Page 15

Aliya

B Y THE TIME I FINALLY came back inside, I was exhausted and covered in sweat. The sun had fully set, and night was creeping up the eastern sky. I had managed to hone my targeting and narrow my impact, causing only as much damage as I wanted.

I’d practiced first on shrubs and trees in the forest, then on birds I spotted in the branches. I only killed the first one, then afterward I’d learned to soften my blows to merely knock them off their perches.

I felt bad for the dead dove. She hadn’t deserved to die for my training, and I’d felt compelled to honor her sacrifice. So I picked up her body when I was done and brought her with me inside. I could add her to dinner. Though, at this point, I didn’t care if Jax and Tannin ate or not.

To my surprise, both of them were busily working in the kitchen when I walked in. Tannin was chopping vegetables, and Jax was stirring something in a big pot on the stove.

They both paused their work when I entered and turned to smile at me.

“There she is,” Tannin greeted, and the charm on his handsome face made my insides melt against my will. “Where did you wander off to?”

“Er...”

I was lost for words. Not only because I hadn’t planned an alibi, but also because the scene playing out before me was so beyond my expectations that it left me dumbfounded.

“I was just practicing my skill with a slingshot,” I lied on the spot, then held up the dead dove by its feet. “Figured we’d need other sources of meat than just the chickens.”

“Oh, good,” Jax said, coming to me and taking the dove from my hand. “I can add it to the stew. But, Aliya, you really shouldn’t be outside alone. It’s dangerous out there.”

The look on his face was so sincere and devoid of his typical snark that all I could do was stare at him. And did he just say my name? He usually only referred to me as Princess .

“Uh, okay,” I stammered. Who were these guys?

Jax took the bird to the counter and began plucking the feathers. “Tannin and I thought we’d make you dinner tonight. You know... to show our appreciation for everything you’ve done for us.”

My eyes widened, my bewilderment growing to the point of stupefaction. What the hell was going on here? Was I dreaming?

“So, why don’t you go take a nice bath or something and just relax until dinner is ready?” Tannin suggested.

“O-okay...” I mumbled in a daze, then walked like a zombie out of the kitchen.

Was this actually happening? Tannin had always been the nicer of the two, but after he’d run out on me this morning, I’d expected him to continue to avoid me. And Jax? He was never nice. Even when he was giving me unbridled pleasure, he was kind of an asshole about it, and especially after.

What had caused this sudden turn in them? Maybe I’d misjudged them... Or maybe they were up to something.

I wasn’t about to let my guard down just because their attitudes had suddenly changed. I wasn’t that easy or that foolish. Not anymore. I was the princess of Varinya, and no matter what tricks they pulled, I was still going to banish them from my castle.

However, since the responsibility of preparing food was off my shoulders—for the first time in over a year—I was going to do what Tannin suggested and relax. I was bone-deep exhausted after all the magical energy I’d expended today. And a long, hot bath sounded lovely!

As soon as I got up to my room, I filled the tub with the hottest water I could stand. Then I stripped out of my dirty clothes and slowly sank into it, goosebumps of pleasure covering my skin as the heat saturated into my sore muscles.

Ahhh. Heavenly.

I must have dozed off because a knock on my door made me snap to awareness, my jumpy movements sending water spilling over the edges of the tub.

“Aliya? Dinner is ready,” Tannin called through the door. “Take your time.”

Damn, how long had I been asleep? Long enough for my fingers to be pruney and the water to be tepid, obviously.

I got out, dried myself off, and put on a simple yet elegant dress befitting a princess. Nothing too flattering or ostentatious. I was done trying to impress those men, and I wanted to be comfortable in my own home.

When I entered the dining room, I was shocked by how artfully the table had been set. Bowls of stew were placed in front of the three chairs at the end of the table, and a dish of roasted vegetables sat in the center, surrounded by candlesticks that lent a cozy orange glow to the room.

Jax and Tannin were standing behind the table, apparently waiting patiently for me.

Tannin pulled out my chair as I approached, then tucked it in after I sat. Then they both took their seats on either side of me, looking at me with some emotion I couldn’t decipher. Whatever it was though, made my insides feel warm and gooey.

I looked away, unwilling to let their gazes affect me, and focused instead on the food in front of me.

“This looks really good,” I said, my tone somewhat reserved. “Thank you.”

And it smelled good, too.

I lifted the spoon from the bowl, careful not to let any of the stew spill, and blew on it to cool it. I could feel their eyes on me the whole time, but I kept my eyes fixed on liquid and chunks in the end of my spoon.

Tentatively, I touched the broth to my lips, then put the spoon in my mouth when the heat wasn’t too much.

“Mmm,” I hummed in delight. It was so hearty and savory, and the meat and vegetables were the perfect texture. I hadn’t tasted stew this good since before the kitchen staff fell ill.

“Do you like it?” Jax asked, watching me as I swallowed.

I nodded, my enjoyment of the flavors lowering my defenses. “Yes, it’s really delicious.”

He smiled a beautiful smile. “I’m glad. It’s an old family recipe, but I haven’t cooked in ages, so I’m relieved it has your approval.”

Then they began eating as well, and we fell into an oddly comfortable silence.

Maybe it was their new demeanors, or the comfort-food feel of the stew, or perhaps the cozy glow of the candles, but a deep sense of contentment settled into my bones. Last night, when I’d made them dinner and we sat together like this, I’d been too full of excited energy to enjoy their presence.

How ironic that I only appreciated their company when I knew they’d soon be gone.

No. I couldn’t begin to question myself. Couldn’t allow doubt to get in. Not now when this was so close to being over. When they were gone, I would stop wanting them so badly. Out of sight, out of mind.

“Aliya,” Tannin said, breaking the peaceful silence. “Jax and I have something to confess to you.”

And just like that, my comfort vanished like the flame of a candle being snuffed out. In its place, a heart-skipping curiosity bloomed in my chest.

I wiped my lips with my napkin, then set my hands in my lap. “Alright,” I said, hiding my intrigue.

The two of them exchanged glances, making my interest spike further.

“Well, first off, we both owe you an apology for the way we’ve behaved toward you,” Jax began, his expression endearingly awkward and vulnerable. “Me, especially. I have been inexcusably cruel and dismissive of you, and I’m truly sorry.”

He reached over and put his hand gently on my arm. The sensuous heat of his touch mingled with the sincerity of his words had my walls crumbling.

“The truth is, Tannin and I have mate bonded to you,” he confessed.

It took me a moment to remember that I wasn’t supposed to know that. I scrunched my brow at him, feigning confusion. “Mate bonded?”

Tannin put his hand on my other arm, making me burn even hotter, and I turned to face him.

“We are both black wolves,” he said like it hurt to speak the words.

I gasped, a sincere reaction to hearing him say it out loud.

“We’re so sorry for keeping it from you,” Tannin added hastily, as if afraid I’d freak out.

“Things were so frantic when we first arrived, and Jax was dying, and then you healed him. There just hasn’t been a good chance to tell you the truth.

And with you being the princess of a kingdom that has hated us for centuries, we were afraid how you’d take it. ”

I didn’t know what to say. I knew all this already, but the fact that they were telling me, even though they feared my reaction and rightly so... I was utterly speechless.

“It’s not a good excuse, by any means,” Jax said, “but the reason we’ve been so strange with you is because of the mate bond.

The last thing either of us expected was to be mated to the princess of our ancient hunters.

We tried to fight the feeling, to spare all three of us from unwanted complications. .. but we can’t fight it anymore.”

My heart began to pound, and my core throbbed with a shocked thrill. Did Jax really just say what I thought I’d just heard? Jax? The man who’d made me feel so incredible earlier today, before pulling the rug out from under me.

He leaned closer, and I could feel the heat of his breath on my face. “I’m not strong enough to resist you any longer. And I know you feel it too. That’s why you came to my room today. Tell me I’m wrong.”

Memories of those sultry lips and his skilled fingers flashed inside my mind. I squirmed in my seat.

“No, you’re not wrong,” I confessed breathily. “I feel insatiably drawn to both of you...” I bashfully glanced at Tannin, and the heat in his eyes only intensified the growing need inside me.

“Good,” Jax said, closing his eyes briefly in relief. Then he squeezed his hand on my arm. “Can you forgive us for the way we treated you? For keeping the truth of what we are to you?”

My chest tightened with heavy sadness.

“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “Black wolves are the ancient enemies my forefathers died to protect us from. I don’t know how I can overlook that.”

“The same way we can overlook the fact that you’re the heir of the kingdom that slaughtered our ancestors,” Jax said, an edge growing in his voice.

“It wasn’t easy, least of all for me. But this bond links us in a way that’s unbreakable.

And now that I’ve found you, it doesn’t matter to me who or what you are. ”

I swallowed, my insides so tight with desire, I could barely think straight.

“I know it’s a lot to take in,” Tannin said. “Finding out that we’re wolves must be overwhelming, and I’m sure this bond has been making you feel crazy and confused.”

I nodded. “Yes, it has.”

“For two wolves to mate to the same woman has never been heard of among our people,” Tannin continued. “We can’t explain how or why it happened, and it’s a struggle for Jax and me to know how to handle it, so we decided to leave the choice up to you.”

My breath hitched. Surely, they didn’t want me to choose between them.

Jax’s thumb began to rub lightly over my arm. “Our proposal is that the three of us indulge this bond as nature intended. Together.”

“Together?” Blood rose to the surface of my skin everywhere, making me feel hot and a little lightheaded.

They wanted... me and both of them? At the same time? Okay, now I knew I was dreaming. This couldn’t be real!

“Only if you want to,” Tannin reassured me softly. “We’ll both understand if you can’t see past our differences or forgive us for our actions. Neither of us is going to force you to do anything you don’t want to do. What happens between us, if anything, is completely up to you.”

My hormones were racing rapidly now, making every inch of me burn for them. It was all I could do not to throw myself at either one of them right this instant.

Thankfully, I was able to hold onto the last remaining thread of my rational functions.

“I-I need some time to think about this,” I said slowly.

Longing pinched Jax’s features, but he nodded. “Of course.” He withdrew his hand, and the absence of his warm touch made me feel strangely destitute—like I never wanted him to not touch me ever again.

“Take your time. We’ll respect whatever you decide.” Tannin did the same, and though my heart screamed for his touch to be restored, I was grateful for the chance to clear my head.

I rose and made a beeline for my room. This was all too much.

This day had been a cruel emotional whirlwind. So much flirting and teasing, so much rejection followed by amazing kisses and touches. And now they were laying themselves before me with open arms, offering the greatest temptation I’d ever known!

Wicked, powerful Jax, and sweet, gentle Tannin, both touching me together, kissing me together, teaching my body all the ways to feel pleasure together. It was a dream come true. And my insides ached painfully, blissfully, to experience every sinful thing they had to offer.

But I’d spent the entire day plotting their banishment. And they were still my enemies. Did their confession really change anything? I still didn’t know if I could trust them. My way forward wasn’t certain, and I hated that.

I had a big decision to make, and my whole future depended on me making the right one.