Page 9 of Bound to Four Alphas (Silverthorn Alphas #1)

Rania had led her down several flights of stairs to a chamber deep beneath the temple, the space lit with hundreds of candles. There was no bed, just several thick rugs, cushions, and blankets spread out over the floor. Against the far wall, ensconced in an alcove, was an altar to the Forest God.

The great skull of some sort of stag, complete with a curving pair of antlers, was fixed to the wall above countless dripping candles, the light bouncing off a copper basin filled with cool, clear water. Four goblets sat before it, encrusted with blood-red stones, filled with the same liquid.

She was dressed in a white silk robe, the fabric unimaginably soft against her burning skin. Rania had spent hours talking her through the elements of the ritual, the various stages and requirements, and all the while she had fought against the urge to turn tail and run.

Rania didn’t enter the chamber as Selena staggered inside, and Selena didn’t see her go. Rania had done her part in preparing her.

“The key thing is that each of them will get to claim a first,” Rania said as she painted Selena’s face with the traditional red markings, “first claiming bite, first kiss, first orgasm, and first to mate you.”

Selena was fairly certain her face was on fire at this point. “Um, I mean, I have had an orgasm before…”

Rania laughed softly, “But not one given to you?”

“No,” Selena fought the urge to hide her face in her hands. “No, I’ve never even been kissed before. None of the alphas in my village were too keen to claim a rogue.”

“I had a mate once,” said Rania with a gentle smile.

“What was it like?” Selena asked, her head spinning. Four mates. She was going to have four mates.

Rania moved on to paint swirls and whorls from her fingertips up her forearms, the pattern ancient and beautiful. “It was lovely. He was gentle, gentler than most alphas. Another Fae from a long-extinct court. At my bonding ceremony he fed me fresh strawberries in between taking me. I knew he would always care for me.”

Selena glanced up, “What happened to him?”

“He died in battle,” said Rania simply, “centuries ago, now. I knew I would never claim another, so I came here to be a priestess.”

They fell silent as Rania continued the paintings on her calves and then her hips and stomach. Selena chewed her lip as the cold, harsh reality crashed down on her head. When she had agreed to bond with the alphas, to join the pack as their mate, it felt as though the fate of the world rested on her shoulders. How could she deny such responsibility?

“I’m scared,” she admitted to Rania.

The Fae woman’s eyes filled with sympathy as she hugged Selena to her, stroking her hair. “I know you are. It’s a scary thing even when you are already in love with your intended. But it will be alright.”

“I don’t even know them.”

Rania was silent for a while, likely trying to come up with the right words so as not to completely terrify her. “I don’t know them that well either, but I know of them. Everyone does, they’re the most powerful of our kind. They take their responsibilities very seriously, and would do anything to protect those that they love. I have no doubt that you will be well taken care of.”

Selena nodded slowly, thinking of the way Ronan and Kaelen discussed their people, how devoted they were. And Elian with all his wonderful stories of the Marble Halls. How strangely gentle Malek’s claws had been when he cut her free from the tree.

Placing a cup in Selena’s hands, Rania looked intensely into her eyes. “This is your last chance to say no.”

Selena glanced down at the cup. “What is it?”

“It will induce your heat. I will then lead you to the chambers below, where your alphas will find you. Once you drink, the ritual magic will take hold, and they will be bound to carry out the steps of the ritual as we have laid them out. The ceremony itself will conclude when all four alphas have offered their blood to the Forest God and drank from the sacred spring, but your heat will last at least a week.”

“What if…” Selena bit her lip, “what if they’re … violent?”

“The magic of the temple will protect you, but remember, they will also be bound to protect you. They will not harm you.”

Selena nodded, staring down at the swirling liquid. This was her crossroads. Drink and join the alphas, or refuse and condemn them. It wasn’t even really a choice. She had been purposeless before, existing in her small hut, scorned by all. It was a small life, and one that she had thought she was happy with. But crossing over the border had opened her eyes, and although she wasn’t certain what fate held for her, she knew it wouldn’t be small.

Before she could lose her nerve, she lifted the cup and drank.

She stumbled into the nest of pillows and blankets, the familiar first pangs of her heat already gripping her muscles. Every inch of her skin was alight with sensation, aching and tender, a deep, throbbing heat burning in her core.

Already her nipples had hardened, her pussy dripping slick down her thighs. She moaned and curled in on herself, desperate for a release that only an alpha could give her. Her head was a hazy fog of lust, every memory of their scents driving her wild.

Except it wasn’t a memory. She lifted her head, her nose twitching as she took in the four familiar mingling scents of the alphas. They were near, getting closer. They were coming for her.

She whimpered, pushing herself to her knees as a dark shadow filled the door. She didn’t know which alpha would claim which of her firsts; the magic would decide that. The shadows darkened, then fell away, and Selena gasped as Elian emerged, his bright eyes half wild. They locked in on her, and a slow, feral smile curled over his lips.

“Well, well, well, you’re beautifully prepared for me, aren’t you, my little dove?”

His pace was slow as he advanced on her, blond hair wild from where he’d clearly been running his fingers through it, teeth glinting.

“You’ve no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this moment, little Omega,” he purred, grasping her chin in one hand and tilting it upwards, one thumb rubbing over her bottom lip. In her heat-haze, she could do nothing but lean into the warmth of his hand, legs trembling with desire.

Elian’s gaze tracked lower, to where her robe had parted slightly to reveal the soft swell of her cleavage, a sharp hiss escaping his lips. “By the Gods, do you know what you do to me?”

He knelt down, pulling her torso flush against him, one hand traveling lower to cup one ass cheek, the other fisting in the hair at the nape of her neck, pulling her head to one side. Selena moaned and pushed herself against him, her softness yielding to the hard planes of his body.

“I’m not surprised the magic chose me for this particular first,” Elian hissed, his breath hot against her neck. She trembled at the proximity, the relentless heat of him after so many days of teasing touches and dark looks full of wicked intent. “I’ve waited for you for centuries, little Omega. You have no idea all the things I’m going to do now that I have you in my grasp.”

Selena moaned as his lips grazed her neck, her hands scrabbling at his simple white shirt for something to hold onto, something to steady her under the force of his scent.

“You simply don’t know the power you have, the magic you can wield. It’s mine now, you’re mine now. After so many years, I can finally claim my prize.”

His arms tightened around her as his mouth opened, teeth sharp against the junction between her neck and shoulder. She barely had time to prepare herself before his teeth sunk into her flesh, a trickle of warm blood pooling down her chest.

The sensation was overwhelming. He held her steady as she thrashed and moaned, the pain of his bite vastly overwhelmed by the pure pleasure and need coiling deep within her belly. As soon as his teeth had pierced her skin, she felt it, like a cord snapping tight between them, bright and pulsing.

A mating bond.

He withdrew as she panted, her neck throbbing. How was she supposed to take all four of them biting her like that? It would happen eventually, after all. She was ready to fall apart after just one.

Elian’s lips were stained red with her blood as he staggered backwards, his eyes wild and his teeth bared. He looked ready to tackle her, the force of his desire rolling off him in waves. But he restrained himself, standing and staggering over to the enclave where he grasped a knife and threw his hands up before the altar.

“Forest God,” his words were darkly victorious, such a stark contrast from his normal easy wit that Selena trembled slightly, clutching a blanket to her chest as she watched him. “You have finally given me my spoils. All your power laid at my feet. I thank you, and I pledge myself to your gift!” He dragged the knife down his palm, the skin peeling open, and splattered the skull with his blood. The candle flames roared upwards as the red splattered across the old bone.

He threw the knife down and picked up one of the goblets, drinking deeply before turning back to Selena, his eyes full of wicked promise.

“I have done my part,” he said with a feral grin, “and now I must go. But I will be back, little dove, to claim the rest of you.”

He stalked back towards the entrance, leaving Selena trembling amongst the pillows, her thighs soaked and slick. Through the crashing waves of desire, she was dimly aware of the weight of Elian’s words. What power did she have that Elian had been seeking for so long? And now that he had it, what was he going to do with it?

She didn’t have long to consider the possibilities, as another alpha had crept through the door.

Malek.

Instinctively she reared back at the sight of the monstrous alpha, but a rumbling in his chest stilled her movements. He approached her cautiously, his hands up in the air, his black eyes never once leaving hers.

She watched him, the familiar voice echoing in her head to run from the predator before her, but he did not stop that strange purr that left her mind calm and her core quivering.

“Selena,” he said in that unnatural voice of his. It was full of wonder, amazement even, he spoke the syllables of her name like they were a prayer. Indeed, as he reached her, he fell to his knees before her, arms reaching out in naked awe.

“Selena.”

“Malek,” she squeaked, clutching the blanket tighter to her chest, her eyes growing wet at the battle raging within her. Fear and desire. Terror and need. “I-I…”

Slowly, carefully, he moved forward, pulling her into his arms, the rumble of his chest against her skin soothing her. She inhaled a sharp breath as their skin finally made contact. He was warm and solid, his flesh not unlike her own.

His arms wrapped around her to cradle her close, not possessive as Elian had been, but comforting. Caring, even.

“Selena,” he said for a third time, a clawed hand stroking through her hair, “I place myself at your mercy. From now until the end of me, I am your servant. That is, if you will have me?”