Chapter 69

Zara

I didn’t know what to say, what to do. Did I want to break the bond that was slowly forming between me and the twins? Did I want them for my mates? Did they want me?

I looked at Lucian, and saw his eyes were wolf gold, locked onto me. His wolf wanted me, that was for certain. But what about the man? What did he want?

I turned to Kieran. His eyes flickered, gold to blue and back. I was pretty sure what he wanted. Kieran and his wolf were in agreement. They wanted me. But did they want to be mine, in turn?

“I think we need to talk,” I said to them both.

“Yes,” Lucian said. “Talk. Your room?”

“Okay.” I turned to Tabitha. “I don’t mean to be rude, but…”

“No, no, this needs to be dealt with now,” she said, waving us on. “I’ll sit here and enjoy this delicious tea. Perhaps your friend will take me for a stroll in the garden?”

“I would love to,” Sandra said, voice steady if not enthusiastic. I would thank her later.

Then I was in my room, with both Alphas, and I didn’t quite remember walking there. Kieran pressed up against my back, rested his head on my shoulder. Lucian held me from the front, arms tight around my waist. They held me like they thought I would run, or vanish into mist.

“You’re our fated mate,” Kieran breathed into my ear.

I nodded, voice failing me.

“You never told us,” Lucian said. “Why?”

“I was afraid,” I whispered.

“Afraid? Of us?” Kieran asked. I winced at the pain in his voice.

“At first, yes,” I admitted. “I didn’t want to belong to you. I didn’t want to belong to anyone, not after Adrian. I wanted to be free, and I knew if I told you, I’d never, ever be free.”

They were silent, probably conferring in that silent way of theirs.

“And now?” Lucian asked. I looked up, and saw his eyes were blue again. He’d wrestled control back from his wolf for this conversation. I couldn’t see Kieran’s eyes, but I knew they’d be ice blue, with a flicker of gold. His grip on his wolf was going to slip soon, and he’d take Lucian with him.

“Now,” I took a deep breath. “I could be free. I could break the bond, and go with Tabitha. I think she’d take me if I asked.”

“She would,” Lucian said. “We couldn’t stop her.”

And I knew it hurt him to admit that. I leaned into his hold, just a little.

“Now that I really have a choice… I don’t want to leave you,” I whispered. “I don’t want to lose you. But I don’t know if I can be yours.”

“Then we’ll be yours,” Kieran said.

Lucian nodded. “Yes. We will be yours, and you will be ours.”

“You really want me?” I asked. “After everything?”

“Yes,” Kieran said. “You are perfect for us. You are strong, and stubborn, and kind.”

Lucian added, “After everything we did to you in the beginning, you still chose to care for us. You risked your life to help us.”

“So we’re doing this?” I asked.

“If you want us,” Kieran replied.

I nodded into Lucian’s chest. “I want you. I want this.”

“Then have us,” Kieran said.

I turned my head and found myself eye to eye with Kieran. It took just the slightest tilt of my chin to catch his lips in a soft, almost chaste, kiss. It didn’t stay chaste for long, as his hands began to wander down my body.

Lucian put a finger under my chin and turned me so that he could take a turn. There was nothing chaste about the devouring kiss we shared.

We traded kisses and caresses for several minutes. At some point we tripped over to the bed. I was kept firmly pinned between the two. One or the other always had a hand stroking through my hair, down my back, my arms, anywhere they could reach.

I tugged on Lucian’s shirt, and he slithered out of it. Kieran’s followed soon after. Kieran tangled his hand in my shirt but hesitated until I nodded to pull it over my head. Then Lucian leaned in and started nipping and licking his way down from my neck, to my chest, and Kieran’s hands roamed.

Heat built in my stomach as I tried to return touch for touch and caress for caress. Their attention was overwhelming and all I wanted was more.

Somewhere during all that, Lucian and Kieran managed to lose the rest of their clothing. I’d seen them naked plenty of times before, of course, but this was different. This time they were naked for me. I drank in the sight.

Lucian’s hands hesitated at the waistband of my pants. I wiggled, encouraging him to continue.

“You sure?” he asked.

“The last time…” Kieran trailed off, visibly worried.

“It’ll be okay,” I said, not sure why I was so certain. “This time will be different.”

“Okay,” Kieran said. He caught my mouth in a deep kiss while Lucian did away with my pants.

Then I was curled, naked, between my two Alphas. My mates. They were going to claim me, and I would claim them. I shivered with anticipation, and Lucian held me close as if he thought I was cold.

“Have you ever…” Lucian trailed off as I shook my head.

Adrian had claimed me, but we never completed our bond.

Kieran hugged me tight. “We’ll make it good,” he promised.

“It’s already good,” I replied.

“Then we’ll make it better,” Lucian said.

My world melted into pleasure. I lost track of whose hands were where, whose mouth took mine in a kiss while the other nipped then kissed his way down my spine.

The whole time, my Alphas showered me with praise. I couldn’t form words to tell them how much I loved them, loved what they were doing. I tried to tell them with my hands, with my kisses and the little happy whines that might have come from my wolf as much as from me.

I think they got the idea.

Kieran’s hands touched something molten and I gasped. Lucian stroked my face.

“I think she’s ready,” he said.

“More than,” Kieran agreed.

“Say yes,” Lucian begged.

I nodded. Words were beyond me, but I wanted. So, so much wanted.

Kieran braced me. Lucian positioned himself over me.

“Claim me, as I claim you,” Lucian said.

I nodded and tried to breathe as we came together. My teeth found their way into Lucian’s shoulder, and both Lucian and Kieran marked me as one.

I felt the bond snap tight between us, and then all I knew was pleasure and heat and Lucian and Kieran. My wolf exulted within me, and I felt their wolfbonds smooth out, no longer strained.

When it was over, I lay between them, panting and sated.

“No pain?” Kieran whispered, concerned.

“None,” I promised. “But something feels… different.”

“What?” Lucian asked.

“My wolf… wants to run,” I said.

“In the morning,” Kieran said. “We’ll all run, together. Sleep now.”

“Yes, be with us. Your wolf can have you tomorrow,” Lucian agreed.

Well, that logic was just too sound to argue with. I wrapped myself in their arms and let the heat pooling between us soothe me into deep, dreamless sleep.

Whatever might come in the future, I had my Alphas, and they had me.

I had so many questions to ask, so many things to wonder. But that could wait until morning.

Of course, life had to throw one final surprise my way. So imagine all our shock when Lucian and Kieran woke to find themselves wrapped around a massive, moonlight silver wolf.

It turned out I could shift, after all.