by Callie Rose
For a group of possessive alphas used to getting what they want, their actions speak volumes.
I turn toward Archer too, reaching out to catch his hand and tugging him gently toward me. He offers no resistance, moving to kneel between my legs as he raises our joined hands to his lips and kisses my fingers.
“Are you sure?” he murmurs. “I don’t want to push you too far. I don’t want to hurt you. If you need more time—”
“I don’t.”
My words come before he’s even finished speaking. And I mean them. Maybe I’ll be sore tomorrow, but it will be completely worth it. Archer is just as important to me as my three other mates, and I want to feel him inside me. I want to kiss his golden skin and his beautiful lips.
“I want you,” I whisper, wrapping my legs around his waist to pull him closer.
His cock is slick, and I realize he’s already spilled a little of his arousal, smearing it over his shaft as he stroked himself. He must be close to coming, and I want desperately to have him inside me when he does.
Archer’s jaw clenches, a look of intense emotion washing over his features. Then he hooks his hands under my knees and pulls me a little closer to him on the bed. The stretch as he eases himself inside me is different from the way it felt with Dare. I’m soaking wet, my core drenched in a combination of cum and my own arousal, and that helps ease the slight sting as Archer fills me up.
He watches me carefully for the first few thrusts, as if he’s looking for any sign that he’s hurting me. I hold his gaze, letting nothing but my love and happiness shine through my eyes.
Maybe it’s my silent reassurance, or maybe even a gentleman like Archer has limits to his control, but after a few more strokes, he begins to move faster and harder, driving into me as low grunts rumble from his chest.
He’s still holding my knees, controlling the movement of my lower body as he fucks me, and on either side of me, I watch Ridge and Trystan stroke themselves.
Their movements are just like Archer’s—rough and desperate. Every single one of these men has been brought to the edge, and my breath comes faster as I stare at them, wanting to see the exact moment they hurtle off the cliff.
Archer is the first. My beautiful golden god of a mate grasps my legs in a bruising grip, lifting my ass off the bed and spreading my legs wider as he slams into me. His teeth are bared in something like a snarl as he grinds his hips against mine, his cock emptying inside me with long pulses.
“Fuck, little wolf. You’re so perfect. So beautiful. So ours.” Ridge’s words end in a choked grunt, and arousal spikes inside me as I watch his abs contract hard, his hips thrusting forward as he comes in his hand. Some of his release spills on my stomach, and Trystan groans.
I catch my mate’s turquoise gaze as he comes too, jerking his cock roughly until ropes of cum cover my stomach.
Archer is still inside me, and the feel of my other two mates marking me sends me tumbling into another orgasm that takes me by surprise. I clench hard around his cock, drawing a ragged noise from his lips as my body writhes on the mattress.
By the time the waves of pleasure recede, I feel like a rag that’s been twisted and rung out. Every muscle in my body seems to have gone limp, and I can’t do anything more than grin up at the men around me.
“Our wolf.” Archer’s eyes gleam with happiness, and he leans over me to press a kiss to my lips.
I kiss him back, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and relishing the feeling of closeness. I hardly notice or care that I’m a sticky mess, marked with cum and glistening with sweat.
It doesn’t matter.
Because life is messy. Love is messy.
And these four men are mine. No matter what happens.
25
Sable
We lost the blankets ages ago, but the heat emanating from my four mates is plenty to keep me warm.
I’d had my doubts that all five of us could fit on Ridge’s bed. It isn’t that the bed is so small, but that the shifters are so big. They proved me wrong though, and sharing the bed with them means I can feel their bare skin on all sides.
It’s my new favorite feeling.
Archer’s arm tightens around my waist, and he squeezes me against his chest. I can’t see him since he’s behind me, but I can hear the satisfaction in his voice as he asks, “What are you thinking?”
“How warm I am,” I murmur, sliding my fingers up Dare’s chest. He’s dozing in front of me, his eyes closed and his breaths even. In sleep, he looks so innocent and light. I want to help him be that way when he’s awake too.
At my feet, I have one leg draped over Trystan’s waist as his fingers drift lazily up and down my calf. Ridge is on the other side of Archer, his back against the headboard and one arm wrapped around so that his hand rests in my hair.
“What are you thinking?” I ask Archer.
His lips move closer to my ear, and his breath tickles my skin as he murmurs, “I’m hungry.”
I laugh, and it startles Dare from his sleep. His dark eyes shoot open, and for a brief moment, he looks terrified. Then that expression fades from his face and he smiles, tugging my fingers up from his chest to his lips before he closes his eyes again.
Happiness bubbles up inside me, so overwhelming it feels like my body can’t possibly contain it all. I could stay here forever.
“We did skip dinner,” I point out, craning my neck a little to look at Archer. “It should have been hours ago.”
“I’ve got food,” Ridge says.
Trystan latches on to my leg and snuggles his face into the crook of my knee. “No, let’s just stay here.”
“We need to eat,” I tell him, though his touch is making me reconsider my words even as they come out of my mouth. “If I’m hungry, I know you guys must be starving.”
Dare’s voice rumbles beneath my fingers as he says, “Well, we did work up an appetite.”
I catch his eye and flush at the heat in his gaze. Seems to me his little nap got him ready for round two, and as much as I’m ready to go again, the niggling emptiness in my stomach tells me I need to fortify myself before doing that.
Ridge rolls out of bed and opens his closet. He disappears inside, and a moment later, clothes start flying out to land on top of Trystan at the end of the bed. I untangle myself from all the limbs, and we each grab clothes from the offerings.
I end up in only a large t-shirt, but it feels right to crawl out of the bed where I solidified my mate bond with all of my mates in just a t-shirt. I’ve reached peak trust with these men, in a way I never thought I would.
Plus, something feels different now. The bond, I guess, connecting me to each of them more strongly than ever before. I felt hints of it in the early days, when they claimed me and my wolf had yet to show her hand. But now, it’s vivid and real.
Nobody feels like cooking, but Ridge has a stash of microwave meals in his pantry. We pick our poisons and take turns heating up our dishes, then move the party to the kitchen table with cans of cold soda from the fridge. My first sip is divine, just the right amount of sweetness and carbonation to clear away some of the fog.
We’re too busy stuffing our faces to chat for several moments. The cabin is cool and quiet, the silence broken only by the sound of our silverware, or the clunk of cans on the tabletop. But there’s nothing awkward about this silence—it’s the silence of five people content to just exist in one another’s space.
Until someone knocks at the door.
Trystan, Dare, and Archer stiffen and glance toward the front of the cabin, but Ridge wipes his mouth with his napkin and chuckles.
“Down, boys. It’s Amora.” He pushes his chair back and disappears down the hallway to let her in.
“Does he… smell her?” I ask Archer.
“Scent is a big part of how we recognize each other,” Archer agrees. “But it could be an overall sense too. You’ll begin to recognize that everyone close to you will have a certain ‘feeling.’”
Ridge
returns with the gorgeous brunette shifter behind him and takes his seat back at the table.
Amora looks around at our group, each of us mussed and half-dressed. “Bizarre,” she says with a grin, her green eyes dancing. “Four men to one woman and a completed mate bond for all. That’s gotta make for a full mattress.”
Heat flares in my cheeks, and I stare down into my microwaved mac n’ cheese, horrified that she’s so easily read the situation. Is nothing secret or sacred in shifter territory?
“Aw, don’t be embarrassed.” Amora laughs again, stooping to give me a one-armed hug. I get a whiff of her scent—something strong and citrusy. “I suspected Ridge had met his true mate by the way he acted from the first moment he met you. That’s not something to be ashamed of. I’m glad everyone is sorted and the bonds are in place.”
“Not that I don’t appreciate your support, but what are you doing here?” Ridge asks as he polishes off the last of his meal. “It’s nine o’clock at night.”
Amora grips the back of my chair and leans on it, letting out a long breath. “So, some of the pack are pretty freaked,” she says, addressing Ridge across the table. “Obviously, most people trust you, and they trust the elders who are in support of you one hundred percent.”
“If they trust me, what’s the issue?”
“I support this thing you’ve got going here because I know traditions change and evolve, but the goodwill is only going to last so long before the more outspoken members of the pack demand answers.” Amora gestures vaguely around the table. “This is a strange and fucked up situation. Not the bond so much as the fact that Sable is a witch.”
“Part witch.” The words rush from my lips before I even know I’m thinking them. I glance up at Amora, then look away quickly before she can see the irritation in my eyes. “I’m part witch. I’m also part wolf.”
“I know that,” the tall woman assures me. “The whole pack knows that. Everyone saw it with their own damn eyes, so there’s no disputing or arguing that fact. But it doesn’t answer any of the pack’s questions about safety and security.”
“Are they going to cast me out?” I ask, my heart stuttering.
“Over my dead body,” Ridge grunts.
“So it sounds to me like we need answers regarding Sable’s heritage. Her past,” Archer muses as he shoves his empty food container away and reaches for his soda. “You know there’s one surefire way to get the answers we need.”
Trystan nods, although a muscle ticks in his jaw. “I don’t like it, but it only makes sense. Sable will have to stay here, though.”
“What are you guys talking about?” I ask. “Where can we find answers, and why can’t I go?”
Archer grimaces, but looks me in the eye as he says, “Your uncle. If we want to know about your past, we need to talk to your uncle.”
Cold dread carves a path down my spine, and suddenly, my appetite is gone. I lift my soda only to find it’s empty right when I could use the bubbles to calm my now-roiling stomach.
“Fine,” I say, proud that my voice doesn’t shake. “But I’m coming with you.”
26
Archer
Sable’s fear is visible in her big blue eyes. I can only imagine that the thought of returning to her uncle’s house fills her with the kind of dread I carry around with me regarding the witches. Neither of us would want to return to the site of so much pain and humiliation without a damn good reason.
But behind her fear, there’s determination too. This Sable isn’t the scared little lamb I talked into staying with us that first day I met her, on the day of the council meeting. This Sable has grown and changed—physically, mentally, and emotionally. She’s not giving in to her fear like she used to. Her face is hard and unmoving, ready to take on every single alpha in this room if it means she gets her way.
I’m so proud of her my heart feels like it could burst.
“There’s not a chance in hell,” Trystan snarls, cutting his hand through the air and looking around at the rest of us for support. “Your uncle would kill you sooner than look at you.”
“You’ll stay here. With Amora,” Ridge says in a calmer, less aggressive tone.
“First of all, I don’t need a babysitter.” Sable’s eyes flash, then she glances up at Amora, who’s still standing behind her chair. “No offense.”
“None taken. Get ’em, girl.” Amora offers her a wolfish smile.
“Secondly, this is my past we’re talking about,” Sable adds, turning back to the rest of us. “I’m going.”
Dare shakes his head. He looks at me as if I’m going to have his back before focusing his attention on Sable. “If I have to tie you to the bed, I will.”
Amora cackles. “Come on now. I don’t need to know all your dirty little mate secrets.”
Sable’s lower lip juts out, and I can see she’s gearing up for a fight. I have no doubt she’ll win it too. Before anybody else can speak, I reach out and take her hand. She looks into my eyes, and I try to let every bit of love I have for her shine through my expression.
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” I ask her, pitching my voice low. The question is just for her, screw the others. I need to know what she thinks.
Sable visibly swallows, her gaze darting around the table, but then she squares her shoulders and juts her chin out. “Yes.”
I nod once. If she’s sure, then I’m going to bat for her.
“No! Are you kidding me? Fuck, no. End of story.” Trystan speaks up before I can. “This isn’t a negotiation.”
“We pulled you out of that man’s basement where he was going to murder you,” Dare growls, his wolf just beneath the surface of his skin. “You aren’t going back there.”
I get it. I really do. They’re all worried about her. Hell, so am I. But she’s a grown woman with her own wants and needs, and with a past that none of them can comprehend. Dare, maybe, if he’d think about it logically in comparison to his own trauma. But he’s not a thinker—he’s a doer. As far as they’re all concerned, she’s an innocent woman who needs protection.
Releasing her hand, I address the other shifters. “None of you understand the situation because you haven’t been there before. There’s a certain need to face your abuser, or to face down the people who hurt you. To close the wound so it can begin to heal. I know, because I’ve never gotten that opportunity.”
I pause, thinking of the way it eats away at me every day. I harbor several years of absolute pain and humiliation in my heart, and I don’t want to. I want to close that chapter and forget.
It’s not that simple.
I want to give Sable the chance to heal the wound in her heart. No amount of time or miracle cures will ever heal the marks her uncle left on her body, but she could have closure in this. It’s a small price to pay, and we’ll all be there with her to protect her from him.
Clearing my throat, I go on. “I don’t think it’s anyone’s place to tell Sable what she can or can’t do when it comes to her own past and the trauma she must live with.”
Even as I speak up, knowing I’m doing the right thing in supporting her, my wolf rebels against the idea of Sable being anywhere near her sadistic uncle. It’s dangerous, and God knows I never want this woman to be in danger again.
But our mate isn’t a wilting flower. Over these past few weeks, I’ve come to know her—she’s got a well of hidden strength and resilience inside her, more than even she understands. And now, her wolf has finally made an appearance. She’s complete in a way.
She can do this, especially with all four of us beside her.
Ridge is the first to crack, which isn’t surprising. The two of us seem to be the biggest pushovers when it comes to her. “Fine. But you listen to us and follow our lead. If it gets hot and we tell you to run, you run.”
Sable nods, her eyes big and round. “Deal.”
Dare’s face his hard, a muscle twitching in his jaw. I’m almost certain he’ll side with Trystan on this, but he surprises the h
ell out of me by nodding suddenly. “You should come with us. You deserve to be there.”
“Are you all for real right now?” Trystan throws his hands up, frustration and anger tightening his expression. “You’re just going to lead her right into the lion’s den.”
Sable stands and shoves her chair back, looking down her nose at him. “I’m going. I have to. If you can’t handle that, you’re welcome to stay behind.”
Trystan is on his feet too a second later, his chair scraping over the hardwood. “Yeah, right. Never gonna fucking happen.”
“Then come with us,” she shoots back, emphasizing the word us. “Help keep me safe by being there and having my back.”
“You’d be safer at home. Here.”
“Yes, I would. But I’m still not staying.”
She takes a step closer to him, tilting her chin up defiantly. His turquoise eyes glitter as he stares down at her, and I can see the worry lurking in their depths. Hell, I recognize it as the same emotion that twists in my heart. But I hope he can see why worry isn’t enough to keep her out of this.
As if reading the expression on his face, Sable’s brows unknot a little as she reaches up and cups his cheek.
“Trystan,” she says softly. “I love that you care about me so much. That you want so badly to keep me safe. But I spent too much of my life locked away from the world. I’m not going back to that, not even if it would keep me out of harm’s way. And especially not while the four men I love go up against a potential threat without me. I’m your mate. Your partner. So let me be there for you.”
His jaw muscles jump as his teeth clench. His lips press together in a tight line. Then he lets out a breath, his shoulders dropping a little before he pulls her into his arms.
“Goddammit,” he mutters. “I hate that you’re right. I don’t know what fate was thinking, giving me a mate who’s so damn strong-willed.”
“Fate was thinking I’m just what you need. And you’re just what I need,” she whispers, hugging him back. “That’s why we have to stick together.”
