Tripartite Mate || 18+

Chapter 3

(A/n - I will address the FL as "her" or "we" whenever she is in wolf form. They are both one but different conscious and different forms so it felt right to refer to them separately. It will also avoid any confusion.)

The scenery began to shift as the trees grew more massive, their trunks thick and ancient. It was the first clear sign that we had officially crossed into the territory of the Storm Forest Pack.

As my wolf and I pushed deeper into the woods, the name started to make perfect sense. The forest was so dense it felt like the aftermath of a legendary gale, and the air was heavy with the scent of rain. The wind had a sharp, cold bite to it, but the sunlight managed to flicker through the canopy in golden rays, lighting up the path like a scene from a dream. It was breathtaking. Between the lush greenery and the sheer allure of the wild, I felt like I was running straight into heaven. The closer we got to the boundary, the more a strange sense of serenity washed over us.

My wolf had an extra bounce in her step. She was clearly thrilled at the prospect of spending the next month exploring the soft, mossy ground of this territory.

Suddenly, the sound of rushing water hit our ears. My wolf’s ears perked up instantly. Feeling our fur matted with trail dirt and grime, we decided to follow the sound for a much-needed dip. We broke through a thicket of trees and stumbled upon a hidden lake. After quenching our thirst with the crisp, fresh water, we dove in. I made sure to shake off every single speck of mud before we continued, though with every step closer to the village, a bit of reality-induced conflict started to gnaw at me.

I had never been to a pack that was entirely Lycan. Back home, the only Lycans we ever saw were my Uncle Luke and Lola. They’ve been a part of my life forever, so I was comfortable with them, but an entire pack of them? That was a different story. Lycans are the purest, strongest form of our species. They are massive enough to literally crush me with two fingers. Just thinking about the power dynamic gave me a fresh set of goosebumps.

Honestly, even Uncle Luke terrifies me sometimes. I love him to death, but when he lets out a growl in that deep Lycan voice, I completely freeze. He tries his best to suppress his aura, but no matter how careful he is, it still leaks out sometimes. It makes me want to drop to my knees in submission, which is a huge deal. Werewolves don't bow to anyone except their own Alpha and Luna, so that should tell you exactly how powerful a Lycan's presence is.

I have no idea how Aunt Jennifer manages to live here. I know I might be being a little prejudiced based on rumors, but Lycans are famous for following traditional rules and staying much closer to their beast side than we do. That’s the scary part. You never really know when the beast might decide to tear everything to shreds.

Then there’s the height. My God, they are enormous! A standard Lycan male stands at about eight feet tall. Compared to the average werewolf height of six foot five, they’re basically titans. Even the females are usually taller than our strongest males. So, for someone like me who stands at five foot two, which is tiny even for a werewolf, being surrounded by nine foot beasts is intimidating as hell. The only thing I have going for me in the physical department is my curves, but that's a conversation for another time.

I shook off the heavy thoughts and focused on the present. Suddenly, the scent of Aunt Jennifer wafted into my nose, and I let out a yelp of pure excitement. A moment later, I was face to face with my aunt, my cousin, and Uncle Luke.

If you had to guess who I was most excited to see, and you picked Aunt Jennifer, you’d be dead wrong. It was definitely Uncle Luke. I adore Lola and my aunt, but Luke is genuinely my best friend.

I let out a happy howl to announce my arrival and came to a halt a few yards away. I ducked behind a tree to shift back and pull on some sweatpants and a T-shirt before stepping back out. The second I emerged, I was flattened by a tackle-hug from Lola. I squealed as we both jumped up and down, hugging each other like we hadn't seen each other in decades.

"Oh my Gosh, girl! I missed your sexy ass so much!" Lola squealed, her voice vibrating at a frequency that was definitely too loud for my comfort.

"Oww, my poor ears!" I laughed, pushing her back and covering my ears as the ringing set in. "Lola, I’m pretty sure you just destroyed my eardrums."

"It wasn't even that loud," Lola huffed, crossing her arms and trying to look defensive.

"Oh, really? Then why are they doing that?" I pointed over to Uncle Luke and Aunt Jennifer, who both had their hands clamped firmly over their ears.

Lola gave me a sheepish smile as she realized she’d been caught. "Sorry."

"If you two are finally done with your little moment, I’d like a hug too," Aunt Jennifer cut in. It was a miracle she’d waited this long. Patience is definitely not in her vocabulary.

"Auntie!" I cried, throwing my arms around her. "I missed you so much."

"Oh, my baby. I missed you too," she cooed, squeezing me tight. "You’ve grown up so much since the last time I saw you. Damn, look at those curves! I’m actually jealous." She whistled while giving me a playful look over.

"I actually got these about two years ago. Right after your last visit, I just started filling out. In a year, boom! I was suddenly this voluptuous," I explained. I used to be a tiny, flat little thing, but the Moon Goddess clearly decided to make up for my lack of height by giving me everything else.

"I see. The Goddess was definitely feeling extra gracious toward you," she chuckled.

"I would have been heartbroken if I didn't at least have the curves," I joked. "I’ve got zero height, so if I didn't have these, I’d be living a very sad life."

"What do you mean 'no height'? You're the perfect height. It makes you so easy to haul around," she teased.

Yeah, the perfect height to give a blowjob to a Lycan, Lola’s voice snorted through our mind-link.

I was so baffled I could only think, Excuse me?

Where does her mind even go? Even though, technically, she wasn't lying. If I were standing in front of a Lycan in their beast form, I’d barely have to lean forward. Not that I’d ever be able to wrap my hand around them, considering the rumors about their monstrous size.

"Aunt Jennifer!" I whined out loud, ignoring Lola, who was still cackling to herself in my head.

It’s not that funny, I snapped at Lola through the link.

To me, it’s hilarious, she shot back.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop teasing," Aunt Jennifer said, though she was still grinning.

"Is it ever going to be my turn?" Uncle Luke reminded me, sounding genuinely left out.

"Uncle!" I squealed, jumping toward him to try and hug him. It was impossible to do it normally because of the massive height difference. Luke just chuckled and picked me up by my underarms like I was a toddler, holding me up so I could actually reach his neck. I laughed through a few happy tears as I buried my face in his shoulder, breathing in his familiar scent.

"How are you, Firecracker? Actually, should I even call you that anymore? You’re more like a little Turtle now," he said with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Uncle Luke!" I gasped, feeling completely offended. "A new nickname? On the spot? As if Firecracker wasn't bad enough!"

"What? You don't like Turtle?" he laughed.

"I do not," I huffed.

"Then what about Grizzly Bear?" He struggled to muffle his laughter as I gaped at him like a fish out of water.

"That is even worse! That’s offensive!" I squealed.

"Grizzly Bear it is, then," he decided firmly. He lowered me back to the ground, handling me like I weighed absolutely nothing, which was somehow even more annoying than the nickname.

"I am officially not talking to you anymore, Uncle Luke. You are no longer my friend," I wailed, dramatically stomping over to Aunt Jennifer’s side. "Let's go, Auntie. I don't want to talk to your mate."

"We all know how long that’s going to last," Luke called out, knowing full well I can never stay mad at him for more than five minutes.

"I'm serious this time! I’m really angry!" I glared back at him. Aunt Jennifer just watched us with twinkling eyes, clearly enjoying the banter.

"Of course you are," Luke said, still grinning. "Well, I won't be coming home just yet, so you can be as angry as you want while I'm gone."

With that, he shifted into his Lycan form in a literal flash and zoomed past us, a blur of fur and power.

"Wait, what just happened?" I asked, looking between my aunt and Lola.

"The Alpha probably called for him," Jennifer said. Mentioning the Alpha reminded me of some gossip I’d heard recently.

"Auntie, is it true this pack has three Alphas?" I asked. A few months ago, I’d overheard some girls talking about how attractive the three Alphas here were and how effortlessly they ran the place.

"Yes and no. Most packs think we have three, but we actually have one Alpha. Our two Betas just happen to have Alpha blood because they’re all brothers," she explained.

"Then what about the actual Beta? The person who’s supposed to have that job?" I asked, confused.

"He’s the Gamma. He actually suggested the setup. The pack wanted all three brothers to lead together, but the Elders rejected it. This was the Gamma’s way of working around the rules," she said.

"Why are the Elders so against it? It’s not like they’re trying to take over three different packs," I commented.

"That’s just the Elders for you. They want absolute control over everything. They’re both a blessing and a curse to our society," she sighed. "Anyway, we’re here. This is where the pack houses start."

I looked at the village, feeling happy and settled. I really thought this was just going to be my home for a month. I had no idea that fate was already moving the chess pieces for a much bigger change.

~•~