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nineteen

. . .

Mia

I open my eyes to an unfamiliar room, lying on something soft.

The only light comes from candles placed around the space. My sluggish brain tries to recall how I ended up here, but the memories are hazy.

Groaning, I shift and rub my eyes. Despite my body feeling strangely heavy, my senses are in overdrive.

From the faint flickering of the candles to the feel of the soft cushioning beneath me, I’m overwhelmed by the stimuli. There’s a musky scent lingering in the air, driving me wild.

I try to sit up, but moving proves to be a struggle. That strange feeling of sluggishness mixed with hypersensitivity makes everything difficult. Each breath I take is slow and uneven.

My heart beats hard against my chest, and I swallow to coat my dry throat. What happened? Why do I feel so strange?

The last thing I remember is dancing with Kane, Jace, and Finn. I’d felt dizzy and drowsy. Panic sets in as I remember falling to the ground, strong arms catching me. Did they drug me? I can’t think of any other reason I would have fainted .

I finally examine the dim room around me. Candles cast long shadows along the wooden walls, but nothing looks familiar.

I’ve never been here before.

I curl my hands into nervous fists, grabbing hold of what I’ve been lying on. My heart races when I realize I’m lying on a pile of fur. Confusion turns to dread, curdling the contents of my stomach as I make a startling realization. This room isn’t in the house. I’m somewhere entirely different.

“She’s awake,” I hear Finn say. He sits at the edge of the pile of furs, Jace next to him. Kane is on my other side, watching over me with an intense expression.

It feels like they’ve been here a while, waiting and watching. I’m not sure yet whether that’s comforting or alarming.

“What’s happening?” I ask, my voice raspy and dry.

“Everything will make sense soon,” Kane replies, moving closer to me. His suit jacket is folded next to him, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

Jace takes my hand, tracing slow, gentle circles on my skin. “You need to trust us, okay?”

Trust them? They may have drugged me and brought me to a new location. I’m not sure if I’m capable of trust right now.

Still, I stay quiet, hoping they’ll fill the silence with some kind of explanation.

Finn says nothing as he kneels before me, running his hand up and down my arm. His silent gaze is intense, and every touch is deliberate. It’s almost as if he doesn’t want to scare me.

Their attention makes my heart race.

Warmth pools in my belly, and every touch feels more acute than it ever has before. Something is happening within me, and it feels like they’re the cause .

Panic claws at my chest as it suddenly becomes all too clear that these aren’t just ordinary men.

There’s something inhuman in their graceful movements and intense gazes. Even now, as I squint in the dim light, their eyes glow a brilliant gold.

For the life of me, I don’t know what that means.

“Your eyes,” I croak, my throat still raw. “Why are they yellow? You’re not... you’re not normal, are you?”

There’s a brief pause before Kane speaks. “No, we’re not 'normal.' We’re alpha werewolves, and we’ve chosen you as ours. You will be our queen.”

“What the fuck?!” I exclaim, utterly confused. This is insane, and someone needs to tell them that. Kane is acting like this is perfectly normal.

My breath comes in quicker, uneven gasps as I let his words sink in. I try to push away from them, but my body is too heavy, too weak. More than that, their touches and that same alluring musky scent overwhelm me, making my head spin.

Jace and Finn both give me reassuring looks, no doubt to quell my obvious panic.

“It’s okay,” Jace says, his eyes glinting in the faint moonlight streaming in through the window. “You’ve always been ours. And we have always been yours.”

Finn adds, “We’ll never let you go. You'll always be safe with us.”

My eyes dart back and forth between them, my throat tightening. They can’t be serious.

“You’re delusional!” I say, my voice hoarse. “You can’t possibly think that you’re werewolves unless you’re crazy! There is no such thing!”

I back up into the furs, trying to put as much space between us as possible.

“It’s true, Mia. We’re werewolves. And I think, deep down, you’ve always known there was something different about us,” Kane says.

I think back to a day at the café when I could have sworn Finn’s eyes had seemed unusual. The impressive ease of strength they all possess.

The way they operate as a unit. No, not a unit—a pack.

But that can’t be real. Werewolves are legends in books. They aren’t real people who frequent downtown coffee shops. This is all too unreal.

My heart races, and I feel like I can’t breathe. True and all-consuming panic sets in. I am God-knows-where with three men who truly believe they are werewolves. I try to gulp down deep, grounding breaths, but I keep getting distracted by that same overwhelming musky scent.

It’s hard to think straight as the scent envelops me. My body tingles with hypersensitivity, and each touch activates something deep within. It feels like sparks on my skin. It makes me horny, and I want more.

The flickering candlelight creates shadows across my skin. Everything is so vivid. The heat of the fire, the softness of the furs, even the men’s hands on me.

Kane moves forward, touching my arm with quiet reverence. His touch is like fire, and I feel all my nerve endings scream with pleasure. I pant as wetness pools between my legs, and suddenly, the fear evaporates. Now all I want is their touch.

More than that, I want them to take me right here.

I’ve never wanted anything more. At this moment, all I can think about is having one of them inside me and having all of their hands all over me. I need that sweet release.

My pulse thunders in my ears as I try to maintain control over my body. I’m not usually like this. If anything, sex with Justin felt kind of like a chore. But here, it’s as if my body is all in before my brain can even catch up .

More than that, I’ve thrown all caution to the wind. Just moments ago, I was terrified of these men. Suddenly, my fear turns into pure lust.

“What is happening to me?” I ask, my voice trembling. But even as I ask, my body writhes beneath Kane, arching against his erection. I want him inside me.

“You are going into heat soon,” Finn says. “It’s perfectly normal for you to crave us.”

“You still have time before that happens,” Jace adds, brushing his fingertips down my arm in a delicate stroke. My pussy pulses and fills with a strange liquid.

“I’m so wet. What’s going on?”

“It’s called ‘slick,’” explains Kane calmly.

With every word they speak and every soft touch, I can feel the panic ebbing away. I can’t completely make sense of what they’re saying, but at the same time, it feels right.

The sensations are more powerful now. Every touch feels like lightning coursing through me. I want their hands all over me. I want to feel their bodies against mine. Most of all, I want to unravel in their arms and orgasm around their cocks.

My heart races faster with my thoughts as I look into Kane’s eyes. He’s gazing back with a gentleness that calms me. Letting out a long sigh, he brushes a lock of hair behind my ear with a smile.

“You’re alright, Mia. You’re safe with us, I promise. After tonight, you will be bound to us…forever.”