"He's not perfect," Rowan says, his usual measured tone edged with something darker. "He's a predator. And predators are excellent at appearing charming to everyone except their prey."
Regina turns to face us fully, water cascading down her back. I can tell from the way she's looking at us that the walls she usually keeps up are crumbling, and underneath is so much pain that it physically hurts me.
Especially now that we're bonded.
I wish I could do more than just feel it, though. I wish I could take it from her. Every moment of rejection, every painful memory that makes her whisper and wince in her sleep.
"I didn't understand why you all wanted me," she says quietly. "With my…" She trails off, hesitates, and takes a deep breath. "At first, I thought it was about the bond requirements. The university rules. I figured once we were officially bonded, you'd start treating me the way Kyle did."
"Never." The word comes out rougher than I want it to. "That's never going to happen."
"I'm starting to believe that." She reaches up, her wet palm cupping my cheek. "You're all so... different. From him. From everything I thought alphas were." She hesitates, then adds reluctantly, "Especially wolves."
"We're possessive assholes," I admit with a slight smile. "Territorial, overprotective, probably annoying as hell. But we'd never hurt you. We'd rather gnaw off our own limbs than cause you pain."
She smiles a little bit more. "I know."
Through our bond, I feel the shift in her. The letting go of old fears, the tentative reaching toward something new. She's not all the way there yet. Years of conditioning don't disappear overnight.
But she's trying.
She's letting us in.
And that's more than enough for now.
Rowan finishes rinsing the conditioner from her hair, and I resume the massage, working my way down her arms. We're both pointedly ignoring certain physical responses to the proximity of our naked, wet mate.
Harder than fucking calculus.
"This is nice," Regina murmurs, leaning into my touch. "Really nice."
"We could do this every morning," Rowan offers. "If you wanted."
"Every morning?" She laughs. "I'd never leave the fucking shower."
"You wouldn't have to," I say, grinning again. "We can install a waterproof mattress. Move all meals to the bathroom. Start a new trend."
"You're ridiculous."
"You've said that already."
"It bears repeating."
I work my thumbs into a particularly stubborn knot at the base of her neck, and she makes a sound that's probably supposed to be innocent but goes straight to my groin. My resolve wavers. Just a little bit.
"If you keep making those noises," I warn, "my self-control is going to become a casualty and I'm going to end up begging you to let me touch you."
"Sorry." She doesn't sound sorry at all. "It just feels really?—"
The bathroom door slams open.
"I SMELL HORNINESS AND BACON IS READY IN T-MINUS FIVE MINUTES," Killian bellows from the doorway, his voice pitched to carry over the running water. "SO NO ONE HAD BETTER BE FUCKING IN THERE."
We all freeze. Then Regina bursts into laughter that shakes her whole body and echoes off the bathroom tiles.
"We're not fucking," I call back, unable to keep the grin from my voice. "We're being supportive."
"Supportivelynaked?" Killian's growling tone drips skepticism.
