The Triplets of Emerald Forest

Chapter 38 Harlow

When I left the brothers, I decided to shower and wash off the day. To say I was surprised when I conceded to Gabriel is an understatement, but I couldn't deny that he was right. These kids needed help and I knew exactly how they were feeling, as orphans. I never thought I would have responded positively to an alpha male shoving me against a door and speaking to me in such a manner, but something about the way he did it told me he wasn't a threat, just passionate.

Passionate. That's what Gabriel, Godric, and Griffin were. Everything about them was passionate.

I sighed as I leaned my forehead against the tiled shower wall, letting the hot water fall down my back and sooth my stressed out muscles. It had been one hell of a day, a hell of a week, and it's only been a couple of days. My mind was running a million miles a minute and my body was literally on fire. It was begging for the touch, the caress, the kiss of one of the triplets; maybe all of the triplets. It was betraying all things logical and cautionary.

Even my heart was running towards the brothers. The way it raced when they were near, the way it broke when they were in danger, the way it melted when a pair of those green eyes landed on me; it was prepared to beat only for them and that was scary as shit. My mind was the only rational part of me left and that was slowly fading. Every sideways glance, every soft touch, every husky growl made my brain a foggy mess.

When the water grew cold, I jumped out and pulled on a pair of matching cotton bra and underwear. I was surprised to see that all my dirty clothes had been washed and hung back up in the closet. I had no idea when or how that happened, but I had to remember to thank whoever was responsible for it. I crawled under the warm comforter and fell asleep quite quickly, dreaming of the green eyes of my three mates.

The next morning, I took care of my teeth and hair, and dressed in something comfortable. I opened the bedroom door and greeted the brothers before they even had time to knock on my door. They grinned when they saw me and rushed to my side, already starting with the kisses and unique pet names.

"I'm hungry." I complained loudly, shoving them away. They shared a chorus of laughter and then escorted me downstairs to the kitchen.

The usual group was at the table, plus Wade and his mate, Sammy. I learned that Wade was completely human, he had no wolf at all. Sammy, on the other hand, was a full blown werewolf who was raised in the Emerald Forest pack. They realized they were mates when they both turned 18 only a few weeks apart. He told Sammy of his plans to leave for college, the police academy, and then, eventually, Quantico. She agreed without hesitation and has followed him ever since.

After spending only an hour with Sammy, it was easy to love her. She was giddy, fun, and outspoken. She loved to write so that's what she did while Wade worked. She wrote horror fantasy fiction that involved wolves. She said she wanted to lean into the human's natural fear of wolves because, and I quote, why not?

"In an hour, I would like everyone to meet in my office for an update on the rogue situation. I want to throw around some thoughts and ideas." Gabriel announced when breakfast was wrapping up and everyone nodded.

"Harlow, love," He pulled my attention towards him, "We would like you to attend the meeting if that's okay with you?" I blinked in shock, surprised that they wanted to include me.

"Are you sure? I feel like I'll just be in the way." I frowned and Gabriel shook his head,

"Absolutely not."

"Okay, then, I'd love to be there." I smiled and Gabriel returned it with equal vigor.

"In the meantime, we have something to show you." Griff said, standing up. He offered me his hand and I took it, allowing him to pull me from the chair.