Samantha

I lowered my furry belly to the ground and rested my head on my front paws. This way I should be completely hidden behind the flowery bush, my tiger stripes out of view for anyone passing through the forest clearing. The prey I was ambushing included.

While lying still, I thought about how many things had changed for me since the last time I had shifted in this very forest. I had been here with Dean after our brunch at On the Waterfront exactly 36 days ago, but it felt like a lifetime ago. I had been a single and lone tigress, and look at me now: mated to three amazing shifters and an official member of a pride. I guessed it was no surprise I was yet to wrap my mind around all these changes, given that the membership ceremony had taken place less than 40 minutes ago.

It had been a beautiful ritual under the full moon in this very forest, closed off to the shifter and human public for an hour and a half so that we could hold the oath exchange and the subsequent joint hunt uninterrupted. Booking this 'venue' hadn't been cheep but everyone in the pride had pitched in to make it happen. They were great like that, wanting to make tonight special for me and Eric.

To join, he and I had had to swear to abide by the rules of the pride – or we would 'face the wrath of the pride enforcers', as Rory had put it while leading the ceremony. Then every pride member had had to declare they accepted us and to swear they would support and protect us like their own flesh and blood.

To a human that oath might sound like cheesy and empty talk, but I knew these shifters here had meant every word. This pride was not just a group of people united by common interests; it was a family. So tonight I had gained a family of 24 members in addition to my four-member one. No wonder I had sniffled throughout the ceremony. I still felt dizzy from the elation of shifting together with my new pride, all of us changing into our animal forms at the same time before going on the celebratory hunt.

Actually, my dizziness could have something to do with the flowers so close to my nose. Hiding behind this particular bush might not have been the best idea. If I – or one of my two accomplices – ended up sneezing, this ambush would be ruined.

I glanced to my right: Eric lay still next to me, his black fur making him close to invisible under the moonlight. I put my paw on top of his, needing to be in physical contact with him every change I got. I closed my eyes in pleasure when he ran his raspy tongue along the side of my neck in reply.

Of course, my other accomplice couldn't resist but join in, delivering nip after teasing nip at my left ear. Good thing my tail was tucked under me, or he would have gone to play with it, giving our location away in the process. Dean and his weakness for rounded butts and long tails...

Suddenly, the nips and licks stopped.

My eyes flew open.

There, moving low on his big paws across the clearing, was a tiger.

Dean's whiskers twitched in excitement, tickling the left side of my face.

The three of us watched how the massive tiger held his head low, eyes scanning his surroundings, ears turning in every direction possible. He clearly knew something was off. Or maybe he sensed my appreciative gaze along his powerfully built body and uniquely blondish fur shining in the moonlight.

Alert or not, he didn't see me coming. Not until I was on top of him. Heavy myself and aided by the momentum, I squashed him in the soft grass. I put a paw on his chest and gave the underside of his neck a victorious nip.

Sebastian didn't protest to being thus dominated. He started purring.

Learning from Eric's soothing techniques, was he? I gave the big softie a lick across his muzzle, the closest thing to a kiss when on four legs. Then I got carried away, licking down his neck where the white fur turned into golden.

Mmm, golden like the honey I had licked off Sebastian's broad chest – and another rock-hard part of him – several days ago. It had been just the two of us at home and I had wanted to do something special for my grouchy sasquatch.

On the next day he had surprised me together with two accomplices by organizing a buffet on the kitchen table. With me, fruit and whipped cream being on the menu. Things hadn't gone completely as planned because the decoration stage had been cut short in favor of the eating part. Lots of eating and... stuffing.

I could never look at that kitchen table in the same way again.

Speaking of accomplices, Eric joined me and Sebastian in the forest clearing peacefully by butting his head against the side of Sebastian's. Dean, on the other hand, decided to pounce on me, front paws framing my middle. Sebastian's muzzle ended up smashed in my furry chest, and he smacked the playful jaguar on the nose. Dean stuck his tongue out, his big amber eyes filled with amusement.

My crazy mates. After three weeks of being bonded to them, I still worried this was a dream I might wake up from. It was simply too good to be true.

And to think I had tried to run away from it all... My resistance had only postponed the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to me. Looking back, my concerns seemed so stupid. To expect my guys to hurt me like Bruce? To believe there was nothing more than lust pulling us towards each other and that it would fade if I skipped town? Ha!

Lust had a part to play, of course. It simply wasn't as all-consuming as before they had marked me. And it was but a drop in the maelstrom of feelings we had for each other coursing through our spiritual link. Though that might sound exhausting to outsiders, it had brought inner balance to me, and Eric had confirmed he sensed it with his Omega powers in all of us. Never mind that Sebastian had commented, "If you start talking about peace and harmony next, panther, your hippie ass is getting thrown out of bed."

My concerns about being with three males had been stupid, too. Why care about the way that might look in others' eyes when I was happy as hell? The pride saw nothing strange in our relationship. Humans were scandalized upon seeing me kiss my guys one after the other in public, but I bet they secretly wished to be in my place. To be treated with tenderness, to be dominated in the best of ways, to get a daily dose of lightheartedness... Sometimes you couldn't find everything you needed in a single partner. Sometimes you needed a bunch, provided everyone got along.

My Studs Club, as Dean had dubbed it, had no trouble sharing. Contrary to my fears from a month ago, I wasn't a cause for jealousy between friends. The mating bond had actually made the friendship between Dean and Sebastian stronger, and had led to two new friendships forming.

If anything, Sebastian was sometimes jealous of how close Dean was with Eric, particularly when the two sided with me against the General's orders or teamed up in video games. And Dean sometimes protested to how his pal and Eric jointly nagged at him to clean after himself and make the bed. Yep, Eric and Sebastian had found many common grounds.

That was why now Eric issued a warning hiss to let us know someone was coming. If anyone other than us heard Sebastian purring, his tough enforcer reputation in the pride would be ruined.

We had just disentangled ourselves from each other when two jaguars entered the clearing. Both were smaller than Dean but one was a bit bigger than the other and with a less shiny coat. That one began shifting into human form once having reached us.

"Please, don't stop with the public hanky-panky on my account," Isabel said with a smirk. "I just came to let you know the hunt is over. We caught the squirrel. As in, the animal we were supposed to be hunting together as a pride but which you chose to ignore in favor of hunting each other." She sighed wistfully. "Ah, the magic of mating... See, Janine? This is how it should be between you and your future mate – mates if you're lucky: freely given love on two or four legs out in the open."

Boy was I glad I was in animal form so my blush couldn't show. I shared a bed with three guys without many red-faced moments these days, but speaking about it in public? Let alone doing intimate stuff in front of prying eyes? Nope. It was for this reason that I had asked my mates to install soundproofing insulation when expanding our bedroom.

In the end, we had done as Isabel had suggested. We had joined Sebastian and Dean's apartment with the other one on the first floor, which allowed us to merge two bedrooms into a room big enough to fit a double king-size bed. There was also a bedroom with a king-size bed in case someone felt like they needed privacy; I used it with one of my mates in cases where I needed him and him alone. In the rest of the cases, or 99 percent of the time, I was in the master bedroom. What can I say, mandwiching was very addictive.

We had a guest bedroom as well, which we would soon have to refurbish.

"Mom, that's gross!" Janine said, nose wrinkled, as soon as she shifted to human. Her hair was dyed pink this week. "There are leaves and twigs and bugs all over. It's so unsanitary..."

Isabel waived her hand dismissively. "It's called being one with nature, you city child. In a year or two I'll probably be finding leaves and twigs in your panties, once the hormones hit you even harder."

"Mom!" Janine rolled her eyes and quickly initiated a shift so she could run away.

I watched her disappear between the trees on all fours, and couldn't really blame her. I had felt like running off myself when seven days ago her Mom had come over to borrow some sugar. Or so had Isabel claimed.

"I hear someone has been having loads of unprotected hide-the-salami," she had said upon getting the sugar. "That's the spirit. We need more cubs in the building to keep old ladies like me awake at night, since Rory is too busy playing hard to get to do that job... So," she had continued while entering the apartment, "do I get a cup of coffee to add this sugar to?"

Her comment and desire for a chat had left me with the impression that Dean had spilled the beans. But it had turned out that my mate was innocent; he had respected my wishes. My guys had kept the news a secret for a week so we could announce it together at tonight's ceremony. That had made the pride-joining ritual even more special.

The moment when I had told the news to my mates had been just as unforgettable. I had had to wait an entire day for all of them to be home given that their working hours didn't coincide, but it had been worth it. The look on their faces had been priceless. I would never forget it.

Particularly since I had secretly set my phone camera to record the whole scene.

"Guys, listen up," I had started when everyone was sitting on the couch for a movie night. Standing on the other side of the coffee table, I had told them, "I have an important announcement to make. We are going to have a... new addition to our bed. His name is PP. He is big, soft in all the right places, and very cuddly. I met him yesterday while shopping for bed linen but wanted to talk to you before bringing him home to our bed."

"I knew it!" Dean had exclaimed, the glint in his eyes indicating he thought I was joking. "I knew you had more fated mates out there. Three could never be enough for our fire-y sweetie."

"Isn't one teddy bear enough for you, darlin'?" Sebastian, too, had misinterpreted my words for a joke. "I'm hurting."

"Samantha said this PP is soft in all the right places, Bas," Eric had chimed in. "There is nothing soft on your outside: I have the bruise to prove it... I won't be sleeping next to you anytime soon."

I had crossed my arms over my chest. "Won't anyone ask me what PP stands for?"

"Personal prick?" from Sebastian's dirty mouth.

"Peter Parker?" from Dean, the comic book fan.

"People-eating Pennywise?" from Eric, the horror movie hater who still had nightmares after we had watched It together but who was currently reading the book.

I had giggled. "No, you guys! PP stands for... pregnancy pillow."

Dead silence. No blinking. Possibly no breathing either.

Then everyone had started speaking at the same time.

"My God, lovely... I knew I was sensing something different in your energy–"

"Fuck me sideways–"

"Pretty sure you did that to our mate and here's the result. When did you find out, sweetie?"

"Yesterday. I did three tests to make sure–"

"Yesterday?" Sebastian had growled. "You knew you were pregnant and still cleaned the bathroom?"

"Uhh... yes?"

"Female."

I had rolled my eyes. "Yes, male? Are you scowling because you don't like the news or what?"

He had been standing in front of me a heartbeat later. Another heartbeat and he had been kissing me with such fervor that I had forgotten my own name. His lips had left mine only to be replaced by Dean's and then Eric's.

"This is what I think about the news," Sebastian had said after. "Now we'll see about your punishment for overexerting yourself".

"Oh... Before panties start getting ripped, I should probably turn off the camera."

"Huh?"

"The fuck?"

"Lovely!"

They had later gotten back at me in a way that also ensured I wouldn't dare show the recording to the pride. If I tried to thus tarnish their images of badass enforcers and a cool mechanic, they would make public the embarrassing video Pregnant Female Faints at Doctor's News of Triplets.

"So," Isabel eyed our four-legged forms, "I guess I will see you at the parking lot... once you finish what I rudely interrupted. Have fun, all seven of you."

She finally left after that, but we waited until she disappeared completely from view before we resumed our innocent cat-playing. That woman had a dirty mind...

When we couldn't linger any longer since the forest was going to reopen to others, we headed towards the parking lot. Our clothes were in the SUV so we moved on all fours among the trees. Halfway there, Sebastian shifted so he could speak.

"Let's chase our mate the rest of the way. One last run in animal form for our mom-to-be?"

I narrowed my eyes at him to let him know my opinion. I was three weeks in, for crying out loud. I would be going furry until the last trimester, thank you very much.

Dean, by now naked and messy-haired, caressed my furry butt. "I don't know, pal. Chasing our sweetie when she is running from us brings back bad memories."

Eric, who remained on four paws, rubbed his body against mine the way he knew I loved in both animal and human form.

My shy Omega had started taking the initiative more often these days, surprising me the way Sebastian did – without asking for permission. Like, four days ago I had woken up to a hand between my thighs. I had realized it wasn't Sebastian but Eric behind me only after his length had replaced his fingers. In my defense, both of them had long fingers that could do wicked things. Dean had a preference for taking me from behind but he had been sleeping peacefully in front of me at the time.

At least until I had failed to stifle a moan. Then he had joined in on Eric's good-morning surprise. Poor Sebastian had been stuck with cooking duty at the time.

At the present moment, Sebastian knelt next to me and scratched the underside of my neck. "Dean, you're talking about bad memories that were followed by good ones. Samantha tried to run from us twice but the second time we caught her and brought her home. To bed."

A smug smile spread across Dean's face. "We don't have to chase her to end up in our bed. Why, she chases us in that direction often enough herself."

I chuffed. As if they needed any motivation to enter the bedroom. In Dean's case, he needed motivation to come out of there in the morning.

Not that I wasn't a sleepyhead myself. The fact that Sebastian had benched little pregnant me from housework and finding a job wasn't helping me get out of bed either. And as interesting as my online classes in domestic violence counseling were, obtaining a degree wasn't as fun as sleeping half the morning away. Especially with a playful mate spooning me.

"Things will change soon, smartass," Sebastian said, all serious and rumbly. "Our mate will need her rest, and we will have to take extra care not to hurt the little ones."

Dean and I both snorted in reaction, while Eric nipped the side of my neck. Just like the other time we had had this argument, Eric was on Sebastian's side. The two of them would bubble-wrap me if they could, to keep me and the cubs safe.

"I say we give our tigress a good chase," Sebastian went on, catching my gaze with a small smile on his face. His smiles were becoming more frequent than his frowns lately. "Afterwards, we will have a nice, long bath together and then–"

"Yes?" Dean prompted, smiling dreamily. He loved our group showers.

He had designed our new bathroom to be big enough to fit all of us under the shower at the same time. We had a big bathtub as well. The things we had tried in there... Let's just say I loved our group baths, too.

"Then," Sebastian kept going, "we will give Samantha a foot massage for those tired legs and take a look at designs to turn our guest bedroom into a nursery. I bought several parenting books as well–"

"Damn. I was right all along."

"The fuck are you talking about, Dean?"

"My pal has been replaced by an alien clone from Body Snatchers."

Eric and I exchanged an amused look.

Sebastian crossed his arms over his naked chest. "And what would the real me have suggested, according to you?"

"Well, that's easy. He would suggest we do as I, the smartass, also known as Dean the Greatest, say. You know what I say, guys?"

A dramatic pause.

I poked him in the ribs with my wet nose. At this rate, the forest would be crawling with humans on their evening stroll by the time we got our naked butts in some clothes. And I didn't want to have to claw any female outsider's eyes out for having seen how hung my hunks were.

Dean knelt to be at my eye level before he announced, "I say we play that game Eric likes so much and no, I'm not talking about naked Twister. What I have in mind is... Guess Who."

Eric tilted his head to the side in confusion. That wasn't a game we owned.

"Guess Who, guys... with sausages! With Samantha doing all the guessing. Without peeking over her shoulder."

Chuckles all around.

I bumped Dean in the shoulder with my head, sending him falling on his back in the grass. While he was busy laughing, I burst into a run in the direction of the parking lot.

"See, our sweetie is on board!" I heard behind me but didn't turn around.

That would slow me down, and I wasn't letting myself get caught by one, let alone three shifters. Like hell.

Not until I reached the parking lot, that was. I was going to win this run then enjoy the hunky spoils.

My other run – the one from my own happiness – was long over. I was exactly where I wanted to be: home. With my pride and my three mates.

THE END