Crossing the Moon - 4. The Blood Orchid

The Omega didn't know if he could survive more of this feeling that filled him up with warmth, more mates like these two. Elias smiled when his men pulled apart slowly, dark eyes gazing into amber and amber looking back just as intensely before they turned and included him in the warmth of it all.

Yeah, having mates was definitely turning out a lot better than Eli had ever expected.

::

A few days passed by in a blur of sustenance, bathing, and passion, not necessarily in that order. The larger beds arrived quickly. Pax, Mateo, and Elias were cuddled up in one of them, with plenty of space to roll around in. When Pax heard the Omega's stomach growling, he frowned.

"Hungry, Eli-love?" the silver-haired werewolf prompted.

The sleepy Omega yawned and nodded. "I'm craving bacon really bad about now..." He admitted.

"Oh?" Pax wondered aloud. "Then, I think I'll take a trip to the store to pick us up some groceries. I know we're also out of eggs and milk."

The mocha-skinned werewolf stretched and got out of bed. "Come to think of it, there are also a few errands I wanted to look into later today," Pax commented as he got dressed. "Gotta also bring down the quilts I have stored in the attic for the beds..."

"Do you want a hand with the groceries?" Mateo asked sleepily, curling around their Omega's smaller body.

Neither Mateo nor Eli were early-risers. It was almost painful to see how easily Pax hopped out of bed, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, as Eli's grandma would say.

"Yeah, we can help," Elias added in a sleepy mumble, snuggling into the warmth of Mateo's broad body.

Pax let out a low chuckle as he reached over to press a kiss to both their foreheads. "You two can rest a while more. What's the use of waking up without food to eat?" He questioned. "I'll be back soon."

"Mmm," Elias murmured, pulling the blanket over his head.

"Yell when you get home," Mateo said, smiling down at the lump that was Eli under the covers. "I'll help bring everything in."

Mat settled back into the pillows, closing his eyes.

The golden-eyed werewolf smiled at the sight of his mates bundled up peacefully in bed and then walked over to the kitchen to make a quick list of what he needed to buy. He then left the house with his list and drove off to the nearest market place.

::

Mateo snored softly next to Elias. The Omega was warm and comfortable, but his stomach kept gurgling angrily, and he couldn't seem to get back to sleep. He snuck out of bed like a ninja to keep from waking Mat, carefully shutting the door behind him after pulling on a pair of jeans that had been strewn on the floor. Elias smiled, thinking they had probably landed there after being passionately tugged from his body.

They were out of milk and just about everything else. So, Elias wandered around the house, munching on a bowl of dry cereal. He was walking back to the kitchen to steal another bowl of Cheerios when he noticed the little door set into the ceiling of the hall.

"Must be the attic," Eli said to himself, shoving the last bite of cereal in his mouth.

He put the bowl and spoon in the sink to wash later, then wandered back to the hall. He stared at the hatch to the attic, wondering how Pax was going to get up there. Eli wanted to help. Pax was already getting groceries. He didn't need to haul stuff from the attic, too. Mateo was sleeping, and they'd really worn him out the night before. It had been very dirty and fun.

Elias certainly wasn't going to wake him to ask silly questions about attic access. Besides, Mateo was wonderful, but it was clearly hard for him to keep from coddling Elias. It was frustrating. Eli had to keep himself from snapping at Mateo when the bigger man got things down from shelves for him when Elias was perfectly capable of doing it himself.

Maybe Eli needed to show that he could do things for himself, to make Mateo understand that Elias may be an Omega but that didn't mean he was fragile.

The green-eyed wolf grinned as he remembered that there was a stepladder in the garage.

Elias discovered that it's difficult to be quiet when carrying and setting up a tall stepladder. Eli had liked the look of the house's vaulted ceilings before, but now the Omega wished they were a little lower. That's because when Eli was near the top of the ladder that he didn't like heights. At all.

He'd never been allowed to climb trees like the other pups. Even monkey bars were forbidden. He'd certainly never been allowed on a ladder before. Were ladders supposed to be so wobbly?

Eli took a fortifying breath and reached for the little string hanging down from the access door. It took several heart-stopping tugs before it popped open, the ladder swaying precariously beneath Elias. The young man looked up into the shadowed darkness above him, wondering what he should do. It was still too far above him to pull himself up. He'd have to stand on the top step of the ladder to reach. Damn, he hated being short.

It took a few more deep breaths before Elias talked himself into climbing to the top. The ladder seemed to shiver beneath him as he reached for the edge of the opening. The Omega grinned as he caught it with his fingers and pulled himself up.

"Piece of cake," Elias told himself as he flicked on the bulb hanging over his head. "Wow, Pax. Didn't know you were a packrat."

Eli walked around the attic, peeking under drop cloths and looking at carefully labeled boxes. He found an end table he thought would look nice next to the bed and eventually found the box of quilts Pax must have been talking about. The redhead set his finds next to the hole in the floor, fists on his hips. The ladder wasn't as far away as it had seemed before. Elias thought that he could reach it with his toes, stand at the top, and tug the box and end table over the edge. He'd have to catch the box, hold it in one hand and then keep a hold on the leg of the table, so it didn't crash into the floor. It seemed doable, though. And the Omega really didn't want to make a second trip up that shaky ladder.

The wolf's heart was thumping as his foot waved in the air and he clutched the edge of the opening. His toes finally found the top step, and he carefully eased himself back. Elias frowned as he heard a car pull up and its door open and close, then Mateo's snoring cut off from the bedroom.

Shit. He had to hurry.

The box of quilts nearly knocked Elias over, but he grinned triumphantly as he kept his balance. He heard the bedroom door click open.

"Eli?" Mateo called sleepily. "Is Pax home?"

Elias blew his hair out of his eyes and reached for the leg of the little end table as he heard the front door open.

"Grocery delivery!" Pax called cheerfully.

Elias yanked, and the table tumbled out of the hole, making him yelp as the ladder danced under him. He clutched the box of quilts to his shoulder as he clung to the table leg, refusing to drop it. He could do this. He had the stuff. He just couldn't figure out how to get down.

"Eli, was that you? You okay?" Mateo called, coming closer.

Elias closed his eyes, forcing his foot down to the next step. He hadn't known to snap the cross-bars down firmly when he'd set up the ladder. They hadn't locked, and the ladder was starting to fold under him.

"Eli! Holy fuck!" Mateo shouted as he came into the hall to see his tiny mate about to take a tumble with a huge box on his shoulder and a piece of furniture in his free hand.

Mateo dove forward to steady the ladder, brown eyes wide and terrified as he looked up at Elias.

"Just drop them, and I'll catch you!"

"No," Elias protested, taking another trembling step down. "The table will break."

"Then at least drop the box!"

Eli had to admit that was probably a good idea. The fall wouldn't hurt the quilts. It dropped to the floor with a thud just as Pax barreled around the corner with grocery sacks still in his hands.

Mateo's shouting had alerted Pax. He dropped the bags in his hands and rushed over, climbing up to place a steadying hand on the end table. "Can you climb down now?" He asked calmly, despite his heart having leaped to his throat. "We can bring the table down together."

"No problem," Elias answered, voice shaking.

As soon as he was low enough, Pax took the little table from Eli's hand, and Mateo tugged Elias from the ladder and into his arms.

"Hey!" Elias squeaked as Mateo nearly ran, carrying the Omega to the bedroom as Pax fixed the ladder so it wouldn't fall on anyone's head.

Mat sat on the bed and started looking Elias over for injuries.

"Fuck, dammit, fuck," Mateo muttered under his breath, hands shaking as he felt for broken bones.

"Stop," Elias snapped, trying and failing to push away Mat's searching hands. "I'm fine. Cut it out."

"You are not fine!" Mateo bellowed. "What were you thinking?"

"I was just grabbing some blankets from the attic!" Elias shouted right back, eyes prickling with tears.

"You nearly fell and bashed your head in! We can heal a lot, but we can't heal that!"

Pax's face was grim as he approached his mates. "Mateo," He called in a low voice as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "This is not the way. Yelling at him won't help him understand."

Golden eyes then shifted towards Elias as Pax placed a gentle hand on the Omega's knee. "Eli-love, you made Mateo worry himself sick to his stomach," He explained. "Everything that is in the attic...not even I placed it all up there by myself, I had help. And I would have asked for help from both of you before going up there. You could have really hurt yourself, and that's why Mateo is so upset. Do you honestly think you wouldn't be acting the same if it was Mateo or myself that nearly fell from such a height?"

"I love that you enjoy helping around as much as you can," Pax continued. "But, I think it would be best if you make sure that someone's at the bottom of the stairs to help next time. I don't mind showing you how to lock the ladder safely."

Elias crossed his arms across his bare chest, tears shimmering in his emerald eyes.

"I would have been fine," the Omega protested, hating how his voice wobbled as much as the ladder had. "I nearly had it. Even if I fell, I wouldn't have had more than a couple of bruises."

"Head. Bashed. In." Mateo's voice was an inhumanly deep growl as he grit his teeth to keep from bellowing. "Brains on the floor."

Pax turned from one upset mate to the other as he tried to calm them both down. "Elias, you can't expect Mateo to push down his instincts to protect you so easily. He needs time," he said. "And Mateo, you need to learn to observe before taking action. As our mate, you have every right to jump in and protect Elias, but you have to learn to pick your battles-"

"How is his nearly cracking his head open not a good time to jump in?" Mateo questioned with a loud gasp.

Pax frowned. "I'm not talking about that, you did well to hold the ladder steady," he elaborated. "What I meant was after. If Elias really did have an injury, don't you think that moving him so quickly and tugging him every which way could have made it worse?"

"I..." Mateo frowned. "It felt dangerous, and I needed to get him away from the danger."

The silver-haired werewolf reached out to press his large hands to the back of each of his mates' heads and gently tugged them forward until all three foreheads touched. Pax then let out a long sigh. "I love you both, just as you are. But, we all need to learn to compromise a little. Fighting amongst ourselves solves nothing."

"I'm sorry if I overreacted," Mateo said gently, wrapping his arms around Eli's tense body. "I don't mean to be overbearing. I don't want to control you. But seeing you about to fall..." Mat took a shuddering breath. "I think…I'm falling in love with both of you. It would kill me if either of you were hurt."

"I'm sorry, too." Elias swiped the tears from his cheeks angrily. "I'm just so tired of not being able to do anything for myself. I just wanted to show you that I can do something to help without somebody doing it for me before I have a chance. I should have been more careful."

"It's my fault...?" Mateo looked stricken. "I make you feel that way?"

"It's not...I just...I know you don't mean anything by it. You're just trying to help, but I've spent my whole life never being allowed to get something from the top shelf." Eli sighed. "Makes me feel useless."

Pax couldn't be more relieved that they were talking things out clearly. "That's why, if I know it's not something dangerous, I tend to allow Elias to do anything he wants to do on his own. I'm always there in case something goes wrong, to protect him, and to fend off any other werewolves if they're judgmental...but, I rarely do anything for him unless he asks me to," he relayed. "And that's the thing, Mat...if he needs help, he really will ask."

"But today you didn't ask, Eli..." Mateo said carefully, the look in his warm brown eyes making Eli's heart clench painfully.

"I know." Elias dropped his eyes, his gaze trailing over the wolf prints trailing up Mat's muscled arm. "I was stupid."

"You're not stupid," Pax defended. "You just have to trust us a little more. We're your mates, after all. We will listen."

"Okay," Elias said quietly. "I'll try." He looked both men in the eye. "But you can't think that if I disagree with you about it, I'll just go along with what the both of you say." The Omega sat up a little straighter. "If I'm going to tell you about something I want to do, and you don't want me to do it...well, if I still want to do it after you try to talk me out of it, you should probably know that I've climbed out of windows before when my family told me no." Eli's brows drew together, making him look both fierce and adorable. "I got used to not asking and just doing, because I was tired of feeling like I couldn't do anything. I'll try to do better, but you can't treat me like I'm made of glass," Elias finished, looking Mateo firmly in the eyes.

"I'll do better, too," Mat promised. "But remind me if I forget and mess up." The big wolf looked pained. "And if you're going to go do something, please, at least let me come along. I promise I won't try to stop you unless I really think it's dangerous. But if you suddenly disappear, even if you'll be back later... I'd be so worried I'd probably tear the city apart looking for you, just to make sure you're alright."

"Come now, there will be no need for you to climb out of any windows in your own home," Pax huffed as he gently rubbed the Omega's back.

For a moment, Mateo's eyes all but glimmered as he glanced at Pax, ready to agree. But, then Pax finished his sentence.

"That's why you have a house key. You can walk out and come back in whenever you wish," Pax concluded.

Mateo's shoulders slumped in defeat. "I...I guess for you to trust us, we gotta trust you, too."

Elias nibbled his lower lip and shifted on Mateo's lap.

"Okay, then, can I ask to go somewhere?" the Omega asked uncertainly.

"Of course," Pax said gently.

"Yeah, anywhere you'd like," Mat added.

"Then..." Eli sat up straight. "I want to go to a vamp club like everybody else got to do when they snuck out as high school seniors."

Pax couldn't help a little smile while Mateo looked as though his sweet Omega had asked to go do heroin while pouring water down his own grandmother's gas tank. Both alphas were about to open their mouths to speak when the house phone rang. Wanting to escape the tension, Elias leaped across the room to snatch the cordless.

"Hello?" Eli asked brightly.

"We can't let him go to one of those clubs," Mateo whispered furiously to Pax.

"Why not?" the other wolf asked, just as quietly, considering that Elias was talking on the phone. "Didn't you go when you were about to graduate? I know I did."

"That's beside the point, I don't want him to get hurt," Mateo snapped back.

"He won't be alone." Pax's amber eyes seemed to glow, his wild energy prickling against Mateo's skin. "And no one will hurt him. If anyone even tried to touch him with anything other than innocent intentions..."

Pax didn't need to finish the thought. Mateo nodded in agreement. Pax was right. The two alphas could certainly handle a vamp club. They would watch over Elias. And if it made Eli happy...Mateo thought of how Elias could smile at him like Mat was the only person in the world. Eli wasn't pleased with Mateo at the moment, and Mat hated it. This would be a way to show that Mateo truly did respect him and didn't want to hide the Omega away in a cage.

"You're right." Mateo gave a sweet crooked smile that made Pax's heart thump a little faster. "And it might be fun."

They turned to Eli as he hung up the phone, their smiles falling at Eli's expression.

"That was the head devotee of Khonsu," Elias told them, putting the phone back in the cradle. "She said the Goddess has whispered to them and wants all the Omegas in the area who are still seeking a mate to come to them as soon as possible." Eli shook his head. "She wouldn't say any more than that." Elias shrugged and walked over to his mates, taking their hands. "I guess we should get those groceries in quick and then get going." He looked down at Mateo and smirked. "I'm going to put on a shirt. You gonna go in your birthday suit, hot stuff?"

:::::

The Goddess Khonsu had always been androgynous. Her waist-length, midnight blue hair was fashioned into a side braid that laid over her shoulder with tiny crystal clips that glimmered like stars. She had no bangs due to wanting to please a certain God because he preferred to see her full face without the obstruction of bangs. That certain God was a being that she was quite aggravated with. At the moment, she was pacing and fretting. Her pale, silvery eyes lowered as she lifted an elegant finger to her chin.

Could her aggravation and heartache, Anubis, have anything to do with this?

Khonsu felt that something was not right, that some of the stones of her beloved Omegas had been tampered with. But, who could have done such a thing? When it came to Gods, there were many, including herself. She had aunts, uncles, cousins, half-siblings even...and then, there was Anubis.

The Goddess bit her lower lip when she felt a slight pang at the mere thought of his name. No. He would not risk her wrath a third time, not after what it cost him...or would he?

Khonsu drew in a long breath of air as she settled her hands on her hips and leaned back, her gaze falling onto the moon, her symbol, and crown in the night sky. If she didn't know who was behind it, she would ask her devotees to keep vigilant. In fact, it was time to pay them a visit.

::

Lady Tatiana couldn't help but smile at the sight of their beloved Goddess descending from her Realm into the temple. All of the devotees, including herself, immediately bowed in reverence. In the past, they would even kneel until the Goddess gave her permission to stand. But, as the years passed, the Gods became more and more lenient with them choosing, instead, to watch over them.

"Beloved Goddess Khonsu," Tatiana greeted as she righted herself. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"Oh, sweet dearie," Khonsu sighed as she unintentionally began to pace a bit. "This time, it is not good news, I'm afraid. One of the other Gods has targeted at least one of my Omegas, if not more. Until we get to the bottom of this, I will need for you to gather up the Omegas and have them be on guard and report anything odd that they come across. Remain calm, for now. I will always be watching, and I will protect you."

:::::

"Oh dear, it looks like Khonsu's figured out something," a deep, male voice stated as he watched over the actions of the Goddess from the Realm.

"Then, maybe we should start with just one Omega, right grandpa?" suggested a younger, female voice. "The spunky, fearless one!"

The male voice let out a low chuckle. "Yes, I think that would be just fine."

:::::

"Well, that was...weird," Elias said, making a face as he climbed into the back seat of Pax's car after the meeting with the devotees of Khonsu. Mateo had tried to sit in the back, but Eli had insisted since he had shorter legs.

"Someone is targeting an Omega. The Goddess believes it's an Omega in this area," Mateo growled as he sat down and was careful not to break Pax's car door as he shut it. "But stay calm? Don't worry?"

"I especially liked when they said that if something goes really wrong to just go visit them and the Goddess will correct it." Elias snapped his seat belt on. "Creeps me out."

"The fact that the Goddess herself relayed this message is a bit concerning," Pax admitted as he pulled out of his parking spot and began to drive. "But, as long as we're together, we should be fine." He saw Eli's troubled expression through the rear-view mirror and decided that a distraction was in order. "Hey, didn't you say you wanted to go to a vamp club? Why don't we make it an outing tonight?"

"Really?" Eli instantly perked up.

"I think that it'll be fun," Mateo forced himself to say.

"We have to go home, get changed into something awesome," Eli said, grinning from ear to ear and bouncing in his seat. "You guys are the best mates ever!"

Pax briefly placed a comforting hand on Mateo's knee and then drove them back home. Elias had given up the shotgun position since Mat was so tall and he didn’t mind sitting in the back. The brown-eyed werewolf in question seemed to drag his feet all the way to the front door, where-as Elias practically skipped towards it. Pax shook his head at the sight of the bubbly Elias rambling about what he wanted to wear and Mateo's shoulders drooping further as he followed.

"Anything you want to pick out for me is fine," Mateo murmured in acquiescence while Elias went through the closet.

"How about this?" The green-eyed Omega announced triumphantly as he held a sleeveless mesh shirt in front of Mateo.

Brown eyes widened in shock. "Th-that? Are you sure?"

"How about a leather jacket on top of it?" Pax suggested as he leaned against the doorframe.

"Alright," Mateo agreed slowly. At least his nipples would be covered.

Elias gave a happy squeak and kissed Mateo's cheek. Pax chuckled at Mat's love-struck look, knowing he must look the same whenever either of his mates kissed him like that.

Mateo's look was completed with black jeans that were suggestively tight in the crotch and ass, and a pair of heavy black boots.

"You swear I don't look ridiculous?" Mateo asked as he shrugged on the leather jacket and looked in the mirror.

"Love, you look amazing," Pax reassured Mat. "Are we sure that we want others to see him like this, Elias? I feel a bit jealous of roaming eyes already."

"They can look," Elias said with a naughty grin, running his palms up Mateo's chest. "But they can't touch."

"If you keep touching, I'm not sure we're going to get any further than the bed tonight," Mateo warned, though he didn't sound like he'd be disappointed.

"Nope!" Eli pushed up onto his tiptoes to kiss Mat's chin before scampering to Pax's closet and rooting around. "We're absolutely going!"

Mateo looked pained as he adjusted himself in his jeans.

"Aha!" Elias hollered from the back of the closet. He climbed out with a pair of burgundy leather pants in one hand and a white v-neck t-shirt in the other. He held them out to Pax. "Here's yours, sexy." Eli waggled his eyebrows and giggled.

Pax felt his mates' eyes on him as he changed into the pants and tight shirt. "Mat, love...I think we should pick out something for Elias to wear."

"Umm, okay," Eli agreed, cheeks pinking as he looked at how the soft white fabric stretched across Pax's chest and contrasted flatteringly with his mocha skin. "That sounds fair."

Pax found a set of green-plaid punk pants that would help bring out the color of the Omega's eyes. Mateo held up a dark-grey button-down shirt with short sleeves.

Elias fingered the straps crossing the legs and couldn't help but smile as he stripped out of his jeans and tugged them on.

"How did you know I wanted these?" Eli asked shyly as he shimmied the close-fitting fabric over his ass and zipped up.

"You were eyeing them the last time we walked past the shops," Pax admitted. "I figured you liked them."

"Thank you," Eli said sincerely, slipping the gray button-up over his shoulders. "What shoes go with these?"

"Any black shoes...converse, boots, whatever you want," Pax suggested.

"Wait, I got it," Mateo said, kneeling on the floor and rooting under the bed, giving his mates a lovely view of his rounded backside.

Eli made a small, sad sound when Mat got back up.

"Thought I saw these under here," Mateo said with a grin as he held up a pair of all black converses that were obviously too small for Mat or Pax. "These are yours, right?"

"Perfect!" Eli chirped, giving Mateo a quick peck before plopping on the floor to tug on his shoes. He leaned back on his hands, arching his back slightly and looking at his mates through his lashes. "How do I look?" Elias purred teasingly.

Pax covered his lower face with his hand as he let out a strained noise while Mateo readjusted his pants a second time.

"I think it's time we head out," the silver-haired werewolf decided. "Otherwise, none of us would be able to leave the bed."

"That means I look good!" Elias said happily as he hopped up, nearly dragging his men out the door. "Let's party!"

The three of them drove to the other side of town, the side that was primarily dominated by vampires. It took them a while to find a decent parking spot since the club was a rather popular one. They then got in line to get in.

Elias looked around him with wide eyes, not caring that he probably looked like a tourist or something. The building was wrapped in smooth inky glass, reflecting Eli's grinning face back to him. Across the edge of the roof, neon spelled out "Blood Orchid" in scrolling red letters. Next to it, three surprisingly detailed orchids that were also in neon, trailed down the shining glass facade. Elias hugged his mates' arms, bouncing on his toes as they moved forward slowly between the ruby velvet ropes. Eli hoped it wouldn't take too long to get inside.

"Sirs?"

Elias peered around the wall that was Mateo to see a tall, pale-skinned man in a black suit that looked like the seams were being tested by the bulging muscles beneath it. A nametag read "Essex" with "staff" in smaller lettering underneath.

"Can we help you?" Pax asked smoothly, placing a hand on Eli's shoulder.

"Entry for three?" the man asked, his polite smile showing the tips of fangs.

"Uh, yeah?" Mateo answered.

"Please, come right in," the man said, unclipping the red rope and holding it aside for them.

"Oookay," Mateo said, stepping out of line with Eli and Pax right behind him.

"We appreciate first-time patrons at the Blood Orchid." He handed Pax several coupons for free drinks. "We like to encourage…fresh blood."

The words were suggestive, but the man's tone conveyed that it was an often repeated line. Probably scripted by management.

"Thank you," Pax said with a nod, guiding a still wide-eyed Elias to the entrance, Mateo trailing behind.

When Eli looked back, the man was approaching someone else further along in the queue, reaching to unclip the velvet rope.

Another suited employee nodded to them with a tight-lipped smile when they reached the door.

"How did they know we haven't been here before?" Elias whispered to Pax, the Omega's face adorable in his confusion.

Pax smiled and leaned down to explain everything into Eli's ear. "Everyone has different talents or skills. Essex has been able to pick out newbies for years," he elaborated as he recalled when Essex had singled his graduating group out for the first time years prior.

"What the-" Mateo gasped as he turned around frantically for the person who had slyly cupped his butt.

Pax let out a warning growl as he wrapped his arms around both his mates' waists. "They're both with me," he stated clearly.

"Greedy," the handsy woman said with a wink, flashing fang as she smirked. "I like it." She giggled, tugging down the hem of her tiny red skirt as she flounced inside the club.

The interior of the building was larger than it appeared from the outside. Two bars lined the sides. A small stage was at the very back. The dancefloor was lit up in large tiles and took up the center of the ground floor. The light was very low, but cast a gentle purple glow on everyone that was dancing. A few tables were set out next to the bar and in the corner past the tables were VIP sections with red velvet love seats. Two sets of stairs rose on each side of the building that led to a second floor set in a U-shape that resembled a large balcony. Two more VIP sections were on either corner of the second floor, and the rest of the second floor was dotted with tables and chairs.

"Would you both like to dance with me?" Pax asked his mates as they walked further inside.

"I..." Eli looked down, embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I don't really know how. I've never danced outside of my bedroom."

Pax leaned down to press a soft kiss to Eli's temple. "Mateo and I can teach you if you wish...you'd be between us both on the dance floor," he suggested.

"B-between you?" Elias asked, pink rising to the Omega's cheeks. Eli tried to look casual as he folded his hands over the tent in his punk pants. "Yeah, I think that would be fun."

Mateo grinned roguishly, wrapping a hand around Eli's hip.

"I used to help teach my cousins how to dance before a quinceañera," Mateo told him. "Teaching you will be much more fun."

Eli blushed harder. "Can I have a quick drink first?" He bit his lower lip. "Something to help loosen me up? Oh, I know! I've never done shots before!"

"We'll start slow with just one drink," Pax insisted. "If it doesn't upset your stomach after a couple of dances, then you can go for a second one."

"Okay," Elias agreed. "But I want a boozy one."

Mateo's laugh was as big as he was.

"I'm having a beer," Mat told them. "I'll get you something suitably alcoholic, Eli. Can I get you anything, Pax?"

"A rum and coke will do me fine," the golden-eyed werewolf replied. He was sure to keep an eye on the taller werewolf so that he wasn't groped on the way to the bar.

Mateo successfully dodged any wandering hands, returning with their drinks professionally balanced in his hands. He handed Pax a thick glass and Eli a tall one with a tiny umbrella.

"Long Island iced tea for you, baby." Mateo winked and took a pull from his beer.

"Wow, this is really good!" Elias exclaimed after taking a swig. He happily sucked on the straw, green eyes sparkling as he looked up at his mates.

As they talked and worked on their drinks, Pax noted the variety on the dance floor. The club was certainly populated with vampires, but he also saw several werewolves and some humans. Their kind rarely got along with vampires since their beloved Goddess Khonsu distrusted them. However, as the silver-haired werewolf continued to look on at the dancing groups, he wondered if there could ever be a time where they could all just have fun together.

"Alright!" Elias announced, holding his empty glass aloft. "Show me how to shake my ass!"

Pax felt a smirk tug on his lips, but he set their glasses back down on the tray and stood up from the table they had found. He then bowed slightly and reached his hand out towards Elias. "May we have this dance, love?" He asked.

Eli gave a little excited squeak, then slapped his hand over his mouth with a giggle. Elias took Pax's hand with his right, and Mateo's with his left, allowing himself to be led to the busy dance floor.

The dark-haired werewolf made true to his promise of showing him how to dance. Mateo demonstrated each step first, and Pax would help Elias figure out by guiding his arms and hips from behind. When the Omega figured out a bit of the rhythm, Pax urged him closer towards Mateo so that the three of them swayed to the same beat.

After a few songs, Eli's stomach still wasn't upset from the drink. Pax relented and went and got him another. Elias cheered, announcing his thirst, and drank half of it before either of his mates could stop him.

"I'm a werewolf!" Eli said, taking another big sip. "I thought we metabo-mebatoliz-metibolitz...that we could handle a lot of alcohol."

"There are some drugs that run through our systems fast," Pax explained. "Alcohol isn't one of them."

"I think drinking is just common enough with adult wolves that most of us have built up a decent tolerance," Mateo suggested, plucking the sweetened vodka out of Eli's hand and holding it above his head.

"Hey! Gimme!" Elias giggled, jumping as he tried to reach Mat's hand.

"Take a breath between drinks, and I'll give it back." Mateo returned the booze to his Omega, unable to stop his chuckle. "I don't want you to be too hungover tomorrow."

Eli stuck his tongue out at Mateo, making the big wolf laugh. The Omega's eyes slid to a couple behind Mat, they were pressed tightly together, and their movements left little doubt as to what the pair would be doing together the moment they were alone.

"I want to dance like that," Elias told his mates as he sneakily sucked down the rest of his drink.

Mateo gulped hard but didn't deny his mate his wish. He set the Omega's glass aside and gently urged him closer to his body with a large hand pressed against Eli's back. Pax pressed up against the smaller werewolf's back and reached down to take hold of Mateo's hips, effortlessly trapping Elias between them.

The Omega arched and wriggled, resting his head back on Pax's chest and running his hands over Mat's sexy mesh shirt. Eli's eyes drifted shut as he let his lovers move him with their strong, broad bodies. The trio drew more than their fair share of lustful glances, but Mat and Pax glared down anyone who tried to get too close.

Elias was definitely feeling the alcohol. His muscles felt loose and liquid. A wide smile was permanently affixed to his face as he moved. The Omega threw one arm behind him to hug the back of Pax's neck while Eli wrapped the other around Mateo. Elias gasped softly as he felt something hot and hard pressed against his back and something rather similar rubbing his front. Eli moaned, rolling his body backward to rub against Pax, then repeating the motion for Mateo.

"Mmm, love if you continue like this, we'll have to leave the club early," Pax purred into the Omega's ear. "I don't mind if it's what you want."

"Noooo," Eli whimpered, turning his head to nuzzle Pax's throat. "There's nowhere we can go here for a little... privacy?"

Pax bit his lower lip in thought but nodded. "We can try for one of the VIP areas. The first floor's usually occupied. Do you want to try upstairs?" He suggested.

Mateo and Eli both nodded eagerly, Elias moaning softly as Mat continued to grind against the Omega's warmth.

The silver-haired wolf gave a low chuckle at their responses. "Come on, then," He said as he took a hand form each of his mates and led them to the stairs.

Elias was oblivious to the path Pax and Mateo made with their hard glares at anyone who made the mistake of getting a little too close. The Omega was too busy being highly amused by how he felt like he was walking in the tippy-tube at a fun house and trying to sneak pinches at his mates' backsides then giggling and blaming it on the other one. His clever ruse failed when he tried to blame Pax for pinching his own backside.

They reached the second floor with Mateo regretting giving Eli that last drink. Mat almost had a heart attack when the little Omega had nearly fallen down the stairs while trying to grab his ass. Luckily, Pax had a firm grip on Eli's hand, and a small tug had the Omega back on his feet. Pax hadn't even looked concerned. Mateo decided he had a deep respect for Pax's nerves of steel.

The balcony area was filled with comfortable seating covered in deep red velvet. A large area was roped off and marked for VIPs only. Pax and Mateo were glancing around for a quiet, private corner when Eli squeaked, and then giggled.

"I'm friggin' shiny!" the Omega blurted in delight.

Mateo's eyes widened as he turned to his smallest mate. The bonding stone was pulsing with a soft glow.