Ranulf lies behind me in his wolf form, massive head resting on my shoulder, his chest pressed to my back. His fur is thick and impossibly soft against my bare body, his breath warm where it stirs the tiny hairs along my neck. One huge paw is draped over my hip; its weight pins me gently but completely.
Before me, curled close, is Alden’s gray wolf, his forehead tucked to my sternum as though listening to my heartbeat—each breath he takes tickles my skin there.
And at my legs, curled protectively around them, is Beric—larger than Alden or even Ranulf—his massive russet head resting over my lower belly, a weight that feels strangely comforting.
They have me enclosed on all sides, their bodies touching mine, heat sinking into my skin in slow, delicious waves. Their scents—earthy musk, pine-laced, warm cedar, and moss—blend into something that feels like belonging.
Ranulf’s ears flick at the change in my breathing. He lifts his head, nuzzling behind my ear in a slow, deliberate sweep.
I shiver. Memories flood back of what we did in the forest.
A soft rumble rises from his chest.
Alden stirs next. He lifts his head, pale blue eyes dark with sleep, and presses his nose into my breast. A warm puff of breathescapes him in a huff of wolfish satisfaction before he takes a long lick right over my nipple.
“Oh,” I pant, heat zipping straight from the taunt needy peak to my core.
Ranulf rumbles an approving sound, and Alden licks me there again.
Beric snuffles me, making a giggle pop from between my lips. His huge head lowers until his snout is right over my pussy, and he inhales me more deeply. Then his tongue flicks out, lapping the inside of my thigh in a light, intimate touch.
My breath stops.
Ranulf shifts, displacing the heat behind me. The air shimmies, and his human hand replaces the paw on my hip. I watch him squeeze lightly over me, depressing my flesh. It is not even a particularly intimate touch, yet it still lights me up.
“Our sweet mate is awake,” he rumbles against the side of my throat, “And if her scent is anything to go by, she is having some very naughty thoughts.”
“I-I wasn’t!” My protest is stringent.
Ranulf’s deep husky chuckle tells me he doesn’t buy into my denial.
“It is assuredly not my fault you all tease me thus,” I say a little petulantly.
“Mate,” Ranulf says gruffly. “The teasing has barely begun.”
Alden and Beric shift to human. I glance from one to the other and feel my cheeks fill with heat. Goddess, they are a lot to take in when in wolf or werebeast form, but their human side puts me in a state of jitters, for they are unquestionably handsome… and there are three of them.
“You looked small and adorable between us last night,” Alden says, drawing my gaze to him. “We took turns watching you rest. Keeping you warm. Making sure no one disturbed us.”
Beric huffs a soft laugh from where he lounges, head propped on his fist, lips hovering over my thigh. “She doesn’t need to know that Ranulf refused to sleep.” He presses a soft kiss to the skin there, making goosebumps spring.
I try to gather my wits, distracted as he kisses me gently again.
“He… didn’t?”
“He remained vigilant the entire night. Wouldn’t so much as close an eye.”
Ranulf’s expression is decided regal when I chance a glance at him. “It was my right,” he says. “You are newly brought into our den. I would not have you wake, perhaps disoriented and confused.”
“And did she wake up thus?” Alden asks with an arched brow before his eyes shift to meet mine. “Or did she seek each of us in the night, even sleeping, her nose against our fur, her small hands grasping onto our coats to keep us close, her cold toes using Beric as a warmer?”
I glance down at Beric, who only smirks, like me using him to warm my toes is a source of personal pride. “My fur is the thickest. It makes sense that she would prefer me.”
Alden laughs and tosses a pelt at him, which Beric catches easily. “I did not say she prefers you, asshole.”
Ranulf chuckles, before burying his nose against my throat and nipping at me there. “Ignore them, mate. You curled toward each of us in turn. A mate instinctively knows to whom she belongs. You are ours to protect. And we are yours.”
Suddenly I am aware of… everything.
