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  “Oh, Orion,” she moaned, her head tipping back as she moved her body on his, “just like that.”

  He pressed his other hand into the small of her back, bringing her onto his cock faster and harder as it began to twitch with his impending orgasm. He bit the inside of his cheek, fighting to hold back until she came first.

  Her hips twitched sideways when he rubbed his thumb on one side of her clit and he grinned, returning to the spot and rubbing hard and fast. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, moving her body against his with panting cries, his name on her lips in a nearly breathless chant. Her pussy locked down on his cock as she cried out his name and scraped her nails into his shoulders and he grabbed her hips and fucked her hard until he finished a few strokes later with a gruff shout.

  Relaxing back against the couch with a groan, he wrapped his arms around her and rubbed his hands up and down her back as she trembled and breathed hard. He felt her lips touch his throat and she whispered, “I love you, Orion.”

  “I love you, too, Syd.”

  Several hours later, after they’d lounged on the couch naked and watched six episodes of The Simpsons and then had lunch, Azrael sent him a text asking if he could borrow a suitcase.

  “So what’s the deal with this hyena get-together thing?” Syd asked, peering over his shoulder as he dug through a closet in the spare bedroom for the rolling suitcases that they stored there.

  He pulled a huge suitcase from inside the walk-in closet and tossed it onto the bed. “They’ve been going on for a long time. At first, it was something that baros did. They would gather once every few years in a central location so that their unmated children could find mates. Back in our grandparents’ generation, hyena females didn’t have a choice in who they mated, and their parents often picked the clan that they would mate into.”

  She hopped up onto the bed as he unzipped the extra large soft-sided suitcase. “Like an arranged marriage?”

  “The hyena version, yes. Our grandmother’s parents tried to arrange a mating for her, but she wouldn’t hear of it. She threatened to move away from the baro and mate a human male, and they let her choose her own mates.”

  He flipped open the top of the big suitcase and found the smaller rolling one that he was looking for. After unzipping it and taking out two small duffel bags, he set it on the bed behind Sydney and began to repack the duffels into the larger case.

  “Sometimes I think parents really do have the best intentions in cases like that, but then there are those that are selfish and only look out for themselves.”

  He leaned over and kissed her. “I can’t promise that I’m not going to want to have a say in who our future daughters end up mating, because I’ll definitely want them to choose the most loving, kind mates that they can. But I do promise not to be an ogre about it. You know, as long as they wait until they’re at least thirty before they start dating.”

  She laughed. “Just how many daughters do you plan on having?”

  After stowing the big suitcase back in the closet, he grinned at her. “However many you want, sweetheart.” He pulled her to her feet and hugged her, dropping his head to the crux of her shoulder where he placed a soft kiss. “And I know they’ll be gorgeous just like their mom.”

  The front door opened and Azrael called for him. “Coming, Az,” he called back, snagging the suitcase off the bed and rolling it behind him as he and Syd headed to the living room.

  “You sure you guys don’t need more than the one suitcase?” Orion asked as he stopped the case in front of Azrael.

  “Yeah. Mine was the only one that got trashed when we flew down to Gorge for the Fourth of July. Thanks for the loaner.”

  “You’re welcome. When are you guys leaving?”

  Az leaned his back against the door and crossed his arms. “Tomorrow after the party is over. We’re flying into Philly and taking a rental car to the gathering.”

  “You sound so thrilled to be going,” Orion said with a laugh.

  “I’m feeling a little jaded.”

  “You’re only twenty-five. Way too young to be jaded.”

  Snorting, Az said, “I guess because the last gathering was such a bust, I’m not expecting this to be any different. But Ma wants us to go because she’s worried that we’ll never settle down with a mate and give her grandkids.”

  Orion knew that guilt trip well. His mother had been lamenting their lack of a mate since they turned eighteen. “I hope that you guys find a mate at the gathering.”

  Azrael smiled and shrugged. “If we do, that’s great, but if not then we’ll find her eventually. Fade is certain that the female for us is out there somewhere and we just haven’t been in the right place at the right time.”

  Sydney leaned her head against Orion’s shoulder. “You sound as if you don’t believe in truemates.”

  “I do, but I don’t necessarily believe that we’ll go to a party in the woods for a few days and just magically happen to find our mate. I mean, really. What are the odds of that happening?”

  Orion looked down at Sydney. He would have thought the same thing about bus stations a few months ago. Now he believed in miracles. “Good luck to you guys,” he stuck his hand out and Az shook it, promising to see them at the wedding party the next day.

  Orion didn’t envy his cousins going to the gathering. The thinking was that if enough hyenas got together from around the country, and assuming there were females that actually showed up, that some of them might end up mated. In his opinion, just because they were hyenas didn’t necessarily mean they were going to find their fourth in a hyena. He certainly wished his cousins good luck. But like Orion and his own brothers, Azrael and his brothers didn’t care what their mate shifted into, if she shifted at all. They just wanted to find the one perfect woman for them so they could start a family.

  He didn’t have to worry about that anymore. Sydney was theirs forever, and they were hers. As the door shut, he brought her into his arms and kissed her soundly.

  Chapter 19

  Sunday morning, Sydney indulged her mates’ insistence that she wear a blindfold down into the den so that they could surprise her with whatever Sterling had been doing in the room on Friday.

  Because of her fear of toppling ass over tea kettle down the stairs blindfolded, Orion carried her. He put her down and held onto her shoulders.

  “Are you ready for your wedding day surprise?” Orion asked, touching the knot of the blindfold.

  “Of course,” she promised.

  “I don’t know,” Sterling said sternly, “you don’t sound very excited.”

  She laughed and then went all girly and clapped her hands and jumped up and down a few times, shouting, “Give me my surprise!”

  All three men laughed, and Crux said, “That’s super enthusiastic. I think she’s ready now.”

  The blindfold slipped off and she blinked a few times at the bright light, and then touched her hand to her mouth as she gasped. What had once been a simple, wood-paneled office was now a nursery. A thick round rug of navy and cream stripes was in the center of the polished oak floor. The walls, which had been so dark before, were now painted a pale blue, with a border along the ceiling of baby animals. And the only piece of furniture in the room was a rocking chair in the corner, tied with a large red bow.

  “You guys…” she started, swallowing the lump in her throat at their sweet gesture.

  “We all helped,” Orion said, kissing her cheek. “I redid the floor and picked out the rug.”

  Crux kissed her other cheek. “I painted the ceiling and installed the ceiling fan and light fixture.”

  Sterling cupped her face and kissed her lips. “I did the walls. And you almost caught me. But anytime you want to interrupt me that way, please feel free.”

  She laughed and felt her cheeks heat.

  “I love it. Thank you so much.”

  They insisted she try out the rocking chair, and after watching her rock back and forth a few times, Ori
on said, “We’ll go pick out furniture together soon. We didn’t want to do everything without you.”

  She looked up into their smiling faces and thanked whoever was in charge of hyena matings that she was lucky enough to be the right girl for them. They were incredibly special males, and she was one amazingly lucky female to be on the receiving end of their love.

  * * * * *

  Late Sunday afternoon, Sydney and her clan went to Dante’s home to get ready for the ceremony and party. Alyssa stayed with her in one of the spare bedrooms while she dressed in a simple white short-sleeved dress. She ran a brush through Sydney’s hair as she sat at the vanity in the bedroom.

  “Nervous?” Alyssa asked, twisting a section of hair at the side of Sydney’s head and pinning it.

  “I shouldn’t be, because we’re already mated and everything, but yeah. A little.”

  Alyssa smiled at her in the mirror. “I was nervous, too. I don’t know what it is about the legal marriage, but it was scarier than the mating. Which is kinda crazy when you think about it.”

  Sydney did understand. As Alyssa finished her hair, Sydney stood up and hugged her friend.

  “Thank you for opening your home for us. I’m so glad that we’ve become friends,” Sydney said, feeling tears sting her eyes.

  Alyssa sniffled. “Oh, don’t cry, you’ll get me crying.” She laughed and reached for a box of tissues on the vanity. “I’m glad we’re friends, too, Syd. You’re such a sweet, amazing person. It’s my honor to be your friend.”

  “And my matron of honor.”

  Alyssa beamed. “I’ve never been one before, it’s so cool!”

  She looked down at the rings on her fingers. They’d told her that this ceremony wasn’t going to make them any more mated to her than they already were, but it was still important to her. She wanted to be their wife in name, too. To be Mrs. Sydney Stone, and to know that they would tell people that she was their wife. They were such different men. Orion, with his serious nature. Crux who wanted to take care of everyone. And Sterling who could punch a hole through a door but be tender enough to kiss her as if she were made of glass. The rings they had given her were just as different as they were. Orion’s had four strands of delicate gold woven together. He told her that he felt as if they were finally a real family, bonded together and never parted. Crux gave her a platinum band of swirled infinity symbols, promising that he was going to love her forever. And Sterling’s white-gold band held four roses crafted of rose gold, one for each of them.

  There was a knock at the door, drawing her from her introspection. Alyssa opened it, kissing Dante on the cheek. “They’re ready for you downstairs, Sydney,” Dante said.

  Alyssa said with a smile, “Are they nervous?”

  “Of course.” Dante nodded. “All males are nervous at times like this. Mason was so nervous he spilled soda on his shirt because he was trembling so badly, and had to change before we got there.”

  “Oh, that’s so sweet.” Sydney laughed.

  Alyssa smacked Dante on the shoulder playfully. “Don’t go teasing my sweetie.”

  “I won’t,” he bowed slightly with a roguish grin and stepped out into the hallway, both arms hooked at his sides so that he could escort them down the steps together.

  Alyssa looked gorgeous in the silk gown that showcased the swell of her stomach and her glowing skin. In a few months, Sydney’s own belly would start to grow, and she couldn’t wait.

  Dante stopped just inside the big kitchen. Mason escorted Alyssa into the family room. Sydney’s mates had done all the decorating and made all the arrangements for the ceremony and party. She couldn’t wait to see what they’d done.

  As the baro leader, Dante had offered to walk her down the aisle, and she’d readily agreed. Soft music had been playing in the background, and it switched over to “A Thousand Years,” by Christina Perri, which was the song that Orion had suggested she walk down to them to, and she’d agreed it was perfect.

  “Ready to officially become Mrs. Stone?” Dante asked as he offered her his arm again.

  “Definitely.”

  The furniture that had been in the family room was gone, replaced with wooden chairs with red bows tied at the backs. Her mates stood in front of the picture window, the setting sun making them look like golden gods. They wore suits, and it was the first time she’d ever seen them dressed so nicely.

  As Dante walked her down the aisle, he stopped and she looked at him in confusion, until he pointed to the chairs on his right. Two laptops sat open on the chairs. The first one was her cousin Jan and her children. The second screen showed four people watching eagerly, their faces filled with big smiles. She knew immediately that these were her mates’ parents.

  The laptop was pointed towards her mates and she continued on with Dante, looking over her shoulder at the screens and waving. They all waved back, and her mates chuckled quietly.

  The man who was officiating the ceremony wore a gray suit with a thin black tie. He slipped glasses on and opened a leather-bound book.

  “Who gives this woman to these men?”

  “As leader of this baro, I do.” Dante said in a clear voice.

  Dante kissed Sydney’s cheek and stepped away to join his clan in their seats. Orion took her hand and stood on her right, while Sterling and Crux sandwiched her left hand between theirs as they stood on her left side.

  As the ceremony went forward, all she could think about was that she was marrying these men today and that she would be not only their mate, but from this moment forward she would also be their wife. When she’d been sitting in the bus station bathroom, she never imagined that her life would turn out this way. She never thought she’d find love. But she had it here, with her men, in spades.

  When they spoke their vows to each other, she heard the soft crying of their mother over the laptop’s speakers and her own tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. She’d never been happier than at the moment they kissed her, one after the other, and they were declared husbands and wife.

  The members of the baro cheered and clapped, and her guys hugged and kissed her.

  Orion took her hand and led her over to the laptop. “Mom and Dads, this is our mate and wife, Sydney. Sweetheart, these are our parents: Claire, Owen, Brax, and Ezra.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Sydney said, and wiped at the tears on her cheeks.

  “We’re looking forward to meeting you in person in a few weeks, darling,” Claire said. “Have fun at the party, and thank you, sons, for including us in your special day.”

  Her mates said goodbye to their parents and the laptop was closed. Then Sydney introduced her cousin to her mates and shared some happy tears with her. As the baro members came to them and congratulated them on their marriage, they said goodbye to the officiant and her family and headed to the dining room, where a feast waited for them.

  Dante said, “Your clan should sit at the head of the table, since you’re the guests of honor.”

  Mason gasped in mock surprise. “Wow. He won’t even let me sit at the head of the table.”

  Orion took the chair at the head of the table and drew Sydney to sit down in it. “You’re the leader of our clan, Orion,” she said quietly.

  “But you’re the center of our world, sweetheart.”

  Sydney kissed him and sat down as he pushed the chair in. Once Alyssa was also seated, the males all sat down, Orion and Sterling on either side of her and Crux next to Orion.

  The meal was amazing, with rack of lamb, golden potatoes, grilled vegetables, penne salad, and a big bowl of cut fruit, which she waited eagerly to dive into. The chatter around the table reminded her of television shows that she’d watched growing up, with the big families all sitting down and sharing their lives with each other. The ache that would have been brought about when she thought about her lacking childhood was now replaced with the sweet knowledge that the child she was carrying would always be loved and wanted.

  Her clan was her new family, and th
e baro and her new in-laws were her extended family. She felt supremely lucky to be part of their lives, and she planned to spend the rest of her life showing them just how much they meant to her.

  The End

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  Contact the Author

  Website: www.rebutlerauthor.com

  Email: [email protected]

  Twitter: @rebutlerauthor

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/R.E.ButlerAuthorPage

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  Also from R.E. Butler

  Wiccan-Were-Bear Novella Series

  A Curve of Claw

  A Flash of Fang

  A Price for a Princess

  A Bond of Brothers

  A Bead of Blood

  A Twitch of Tail

  The Wolf’s Mate Series

  The Wolf’s Mate Book 1: Jason & Cadence

  The Wolf’s Mate Book 2: Linus & The Angel

  The Wolf’s Mate Book 3: Callie & The Cats

  The Wolf’s Mate Book 4: Michael & Shyne

  The Wolf’s Mate Book 5: Bo & Reika

  The Wolf’s Mate Book 6: Logan & Jenna

  The Necklace Chronicles

  The Tribe’s Bride

  The Gigolo’s Bride

  Ashland Pride Series

  Seducing Samantha (Ashland Pride One)

  Hyena Heat Series

  Every Night Forever (Hyena Heat One)

  Every Dawn Forever (Hyena Heat Two)

  Coming in 2013

  Ashland Pride Book Two: Loving Lachlyn

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