue.

She paused when she found Raider walking her way. She couldn't contain her smile as he made his way to her. He really was beautiful. And he was kind. And yet there was nothing inside her that reacted to him the same way it did Jaxon, Cain, and Rawson. The thought of it alone irritated her. She thought that maybe she could get used to the mate thing if she could have just chosen who that person was.

And seriously, why does she have to have three? Was she that difficult to be with that she had to have three different men to entertain her? Was she that high maintenance? It kind of felt like an insult the sky was handing her. 

If she even believed in that!

“Hey you,” Raider said with a beautiful smile.

“Hi,” Wrenley greeted back.

“Where are you headed?”

Wrenley looked around, realizing she had no idea which part of the city she was in. “I was just wondering. Letting my feet carry me wherever they would. Where are you headed?”

“I promised that I’d help prepare dinner,” Raider said with a shrug.

“Oh yeah. For who exactly?”

“When the clans get together, we take turns preparing meals. Not one clan will prepare all three meals in a day, but we rotate through the three meals. Denali did breakfast. Aspen is doing lunch. And Indigo will have dinner.”

“That's really nice,” Wrenley said, smiling.

“You want to join me? I'm sure it's an all hands on deck type of event.”

Wrenley shrugged and nodded. “Sure.”

Raider offered his hand and Wrenley was happy to take it. She noted the twist in her stomach but she chose to ignore it. She wasn't actively seeking another person's company. And she wasn't specifically trying to get rid of the fledgeling mate bonds within her. So the little twist and turn would just have to suck it up and deal.

Raider walked her through town until they came upon a rather large building that reminded her of another Viking longhouse. But this time there was the distinct scent of many dishes being prepared. Although she had just eaten, it was enough to make her stomach growl.

They were greeted immediately and Wrenley found herself smiling at the warm reception Raider received. It was clear that he was well liked.

An older woman stopped in front of him and patted his cheek with a fond motherly expression. “There you are, boy,” she said with a warm smile. “You're on sweet potato duty, dear.” And then she looked at Wrenley, giving her another smile. “And who are you, Sunshine?”

“This is a friend of mine, Ma. Wrenley.”

“How did he convince you to take over part of his duties?”

Wrenley smiled and shrugged. “I don't mind helping.”

“I didn't convince her. I just asked,” Raider argued.

“Mhmm,” the woman he called Ma hummed. “Well, you make sure he's pulling his weight, Wrenley.”

Wrenley smiled and nodded as Raider dropped his hand down to the base of her back and pushed her gently along. He led her to the back of the building where there was an open front fire oven tucked against the back wall into a corner. Running the remainder of most of the length of the wall was an open fire grate grill.

And then there were barrels and barrels of sweet potatoes. At the end of the grill was an open door to the outside. She imagined it was probably necessary with all the fire at this corner of the building. Just to get in some fresh air. And then there was a table in front of them, surrounded by four chairs.

“What are we making?” Wrenley asked as she stared at the potatoes.

“Sweet potato bake,” he answered. He stopped at one of the barrels and picked up a handful of sweet potatoes before heading over to the oven. “First step is pretty simple. We just load them in here and let them bake.”

Wrenley watched as he started to roll them back towards the fire. She noted that he had done this many times. The strength in which he used as well as where he aimed them was dead on. They all stopped within six inches of the fire itself and spanned from wall to wall.

“What's involved in this sweet potato bake?” Wrenley asked.

“First we baked the sweet potatoes,” he said, gesturing to the fire as Wrenley brought him some more. “Then we take them out and peel them. We mash them all up, mix them with brown sugar and maple syrup before spreading it out in casserole dishes. We'll cover them and put them on these grates, let them bake for a while longer. While that's going, we make the crumble top, which is fried porridge, brown sugar, and walnuts. We’ll layer up a crust of the mixture on top and then close them again. Let them continue to bake until done.”

Wrenley looked at the barrels of potatoes with a brow raised. “Are we making all the potatoes?”

Raider nodded with a beautiful smile. “We've got a lot of people to feed. Not everybody will join the community dinner but a lot do. Usually enough to clean up all leftovers.”

Wrenley glanced outside enough to see that the clouds were coming in. Raider had said yesterday that when the rains came, it washed away some of the blood on the trees. It wasn't a permanent fix but she was excited to see how the forest looked without being covered in blood.

They waited a while for the first of the sweet potatoes to cook. Then Raider got to his feet and poked him around a little bit, rolling them all so they would cook evenly. He finally announced that they were ready.

He brought over a metal bowl and then handed her a long set of tongs. She couldn't figure out how to use them for a while just because they were so long and awkward. She flushed when Raider chuckled as she nearly dropped one of the sweet potatoes. He laughed a little louder when one snapped from the tongs and bounced around inside the oven.

She glared at him playfully before dropping it in his bowl. It took her several minutes to get the sweet potatoes out, in which she was sure he could have done it in a third of the time at least. And then he loaded up a second bowl of fresh potatoes and brought them back to the oven.

Wrenley and Raider took turns rolling them towards the fire. Out of perhaps the dozen that Wrenley had rolled in, only three of which probably landed in the Goldilocks zone. Raider stuck the tongs in and shifted the ones that had either gone too far or not far enough and then they went to the table.

“There's no real trick to this.” He pulled out one of the sweet potatoes and stuck it on a board as he took a seat at the table. With two forks, he slickly maneuvered the potato in such a way that he had the skin rolled off in no time. Using the forks, he placed the innards, which were still in one piece, in another steel bowl.

Raider placed one of the potatoes in front of Wrenley and offered her two forks. She could tell by his smile that he was going to enjoy watching her flounder for a bit.

Wrenley stuck one of the forks in and used the other to try and push it between the guts and the skin. Although she managed not to get much of the potato skin off, the skin was coming in strips instead of nice large pieces like Raider head managed.

It took her probably two minutes to rid the entire potato of its skin in which time Raider had managed to get through three.

She glared at him as she tossed the potato innards into the bowl. It landed with a splat and the little piece came flying out, landing on her cheek.

Raider chuckled at her before reaching over to wipe it off. While he had his hand on her face, he gently pulled her in and pressed his lips to hers.

Wrenley closed her eyes and tried to push away the ache that started to grow in her chest. It wasn't an ache as if she had lost somebody. Not an emotional pain. But it was something deeper than that.

He pulled away from her and handed her another potato.

And then they were interrupted. A girl that was probably five or six years younger sat acrosse from them and gave Raider a teasing look.

“Did you finally find yourself a mate?” she asked. “I thought you were happy not to have one.”

Raider gave the girl an amused smile but Wrenley had turned her attention to him with question. “This is my sister, Cady,” he introduced. “This is Wrenley.”

Cady smiled at Wrenley before turning back to narrow her eyes on her brother. “Seriously, how the hell did you find yourself a girl? You're like the least approachable person.”

“She's a little snippy because she's coming into her assignment,” Raider said. He tossed one of the discarded skins at Cady.

She pulled away as if it were a spider before throwing it back at him with a whole lot more strength behind it. Raider caught it chuckling at her.

But then, Cady sighed and sat down heavily, dropping her elbows on the table and pressing the palms of her hands to her cheeks and resting her face there. “I really hope that's the problem,” she said quietly.

“You hope it's an assignment coming in? Or coming on?” Wrenley asked, unsure of which way that question should end.

Cady nodded. “Yeah. My head feels heavy. My skin doesn't feel like it fits right.”

“And so you're hoping that a mate will help you through that,” she asked.

Cady turned her eyes to Wrenley and smiled wistfully. “Absolutely. I know a mate will. Not just because that's what the bond will facilitate. But because…” She trailed off for a minute and her focus went wide. “Every little girl dreams of a mate,” she said quietly. “Actually, every little boy does, too. Raider is just weird. They’re your best friend. Your partner. Someone who's just perfectly right for you. Someone will always be able to laugh with. When you're upset, they'll know exactly how to comfort you. They'll know to comfort you without you needing to say. And it's more than that. It's... It's home.”

“I understand the bond to be very intimate and invading,” Wrenley said.

“I bet Raider told you that, huh? He's so negative.”

Wrenley glanced at Raider. Although he was paying attention to the conversation, his lips ticking up slightly at his sister's remark, he was still diligently peeling the sweet potatoes while Wrenley had stopped to talk with Cady.

“I can understand how it might feel that way. And I suppose it is. But it's not such a bad thing. It's not like they can read your thoughts, Wrenley. It's more that they'll understand you. They'll know when you’re nervous and so they can react accordingly. You'll know when something has upset them and you'll be able to soothe them.”

“And it doesn't bother you that the sky is telling you who this person will be. Wouldn't you rather choose somebody yourself?”

“Now I know you've been talking to Raider,” she deadpanned, glaring at her brother.

Raider didn't say anything to the contrary. He just smiled at her again and returned to his potatoes.

“No,” Cady said. “I actually prefer that the sky tell me who my mate is.” When she laughed, Wrenley imagined that whatever expression Wrenley had given her must have looked like she had actually touched a spider. “Think about it, Wrenley. You can go through dozens of people without ever finding the right one. That perfect one to match your soul. Wouldn't it be easier; Wouldn't it be more fulfilling just to be given that one person who’s already exactly right for you? For somebody to say ‘Oh look. This one was meant just for you. He’s everything you'll ever need. Everything you've ever wanted. Everything you never knew would complete your being.’ You’re not wasting time going through those who will never make you so inherently happy that you’ll feel perfectly fulfilled.”

She had no idea why, but Cady’s words made Wrenley catch her breath. She stared at Cady for a minute before turning back to the workstation and pulled one of the potatoes out. There were only three left and she took one of them onto her tray. Raider had finished the other two far before she had managed to get the skin off the third.

He pushed the bowl of innards towards his sister and handed her the masher. She took it without comment, smiling up at her brother and Wrenley thought that they really did get along. Raider winked at Wrenley and got to his feet, taking the now empty bowl with him. She joined him at the oven and together they pulled out the potatoes once again.

Following that, they filled the oven with another load before returning to the table.

But Wrenley stood back. She wasn't sure why Cady's words had felt like such a profound moment for her, but she felt as if she was on the cusp of something. Maybe she needed some air to think about it.

“I'm gonna step outside for a minute,” she told them.

Cady smiled up at her as Raider faced her. “You alright?”

Wrenley nodded. “It's a little hot in here is all.”

He nodded as well and Wrenley walked outside the door. It had started to drizzle. She leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes and turning her face up to the sky. She had been so set from the moment she stepped into this fairy tale that she was not going to find happiness here.

She'd fix it because there was no other option. But she'd come in mad and maintained that she was going to stay mad. Nothing was going to convince her to be otherwise. She’d worn it like a shell, a protective wall that she wasn’t going to let anyone break.

And everything past her entrance into the bloody forest felt like it just compounded on that moment. On those feelings, the crazy women, the murder of Maz, the mass murder of the remnants of the village, her imprisonment and then beating. And culminating in her being told that her entire being belonged to somebody else.

Not just one other person, but three other people. And she didn't have a choice in it.

Maybe that was her problem. She hadn't had a choice when the Operators told her they were changing her fairy tale. She hadn't had a choice when Aspen clan had attacked the Women of Chaos and they took her for prisoner.

Maybe she felt like her choices had been taken again when the three men told her that she was fated to be their mate.

“Wrenley?”

Wrenley opened her eyes at Raider’s voice.

He stepped out into the rain and stopped in front of her. He gently brushed the wet strands of her hair from her face. The concern in his eyes was unmistakable. “Are you sure you're okay?”

She nodded, smiling at him. “I think I've been determined not to be okay,” she confided. “Maybe I felt like I didn't have permission to be okay. But I think I am.”

He didn't act like she had talked in riddles. His smile was soft, even as it grew a little. “Good,” he murmured as he leaned down to kiss her. She closed her eyes as he pressed his lips to hers and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Raider appreciated this. There is a quiet hum in his throat. His hands landed on her hips as he pulled her close.

Wrenley didn't miss the pit growing in her stomach. Or the way her chest began to ache. Or even the slight pounding in her head. But she was going to kiss him. Because it might be the last time she did.

Chapter 15: Bonding

Wrenley

She stayed with Raider and Cady and continued the sweet potato bake. She found that Cady was prone to quick irritation but Wrenley thought that that probably wasn't her normal character. She seemed fun and enthusiastic. She was constantly telling wrenley stories and laughing with her.

Wrenley joined the communal dinner that evening with Raider and the food was amazing. But she returned early to the bedroom because she'd promised the three men that she would be there. And the more time she spent with the Raider, the more wrong she felt.

She made sure she went back early, so she was the first one there. She enjoyed a shower in peace. She wanted to poke around the room until she could find her bag but as the sun had started to go down, she was afraid that they would return soon. Wanting to avoid any kind of conversation, Wrenley crawled into the far side of the bed and covered herself up, keeping her back towards the door.

While she waited for them to return, she tried to come to terms with how rung up she felt. She didn't want to be an angry person. She didn't want to harbor this kind of frustration because she didn't want to end up like the Women of Chaos where they let their hurt dictate their actions and better judgment. Where right and wrong began to blur and they made poor moral and ethical decisions.

All on the premise of wanting to punish somebody.

But not just somebody. A whole clan of people. Whether they were presumably guilty or not.

Wrenley supposed that if she was really on board with that, she would just not bother to fix the fairy tale at all. Let it continue to be broken until the door showed up at DeadEnd again and wait for another Fixer to be shoved inside.

But that wasn't fair. She was sure she could fix the fairy tale once she figured out the problem. The real question was what to do about this fated mates thing. She could continue fighting it and let the bonds painfully break.

And still, even though she felt strangely better after the conversation with Cady where she'd come to understand it and maybe even accept it a little bit, she couldn't decide whether she could wrap her head around being told who you're going to be with for the rest of your life.

It would be one thing to say, ‘hey you two should get together with this guy and see what happens.’ It was another thing entirely to have something metaphysical binding together that she couldn't get rid of once it was sealed into place.

Wrenley was careful to lay perfectly still when the door opened. Throughout the next hour or so, she heard their voices as they spoke quietly. Primarily, it sounded like Jaxon was snippy at both Cain and Rawson. It didn't sound like they could say anything that would make Jaxon happy.

As she fell asleep, she found herself wondering about their pasts for the first time. They told her a little bit but it was clear there was something deeper. Something more than just what was on the surface. If she had to guess, Jaxon was lashing out in anger to cover something painful.

Just as Wrenley had been lashing out and anger as a means to justify her bitterness towards DeadEnd. As a way to facilitate her refusal to accept anything within the fairy tale except that with which there was the greatest opposition.

Like seeing Raider.

Wrenley dreamed of Maz again. The man was maddening. Especially since it appeared like a one way radio alternatively talked his brother up and then mourned about the loss of his lover. She woke up a little irritated despite having slept the whole night. Dealing with Maz in her sleep was exhausting.

She chose to join the communal breakfast the next morning. She didn't see Raider, but she wasn't really looking for him either. It was the Kodiac clan who prepared breakfast and not surprisingly, there were many different kinds of porridge. But it was some of the best meals that she's ever had.

As she left the meal area, which was under a large portico, she ran into Jaxon. She'd purposely waited until the three men had left the room before she got up that morning. Maybe she was being a little childish in avoiding them, but she wanted to give herself time to either come to terms with the mate bond or to find a way to convince them that it's for the best that she reject it. In which case she'd hoped that she could get their help in doing so.

“Hi,” Jaxon said, pausing in front of her.

“Hello,” she answered, sticking her hands in the pockets of her borrowed pants.

“What are you up to?”

Wrenley shrugged and mused how awkward it was with one of her supposed mates opposed to how it was always so easy with Raider. But then she thought maybe that was self-inflicted.

“What some company?” he asked.

She would have had to been blind and deaf to miss the hopefulness in the question. Wrenley took a breath and decided if she was going to be fair about this, then she had to give him a chance, right?

And then she had a thought. “Do you know where Maz’s lover is?”

“Pucca?” Jaxon asked.

Wrenley shrugged. “I didn't know a name. Was that his lover?”

Jaxon nodded. “Yeah. She lives on the east side of the village.”

“Will you take me to her?”

His smile was nothing short of almost giddy at her asking him for help. “Sure. Come on.”

Wrenley fell in stride next to him. Their walk in the quiet felt awkward at first but then she thought that maybe she was just projecting that into their company. It didn't have to be awkward. Silence didn't have to be filled with conversation.

They stopped in front of a house where a young woman was outside gardening. As they paused at the end of her gate, the young woman sat back on her haunches and wiped her face. It hadn't even been a week - Well, since she'd been awake. She didn't know how long she had actually been asleep while her back healed - since Wrenley had been there. That meant Maz hadn't been dead all that long.

“Pucca,” Jaxon said and the girl turned to look at them.

She frowned at Jaxon before getting to her feet. She brushed her hands off by rubbing them together before brushing them against her pant legs. “What do you want?”

The resignation in her voice was laced in sorrow and fatigue. It made Wrenley's heart ache for her. She had wondered if they had a bond. She wondered what it felt like when somebody on the other end of the barn died.

“This is Wrenley,” Jaxon said. “She met Maz.”

Pucca’s eyes instantly filled with tears but then she also filled with anger. Tension lined her shoulders as Wrenley watched her physically become defensive. “Whatever it is, I don't want to hear it,” she said. “You all think it's okay to come over here and justify his death? Telling me how arrogant he was and how it served him right? How we'd been seeing somebody behind my back. Are you one of those girls?” She turned almost viciously as she looked at Wrenley

Wrenley took a step back, her eyes wide as she shook her head no. She put her hands up. “No,” she said. “No, I met him right before they-” She cut her words off as Pucca sucked in a breath, flinching knowing where that sentence would have ended. “Look,” Wrenley said quietly, taking a couple tentative steps forward again. “I only spoke to him for a few minutes. Long enough to know that he didn't deserve what he suffered. But he's haunted my dreams ever since. And he keeps telling me to find you and to tell you that he's sorry. That he loved you. He didn't run away; he went for a walk and he strayed too far. He also told me to tell you that you are wrong.”

Pucca’s eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms, her gaze still filled with anger. “You don't really expect me to believe that, do you? Who are you anyways? You're not a bear.”

“No. I'm not. I'm a Fixer. I come from the Outside and I'm here to fix your fairy tale. I stumbled upon the wrong people first.”

“And you watched him be murdered.”

Wrenley closed her eyes and nodded. “I was so horrified. I didn't know what to do. He warned me that you wouldn't believe me though. You told me to prove to you that I'm being truthful to tell you that I know he called you ‘sexy bear tail.’”

Jaxon brows went up as he looked at Pucca. Pucca’s face instantly reddened but Wrenley definitely saw that she now believed Wrenley

“He's really in your dreams?” Pucca whispered.

Wrenley, nodded, scowling. “Believe me, if I could get him to go away I would. I swear he's haunting me because I wasn't brave enough to stop them.”

Pucca closed her eyes, a tear dripping down her cheek. The tension had fallen away and how her shoulders sagged instead. “No,” she whispered. “If he's in your dreams, it's because he thinks you can do good. He's not trying to haunt you. He doesn't blame you for his death, I'm sure.”

Wrenley stood there awkwardly for a moment until finally Jaxon took her hand and wished Pucca well before pulling Wrenley away.

They walked in silence for a few minutes before Jaxon asked, “He really says all that in your sleep?”

Wrenley sighed. “Yeah. Seriously, if I could get him to go away, I would. He harassed me all night long.”

“About Pucca?”

“Not just Pucca. Apparently he thinks the world of his brother.” She shifted her eyes to his with a brow raised.

Jaxon snorted, shaking his head. “Guess we all did at one time,” he murmured.

Wrenley thought she was right. Just as the Women of Chaos covered their hurt with anger and Wrenley covered her frustration with anger, Jaxon was hiding his own pain with anger.

She didn't take her hand back from his even though everything in her told her she should. But there was peace in his touch. In the way he held her hand. It settled something inside her and yet, it wasn't settled enough because she could feel it, as if something was disturbing in an otherwise quiet lake.

They paused on the outskirts of town towards the west. She could see the stream that her and Raider had dumped into from the rocky hill. But when they paused, it was at a long wooden fence.

For a time she couldn't see anything beyond the fence except a field. What was the fence was keeping in? And then there was a small grouping of ostriches that came trotting along.

“You have an ostrich farm?” Wrenley asked in surprise.

Jaxon nodded. “Yep. We harvest their down and farm for their eggs sometimes. Otherwise, they're just given a life of luxury. They're kind of spoiled.”

She looked at him with amusement. “They're spoiled?”

He smirked and she couldn't help but stare at him for just a moment too long. Because he was beautiful. “Wanna have some fun?” he asked.

In her mind she heard a young conspiratory tone asking, ‘Do you wanna build a snowman?’ Wrenley almost giggled. She nodded instead of telling him to go away this time.

Jaxon finally dropped her hand as he stepped on the first rung of the fence and climbed over. “Come on.”

Wrenley hesitated for a moment before she followed him.

He took her hand again and they walked slowly towards the grouping of half a dozen ostriches. “I should warn you. We're gonna get in trouble with Rawson.”

“I actually kind of like the sounds of that,” she said. “He’s a bit of a jackass.”

Jaxon grinned. “So, the ostriches are a little skittish. In large part because of me. But they're fun to watch run because of how tall and oddly shaped they are.”

“So what are we gonna do?”

The devilish look he gave her made her stomach flip. For just a moment, she acknowledged the fact that it was a very different feeling from the pit that formed in her stomach when she was with Raider.

“How are your running skills?” he asked.

Wrenley raised a brow and decided she really didn't want to know why he was asking. But the way he kept smiling at her, she thought that he could ask probably anything right now and she'd agree.

“When we get within six feet, we're gonna startle them and then chase after them. They're kind of like show dogs. They love hurdles and obstacles. Don’t worry though. We’re not truly harassing them. If we manage to catch one, I’ll show you how they liked to be scratched until they’re a big puddle of fluff at your feet.”

Wrenley didn't think to question him because their six feet mark was coming up. He dropped her hand again and turned to the ostriches. She kind of thought he would growl. They tended to growl often. But he didn't. He let out a loud whoop, clapped his hands as if they were symbols, and then darted towards them.

The ostriches spooked, two of them jumping into the air, visibly startled, and then the lot of them started running. One of them flung himself over a barrel of hay. It was only four feet in length. They could have gone around it easily. But as another ran across the top of a log, she understood what Jaxon meant.

They liked to dodge and jump. They were beautifully graceful about it. She would have never thought that would have been the case.

Wrenley had to run to catch up which was difficult to do watching Jaxon zigzag around the field, waving his arms in the air and making loud noises at them.

She wasn't sure how far they had chased them until suddenly Jaxon stopped short. Wrenley paused next to him, bending over slightly to catch her breath while still giggling. “You're right, they're adorable,” she said.

“Yeah.”

There was unease in his voice, and so she looked up. He was looking straight ahead, so she turned to look too. Then she saw that part of the fence was down. The six ostriches they'd been chasing were just running through it, heading towards town.

“Yeah, I'm in trouble.”

Wrenley laughed. Jaxon looked at her with a grin before grabbing her hand as they ran through the rest of the field and out the fence. They followed the ostriches’ trail of destruction through the town as the townsfolk screamed and laughed, running and dodging out of the way. Taking cover from everything that the ostriches were running into.

“Oh no,” Jaxon said. “We have to stop them.”

“Stop them?” Wrenley asked. “How do you think we're gonna do that? They're taller than we are and outnumber us three times.”

“Um? I don't know.” He looked at her with his brows knit on his forehead. With a heavy sigh, he pulled her along.

They caught the tail end of one of the ostriches going around the corner and Jaxon groaned. But as soon as they rounded the corner, Wrenley almost stopped in awe at the absolute chaos that the ostriches had made.

It was the prep area where they were preparing for lunch. Or maybe dinner. Not only had the ostriches upended an entire tray of pies, but they were picking away at the food as well.

And although the townsfolk were trying to shoo him away, they were suddenly unspookable.

Jaxon dropped her hand and headed their way. She followed after him as one of the bakers chased an ostrich out of their area, clapping a wooden spoon against the bottom of a pan. It ran into another table of pies. It was almost comical the way they flew up into the air and rained down on them.

Jaxon tried to pull Wrenley out of the way but with the sudden movement, they both slipped and landed on their backs with pies covering them.

Wrenley couldn't help herself. She laughed loudly with Jaxon laughing next to her.

They continued to laugh until a shadow covered them. Wrenley opened her eyes and her laughter cut off to see Rawson standing over them with his arms crossed over his chest.

“I told you I was gonna get in trouble,” Jaxon murmured.

Wrenley bit her lip to try and keep her smile out of her voice.

Jaxon pulled himself to his feet and then helped Wrenley to hers. “Go wash up. I'll catch up with you later. I think I have a mess to handle.”

Wrenley looked at Rawson but his angry glare was set on Jaxon alone.

She quietly made her way back to the house and tiptoed through the corridors, trying to keep as much pie filling from spreading through the beautifully waxed floors as she could. She stepped into the shower as soon as she got into Rawson’s room with her clothes on. And then she stripped out of them when she had gotten most of the pie off and tossed them in the corner of the shower.

The hot water felt good against her. Even as the tightness in her chest increased. She got out of the shower and slipped into clean, dry clothes. Since she wasn't expected anywhere right now, Wrenley started going through the room trying to find her backpack.

It took her a while until she figured out that some panels in the walls opened. And when she found the third panel that opened, she found her pack.

Grinning in triumph, she pulled it out and slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor. She had intended to go through the pockets, just to remind herself what she’d brought with her. But the shirt sticking out of the side caught her tension.

Wrenley pulled it out. It took her less than a second to remember that it was Dylan’s. On a whim, she had picked it up and stuffed it in her pack on her way out of her room. She smiled softly, brushing one of her hands across it and sighed.

She brought it to her face and closed her eyes to breathe it in. It still smelled like him, rugged and sensual. It smelled good. She’d always loved his scent. It made her stomach flip but it also made the knot there form a little tighter.

She wondered what he was doing. She wondered what would have happened if he followed her in the door. Would she have still found herself in an assigned mating to three different men?

The door opened and closed softly. Wrenley looked up to find Cain walking in the room with an amused smile. She pushed the shirt back into the pocket and dropped her hands into her laps to stare at him.

“I think Rawson’s reconsidering that it’s a good idea that you two get together. It's been a while since Jaxon caused that much havoc.”

“I don't think that's true,” Wrenley said defensively. “Wasn't he just in trouble when I arrived for setting something on fire? You have to note that there was a distinct lack of fire in this event.”

Cain laughed loudly, shaking his head. He sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her.

But she still felt uncomfortable. Cady's words of her skin not fitting right seemed to hit all the right spots in how she felt. It was like there was an itch under her skin and her skin was too tight. The knot in her stomach grew. The pain in her chest tightened. And now that she was sitting still, her head ached. There was a gentle pulse in her vision.

Cain held out his hand to her. “Come here,” he whispered quietly.

It was as if she did as he said by compulsion. She got to her feet and crossed the room. He pulled her gently into his lap.

He buried a hand in her hair and urged her head onto his shoulder. His hand rested on her hip. Although the touches felt somewhat innocent as if he was just trying to ease some of the symptoms of an unanswered bond, the heat flared to life inside her.

She knew how to make it calm down. And really, he was rather good and bad.

It was as if he had read her mind. As soon as she picked up her head, his mouth was on hers in a searing kiss. She groaned as he immediately started to pull her shirt over her head. And then he turned them around, so her back was pressed into the bed and he was grasping at her pants.

His kisses got sloppy. Although their lips had to part while he moved down her body to discard her clothing, they never stopped lopping kisses on her. His hand fumbled with his own clothes. When he got his shirt over his head, his mouth went down to her breast, taking her nipple between her teeth and biting it somewhat harshly.

She gasped, taking fistfuls of his hair and pulling his mouth away. Though it hurt, it sent a river of heat and liquid between her legs. She swore she was leaking, dripping onto the bed with her need.

“I promise I'll make this up to you,” he murmured and his mouth found hers again as he slid her up the bed. His weight came down on her and he started sliding his cock between her folds. Rubbing the length of it against her clit.

Wrenley writhed in his arms. Before she could stop herself, she was begging him to be inside her.

Cain groaned, shifting himself to do just that. Almost as soon as he started entering her, all the discomfort inside her started to ease away. There is a different presence building, taking its place. But it was a whole lot more comfortable than the mess that had been there.

“I had no idea how good this would feel,” Cain murmured while he continued to kiss her. His fingers dug harshly into her body, into her muscles, eliciting more moans and groans from her.

And then his pace picked up. Quick sharp thrusts that made her head spin as her climax built. A deep growl rose in his chest as his low, husky voice in her ear promised. “I will make this up to you.”

And then she was crying out as her orgasm overflowed. His teeth grazed her neck and his body tensed. His hip jerked harshly until finally he stopped, bringing his way onto her. His heavy breathing in her ear made her shiver.

For a moment, she just lay there, her body slick with sweat. It had been a marathon, rough and wild and quick. But it had taken the edge off. She felt settled, almost whole. But not quite. Something was still uncomfortable just under her skin.

“We can't do that again,” he murmured as she started to wiggle a little bit.

“I thought you said you'd make up for that.” There wasn’t really anything to make up for. Yes, it had been quick, but it had still been fantastically satisfying.

She felt a breathless chuckle against her throat. “I did,” he said quietly. “And I'd love to. But Wrenley, if we do that again, this bond is solidifying. It's already so close. And that's not what you want.”

Wrenley took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She thought she might regret this decision later but everybody who she'd spoken to was not in disagreement about the mates. About being assigned a mate. About wanting a mate.

And if he was supposed to be perfect for her…

She turned her face into his and kissed his jaw, coaxing him from where his face was buried in her neck. So we turned his face towards her, she caught his mouth. She wrapped her legs around his waist, digging the heels of her feet into his ass and pushing or hips up to meet his.

He groaned. But she could still feel him resisting. Even as he didn't want to.

“Wrenley,” he said in a growl against her lips. “It can't be undone.”

“I know,” she whispered. “Now make up for it.”

He brought his gaze to hers for just a moment. And then his resistance shattered. He wrapped his arms around her, holding on tightly as if she were in a straitjacket. His mouth covered hers in a hot, demanding, claiming kiss.

He moved inside her more slowly, bringing himself out till just his head remained inside her. And then he buried himself deep, curling himself up to rub against her G spot.

He didn't let her go. He didn't stop kissing her. He didn't stop his long deep thrusts. He didn't stop making her wild with the need to let it out.

When he did take his mouth from hers, he locked it against her shoulder, sucking and nipping, swirling his tongue around.

Wrenley whined, gasping at the whirlwind that picked up inside her. That grew and grew until she felt almost lost in it.

“Cain,” she moaned, hugging him to her.

His name on her lips seemed to bring out an animal in him. Although his thrust didn't change on the whole, they became quicker and more insistent at the same time his growl picked up.

The sound filled her head, vibrated against her chest, and notched her arousal one tick closer to a rapturous climax as the seconds went by.

And just as it hit, just as her vision went and her mind turned inside out as her body undulated and spasmed, her muscles contracting, pulsating around him, Cain buried his teeth into the soft, fleshy par.oOf her shoulder.

It was as if another orgasm was compounded on top of the last and yet she didn't recognize it as her own. She didn't feel it coming from her body. Something wrapped tightly around her chest, but this time it didn't feel uncomfortable. It felt solid and safe and whole.

Her mind still spun but it was almost as if it was a choreographed dance now. And slowly the partner at the other end eased her through her overwhelming orgasm until she lay limply in Cain’s arms.

She thought that maybe she had lost consciousness for a short moment. And as it came back, she was distinctly aware of another presence within her.

And although it definitely felt somewhat invading and more intimate than she was prepared for it to be, it brought tears to her eyes at how good and reassuring it felt. She curled into his chest and wrapped her arms around him.

Cain kissed her head softly, before bringing his mouth to where he bit her. He gently licked at her bite mark, sucking on it gently, nestling into the side of her face.

And she knew, this is the only place she ever wanted to be. She was almost angry at herself for refusing it. For refusing him. Because he was her exact partner and everything.

With each kiss, with each lick as he tended to his bite mark, he soothed some of her deep seated anger and replaced it with assurance, support, and affection. Devotion. Complete loyalty.

“I have you,” he whispered. “I always have you, Wrenley. I promise.”