“I like goose feather quilts. Blankets make me itch,” Clarissa announced.Alicia’s lips trembled and he scratched both arms. “But I’m allergic to geese.”Yikes, the nitty-gritty details of living together were already a pain in the butt. “I’ve read online there are duvets filled with bamboo which are hypoallergenic.”Both my mates nodded. One problem sorted, hundreds more to go.“But before we do anything, I need permission from your Alpha to stay in the den.”Clarissa let that sink in, his eyes darting from Alicia to me. And while it was probably nothing, he used the word “stay” in the den, not become a member. In order to stay, you had to be a member. It was one word but it repeated in my head. But I shrugged off my concerns and let it go. I wasn’t going to upset my mates by cross-examining our leopard shifter.I couldn’t respond to Clarissa’s statement with, “Piece of cake,” because while Alpha was progressive and forward thinking, what we were suggesting wasn’t the norm. And while
ALICIAThe three of us strode toward Alpha’s two-story cabin with the white fence. I had no desire to have his job but up until Clarissa and Dante mated me, I’d envied Alpha’s family dynamics and his zest for life. He had a mate and a son and he’d reshaped the den into a place where people were allowed to be themselves. As well as making it a hive of creative energy.On the way to Aspen’s, Clarissa mentioned snow leopards were solitary beasts, both in the wild and shifters. I hooked my arm in Dante’s and we did a little jig because prides and dens had rules, and when two kinds of shifters mated, there were often complications.Clarissa stood with arms folded as we danced in one direction and then the other. “This is different. No one has ever been excited that I’m a loner. Glad I’ve made your day.”“Awww. I’m sorry.” I caught Dante’s eye and we grabbed Clarissa in what we called a bear hug, and I related the story of Alpha’s friend Kit who lived in the den.“We’re lucky to have avoide
I tried and failed to recall any warning signals while we were eating. Other than the prospect of me eating chili, there was nothing significant.“So let me get this straight.” Dante’s frustration was rising and I gave him a look that said, “Cool it.” “You were going to ignore your council’s ruling or whatever it’s called and remain here. But as soon as Alpha says you have to become part of the den, you decide to adhere to the rule.”My Beta mate was standing again, hands on hips, and I got in between him and Clarissa. Was this our first fight? If so, I hoped it would be the first of many.Clarissa twirled a bunch of hair around his fingers. “Because there are so few snow leopard shifters, the council understands it’s almost impossible to mate with one of our kind. They expect us to live with our mates while staying under their rule. They implore us to keep our identity and ensure any future cubs will as well.”That was why he couldn’t officially become a Bruin Ridge Den member but he
I hated that my beast was the issue. Not my beast really but the kind of animal that lived inside me. It was such a stupid freaking rule, too. There were so few of us that we should what? Make it impossible for us to be happy? I had wanted to just ignore it—thought I could, but officially becoming a den member was something that could get us all in trouble.More than trouble—it would be seen as a deception to my kind. I left off that part and really shouldn’t have. But I froze, unsure how else to handle things. And that was why I was sneaking off back to the Alpha house while my mates were doing their Beta thing instead of working myself.I climbed up the steps, the door swinging open as I reached it. At first, I thought they saw me coming and were greeting me, but when their cub came running out and crashing into me, I saw it for what it was—interesting timing and nothing more.“Sorry,” I apologized. “I didn’t realize you were coming out.”“You’re a cat.” He looked up at me. “Does th
I maneuvered myself down onto the mat and had Dante move over enough I could be between his legs; the bump in the center where he originally sat was in my way.“Dante, I need you to tell me what he’s doing since I can’t watch.” Alicia kept his eyes on the road. “Don’t want us to hit a tree. Can you imagine Alpha’s reaction if we crash his steel baby?”I didn’t hear Dante’s reply, as my sole focus was to make him come before we got to the feed store, which was “close.” Whatever that meant timewise, I wasn’t sure. Three minutes? Five minutes? One minute? Whatever it was, I was up for the challenge.I worked his zipper like a boss, setting his cock free. “Commando. I like it.” I licked my lips. Liking it was an understatement.Bringing my mouth to his length, I licked around the tip and gathered the precum onto my tongue, making a yummy sound as I did. Theentire time, Dante was describing my every move and Alicia’s hand was sliding up and down Dante’s thigh.A swirl and lick morphed int
DANTEBack in Alicia’s kitchen, the three of us bantered and there was a lot of “accidental” touching, brushing against one another, and flicking with dishcloths as we put the groceries away and planned our dinner.Alicia and I told Clarissa in Barcombe that we’d prepare the main meal because my Beta mate didn’t want to be confronted with chili. And Clarissa had responded with, “I’ll make dessert.”Alicia was convinced he’d be given a chili coated in melted chocolate which Clarissa said was a thing, but our snow leopard mate insisted that wasn’t what he was preparing. “You’ll love it.”“I can always skip dessert,” Alicia whispered as Clarissa had scoured the supermarket aisles in Barcombe.“I heard that.”“Damn.” Alicia stomped his feet as we left the grocery store. “Snow leopard shifters must have better hearing than bears.”As the kitchen was small, Alicia and I sat at the table and waited for Clarissa to prepare his dish as it had to go in the oven, whereas ours was cooked on the s
“Dante is a good stirrer,” Alicia noted.“You say that because you hate doing it.” If I didn’t have to stand at the stove, I would have chased him around the kitchen until I caught him and planted a kiss on his lips. But my job was to ladle stock and stir until it was absorbed.“My turn to ask you questions.” Clarissa leaned on his elbows while Alicia chopped coriander and grated parmesan cheese. “Can you give me details about your life before Aspen became Alpha?”My stirring hand froze and Alicia edged closer to me. “I’ll sum it up by saying our lives were the complete opposite of what they are now.” What I didn’t say was that Clarissa might not have liked who Alicia and I were before Aspen took over.“Maybe another time,” my Beta mate muttered as he checked the seafood and peas had defrosted.“Sorry, that was thoughtless of me,” Clarissa said and changed the subject.While I resumed stirring, we chatted about our favorite food and colors, though when Clarissa asked us to name our fa
ALICIAI didn’t want to go to work and leave our mate. It felt wrong, the two of us going off together and leaving him alone. Except his work was done alone and mine was with Dante. It took a lot to adjust to all the newness in our lives.But not all. My love for Dante wasn’t new. Letting each other know and freely expressing it was, but the feelings had been there for so long. And now that we could be open about them… that love grew.“Are you sure you don’t need anything before we go?” I asked Clarissa, who was attempting to work.“I have to get this done, so you leaving is what I need.” Clarissa rolled his eyes. “This bid could be big monies.”I didn’t fully understand what he did for work, but what I understood had me in awe. He put visuals to people’s dreams. That was pretty amazing.“See you after work.” I bent down and gave him a kiss. “Love you.”He pulled my head closer and kissed me deeper, mumbling, “Love you, too,” against my lips as the kiss broke.“We ready?” Dante came o
“Không, nhưng tôi nghĩ tối nay anh ấy sẽ cầu hôn,” Liam nói. “Nó chỉ hợp lý thôi. Hôm qua, tôi tình cờ nghe được cuộc trò chuyện qua điện thoại của anh ấy với ai đó - tôi nghĩ là một nhân viên PR nào đó. Westcliff nói rằng nhà vua sẽ đưa ra thông báo sau vài ngày nữa - ý tôi là về Hoàng tử Haydn. Westcliff cũng muốn thông báo về việc đính hôn của chúng tôi vào khoảng thời gian đó. Nó có ý nghĩa. ”Jules đã nghiên cứu kỹ lưỡng về anh trai mình.Khuôn mặt đáng yêu của Liam rất khó đọc, nhưng đôi mắt của anh ấy không hẳn là ánh lên hạnh phúc.“You don’t have to say yes,” Jules said, feeling painfully uncomfortable. He was so damn torn about the subject he didn’t know what advice to give. He didn’t want Liam to marry an alpha he didn’t love for the sake of their family, but… He was scared that if he told Liam not to marry Westcliff, it would be selfish advice.To make things more confusing, there was a small, horrible part of him that did want Westcliff as the alpha of their family. That
Except even that fantasy wasn’t enough. Thinking about the Xeus just made his broken bond ache. Ache and hurt like an old wound that was starting to bleed again. The pain somehow amplified the desire, and soon Jules was half-sobbing into his pillow, his hips pushing greedily onto the dildo. Need him, need him, can’t need him, need him. Gone, need him, gone. I need—I need—I need. It was fucking horrible. Jules had never felt worse in his life, his muscles trembling, his cock sore, his body oversensitive and needy, and his bond aching.So he tried not to think about his Xeus. He made himself think of other alphas, trying to tell himself that any alpha would do. Any alpha with a thick, hard cock would do. He was desperate enough to almost believe it.He imagined going to a ball, his cock stiff and his slick dribbling down his leg. He imagined alphas turning toward him, their nostrils flaring and their cocks straining their pants. He would be attractive to alphas for once. They would want
Julian flushed. “It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing, after…”After sex.Devlin gave a clipped nod, clasping his hands behind his back. His fingers and his jawline itched, as they did when he was on the verge of transforming. Through sheer willpower, he managed to keep his claws in.It was a normal enough reaction, to feel protective of a young omega he cared about.It was.“But the bond took?” he said, his voice very neutral.Julian nodded, not looking at him. “We were naturally compatible.”Devlin’s claws dug into his palm. He turned away and walked to the window.He took a deep breath, staring at Dainiri’s nearly full disk, and then another, until he had his claws under control.“I see,” he heard himself say. “The risk still exists, then. Medical intervention might be needed.”“What do you mean?” Julian said. “More suppressants?”“Increasing the dose again might do more harm than good,” Devlin said stiffly. “I’m hardly a doctor, but even I know that you can’t keep changing yo
Ignoring the question, Devlin studied him carefully. “Do you feel better?”“What?” Julian said, his brows knitting together.Devlin looked at him sharply. “Your brother said you didn’t feel well.”Julian averted his gaze. “Right! Of course. I feel better now. Much better—”“You didn’t want to go with us.”The omega winced, but he didn’t even try to deny it. So it was true.It shouldn’t have bothered him. It really was none of his business.“Why?” Devlin said.Julian shrugged. “It’s not exactly fun being a third wheel.” He still wouldn’t meet Devlin’s eyes.“You’re not telling the truth,” Devlin said, becoming more certain of it the longer Julian avoided looking at him. Stepping into the room, he closed the door behind him.It shut with a click.“What are you doing?” Julian said. “And I’m not lying. You think it’s fun—”“Julian,” Devlin said quietly. “Look at me.”After a moment, the omega finally did as he was told. There was a half-scowl on his face but some other emotion in his eyes
“All ri—” Liam started saying, but Devlin cut him off.“Your brother can’t leave the ball with me,” he said, looking at Julian. “You don’t want any nasty rumors to start flying around, do you?”He could actually hear Julian grind his teeth.“Fine,” he said, still sounding a mix of annoyed and bewildered.The helicopter ride to the Blake house was a strange one. Liam was the only one talking, chattering non-stop about the perfection that was Viscount Nasr while Julian determinedly didn’t look at Devlin.Devlin bored his eyes into him, his fingertips tingling, his claws itching to come out. He curled his hands into fists and breathed shallowly, trying to ignore the way Julian smelled. It was impossible. Julian fucking reeked. He reeked of another alpha. Devlin wanted to fix it, run his hands all over the brat, until he smelled right.It was probably a good thing that Julian was the first to jump out of the helicopter when they arrived, because Devlin didn’t trust himself.Tearing his ga
Julian glared at him, his cheekbones a little pink. “That was a dick move,” he said, glancing back at Nasr, who was left standing in the middle of the dance floor.“He’s much too old for you,” Devlin said, stroking his thumb against Julian’s wrist.“Stop scent-marking me,” Julian gritted out, his color heightening. “And he isn’t too old. He’s half Korf’s age.”“That shouldn’t be your measuring stick,” Devlin said. “I told you I wouldn’t allow your uncle to give you to Korf. You deserve better.”Julian chuckled. “Better? Who?”Devlin’s lips thinned. “Someone better than Nasr.”“There’s nothing wrong with Viscount Nasr. He’s perfectly nice and pleasant, and he actually sees me for being me. I’ve known him forever—he has a neighboring estate. He was always nice to me when I was a child.”“That hardly says good things about him, does it? What a creep.”Julian stomped on his right foot. “You’re being an ass,” he said, his voice a mix of annoyed and bewildered. He blinked a few times. “I do
Their date that day was unexpectedly tedious.Devlin found it difficult to keep his attention on his date, his mood sour and distracted. He was aware that he was acting like a dick, his attitude probably too cold and unapproachable. Liam seemed to have given up on trying to strike up a conversation with him after a few hesitant attempts and focused his attention entirely on the aircar race. When Liam spoke, he spoke only to the beta chaperone who had accompanied them to the race.By the time the race was over, Devlin had a headache once again, his body brimming with tension and anxiety, the source of which he couldn’t pinpoint. He barely had the patience to smile for the paparazzi as they left the track, and his smile was probably very strained. Hopefully he didn’t actually look like he wanted to punch someone.He dropped Liam off, and then he hesitated, looking at the Blake house. It would be only polite to inquire how Julian was feeling.Devlin pulled his phone out of his pocket and
Several weeks passed like that. Westcliff called on Liam and took him out on dates, putting on that disgustingly charming mask he wore in public. More often than not, Jules accompanied them, serving as a chaperone, for appearances’ sake—officially. Unofficially, he kind of… he went because he wanted to be around the duke. It freaked him out that he felt addicted to the way Westcliff made him feel, but he couldn’t help himself. It felt so good, especially when Westcliff allowed him to rub his face against his scent gland—the euphoria was beyond his ability to express properly. Afterward, Jules felt so embarrassed, but thankfully, Westcliff didn’t make fun of him and always acted as if there was nothing weird about his behavior. “Better?” he would say in a quiet murmur, and Jules would flush and nod and look anywhere but at him. Every time he told himself it was the last time, but his resolve melted into a mass of goo the next time he saw the duke. It was horrible. Horribly addictive.
Jules ôm lại anh trai mình, nhưng cảm giác lo lắng, bất an dưới da anh không thể biến mất. Ngược lại với ý muốn của mình, anh thấy mình đang nghĩ đến cảm giác an toàn như thế nào trong vòng tay của Westcliff ngày hôm qua, như thể không gì có thể chạm vào anh hay làm anh bị thương. Có lẽ có Westcliff làm alpha của họ sẽ không phải là một điều tồi tệ. Có lẽ anh nên cho anh ta một cơ hội. *** Quyết tâm của Jules để cho Westcliff một cơ hội kéo dài chính xác cho đến khi Westcliff gọi điện cho họ - trên Liam - vào buổi chiều. Anh không biết điều gì ở người đàn ông này đã khiến anh nổi gai ốc, tự ý thức và chỉ trích thái quá. Đó là một sự kết hợp kỳ lạ giữa các cảm xúc, nhưng anh không thể không nhìn Westcliff bằng ánh mắt dò xét, hoài nghi khi công tước đang nói chuyện nhỏ với Liam và chú Wayne. Thằng khốn thậm chí còn chưa liếc nhìn anh một lần kể từ khi bước vào phòng. Jules khoanh tay trước ngực, sau đó không bắt chéo chúng. Nhặt chiếc máy tính bảng trên chiếc bàn trong góc, anh n