by Ann Denton
Punch him in the face? He obviously kissed her. He's hurt, though, what kind of a fucking tool bag am I? Maybe she kissed him?
"Did you kiss her?" I asked, taking a couple steps in Easton's direction, even though I knew I shouldn't. If it was anyone else, even Drake, I probably would have shot him, point blank. But Easton? Easton had always had my back, even when I went toe-to-toe with the dragon. He was the asshole that always showed up with a Tupperware meal when I was on a stake out. Could he really betray me like this?
He sat up fully and dangled his legs over the edge of the makeshift bed. "No."
I’d been stabbed once when I was fourteen. Some mage fuck saw an easy target and sank a ten-inch blade through my back. That hurt less than this. Every nerve ending screamed in pain and rage. My eyes drifted closed and I took a deep fucking breath.
Channel your rage. This woman is your mate, not your next fucking target. I had to shove down years of cold-hearted fury and dig deep to find the tendril of tenderness Aubry sparked in me.
I turned toward my Butterfly and intentionally softened my voice. "Did you kiss Easton?"
Her body stayed eerily still, but her head turned until her big brown eyes locked with mine. And I knew. I fucking knew it was true. God damn it...
"Can I explain myself before you freak out?" she asked.
No, princess, I'm already freaking the fuck out. "Sure."
My eyes slid back to the bear. Could I kill Easton? He was my friend and I considered him part of my pack, but he'd been kissed by my mate. I needed to make sure that never happened again, and I damn sure wasn't killing her.
Aubry took a deep breath and spun around, fingers nervously twiddling in front of her. "When we were fighting at the station, I saw a mage shoot Easton. I tried to push him out of the way, but... he's a big guy. I couldn’t move him far enough. When he went down, he didn't start healing right away. I was afraid he was going to die."
Right, which he still very well may. I haven't decided yet.
I was pissed as fuck that she thought a near-death experience was cause enough for a make out session with my pack mate.
"I..." She shook her head and her eyes misted over. "When I realized he was okay, that he was going to live, I told him the truth: that I'd committed to you. And that there couldn't be anything else between us."
I glared at Easton as he gazed at Aubry who stared down at the floor. The love in his eyes was so raw and pure, it cut me to fucking pieces.
"Are you finished explaining yourself?" I asked Aubry, my voice cold and emotionless.
She bit her bottom lip and glanced up at me, tears filling her eyes.
I'm going to take that as a yes.
"Good."
Time to freak out.
Red tinted my vision. I strode over to Easton and punched him right in his stupid, mate-stealing face. "You son of a bitch!" I growled as I punched him again. "You couldn't just let me have this one thing, this one woman, all to myself?"
In my mind, I ripped off his arm and threw it across the room. In reality, I simply threw another punch.
Easton stood and shook his head, brushing off my punches without so much as a wince. The huge fucker didn’t even have the damn decency to pretend to be hurt. Instead, his animal turned his eyes gold. Good. That meant it was fucking on.
Easton’s hands came down on my shoulders and he headbutted my face. Our foreheads collided, but he also nicked my nose, and instantly blood ran down my face.
I swiped my upper lip and launched into him again, but he was ready for me. He blocked and countered, our forearms clashing, our fists deflecting toward each other's shoulders.
Larry poked his head in for a moment, his eyes going wide with shock. "You can't do that! Easton needs to rest!"
But the bear just hauled off and slugged me in the ribs.
"Fuck off, Larry," I growled, rubbing my muscles where Easton's punch had landed.
"Seriously, you guys," Larry tried again, frizzy hair bobbing. "Easton can’t afford to get hurt worse right now."
"Hurt? He'll be lucky if I don't kill him," I snarled. My wolf wanted blood. He wanted to sink his teeth into Easton’s neck and shake the bastard.
Goldilocks's eyes flashed gold and he said, "I'm fine, Larry. We're gonna settle this shit once and for all."
"Bodie." Aubry’s tone pleaded with me. My mate bond twinged. But if she could fucking ignore it, so could I.
I spun around and smirked at her, my teeth sharpening into wolf-fangs. "What's wrong, Buttercup? Don't think your new ‘mate’ is strong enough to take me?"
Easton roared and charged at me, slamming us both across the room. Wood and bone snapped beneath us as we crashed through old exhibits, decimating some mastodon that had been salvaged from the tar pits.
Finally, Larry gave up. "We’re leaving." He, Drake, and Russ, one of my pack members, filed out through the door.
Drake merely rolled his eyes when he saw us. He knew better than to interfere. "Fucking primates." That was his only comment before he walked out after Larry.
When they left, they shut and locked the door behind them, trapping us inside as we brawled.
Aubry just shook her head, at us or them, I wasn’t sure. But then she said, "Fine, fight it out like toddlers, you pea-brained, dipshit, fucktard alphas. We can talk it out after you’ve both given each other concussions."
"That’s the plan. If Easton makes it. But the baby bear here has never loved the fight, have you, Goldilocks?" I taunted from the floor.
Easton landed a blow to my cheek bone and my eyes flashed with heat as I used his body weight to flip him over my head then roll backward so that I straddled the fucker.
Mate thieving fucking punk!
Rage tumbled through my veins like river rapids. My wolf wanted to come out and play, but I kept him at bay. This was a man's fight. And I wanted to fuck Easton up the old-fashioned way.
I slammed forward and headbutted his gunshot wound. He gasped and winced, shoving me off and clutching his chest as he scrambled once more to his feet.
Pride and satisfaction rollicked around inside underneath my fury.
"Fucking pussy," he spat at me.
I merely shrugged. "Some might call that a cheap shot. I call it using my resources to my advantage."
Easton suddenly turned toward Aubry, a look of shock and fear in his eyes.
I immediately turned her way, freaked out, adrenaline changing from anger to fear in an instant. But Aubry seemed fine. Just a little pissed. She stood in the corner of the room, arms crossed, toes tapping in annoyance.
"This gonna take much longer?" she asked.
That's when Easton sucker punched me in the mouth. Pain exploded across my jaw until everything from ear to ear ached.
"Some might call that cheap shot," he taunted with a grin. "But I call it using my resources to my advantage."
I spit on the floor and wiped my face, the blood from my busted bottom lip now mixing with the dried-up blood of my nose. Easton's face was bruised and swollen, but not bleeding yet. I figured I'd better fix that in a hurry.
Rearing back, I pretended to jab at his face. As soon as he reached up to block, I slugged him in the gut, and when he bent down to clutch at his abdomen, I kneed that fucker in the nose. Blood instantly ran like a river, awakening my predatory instincts. Yes. My wolf wanted more blood, more destruction.
I picked him up—the heavy fuck—and threw him into an old saber tooth skeleton, the bones scattering all over the room. I stalked over to him, prepared to hit him while he was down, but he clubbed me in the face with a fucking femur bone, sending me straight down to the floor.
"Are you morons done yet?" Aubry shrieked. Her wings fluttered as her annoyance flared.
I grinned at her, slightly dazed. "I'm just getting started, baby."
Easton stood and clubbed me again, this time in the stomach. I curled up into a ball and groaned as he smiled over at Aubry.
"Almost done, babe." Then he fucking win
ked at her. "Give me a few more minutes to toy with my prey."
Oh, hell fucking no.
My vision shifted to my wolf’s and everything turned shades of furious blue because he couldn’t see red. I kicked out with my leg, knocking Easton onto his ass. He hit the ground hard enough to rattle the bones of the sole skeleton still standing in the far corner of the room. "Don't ever wink at my mate again!"
We both clamored to our feet and circled one another. "She's not just your mate, Fuzzball. She's mine now, too."
His attempt to claim her made my wolf snarl. I growled as we sidestepped and stared, never taking our eyes off one another. "I don't give a fuck what you think you feel. You’re wrong. You’ve lost too much fucking blood and you aren’t thinking straight. I’m gonna give you one chance... because you’ve been a friend to me, Easton. One chance. Say it. Aubry is mine."
He chuckled, near-madness dancing in his eyes. "Aubry is mine."
My beast howled in my chest, clawing to be set free. "I'm gonna fuck you up."
"I thought that's what you were already trying to do, puppy dog?"
Bastard! I roared, charging him with a shoulder to the gut, pushing until I slammed him into a glass-encased shelf full of fossilized teeth and claws. The framework gave way, crashing on top of us as shards of glass and tiny artifacts tinkled like jewels when they hit the concrete floor.
"Oh my god, are you guys okay?" Aubry asked, peering across the debris to where we both emerged covered in dust.
I grinned at her. "You like that?"
"Never been better," Easton replied almost at the exact same time.
As I turned to glare at him, I heard Aubry huff in the background. I was pretty sure she'd just gone from genuinely worried to annoyed. I imagined her crossing those amazing legs and checking her watch, wondering when the alpha showdown would finally be over.
Part of me was calmer than before. Getting a few swings in let the testosterone vent out like steam. But the hurt and adrenaline raging in my blood were like the gurgling of a violent volcano. The eruption had already occurred, but the hot pit of hurt still festered.
I snapped my teeth at Easton. "You ready for another round, you over-sized Honey Graham?"
He chuckled, lowering himself into a defensive stance. "Ready when you are, squeaky toy."
"Squeaky toy?" I sniffed out a laugh against my will. Easton had always sucked at smack talk. "That's the best you got?"
Before I could blink, his fist connected with the side of my head, making me stumble but thankfully not fall. Fuck, he was quicker than he looked.
"I wouldn't give you my best anything," Easton taunted. "You're just a bratty little pup too used to getting his way to play fair or share."
"Share?" I was astonished. "You're fucking kidding me, right?" I moved in, assaulting him with blow after blow as I drove each syllable home. "I. Have. Shared. Everything. My. Entire. Life!"
Easton blocked as best he could, keeping low to guard his face and abdomen. So, I started hammering his back instead. "But. I. Will. Not. Share. My. Mate!"
Suddenly, he lurched upright, and jabbed me with an uppercut to the jaw. My teeth snapped together, and, for a moment, the room spun.
"Too late," was his smart-assed reply.
That comeback fucking sucked. I was about to verbally rip apart his asshole when his gaze drifted over to Aubry once more. His eyes widened in disbelief as his jaw dropped open.
I fucking cackled. "Not gonna fool me twice, dumbass. Better learn some new tricks."
He reached out and swatted my shoulder, never taking his eyes off where they were locked behind me. He didn’t stop looking even when I wrapped a hand around his neck.
Alright, fine. I'm intrigued.
I sighed, but kept my grip as I turned around, fully expecting a blow to the back of the head. I had a back kick for his nuts at the ready.
But instead, my eyes bugged, and my swollen lips parted.
There in the corner of the room, was Aubry. She'd removed her pants and underwear, and the Hawaiian shirt Larry had given her was unbuttoned down the middle, barely covering each of her breasts. Her pink lips curved into a sensual "O" shape as she watched us with a hooded gaze.
She leaned up against the wall... touching herself.
Jesus fucking Christ.
My mate was fucking fingering herself as she watched us, and the room was filling with the heady scent of her arousal.
Stronger men had caved for less.
My animal howled, and so did my cock, neither of us able to resist.
4
Aubry
I was not going to let my mates pound each other to a pulp. They could do that to my pussy instead. My fingers circled my clit as I leaned back against the wall. I was desperate for this to work, but I was also slightly worried that it wouldn’t. I wasn’t nearly wet enough yet. So I paused touching myself and brought my fingers to my mouth. I sucked on them to wet them down, giving the guys an oral show as I did.
"Ungh," Easton groaned. I couldn’t tell if he was turned on or not because I didn’t allow myself to look at him for two reasons. First, I didn’t want to lose my nerve if it wasn’t working. Secondly, no dom would ever let me look at him without permission. And even though neither guy had given me that order, I pretended they had. It helped me slip more into sub space.
My mates needed a show. They needed me to take care of them, to serve them in ways they couldn’t even articulate yet. They needed me to end this fight for them so that neither of them would lose face. Because... at the end of the day, they needed to be equals. They needed to be partners.
As my mates, neither one of them could dominate the other or there would be continual resentment. I’d seen what continual resentment did growing up with my parents. I didn’t want to experience it ever again.
So, instead, I was going to appeal to their baser instincts and make them give in to a need even more primal than dominance. Sex.
That thought got me hotter. I widened my legs and leaned further against the wall, pushing out my pelvis to give them a better view as I returned my hand to my clit.
I let my fingers tease me for a minute, before pulling my lower lips apart and letting my mates peek inside.
Bodie’s possessive growl was familiar. It was the same kind he’d used during sex. I felt victory flare inside me as I snuck a hand up to grab my left breast.
"I need to come," I whispered. "But I can only do it if you both take me at once." I slid my hand off my breast and into my mouth. I lubed it up heavily before bringing it down to circle my ass.
I sunk a single finger in front and back at the exact same time and my breath hitched.
"Fucking hell," Easton groaned.
"Don't you look at her," Bodie snarled. I heard a fist hit flesh again.
God damn it! If this wasn't enough to stop them, what the hell would be? I closed my eyes as the idiots grappled, still throwing punches. I tried to imagine each smack of flesh was part of a scene where two doms fought for the right to fuck me. Which was kind of true.
Alpha shifters and doms weren’t that different.
I spread my knees farther apart, moaning and adding a second finger to each of my holes as the vision took over and my need increased. I grew so wet that my scent filled the air like caramelized sugar.
The sounds of hitting stopped and I called out, "Don't. Keep fighting over me. You're gonna make me come."
Instead of complying, rough hands grabbed my hips and yanked me up. I opened my eyes to see Bodie in front of me. He pulled my fingers from my pussy and lifted them up to his mouth, sucking them clean while I watched. Then his lips popped off my digits.
"Fucking hell, Buttercup, look at how wet you are," he moaned. "That scent drives me insane."
"I love my mates fighting for me," I said.
His hand smacked my ass. "Don't say mates. That's a fucking lie." Bodie moved behind me and started to help me slide my fingers in and out of my ass.
Easton roared f
rom in front of me. "Don't lay a hand on her! She's not a fucking liar." I heard him huff as he started to shift.
"No! I like spankings, East," I confessed. "Take off your belt and spank me."
Easton knelt in front of me, human again. He reached out to cup my cheek, and I peered into his bright blue orbs. "I'm not gonna belt you, Spitfire."
"I sure as fuck will," Bodie responded. A leather strap smacked me across the top curve of my ass. "You promised!" His voice was laced with fury, but underneath, I knew the anger hid deep-seated pain.
"I know," I said. Part of me wanted to justify myself. But the other part of me knew he needed me to submit. The alpha in him had been wronged, he'd been undermined. He needed to put me in my place. "Punish me, Bodie."
Another whack heated my right ass cheek and I paused my fingers. This moment wasn't about my pleasure. It was about Bodie's pain.
Whack.
"Stop!" Easton cried.
"East, I'm okay." I soothed softly, staring down at him.
Bodie smacked me again before I heard him unzip. I slid my fingers out of my ass and said, "Mate."
Bodie growled and yanked my hair as he teased my asshole. He spit on it and lubed it up. "This is gonna hurt."
I just grinned at Easton but kept my tone soft and submissive. "I know."
Bodie rammed into me hard, his hip bones smashing into mine and I screamed. It hurt so good. It was like getting in that knockout punch in a fight, the kind that reverberated up your entire arm but felt amazing because it was pain and victory all in one. It was the best sensation ever.
Easton automatically leaned forward and grabbed my face. Without thinking, I kissed him.
When our lips touched, magic seemed to fill up my body. Not just the magic of violent sex. A new, unnatural warmth seemed to flow through me from head to toe, the luxurious heat of desire multiplied a thousand-fold.
"What the hell is that?" Bodie asked in wonder, his strokes slowing, his fingers brushing over my wings, caressing that spot I loved.
