"I had a dream that I was fine/ I wasn't crazy, I was divine" (Lana Del Ray, I Can Fly)

(KYLE'S dream)

He was currently standing between his mates. Nate was at his front, on his knees, doing things with his mouth that made Kyle's knees turned weak. At the same time, he kept caressing Kyle's tights, stroking the soft skin of his belly with gentle, comforting gestures that almost contrasted with his sinful expression. 

Behind him, Darren was standing proud and tall, his big, rough hands currently on Kyle's back.  Kyle held his breath as he felt the hands slowly but surely traveling south. They were now on his plump ass, cupping each cheek, malaxing them with confidence. 

Darren lightly spanked his right cheek and Kyle moaned, making Darren chuckled darkly.  Kyle closed his eyes, humiliated and turned-on at the same time. Then Darren's right hand left Kyle's ass and started playing with his nipples instead. 

"Sounds like our warrior here likes to be manhandled, isn't that right, Kyle dear?" 

He pinched his right nipple and Kyle let out another needy moan, making Darren purred in approval. 

"So sensitive. Now tell me Kyle, how do you want it? Do you want to take Nate?  Answer me". 

 "N-no I don't want that" 

"Oh, what is it, then? Do you want to top me?"

" I-I don't want that either"

 "Then what? Come on, Kyle. You have to ask for it".

"I want you."

"Where?"

"Inside"  Kyle whispered, blushing furiously. 

"Look at him, Nate, he's blushing. Our mate is so cute! And who do you want to own you first, Kyle? Me or Nate?"

"Both"

Upon hearing Kyle's answer, his mates stopped whatever naughty action they were doing and looked at him with eyes as big as saucers. They were silent for a good minute until Darren's arm went around Kyle's midsection. Caging him. Protecting him. 

"That's alright, love" he whispered. "We will take good care of you". Nate nodded his approval, slowly letting go of Kyle's manhood. He gave him a quick kiss on the lips and added " Never be scared to tell us what you want. You don't have to pretend. Here, you can be yourself. That's what mates are for"

Darren's POV

It seemed that I wasn't the only one who had trouble sleeping tonight. Nate kept tossing and turning in our cot, sometimes accidentally elbowing me in the ribs. As for Kyle, as far as I could tell, he was fast asleep, which wasn't too surprising. The Beta looked beyond exhausted, although he was adamant he could have gone on running for hours.

In the end, I had convinced him to sleep in our tent, but he had insisted to lay in a mattress on the ground. It was probably for the best: it would have felt awkward, the three of us sleeping in the same bed, like we sometimes did during our childhood.

Yet, it also felt unconfortable, him having his own bed. Mates normally spent their first nights in each others' arms. It wasn't just a tradition. It was a physical urge dictated by the bond. 

Well, nothing is normal about our situation, I guess. 

< Normality isn't necessarily a good thing in itself > Nate commented through our mental link.

I jumped a bit and turned to find my mate's bright eyes already on me. I hadn't realized I had been projecting my thoughts to him.

<I can't sleep. Shall we go outside for a bit?> Nate suggested. 

I nodded, and after one last look at our third sleeping mate, we left the tent as quietly as possible. The night wasn't too cold, and the moon was full so with our werewolfes eyes, we could perfectly see our surroundings. 

I let out a little whistle, which was answered a few seconds later by another one. Satisfied, I turned toward Nate. The guards were doing their job. We could relax a bit. 

"You never stop being the Alpha, huh?" Nate mused, and by his tone I could tell his question was purely rethoric. 

"I can never be too concerned about my pack's safety, especially in times of war." I replied quietly, motionning for him to move further away from our tent.

I didn't want to wake Kyle up, nor did I want him to listen to our conversation. Nate and I could have used the mate-link, but we mostly used it when we didn't have another choice. 

It wasn't so weird anymore to communicate telepatically, but it still felt a bit intrusive. We had agreed that being mates didn't mean we had to share everything. 

It never sounded right to me, the idea that you had to tell everything to your soulmate. Everyone was entitled to their own secret garden. 

Well, in the case of Kyle, it looks more like a secret forest. He might be even more private than I am. 

"Yet you feel guilty, because since the One Eye's declaration, you've been thinking more about Kyle than the pack's safety. I know you, Dar." 

There was no mockery or judgment in Nate's voice. There never was. Although he was funny and he liked to tease the ones he loved, my mate could be serious when he needed to. 

"Don't tell me he hasn't invaded your thoughts, too." I retorted.

"How did it go with him, in the woods?" Nate asked, not answering my question, because he knew I knew what his answer would be.

His question, though, wasn't the easiest to answer. As often when Kyle was concerned, I had very little certitudes, and many interrogations.

"Well, it didn't go that bad, I guess." I eventually declared, shrugging. 

"This time, I would really like you to elaborate, honey"

I sighed, but obliged nonetheless. 

"He thought I was there to kill him" I started carefully, and felt Nate tensed up a bit as I said those words. "He also told me he wanted to sleep in his own tent."

"Yet you managed to bring him back to the camp, and convinced him to sleep with us - so to speak." 

Nate had a weird expression on his face. I couldn't tell if it was hope or a general discomfort. Probably a mixture of both. The One Eye's announcement had come as a shock for all of us.

"I almost agreed to let him be, but then I took one last look at his face, and I changed my mind."

Nate looked at me intently, waiting for me to go further into details. I was grateful that he didn't urge me to keep talking, I knew he wasn't the most patient man in the world.

"I know he can fend for himself", I continued, "but beyond his physical exhaustion, there was something about him so freaking... I want to say 'fragile', but maybe it's not the right word. He is one of the strongest person I know, after all. "

"No, I think the word 'fragile' somehow fits him." Nate replied, looking pensive. "I believe you can be both strong and fragile."

There was more to it, but I wouldn't tell Nate. It wasn't anything important, but I had promised Kyle I would keep silent about it.

Back then, I could tell Kyle didn't really want to follow me back to the tent. At the same time, he didn't look too eager to be left alone in the woods, either. I couldn't find the right words to convince him to follow me, so I had just reached out my hand to him.

Maybe the cold, or his own tiredness, had been reasons enough for him to accept my hand. Whatever it was, I think it's safe to say that both of us had been surprised, when our hands had touched. It hadn't been a remotely sexual gesture, but rather a comforting one. 

For a mere second, Kyle had closed his eyes, and had lost a bit of his tense composture. 

Then, he had let go of my hand, and started walking ahead of me.

He hadn't say another word. I had started following him closely, ready for a long, silent walk through the woods.

But then, his legs had failed him, and he had fallen on the grass.

"I'm starting to get cold." my mate suddenly declared, interrupting my train of thoughts.

"Then come closer, kitty"

Nate frowned his nose in distate - although I believed he liked the nickname far more than he was comfortable with - but said nothing and curled up in my arms. I held him tight, loving the feeling of his body against me, the soft touch of his breath. 

My mind wandered back to Kyle and what had happened a few hours ago. To some, it might seem like a meaningless event. As soon as Kyle had touch the ground, I had rushed to his side. He had looked at me for a long time, and eventually, he had nodded. 

The second he had allowed me to, my hands had been under him, carefully lifting him up in my arms. We had remained silent as I had carried him though the woods, and he had been a bit stiff in my embrace. However, the atmosphere between us had shifted ever so slightly. It wasn't as cold as before.

The moment we had reached the camp, he had panicked a bit, and I had let him walk on his own. Then, just as we were about to enter the tent, he had whispered in my ear :

"Don't tell anyone about this. Not even Nate."

"What are you so afraid of? You were tired and I helped you. There's really no need to be embarrassed."

"Don't tell anyone, that's all."

I intended to keep my promess, but I still wondered why the defiant Beta was so intent on not showing any weaknesses to anyone. Was he always like this? It was hard to tell. When I tried looking back into the past, I found myself thinking about that dreadful night, and gave up with with my attempt at refreshing my memories.

"Can we go back to the tent, now?"

"Sure. You do look a bit sleepy" I laughed quietly, and raised up from my sitting position. 

As we entered the tent again, we heard Kyle speaking in his sleep. 

Was he having a dream? Or a nightmare?

Nate and I looked at each other, hesitating on the course to follow. Should we wake him up?

But then, Kyle said the most unexpected thing.