Page 20

Chapter Nineteen

M o went upstairs supposedly for a shower, but really because he needed a moment to process everything that had just happened.

And remember he was still searching for Khloe. It was almost like she was forgotten in the middle of the huge, awful shit that was happening. No one had mentioned her since Daniel that one time. Have I forgotten her?

No.

Except he had no idea how to keep her alive in other people’s minds when so many bad things were happening to so many kids.

The door opened and he looked up. Zack came in.

"You okay?" Zack asked, his voice gentle.

Mo shook his head, unable to find the words. Zack closed the door and walked over, sitting beside him on the bed. The mattress dipped under his weight, and Mo found himself leaning against Zack's solid warmth almost instinctively.

"I don't know how to feel," Mo admitted. "I'm happy with you and Victor, happier than I've been in... maybe ever. But Khloe's still out there somewhere, and with everything happening with Noah and Jacob, it's like she's been pushed aside."

Zack wrapped an arm around Mo's shoulders. "She hasn't been forgotten. Daniel's still working on finding her. We all are."

"But no one talks about her anymore."

"Because we don't have anything new to tell you yet," Zack said, his voice rumbling through his chest against Mo's ear. "But that doesn't mean we've stopped looking."

Mo sighed, leaning more heavily against Zack. "I feel guilty. How can I be happy when she might be god knows where? How could I have been up here for nearly a week with no thought other than sex?"

"You know what I've learned from years of fostering kids? " Zack asked. "That guilt doesn't help anyone. It doesn't make you more effective at finding her, and it doesn't make her situation any better."

"That's easy to say—"

"And it wasn't just a week of sex," Zack said with a humorless laugh. "it's about what we are."

"It's a natural part of bonding," Victor said from the doorway. Mo hadn't heard him approach. Victor seemed to move silently even in human form.

Mo looked up, grateful when Victor came to sit on his other side. "What do you mean?"

"When a bond forms, it creates a...hierarchy of priorities," Victor explained, choosing his words carefully. "Your mate bond with us is fresh, intense. It's natural for it to temporarily overwhelm other concerns."

"But she's my sister," Mo protested weakly.

"And we will find her," Victor promised, his voice carrying that quiet certainty that always made Mo believe him. "But Noah's situation has given us information we didn't have before. If Pearson is behind this, and he's experimenting on shifters, there's a possibility..."

"That Khloe could be one of his test subjects," Mo finished, his stomach dropping as the implications hit him. "God, Victor. What if she's being held somewhere like Jacob?"

Zack's warm brown eyes held his. "It makes sense. Pearson knows about shifters. He's keeping kids somewhere. It fits with what we know."

Hope bloomed in Mo's chest for the first time in weeks. "Then finding Jacob might lead us to Khloe."

"It's possible," Zack said cautiously. "I don't want to promise you something I can't deliver, but..."

"But it's more than we had before," Mo finished, feeling optimistic for the first time in what seemed like forever. He stood up, energy thrumming through him. "We need to move quickly then. For both of them."

"That's the plan," Zack agreed, rising to his feet. "Victor's already coordinating with Raschid's wolves for surveillance. We're going to get eyes on Pearson's place tonight."

Zack squeezed Mo's shoulder. "We'll do our best. But we need to be smart about this. Rushing in without a plan could put them both at risk."

Mo deflated. He’d been ready to run somewhere, anywhere. Tears pricked at his eyes. It was always the same. He’d get this amazing information then it wouldn’t work out. It was like being on a permanent rollercoaster.

He caught the look Victor sent Zack. “I think our mate needs some stress relief.” But he shook his head. He didn’t deserve good when Khloe might be imprisoned. Zack’s fingers trailed a line down his chest.

“I agree.”

Mo tried to push away, but his mates' hands were too convincing, too soothing. "I can't," he whispered. "Not while Khloe—"

"Listen to me," Victor said, his voice firm but gentle as he cupped Mo's face. "You're carrying too much. Your body is still adjusting to the bond, and your mind is stretched in too many directions. You need to let us take care of you."

"He's right," Zack murmured, pressing a kiss to Mo's temple. "You'll be no good to Khloe if you're falling apart. Let us help you."

Mo felt the fight drain out of him as Victor's thumb brushed his cheek, wiping away a tear he hadn't realized had fallen. "I'm so tired," he admitted. He was exhausted, but didn’t need sleep. He needed to let his mind go for a little while.

Zack pressed a tender kiss to the side of Mo’s head.

Defeated, Mo let out a deep breath and allowed himself to be laid down on the bed. As Victor's strong fingers kneaded away the tension in his shoulders, Zack's lips brushed over Mo's neck, collarbone, and nipples, the sensation sending shivers down his spine.

“I know, baby,” Zack whispered as he continued his tender exploration of Mo’s body. “Just relax.”

As Mo gave in to their touch, allowing warmth and pleasure to spread through him, he couldn’t help but feel a deeper connection forming with his mates.

Victor bent down and softly captured Mo’s lips with his own. Mo could feel the commanding presence of his mate in that one kiss–all-consuming and powerful.

Simultaneously, Zack's hands worked at removing Mo’s clothes piece by piece, each exposed area of skin receiving more attention from his skilled mouth.

“Let go,” Victor murmured against Mo’s lips. “Just for now. Let us take care of everything.”

Unable to resist any longer, Mo sighed with surrender as his body responded eagerly to their touch. Victor gently caressed his chest, with Zack teasing lower regions, both of them working together to bring him pleasure.

"So beautiful," Zack whispered as he moved lower, nibbling and kissing the insides of Mo's thighs.

Victor's eyes grew darker with desire as he watched Zack lavish their shared mate with adoration. "Turn over," he instructed softly, allowing Mo to experience new sensations from a different position.

As Mo turned onto his stomach, Zack continued to explore farther down his body–tongue lapping at the curve of his buttocks, teasing around the sensitive area beneath. All the while Victor held on to him at the top end of the bed–refusing to let him slip away from reality completely as he drowned in pleasure.

Mo arched his back as Zack's tongue teased his entrance, the pleasure making him gasp and clutch at the sheets. Victor's hands were in his hair, gently controlling his movements as he guided Mo's lips to his cock.

"That's it," Victor murmured, watching Mo take him in with hooded eyes. "Let us take care of you."

Between them, Mo felt himself floating away, his concerns temporarily suspended as his body responded to their touch. Zack's tongue was replaced by his slicked fingers, stretching him carefully while Victor fed his cock deeper into Mo's willing mouth.

"So perfect for us," Zack whispered against the small of his back, pressing kisses there as he worked a third finger inside. "So responsive."

Mo moaned around Victor's length, the vibrations making the alpha hiss with pleasure. Victor's hand tightened in his hair, not painfully but with enough pressure to remind Mo who was in control.

"Ready for more?" Zack asked, his voice husky with desire.

Mo nodded as best he could with his mouth full, and Victor slowly withdrew, allowing him to speak. "Please," Mo breathed, his voice wrecked. "Need you both."

The mattress shifted as Zack positioned himself, the blunt head of his cock pressing against Mo's prepared entrance. With gentle pressure, he pushed inside, giving Mo time to adjust to each inch.

"Breathe through it," Victor instructed, stroking Mo's face tenderly, but Mo didn’t need to wait. He barely remembered the last time they had come together, just the heat and the sensations, and didn’t understand why, but this time he wasn’t missing a second.

Zack slid home with one smooth thrust, and Mo gasped at the perfect fullness. Victor moved to position himself in front of Mo, his hard length brushing against Mo's lips once more.

"Take us both," Victor commanded softly. "Let us wash everything else away."

Mo opened willingly, taking Victor's cock into his mouth as Zack began to move inside him with slow, measured strokes. The dual sensation of being filled from both ends sent waves of pleasure through Mo's body, driving all thoughts of worry and guilt from his mind.

Time seemed to blur as they moved together, finding a rhythm that had Mo moaning around Victor's length. Victor's hands remained in Mo's hair, guiding him, while Zack's strong grip on his hips kept him steady.

"That's it," Zack praised, his thrusts becoming more insistent. "So perfect for us."

Mo felt himself approaching the edge, his cock hard and throbbing. As if reading his thoughts, Victor reached beneath him, wrapping a firm hand around Mo's erection.

"Come for us," Victor ordered, stroking in time with Zack's thrusts.

The combined sensations were too much. Mo's body tensed as his orgasm crashed through him, his cry muffled by Victor's cock. Zack groaned behind him, his rhythm faltering as Mo's body clenched around him.

"Fuck," Zack gasped, driving deep one final time before spilling himself inside Mo with a strangled cry. Victor followed moments later, his release hitting the back of Mo's throat as Mo swallowed eagerly.

They collapsed together in a tangle of limbs, breathing heavily. Victor carefully maneuvered them until they were lying side by side, with Mo sandwiched protectively between his mates. The warm weight of their bodies against his was comforting, grounding.

"Better?" Zack murmured against Mo's shoulder, pressing soft kisses there.

Mo nodded, feeling the tension that had been coiled inside him for so long finally begin to unravel. "Thank you," he whispered.

Victor's arm tightened around them both. "We're going to find her, Mo. And Jacob too."

"I know," Mo said, and for the first time in a long while, he actually believed it. Whatever happened next, he wasn't alone anymore.

They lay in comfortable silence for several minutes before a gentle knock at the door pulled them from their peaceful bubble.

"Sorry to interrupt," Riley called through the door, "but Daniel just arrived with news. Whenever you're ready."

Victor sighed and pressed a kiss to Mo's forehead. "Duty calls."

"Five more minutes," Zack grumbled, burying his face against Mo's neck.

Mo smiled despite himself. "The sooner we go down, the sooner we can make a plan to find them."