---Alec's POV---
When Liam and I had separated for our hunt, it didn't came to mind that the pack might stumble on us. Sure, they could run through the woods but I thought we had more time to avoid them and lay low.

Now I was laying low alright, but I hadn't imagined that there would be a full-grown, muscular and rather possessive Lycan hovering over me. I could feel his breath rushing over my fur, messing it up while a growl rumbled through his chest.

A brown wolf wagged its tail and leapt forward with a playful yip, only to jump back with a pitiful whine slipping from its lips. Nathan had snarled and shoved it away from us, lowering himself even more so that I could feel the heat emanating from his powerful form. I couldn't move a single muscle without feeling his body pressed against mine.

I didn't mind one bit.

Liam on the other hand was staring the Lycan down, which was a rather foolish thing to do. Unable to roll my eyes in this form, I shuffled my weight on my paws, brushing my back against Nathan's chest in the process. His growl softened until it could only be described as a canine purr.

"Alec, get out from under him." Liam snapped, his face scrunched up in a snarl as he eyed the wolves warily. Instead of listening to my brother's advice, I simply rubbed my head against Nathan's throat, closing my eyes as I purred deeply.

Leafs rustled and a dry twig snapped before Marcus made his appearance as well. I happily leaned further against Nathan, enjoying the awed gasps and appreciative growls coming from our furry entourage.

They made way as Marcus strode confidently ahead, held held high and his whole stride almost regal. I tilted my head slightly as his golden eyes flitted my way before I opened my mouth, panting a bit to let off heat.

Maybe trying to outrun a pack of playful pups wasn't such a good thought...especially if it could kill me. A clawed hand sifted through my fur, stroking soothing paths over my spine without leaving as much as a scratch.

"oh fuck that feels good!"

"For goodness sake Alec, stop goading him on and shift back!" I blinked lazily, glancing at Liam as he was starting to freak out. I found it quite amusing really, especially since he was standing there as bare as a babe, giving those wolves more than an eyeful.

I chuckled hoarsely, probably sounding like I was coughing while the wolves present suddenly noticed Liam's state of undress. Some of the wolves were openly drooling, others were prancing on the spot, wanting to get closer but hesitant of Marcus' impressive tiger-form.

When Marcus shifted, I heard some of the Lycan's growl as well before there was a shared disappointed sigh of the wolves when Marcus threw Liam a pair of shorts, an extra pair for me in his hands. "Seeing that he's pinned down by his mate, that's a rather...bad idea." Marcus explained before groaning slightly when he looked at me.

I had already shifted back. Oops.

A split second later I was pressed flush against the soil, grass tickling my bare chest while the heat of bare flesh pressed against my back, along with a low, rumbling growl. Nathan's lips were a breath away from my ear, making me shiver before I purred slightly as he nipped at the base of my neck.

"Mrrrrr...."

Of course, now my inner cat had the idea that we were going to mate, making me arch my back unintentionally and press even closer against Nathan. The pleasurable tingles of being nipped at my neck were slowly easing away, allowing me to realise that most of Nathan's pack had scattered and two, my cat had made me forget that my brothers were right in front of me.

Liam was now staring at me with bulging eyes before swirling to Marcus. "You're the eldest, do something!" He whined, making Nathan chuckle slightly before he pressed his face closer to my ear.

"I think it's best that you listen to your brother and shift back, unless you want me to lose control and have my way with you in front of your siblings. Your choice love." He whispered huskily, shifting his hips slightly to get his point across.

With a mute sigh, I shifted back instantly, not before glancing over my shoulder to give Nathan a teasing wink as I nudged my own hips back, provoking him to growl and hold me tighter. Judging by the way how his throbbing length grounded against my backside, he wouldn't think twice about carrying out his threat.

Liam growled and went for Nathan, but Marcus effectively stopped him by hoisting him up on his shoulder. He struggled to get out of his hold but stopped as soon as Marcus' lips curled into a faint snarl and I could hear him grumbling warningly.

"He's molesting our brother and you're letting him?! Why are you letting him?"

Marcus rolled his eyes while the Lycan on Nathan's side chuckled and shifted back, giving Liam an answer he definitely didn't want to hear. "It'll happen anyway, as long as Alec agrees. By the end of the evening, they'll probably be a mated and bonded pair."

"WHAT?" Liam screeched in a rather feminine voice, before he stared as my eyes bulged out of their sockets...and then I was laughing my head off, rolling over the grass doing so. They probably heard some muffled chirps and chatters but my brothers could feel my amusement and hear me through the link.

Nathan chuckled as he sat up, hiding his assets in the process. I purred and walked around him, rubbing my whole body against his, making him chuckle softly when my tail curled around his muscled frame.

---Nathan's POV---
"Mate." My lycan purred in my head as Alec continued to brush his body over mine, scent-marking me. I couldn't move too much since I was naked and I could tell by the way Alec stood before me, he didn't want anyone to glance at what wasn't theirs.

The small touches of his fur pressing against my body and his head bunting against mine was making me feel light-headed, barely in control of my instincts. Thank god he wasn't a lycan himself, I doubt I'd been able to stop myself from claiming him on the spot.

Right now I was content with watching him interact with his brothers. Liam was still hanging over Marcus' shoulder, flabbergasted at the way Alec wasn't shying away from me or my obvious attraction.

Alec ran over and swatted at Liam's dangling legs, earning himself a warning growl from both his brothers as Marcus dropped his younger sibling back on his feet. The eldest walked back to us and stood by Bruce, sighing and rubbing his face.

"Didn't expect Alec stumbling on his mate this soon..." He muttered to himself as we all kept our eyes on his younger siblings, who were play-fighting by now to release some cooped up stress.

Liam's deafening yowls and roars muted Alec's happy chirps as he dodged his brother before running around him and nipping at his tail. A frustrated snarl slipped from Liam before he gave chase, causing a low growl to slip from my lips.

Alec's answering chirp to my snarl settled my lycan, but only just. I could already feel my skin stretching, warning me of my impending change. Marcus spotted this and eyed me curiously, his brown hair fluttering softly in the breeze.

"You guys are different from the other shifters, you know that?" He asked softly, keeping his eyes on his two brothers as they played in the meadow. Bruce frowned slightly as Marcus continued, "we've always kept ourselves a secret since the wolves never took to kindly to us. I always thought we'd have to mate with one of the humans... Not that they're too bad." He amended when Bruce growled lowly.

I shot a look at my brother, telling him to calm down. He was mated to a human, a Mate trained at school but she was his true mate. Marcus obviously meant the power-hungry mates that wanted us just for our position in the pack.

A thought from my lycan flashed through my mind, along with a questioning feeling and I knew what he meant. The pack would be informed what the brothers are, but what has happened with their encounters of other packs.

A bunt against my jaw brought me out of it, arms flying out and trapping a certain playful cheetah against my body. He didn't mind, only nipped at my throat and swivelled his ears back when I growled lowly, leaning closer to him.

"Be careful Alec, or I'll have to keep my promise."

His tail playfully swished over my face before I stood up, startling him slightly as I kept him in my arms when I shifted. His amber eyes followed my every move, wriggling slightly to let me know my hold was a bit uncomfortable for him.

I sat him back down, looking at him with a smile as he chirped and skipped off, tackling Liam to the floor and releasing an amused cackle as his brother yowled and chased after him. Marcus remained calm and stripped before shifting, flickering his ears at his brothers.

Liam perked his head up when Marcus let out a low rumble, following his older brother obediently as he started back for the village. It was odd, seeing three totally different cat species and knowing they were brothers. In the wild, they would've been mortal enemies.

A few hours later, I had watched as Marcus, Liam and Alec still stood in the spotlight, just like when they walked out of the forest a few days ago. The fact that three big felines casually stalked through the village and towards my house clearly drew a lot of attention and soon, the village was bustling with activity, vampires and the odd few warlocks taking a quick peek at the brothers.

I was glad that I could yank a pair of pants on, because Alec surely was tempting me to forget protocol and just mate him. We haven't known each other that long, yet I had a feeling that he wouldn't protest at all if I did claim and bonded with him over the night.

His amber eyes fixed me on the spot and for the very first time, I heard him in my mind. "Only one night? That's a bummer, I thought you were going to hold out a bit longer than that." He teased, flicking his tail slightly as my lycan growled at the challenge in his voice.

Instead of answering, I just smirked slowly at him, letting him know what to expect without saying a word. Unknowing to him, I didn't have to work per se, so I'm going to take my time to get to know him

Every inch of him. I was only being cautious because one, he doesn't know me that well at al and might not even feel the bond between us and two, if I let my lycan out right now, we'd probably break the bed.

A soft purr beside me made me aware that Alec was actually looking in my head, reading my thoughts. Glancing at him, I was surprised that he was back in his human form and he was slowly stalking around my house.

I smiled softly, glancing around at the now empty living room and the warm, earthy tones of my house. His brothers had agreed, Liam with great reluctance, that Alec would remain with me, if he wanted to.

Alec had agreed instantly, telling his brothers not to hurry and that he was a big boy that could take care of himself. A smile curved my lips as I watched him stretch to reach the bookshelf above his head, thumbing the worn spines gently. The way he stood defined his muscles sharply, his slender frame on full display for my hungry eyes.

My thoughts soon took another turn as my eyes roved over my mate, watching him explore the rooms with a look of curiosity on his face while I watched from the couch. "Mate.Mate.Mate." The chant echoed in my mind, forcing me to let my claws come out and dig them in the already ruined seat so I wouldn't jump Alec just yet.

I pushed off softly and followed him when he wandered down the hall to my room. He stopped in the doorway and glanced around,taking a deep breath and I nearly growled in pleasure, knowing that my mate was enjoying my scent.

He stepped inside, unaware that I slipped in after him and closed the door. His attention was pulled from the opened door of the adjoined bathroom to my bed with comfortable covers and down-filled pillows. When he fingered the dark wooden frame of the bed, I stepped forwards until I was pressed against his back, smiling when that made him shiver.

I didn't know quite yet what he wanted to do first but as I took him in my arms and inhaled his scent, I knew that I could control myself for at least a few more days before I really needed to claim him. The big question was, what does Alec want to happen right now.

Would we get to know each other as individuals first, or would we start with knowing each other in a whole different, intimate level?