KHA Eve pulled the most ridiculous stunt by making us do the eye thing. I couldn’t believe it actually worked. But now, with Vance's presence so close to the surface, I had to remind him constantly that we were on Bane land. Hurting Emory wasn’t an option. If anything happened, Eve would do more than cut our balls off. She would leave us. That was a reality neither of us could bear. After a long, tense conversation in the living room, we decided to take this outside. We transformed, leaving us both more beast than man. Vance and Emory were both on edge, ready to assert dominance. It was instinctual, unavoidable, but I kept reminding Vance of the consequences. Over and over, I hammered it into his mind. We are on Bane land. If you hurt Emory, Eve will leave us. If you hurt Emory, Eve will leave us. We began to circle each other, muscles tense and eyes locked. The growling was low and constant, a steady rumble that made the ground vibrate. Eve stood nearby, eyes wide
As I pulled away from Kha, my heart was pounding. The taste of his lips still lingered on mine as I turned to Drake. Drake didn't waste any time. He pulled me to him and pissed me with a new intensity, even for him. When we finally broke apart, we all sat silently, each trying to understand what had just happened. Drake was the first to break from the strain. "No, I can't do this. I'm not going to share her with you. That's fucking asinine." Kha jumped up, his face inches from Drake's. "I don't want to fucking do that either. But what fucking choice do we have?" Drake scoffed. "I didn't realize you had a choice to begin with, big man. She's living with me, if you don't remember. You already fucked up... twice! Why would I attach myself and her to you so you can keep doing that? No, fuck that." They started to growl as they postured, cracking their necks and knuckles to keep from shifting. The stress was suffocating, watching them at one another over me yet again. This would be
KHA As soon as Eve left with Drake, anger and frustration consumed me. I turned my fury toward my father. He was wiping blood from his face, looking more annoyed than hurt. Without thinking, I lunged at him."Why did you have to start that fight? Why did you make Eve leave?" I shouted, shoving him back.He pushed me off. "You think this is my fault? Ty was the one who...""I don't care!" I cut him off, my fists connecting with his chest. "You always make things worse. You and Ty are always at each other's throats. And now, because of you, she's gone!"My fists landed hard, fueled by my rage. Dad tried to block them, but I was relentless. We wrestled, knocking over furniture in the process. Finally, he managed to push me away with enough force to make me stumble and crash into the stair railing behind me."Get out," he growled. "Before we really go at it."I stood there, breathing heavily. If I stayed, it would only end badly. So, I stormed out of the house and got into my truck,
DRAKE As I lay in bed with Eve, trying to calm down, Emory was relentless in my head. He demanded I mark Eve and get it over with. His presence was overwhelming, his insistence gnawing at me. "You have to mark her," Emory pushed. "She's ours. Claim her." I tried to push him back, but the need was intense. I put my lips on her neck and growled softly, hoping it would ease him. She immediately pulled away, her eyes wide with alarm. "I promise I won't do it," I said quickly. "It just makes Emory feel better." But she wasn't having it. She decided to sleep in her room by herself. I watched her leave, feeling the weight of my failure. Emory's demands echoed, but I knew I couldn't give in. I waited until she seemed to be asleep before quietly entering her room. I lay down on the floor beside her bed, staring at the ceiling. An hour passed, and my thoughts were consumed by how much I loved her. I couldn't get her out of my mind. Finally, she spoke. "You really aren't going to leav
EVE As we left, Ty’s temper flared. I saw him slap an omega, and Drake cringed at the sight. It dawned on me that Drake was inherently good, raised by an asshole... but still inherently good.I checked my phone and saw a drunk text from Kha. “He’s drunk,” I sighed.Drake shook his head. “He probably started drinking the second we left. But stop, don’t think about it, okay? Let him cool down, and let us do the same, please?”I smirked. “I think you’re just trying to get me truly alone for the first time.”“Maybe,” he teased, reaching over and tickling me. He had been doing that a lot lately, and I wondered if it was like petting to Emory.I noticed a blue hue in the window and asked, “Why are your eyes glowing?”Drake smiled. “Emory loves the cabin. I think that’s the only place I’ve spent more time as a wolf than a human. Emory just feels a connection up there.”“Oh really…”“Yeah. I don't mind allowing him out more. He's just happy. That’s where the swimming thing comes from. I swim
DRAKE We ran through the woods, her arms wrapped tightly around my neck. The cast on her arm rubbed against me, but I didn’t care. I kept my pace steady, not doing anything too crazy with her on my back until my foot slipped, and we flew into a deep puddle. She got all muddy and looked a bit pissed at me.My once white fur was now covered in mud, making me look almost brown. She laughed, teasing me, "You look like Vance right now," which made Emory growl aggressively. Emory kept muttering in my head, “She just said I look like a half-breed,” over and over again. It ate at him, the comparison to Vance, and he started whining. Emory saw himself as perfect, bred for just that. Vance was just a mutt.She grabbed his head, trying to soothe him. “I know we can’t communicate, but I can tell you aren’t happy. Whatever it is, stop.” But Emory was still upset, his whines continuing relentlessly.“Stop whining,” she commanded, but he couldn’t. I had to come back. I shifted, pulling her int
DRAKE "Don’t..." she began. I cut her off, "Nowhere near the neck, I know." Each word was loaded with an intense, primal growl that made her entire body respond. My voice was deep, likely lower than she had ever heard it. I'd never gotten upset or intense enough around her for my voice to take on that alpha pitch. Listening to Kha bellow most of our lives, it was one of the things I prided myself on being able to control. But this was different. The way she was entirely with me, matching my intensity each step of the way, was pulling it out of me. "Mark her," Emory demanded, his voice almost roaring in my mind. "She’s ours. She needs to know it." "Not yet," I insisted, even as the urge to do was almost overwhelming. "Not until she’s ready." This had to end before I ended up doing something I would regret. Reaching around, I started fingering her as I continued to thrust, making her quickly come apart. I felt her muscles spasming and pulsating as she climaxed. I put my lip
EVEEmory resurfaced out of the pond, shaking the water off his fur. I was sunbathing on a towel nearby, lying on the little dock he had fashioned together for me. He was desperate for me to swim with him, but it was just too cold up here in the woods, and the only heating we had was the wood-burning stove. Plus, if I got my cast wet, there would be no way to fix it here. So his compromise was to cut down a tree and build a floating dock. He built a very sturdy deck in about an hour and a half. I was mesmerized by the craftsmanship and how quickly he accomplished this. I could tell he just wanted me close to him, putting me literally over the water. As close as possible to Emory while he was swimming without actually being in the pond. I scolded him for getting me wet, and he playfully wagged his tail, sending even more droplets all over me as he jumped up on the dock. I pulled his face to mine and kissed his forehead. He growled in approval and licked my face. "The last
DRAKE The stadium roared with energy, the stands packed with students, parents, and alumni, ready for the season's first game. Eve and I sat near the middle. I glanced at her, her bright blue eyes fixed on the field, her lips tight as she scanned the players."Kha's still safety, right?" she asked, her voice quieter than usual, her nerves showing."Yeah, and Con's the quarterback this year," I confirmed. "Con played well last season, so he'll probably dominate. I was watching his highlight reels, and I'm impressed."Eve bit her lip, her hands gripping the edge of the seat. Her anxiety was obvious. Every time Con or Kha got the ball, her whole body stiffened like she was bracing for impact herself."Are they always this intense?" she asked, her eyes following Kha as he positioned himself for the next play."Yeah," I shrugged, glancing at her. "You'll get used to it. Con especially. He lives for this stuff."Just as I spoke, Con took the snap, dropping back to pass. Kha darted across t
EVE He pulled the towel off of my body as he positioned me on the bed. He got up to lock the door, and I couldn't help but watch him, appreciating how much care he took in everything he did these days. He may have been rubbing off on Drake, but Drake was doing the same in return. When he closed his eyes briefly, I spoke up, "Rissa won't come back anytime soon. She's in class." He looked back at me with a small smile. "I just wanted to make sure," he replied before returning to the bed. As he climbed back onto the bed, the playfulness in his eyes was unmistakable. It reminded me of the first time we were together, how he both treated me with gentleness and teased me throughout. He started tracing my breast, circling my nipple before lightly tugging on the ring. The sensation made me arch my back slightly, pressing into his touch. He smiled at me, and then he leaned down, kissing my nipple before looping his tongue through the ring. I couldn't hold back the loud moan, my hips i
EVE I saw Kha lingering outside the locker room and pulled him aside. His posture was tense, and his usual confidence was absent. I didn't want him to go back in there, not after everything that had happened."Kha, let's just go," I urged. "I don't want to wait for you to change."He looked down at me, the stress in his shoulders easing slightly. "Sure," he agreed, though I sensed some hesitation. "What about Drake? I drove here with him in his truck."I frowned, realizing this could complicate things. Drake and I already had our moment. It was Kha's turn now. I needed some time alone with Kha, away from all the tension building up. "Let him know we're leaving. I'll call for an Uber."Kha nodded and jogged over to Drake, who was sitting nearby. I watched as they exchanged a few words, with Kha gesturing in my direction. Drake looked concerned but didn't argue. He just nodded, and Kha headed back to me.While waiting for the car, I decided to text Con. I didn't want him worrying or wo
EVE The day with Conrad was easy, almost too easy. After the morning's chaos, it was strange how simple everything felt when just the two of us were in his room. We didn't do much. We just hung out, letting the hours slip away without worrying about what was happening outside those walls. He was easy to be around, and the stress that usually came with Kha and Drake was nowhere to be found. It was a relief, even if I felt guilty for enjoying it.As the afternoon crept closer to practice time, I realized I needed to change clothes. My usual routine of heading to my room was out of the question. I couldn't bear the thought of running into Kha or Drake or them getting updates from pack members after everything that had happened. They were probably still fuming, and I wasn't ready to face that just yet."I need to change," I said, glancing at the time. "But I don't want to go to my room."Con nodded, understanding immediately. He got up from where he was sitting and rummaged through a d
DRAKE Kha and I sat in silence, both of us trying to calm down after the near fight that had driven Eve away. My chest still burned with frustration, and I could see the strain in Kha's every movement. We'd almost come to blows, and the close we'd come to tearing each other apart made me sick. We both knew better. But knowing better hadn't stopped us. "She's not in her room," Kha muttered. "How do you know?" I asked. After everything that just happened, the thought of her being alone right now was agonizing. I was about to chase her down if we didn't figure out where she was. Command be damned. "Rissa just told me," he replied through gritted teeth. "She checked. Eve didn't go back to her room." It hit me. I knew where she had gone. There was only one place she would feel safe after what had happened. "She's with Ford." Kha didn't say anything at first, but I could see the fear in his eyes. "Of course she is," he finally said. "Why wouldn't she go to him? He's perfect fo
CONI couldn't believe she was here, lounging on my bed like it was the most natural thing in the world. After breakfast, I thought she'd stick with Kha and Drake, but she came to my room instead. She didn't hesitate, didn't second-guess it. Once I got her to calm down, she just walked in and made herself comfortable. Now, she was stretched across my bed, propped up on her elbows, watching me work on her bracelet. I wasn't even trying, yet she seemed drawn to me, like some invisible force kept pulling us together. She looked so calm and at ease in my room, and I wondered how she fit here so perfectly.I focused on weaving together a couple of leather bands with orange glittery strings. I laid the materials on the desk.She tilted her head. "Where do you keep orange glitter clothing?" she teased.I smiled. "They're from my old jersey from my last college. It became my good luck charm after a while, and I thought it might also bring you some luck."She narrowed her eyes slightly, not
EVE We headed to Kha's room after breakfast, and I knew why. Because Drake's room was directly beneath Con's.As soon as we entered the room, I sighed heavily, knowing what was coming."Just get it out," I said, bracing myself.Kha and Drake exchanged a look, biting back their words. I could see the storm brewing in their eyes, but they were holding back. I wasn't going to let them stew in their frustrations all day, not when I could feel their emotions swirling around us, threatening to suffocate me."No," I insisted. "You're not stewing in this all day. Get it out. Now."That was all it took. The dam broke, and it all came pouring out. Drake started. "We're upset, Eve. This whole thing with Ford... it's driving us crazy. We're jealous, okay? We don't like the way he looks at you, the way he's always there, always perfect. It's like he's this perfect guy for you, and we're scared. We're scared you'll want him more than us."Kha jumped in, his emotions even more raw than expected. "
EVE I woke up feeling queasy, but I pushed through it, determined to start the day on a good note. Kha, Drake, and I headed to the dining hall for breakfast. The usual smells hit me like a freight train, and I had to swallow hard to keep the nausea at bay. I tried to focus on the conversation with Kha and Drake, but ignoring the churning in my stomach was hard.I was picking at my food when I saw Conrad walk in. My stomach clenched harder, but it wasn't just the nausea this time. Something compelled me to move, to go to him. I stood up, ignoring the questioning looks from Kha and Drake, and walked over to Conrad.Before I could even speak, Conrad's hand found my arm, his touch steadying me almost instantaneously. The nausea vanished, and I felt clear-headed for the first time that morning. Without thinking, I invited him to join us once he got his food. But it wasn't just an invitation. It was a command. I realized what I'd done the moment the words left my mouth, but it was too
CONRAD I didn't plan on kissing her. Hell, I wasn't even sure how we ended up so close that it happened. But when it did, everything changed. The moment our lips touched, it was like something inside me shifted. I finally understood why those two guys were so damn obsessed with her. The connection between us was intense and something I couldn't shake even after it ended.I would do anything to kiss her again. The spark, the way it made me feel...I couldn't even put it into words. It was more than just a physical connection. It was like a piece of her had lodged itself inside me, and I didn't want to let it go.The fact that she was pregnant, something that had always made me hesitant, suddenly didn't matter. The baby was a part of her, and that was enough for me. Realizing that what had kept me from taking things further with her was now irrelevant should have been unsettling. But it wasn't.Instead, it felt like everything was falling into place, like this was where I was supposed