by Callie Rose
But in the back of my mind, a little voice reminds me that this was only the first of many obstacles in our path—and one of the easiest hurdles to clear, really.
Now I just need to make sure the rest of the wolves can actually win the fight.
I’ll never survive the guilt if we lead the packs right into the line of fire, and they never return home.
25
Sable
With the first hurdle taken care of, a sense of greater urgency falls over the village. From the elders to the warriors to my mates, everyone feels a stronger need to get moving, to attack, to finish this before the witches have a chance to screw it up for us.
But we aren’t prepared.
Not quite yet.
While Gwen gets to know the men and women who will be staying behind with her, the pack continues prepping for battle. The fields outside the edge of the village become training grounds, where everyone who will be fighting practices their moves. Weaponry, wolf combat, anything that they might need to take down the witches.
Meanwhile, my men and I continue practicing with the mind link.
It takes half a dozen times to really get the hang of pulling them into the astral realm, and then half a dozen more times to practice dragging them all in at the same time. Then we start working on transporting them in wolf form, which turns out to be even more difficult than when they’re human.
But eventually, it works.
I still can’t believe how much my strength and power have improved since I learned to trust the witch inside me. I’ve studied Gwen’s spell book front to back, and I’ve even spent some time going over things and practicing with her, now that I have the option of training with a real witch.
She seems impressed by my abilities too. I’m still far from a master at any of this, but she tells me that my instincts are good. I’m learning to use a combination of sigils and raw power that I bend to my will, and although it isn’t how most witches practice magic, it works for me.
The evening before we’re set to head out toward Cleo’s territory, my mates and I cook a feast to end all feasts, each of us chipping in on the preparation. I try not to think of it as a “last meal” but that’s what it feels like, and I wring out every last drop of happiness from the time we have together. Just in case it really is the last happy time I’ll spend with these four men.
But even the laughter and the good-natured joking between the guys isn’t enough to fully calm my nerves. I’ve been drawn as tight as a bow string all day, and I can’t imagine it’s going to get any better before tomorrow, when we march on Wolfsbane Mountain.
I’m lost in thought for the dozenth time, my imagination spiraling through possible scenarios of what we might face in the fight, when Trystan nudges me with an elbow. “Pass the pepper, sweetheart?”
“Say please.” I shake myself out of my reverie, shooting him a teasing look as I reach for the shaker sitting by my plate.
Trystan leans in and nips at my ear, then presses a purposefully wet kiss to my cheek. “Please.”
Archer chuckles, and Dare snorts. Ridge shoves his fork in his potatoes and grins as he mutters, “Kiss-ass.”
Trystan accepts the shaker from my fingers and upends it over his food, winking at me as he does.
And suddenly, everything seems to slow.
All the turmoil that’s been haunting me all day, all the worry I’m clinging to for their safety, for my safety, for the safety of our combined pack… it’s all gone as quickly as if a wave of crystal clear water came through and washed everything clean.
The fear fades. All I’m left with is a soul-deep certainty.
I love these men.
With my whole entire being.
I put my fork down next to my plate, then reach across Trystan’s body and take the pepper shaker from his hand. He raises an eyebrow at me as I set it firmly on the tabletop, clearly wondering what I’m doing.
But I don’t let him wonder for long. Reaching up, I grab the front of his shirt and yank him in for a kiss.
He stiffens a little in surprise, but even taken off-guard, it doesn’t take my mate more than a half-second to start kissing me back. He cups the back of my head as my lips part, allowing his tongue to slide into my mouth. The kiss is deep and possessive and hungry, and the way it goes from zero to one hundred in just a few heartbeats tells me that although he might’ve been hiding it better than I was, he’s been feeling the exact same way I have.
Anxious and unsettled, fearful about what the future may bring and desperate to cling to what we have here and now.
The rest of the table grows silent, and after a long moment, I feel fingers tug gently at my chin. Trystan must feel it too, because he releases me, stealing one more quick peck before Dare turns me to face him where he sits on my other side. He’s the one to initiate this kiss, and it’s all teeth and tongue and hungry, demanding lips. It’s like he’s trying to communicate everything he’s feeling through this kiss, as if it’s too much for words and he has to show me instead.
I give myself over to it, shifting in my seat to angle my body closer to his.
It’s not close enough though. Dare makes a frustrated noise in his throat, and a second later, I’m being lifted out of my chair. I half expect him to carry me to the bedroom, but instead, he perches me on the edge of the table, shoving his own chair back and stepping between my legs to deepen our kiss.
“Suddenly, I’m not so hungry anymore.” Archer’s voice comes from behind me, where he sits on the other side of the table. There’s a teasing lightness to his tone, but there’s something else beneath it that makes my heart beat faster.
“I am,” Ridge says, and I know exactly what he means. It’s the same thing Archer meant.
All of us are hungry. All of us are starving.
But the thing we’re craving is no longer food.
There’s a scraping sound as dishes are shoved aside, and a moment later, Dare wraps his arms around me before gently laying me back on the kitchen table. I tilt my head a little as he releases me, looking up at the upside down faces of Ridge and Archer.
“Hi,” I murmur, a slow smile spreading across my face.
“Hi, beautiful.” Archer smiles back at me. Then he kisses me, our lips meeting upside down as Ridge nuzzles his nose against my hair.
When my kiss with Archer breaks, the two of them reach down in such perfect synchronization that I’d swear they’re sharing a brain. They each grab the hem of my shirt and pull it upward, and I arch my back a little to help them, raising my arms to allow them to drag it off. At nearly the same moment, Trystan and Dare begin to undo my pants, shimmying them down over my hips and down my legs.
There might’ve been a time when the idea of four men undressing me at the dinner table would’ve struck me as scandalous or, at the very least, strange. But now it feels like the most perfect, most natural thing in the world.
This might be the last night we all spend together in this house, safe and whole and together.
And I don’t want to waste a second of it.
Ridge and Archer are still kissing me, trailing their lips over my mouth and jaw as they cradle my head in their hands. Trystan leans over the table to press a kiss to my stomach before dragging his mouth upward and flicking his tongue over the swells of my breasts.
Dare’s hands fall to my thighs, his calloused fingers gripping my legs as he spreads them open. I can’t see all of him with Trystan leaning over me, so the moment when he buries his face between my legs takes me by surprise, even though I’ve been anticipating it.
The first swipe of his hot tongue makes me whimper, and Ridge draws the sound out of my mouth with another deep kiss. I reach up, hooking my hands around the backs of Ridge’s and Archer’s necks, anchoring myself to my two mates as Dare eats me out like I truly might be his last meal.
His tongue lashes back and forth over my clit before pressing against the sensitive little bud and rolling in slow waves, making my hips buck off the tabl
e. He grabs them to hold me steady, never stopping his relentless assault as he makes my eyes roll back in my head. Every time I think I’m almost used to the pattern, he changes it, moving from fast to slow and back again. When he stiffens his tongue and thrusts it inside me like he would his cock, I let out another breathless cry. The other three men never stop touching me, kissing and groping me as Dare pushes me closer and closer to pure ecstasy.
I’m writhing on the table, held down only by the mouths and hands of my mates, and when Dare slips two fingers inside me and curls them toward himself, my eyes fly wide open as I suck in a breath.
“Fuck. Oh fuck. I’m coming. I’m—”
I don’t even get the rest of the words out before the orgasm plows into me like a speed train, knocking the wind out of me with its intensity. I clamp my legs around Dare’s head so tightly that he probably can’t hear my scream of pleasure as I come hard on his face.
His tongue slows but doesn’t stop, easing me down from the height of pleasure so slowly that it’s like the orgasm just goes on and on. When my legs finally unclench from around his head, my muscles all go lax. My heart is thudding heavily against my ribs as I blink up at the four men surrounding me.
Dare licks his lips in a dirty, hot as hell gesture, his brown eyes burning as he rises slowly to stand.
“This might be one of my all-time favorite sights,” he says roughly, running his gaze over me. “Nothing in the whole goddamn world could compare to this.”
“Amen,” Trystan murmurs before leaning over to nip at my breast again. I grab his head and hold him there, not letting him pull back right away, and he laughs against my skin as he draws my nipple into his mouth.
He swirls his tongue over it, sending little shocks of pleasure shooting through me, and when Ridge leans over me, I reach up to slide my fingers through his dark hair.
“More,” I gasp. “Please. I want—I want all of you.”
“You have us, little wolf,” he promises, dipping his head to press a kiss to the tip of my nose. “Always.”
“Then fuck me.” The words are out of my mouth before I even have a chance to consider being embarrassed by how dirty they sound. “All of you. I want all of you at the same time.”
Trystan’s tongue freezes on my breast, and Ridge pulls back a little, his eyes blazing with desire as he meets my gaze. His nostrils flare as he drags in a breath, and I know he can smell my arousal in the air. Then he stands suddenly, gesturing to Dare.
A second later, I’m hauled into Dare’s strong arms, plucked off the table as if I weigh nothing. My legs wrap around his waist automatically, and even though I’m probably leaving a wet spot on his shirt, I don’t care. I tighten my thighs around him, grinding against him a little and making my clit throb.
He chuckles, striding toward the bedroom with the other men right behind him. “Almost there, moonlight. We’ve got you.”
Inside the bedroom, he settles me on the bed with gentle care before reaching up with one hand to tug his shirt off. The others do the same, shucking their pants too before crawling up onto the mattress with me.
“You sure you want this, Sable?” Archer asks. I can see the tenderness and care in his eyes right alongside the fierce desire, and I love that he wants to take care of me so much. But I also know that there’s nothing else I want more in this moment.
“Yes,” I murmur. “I want it to be like before, with you and Trystan and Dare. But I want Ridge inside me too. I want to feel all of you.”
His pupils expand, and he nods, moving closer to me as his hands slide up my body. “We’ll have to get you ready. To make sure it doesn’t hurt. I only want to make you feel good.”
I nod, a flutter of nerves passing through my belly. What I’m asking for is a lot, I know that. And I’m certain it will be intense. But even if it hurts, I feel like it’s the kind of pain I need right now. I need something to ground me and center me in this moment—not somewhere in the future, worrying about the what-ifs and terrifying possibilities.
Just here.
Just now.
With these men who’ve claimed my heart and soul.
All four of them gather around me, kissing and touching me until my entire body is humming with sensation. It becomes a sea of pleasure, and I feel like I’m floating in it, lost in the rolling waves.
When Ridge slides two fingers into me, just like Dare did earlier, I hum in satisfaction, arching my back off the bed. He fucks me with them with slow and steady movements as Trystan’s thumb works my clit, building me up so gradually that my entire lower half feels swollen and needy. I can feel my arousal coating Ridge’s fingers, sliding down my thighs to soak the blanket, and when Ridge gathers my slickness and begins to circle my back hole with it, I brace my heels on the mattress and breathe deeply.
The first finger he slides in feels familiar. I’ve felt this before, from both Trystan and Dare. It feels good, a strange intrusion that heightens all the other sensations in my body.
The second finger is more of a stretch, but by the time he slides it inside me, I’m ready for it. The other men haven’t stopped their worship of me, and my chest is flushed from the scratch of their stubble against my pale skin.
When Ridge presses a third finger past the tight ring of muscles, I gasp as pleasure morphs into pain and back again.
Trystan bites down on my nipple, drawing my attention back upward. He laps away the sting and meets my gaze. “Relax. Push against him a little. It’ll make it easier.”
I do as he says, and Ridge’s fingers slide deeper. They’re all so infinitely patient with me, slowing down every time I tense up and worshiping my body so completely that I feel like I’m balancing on a knife’s-edge of pleasure, ready to slip over into the pure bliss of an orgasm at any moment.
Finally, Ridge slips his fingers out of me entirely. With his other hand, he gathers more of my slick arousal, using it to coat his cock, stroking himself as he looks down at me. “Are you ready for me, little wolf?”
I nod, biting my lip as I meet his gaze. Without being prompted, I turn over and press up to my hands and knees, craning my neck to look over my shoulder at him. The look on his face nearly takes my breath away. It’s awe, desire, tenderness, and something almost like gratitude.
He leans over to kiss me, and I feel the head of his cock nudge my back hole. The other three men all surround me again, showering me with kisses and soft words as Ridge slowly presses inside.
There are bites of pain as my body stretches to accommodate him, and I force down the butterflies in my stomach, trusting that these men will never hurt me. That, just as Archer said, they’ll only ever make me feel good.
And by the time Ridge is fully seated inside me, I don’t feel pain anymore. I just feel… full. Stretched and overwhelmed in the best possible way.
“God, you’re so tight.” Ridge’s voice is hoarse, as if it takes effort to speak. Or maybe it’s taking all his effort not to move yet. “Are you ready for Trystan? You want him in your pussy?”
My core clenches in response to his words, as if it’s answering for me. He must feel it too, because he lets out a low, rumbling chuckle. When I glance over my shoulder again, I see him nod at Trystan.
Trystan’s chocolate brown hair glints in the light as he catches my chin and presses a kiss to my lips. Then he maneuvers into position beneath me, until I’m straddling his waist. His cock slips just an inch into my core, and I can feel how wet I am, how my arousal is already slicking the way for him.
“Sable.” His voice is deep and serious, and when I look at him, I see so many emotions burning in his eyes. He reaches up to cup the side of my face, pressing a little deeper inside me. “I love you. We love you. Never, ever forget that.”
“I won’t,” I whisper. “I can’t. It’s stamped on my soul.”
His smile beams up at me like the sun, and as if that’s just what he needed to hear, he finally gives me everything I need. He thrusts the rest of the way inside me, filling me up in a
smooth, careful motion.
I catch my breath, forgetting how to breathe entirely for a moment as my body adjusts to the feeling of being claimed by two of my mates at the same time. I thought I felt full with just Ridge inside me, but now I feel something that goes so far beyond that, I don’t even have a word for it.
My eyelids drop closed for a moment, but I force them open, not wanting to miss any of this. I lift my head and catch Archer’s gaze, finding him staring at the three of us with such abject desire on his face that it makes my toes curl.
“Come here,” I murmur.
He doesn’t hesitate, moving toward me on his knees. His cock juts out from his body, hard and thick, and I brace one hand on Trystan’s chest as I reach out to run my fingers lightly along the length of it. Archer leans in to kiss me, then I turn and find Dare, gesturing him closer too.
He and Archer end up on either side of Trystan’s head, and as Trystan and Ridge begin to move, one pulling out and sliding back in before the other does, my two other mates help support and steady me. As my body adjusts to the new wave of sensations, I reach for Archer’s cock again, and this time, I take him in my mouth.
“Shit,” he whispers, resting his hand on my head as his fingers delve into my hair. “That feels so fucking good.”
Good. I want to make him feel like I feel. I want all of my mates to feel the same pleasure I do, to feel my love for them in every movement, every touch.
With one hand still braced on Trystan’s muscular chest, I find Dare’s cock with the other, stroking him as I draw Archer deeper into my mouth. As Ridge and Trystan pick up their pace, I switch between my two mates, using my hand on one and my mouth on the other until they’re both groaning loudly.
All of us are breathing hard, our bodies sweaty and hot, and I lose track of time as we move together. I lose track of everything except the sensations crashing through me, the feel of my mates surrounding me, their love and desire filling the air around us like a tangible thing.
I come hard, tightening around Trystan and Ridge and making them both curse softly as I squeeze them rhythmically. But they keep moving, fucking me harder and deeper until the wave of pleasure rises and crests again.
