Princess of Wolves: A Reverse Harem Romance

by Starling, Bree

  I blinked, unsure if I had understood. “You mean Edie wanted Ruby with her instead of my grandmother when she was dying?”

  “So she said. She said something about the Priestess always wanting to hold her back and she was tired of it and didn’t want her around anymore.”

  Now that didn’t make any sense. Gram was a healer with decades of experience. Ruby was only a healer in training. But I did remember Gram saying that Edie had some issues, although never to anyone but me. Maybe Gram had finally started being more outspoken and Edie tried to punish her because of it. Pack politics were a tricky thing.

  “Do you know what Edie died from, Sage?”

  He shrugged. “She was sick. She wouldn’t tell any of us because she didn’t want to seem weak. I only saw her once. She only let Ruby come see her at the end.”

  As much as I disliked Edie, I guess I couldn’t fault her for that. If I was sick I wouldn’t want a bunch of folks hanging around. I realized Sage was looking at me expectantly, so I smiled at him.

  “Sorry for asking so many questions. I’m just trying to get to know everyone again, you know?”

  He gazed at me like he was trying to tell if I was serious or not, then nodded. “Well, that’s good.”

  “I’ll leave you to your work, then. Thank you.”

  After he had shut the door on me, I knew where I had to go.

  22

  Beau

  I had never been inside Jasper’s cabin before. He kept it ridiculously neat, which didn’t surprise me. His space was mostly utilitarian; the only decor was a patterned rug in front of the fireplace and a few family photos on the walls. Although I couldn’t see them, I knew that Jasper had weapons stashed in every room, a practice that he’d picked up from his father. For the most part, life was peaceful in Silver Grove, but I knew Jasper was the Lead Guardian because he was prepared for anything. And as one of Allie’s protectors, I was glad he was like that.

  Mal paced by the fireplace, unable to sit still. “I hate being away from her,” he growled. “At least one of us should be with her all the time. Just in case.”

  “You know why we can’t do that,” Jasper said. “She needs space to speak to the Pack and make her own choice. And anyway, you disobeyed me and went to see her this morning.”

  “Oh, like you stayed away?” Mal shot back. “The only one who hasn’t messed up is Beau.”

  “Not for lack of wanting,” I said. The truth was, being separated from her had been horrible. I’d practically had to lock myself in my cabin. I wasn’t mad that Jasper and Mal had gone to see her, though. The three of us were a team now, with one goal: making Allie safe and happy. The only trouble was that I missed her like a drowning man misses breathing.

  “She’s talking to Sage now,” Jasper said, ignoring Mal’s little outburst. “I told her to come here after she finished. She knows about the possibility of being Challenged.”

  “Who told her that?” I asked.

  “Ruby.”

  “Of course,” Mal said, shaking his head. “I’m telling you, that lady is bad news. Did you check the Priestess’ room?” he asked Jasper.

  “Yes. Ruby made her a tea, but it looks clean. No sign of wolfsbane.”

  “You think Ruby would do something like that?” I asked, startled. It was hard to kill a werewolf since we healed too quickly. The Wolfsbane plant was one of the few poisons that affected us, but it had a distinctive smell. Of course, Jasper would be smart enough to check. I felt a surge of admiration for the Guardian.

  He frowned. “I don’t underestimate anyone, Ruby least of all. But no, whatever is wrong with the Priestess is something else. It seems like some kind of poisoning, but if it’s not wolfsbane then I don’t know what else it could be.” He sounded as frustrated as I felt.

  “Did you warn Allie about Ruby?” I demanded.

  “I tried,” said Mal, frowning. “She didn’t take it well. Our girl is too loyal.”

  “Loyalty isn’t a bad thing,” Jasper countered, giving Mal a look. “Allie is smart, but she’s only been back for half a day. She’ll figure out what Ruby is really like soon enough, but us harassing her about it won’t help. All we can do is keep an eye on Ruby to make sure she doesn’t do anything suspicious until then. I’m keeping guards at the Priestess’ cabin.”

  Mal looked like he was about to shoot back a sarcastic answer, so I interrupted. “If Allie knows about the Challenge, does she know about the ritual?”

  “I don’t think so,” Jasper answered. “But I stand by my assertion that we should not tell her unless she agrees to stay on her own.”

  “I still think that’s dumb,” Mal said, shaking his head. “She deserves to have all the information we have. Then she can make a real choice.”

  I could see his point, but there was a problem with his logic. “Mal, if we tell her about the ritual and she agrees but ends up unhappy here, then it will be our fault for talking her into it. But if she comes to the decision to be Queen on her own, we can and will do everything in our power to help her. Right?”

  He looked unhappy, but he nodded. “Right. Damn you, Beau, why are you always so reasonable?”

  I grinned at him. “Someone has to be.”

  “There’s one more thing we have to discuss,” Jasper said. “And we have to do it quickly before she arrives.”

  Mal stopped pacing, and we both looked at him expectantly.

  “As I mentioned before, if we perform the ritual and it doesn’t work, we’ll still be bound to her and to each other. For life,” Jasper added, his voice calm but deadly serious. “And if it doesn’t work, and Allie still can’t shift, that likely means we’ll have to leave Silver Grove for her safety.”

  “And then we’ll all be outcasts from the Pack forever,” I finished softly. Jasper nodded at me.

  “Well, that’s the worst-case scenario,” Mal said.

  “True, but it’s very possible. She’s only half wolf, remember,” Jasper said. “In any case, we’ve all had our time to think it over. Now we have to come to a decision.”

  “I’m with her,” Mal said, without a moment’s hesitation. “I love her, and she’s proven her power. She’s the real deal.”

  Jasper nodded, then looked to me. “I loved her from the start,” I said, smiling at the memory. “I want to be with her, no matter where we all end up.”

  Mal and I gazed at Jasper. He was the one who had the most to lose as head Guardian. He had built his whole life around protecting the Pack, just like his father before him.

  He took a deep breath. “On his deathbed, my father called me in to speak to me. He wasn’t a sentimental wolf, mind you. I knew he loved me, but I can count on one hand the times he said it out loud. Anyway, I was sure he was going to tell me something practical. But instead, he told me to always remember what I was really protecting.” Jasper glanced at his father’s picture on the wall for a long moment in silence. “I think Allie is the true Queen, and I think if the ritual doesn’t work then the Pack isn’t meant to exist any longer.”

  Mal whistled. “Seriously?”

  “Yes,” Jasper said. “Allie has power, but more importantly she has the proper attitude to rule. To help others, not make them serve her. We need someone who can rebuild our bonds with each other and with other Packs. In my mind, it’s her or nobody. But I believe in her. And in you both,” he said, with a slight smile.

  “So now it’s up to her,” Mal said.

  A soft knock at the door made Jasper stride across the room and fling it open. Allie was framed in the doorway, and she looked troubled. “What’s up to her?” she asked.

  * * *

  Jasper ushered Allie inside and shut the door. I couldn’t resist being away from her one second longer. I crossed the room, Mal one step behind me, and the three of us enfolded her into a triple hug. I felt a sense of pure goodness as we embraced her, as if nothing bad could happen as long as we were together.

  She looked like she was about to burst into tears. “I misse
d you all,” she murmured. “Terribly.”

  “Us too,” I whispered, nuzzling her hair. Our combined scents enveloped me, forest and bonfire and summer peaches. They all smelled of home. I could have stayed like this all night, but I knew we had things to discuss.

  “Come,” Jasper said, leading her over to the fire. The setting sun had brought a chill to the air, and the flames were warm and bright. She settled down on the soft rug and let the warmth bathe my face, thawing my nose. Mal, Jasper and I settled down around her in a half circle.

  There was a strange look on her face. “Is something wrong, Allie?” I asked gently.

  She nodded, looking troubled.

  Mal reached out and took her hand. “You can tell us anything, Princess,” he murmured. “You know that. It doesn’t go beyond this room if you don’t want it to.”

  Allie took a deep breath, her eyes darting nervously to each of us. “I think Ruby is responsible for Gram being sick, and for Edie dying.” She looked sickened as she spoke, but she kept going. “And I think she’s been spreading lies about me to the Pack.”

  Jasper, Mal and I looked at each other, the firelight reflecting in their eyes. “I’ve had my suspicions,” Jasper said. “But without proof, I can’t touch her, and she knows it. She’s smart and she waited until the three of us left to fetch you to start her little lying campaign.”

  “We have to stop her,” Allie said, her voice suddenly full of passion. “No. I have to stop her. I want to be Queen and protect my people. But I don’t know how. She’s physically stronger than me, and she always will be, since I can’t shift.” Her shoulders slumped, and she looked to us again.

  Mal was smiling, and when she caught him she glared at him. “I don’t see what’s funny about this.”

  “I’m smiling because we might have a way to help you, Allie,” he said. “We were just waiting for you to ask.”

  23

  Allie

  “You mean there’s a chance I might be able to shift?” I whispered. I could barely say it out loud. It seemed like too much to hope for.

  Beau nodded. “We each give you some of our power, and it charges you up like a battery,” he said, grinning. “Then you use that to shift.”

  “Give me your power? How?”

  Mal winked at me. “The oldest way.”

  I felt a low throb of desire as I realized what he meant. Orgasms were a great way to power magic since they provided a huge concentrated burst of energy. It sounded a little crazy, yes, but no crazier than some rituals I’d seen.

  “Have you done this before?” I asked Jasper.

  He shook his head. “I found it in one of the old books. And there’s no guarantee that it will work.”

  “And if it doesn’t work?” I said, noticing the slight hesitation in his tone.

  The men shared a glance, then Beau spoke up. “If it doesn’t work, then we should all leave Silver Grove. To keep you safe, Allie.”

  “What? No. You wouldn’t have to leave,” I said. I hated the thought of leaving without them, but I wouldn’t take them away from their lives here.

  Mal rubbed his chin. “Actually, we would. What ol’ Jas here didn’t mention was that the ritual would bind us all together. Like mates, but times four. So if you left, we would leave too.”

  “I can’t ask you to do that for me,” I said. But a small secret part of me loved the idea of the four of us making it official, of them becoming my mates. I already couldn’t imagine the rest of my life without them.

  “Too late,” Beau said, reaching out to take my hand. “We all already agreed to do it.”

  I stared at him, then looked to Mal and Jasper. Jasper nodded, a little half-smile on his lips, and Mal flashed me a grin.

  “You decided this behind my back?” I said, looking around accusingly. They had done it for me. The thought made my heart skip a beat. “I… I can’t decide if I want to punch you all or kiss you all.”

  Beau chuckled. “You can do whatever you want to us, Allie.”

  A sudden realization hit me like an icicle through the heart. “If it doesn’t work, what about Gram? I can’t leave her like this.”

  “Of course we won’t leave her behind,” Mal said. “Don’t worry, Princess.”

  Jasper reached out and took my other hand. I could feel the strength in his calloused fingers as he twined them with mine. “We’ll figure something out,” he said, and I knew by the way he said it he wouldn’t stop until he did. I felt so grateful to him, and to all of them. For the first time, it felt like I had a Pack, a home. They were my home.

  “So what do you say?” Beau asked.

  I looked at each of them in turn, their eyes glowing in the firelight. Beau, my childhood friend, so sweet and kind. Jasper, the Guardian, powerful and beautiful. And Mal, mischievous and fiery. I loved them all, and I wanted to spend my life with them. And if they were willing to give up everything to give me a shot at being Queen, then who was I to refuse such a gift?

  “I want to be Queen,” I said, “But no matter what, I want you to be my mates. Let’s do it.”

  Years later, I would look back on the smiles on their faces when I made my choice as one of the happiest moments of my life.

  * * *

  Jasper was going around preparing by turning down the lights and lighting some candles. Beau and Mal stayed with me on the floor in front of the fireplace, and I took comfort from their warm bodies pressed against mine. “So,” I said, suddenly shy, “any last minute first-time shifting advice?”

  Mal looked thoughtful. “You have to focus your whole mind on it,” he said. “Mind over matter. Think of how it feels, imagine it happening.”

  “How does it feel when it starts?”

  “Your skin prickles, because your fur is coming in,” Beau said. “And your bones ache, especially your legs and your teeth. It hurts some the first time, but you’ll get used to it the more you do it.”

  “Your senses will sharpen,” Jasper said, joining us on the rug. “Everything will become clearer.”

  “But what does it feel like before you shift?” I asked again, still not sure I was getting it.

  “Honestly? It’s kinda like when you come,” Mal grinned that wicked smile I loved so much. “You harness the strong emotional energy inside. And you can feel the magic build and build inside you until it pushes your body over the edge.” His low voice sent a shiver through me.

  “Show me,” I whispered, and we began.

  They knelt around me in a triangle on the rug, and I loved being surrounded by them. Beau grabbed the hem of my sweater and gently tugged it up, revealing the simple cotton camisole I was wearing underneath.

  He leaned forward, claiming my lips in a soft kiss as he eased me onto my back on the rug. My eyes were closed, engrossed in the soft press of Beau’s lips, but I could feel another pair of hands pulling off my boots, while a third popped my jeans open and slid them down my hips.

  My heart was thudding, and I could feel a hot need building between my thighs. The three men moved with smooth coordination with one goal in mind: me. It was a powerful thought, and I gave myself over to them, trusting them, loving them.

  I could hear a shuffle of movement, and Beau leaned back, breaking the kiss to let me see what they were doing. Jasper and Mal were shedding their clothes with smooth easy grace. I loved how powerful they were, and how beautiful, and how kind. Each perfectly muscled, each unique, and all for me.

  Mal knelt in front of me, easing my legs apart. He bent down, eyes finding mine, and slowly kissed up my inner thigh, working his way up. The hot press of his lips made me shudder with pleasure. His talented mouth pressed against my pussy, and the heat of his breath through the cotton made me ache with need. With one sharp yank, he ripped the fabric like it was paper. I gasped as the air hit my bare skin, and his tongue followed close behind, making me dig my fingers into the rug beneath me.

  Beau had stripped while I was distracted by Mal, but now he knelt down beside me to peel my camisole
off, freeing my breasts. He gazed down at my body like a starving man who just had a feast laid out in front of him. “You are so beautiful,” he murmured as he bent down to nuzzle my neck. His lips brushed my skin, his tongue trailing a slow circle around my nipple, tearing a groan from my throat.

  Jasper had moved to my other side, silent as a shadow, and his mouth found my other breast. My spine arched involuntarily from the pleasure of three skilled mouths on my body, working over my most sensitive parts. Hands gripped my thighs, slid down my belly, ghosted across my skin. “Yes,” I whispered, my voice melting into another moan.

  Mal leaned back, and I felt the press of his cock against my soaking pussy. I arched my hips in silent appeal, and when he slid inside me it tore a gasp from my throat. “Fuck, you feel so good,” he growled, his voice raw with lust. “So tight. Fuck.”

  Beau moved up to kneel beside my head, and I felt the silky skin of the tip of his cock as he glided it teasingly across my lips. Needing suddenly to be filled by both of them both at once, I wrapped my hand around the base and guided his cock between my lips, savoring the gasp it brought from him.

  Jasper’s clever fingers and tongue were tormenting my nipples, squeezing and lapping just the way I liked it. I felt deliciously helpless under his powerful hands.

  “I’m close,” Mal ground out, his fingers tightening on my hips.

  “Give her your power,” growled Jasper. “Help her.”

  Mal’s hips snapped into me, and I moaned around Beau’s cock as he drove into me. And as Mal flooded me with his cum, I swear I felt a strange energy surge into me, like millions of little sparks. It flowed through my body like a current, and I gasped as much from surprise as pleasure.

  When Mal withdrew, I whined in protest, missing the feeling of being filled. But Jasper moved swiftly to take his place. His eyes found mine, the gold of his irises darkened by his large pupils as he gazed down at me like something to be devoured. I gasped as he slid inside me: he was even bigger than Mal, and I felt myself stretch to take him.