In Need of Love

Chapter 11

Dotty stepped into the house with her mates close behind.

"Wow," she breathed, taking in the stunning hardwood floors. "These look incredible."

"It actually looks like a house now," Cassian said, his hand brushing against her shoulder. She smiled up at him.

"It won't be too long before we can move in," Harlan said, setting down the paint sample cans he brought with them. He set them down on the island.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow, Dot?" Cassian asked curiously.

"Of course I am. I'm also nervous for you two. This is such a big change, but I'm also very excited. I want to be your mate, and tomorrow makes it official."

"She doesn't think she's been our mate this whole time," Cassian said to Harlan who smiled mischievously.

"Should we show you what it means to be our mate?" he teased.

Dotty's breath caught in her throat, and she felt the heat from her cheeks travel down the back of her neck.

"Are we going to try out the paint or not?" she mumbled, flustered under their gaze.

Cassian gave a soft chuckle, nuzzling her cheek with his, before stepping out of her space.

She eyed him a bit skeptically. Did her growly mate just laugh?

---

"The one that is more white is kind of harsh," she said, looking at the different swatches that Harlan had made on the wall.

"I agree," Cassian said. "I like the lighter gray against the color of the hardwood."

"I'm good with that," Harlan agreed. Dotty thought the same way, and was happy that it didn't take long to choose paint.

"We hope you don't mind, but we got something for you," Harlan said, turning towards her. He told her to stay put, going out to his truck.

She turned to Cassian who looked at her without any change of expression, and she knew she couldn't get anything out of him.

Harlan came back with a large box. The trio dropped onto the floor in a circle.

"It's going to be freezing tomorrow during the announcement," Harlan said. He offered her the box. "It's from Cassian and me."

Her heart pounded in her chest. Just the gesture of them thinking of her made her feel giddy and cared for.

She pulled at the red ribbon until it came loose. She pulled the lid off and the crinkly tissue paper back to reveal a beautiful buttoned teddy lined coat.

She let out a gentle gasp, pulling the softness out, holding it against her frame. She was speechless.

"You guys," she whispered, trying to blink away the tears she felt forming. "This is beautiful. Thank you."

Cassian turned her face towards his, using the pad of his thumb to dry away at her cheeks. He pressed his lips to her forehead.

"I've never gotten a gift before," she admitted.

"Never?" Harlan whispered, hoping to encourage her to continue.

Dotty set the jacket back in the box. She felt so safe in their little bubble, and suddenly she wanted to tell them everything and anything about her. Never had she been so comfortable enough to be able to confide in someone. It was liberating.

She dried her own cheeks with a sniffle.

"My parents couldn't have cared less," she admitted. "The Alpha of my original pack was almost twenty years older than me. He somehow was convinced that I would be his mate. I was only sixteen."

Cassian growled lowly. "That's ridiculous."

"My parents were overjoyed to have the status, and were willing to give me over, even though it was so wrong. That's why I left."

Harlan reached for her, lifting her up into his lap. She wrapped her legs and arms around his back.

"I'm sorry if we ever made you feel like you didn't have a choice to be with us," Cassian said, rubbing her back.

"I appreciated both of you allowing me to have the space I asked for," she whispered. "I know it wasn't easy for either of you."

"We've all been through shit," Cassian sighed. "My dad died tragically before I was born, and my mom didn't make it through labor. Harlan's parents were like my own."

"Until they were murdered," Harlan added quietly.

"By who?" Dotty pushed gently.

"We never found out," he said.

"Why didn't they kill you?" she asked.

"I've been asking myself that ever since," he said, so painfully that her heart wrenched.

She pressed her lips to his cheek.

"What a match we are," she teased lightly, turning the heavy conversation.

"We should talk about the other thing," Cassian said softly to Harlan. "I don't want to pressure you, but Dot deserves to know."

Harlan tensed and Dotty squeezed him a little tighter, hoping to ease him with her touch. She could practically hear his head and heart racing.

"I don't want you to blame yourself, honey," Harlan whispered to her. "But he's right. That night we met I-" He choked up, stuffing his face into her neck.

Cassian shifted closer, his legs brushing against Harlan's. Dotty was completely closed in by them, and she would have adored the feeling if she weren't so worried about her mate.

"I found him by the cliffs over by the ridge from here," Cassiand finished.

She gasped as she slowly pieced together what he was trying to tell her. She remembered that morning after, the way he looked. She knew something wasn't right.

"I'm so sorry," she sobbed, feeling tears once again. These were painful and fell quickly. "Harlan-" She couldn't even finish her words. Just like him, she choked up.

"It wasn't you, Dotty," Harlan said. "It was so many things happening at once. I didn't know how to cope. I didn't know what I was doing until I got up there. I realized what I had to lose, what I was throwing away."

He continued after taking a deep breath. "I was working so hard doing these silly little jobs. I needed to put equal work in with things I wanted to change, like Cassian ot the pack. Or you."

"But thoughts like that don't magically go away," she whispered.

"You're right," he said back. He cupped her face, drying her tears just like Cassian did moments earlier. "But they do get easier, especially when I realized that I mattered to two very special people."