Page 19

CHAPTER 18

C alla

T he fire burns low. Everyone else is asleep. Everyone except Gideon and Jace. And Knox, I presume, though I haven’t seen him since he vanished into the shadows.

I can’t get comfortable. My body won’t let me. There’s too much anticipation coiled in my core. My pulse refuses to settle. The bracelet feels that because it matches my rhythm. I’m going to be claimed. Again. By three wolves this time, instead of two. By the platinum wolf—gruffer and more scarred than his brothers. Wiser, perhaps, but the same hunger smolders inside of him now.

“It’s time,” Gideon announces, rising in one fluid motion. “We’re going outside.”

“The others… they won’t be able to hear us…” I ask quietly, even though part of me no longer cares. The part of me that craves what is going to happen. “Right?”

“We’ll have plenty of privacy,” Jace answers, standing and offering a hand. “Unless you’d rather they hear all the sweet noises you make.”

“No,” I whisper, placing my hand in his and letting him pull me up.

Jace holds onto my hand and leads me toward the exit of the cave. Gideon is behind us. I can’t see the others. They’re in a dark part of the cavern. Hopefully far enough away not to hear the screams that are sure to be forced out of me.

Jace clears the brush away from the exit and we step outside into the moonlight. It’s brighter than it has been other nights in The Tangle. So bright that I can see Knox’s platinum hair before we even make it to the clearing. He’s leaning against a tree, but straightens up when he sees me. The hungry gleam in his eyes is still present, yet it looks like he’s still in control of it.

He looks bigger without his clothes. Wider than his brothers, and slightly more intimidating. I nervously look down and my stomach tightens. He’s bigger than his brothers in more ways than one.

“I wasn’t sure if you’d come without a leash,” Knox chuckles, taking a step forward.

“I made the agreement,” I mutter, like that’s the only reason I’m here.

“Yes, but apparently you’re a little girl who only listens when she gets a spanking.” Knox grins, his thick cock twitching with what I assume is excitement.

I can’t help my cheeks from flushing. “That was their fault,” I motion to Gideon and Jace. “I wasn’t ready to say what they wanted me to say.”

“And now?” Knox asks, tilting his head slightly.

I swallow hard. “I-I’m yours,” I whisper.

“Yes, you are. Tonight. Tomorrow. Every fucking second,” Knox growls, the platinum flicker intensifying in his eyes. “But you have to prove you know how to be a good little girl. Take off your clothes for me. Let me see what’s mine .”

I glance back at Gideon and Jace. They have the same hunger, too. It’s been reignited inside them. When I reach for my shirt and pull it over my head, they begin undressing as well. Jace is already hard, just like last night. Gideon is semi-erect, poised and ready, but controlled.

“Very good,” Knox says, taking a step closer. “Maybe you do know how to be a good little girl. But you still need a spanking.”

“What?” I ask, hating the way my body reacts to the threat, hating the trickle that threatens to spill down my thigh. Even worse, I know they can smell it. “Why?”

“Because you put yourself in danger, little girl,” Knox rasps, reaching for the arm where my bracelet is pulsing—harder now, because of how fast my heart is beating. “You could have been killed, and it doesn’t sound like you know how to use this piece of The Tangle wrapped around your wrist. You don’t even know how it works.”

“It helped me before,” I protest, looking at the vine. “Not always, but it came back and did what I asked, even after I took it off.”

“And what if didn’t work earlier today?” Gideon asks, his breath heavy on my neck. “What was the plan? Were you just going to volunteer to get eaten first?”

“I’m fairly certain Brenna was going to get eaten first,” I whisper. “I’m sorry. There was no plan. You guys went down, and I had to help my friends. And you. I didn’t want you to get eaten, either.”

“That’s where you went wrong, little girl,” Knox says. “And why I have to spank you.”

“You’re our future, Calla,” Gideon rumbles against my skin. “Our mate. That future could already be growing inside you, and it must be protected. You have to prioritize it over everything. Over us. Over your friends.”

“I wouldn’t have gotten very far running through The Tangle,” I argue, feeling a twinge of anger over them punishing me when I was the one who stopped the last treant. “I would have been all alone!”

“You trust this bracelet to protect you against a tree that wants to eat you…” Jace muses. “Yet you don’t trust it to protect you if you’re alone in The Tangle? You sound confused. Even more reason for you to be spanked. It’ll bring some clarity.”

“I am confused,” I admit. “About a lot of things right now.”

“Like why you’re trembling wet, because you’re not dreading this spanking as much as you’re saying?” Gideon asks. “I can practically taste it in the air. The way it drips from your tight little pussy every time you breathe.”

“That’s not fair,” I mutter, squeezing my thighs shut. “I can’t control that.”

“Just like you can’t control this bracelet,” Knox says. “Usually, Vance is the one talking to plants, but why don’t you ask it if you deserve a spanking? Maybe it’ll answer. If it says no, you’re off the hook.”

“Not entirely,” Jace chuckles. “You’re still going to get fucked.”

“Obviously,” Knox says, platinum flickering in his eyes. “Go on. Be a good girl and ask your bracelet what it thinks.”

I look down at my bracelet. It isn’t even glowing right now. I guess there’s too much moonlight. Or it’s done with me. I’ve only asked it for help when I was desperate.

“Do you… think I should be spanked?” I whimper, feeling a little foolish.

The vine pulses green for a moment, like it’s considering my question. A second later, tendrils move along my arm. Tendrils that quickly reach for my other wrist, binding them together. Knox lets go of my arm and more tendrils flow out of the bracelet as it coils seamlessly around both wrists. The tendrils spiral away from me, like they did with the treant, except they wrap around a low branch and pull me forward.

“Ah!” I squeal, losing my balance for a moment before regaining it as I stumble toward the branch.

The branch is even with my knees. The vines wrap and tug, forcing me to bend over. I pull against it, but it’s no use. I can’t budge the vine. I start sinking to my knees, but more tendrils coil from the branch and wrap around my legs, keeping me away from the ground.

“Looks like the bracelet has spoken,” Jace chuckles, walking closer to me.

“You traitor!” I mutter, pulling at the vines. “I thought you were supposed to help me!”

Another tendril shoots out, this one straight and rigid. It hardens into a length of flexible wood and breaks off, falling to the ground at Knox’s feet.

“Looks like it thinks you need more than just a spanking,” Knox remarks, reaching down to retrieve the length of wood. He swings it in the air a few times. “This is going to sting.”

“No, no, please,” I whimper, realizing what Knox intends to do. I look over my shoulder and see him raise it. “Knox… come on… Jace? Gideon? I’m sorry! I was just trying to help!”

I’m bound and helpless. Unable to do anything but take my punishment. Knox doesn’t hesitate. I force my eyes closed and look away as the switch hisses through the air before it cracks across both cheeks, the sound a lot softer than I expect, but it still leaves a line of fire.

“Ow!” I squeal.

“Count,” Knox growls, his voice rough and commanding.

“One…” I mutter through clenched teeth.

“And you should thank him,” Jace adds.

“Yes, thank him and ask for another one,” Gideon says. “He’s going easy on you.”

A twinge of embarrassment shoots through me. I have to thank him… and ask for more? I bite my tongue and pull against the vines holding my wrists, but it’s no use. My hesitation earns me another stinging crack across the ass.

“Two!” I squeal.

“No, no, that was because you didn’t thank me,” Knox taunts. “Let’s try it again and see if you can get the first one right.”

I tense up as the switch slices through the air and smacks against my bare skin.

“One!” I grind out. “Thank you, Knox. May I have another?”

Heat rises along my neck. I can tell they’re amused. Amused because they have me tied to a tree, forced to take my punishment and thank them like a good little girl. But I can’t deny there’s a thrill underneath the tension. A traitorous wetness between my thighs they can smell.

Another strike lands—sharper this time. The wood sings across my skin, leaving a thin trail of heat that radiates enough for me to feel my core tighten. Pain and arousal, tangled together like the tendrils holding me place.

“Two!” I cry out, the word catching in my throat. “Thank you, Knox. May I have another?”

“Now you’ve got the hang of it,” Jace snickers, and Knox swings again.

“Ow! Three!” I pull against my restraints, mostly on reflex, but I can’t move at all. “That one hurt! But thank you… May I have another?”

The next one is even harder, but I don’t cry out. I grit my teeth, my toes curling in the dirt beneath my feet. The burning in my ass is spreading with every swing of the vicious switch. The one my bracelet so kindly provided my disciplinarian.

“Four,” I mutter.

“Don’t get shy on us now,” Gideon says. “We know how loud you can scream. You’re being punished. Own it.”

“We’ll try number four again,” Knox says, striking the curve of my ass, right where it meets my thighs. It really, really stings.

“Ow! Four! Thank you, Knox!” I squeal. “May I have another?”

“Since you asked so nicely,” Knox says, swinging the switch without hesitation. “But I think that’s enough.”

“Five!” I cry out, my knees wobbling, but the vines around my legs tighten. “Thank you… Knox.”

“You belong to us now, Calla,” Knox scolds. “Don’t be so careless with your life in the future.”

There’s silence, then I hear the switch fall to the ground, but the vines don’t uncoil. They don’t release me. They keep me bound to the tree, bent over, with my ass sticking out.

“Okay, they’re done,” I whimper, pulling at the vines. “Please let go now.”

“I guess your bracelet knows we’re not quite done with you yet,” Knox grins. His hand presses on my back, slides lower, and rubs between my thighs. I can’t help but groan when his fingers play with my slick folds. “No, we’re just getting started.”

Knox moves his hand, and I feel the head of his cock. It presses insistently at my entrance, but I don’t get a chance to draw a breath before he pushes in, going so deep it knocks the wind out of me. He starts thrusting immediately, like a wild animal tasting freedom for the first time. He’s thicker, so he stretches me more than Gideon and Jace did.

“Careful,” I mewl, feeling the pleasure radiate despite the roughness. “I’m still sore…”

“You’ll get used to being sore,” Knox says, his thrusts not slowing down. “Once we get you back to the den, your pussy will always be dripping with our seed. Even when you’re swollen with our baby and ready to pop—you’ll still be down on all fours, begging for more.”

I immediately imagine it. My belly big, like a Bride ready to give birth. Except I won’t have a life of luxury. Just a military bunker and five wolves that can’t get enough. If it’s even possible. I could still be infertile. They could be wasting their time—although it doesn’t feel wasted at the moment.

“Oh, oh, wow,” I gasp, Knox’s hungry thrusts pushing me close to the edge. “I’m gonna…”

“No, no, little girl,” Knox says, slapping my ass hard enough to make me to cry out. “You don’t come without permission when I’m inside you.”

“You better listen,” Gideon says, putting a hand on my breast and squeezing. “You don’t want to really get punished. He won’t hold back nearly as much.”

I whimper, my body trembling from the effort it takes to obey. Each deep, deliberate thrust pushes me closer to the edge, but I grit my teeth and hold back. I’m slick with arousal. My g-spot is humming. I can’t feel the pulse from my bracelet like I normally do. It seems to be more focused on keeping me in place so I can’t move.

“Please,” I whisper, straining against the pressure that is rapidly building inside me. “Knox… I need it…”

I sound like a whimpering schoolgirl, but I don’t care. The more I fight back against the pressure, the harder it is to keep it at bay. My core is coiled in a tight knot, and it feels like it will unravel with the pleasure I crave every time Knox drives his cock into me.

“You’ll wait,” Knox growls, a deep, rumbling sound that vibrates in my chest. “You’re ours now. That means you follow our rules. If there’s danger, you run. You hide. You keep yourself safe.”

“But…” I mewl, and Knox slams his hips into me harder.

“Don’t argue with me, little girl,” Knox rasps.

“You’re going to get the same thing from all three of us if you don’t give in,” Gideon says. “Three hard cocks filling you up, and not a single orgasm.”

“She’s tough,” Jace remarks. “We learned that last night.”

Another thrust. It’s slower, but deeper. I’m so close to the edge I can barely hold on. My legs shake, my wrists straining instinctively against the vines. I don’t want to give in, but I’m falling apart. My pulse is pounding in my ears. I can feel my slickness. The ache.

“I will! I promise!” I cry out, the torturous throb inside me more punishing than the switch. “If there’s danger, I’ll run! Please let me come!”

Knox’s thrusts slow. He leans down, his beard tickling my neck as he kisses and trails his way to my ear.

“Not yet. You took too long and argued too much,” Knox murmurs. “You’re going to get a few minutes of good, hard fucking before you get to come.”

I barely have time to process his words before his thrusts get faster. Agonizingly fast. It’s like every nerve ending is on fire with euphoria. Except the need burns hotter than fire. It’s maddening. I can barely get my next breath with the pleasure shooting through my body.

Knox drives his length into me harder and faster as the seconds stretch on. Then at least a minute—maybe. It’s hard to think clearly with the pleasure and pain twisting together inside me. The aching need. The unyielding bliss.

“Please!” I scream. “Knox, please! I can’t hold it back any longer!”

He stills but remaining deep.

“You will,” he says, teasing my neck with his beard as he speaks. “Or you’ll regret it, no matter how loud you scream. Now, beg for me to fuck you, and if you ask really nice, I’ll let you come when I do.”

I bite my tongue, pull against my restraints, and surrender. I’m not in control. I haven’t been in control since Clyde shoved a needle in my neck. I wasn’t even in control when I saved the day. All I did was run toward the danger, begging a vine to help me.

“Please,” I whimper. “Please fuck me, Knox. Hard ,” I add, hoping it will earn me some favor.

“Good girl,” he whispers, his words making my stomach flutter. “Now you can come.”

“Before you?” I ask cautiously.

“I’ve been fighting it longer than you have,” he growls, his thrusts resuming with a vengeance.

Knox thunders into me and all I can do is take it. Take it and scream. His name. Words that aren’t even intelligible. Just noise pouring off my lips while my body succumbs to the rough pleasure. The pressure builds fast, and I don’t try to stop it, but Knox is needier than the ache inside me.

“Oh!” I scream, getting slammed over the edge of beautiful bliss. “Knox!”

“This tight pussy is begging for my seed even more than you’re begging to come!” Knox roars, erupting inside me.

Our orgasms collide, and Knox sinks his teeth into my back. He bites hard, holding on as his unhinged, ruthless thrusts slam into my clenched walls. His cock pulsating. My pussy shuddering along his length, milking every drop out of him while I cry out for more.

I let out a gasp as his final throbs radiate against my g-spot. Then he’s still. His body relaxes, muscles softening against me until his jaw eases, leaving a trail of saliva as he pulls away. I groan when his dick slips out of me, feeling our combined lust running down my legs.

“You got her ready for me,” Jace snarls, taking Knox’s place behind me. “Hope you don’t need a break, because listening to you come got me so hard I can’t think straight.”

“I’m… fine,” I whimper, my eyes widening as Jace pushes into me.

“Good. Don’t worry about begging for your next orgasm,” Jace says. “Come as many times as you can.”

“Save a couple for me,” Gideon grumbles.

“And plenty more for me. I’m far from done with you,” Knox adds, gently kissing my cheek before completely giving me over to Jace.

Jace drives into me with a ferocity that steals my breath. It’s not as rough as Knox, but it’s a little harsher. Untamed roughness, compared to Knox, who was intentional with it. I’m still trembling, my muscles aching from every drop Knox wrung out of me. Yet my body is ready for more. It reacts to Jace, my hips trying to push back against him, even though I’m unable to move.

“This feels like home,” Jace mutters. “There’s no doubt you’re our mate.”

Jace’s hands dig into my hips, holding on tight as he drives his cock into me. Over and over. Most of the thrusts hard enough to keep me on the edge of a gasp, unable to draw my next breath without struggling for it.

“Rut her, brother,” Gideon encourages. “We’ll put a baby in her belly before Caleb and Vance even get her scent.”

The sounds—our skin, the growl in Jace’s throat, the way my breath catches and breaks—fill the clearing. I can’t speak. Can barely think. My thoughts are all blurry, like trying to imagine the faces in an old memory. But my body knows what it wants. I lean into the rhythm the best I can, letting the vines brace me while I surrender to the need coursing through my veins.

“Jace!” I cry out, my voice cracking. “It feels good… don’t stop!”

Jace changes his angle, a hand sliding around to my clit. He strokes the sensitive bundle of nerves between my legs with his rough, callused finger while he drives his cock into my aching pussy.

“I’m not going to stop until you drain me, Calla,” he grunts into my ear. “And even when I’m drained, it’ll only be a matter of time before I’m inside you again.”

His words. His finger. His hard, steady thrusts. They merge together in a symphony of bliss I can’t fight. I come hard, shuddering and shaking with a rush of pleasure. But Jace isn’t done. He keeps slamming into me, making the orgasm peak higher, until I’m drenched in another one.

Then another.

His grip tightens and his breathing gets ragged. Needy. Hungry. Enough to make my body erupt again. Then I feel him throb. He’s close—close to handing me over to Gideon.

“I’m going to fill you,” he groans, hammering his dick deep and holding it there as his seed floods into me.

“Yes, Jace,” I gasp. “Yes, I want it.”

He stays there for a moment, buried deep, chest heaving, even after I can tell he’s drained. A few shudders make my pussy clench before he slowly pulls out. I’m so full—but the emptiness leaves an ache.

“And now you’re mine,” Gideon growls, nudging Jace out of the way as he takes his place behind me. “Aren’t you?”

“Yes,” I whisper. “I’m yours.”

He’s slower than his brothers. He traces the curve of my hips. His hands slide under my belly and cup my breasts, toying with my nipples as they pebble against his fingers. Soft, almost sensual, like he’s not rushing things tonight.

He teases and touches before his lips press to the back of my neck. His hot breath radiates across my skin before he leaves a gentle kiss there. Then he slides into me. Gently, but with purpose, his thickness filling me up again.

“You feel like you were made for me,” Gideon rasps. “For all of my brothers. Our perfect mate, after so, so fucking long.”

I want to speak, but all I can do is feel. His rhythm building. His firm control. His movements are fluid and steady, causing my pussy to tighten around him, already aching for my next release. But aching for his, even more.

The pressure doesn’t rush to the surface. My body doesn’t scream with a wild need. I just linger there, enjoying the sensual way he takes me. Time loses all meaning. All I know is pleasure.

“I could do this all night and never get enough,” Gideon murmurs. “But my brothers are already getting antsy.”

I can hear it, too. Low growls. Needy whimpers. Knox, pacing like he’s tired of waiting for his next turn. The pacing stops when Gideon’s thrusts speed up. From soft and sensual to hard and fast. Enough to make the pressure leap past the surface in an instant.

“Gideon!” I cry out, gasping for air.

The orgasm slams into me, raw and all-consuming. It was teased too long and now it’s ferocious. It feels like everything inside me shatters into a chain of orgasms I couldn’t stop if Knox threatened to give me a hundred lashes with the switch. My body convulses, twitches, and if the vines weren’t holding me in place, I’d be in the dirt, still taking Gideon’s cock.

“You’re going to make me come so fucking hard,” Gideon roars, his length throbbing.

Gideon holds me tight as he comes. His essence spills into me, feeling hotter and heavier than his brothers. I come several more times, each one leaving an ache, until both of us are spent. His heavy frame leans against me, kissing and touching, before he pulls away.

I’m fuller, but empty again—only for a moment.

“Anyone considered how we’re going to get her free from all this if the vines don’t let her go?” Knox chuckles, rubbing his cock against my pussy.

“We’ll make her ask nicely,” Jace laughs. “But not yet. Definitely not yet.”

“Agreed, brother,” Knox says, pushing into me. “One more time for each of us, then we’ll see if The Tangle wants to let her go. That way we can put her on all fours and really rut this tight little pussy.”

“Mm,” Gideon says. “I’m already getting hard again, just thinking about it.”

I mumble something incoherent, then give in to the pleasure.

The long night is just getting started.