His hands settled on my hips as I straddled him.The moment I sank onto him, everything inside me sparked to life. I savored the feeling as I kissed his neck and tasted the salt on his skin. He groaned loudly as he gripped my hips and guided me as I started sinking lower.I quickly grabbed his wrists and pinned them behind his head, holding them there as I looked into his eyes.His cocky grin faded. It was quickly replaced with a need that mirrored my own."Keep your hands there," I commanded, my lips brushing his ear as I spoke. It made my lips tingle and him moan."Yes, ma'am," he breathed.I rode him slow at first, moving my hips in circles, feeling every inch of him inside. His body tensed, his muscles tightening under mine, but he didn't move. I kissed his neck again, licking along the curve of his throat. I kept my pace steady, my lips on his neck. His pulse was pounding under my tongue. I tangled my hands in his hair. I jerked his head to the side so I could kiss and suck on
He groaned, and I felt his hands go limp in mine. His body relaxed against mine as he opened his eyes to look at me. He wasn't seeing anything but me. He wasn't thinking about anything but me. I was his world. His everything. He was mine. All mine. "Thrust."He obeyed instantly, his hips lifting off the bed just enough to push into me. I could feel the strain in his body, the way he struggled to maintain the control I demanded. His muscles tightened beneath my thighs, and a low groan escaped him as he fought to hold back."Good," I whispered, trailing my fingers over his wrists still locked behind his head. His chest rose and fell fast. Every inch of him screamed for release, but I wasn't letting him have it. Not yet."Do it again. Slower this time."His entire body shuddered as he lifted his hips, inch by inch, drawing out the movement like it was torture. The power I had over him, the control pushed me to the edge along with him. My body was on fire, each movement making my skin
LINC - I collapsed against the headboard, trying to catch my breath. My body still thrummed, my skin tingling with the intensity of what had just happened. Lila remained on top of me, her body trembling slightly, her palms resting on my chest after she untangled them from my hair. I couldn't take my eyes off her. She'd taken control in a way that shattered every illusion I had of owning the moment. I thought I was in charge. I thought I could hold it together. She showed me just how wrong I was.She leaned down, brushing her forehead against mine. "You good?"I let out a shaky laugh. "Lila, you don't even know what you just did to me."She brushed her lips along my neck, making it clear that she wasn't finished playing with me yet. "Oh, I know exactly what I did."I smiled like a fool. Every inch of me was still on edge, ready for her next move. I had nothing left to fight her with. I was hers, completely, and we both knew it."I think I might die," I muttered.She laughed softly a
CAST -I woke up feeling empty all around me, the bed cold, just like every second since I dropped her off. It hadn't felt right since then, but today, it was worse. My thoughts went straight to her the second I opened my eyes, the same as they had every morning. The warmth I used to feel was gone. She had taken it with her when I drove away from that house.I grabbed my phone, hoping for a message, a missed call, something from her. My chest tightened as I looked at the screen, praying it would light up with her name. But there was nothing. No texts. No calls.I tossed the phone onto the bed, trying not to let it get to me. She was with him. She chose him. Linc had what I wanted, and I was just the afterthought, left behind to pick up the pieces.I sat on the edge of the bed, elbows on my knees, burying my face in my hands. Lila was with him. The idea of her being with Linc, waking up next to him, hit harder than I'd prepared for. I wasn't ready to lose her like this. Not to hi
LINC - I stared out at the trees, not really seeing them. The sun had just started to dip behind the line of oaks. This territory was undoubtedly beautiful. That was one thing the Romans knew how to do well. Lipstick on a pig. Cast stood there in silence, waiting for whatever was about to come out of my mouth. It was the longest we'd ever been this close without one of us starting something. I was wound tight, every nerve on edge, thinking about what Lila had asked of me.She wanted me to tolerate him. Not just tolerate, but humor him, allow him into her life more than I ever thought I'd have to. It didn't sit right with me, but I couldn't deny the truth behind her reasoning. She wanted to be Luna of the Roman pack at the same time as being my Luna. Said Cast couldn't hold it together without her, that it would all come crashing down if she didn't step in.That's what killed me. That's what made the jealousy hard to choke down.She was right. He wasn't strong enough. As much as I h
LILA - As I stirred the sauce on the stove, I couldn't help but think I might be crazy for taking all of this on.I had to be. There was no other explanation for why I thought, even for a second, that I could manage to be Luna of two packs. And not only that, but keep them both afloat while Cast and Linc figured out how to become the alphas they were meant to be. I was signing myself up for chaos, and I knew it.Linc was solid, but even he had cracks he didn't see. Things buried so deep he didn't realize how fragile he could be. He carried the right ideas and intentions, but I knew all too well how quickly he could fall into the same traps his family laid for him. He'd told me enough about his upbringing, I could see the patterns. The rigid dominance, the old ways of thinking. That was always lurking, and if I wasn't careful, it would pull him down fast.Then there was Cast. He was just... Cast. Continuously walking the line between magnetic and reckless. He'd begun to see the ligh
LILA - The dinner ended without much fanfare, but Cast was getting restless. He stood, stretching his arms, and glanced between Linc and me. "It's late. You can stay here tonight. I'll have the omegas set up a wing for both of you."Linc didn't even pause. "No. I've got work back home that needs handling."Cast's disappointment showed, but I didn't comment. Linc was buried in commitments, and neither of us could afford distractions. Cast, though, knew better than to push.Before we could leave, Linc's phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, Luca's name flashing briefly before his demeanor changed. "I'll be back," he muttered, heading outside to take the call.I gave him space, then told him I'd catch up. He waved me off, not looking back.Once Linc was out of sight, I turned to Cast. The calm vanished, replaced by something fragile. I stayed still, waiting for Linc to fully disappear before moving closer. Cast didn't resist when I wrapped my arms around him. He leaned into me, like
LILA - Linc was in full lawyer mode, dressed to absolute perfection. His dark hair was styled just right, complementing his strong jawline and the crisp lines of his suit. The fabric hugged him in all the right places, accentuating the muscles beneath. I couldn't help but admire every damn inch of him. The past few months had blurred into a routine of casual looks. Polos, jeans, and t-shirts that made him approachable. More of the sweet person I'd fallen in love with.But this was different. This was the Linc who commanded attention, walked into a room, and made heads turn.As he navigated the road, I watched him. He was on his way to face a court case that mattered, and that sense of purpose made him even more attractive.When he caught me staring, he started smirking. "What?" he asked, glancing my way.I shook my head, unable to tear my eyes away from him. "Nothing, you're just... hot as hell."His chuckled. "Nice to know I'm still worth looking at."More than worth it. The way
Gaia lunged at him. Ian didn't move. He braced himself, standing firm as her massive form slammed into him. The force of it sent a shockwave through the ground. He held his position, absorbing the impact, pushing her back with raw strength alone. His white fur bristled. Gaia struck again, snapping at his throat, but he dodged, twisting at the last second to drive her off balance. She hit the dirt hard, paws digging into the earth as she pushed herself back up in an instant. Her entire body shook, not from exhaustion but from pure, unchecked aggression. Ian snarled, lowering his stance, but he didn't strike back. He didn't need to. He was blocking her, stopping her, keeping her from finishing what she had started. Something shifted in Gaia. Her breaths came hard, her body still wound too tight, but the moment stretched longer, stretched too long. Then, finally, she stopped. Ian didn't move, waiting, making sure she was really done. I didn't wait. The second she hesitated, I forced
DECLAN -The trees blurred past as Gaia ran, powerful and sure beneath me. I gripped her fur tighter, not because I was afraid but because I had never felt anything like this. The wind cut sharp against my skin, my pulse pounded in my ears, and my body moved in sync with hers like we were built for this. Everything in me buzzed with adrenaline, with the rush of speed, the sheer force of her muscles coiling and flexing beneath me. Then I saw it. A shadow slipped between the trees, fast and silent, keeping pace with us. Suki. Not now. Not like this. I silently begged her to stay back, to leave this moment alone, to not push this any further than it had already gone. But she didn't. Her wolf stayed just on the edges of my vision, always there, always lingering, never letting me forget what was still tangled inside me. The pull. The connection that refused to break, no matter how much I willed it to disappear. Then Gaia saw her. Her muscles coiled. A ripple of tension passed through
DECLAN -I made it back to the house just as Gaia came tearing out the front door, furious. She was barely holding herself together. The second she saw me, she yanked her shirt over her head. My brain barely caught up. I froze as every muscle in my body seemed to ripple at once. I was still reeling from being near Suki. From the way she looked at me. From the way my body reacted even when my mind told me I belonged to Gaia. The confusion pulled me in opposite directions, turning every second into a battle. And now Gaia was storming toward me, tearing off her clothes, taking up every bit of space in my mind. "Damn, Gaia." I snapped my head to the side, forcing myself to look anywhere but at her. She stalked closer, bare feet kicking up dust. I frowned. Why the hell were her shoes off? She had stormed out of the house so fast that she hadn't even thought to put them on. That wasn't like her. She grabbed my chin and jerked my head forward. "We... werr 'dults. We... need to stop act
DECLAN - Suki stretched out on the rock beside me, legs extended, fingers tapping idly against the stone. She wasn't in a rush, and that only made everything worse for me."Why are you upset?"I stared at the dirt, exhaling hard. "You don't want to know.""Please. You rejected me. Nothing else you say can be worse than that."That shouldn't have hit as hard as it did. My hands tightened against my knees, but I kept my voice even. "Yeah... Sorry for that too."She shrugged like it didn't matter. "You did what you had to do. That doesn't mean I can't tease you about it."She smiled, not mean, not teasing, but something about it still made it impossible to ignore. I didn't push. Couldn't. Not right now.Some of the pressure in my shoulders eased. "You're handling it better than I thought.""What, did you expect me to run off crying?" She kicked a loose rock down the slope. "I don't do the whole helpless thing."I huffed. "I know. Takes a lot of strength to live out here on purpose all t
DECLAN - Mom knocked once before stepping inside, moving like she expected this to be a fight. Maybe she did. Maybe it was."Your dads worked out a deal with Jaed."I stayed where I was, back against the headboard, arms locked around Gaia. Keeping her here. Keeping her mine. "Doesn't matter. Nothing is changing."She did her best to ignore my attitude. "Gaia can still stay until her birthday."I scoffed. "You heard what I said. She was staying regardless of all the bullshit."Gaia sat up fast, then shoved off the bed completely. "Don't talk to your mother like that."Heat crawled up my spine fast. A burn that made my stomach wrench. Being called out pissed me off. Being called out by someone below me? Made my teeth ache.And I hated that I felt like that.Mom just watched, waiting. No reaction, no expression, no wasted effort. My breath felt thicker, slower, body bracing for something I wasn't even sure of. I forced my attention back to her instead of the fire sparking hot under my s
DECLAN - Jaed turned on his heel and stormed out, steps heavy enough to shake the floor. The door slammed hard enough to rattle the frame. Gaia moved fast, pushing out of the room after him without looking back. My body still burned, everything wound so tight I thought I might snap in half. There was no way in hell I was walking out there right now, not like this. I sat on the edge of the bed, planted my feet, and dragged both hands through my hair before forcing them down. If I kept doing that, it would only make everything worse. I needed to get it together. I needed to think about something else. Anything else. My breathing was too hard, too uneven. My pulse pounded in my ears. My entire body ached, my skin too hot, my blood thick and heavy. Every inch of me still screamed for her, for more, for everything I had been seconds away from having. I stared at the ceiling and tried to focus. No good. Every thought ran straight back to her. To the way she had felt pressed against m
DECLAN - By the end of the lesson, most of them had the alphabet down. It wasn't perfect, but it was a start. More than that, it was proof that this was happening. That Gaia was becoming part of us, not just some outsider with no way to connect.As the room emptied out, I felt her before she even touched me. Gaia slid her arms around my waist from behind, pressing herself against my back."You're incredible," she signed against my chest, looking up at me.I swallowed. Hard. "Come on," I muttered, taking her hand and pulling her toward my room.The second the door shut behind us, she was on me. She dragged me down to meet her lips. I didn't hesitate. I kissed her hard, ignoring the dull ache still lingering in my ribs. My shoulder moved without protest, and most of the cuts had already faded into thin scars. I knew I should still be careful, but touching her made everything else disappear. The soreness, the exhaustion, the remnants of pain all vanished the second she was in my arms.S
I found Cast and Linc in the office, going over some pack reports. Linc leaned back in his chair while Cast was half-standing, flipping through pages with a scowl. They barely looked up when I walked in, but I didn't care. I had something to say, and they were going to listen."We're starting ASL classes," I said, crossing my arms. "Everyone is required to attend. That includes both of you."Linc's brow lifted slightly, and Cast set the papers down with an exasperated sigh. "You're giving us orders now?" Cast asked, folding his arms over his chest."Yes."They exchanged a look. Linc sighed first. "Declan, you don't get to just..."I cut him off. "I do. And I am. This should've happened the second we knew Gaia was deaf. Jaed made sure every single person in his pack knew how to communicate with her before they moved there. But here? We're still scribbling on notepads like it's the Dark Ages."Linc's jaw tightened. Cast clenched his teeth, looking more annoyed than guilty. But I wasn't
Life felt strange now. Not bad. Just different.The routine of school was gone, replaced by the quiet predictability of home. I woke up early, trained with Dad Cast and some of the others, then spent the rest of the day doing whatever needed to be done around the packhouse. The only difference now? I was healing far faster than I should have been.The gashes along my ribs had already started closing. My shoulder still ached, but nowhere near what it should have been given the damage Suki had done. Even the deep bruising felt more like old aches instead of fresh wounds. It was fast. Too fast.Gaia noticed it first. She was there when I peeled off my shirt after training, her eyes narrowing as she reached out, fingers barely brushing over the nearly-healed claw marks."That’s not normal," she signed, eyes flicking up to mine.I already knew that. "I heal fast now that I'm an adult alpha?""Not this fast," she countered . "Do you think,"I exhaled. "It’s you."She nodded slowly. "We heal