Page 31

VIOLET

Why did they seem so stunned?

Snap out of it. I wasn’t supposed to care.

Simon blocked my path out of his room. I sidestepped to go around him. He growled, and it didn’t sound even a little friendly.

“You aren’t going anywhere.”

My wolf pushed for freedom, and I gritted my teeth to hold myself back from throwing myself at him to nuzzle my cheek against his chest. Or to pull them both to the bed and rub all over them so their scents coated me. I sank my nails into my palm. He was being unreasonable. I turned to look at Graham.

“He’s right. We must address what you were doing in that pub.” He crossed his arms. His expression was blank but a vein in his temple pulsated.

Heat flushed my face.

“I didn’t do anything.”

Simon scoffed. I didn’t even believe myself.

“Violet.” Graham’s golden eyes narrowed. I shuffled from foot to foot, scanning for an escape, but they blocked me in, and they were only getting closer.

I squeezed my hands into fists. The warmth spread down my neck. I could do this. I straightened my shoulders and stopped backing away.

“So what if I kissed another male?” I snapped, the words flooding out of me.

Their stillness terrified me. I dug my nails into the pad of my hand.

Simon swiped for me. I yelped, managing to avoid his lunge. Graham gripped my hair from behind. It was gentle, but stern enough that attempting to pull away would only end up hurting. “Let me go,” I grunted.

Simon stepped so close that all I could see was him. Their scents mingled in my nose, and I squeezed my legs together. Slick had already begun to gather, readying my body to take them. Moon Goddess thought of everything that came with having two mates.

Graham inhaled and on his exhale he moaned.

“I can smell how needy you are,” he said softly. “Stop thrashing, little mate.” Graham’s husky words warmed my gut. Both of them smelled so good. I squeezed my thighs tighter, trying to rein in my desire.

“You guys are being—” I clawed for an appropriate phrase. “Hypocritical assholes. One kiss has you guys ready to chain me to your side. I should fuck as many males as you two fucked females combined.” I swiped at my eyes. “It’s only fair.” This was how they’d let me go, by hurting their fragile Alpha egos.

Simon’s body jerked and the hold in my hair stiffened. I couldn’t see Graham, but tension vibrated off him.

I met Simon’s eyes. “As soon as you two are distracted, I’ll slip into the first male’s bed I can find,” I lied through my teeth. Simply being an inch from another male’s lips made me nauseous, but they didn’t know that.

Simon met Graham’s eyes over my head. Whatever exchange they managed to convey had Simon strolling over to his nightstand. He rifled through the drawer and pulled out a switchblade.

My breath stuttered in my throat.

“Wh-what are you doing?” I forced out the words. He approached slowly, a pensive look splashed on his features. I didn’t like that even a little bit. Their calm behavior threw me off and made me more nervous than if they’d blown up at me.

Graham’s arm settled around my belly. “Let me go,” I shouted, struggling against him. All that managed to accomplish was me rubbing against the hardness growing at my back.

His nose grazed my ear and sent a shiver down my spine.

I eyed the sharp edge. Simon stepped in front of me. He reached for my face with the hand holding the blade. I stilled so I didn’t cause him to slash it across my face. The sharp side faced the ceiling as his fingertips touched my chin. He was being so careful I didn’t feel the surface of it.

His brown eyes were jaded. So cold.

“You won’t hurt me,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him. I didn’t know if I believed myself after throwing infidelity in their face.

The corner of his lips twitched.

“I would never.” He agreed and pulled his hand back. He pressed the tip of the knife over his heart.

My eyes widened so much it hurt. “What are you doing?!”

“Showing you what will happen if you take yourself away from me.” He dug the tip into his skin. Blood flowed to the surface from the single puncture. I bit the inside of my cheek. He wouldn’t go deeper. This was just to scare me.

He went deeper. Blood trickled down the injury, trailing down the dips and curves of his abs.

“Stop,” I screamed. “I get it.”

“You won’t touch another male?” He posed it as a question, but it felt like a threat.

I growled. Graham’s palm slid down my side, petting me. Simon dug the blade in another bit. His expression didn’t change as he gouged into his skin.

“Graham, tell him he’s being ridiculous!”

He tightened his hold around my waist and curved forward. His cock shoved against my towel-covered butt.

“Answer us, Sweetheart.”

Us?

They were an ‘us’ now?

“No,” I spat. “I won’t touch another male.”

Graham’s hand slipped to cup my jaw, and he forced me to look at Simon. I didn’t bother fighting it.

“You won’t attempt to leave us?” Simon cocked his head. I focused on the knife digging in another bit. If he went any deeper, he would cause severe damage. We were werewolves, not immortal.

“I won’t,” I gritted out between my teeth.

“Good,” Graham rumbled from behind me. His hand on my jaw went to my shoulder, and he squeezed it. I was so tense I thought it would shatter. With a kiss on my head, he let me go.

My knees buckled.

Simon caught me. It was enough to drag me out of the cobwebs of shock. I yanked from his hold and stormed to the bed. I dropped on my butt on the corner edge. Adrenaline pumped through my veins.

They weren’t giving me a choice. At all. Threatening to hurt himself if I left was too far.

I peeked at them. They stared at me with such intense focus. Simon had done away with the blade, but his wound continued to drip. I didn’t like seeing my mate injured. A growl slipped free, and I dropped my face in my hands. If I hurried over and cleaned him off, who knows what he’d think.

Large hands wrapped around my wrists. Graham knelt in front of me, about at eye-level even while on his knees.

“You are mine, sweet little mate. I can’t let you go.”

He could have started with that. The earnest expression on his face made me want to turn into a puddle. “I understand how I’ve hurt you. I will never disappoint you again.”

Simon rubbed the back of his finger along my warm cheek. I peeked up at him standing to the left.

“Stop threatening us with leaving. It hurts.” The roughened words sucker punched me. I’d never heard him sound so vulnerable. He seemed to mean that, but what about the female he loved? I was trying to give them a choice. Fated sometimes didn’t choose each other and I didn’t want to take them as mine if they wanted to be with another female.

My stomach had flipped so much in the last few moments that nausea seemed a perpetual state.

If I was expecting them to be open with me, I should do the same.

“But I saw your texts with Amber, Simon,” I said abruptly, interrupting Graham in the middle of asking Simon about the safety of this house. I inhaled slowly and steadily to collect myself. The images of Simon’s lover in those sexual positions rolled through my thoughts, but what made me feel the sickest? “You said you’d take her as your chosen.” I choked out through gathering tears.

Simon jerked like I’d hit him.

“I don’t want to get in the way of that.” I shook my head. “You’re with me because you feel it’s your duty.”

Simon’s lips thinned.

Graham raised an eyebrow, and the bed jostled as he sat beside me. Simon opened his mouth and closed it a few times.

“It’s not what you think.” He growled. His eyes flicked to the side. I could tell he combed his thoughts for an excuse.

“It was all just to get cunt.” The abrupt words sliced through me. Having my mate talk about being sexual with another female hurt. My lip trembled.

Graham growled, his hand settled on my thigh, and he squeezed. Simon’s eyes dropped and he turned his head away from me as he scrubbed his palm over his face.

“Fuck,” he snarled. He sounded so angry.

I grappled with shoving my hurt down, or at least not having it plastered all over my face. My heart battled with my mind. The entire point was to hurt him, yet I hated seeing him upset.

Their past was something I would have to come to terms with. I just hoped I could without letting it eat me alive.

His blood had almost reached the golden hair below his belly button. I stood with the towel secure under my arms, their eyes following me as I trudged to the bathroom. Peeking under the sink, I found a kit. I popped it open and grabbed a Band-Aid and a washcloth, which I ran under the water.

Back to his room in only a few strides, I found Graham standing with his arms crossed, staring Simon down. Aggression crackled between them.

I met Simon’s eyes and jerked my chin to the bed.

“Sit,” I ordered.

He did after a beat. I swiped the damp cloth across the dried blood below his belly button. The trail had ended there. Swiping again, I made sure to make my way up to clean him off.

His thick length hardened so much that it pointed at the ceiling, an inch from being flush with his stomach. Warmth bloomed across my face.

“Really?” I muttered. My eyes kept dropping to the glistening tip coated with cum. My mouth watered. He said nothing so I peeked up to find his gaze hyper-focused on my face.

It didn’t make my self-conscious ass feel better. Reaching the wound, I cleaned the cut. Blood welled to the surface every time I swiped. I ripped the edge of the bandage with my teeth and pressed it to his skin until it was well adhered. I balled the soiled cloth and wrapper.

“You can get any heterosexual female to fuck you. You don’t need to lie,” I said, not brave enough to look at him. “You love her. I get it.” I struggled to choke the words out, forcing myself to look up. Admitting you loved another female to your mate was hard, I could understand that.

He looked stricken. “What, no—” He suddenly went silent. His eyes flicked to the side but he remained silent. I knew it.

“It’s been an eventful night. You two should go shower.” I flicked a bit of dirt off his shoulder.

He stiffened and leaned to look at Graham behind me. “You go first, I’ll watch her.”

I scowled. “You don’t have to ‘watch’ me.”

Simon narrowed his eyes. “You were trying to leave.”

“And we established that I had no choice,” I retorted dryly and placed the trash on the nightstand, making a mental note to get rid of it, then plopped next to Simon.

“Grab some clothes from there.” Simon jerked his head at the dresser. It was weird seeing them speak to each other without obvious hostility. Graham yanked the drawer open and tugged a few items out. The muscles under his skin moved with his every twitch. I clamped down on the inside of my cheek. There was no need for me to get all hot and bothered right now. I just had multiple orgasms not even an hour ago.

I licked my lips and crossed one leg over my other, tucking the towel around me more securely.

Graham strode out of the bedroom to the bathroom across the hall.

“It’s fucking weird how I want to simultaneously kill him and yet not,” Simon said gruffly.

I gasped. “What?!”

The corner of his lips curled, and he climbed to his feet just to lean over me. I craned my neck to keep him within sight.

“My mate watches him like she wants to fuck him.”

Heat flushed my chest.

“Erm.” I cleared my throat.

“But he’s the only one I can trust around you,” he continued, lower, the tone in his voice disgruntled. I lowered my chin, and my nose grazed his chest. His scent filled my nose and I sniffed him.

“Sharing is difficult.” I thought of being in his shoes. Of having to share. A growl slipped from my lips. “I couldn’t do it.” My eyes widened and he scanned my face and chuckled.

“You’ll never have to,” he said.

Physically, I’d never have to share him, but the woman he loved would continue to be a shadow over our heads until I worked through my jealousy.

“Perks of being an Omega?” I said wryly.

He chuckled. The flash of his white teeth shouldn’t be as sinful as it was. I plucked at the towel and it rubbed against my sensitive nipples.

“Can I steal a shirt?” I asked hesitantly.

“You can have whatever you want, Darling. You never have to ask.” His soft words reached into my stomach and warmed me from top to bottom. His eyes remained fixed on my face as if to convey just how earnest he was.

I dropped my gaze to the flutter at the base of his throat. The smooth, pale column of his throat riveted me. The dip of his chest led to a muscled stomach. His tattoo sleeves started at his wrist and the inked tree trunks stretched up his arms. His lips quirked, and it was what I needed to yank myself out of drooling over his body. I’d blame it all on the hormones, but he was too attractive for that. There needn’t be an excuse when you looked like that.

Trudging over to his drawers, I peeked into the still open one with clothes spilling out. Based on his living room’s set up when we walked in, he must have tidied up while I showered. A pile of clothes sat next to the dresser.

I couldn’t help the smile. He seemed anxious about me seeing his mess. I bit back a groan. Here I was, simping. Shame on me. I grabbed the black tee on top and dropped the towel.

A deep groan from behind me reached through my gut and flared lust. I tugged the shirt on and smoothed it down. It draped across my hips and the hem reached a half-inch above my knees. His scent surrounded me. I pinched the edge and tugged it to my nose. Breathing in, I shivered. He smelled so good. I grabbed another of the shirts. I sniffed it. Yes, just like him.

Simon cleared his throat. When had he approached me?

I blinked up at him, my face hot.

“Um, I was just—you smell really good.” A whimper accompanied the last part of my sentence.

I grabbed some more. And then another bunch until my arms were packed with the shirts. Burying myself in them sounded lovely. I was already halfway to the sheet covered bed. I tossed the pile of shirts, and they scattered every which way across the mattress.

“Violet?” A questioning edge took on Simon’s tone. It yanked me back from the haze. My wolf was happy as a clam sniffing his scent in. All that was left was to incorporate Graham’s?—

“Whitlock.” Graham’s voice infiltrated the heavy atmosphere like I’d summoned him. Simon padded away, and I spread the shirts out, tossed myself onto them, smoothing them down like I was in a pile of snow.

Their whispers reached me and I shook my head. They stood to the side, feet away and their gaze hadn’t left me.

“ . . . nesting.”

I frowned.

“I’m sorry, what?” I popped upright and cocked my head at them. I tucked the shirts closer to my legs so they covered me. I twitched to march over to them, but I didn’t want to leave the comfy spot on the bed.

“Stop being secretive, what do you mean nesting? Is this some other weird Omega thing?” I wished there wasn’t so much confusion surrounding what I was.

“I wouldn’t say weird,” Simon murmured, an odd glint in his eyes.

“You’ll go into heat soon,” Graham explained.

Heat . . . loss of control and lots and lots of sex. No wonder my body felt extra sensitive. “I-I,” I paused and licked my dried lips. “Graham?”

He was at my side within seconds. The bed dipped and moved the little barrier I’d created around me. “Watch it,” I muttered and pulled at the shirt until he lifted. I shoved it back in its appropriate place.

His sandalwood scent. Goddess, he smelled so good. I swayed toward him and my nose bumped his chest.

“Be careful,” he chuckled, his large hand wrapping behind my head. I peeked up at him from under my eyelashes.

“Bring me shirts of yours too,” I demanded. “They have to smell like you.”

His eyebrows rose and he started to get up. I lunged to grab his arm, holding on to his bicep with both hands.

“No,” I shouted and immediately blushed at the volume. “Don’t leave.”

His eyebrow twitched and he settled back next to me. I tugged at the shirt he wore. “Off.”

He did as I asked and tossed it. Yes, now I had more of his scent and direct access to his smooth skin. The sleep pants he wore did nothing to hide his hard cock. I licked my dry lips again. Both of them together with me . . . I whipped around to find the bedroom empty.

“Where did Simon go?” I scowled.

“He went to shower.”

A yawn stretched my mouth.

“You need to sleep, Sweetheart. Your heat will take a lot out of you once it hits.”

My heat was coming. The irresistible urge for physical contact became startlingly clear.

“How do you know so much about Omegas?” I mumbled, glaring at him.

“I’ve been speaking to the elder wolves.”

I hummed, nestling so close until my cheek was flush to his chest. The soft rise and fall of his body lulled me. I should be demanding space, but Goddess forgive me, I couldn’t help this need. Their presence brought me a frightening amount of comfort . . . but it was just the heat, no other reason.

“Get closer,” I growled. His arms slid around me until I was so tight against him, it felt like I would snap.

Maybe if I repeated it enough, I’d convince myself that this meant nothing.