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the Orion Pride, but ever since Kerrick and Caleb had been
allowed to bring a female into their bed, to claim her as mate to both of them,
things had changed. No one had tried to initiate another three-person mating
just yet—it had only been three weeks since the first announcement—but Kylar
knew it would happen eventually. There was a definite sense in the Pride that
attitudes about unconventional matings were shifting.
    But did he want to be part of such a mating? And did he want
to be part of it knowing that he might not ever be as important to them as they
were to each other?
    No. No, as much as he wanted to he couldn’t. It felt
like a heavy weight on his shoulders, the longing for them both. To be
surrounded by their hard hot bodies, to have a cock in his mouth and another in
his ass, to kiss them, stroke them and to be stroked. It would feel amazing. It
would feel like truly belonging to a family for the first time in his life.
    Talk to them, you fool. Quit sulking like a damn boy! He
stopped, took a deep breath.
    Maybe he should just ask them what they wanted from
him, what they hoped the future would hold. Yes, it would hurt like hell if
they said they were only looking for a little fun, or simply thought it would
be exciting to have a third playmate of a more regular nature. But it would be
a disappointment he could handle. At least then he would know , and could
make the choice to give in to those luscious lips and tempting cocks if he
wanted to.
    But if he gave in, could he ever trust that—
    A shout interrupted his thoughts, but not a scared shout or
a battle cry. This was a whoop of joy. Someone was celebrating. When he turned
in the direction it had come from, he realized immediately who it was.
    Caleb. Caleb, whom he’d just been thinking of, one of the
first people in the Orion Pride to have both a warrior-mate and a female mate.
Caleb leapt into the air, his face split in one of the biggest grins Kylar had
ever seen him wear. When he met Kylar’s eyes, his grin grew even bigger.
    Caleb crossed the forest between him and Kylar at a run.
Strangely, Kylar felt himself blush a little at his nakedness. Nudity never
mattered much in the Pride. They saw each other naked all the time, especially
in the woods where it wasn’t uncommon for Pride members to shift into
were-panther form to run, or for couples to spend passionate hours on the soft
ground.
    But for some reason seeing Caleb fully dressed, seeing the
absolute joy on the other man’s face, did embarrass him a bit.
    No, actually…it shamed him. It shamed him because, for a
second, for one split second when he’d seen Caleb running toward him, he’d been
envious. Two weeks ago, Kylar had cynically believed Caleb’s new happiness
would never last, but now…seeing him so full of joy, it was easy to believe it
would. Well, it was obvious Caleb had everything. Two mates who loved him. The
respect and admiration of so many and the friendship of almost everyone. Yes,
Kylar had respect and admiration and friendship too. But he didn’t have even
one mate who truly loved him.
    Gable loves you.
    No. Gable wanted him. Love? He wasn’t sure about
that.
    And this wasn’t the time to think about it. Instead he
plastered a smile on his own face and said, “Caleb! You look happy.”
    “I am!” Caleb almost sang the words. “We got the best news
today, Kylar, the greatest news!”
    Kylar knew what it had to be. He just knew. And when Caleb
spoke, he wasn’t surprised by his revelation.
    “Kerrick and I are going to be fathers! Mercy’s pregnant.
Isn’t it wonderful? I can’t believe it. We both thought it would never happen
for us. Well, being warrior-mated it couldn’t, but now…” He tossed his head
back, laughing with pure joy. “We’re all so excited. I can’t stop telling
everyone.”
    “I’m excited for you too,” Kylar said. And he meant it.
Better Caleb than himself. Having children had never been something Kylar
wanted. As much as he