Charlotte reached out and gripped Shane’s knee. The other man licked his lips as he looked between the two of them. “One long story at a time,” she repeated. “Bram and I are friends and have been for years. You see, sometimes, the mating urge, that feeling you have in your heart and within your wolf that tells you that this other person could be your mate and everything you could ever need, takes a while to show up. We’d known each other since we were children, but our wolves waited until we were old enough to possibly handle the complex emotions that came with mating.”
Shane looked between the two of them. “So you’re mates, then.” Disappointment clouded his features. “Then how do I fit in?”
Bram shook his head. “That’s just it. We tried.” His voice was deep, hollow. Charlotte didn’t make a sound, and he knew she was hiding her emotions once again.
“It didn’t work,” Charlotte put in, her voice equally hollow. “To create a mating bond, you have to bond not only the human but also the wolf.”
Bram continued, “Sex bonds the humans. Or rather, the exchange of fluids so those not ready for that step wear a condom. A mating mark, a bite on the fleshy part where the shoulder meets the neck, bonds the wolf.”
Charlotte ran a hand over her neck, an unconscious gesture that had both men staring with avid hunger.
“And you tried both?” Shane asked, his voice almost a growl. “And the bond didn’t work?”
Charlotte shook her head. “No. I thought…I thought the moon goddess had forsaken me.”
Bram let out a curse. “And you thought it was only your fault, then? Hell, Charlotte, it could have been any number of things. I hate that you constantly blame yourself for everything.”
Charlotte narrowed her eyes at him. “That’s a discussion for another time.”
“A discussion I’d like to have, as well,” Shane added in, and Bram liked the man all the more for it. “So you’re saying that the two of you couldn’t create a bond, and yet I’m your mate, too?” He shook his head. “Now that’s not a sentence I thought I’d ever say.”
“There’s a lot of things you’re probably going to say now that you never thought you would before,” Bram added wryly.
Shane snorted. “True.”
“Anyway,” Charlotte put in, “we don’t know if that’s the case. I mean, what if the bond doesn’t work again?” Pain entered her gaze, and she blinked it away.
Damn it, Charlotte. Damn it.
“I think it didn’t work the way it should have with us because we weren’t complete. We didn’t have our third.”
Shane let out a breath. “And that would be me.” He met their gazes one by one. “You’re saying I’m both your mates. Not just with Charlotte, but with Bram, too.”
Bram met the other man’s gaze. “And is that going to be a problem?” Bram had always been bisexual, but that didn’t mean Shane was.
Shane frowned. “I’m attracted to both of you. With my previous employment, I was never in a serious relationship that lasted long enough to count, but I’ve been with both men and women. That’s not what I’m talking about.”
“You’re talking about the fact that we’re talking about three people in one relationship,” Charlotte said. “In other Packs, there are triads.” She looked over at Bram. “I looked it up.” She met Shane’s gaze again. “And my aunt and uncles are in a triad. Their bond is actually called the trinity bond, and it’s a little different because it came from the moon goddess herself and was used to defeat a demon.”
Shane’s eyes widened, his jaw dropping. “I take it that’s one of those stories you’re going to have to elaborate on later.”
“We’ll fill you in on everything,” Bram said. “But for now, we’ll focus on mating. A mating bond is different than the bond you hold with your Alpha or with the Heir and Beta. It’s different than the Pack bonds that create the internal structure of a Pack. They’re something that is unique to each mating pair or triad. I’ve heard some bonds allow each wolf to find the other no matter how far apart they are. Some can even communicate telepathically across the connection.”
Shane’s eyes widened. “No shit?”
“No shit,” Charlotte said with a small smile. “My parents have one like that actually. They don’t use it too often in public or even at home when my sisters and I are around, but they still use it.”
“I guess it would be weird for your parents to have a full-on conversation in their heads with you in the room,” Shane said dryly.
Charlotte shrugged. “If us kids were in trouble, I guess it was helpful to make sure they were on the same page, but yeah, their bond is only for them so they use those special gifts like that on their own. Mating bonds are only for the pair or triad. They’re sacred and special. Once they’re made, you can’t break them.” She paused. “Well, I’ve heard of one being broken, but it almost killed those involved, and it almost created a war.”
Bram shook his head. “Another story for another time,” he said with a sad smile to Shane, who once again looked interested.
“I’m going to need to start taking notes,” Shane put in.
“I’m sure it would help,” Charlotte said honestly.
They were silent for a moment, each taking time to gather their thoughts.