Her body tingled and her core pulsed around their fingers. The low growls from her men filled the room, their wolves pushing them to mate. Joseph crawled up her body and kissed her gently before leaning over and kissing Rowl, who was stretched out by her side.
“I love each of you, my mates, and I’m so thankful to have you both in my life.” Joseph’s voice rumbled with emotion. “I love you so deeply that my life would have no meaning without you two in it.”
Karli cupped his stubble-covered jaw before saying, “We love you just as much, mate.”
Rowl nodded his head in agreement. “We are blessed to have one another.”
She could feel the head of Joseph’s cock pressing against her core but not entering her. She longed to feel him deep inside her and flexed her hips in invitation. No, she wasn’t a blushing bride. She may be a virgin, but she knew what she wanted, and that was her mates.
“Ready?” Joseph asked, and she was astonished by his show of restraint. If it were up to her, she’d be on round two by now.
“Yes, make love to me.” She wasn’t too proud to ask for what she wanted. “I accept you as my mate.”
Karli felt Joseph press harder against her core, so she lifted her legs and wrapped them around Joseph’s waist. She was more than ready to bind her life with her mates and wanted to express that physically. He pushed deeper until she experienced a sharp pain. Karli knew he was pressing against her hymen, the last vestige of her virginity, and was eager to gift this to her mates. Joseph locked eyes with her before pushing forward, breaking through her thin barrier and taking her as his mate. The pain was quick and soon faded as Joseph thrust deep and buried himself inside her.
Joseph lay frozen, not moving an inch, and Karli knew he was waiting for her body to adjust to his invasion. She moaned as she flexed her hips, taking him a little deeper.
“Move, Joseph. I want to feel you thrusting in and out of me.”
Joseph growled and with his grin in place, he pulled out of her until only the tip of his cock remained before sliding back into her. Karli cried out in ecstasy, every fiber of her being craving more, and Joseph delivered. The speed at which he was pumping in and out of her body left Karli holding on tight as pleasure assaulted her from all sides. Her body screamed for release, but he kept her on edge, backing off when she neared her peak.
He sucked the spot where her shoulder met her neck, causing her hips to flex in unison with his thrusts. This was where he would give her his mating bite, binding them forever. Her body shook as he lavished her neck with attention, his cock filling her again and again until she reached the point of no return.
With one final nibble to her shoulder, Karli screamed as her release took her. Rowl whispered words of love in her ear as she came. Moments later, Joseph’s rhythm faltered and he howled before biting her, burying himself deep and filling her with his seed. She turned her head and took hold of his tender flesh, biting him with her canines, binding them for eternity. Her legs fell open as the rush of pleasure took her body, and she felt suspended in time.
“Love you, mate,” Joseph whispered before kissing her softly.
“I love you too, Joseph.”
He pulled out of her slowly, making her moan, but before she had a chance to miss the feeling of his muscled body on top of her, Rowl took his place. He was hovering over her, love shining in his eyes. “Do you accept me as your mate, Karli?”
Again, without hesitation, she answered, “Yes, Rowl, I accept you as my mate.”
He dove deep and filled her. Karli’s screamed her approval and filled the room with her growls of pleasure. Rowl was thicker, and Joseph was longer, both giving her the pleasure she craved. Karli looked up to find Joseph positioned behind Rowl, overtop of them both. Rowl’s eyes opened wide. He stopped mid-thrust and spread his legs wide.
His eyes locked on Karli, and she watched as his pupils dilated further and his face was caught between pleasure and pain. Based on the scent of the oil in the air, she guessed Joseph was preparing Rowl’s body to accept him. Rowl’s hips thrust repeatedly but froze as Joseph draped his back.
“Do you accept me as your mate?” Joseph asked Rowl.
“Gods, yes,” Rowl answered as he hitched his hips upward.
Rowl braced himself while still deep inside of Karli. She could feel his body shudder as Joseph took him. With every thrust of Joseph’s hips, Rowl pushed deeper inside of her. His legs spread wide, accepting and giving at the same time as their bodies writhed above her. Karli was lost in a world of physical pleasure while her heart melded with her mates.
Rowl stiffened and thrust deep before coming inside Karli while simultaneously biting her. Her body wasn’t her own as she bit Rowl, holding him still for Joseph to do the same. Rowl released her at the same time as she did him, seconds before he spun the top of his body around and bit Joseph.
Their bond snapped into place once the last mating bite sunk in. Joseph slid to their sides while Rowl continued to kiss the mating bite he’d given her. They’d done it; they’d finally mated and no one could separate them now. She’d never been happier.
“That’s a big smile you have there, beautiful,” Rowl teased before trailing kisses down the side of her neck.
“I’m so happy to be mated to the two of you,” she gushed like a schoolgirl.
“We’re a complete triad now, and nothing will ever take you from us again,” Joseph swore. “Now, how about we get you two into a hot tub? The soak will help with any tender spots.”
Soon, she found herself settled into the extra-large tub they’d had installed. Joseph tended to her and Rowl, rubbing soothing oils over their bodies as they cuddled together in the steam-filled room.
The life she’d dreamt of since she’d been a teenager was finally hers, and she’d do anything and everything to keep it.
Chapter Eight
Joseph lay awake as the sun rose and began streaming onto their bonding bed. A bed that held his entire world: his mates. Arms and legs tangled together, their matching mating tattoos filling him with pride. He would love, protect, and care for them for the rest of his days and hopefully into the afterlife. The three had made love until the early morning hours and his mates were both sleeping soundly when he heard footsteps on the front porch followed by someone sitting down in one of their rocking chairs.
Rowl’s eyes popped open and he looked at Joseph. “Easy, Rowl, I’ll go check to see who it is. You stay and watch over our mate.” Joseph knew if Karli was awake to hear him she’d give him an earful about not needing to be watched over. But he couldn’t curb his instinct to protect.
Joseph slipped out of bed, put on a pair of pants, and headed for the front door. Whoever it was better hope they had a good reason for taking him from his loves this early in the morning or there’d be hell to pay. He opened the front door and scented their visitor before seeing him. Alpha Aldric. It had to be important for him to bother them the morning after their bonding ceremony.
“Alpha, is something wrong?” Joseph asked.
Aldric looked up and Joseph could see the worry in his eyes. “Good morning, Joseph, Rowl, and Karli.”
Joseph turned to find his mates standing in the doorway, Rowl in his jeans and Karli in one of his T-shirts that went to her knees. He should have known neither would stay behind and let him face the unexpected alone, even if it was only their alpha.
“Come sit down. We have a lot to discuss.” Aldric motioned to the surrounding chairs.
Joseph kissed each of his mates as they walked past him and then joined his alpha and sat. It didn’t take long for Aldric to jump right in.
“New information has come to light as the result of King Leonidas’s investigation into Alpha Saxx and Karli’s parents’ disappearance.”
“Did they find them?” she asked, and Joseph could feel the pain she was experiencing as if it were his own. That was the strength of their bond; they could now feel each other’s emotions. Over the next few days, these changes would beco
me more evident, along with Karli’s gifts, which were shared during mating.
“No, there still hasn’t been any sign of Atilia or Ferone. But we have uncovered the motive behind Alpha Saxx’s interference in this matter. He’s first cousins with Alpha Rocco and had struck a bargain with your parents to deliver you to him in exchange for money and protection.”
“Why me? Why do they want me so badly?”
“Apparently, your secret is out. They know about your ability to withstand magical attacks.”
“How did they get all this information?” Rowl leaned forward in his chair. “Did Saxx admit to this?”
“No, Saxx didn’t say a word. He can rot in prison with his cousin. It was his beta that filled us in before he was taken away for his part in the scheme. It seems they believed if you mated one of them, they’d share your ability,” Aldric explained.
“Moot point now. We’re mated—there shouldn’t be any further threat. Right?” Karli prompted.
“We hope so. Your parents have to be found, as well as the reaper they hired with the help of Saxx.”
“So it was a reaper,” Joseph grumbled as he reached for her hand.
“Yes. Karli was right.” Aldric smiled warmly at her before continuing. “There’s another matter that we must discuss and a decision made before the king returns to the palace tomorrow morning. I wish I didn’t have to throw this at the three of you so soon after your bonding, but I have no other choice.”
Joseph looked at Karli and Rowl before facing Aldric. “Tell us, Alpha.”
Aldric leaned forward and rested his arms on his thighs. “It appears Saxx ran his pack a little differently than most. Power and all decision-making came from the alpha and beta alone. There is no further hierarchy or pack administration to take over in the interim now that their alpha and beta have been jailed.”
“Will the king take responsibility for the pack?” Joseph knew it was a relatively small pack of roughly three hundred wolves.
“No, he has another alpha in mind for the job. The king wishes to present the pack to you, Joseph. Ceva has confirmed that you are a matured alpha simply waiting to be given the chance. Once you accept, your alpha marking will come into place on your right arm.”
Joseph stood abruptly, stared at his mates, and then began to pace the length of the porch. Him? Could he run his own pack? Not alone, that’s for sure. He needed his beta. His best friend. His trusted mate. “I will take the position only if Rowl is my beta.” Joseph knew Karli would be a fantastic pack omega, but he didn’t know what Rowl would say, especially since his leg was still healing. “Wait, we need to discuss this as a family. We can’t give you an answer right now, Alpha.”
“Understandable, this is a family decision. But I need an answer by supper tonight. I’ll expect the three of you to arrive before six. We have a lot more to talk about,” Aldric instructed before standing and walking to the steps leading down to the front yard. He turned at the last moment and said, “Although we’ll miss you three, know that you’ll make a fine alpha, Joseph, especially with those two by your side.”
“Alpha, how far away is this pack?” Karli asked.
“Over six hundred miles,” Aldric replied. Not exactly a distance conducive to popping over for a visit, Joseph thought. “I’ll see you tonight.” Aldric waved as he walked away.
“Is this the same pack from the ghost town we found you in while we were hunting the ogres of few months back?” Rowl asked Karli. Joseph remembered it as a fairly nice town with a town hall, fire and police stations, and shops.
“No, we were visiting my aunt’s pack. I loved going there. Eagle’s Cove isn’t as nice as that town,” Karli explained. “We moved to Saxx’s pack when I was seventeen. I hated living there. Besides, if Alpha Saxx wanted me, why wasn’t he the one to try and court me and not his cousin Rocco?”
“He was on the list of the three alphas scheduled to attend your courting,” Joseph explained. “Alpha Aldric had Lothar checked each of the three out for any suspicious activity, but his family tree or the state of his pack never came up. Lothar was kind enough to provide us with the suitors’ names after that.”
“I’m almost afraid to ask who the third alpha was supposed to be,” Karli stated.
“The king has already sent out a team to visit with the third alpha and try to ascertain if he was involved,” Joseph assured.
“Why would three alphas be working together?” Rowl asked the question Joseph had been thinking. He didn’t have an answer either.
“Why don’t we go back inside, make some coffee, and talk it over?” Joseph suggested.
If Karli hated living there, Joseph would never force her to go back. The same could be said about Rowl. If he refused to become Joseph’s beta, Joseph would not take responsibility for the pack. In actuality, this decision wasn’t up to him at all. Whatever his mates decided, he would honor. After all, their needs came first.
Karli made the coffee on autopilot. She couldn’t believe they had been offered the same pack she would have run from only months earlier. It wasn’t the other members of the pack that were the problem; that honor fell to her parents, the alpha, beta, and a few powerful families in town. How Saxx ever thought she would choose him as her mate was mind-boggling. She had never told her mates about her experiences while living under Saxx’s rule and the fear and intimidation he’d inflicted upon his pack to keep that control.
She hadn’t been shocked when she learned her parents had made a deal involving handing her over. After everything that’d happened, she’d be more surprised to find her parents on bended knee begging for her forgiveness.
“Karli, calm down, sweetheart,” Rowl soothed, bringing her out of her thoughts. She looked down to see she had small electrical pulses shooting between her fingers.
She took a deep breath, shook out her hands and got herself under control. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” Joseph urged. “If you are against returning to the Eagle’s Cove pack, then we won’t go. I promise I would never put you through anything you weren’t one hundred percent behind. I love you, mate. Your happiness is everything.”
Karli was touched by Joseph’s offer. This was his chance at becoming an alpha wolf of his own pack, but he would give that away in an instant for her. Joseph would be a wonderful alpha, completely selfless and always putting everyone else’s wellbeing before his own.
“Let’s sit down so we can discuss this calmly, and I’ll tell you what I know of the pack,” Karli suggested before taking her mug of coffee and heading for their big sectional couch. She cuddled into one of the corners as Rowl sat down beside her and Joseph sat in the upholstered chair in front of them.
She took a sip, needing the caffeine boost desperately before she delved into the past. Joseph and Rowl waited patiently for her to start, but she didn’t know where to begin. Might as well be the beginning. “I never understood why my parents moved us to Eagle’s Cove, but with everything we’ve learned so far, I can see now they had my future all planned out for a long time. It was always their intention to sell me off to the highest bidder, or in this case, possibly three bidders.”
Rowl and Joseph both moved closer to comfort her, but after the dyr attack, Karli no longer wasted any more emotions on her parents. “It’s okay. I’ve come to terms with what my parents are really like. I have a family that loves me now.”
“Yes you do, mate,” Joseph said without hesitation.
“We have always loved you,” Rowl agreed.
“That’s why I’m able to move on and stay strong.”
“You have more strength inside of you than me and Rowl combined. You lived through hell, even before your parents took you away from us. They never showed you the love you should have had.” Karli could feel Joseph’s sadness as he talked. “I remember all the times we found you hiding in the forest in tears. You never told us why. To this day, I still wonder what happened to set you off.”
To share what she’d lived throug
h, to face her past, she had to reach inside to a place she’d buried the moment she reunited with Joseph and Rowl. Karli took a deep, cleansing breath before aligning her thoughts. “My mother was, and I’m sure still can be, violent on occasion.” Their deep, deadly growls confirmed that her men had an idea of where this story was leading. “She’d become irate when I wouldn’t do as I was told.”
“Including the many times you were told to stay away from us, right?” Rowl asked.
Karli had a feeling they already knew, but they deserved an answer anyway. “Yes.”
She had seconds to place her mug on the side table before she was lifted into Rowl’s arms. Joseph’s chair went crashing to the floor as he stood and began to pace. “I remember all the times they warned us to stay away. Gods, if I knew you were being hurt…”
“You two would have disappeared from my life to protect me, and I couldn’t have lived with that. Little did I know I would be forced to leave you. I should have run away with you back then.”
Joseph dropped to his knees in front of her and Rowl. “Mate, I’m so sorry we were the cause of any of your pain.”
“Please. You know none of this is your fault. My parents are responsible for their actions. She was violent and he allowed it. Hell, for all I know, he encouraged it.” Karli felt her fingers tingle. “At least now we know why they wanted me far away from the two of you.” Rowl’s chest rumbled with his deep growl.
“When we arrived in Eagle’s Cove, I realized how different this pack was from the pack we’d left. Our home was basic, and parts of it were in disrepair. I began to notice all the houses and shops were much the same way. But the alpha’s house and those of two powerful families put the others to shame. Those were freshly painted with manicured lawns.
“I was a sad, withdrawn teenager when my parents pulled me away from you and the home that I loved. At the time, I didn’t really understand everything that was happening around the Eagle Cove pack, but over the years, I began to hear things and see things that didn’t make sense. The members of the pack were friendly to me but always seemed on edge, as if they were waiting for something to happen. I was ordered to stay in the house or on our property. I could never wander around on my own. It became my jail.”
Karli's Resolve (The Black Ridge Wolf Pack Book 3) Page 10
