"Sit still, Jude." Natalie admonishes from the seat next to me. She's in the middle of the backseat with my parents up front so she has to deal with Jude's constant fidgeting.

"There's not enough fucking room back here." Jude growls, trying to adjust himself more comfortably. I chuckle a little and settle in for the long ride.

"Why couldn't we just run?" He asks exasperated and my dad sighs heavily from the front seat.

"You know why, Jude. You're a future Alpha. Think like one." He snaps and that earns him a glare from Jude.

"I know it's because we don't want to come off as a threat to the other pack, I just think it's stupid. They know we're coming." He says and Dad sighs again.

"Just drop it, Jude." I say, a warning tone so he doesn't set our dad off. He's been anxious lately.

"Here." I say, reaching for Natalie and tucking her onto my lap. She squeaks in surprise before smiling warmly at me, wrapping her arms around my neck and resting her head on my shoulder. "Now you have more room." I say smugly, planting a kiss to her head.

Jude huffs at me and stretches himself across the seat until his head lands in Natalie's lap. She laughs again and starts to run her fingers through his hair. He finally begins to calm down and I think we all silently thank Natalie for working her magic on him. He sleeps the rest of the way and I doze off eventually, enjoying an afternoon nap like I usually do.

Much too soon we hit the other pack's boundary. My wolf begins to stir in my mind. He hates being off our pack lands and hates being on another pack even more. He snarls low in my mind as we pass the border wolves. My father lets out his aura and the other wolves back off, but don't show their submission as he isn't their Alpha.

We drive another couple of miles, deeper into the woods until we reach the small town. It's more primitive than our pack, these wolves choosing to live truer to their wolf half rather than their human half. We reach the largest building, apparently the pack house, where the Alpha and Luna are standing waiting to greet us. We all climb out of the car, staying behind my father for now. The two men shake hands and the other Alpha ushers us up towards the pack house.

"Follow me to my office." He says.

His Luna follows him obediently and it's clear this is one of those packs that considers females lower than males. The thought makes me sick and I reach out to hold Natalie's hand, clinging to her fingers tight. She squeezes me back, looking up at me with warmth in her eyes and I feel my heart soar with affection for my sweet little mate. I lean down to kiss her temple and she smiles up at me, a hint of mischief in her eyes as we enter the other Alpha's office and are ushered to a couch in the corner while my parents sit in the two chairs in front of his desk. His Luna goes to stand next to him, slightly behind him and lowers her eyes to the ground.

"So. You're looking for an ally?" The other Alpha asks, getting straight to the point.

"Yes. We had a large attack. We handled it, but would like to have someone to call on, if it would ever happen again." My father says and the other Alpha nods, clearly thinking about the offer.

"And what do we get?" He asks.

"The same in return. We would lend aid. Should you need it." My father says and the other Alpha barks out a laugh. I feel agitation begin to stir from Jude and the next moment Natalie opens a link between the three of us. It's soothing, somehow. To feel them both in my mind.

"What makes you think we need an ally? Have you seen our location? No one attacks here." He says and Jude chimes in.

"It would be easy to attack this pack. I saw three areas of weakness just on our drive in." He snaps, a harsh look on his face.

'Calm down, Jude. You need to rein in your anger.' Natalie says firmly through our link. She reaches out to uncurl his fist and link her fingers with him. I watch as he takes heavy breaths, and begins to calm.

"Is that a threat, pup?" The other Alpha asks. I can tell Jude is doing all he can to keep calm, and now I'm worried this other Alpha just set him off.

'Speak up, Eli.' Natalie urges, giving me an expectant look.

"No, Alpha. My brother was simply pointing out that just because no one has attacked you before, it doesn't mean they won't. We've never had an attack that large on our pack either." I say, trying to keep my voice level. I notice the look of concentration on Natalie's face and then watch as the other Alpha visibly relaxes.

"That's a good point." He says and I see the look of sheer shock on his Luna's face. Apparently his abrupt change of tone is not normal for him. "Am I to assume that you are future Alpha?" He asks me and I nod.

"My brother and I both are. With our mate to be Luna." I explain. He looks between the three of us, clearly calculating our ability to handle the job.

"I always thought it strange. Two men sharing a mate." He says and I chuckle as Jude lets out a low growl.

"It's not when you experience it. My brother is an extension of me. We are two very different people, but we make up a whole." I say.

"It would be hard for me. To share." He says and I shrug.

"The only one you should feel bad for is our mate. She has to deal with both of us." I say, and my joke is enough to ease some of the tension in the room. Natalie takes advantage of it, pumping happiness and hope into the other Alpha and Luna. He looks up to his mate and she gives him a subtle nod.

"I agree with you. You are a strong pack and I think having you on our side would be a benefit to us. We will sign your treaty. We would be honored if you would be our guests for the evening. We will have a feast to celebrate." He says with a warm smile, the earlier tension clearly lifted from his shoulders as he shakes my father's hand. Then he rounds the desk and comes towards us, shaking hands with Jude and I.

"I think you both will be formidable Alphas. Your pack will prosper. I look forward to seeing it." He says warmly and I feel intense pride waft off of Natalie. Jude takes a subtle step in front of her, clearly wanting to stay between her and the unfamiliar Alpha. The other Alpha chuckles before taking a step back.

"Good man, protecting your mate. I respect it." He says, motioning for his own mate to follow him from the room. "Let us show you to your cabins for the night." He says, walking out of the pack house. He shows our parents their cabin first before walking down a few more and motioning towards one for us.

"Dinner will be in a few hours." He says before turning and grabbing his Luna's hand. I feel Natalie push love and affection into him and he lifts his Luna's hand to his mouth to plant a kiss to it. She gives him a surprised look and then a sheepish smile as she looks away, making him chuckle. I look down to Natalie and see a proud grin on her face. I pull her into the cabin, Jude following us before he closes and locks the door. I pull Natalie into a hug and kiss her firmly.

"You did amazing, sunshine." I murmur. Jude comes up behind her and holds her hips before planting a kiss in her neck.

"You really did. Between keeping my ass in line and using your gifts on that Alpha, I think you're the reason that meeting went as well as it did." He says and Natalie blushes a little under our praise.

"You think the thing at the end was too much? He just seemed so cold with his mate." She says sadly and I chuckle, shaking my head.

"Nah. She deserved it." I say, pecking kisses up her neck and jaw.

"What do you want to do until dinner?" Jude asks, letting his hands roam up to her breasts, palming them gently until she hums with pleasure, tilting her head back and closing her eyes. She gently pulls away from him and grabs my hand, leading me towards the bedroom. I feel my heart rate kick up, my cock growing hard in my pants as she slips her shirt over her head.

"Take your pants off, baby." She says, grabbing Jude's hands and putting them on her naked skin. I follow her orders, standing naked and palming my cock as I wait for further instructions.

"Now lay on the bed." She purrs, watching me with a bright smile as I follow her commands. Jude's hand reaches down, twirling her clit and she grinds her ass against his still clothed cock.

"Now what, sunshine?" I ask, getting impatient as I wait for her.

"Now I'm going to suck your soul straight through your dick." She says with a mischievous grin as she climbs on top of me.