Claimed for their Pleasure by L.V. Lane

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Brandon

THE SCENTS OF the clan make me edgy, so I elect to go for a run first thing. It will help my wolf to become familiar with the clan and allow the clan to become familiar with me.

The three of us are bound together now. With hindsight, it has turned out better than I thought it might. When I spoke to Fen on the morning of the festival, he had encouraged me to consider the possibility.

At the time, I was in denial, still hoping that Jessa would say that she did not care for Gage.

That didn’t work out so well.

The forest here is mostly fir trees, being higher up the mountain than the Randal and Halket clans. My paws make a drum against the forest floor soft with fallen pine needles as I take larger and larger loops.

It helps to clear my mind in this form, and the clean forest scents further eases the anxiety balling in my gut. I sense no nefarious goings-on, only wary villagers while I was closer to the center.

They will come today, Jack, maybe Fen as well. I’m nervous, but I’m also hopeful. By now, Fen will have told Jack about our conversation, and learning that the three of us are bonded will not come as a surprise.

With hindsight, I do not believe Jack would have given Jessa to another Alpha. But neither Gage nor I were clear of mind when she first revealed. Still, Jack might have tried to separate us, perhaps thinking to protect Jessa. Neither Gage nor I would have tolerated that.

As I near the place where I shed my clothes earlier, I shift. I am ravenous after the many days of Jessa’s heat, and my belly rumbles as I shuck on my leather pants and shove feet into boots. It has only been a few hours since I left Jessa sleeping in the bed, but I am eager to see her again.

I take the wooden steps to the hall two at a time… and come to an abrupt stop.

Jessa is sitting on Gage’s lap, cheeks flushed and wearing naught but a fur.

He is feeding her.

I frown.

“The lass has two arms,” I say. Striding over, I pull out the chair beside them… displacing the fucking cat. My wolf hates the haughty mini beast.

I sit.

Why do I feel so aggrieved by him feeding her?

“Yes! I have two arms,” Jessa says.

“I don’t give a fuck,” Gage says, scowling. “It pleases me to do this, so I will fucking do it.”

He is in full Alpha bastard mode this morning, it would seem! I raise both hands before dragging the nearest platter toward me. My mouth waters: steak, eggs… I will skip the potatoes. Don’t need any vegetables ruining a perfectly good meal.

I eat. I try not to watch him feeding her, but my eyes are drawn there of their own accord.

Her face flushes, but she soon opens obediently for each morsel. Gage kisses her between each bite, and all the while handling her, petting her hair, or fondling her tits. I have seen Jack feed his mate. I should not be surprised.

Yet it is so different to see Jessa treated thus.

I can’t tear my gaze away from her engorged nipples nor dismiss the scent of her need.

By the time he is done feeding her, she is restless with need.

I swallow past the tightness in my throat as servants arrive and carry everything away. I’m hoping he will rut her so I can have a turn, but he seems in no hurry.

It is strange to be bonded to an Alpha who is also the king of a clan. To the right of Jessa and Gage is a dais where the king and queen sit.

Two chairs.

My gut sours as I wonder at my place here. I am not the Alpha. I am merely a Beta shifter mated to his queen.

“There is plenty of space for a third chair,” Gage says, stirring me from my rumination.

My eyes snap to meet his. I had forgotten about the bond and the way it ties us together. Jessa is also watching me, eyes sensitive.

“I don’t need fucking charity,” I say.

“You are a dumb mutt and a whelp if you think it is fucking charity,” Gage growls. He presses a kiss to Jessa’s forehead when she tries to get down from his lap. “When I said I would claim both of you, it was not a fucking lie.”

I try to be objective, to let the emotions ripping through me ease their stranglehold. I am being unreasonable, yet it hurts to see Jessa on his lap. Before, she was mine and only mine, and now I must share. He is an Alpha and a king. I am only a Beta.

“You are mine, mutt,” Gage says. “No one would dare think less of you.”

His intense feelings pummel me through the bond.

I am upsetting Jessa. And I do not like that.

Swallowing, I nod.

A ruckus comes from beyond the open hall doors. Gage surges from his seat, dumping Jessa on my lap.

My brows draw together. “Jack,” I say. Jessa begins to tremble. I draw her closer and purr.

“Aye,” Gage says. “Stay here and care for Jessa.”

“I will come with you,” I say. I’m confident I can diffuse any tension better than Gage can.

“No,” Gage says, voice brokering no argument. “I will deal with this. When it is safe, you can both come out.”

Jessa frets as he strides from view.

“It will be fine,” I say, but I am not feeling fine.

The emotions that assault me are complex. I am a wolf. With Fen, I would have faced any trouble at his side. Only, I don’t think Gage orders me to stay here because he sees me as weak.

Does he do this because he thinks it best for Jessa?

No, there is more to it than that. From Gage’s side of the bond, the feelings are unmistakably protective… and directed at us both.

I am confused. No one has sought to protect me since I was a pup. I should feel slighted that he treats me thus. And yet, I sense a deep caring that encompasses both Jessa and me.

Jessa is our precious mate. She carries our child. It is her duty to protect the baby in her belly, to nourish it, and Goddess-willing, deliver it into the world. My job is to be close to her and defend her should Gage fail. His job is to protect us both.

My sense of place and purpose is rocked by this determination. For all I am a Beta, I am as prideful as the next man. Yet, pride has no place in this. I am Gage’s now, and he cares for what he considers his.

He is not a monster.

He is not even a bad man.

I think he might be one of the very best, truth be told.

I am humbled by this understanding.

He is still a grumpy bastard with strange notions of coddling the lass. He is also fucking fierce and brave. But for the first time since two became three, I can start to see my place.