Page 17

VIOLET

I slid through the crowd of unfamiliar faces. The late evening sunlight spilled in through the windows. As large as the converted barn was, it felt small because of the number of werewolves milling around. A dozen benches lined closer to the furthest part of the room across from where I’d entered. I practically hugged the side of the room as I snuck closer and closer until I was within view of the raised platform.

The hair on the back of my neck lifted. Someone stared at me. I searched the crowd but couldn’t pinpoint the origin. I slunk behind a large male and flattened against the wall. This vantage point allowed me to see Graham.

My eyes devoured every inch of him. He stood with his arms crossed, a glare fixed on his face. The wolf was about to mate, and he looked like he was being taken to the groomers.

Nothing new since he usually looked pissed. The only time he hadn’t was while . . . I licked my lips, and my insides curled into themselves. I hunched slightly forward as if I’d received a blow to the gut. Both him and Hester wore a black robe draped over their bodies and tied at the waist.

An elder werewolf stood with them. Creases lined his face, and his smile made them more pronounced.

A low, vibrating growl left Graham.

I felt it more than heard it.

A hush fell over the packs and all attention turned to the Alpha. He commanded attention with a simple growl. The power in that caused a chill to travel down my spine. It was so unfair how much I wanted him.

“Packmates,” the elder wolf’s voice warbled.

I balled my hands. My fingernails dug into my palms, and I didn’t stop. It was a method I used to stop the waterworks when I didn’t want to call attention to myself. It usually worked well, but that pressure behind my ribs just kept building, like boulders were continuing to stack on top of my chest.

“Our Alpha has always done what is best for his pack.” The elder breathed unsteadily. If he looked this old, he must be close to the end of his life. Although werewolves that were not defective had extended life cycles compared to humans, they didn’t live that much longer.

“A chosen mate is not to be taken lightly. They will be bound together, and in choosing each other, they will mend the bridges between Aspen and Beaumont Packs. Much needed after the events of last summer.”

The hush this time felt different. “We lost young that should not have been lost. This union will bring peace to our lands.” A wave of relief seemed to exude from the werewolves present.

I hadn’t brought myself to look closely at Hester. A pang traveled through my body. Goddess, it shouldn’t hurt this much. I squeezed my fists even harder until my hands became slick. I choked back a groan. A shiver began to wrack my body. I needed to leave before I threw up.

I’d seen enough of these ceremonies to know what went next. They’d mate in front of others. That was how Alpha Elton ran his pack. I scanned the crowd. I didn’t see many cubs, so it had to be like that here as well. My stomach rolled and nausea threatened to make a showing.

Hester slinked closer and grabbed Graham’s arm. Her nose lifted in the air, smug. My body ached, but my feet felt glued to the brown linoleum. The elder’s voice faded. All I could see was how Hester hung all over Graham. And on how much it physically pained me to the point of hindering my movement.

“She will be your Luna.” Graham’s voice reached through the fog clouding my thoughts. She will be your Luna. Hester would be. My lip trembled. After yesterday, he’d done this? It was especially cruel.

Blood dripped off my knuckles. A touch grazed my wrist, and I followed the touch to Alpha Whitlock studying me with his head slightly cocked. He frowned and lifted my arm by the wrist. His eyes narrowed on the half-moon cuts of my fingernails leaking blood down my palm. I fisted my hand to hide the wounds and the cut on the side of my thumb split. I watched bright red liquid travel to my sleeve and bloom into the fabric.

“Stop,” he snarled. I blinked, finally registering his word. His grip on my wrist tightened, but not enough for it to hurt. He shook my hand roughly and it forced me to stop clenching. My nails no longer sliced into my palm. Why did he seem so angry? I scowled up at him. He clasped my hand like he could heal it with a touch.

We were beginning to call attention to us. The male I’d snuck behind no longer blocked me from sight, and the closest rows to us turned to look over their shoulders.

“Release her,” a voice boomed out over the crowd. The bellow held power and dominance. It left everyone except Alpha Whitlock and me cringing on the ground.

Some had even shifted and lay on the ground with their bellies flat.

“Sorry,” I croaked, meeting Graham’s eyes. He stiffened like he was about to move toward me. The magnet between us trying to draw me to him. Whitlock growled and pulled me back forcefully.

All eyes were on me, and their attention ate me alive. Ants crawled all over my flesh, feeding on me. My shoulders hiked closer to my ears.

My body felt too hot. I tugged at my sweater, unzipping it and shrugging it off. I hated taking my jacket off, but I couldn’t help it. I rubbed my arms, smearing the blood on my palms across my skin. The antsy sensation drove me close to insanity. I tugged at my shirt.

“Mate,” Hester spat, grabbing Graham’s arm, stopping him before he stepped off the podium.

A whimper crawled from my throat as if ripped out from my soul. I couldn’t contain myself anymore. I exploded.

Every inch of me trembled and burned. My legs popped and I dropped to my knees with a cry. Everything happened quickly, but the pain was so excruciating that it felt like years. My spine snapped and my body shifted. The burn ran through my veins as I writhed on the ground. Searing pain stung my face and I blanked for a moment.

I lay on my side, panting. My wolf took the reins and I pounced to my feet.

This lack of control, this hunger , it was all too new to me. I shoved back the violent urges to slice my claws into everything around me. I panted, backing up. This felt too different. I didn’t like it. I pushed away the sensation.

The burn worked through me again and then I lay panting on my side, my body against the hard ground.

Whispers floated to my ears. A mix of shock, wonder, curiosity.

. . . she was a defective?

How?

She turned . . .

Fractions of their conversation crowded my mind, but I could only focus on one fact—I shifted.

Goddess, I shifted.

I groaned, sitting up. Something inside me had unfurled.

Everyone watched me. No, they gawked. Every part of my bare body touching the ground was extra sensitive. My ripped shirt dangled from my arm. I shook off a piece hanging around my wrist and lunged for my sweater that I’d had the wherewithal to take off. I yanked it on and quickly zipped it up as I staggered to my feet like a newborn foal.

My gaze fell upon the crowd closest to me. A few males. All I made out were their wide eyes. One of them stepped toward me with a small whine. I stiffened.

Alpha Whitlock snarled, stepping between me and the male. His wide shoulder muscles moved under the white shirt. Without another choice, I huddled behind him. Sweat beaded at my temples. I could no longer hold my tears back. They trickled down my cheeks, and I swiped at it with the back of my hand. All I wanted to do was disappear; I hated how everyone watched me.

“Vi?” Maggie called, shoving her way through the left of the crowd. “What happened? Are you okay?” Whitlock blocked her path with a vicious growl.

“What’s your problem?” I grabbed his arm and yanked. I wasn’t strong enough to turn him. “Whitlock,” I croaked with as much force as I could. Everyone surrounding us had become silent in the face of his rage. They gawked at my hand on him. His shoulders moved in an audible inhale, then he froze. I was making a spectacle of myself. I dropped my hand, readying to bolt out of here.

Then his scent smacked into me. The potent smell of leather and cinnamon caused my heart to take a staggering leap. A moan crawled from my throat. So delicious. I swayed forward, breathing him in. I wanted to bury myself in his arms and never poke back out. I gasped, my eyes rounding. I staggered back.

My mate. The organ in my chest leapt. Moon Goddess, no!

He turned slowly.

My feet refused to move; they were glued to the ground. I was so tense I felt like I would rupture.

His sharp gaze settled on me. Clear, striking, brown eyes. I swallowed with difficulty. His nostrils flared and his lips thinned.

“Mate,” he breathed.

I gawked up at him. His hand came at me, and I managed to rip myself out of my trance in time to jerk back. He missed me by an inch. The rushing in my ears calmed, overtaken by my panting, ragged breaths.

Goddess, he smelled so, so good. I bit my lip.

“Move,” Graham’s already familiar voice barked, and he shoved through the crowd. I looked behind Whitlock. Graham stepped into the space that formed around us.

If Whitlock was my mate . . .

My eyes collided with golden ones, and I sucked in a harsh breath, taking in his sandalwood scent. I moaned, cupping my hand over my stomach. Graham expelled a harsh breath.

“Mine.”

The word snapped Whitlock out of his frozen state. He hadn’t stopped looking at me, but at that, his lip curled, and he lunged at the other Alpha.

They collided. Screams erupted as Whitlock threw a punch at Graham, splattering blood. The snarls coming from Graham made the hair on the back of my neck stand.

All I could do was cringe against the wall and gawk at the scene before me. They shifted and clothes went flying all over the place. The crowd spilled out of the barn, some shifting to escape, but there was a group of male wolves that went at each other. Blood sprayed across my cheek. I returned my attention to my mates.

My fated mates . Unbelievable. I wasn’t sure if it was my anxiety, my utter shock, or reluctant elation keeping me in place. Graham’s midnight pelt fluttered as he lunged at Whitlock’s yellow-gold wolf. They were both huge, blood-stained, and circling each other.

Maggie crouched at my side. Her lips moved, but I had to focus to figure out what she was saying.

“You have to stop them. Vi!” Maggie shook me.

“I—” I started and had to swallow.

A male wolf was suddenly pulling her away from me. Maggie smacked at Adan’s arm, but he wasn’t fazed. He dragged her away from the chaos.

An unfamiliar white wolf prowled close to me. I dug my heels into the ground to scoot away, but he kept coming. His black nose wiggled with his inhale and he whined, getting all up near my face. Whitlock’s wolf bowled into him, ramming into the male and knocking him out cold. He then sank his teeth into the unconscious wolf’s throat. Blood sprayed me and as he yanked, stringy meat stretched under his maw.

Whitlock’s large golden wolf turned toward me and, with his head lowered, he prowled in my direction. I continued scooting back, turning my head side to side to figure out how to escape. My heart thundered in my ears, but he stalked me like I was prey—and I was his prey.

“S-stop,” I croaked.

I shook my head like I could dislodge my brain from how frozen it was. How were they both my mates? That never happened other than to . . . Omegas.

Graham rammed into him, but they were so close he caused my hair to flutter around my cheek. Graham sliced claws into the side of Whitlock’s face. Three bloody slashes bloomed near Whitlock’s ear, and he whirled to sink his teeth into Graham’s shoulder. More and more blood puddled and dripped off their fur.

Maggie’s earlier plea rang in my thoughts. How could I stop them? I wasn’t even half their size.

But she was right, they’d kill each other if I didn’t do something. As their mate, did I have sway? In theory yes, but considering one almost took a chosen mate in front of me, I couldn’t help but doubt. Still, I had to try, because that didn’t mean I wanted them to kill each other. Graham rolled and extricated himself from Whitlock’s jaws.

They went at each other again, and I jumped between them. The dark wolf collided with me. I screamed and went flying. I scrunched my eyes shut tightly, but instead of landing on the hard ground, I landed mostly against soft fur. My bare ass smacked on the cold ground. I spat fur from my mouth and hurried to yank my jacket down. Shoving away from Whitlock, I inched away.

He prowled closer, his head lowered. I kept scooting and scooting and my back smushed against a different fur wall. I craned my neck to look up. Graham’s chest pressed against my back and his growl vibrated my entire body in a way I shouldn’t be thinking about while they were in the midst of a fight.

“Don’t,” I snapped, spreading my arms wide, one hand on each of the wolf chests. I’d never been this close to another’s wolf form other than my grandfather’s and my Goddess, they were large. I balanced on my knees, keeping hands on them.

My chest heaved from adrenaline spiking through my veins. Graham’s eyes seemed so gold surrounded by his dark fur.

Whitlock pushed against my other hand. I bunched a tuft at his chest.

“Enough,” I snapped. They felt soft against my palms. I stopped myself in the middle of rubbing their chest. Everyone had fled the barn. It was completely empty other than a few corpses, but all I could focus on was how warm they were. How I wanted them even closer.

I squeezed my thighs tight together and cleared my throat. This heat flushing my body marked the need for my mates. Even though I was only wearing a zip up hoodie, it was too much. An incessant urge became stronger with every breath I took. Their scents mingled and I moaned. I yanked my hands off them and clasped my mouth. Moon Goddess, how embarrassing.

With a snap of his teeth, Graham shifted into his human form. A fresh wave of anger flooded me.

“Come here,” he snapped at me, glare fixed over my head. Bones cracked and when I looked, Whitlock had shifted.

“Don’t look at her,” he hissed and reached for me. I avoided his hand by a hair.

I could only whip my head back and forth. My gaze kept trailing down, but I forced it back up and away from their cocks.

Why were they hard? It made my lust more difficult to manage.

They reached for me again and I was too slow this time. They both took hold of my biceps, pulling me toward them.

Blood dripped from their respective wounds with steady plinks against the ground.

“Stop,” I shouted and it came out with a short growl. I should be figuring out what happened to me not dealing with this, except all I could focus on was the heat.

“No,” Whitlock snarled and jerked me toward him. My front smushed against his chest, and my nose bumped into his skin. He smelled so good. Instead of pulling away, I inhaled. A shiver crested down my spine and another wave of desire throbbed through me.

His arm wound around my back, making it so my front was plastered to him. And I loved it. I moaned.

Graham snarled and a hand gripped my waist from behind. Hostility drenched the atmosphere.

“Stop fighting,” I whimpered and nuzzled closer to Whitlock. My hands no longer dripped blood, the cuts had completely healed. The stories about an Omega’s first shift were true, fresh injuries would heal. I clasped Graham’s hand on my waist, pushing my ass back toward him. With my lack of clothing, I ended up pressing my bare bottom against his hard length.

That was it for me.

I was scorching hot. I would combust if I didn’t get relief. My wolf writhed inside me, pleased.

I would get the relief I’d been craving. This hunger wouldn’t disappear. But I’d learn to live after it. Just one taste . . .

Graham groaned and he rubbed harder against me until I was sandwiched between them. Whitlock’s girth shoved against my stomach. Electricity worked over every surface of my skin. I wanted their scents all over me.

To me, it was better to understand what I would never live with than to wonder.

I didn’t want regrets. Males touching me made my skin crawl. They were the first that made me crazy with lust.

My realities were something I would stress about later. I met Whitlock’s lustful gaze and reached up to touch his face. My fingertips hovered over the bleeding scratches across the side of his cheek. They were much shallower than I’d thought they’d been in his wolf form. His fur protected him. He cupped my jaw and lowered to meet my lips. Our mouths clashed together, and he flicked his tongue between my teeth. I met his possession with as much fervor. The grip on my waist stiffened.

I yanked back and looked over my shoulder at Graham, angling more to face him.

Instead of saying anything, I gripped his hair with a hard yank and pulled him down to my lips. He was just as delicious as Whitlock.

“Alpha,” I groaned against his mouth. His shaft twitched against my side and his body almost vibrated. Both hands wrapped around my neck, and he forced my head back more to shove his tongue deeper into my mouth. I whined and met his fervor with as much passion.

Whitlock snarled, and I pulled away from Graham and leaned back, panting.

I shoved at their chests.

“No fighting,” I repeated, but with as much force I used, I still sounded breathless. “I need you both.”