Page 75

Ezra

Days turned into weeks and before they knew it, Scarlett was engulfed in her studies and brunches with her brother had become a regular occurrence in their weekly schedule. Ezra didn’t mind them so much anymore, especially after seeing how happy they made her.

He stood in the kitchen with Mateo, waiting for her return from her afternoon class.

She’d chosen to take her classes later in the day so she could have a stress-free morning with all of them and be home in time for dinner.

Ezra liked it that way, and it left time for one of them to drive her.

Today though, she’d wanted to drive herself, afraid she would forget how to if she didn’t keep practising.

“I want to bond with her.”

Mateo’s head whipped around while Vince cocked his brow from the loveseat across the room. From him, that was as good as dancing on the tables.

“You want to take the blood vow to fulfil our bond with her to the fullest?” Mateo clarified.

“I do.”

Mateo set his knife down and turned his full attention to Vince. “You already know my opinion on this. What do you want to do?”

Vince sighed and ran his hand over his face. “I want her .”

“But you don’t care for our bond strengthening,” Ezra finished for him, unable to help the hostility in his tone.

Vince stayed silent, and though Ezra had known Vince’s position all along, anger boiled in him. He wanted Scarlett, more than anything, but he couldn’t have her if Vince didn’t agree.

He was about to storm upstairs when Vince’s voice stopped him in his tracks. “I’ll agree if she does.”

Ezra spun around and stared at Vince, his tranquillity seeping into Ezra’s soul. “You will?”

“I will and there will be boundaries.” Vince stood, straightening to his full height and closing the distance between them. “You stay out of my head. You will not use her to find your way in.”

Though Vince was only a few inches taller he had to look up at him.

“You will respect hers as well. She is allowed to have secrets from us, and she will not be punished for seeking her quiet moments in someone else’s mind or her own. You will learn to restrain yourself so she doesn’t regret this entire thing.”

Ezra’s answer was instant. “I accept your conditions.”

Vince nodded and returned to his seat as if nothing had happened.

“Would you like to tell her?” Mateo asked as he returned to prepping the vegetables . “We could talk to her after dinner.”

Standing in the midst of the room, he felt dumbfounded and lost. He hadn’t expected to get this far. He’d prepared himself for disappointment, especially from Vince.

Mateo chuckled and pointed at the cabinet that housed the plates. “Make yourself useful, will you? I feel her coming closer.”

These days, dinner was filled with endless chatter on Scarlett’s part.

She always came in excited to fill them in on how her day went.

Though Ezra wanted her to become her own woman, the fact that she’d become less dependent on them was something he continued to struggle with.

He’d loved how much she’d needed them, how she could barely leave the house without feeling insecure and now, she slayed all her fears like the queen she was born to be.

When she went to the freezer to grab their dessert, Mateo’s phone started to ring. He picked up and put it on speaker, but stayed silent.

“The dark night hides what we search to hunt.”

“The stars will rise above,” Mateo continued the hunters’ greeting.

“So I, Hunter son of Allen, may find my way.” With the same breath Hunter continued, “The witches said you sold it to them.”

No one needed to ask what ‘it’ was. “We did.”

“There have been a few suspicious killings around the greater Chester area. From what I could gather, it sounds a lot like a lycan.”

“Interesting.” Though Mateo was clearly intrigued he kept his voice cold.

“Wanna hunt?” Hunter asked.

“Why would I want to hunt with you?”

“I can give you a fair share.”

“So, you want all of my experience to kill a beast that you thought was extinct and then call it a fair share?” Mateo chuckled lightly. “Nah, that’s just using me so you can add to your trophy shelf. Knock yourself out.”

“Oh, I forgot you three are too good for all of us,” Hunter snarled.

“Well, just a little piece of advice: put your ego aside and don’t hunt alone or you’ll end up dead.” Without another word, Mateo hung up the phone and shook his head. “He’s going to kill himself.”

Ezra chuckled darkly. “Or he’s going to start a massive hunt and no one gets a piece of the cake.” He’d never liked the Allen family, even before going into hunting. They were arrogant bastards that charged entirely too much for their own benefit.

“So, you think there might be more lycans out there?” Scarlett asked, placing the dessert on the table.

“We might have scared them out of their hiding spots. Maybe we missed one that was too scared to show itself.” Mateo shrugged and guided them all towards the couches. “Who knows?”

“ Do you want to go and hunt it for yourselves?” she asked and though she seemed worried, it wasn’t as deeply rooted as it was with their last hunt.

Ezra shook his head. “Once word spreads—and it will—too many will be out trying to catch it.” He took her hand and pulled her with him to the couch. “Would you like a foot massage?”

“Only after you finish your dessert.”

“As you wish.” Ezra inhaled his ice cream in record time, setting the bowl aside before she’d even spread her blanket over her lap.

She shook her head in disbelief. “It’s there for you to enjoy.”

“I enjoy you more.” Ezra sat cross-legged in front of her, taking her foot in his hands and kneading his thumbs into the sole. “I would like to propose something.”

“Is it a true proposal or do you have it written in stone already?”

“It’s an offer.”

“I’m all ears.”

“I’m ready to complete our bond.”

Scarlett froze with her spoon halfway to her mouth. “You are?”

“I am.”

Vince, who sat by her side, gently reminded her that she still had food in front of her. “I agreed as long as Ezra followed my conditions.”

“And those are…?”

“Ezra will stay out of my head and will not use you to find his way into our minds. He has also agreed not to act childish if you decide to distance yourself from any one of us.”

Scarlett slowly nodded as she processed everything, then turned to Mateo. He smiled from ear to ear, excited for everyone to finally be on the same page. “How are you feeling about it?”

Though she probably already knew she always made it a point to ask for everyone’s consent, no matter the subject, and Ezra adored that about her, even if he didn’t say it out loud.

“I’m excited.”

“Clearly,” Ezra snorted, continuing his massage.

“How would you like us to celebrate our union?” Mateo asked once Scarlett had set aside her empty bowl.

“I haven’t thought about it. We usually have a celebration with the whole pack.”

“We can have a small one if you like. I’m sure your brother and Kurt would like to be part of it.”

She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, taking Vince’s hand in hers. “They would. Maybe something small by the lake or so.”

“Under the weeping willow would be a nice spot,” Mateo thought out loud. “We can have it at night with candles and lights all over.”

She gently laughed. “I see you already have it all planned out.”

“I want you to wear a white dress,” Ezra heard himself say before he could stop himself—or adjust his demanding tone.

“Don’t brides usually wear white?” she asked.

“Yes.”

She waited for him to continue and when he didn’t, she said, “I’ll consider it.

” Scarlett pulled her legs free of Ezra’s grip and stood.

“You should all make a list of what you want. We can go through it together tomorrow.” She kissed all three of them before heading to bed only to pause halfway up the stairs, with a serious gaze towards Vince.

“I want three separate lists. It doesn’t count to just agree with what others are saying. ”

Vince grinned and nodded. “Noted.”

Ezra picked up their bowls—Scarlett had left a horrible good imprint on his behaviour—and cleaned up the kitchen before turning in for himself.

Ezra awoke the next morning to hear Scarlett’s sweet moans trailing up the stairs from the kitchen.

He rolled out of bed and followed the tantalising sound.

She was bent over the counter with Vince fucking her from behind, one hand wrapped around her hip and plunging between her legs.

If Ezra’s cock hadn’t already been rock hard to begin with, that was the signal to his body that it was showtime.

He watched her body shiver and her ass arch into Vince, begging for him to fuck her harder.

If they’d been in one of their private rooms Ezra wouldn’t have dared to spy on them.

It had been an unspoken rule that if she was being fucked in a common space, it was an open invitation.

He let Vince finish, then descended the stairs, her cheeks flushing a bright pink the second she saw him.

“Don’t you dare pull those panties back up,” he growled, hauling her onto the counter.

There was no hesitation when she spread her legs and tugged on his shorts to set his aching cock free.

“Such a good little princess you are.” He hummed, sucking her earlobe between his teeth.

Scarlett explored his length with her hand, spreading his precum into his skin and accepting the condom that Vince offered her.

Lucky bastard, he thought to himself. But maybe after they truly made her theirs, they wouldn’t need the protection anymore. Leaning his forehead against hers, he watched as she rolled the condom over him. She did it slowly, still new to the process, but he loved seeing it, savouring every moment.

“Perfect,” he praised.

Ezra held her in place with one arm, wrapping his other hand around the back of her neck.

He thrust into her, a pleased whimper reverberating off the walls as he fucked into her, using Vince’s cum as lubrication.

Her nails dug into his shoulders, her teeth sinking into the meat of his neck.

She’d been more experimental with what she enjoyed and he loved every ounce of pain she was willing to gift him.

He thrust into her and nearly growled, frustrated when one of her hands dropped from him—then he realised what she was doing.

Her fingers tapped a steady rhythm against her clit, matching him thrust for thrust.

Scarlett came faster than he’d thought possible, her pussy clenching around him and her teeth grinding into his flesh. Ezra could hardly wait until she’d finished, erupting and spilling his cum into the thin rubber separating them.

The second she let her head fall back, he claimed her swollen lips in a kiss, riding out the bliss of his orgasm.

“I could wake up like this every morning,” he purred, kissing her forehead.

Ezra withdrew himself and without giving her the chance to clean up, he pulled her clothes over her hips.

When he saw her rather displeased frown, he chuckled.

“Get used to it, princess. You’re going to be dripping down your thighs all day long once you’re ready for our first child. ”

That made her eyes sparkle, and he hoped it wouldn’t be much longer now.

Once the table was set, Mateo joined them presenting a neatly handwritten list to Scarlett. Ezra snatched it from the table and snorted again. “Fucking show off.”

“That is not nice, Ezra,” his princess scolded, taking the paper out of his hands, only to be handed a second one from Vince.

Shit, maybe he should’ve physically written his down too. With a frustrated grunt and his teeth grinding, he stood and walked over to grab paper and pen from the office.

“What does giving the bride away mean?” Scarlett asked as Ezra sat back down and started to scribble down what he wanted for their ceremony.

“A member of the bride’s family, often the fathers, walk the bride down the aisle towards the groom and give her to him,” Mateo explained. “They usually exchange a few words, and the groom makes a promise to take great care of the bride.”

“Brothers can do it too,” Vince softly added.

“You both added that.” Scarlett turned her gaze to Ezra. “Will that be on your list too?”

As an answer, Ezra pointed to the second item on his list.

“Would you like me to write everything down we all agree on, and you can pick and choose what you like from that list?” Mateo offered.

She nodded and read out loud another thing that both Mateo and Vince had written down. “Something new, something old, something borrowed, and something blue.”

Mateo saw her confusion and explained. “It’s human tradition, the items are often provided from the families, and passed down for generations.”

“It can be anything?”

“Yes, often it is jewellery or another accessory that the bride wears.”

Looking at his list, she softly laughed. “You all want a white dress.” Once his list was done, he handed it over. When she came to Ezra’s last point, she asked, “What kind of rune would you like?”

“I thought of endless love or deep devotion.”

“Is that something just for you and me?”

“It would be, yes. I still need to read up on it, but it wouldn’t conflict with the mate bond because essentially, the mate bond is endless love and one of the deepest devotions that I’ve read about.”

“I would like to add that to our final list.”

Ezra’s heart pumped endorphins through his body. He hadn’t thought she would agree to that, especially knowing how he’d fucked up with blood vows before.

The four of them leaned in close, mulling over the lists that would bring them closer to their future.