Page 40 of Brutal Reign (Shadowed Heirs #5)

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“ A re you gonna tell me what we’re doing out here?” I pant, struggling to keep up with Seb and Ace on the trail as they lead me further and further away from the squad complex. It feels like we’ve been walking forever, and they’re being far too cloak and dagger about this hike for my liking.

“This is probably far enough,” Ace murmurs, coming to a stop in the center of a clearing in the trees and swinging around to face me.

I raise an arm to wipe my brow, slightly embarrassed at how I’m huffing and puffing while neither of my mates have even broken a sweat. We must be at least two miles from the complex at this point– not to mention the fact that the training session we just endured was an intense cardio circuit.

“Far enough for what?” I ask suspiciously.

Seb yanks his t-shirt off in one fluid motion, the muscles of his bare chest rippling as he tosses it down onto the ground in front of him. My pulse picks up speed as his dark eyes lock with mine.

“I thought we were waiting until tonight,” I say breathlessly, my gaze dropping to his sculpted physique and unabashedly drinking in every mouthwatering inch of his ripped body.

A few seconds ago, I was mentally cursing my mates for dragging me out here without explanation, but if this is heading where I think it is…

“We are,” Seb replies curtly. “Strip down and shift.”

“What?” I balk, flinching back with a scowl. “No!”

He huffs out an annoyed breath as he shoves his sweatpants down his hips. “If you won’t let me kick Jake’s ass for you, then I’m gonna make damn sure you can do it on your own, Riv.”

“No.” I shake my head as I slink back a step. “Seb, I can’t .”

“Yes, you can,” he deadpans. “You’re just afraid.”

“Damn right I’m afraid!” I choke out, my chest tightening in panic. “I actually care about you, dickhead. Too much to let my wolf tear you apart.”

He chuckles low in his throat, his irises igniting with golden flecks. “I’d like to see her try. Besides, we’re mates . She won’t hurt me.”

“Are you willing to stake your life on that?” I scoff.

“Sure,” he replies with a shrug.

I shake my head again, flustered that I’m being put on the spot and irritated that he’s being so cavalier about this. “She’s dangerous , Seb.”

“Yeah? So’s my wolf,” he replies with a confident lift of his chin. “You need to work on staying in control for this challenge, so I need to see what we’re working with here so I can figure out how to help you do that.”

I glance toward Ace imploringly, hoping he’ll back me up on this one, but his stare is every bit as unwavering as Seb’s is right now. They’ve clearly made up their minds already, and I hate that I’m the last to know.

“Why didn’t you tell me that’s why we were coming out here?” I bite out.

“Would you have agreed to come?” Ace asks, arching a brow.

I press my lips into a flat line as I cut him a glare. Of course I wouldn’t have.

“C’mon, Riv, we don’t have much time before we have to report for our special assignments,” Seb grumbles, pulling my attention back to him. When we lock eyes, I see the determination shining in his own. He’s not backing down.

“You trust my wolf more than I do,” I mutter wryly.

“Maybe you not trusting her is part of the problem,” he fires back, shoving his boxers down his hips. “Now c’mon, Jacobsen. Shift and let’s see what that wolf of yours is made of. Dare you .”

I heave a resigned sigh, scrubbing my hands over my face as Seb calls his wolf forward. The air shimmers around his body as it rearranges, inky black fur sprouting from his skin and the telltale snap of his bones echoing through the clearing. A heartbeat later, he’s down on all fours in his wolf form, growling at me in demand to follow suit.

My heart beats a riot in my chest as I slowly undress, my breath caught somewhere in my throat. This is not how I thought I’d be spending my afternoon. If I knew, I would’ve done my calming exercises, I would’ve prepared…

Or I would’ve tried to get out of it.

That’s the more likely scenario, but as much as I hate to admit it, they’re right. I can’t go into this challenge blind. Maybe the two of them can crack some code that me and my parents couldn’t and figure out a way for me to control my wild wolf so she doesn’t go on a murderous rampage.

Blowing out a slow breath, I call her forward, relinquishing just enough control to shift to my animal form, but not so much that she completely takes over. My limbs tingle as she surges to the surface, body transforming into my large white wolf.

She stretches and yawns when her paws hit the earth, completely at ease in the presence of our mates. We’re still sharing space in my head, but I know all too well how that can change on a dime.

“He’s going to rile you up, but you’re going to stay in control,” Ace coaches from the sidelines. “You ready, babygirl?”

I glance his way, my wolf whining with discontent that he hasn’t shifted, too. She has no interest in sparring; she wants to run with our mates.

Seb growls low in his throat to get my attention, my wolf snapping her head in his direction and wagging her tail in excitement. Before I can pull her back, she charges toward him and starts licking his face, nuzzling into his neck.

Yeah, this is going great.

At least Seb sticks to the game plan. He tackles me down to the ground, snapping his jaws and baring his teeth, and then we’re off to the races. The two of us tussle, wrestling and battling for the upper hand. He’s the strongest opponent I’ve ever sparred with, but my wolf has no trouble holding her own. She easily fends off his attacks. Since he’s our mate, though, she never truly feels threatened. Every time he tries to rile her up, she only gets more excited. It’s all just a flirty little game to her.

After twenty minutes or so, I get frustrated with our lack of progress, shifting back to my human form and angrily pulling on my clothes.

“This isn’t gonna work,” I grumble as I yank my t-shirt down my torso, Ace stepping over to lay a comforting hand on my shoulder.

“Hey, you didn’t rip him apart like you thought you would,” he offers. “That’s something, right?”

I turn my frown on him, carding my fingers through my hair to tame the strands. “Sure, if he was the one I was going up against in the challenge.”

“Jake doesn’t have a fuckin’ chance,” Seb comments as he comes out of his shift, blinking at me incredulously. “You were right about your wolf being strong, I couldn’t pin her down once.”

“Her strength isn’t the problem, remember?” I mutter.

“But you stayed in control,” Ace points out.

I swing my gaze back on him with a sigh. “Yeah, because she’s comfortable with you two.”

“So maybe us just being there during the challenge will help,” he suggests.

“Maybe,” I murmur, side-eyeing Seb’s naked form. Goddamn, he’s nice to look at. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to keep working at it…”

Seb’s eyes meet mine, some emotion lingering in their depths that I can’t quite read. He’s been off ever since that day in the lounge, and while I’ve been trying not to overthink it, that look in his eyes doesn’t help matters. I wish I knew what was going through that head of his.

He abruptly turns away, stabbing his fingers through his hair and staring out into the forest. “You guys can head back, I’m gonna go for a quick run.”

Ace must pick up on the same vibe as me, because his brows pinch together as he looks at Seb, lips turning down in a frown. “Want company?” he asks tentatively.

Seb gives a quick shake of his head, still avoiding eye contact. “Nah, I’m good. I’ll just see you guys tonight.”

Ace and I exchange glances, but before either of us can say anything else, Seb shifts back to his wolf form, taking off without so much as a backward glance.

“Is he alright?” I ask quietly, staring after Seb’s black wolf as he sprints away.

“Think he’s just in his head,” Ace murmurs in response. “He’ll be fine once we seal our bonds.”

My pulse picks up speed at the mention of what we’ve got planned for the evening. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a nervous wreck, but I’m choosing to put my trust in fate’s plan for us.

“I hope so,” I whisper.

Ace steps in close and slings an arm over my shoulders. “I know so,” he reassures, pressing a kiss to my hair. “Don’t stress, babygirl. After tonight, he’ll be back to his usual self.”

“Girl, you’re living the dream!” Gus sighs, kicking his legs up and leaning back against the arm of the sofa that Seb just had me bent over the other day. “I definitely wouldn’t mind being sandwiched between those two.”

My cheeks heat as I consider what it was like to be in that exact position, right here in the lounge. If only Gus knew what went down where he’s currently resting his head.

“Sorry, I don’t think they play for your team,” Hayden teases from her spot next to me on the neighboring couch, sticking out her tongue at Gus.

He makes a scoffing sound in his throat as he turns his devious gaze back on me. “Haven’t they ever fooled around when the three of you are going at it?”

“Sorry to disappoint, but no,” I reply with a soft laugh. “They’re bonded to me , not to each other.”

“Well, there goes that fantasy,” he sighs dramatically, waving a hand.

I pick up a throw pillow, tossing it at him. “Ew, don’t fantasize about me!”

“Not about you , babe,” he laughs as he bats it out of the air. “Just those two hot ass mates of yours.” He waggles his brows teasingly, prompting me to fling another pillow in his direction.

Joking around with my friends is a welcome distraction from the anxiety that’s been swirling in my gut all afternoon. Following my little practice session in the woods with the boys, I reported to the hunter command center for my special assignment, where Avery did everything she could to try to calm my nerves. She even called Sloane and Lo over from the IT hub, but no amount of reassurances has been able to quiet the little voice in the back of my head.

Tonight’s the night. After lights out, the boys and I will sneak back up here to the lounge and attempt to seal our mate bonds by marking. It should be exciting. Instead, I’m a nervous wreck.

“So how’s it all going to work with your packs if you’re both Alphas?” Hayden asks, knocking her shoulder into mine.

“Don’t know,” I breathe. “We still have a lot of things to work out, but it’ll be a while before Alpha Chase or my dad retire, so we’ve got time. But first, I have to secure my pack rank.”

“That’ll be a cakewalk,” Kendrick remarks, smiling at me over the top of Hayden’s head. “You’ve got the challenge in the bag, you’re the most badass chick I know.”

“Hey,” Hayden objects, swatting him on the arm. “What about me?”

“You’re a badass, too,” he smirks, resting his hand on her thigh.

It hasn’t escaped my notice that the two of them have gotten closer lately. Hayden’s such a flirt that it’s hard to tell whether it’s friendship between them or something more, but I’ll definitely be grilling her for answers the next time I get her alone.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs draws my attention to the doorway of the lounge, Chandler emerging at the top. Fucking great. My muscles tense at the mere sight of her, body coiling in anticipation for some verbal assault.

Strangely enough, it doesn’t come. Chandler just glances around the room, meeting my gaze for a fleeting second before turning back and disappearing down the stairs.

“The hell was that about?” I grumble under my breath, still staring toward the now vacant doorway.

“She’s scared shitless of you now,” Hayden snorts. “I wish you could’ve seen her face when Seb told everyone you were mates, it was freaking priceless .”

“Jake’s, too,” Gus pipes up, smirking. “He hasn’t messed with you since then, has he?”

The realization dawns on me that Jake has kept his distance all week. I should really be thankful that both he and Chandler have stopped their bullshit– at least temporarily– but part of me wishes that they were intimidated by me , not my mates.

“No, but there’s still the challenge coming up,” I mutter, glancing at the ceiling as the overhead lights flicker in warning.

“You know what that means,” Kendrick sighs, pushing up off the couch and easing to his feet. He turns to offer Hayden a hand while Gus rolls off the sofa opposite ours with a groan.

My heart hammers against my ribs as I rise to stand, joining my friends in heading for the stairs. It’s almost lights-out, which means it’s almost time to face the music. To see if it is, in fact, possible to seal more than one mate bond.

The four of us descend the stairs to the recruit barracks, my pulse racing and my palms going clammy. Ace is there waiting for me when I step out of the stairway, and if I thought I was nervous about tonight, it’s nothing compared to the look on his face.

He grabs me by the arm, pulling me aside. “Have you seen Seb?”

I blink back at him, giving a little shake of my head. “No, why?”

“I can’t find him anywhere and he’s not answering his phone,” he murmurs, keeping his voice low. “It’s not like him to just up and disappear.”

My heart stutters in my chest, breath stalling in my lungs. “W-when was the last time you saw him?” I stammer.

“Not since this afternoon,” Ace grits out. “You?”

“Same,” I croak. “You don’t think–”

He immediately shakes his head, though it does little to put me at ease. My stomach churns, bile crawling up my throat.

“C’mon,” Ace growls, snapping into action and grabbing me by the hand. “Let’s go track that asshole down.”