Three Mates & A Tribrid

Chapter 9

     I shut the door and slid down till I was sitting with my back against it. I held my hand over my mouth as I cried harder than I have in months. I felt my hard exterior begin to chip away with every memory that was being awakened. My dad taught me to never trust anyone and what did I do? I fell in love and let my guard down, exposing everything that I worked so hard to protect. And then, he betrayed me and is apparently still alive and gunning for me.

     I heard a quiet knock at the door as I sat there crying. "Go away," I muttered sadly.

     "Can I please come in there? I can feel how hurt you are through the mate bond. Can I just....can I please just hold you?" I heard Everett's soft voice on the other side of the door. I couldn't help but smile because he was always on my side even if I may be in the wrong. I scooted over so that I was out of the way as I reached up and turned the door handle.

     "Hey." I smiled sadly through my tears. He walked in and closed the door behind him before squatting down so that we were eye level.

     He smiled back as he pushed my hair out of my face. "Hey, baby girl. Do you want to talk about it?" He asked quietly, not pushing me for details. I shook my head no as I wiped the stray tears off my cheeks.

     "Can we maybe just lay in the bed together?" I asked, looking at his face to see if I was making him uncomfortable.

     "Sure," He smiled bigger this time, showing off two dimples. How the actual fuck did I miss those? He picked me up and brought me to the bed, pulling down the covers. "I'm going to get you a t-shirt to sleep in...is that okay?"

     "Yeah, that'd be great," I said as I pulled out a makeup wipe that I left on the nightstand earlier today. I knew that I'd probably end up drunk, and I knew myself well enough to know that I have a bad habit of not removing my makeup at night. So, I decided to place the wipes from the bathroom in here instead.

     "Here's a shirt, it's mine...if that's okay," Everett said, handing over the shirt while he blushed slightly.

     "Thanks, big man." I smiled brightly at him as I unzipped my dress. I looked at Everett but saw that he was turning his back on me to give me some privacy. I felt my heart warm at his simple gesture. He was just too fucking adorable which is weird to say when you look at the sculpted body that he has. I pulled on his oversized t-shirt that smelled like the woods and nature. "Done," I said as I climbed underneath the covers.

     Everett gladly climbed in but turned to look at me. "Can I...can I hold you?" He asked, not quite meeting my eyes. I scooted closer so that I was laying my head against his chest while his arm snaked around my waist as he held me to his side. "I just want you to know that I would never betray you. I don't care if you've done bad things and I don't care who is after you. I'll stand by your side forever, baby girl," He said as he kissed my head gently.

     I took in a shaky breath. "I really hope so big man... Because I think I'm in trouble."

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Atticus's POV

     I tossed and turned all last night thinking about what went down at the bar. This wasn't just any random supernatural. This guy was from the council, and only dangerous wanted criminals were usually hunted down by the council. So why was my mate the one that he was after?

     Rose didn't give us many details on the situation before she stormed off into her bedroom for the rest of the night. I noticed Everett spent the night with her, which made Axel beyond jealous even though he was the one who pushed her too far. I know that we all felt her hurt through the mate bond which was why Everett went and stayed with her. His wolf can't handle staying ten feet away from her, especially when she's upset.