DanteThe omega rushed inside as if he was being chased. A human had run from my beast once when I shifted in the forest, a little too close to a farm. And Clarissa had the same expression, with his mouth set in a hard line, the eyes wide with fear, and the scurrying legs reminding me of the cartoons humans had grown up with which Alpha and Kit introduced us to.Not that the pair were human, but they’d lived and worked with them, and those animated figures were always dashing off in a cloud of dust. But Alpha and his friend called it a cultural touch point, something that resonated with humans and reminded them of their childhood. That was becoming increasingly relevant for us as we were interacting with humans.We would always be a bear den, but to market our services and provide excellent customer assistance, we needed an insight into how humans lived their lives.Enough!Okay sorry. My bear wasn’t interested in silly cartoons where anvils dropped on characters’ heads.I did my own
Though scenting Alicia as my mate came with its own sadness. As two alphas, we couldn’t be together, and once again, I’d be in limbo. It would be different if Alicia experienced the same call to mate as I did.Check.What? If he scents the same as before? What my bear said made sense. I had to test my theory. But where was he?The encounter with Clarissa had befuddled me, and I turned one way and then the other.“Are you playing a game?” a voice asked behind me. Even during my panic, I was aware of the speaker’s identity. “I used to do that a lot.”Oberon, Alpha’s son. How many times when he was little had he insisted on us watching while he twisted himself around until dizziness had him falling down?“You did.” We’d done it together, with the little boy outlasting me, and he’d be upright while I was flat on my back. Much as I enjoyed chatting with Oberon, my purpose was to find Alicia.“He’s near the garden.”Now he had my attention. “Who?”He gave me what I thought of as a cheeky gr
Or we could just lie here and fall asleep. Only Alicia always invaded my dreams and maybe the new guy would, too. Yikes, I’d wake up more exhausted than before I closed my eyes. My mind returned to the silly cartoons I’d watched where numerous characters were looking for one another while creeping around, and yet they all kept missing one another.“This won’t do.” I sat up. Avoiding my problems might put off the agony for some hours or days, but they wouldn’t disappear. They’d be niggling me when I ate, worked, or watched a movie. Perhaps I should meet them head-on. My head repeated what Alicia had said. “Don’t want to.”I outstretched my arm. With one eye closed, he asked, “What’s that for?”“You have to get up.”“No.” He crossed his arms over his chest.This was worse than dealing with Oberon in his terrible-twos phase. “Come with me, because we have to talk.”He shaded his eyes and observed me. “Pretty sure that’s what we’re doing now.”I sighed. “There’s a reason why we have to do
There was a chill in the air and Aspen used that as an excuse to keep the windows rolled up. Smushed in the tiny excuse for a back seat, the scent of Dante surrounded me completely. I’d been right earlier—he was mine.But Clarissa was mine.One of them was mine, and I needed to figure it out before my beast had enough and decided to mark both of them.“How did you hear about this place?” Grant asked as we pulled into the parking lot where it was set up.“How have you not heard about it?” Aspen replied and then found us a parking spot.I wasn’t sure what I was expecting from the truck, but a few dozen kinds of grilled cheese sandwiches weren’t it. They even had dessert grilled cheese made on sliced cinnamon buns. It sounded horrible, but the star next to it indicated it was one of the sandwiches featuredon television when they won the Food Truck Master Fork competition two years back.Humans were weird.The aroma of the buttery, cheesy goodness saved me from the torture that was being
“Yeah.” It was so low, I had to strain to hear him. “But I don’t… what’s happening?”“I think—I think maybe he’s our third.” I hadn’t fully formed the thought until the words came out, and as I did, everything fell into place. He was our third. This entire time, Dante was mine and he sensed it based on what he said.“What do we do about it?” Dante asked as he skimmed his hand against my thigh under the table. Just a light touch. But it was everything.“We get our asses to his cabin and figure this out before he leaves,” I said, wishing I had a better answer than that. Clarissa just arrived, so we at least had tonight.“Grilled cheese galore.” Grant and Aspen set down a pile of sandwiches.All I—we wanted to do was return to the den and find our mate. And sure, we could’ve asked Aspen to eat faster, but he’d have asked why, and then we’d have to tell him because at the end of the day he was our Alpha. This felt like something better figured out by the three of us before adding in our b
Clarissa It seemed like an eternity that I hid in the cabin, hoping that Beta was long gone. The second Beta, the one who scented as my mate. Scented, not that I accepted him. Nope, that was my beast, not me.And Beta Two was a different Beta to the one I’d met earlier, Beta One. He was also my mate, according to the beast inside me.“What the ever-loving fucked-up shit is this?” I bellowed and then hit the floor, hoping Beta Two wouldn’t kick the door down, thinking he was rescuing me.Names, my leopard insisted.Not now. Sure, they’d told me their names, but to use them, to personalize the two alphas, made this situation much more real. And I didn’t want that.My beast harrumphed, saying I was using my heart and not instinct.It was ironic that he’d been the one who couldn’t settle these past years, had me packing up more times than I could count, and sleeping in my car when it was too wet to camp and I couldn’t find anywhere to stay. I’d been forced to leave friends and communitie
Oh no, give me a break. I’d been planning a pleasant and restful afternoon and my snow leopard had to spoil it. Ignoring him and hoping the sight of the river with mountains in the distance would soothe him, I set off. There were other tourists, both humans and shifters, in the cabins; some waved and said hello, while others were filming themselves doing silly antics, presumably to upload to social media. That reminded me I had to work either later this afternoon or tonight. Gotta pay the bills.I passed one cabin in particular where the scent of both those damned Betas was overpowering, and my beast expected me to march in. He pressured me to get closer and after glancing around and seeing no one, I climbed the stairs onto the porch and peered through the window.There was a faint whiff of fresh paint, and the pristine interior suggested the cabin was brand new. But it was empty.Nobody’s here, I told him. But what my beast didn’t say and what he’d picked up was they had been there.
DanteThings hadn’t made sense in what felt like forever. Not since I first realized I loved Alicia and that we were both alphas—a love that could go nowhere. But right here, with Clarissa in our arms, their two scents surrounding me, suddenly everything did.“Whoa,” the omega in our embrace whispered against my chest. “I thought—I’m not sure what I thought. I couldn’t piece it together, but now, with the three of us here—it’s true, my snow leopard was right—you’re both my mates.”I held them both a little closer. “Yeah. It feels different now that we’re all in one place.”“Like we are exactly where we are supposed to be.” Alicia leaned his head against mine. “I want to sit by the river. I feel like there’s a lot to say.”There was more than a lot to be said. We had to figure out so many things.But also, we needed to learn about each other. Sure, Alicia and I had known each other forever. But we didn’t know each other together and that would be new and different. And Clarissa just m
“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