DareJealousy burns like fire inside me as I watch Sable kiss Ridge. It’s not a sweet, chaste kiss—it’s the kind of carnal embrace that comes before a man buries himself to the hilt inside a woman and relishes the moan he elicits when he bottoms out inside her. The exact thing I’ve been imagining since the night I found Sable on the edge of the creek looking like moonlight come to life.I clench my fists at my side and glare, my wolf growling and protesting without making a sound.That should be me.I wish like fuck it was me pressed against her, tasting her lips, my hands on her body. I’m half-tempted to rip Ridge away from her and take his place.She’s mine, my beast snarls, fighting to get loose. Mine.But I remain standing just inside the front door to the cabin, my muscles locked and rigid. I’m not here for a pissing contest. I’m here to take care of my mate—to take care of Sable—and if this is what she needs, then I won’t let anything in the world keep her from having this. Not
SableWe’ve got you.God, I hope that’s true. Because I feel like I’m on the verge of floating away, on the precipice of bursting into a million sparks and dissipating in the air.I have never felt anything like this, not even in the times when I’ve kissed or touched these men before. This is something altogether different, and I wonder if it’s the wolf inside me rising to the surface.It definitely feels wild, whatever it is. Unrestrained. Uninhibited.Powerful.Dare’s brown eyes burn as he gazes at me, the flecks of gold in his irises glittering like stars. He looks wild too, masculine and strong, and I can feel his cock pulse against my hand. It’s so big I can’t even get my fingers all the way around it, but for some reason, that doesn’t scare me. It’s like my body knows it can take him, knows it was born to fit him.I’ve never had sex before. I’ve barely even gotten to second base before, and if I were with any other men, alarm bells would be ringing in my head, telling me that al
SableMy legs are straining in Dare’s grasp, my hips rocking against his face as he licks me, my entire body undulating on the bed as I try to ride out the feelings overpowering me.This is my first time. I don’t know what I’m doing. But then again, I don’t have to know. These men are so attentive to my every reaction that all I have to do is lie here and feel. Let them take care of me.And they want to. That’s obvious in every touch, every kiss.I let that thought dispel any nerves I might have otherwise, allowing my legs to go pliant in Dare’s grip. He gives another satisfied growl low in his throat and spreads my thighs wider, giving himself access to every bit of me.Trystan draws away from my mouth, but Archer is right there to take his place. My entire body is tingling, burning, humming with sensation, and I’ve lost track of whose hands are where.But when the orgasm finally comes crashing over me, I know exactly where Archer’s hand is, because I squeeze the shit out of it as a
SableI limp down a hallway dark with shadows, trying to see beyond the empty black.God, I hate this all-encompassing darkness. It cradles me like a cold embrace and presses in on me from every side as if it’s a real, living entity. I can feel the panic inside myself. It churns restlessly beneath my skin, ready to surge out of me.I’m trying desperately to find the light. It’s there, I know it is, just beyond my fingertips. Somewhere safe and warm, where the horrors of my past can’t touch me. I just have to find the light and step into it where the living darkness—and the panic—can’t follow me.Almost as soon as I have that thought, the shadows begin to dissipate. I grip the solid wall beside me, my knees going even weaker with thankfulness. Inch by inch, light pierces through the darkness, opening up a window of illumination ahead of me. Thank God, I think, letting out a long-held breath in a sigh of relief. Safety is there in front of me, just like I thought. No panic attack this t
RidgeI’ve counted every single imperfection marring the wood floor in this bedroom over the past three days.I did it methodically. Picked a section of floor and scoured it, counting each knot, scratch, and burn before moving on to the next. There’s a fucking lot of imperfections too. Whoever built this cabin back in the early days of the North Pack, they found a whole copse of knotted, mottled trees to use. And to be honest, it does give the place more character. Kinda like how Sable’s scars tell her story too.On the other hand, there are so many imperfections in the floor that I only make it through three sections before I lose count. My mind’s too overloaded to hang on to more information than necessary, especially with numbers involved. No big deal—I just start all over again. I have time to pass, and I need other things to occupy my mind.It’s a lot fucking easier to count knots in the wood than to watch Sable go through her transformation.She’s been barely conscious. Sometime
RidgeDespite my attempt at not scaring her, she throws a wild, panicked look in my direction and pulls her knees tighter to her chest. The blanket hangs over her face like a cloak, hiding her away but giving her room to keep her eye on us.“Still the most awake she’s been in days,” Trystan mutters as he draws up to the end of the bed and studies her. Worry hovers behind his turquoise eyes. He snaps his fingers three times, like he’s calling a pup. “Sable! Wake up.”Archer clasps Trystan’s shoulder, pulling him back. “Don’t be an idiot. You’ll scare her.”“I’m not trying to scare her!” Trystan grunts, shrugging Archer’s hand away.Beneath her blanket fort, Sable makes a small, panicked sound as her face disappears entirely beneath the blanket.“Oh?” Archer jerks his chin to indicate Sable. “Well, you’re doing a real bang-up job of it anyway.”Trystan doesn’t reply, but he storms away from the bed to go lean by the open door, his brooding gaze on Sable’s shivering form. Guilt lingers i
SableNone of the men answer my question right away. They grow silent, tossing secret glances around at each other as if hoping someone else will take the lead.Ridge’s handsome face settles into a look of quiet resignation, while Archer’s lips turn down into something that looks like pity. Or maybe even disgust? Trystan just looks angry, his blue-green eyes churning with agitation.“Where is Dare?” I ask again, catching Ridge’s gaze and putting as much strength behind my voice as I can.I need to know. Whatever the answer is, I need to know. I’m not a child who needs to be protected from the horrors of reality. In fact, I’m really freaking tired of them trying to hide the tough stuff from me. The reality of my life before I met them was horror enough on its own, and watching those scenes play out again and again in my head over the past few days has driven that truth home.Nothing they say can break me at this point.“He left,” Trystan says shortly. “He cut out right after you began
SableI shake my head and latch on to his arm. “No, I think I’d like to shower first, if that’s okay. I feel gross after…” I wave vaguely at the bed, indicating the fact that I’ve lain there for three days, sweating like a pig through my transformation. I feel so gross, I’m worried he can smell me.Luckily, Archer doesn’t need me to put that concern into words. With a nod, he secures his arm around my waist and walks me to the bathroom, moving slow so that I don’t keel over.My legs are weak from being in bed for days, and the tingling in my feet makes it feel like I’m walking on pins. Archer takes as much of my weight as he can without physically lifting me off my feet, and I lean against him gratefully. I don’t know how he seems to anticipate my needs the way he does. He has a deep sense of empathy and compassion, but the way he reads me goes beyond even that sometimes. It’s like he can peer directly into my brain.In the small, narrow bathroom, Archerdeposits me on the toilet seat