Derik found me passed out however many hours later and brought me back to his room when it was my turn. His room, surprise surprise, was exactly the same as the others.I hadn’t even bothered with my towel this time, climbing naked on the bed and turning to Derik, who sauntered over, dropping his pants.No fussing, no pretense. He knew what we were meant to do as well as I did. He was already hard and unsurprisingly just as impressive.Instead of climbing over me though, he slid into the covers of the bed that was perfectly made.All of them had been, every time. I wondered who was changing them in between each girl, but Derik distracted me, holding up the blanket for me to get in with him.I slid in against him as he kissed the top of my head, rolling on top of me.He nuzzled into my neck, and I sighed.“I’m not allowed to kiss you. I’m not allowed to touch you in any other way, but I will make it good for you. I won’t hurt you,” he said, but his voice was flat, like he was repeating
11. The ChoosingIt was quiet on the way back to the village. The wolves stayed in the city as per the tradition, and I sulked in the corner of the front carriage.My body was deliciously sore, aching in the best places, and I had marks everywhere but I didn’t care. The other girls did, giving me a wide berth, even in the carriage.We had been split evenly this time, and nobody had said a word. We had been given dresses from the alphas as a “thank you for your offering,” and they were beautiful.All of us looked way too rich for the village. Usually we wore our hair in braids, but it was down today, and our dresses were made of fine silk and lace like the beds we had been claimed in.Mine was a deep green that reminded me of Nikolai’s eyes. I was pretty sure that’s why he had chosen it. It was tight across my breasts, pulling them up in a desirable way that, again, I’m sure was on purpose.The sleeves had gold cuffs on the upper arms, were sheer, and floated around my hands, long and
I woke to my mom’s soft face and voice. I was back inside.“Sweetie,” she said, and I groaned, rolling over in my bed, wincing as my body ached with the movement. “We must get ready, love,” she continued, and I opened an eye.The stupid choosing ceremony.“I’m not going.”I wasn’t getting married, and the crowd had looked women heavy, which meant multiple wives to the same men. They didn’t need me.“Lorelai, I know it was hard on you, the offering night always is, but it’s over with.They can’t hurt you anymore, and your father has already sent word to the alphas about the state you’ve come back in. It is unacceptable, winter born or not,” my mother said, tears in her voice.I shot up at the mention of the alphas. “He did what?”“We will be compensated, love, you will. That’ll help with tonight’s ceremony. I’ve even had the village seamstress put together a stunning dress to cover most of the werewolves’ indiscretions.”She smiled like she was doing me a favor. She really had no idea.
My father came up behind me then, followed by my mother.“Come, Lorelai, we’ll wait for your father and brother at the hut,” she said, trying to pull me away, but I shook my head.“I want to stay,” I said, and she gasped.“They’ve done enough to you, dear.” She trembled, her eyes going to my hidden neck and body.But I’d had enough.“They didn’t do anything to me!” I shouted, and some of the chaos quieted. I took a deep breath. “Nothing I didn’t want them to.”My mother looked at me like I had grown an extra head. My father looked like he would have slapped me if we weren’t surrounded by people, or like he was still considering it.“There is no time for this. We must greet the alphas as normal.” Mr. Cranshaw finally got his shit together and started rallying everyone back into position as the alphas’ carriage stopped before the center of the village.I stood my ground, ready to face them, whatever my dad had said to them to get them to come down.The door opened and Nikolai’s eyes fou
12. The Promise“You can’t go with them,” my mom cried. Her face crumpled as if she was in pain, and she probably was. She had raised me for a choosing ceremony I didn’t get chosen for.I held her against me, patting her hair down, my bag open on my bed, half-packed. I had been given fifteen minutes before I was leaving with the alphas.My stomach stirred in excitement; I was looking forward to seeing something other than the scorn of the village.My mother didn’t understand though, she thought I was normal, she had always treated me the same, but it was her own denial.I wasn’t.I pulled her back and smiled at her. “I’ll be fine, Mom. They won’t hurt me.”“They already did!” she cried, then pointed to the bruises on my arms. I went to defend them when she pulled me in again. “They’re werewolves, Lorelai. Please don’t forget that.”She sobbed and I nodded against her.“I’ll be careful, Mom,” I promised, then moved away to pack my bag.I didn’t have much to pack, a few paintings from m
13. The Claim“So, what now, wolves?”Nikolai smirked, lifting up the skirts of my dress, his finger sliding up my thigh, finding his bite, caressing it as I sighed, leaning back into him, my legs spreading for his touch.He kissed my ear, then down my neck as my body warmed, my eyes almost closed as the carriage moved toward the city.Derik and Braxton knelt down in front of me then, and I tried to sit up to see what they were doing, but Kai pinned me against him, his fingers still on the bite.“They need to claim you too,” he breathed against me, and I sucked in a breath as Derik and Braxton extended their fangs.My body erupted in flames, not sure I could handle both their bites, but I didn’t have a choice.Brax kissed along my thigh as Derik held up my dress, kissing along the waistband of my black panties.He ran his clawed finger over the material covering my pussy, making me tremble at the delicious threat, before he tore up and ripped them off.I sucked in a breath. The claw h
14. The GuardThe werewolves’ city was very different when the moon wasn’t full and there weren’t red rays everywhere. It was much more silent, still, almost peaceful.The carriage took us through the gray brick buildings, the path lit by lanterns toward the same estate in the middle of the city where the alphas lived.There weren’t half as many wolves out tonight and none of them were in beast form.I looked out the window as rowdy noises and laughter filtered through the carriage.Peering out, I raised a tired brow at the pub that was alive with patrons, music, and laughter.I’m not sure what had made me think they wouldn’t have places to socialize, but I had assumed they stayed in their caves or fucked nonstop.“Werewolves can drink? Can you even get drunk?” I asked, getting closer to the window, my body forgetting how exhausted it was.Derik snickered as Nikolai laughed.“It’s different than human alcohol, and you should ask Brax, he knows better than us,” Derik teased, and Brax s
15. The SuiteI heard Nikolai curse from behind me, then his footsteps chase me down the hall.I only made it down a single corridor before he caught me, wrapping his arms around my waist as I laughed. He swung me back toward my rooms, and I smirked up at him.“That’s cheating. Interference,” I teased, and he grinned, shaking his head.“Get up, big guy, I’ll give you another chance once your boss leaves,” I taunted as Hank coughed, winced, and climbed up the wall, breathing harshly.“Fucking human. Always fighting dirty.” He shook his head, then leaned back against the wall as Nikolai pulled me into my rooms.As soon as we were in, he pushed me against the wall and smothered my mouth with his, my body with his.His hand slid up the side of my face, cupping the back of my neck as I yanked at his shirt, needing it off so I could feel his warm skin beneath my fingers.I gasped as he bit my neck lightly, then lifted my legs against him.“Hank is the only one you play that game with, under
Derik moved in front of me, kissing me, teasing me, building me up again as Kai kept his leverage grip on my hips and kept the pace fast.I rode him just as hard, bounding on him as I gasped, trying to tame the heat in my body, but it was a wildfire. Untamable.It brushed every nerve, every muscle, every bone, leaving them shaking and disoriented with the overwhelming pleasure that he pulsed into me.I moaned against Derik’s mouth, wrapping my arms around him as Kai reached in front of me, playing with my clit.I sucked in a breath, a moan escaping, and then he was sending me off the edge into a battlefield of insane, desperate need.I ground down on him fast and hard, riding out my orgasm on him before he was slapping my ass hard and stilling his last couple of thrusts inside me, releasing himself with a guttural sigh.Kai sat up and wrapped his arms around me, kissing my shoulder before pushing me off his dick and toward Derik.I took deep breaths, my eyes hooded as my body tried to
29. The NeedI went to them.I climbed the stairs two at a time. Kai followed, saying nothing, as I pushed my shadows out of me, finding where Derik and Brax were, smiling when I recognized the room as my own. I wasn’t even sure if they had their own rooms anymore.I burst in and had barely taken a breath when Brax was on me. His mouth covered mine, and I melted into the kiss, sliding my tongue along his, holding his body against me.“How did it go? With the wolves?” I asked, but he shook his head.“Not tonight, Spitfire. Just let me have you,” he breathed, and I nodded, kissing him again.He edged me toward the bed, laying me down on the mattress. He kissed me feverishly, like he couldn’t get enough, like the simple connection of his mouth with mine wasn’t nearly enough, and it wasn’t.He undid the fabric corset front of my villager dress and slipped my shoulders out, his mouth never leaving mine.Derik and Kai stood on either side of the bed, watching, waiting for their turn.Brax k
“I… Well, I don’t know what you mean. I have been commanding the humans’army,” he said, trying to recover, but Kai growled, and even my skin bristled at the lie.I wasn’t sure what Kai had picked up on, but my father was hiding something.“I mean the amount of heartbeats I hear in this village is significantly larger than the numbers I was given in your report. Are you telling little white lies about how large your army is, General?” he threatened, getting closer to my father, edging him back against the wooden table.My father stumbled against it, then moved out of the way, brushing his hair back and composing his fear.“I wonder what you plan to do with an army so large, hmm?” Kai continued.“Maybe I should visit more often, keep an eye on numbers myself. Maybe even do a bit of a culling? Correct those numbers of yours, hmm?” he threatened again in that dark, menacing way that sounded sexy when he was playing but terrifying when he wasn’t.And my father looked terrified.He turned
28. The GeneralI didn’t want to die. I wanted more time with my alphas, and I wanted to protect my mom from whatever shitstorm Lucas was bringing on his hunt for revenge.I had no choice. I had to survive.Lucas spun away, disappearing into shadow as I fell. It was the last I saw of him, but I wasn’t going to let it be the last time he saw me.I closed my eyes, the idea terrifying since my stomach had dropped the second I had fallen off the cliff, but I forced myself to focus, using my memories to help coerce my shadows to help me.I remembered Derik’s smile when we were alone, just the two of us, the connection in Brax’s eyes when our shadows played, the devotion in Kai’s every action toward me.It was everything I had ever craved, and I had it. I didn’t want to lose it. I didn’t want to say yes, no matter the future I missed out on because of it.I don’t know what part of my thoughts convinced my shadows to trust me again, but it worked, and then I wasn’t falling anymore.They burs
“I think I can use my shadows from here,” I said, ready to try.He nodded.“If he was here then they’ll be able to connect to him easier. You tell me where and I’ll send the wolves in that direction,” Brax said, and I nodded as Cain stepped forward.“You need to go too. I’ll communicate,” he offered, but Brax growled.“Fuck off,” he bit, and Cain sighed.“Brax,” Derik warned, and Brax pursed his lips, backing away from me.“Remember the game, Spitfire,” he said, then turned into his wolf.Derik eyed me and I nodded. The others waited, changing into their wolves, ready to run.I took a deep breath and reached inside me for my shadows. It was easy; they were ready, and I knew what I had to do.I pushed them from me, sending them to hunt down my brother. The shadows knew what I wanted and did as I asked, going down the path, through the trees, latching on to a scent that was barely my brother anymore.I gulped and pointed down the path. “That way. Start that way,” I murmured, and the wol
27. The Brother“What do you mean, ‘missing’?” I demanded.“He was doing a border check around the Forest village and the wolves lost him.His scent and everything vanished.”“The vampires?” I panicked, but Derik shook his head.“No, Lorelai. There was no vamp scent. He attacked them with shadows before vanishing into thin air,” he said somberly, and just like that, I knew my brother had no chance left.I couldn’t save him. Link or no link, he had fucked everything up.“He’s the one taking the villagers, isn’t he?” I swallowed, my voice quiet, my eyes filling with tears as I came to the only conclusion that was left.They were going to kill him.“We have to go out there,” Kai growled, his claws and fangs growing as I wiped my tears away, pulling on a cloak.“I’m coming.”“No!” Derik yelled, but I refused to shrink back despite the terror that filled me at his outburst.He took a calming breath before speaking again.“Stay here. The wolves are not going to take kindly to another winter
26. The LinkI woke up back in my bed with the worst headache of my life.I was still cold, and when I opened my eyes, my alphas were huddled together, standing at the foot of my bed, whispering in angry tones, holding frowns on all of their beautiful faces.I sat up slowly, my head heavy. I leaned against the headboard and waited for them to notice me, taking in the three of them.None of them had shirts on, all were only in their pants, which usually meant they had been running. And that they were stressed out.“What happened with the vampires?” I asked, and all three turned to me.Their faces softened. Kai walked around beside the bed, then climbed on it, pulling me against him. Brax sat down on the edge of the bed, grabbing my hand as Derik pressed a kiss to the top of my head.“The vampires are not the ones taking the humans,” Brax said, and I frowned.“Then why are they disappearing?” I asked.“That’s what we have to go find out,” Derik replied.“How?”“We’re going out to the For
And then the poisonous taste coated my tongue, the sterile smell filling my nostrils.I grimaced at the way it sank in my stomach like acid, made my skin crawl.More footsteps entered Tabitha’s home, and I turned to her.How the hell were they even getting in? I thought she had an alligator, and as a witch, I expected her to have a little more protection. Where were her traps and magic? Her disappearing cabin thing she had done before?I eyed her, and she gave me a knowing smirk, holding her finger to her lips again.I stowed the question in the back of my mind with the ever-growing list that was already there for once the vampires were gone. And there were more of them now, at least five.Kai chuckled and cracked his knuckles. “Cute. I’ll pick their flesh from my teeth with your bones,” he warned, a malicious grin spreading on my alpha’s face.I should be disgusted or turned off, but it had
25. The VampireBrax pushed me toward Tabitha, who grabbed my hand and yanked me back from the dining table. She bashed her cane on the floorboards and the table slid against the wall, making me gasp.Derik, Kai, and Brax went to the windows, peering out of them with their red eyes as Cain hauled back the rug. Underneath was a trapdoor. Cain opened it and nodded into the darkness.“Get in,” he ordered, his voice firm, his eyes flashing red.I had no idea what was down there, but I did know that there were vampires on their way and that was more terrifying than the unknown in that moment, so I ran down the wooden steps into a basement that was surrounded in concrete.I looked back up from the bottom and Tabitha came hobbling down. Cain slammed the door shut before I could ask what the hell was about to happen.I wrapped my arms around myself as Tabitha grabbed my han