A moment of rational thought hit me at that moment, clearing my mind of whatever was happening between us. He didn't know me. How could he be so sure? How could he give his whole heart so readily?And to me?
Unable to keep my desires at bay anymore, I surged forward, crashing my mouth against his. The taste of us together, a slice of sweet magic with a twinge of copper, caused a moan to vibrate between our lips. The mark on my arm flared white-hot, but I couldn't focus on anything except his mouth, his fingers, and this moment.
A third finger entered, stretching me, and stars burst behind my eyelids.
His hand wrapped around my throat, tilting my head back as he swallowed my gasps. His thumb found my clit and circled, firm, relentless. Three fingers pumped hard and fast, pushing me overthe edge as my body locked up, clenching so hard I felt like something might break.
The orgasm that ripped through me spread across my body, and I tore away from his mouth, crying out his name.
He groaned against my neck, teeth sinking in hard. Wet heat splashed across my stomach, and for one glorious second, I felt it. That connection. That golden thread of a bond. Fate tying us together.
Footsteps thundered. Voices shouted my name as my mind came back online. Conrad. Zeth. Nick. I looked up to see all three of them stumbling to a halt in the doorway.
A growl tore from Deslen's chest. He shifted into a massive black jaguar, covering me with his body until he paused. When he took a few sniffs toward the three of them, the tension drained from his shoulders.
He shifted back into his human form. Standing before them, smiling brightly, he extended his hand to them. Completely naked.
"Oh! I didn’t know I was blessed with mate-brothers.” His confident voice was peppered with excitement. “I'm Deslen. So happy to finally join the pack!”
One second passed, then another. None of them moved to shake his hand. Instead, three sets of eyes dropped to me on the floor instead. Three identical expressions silently said, ‘This is your fault.’
Fuck.
25
ZETH
The scent of blood hit me first, sharp and metallic, before we even cleared the hallway. Not just any blood.Hers.That faint floral sweetness that always clung to Nova’s skin now coated the hallway, too thick to mistake. My pulse roared, breath catching in my throat.
Conrad’s eyes snapped to mine, Nick’s jaw locked, and without a word, we broke into a run. The scent grew heavier the closer we got, clinging to the walls and crawling under my skin. It wasn’t a trace; it was a flood. Something that never should have happened.
We shouted her name, our voices echoing down the corridor, but the silence that answered only made the scent of blood stronger.
Why?The word kept looping in my head, a drumbeat I couldn’t shake. Nova didn’t bleed, not like this. Her body healed faster than most, a living wall against pain. Whatever happened had to be bad… and I wasn't there to protect her.
With a heavy, guilt-riddled soul, I shot through the door. The sight of her blood splattered across the floor had my heart stopping cold.
Frank was sprawled across the floor, eyes glassy with terror, throat torn wide open. His chest looked like something had ripped through it barehanded. Jagged tears, splintered ribs, and blood painted across the walls in wild, desperate strokes. A heart sat a few feet away, two fang-shaped holes in the center, crushed under what looked like a massive paw print.
I swallowed hard. None of it explained the scent still flooding the air, the sweet, unmistakable trace of Nova.
A ribbon of crimson led away from Frank and ended at Nova. She was slumped against the wall, the floor around her soaked in dark crimson blood. Deslen knelt between her legs, chest heaving like he’d run until his lungs burned. Both of them were naked and looking at each other like the world stopped and started with the other. The sight punched the air out of me.
Deslen’s head snapped up the instant he smelled us. His human form twisted, shaping into the massive jaguar we’d seen at the fight, purposely shielding Nova from our view.
That move lit a fuse in my chest; my hands went ice cold and my jaw locked. I tasted violence along my tongue as my power surged at my fingertips. Every part of me wanted blood. I could see the plan in my head. Grab him, make him answer, make him pay. Conrad and Nick were close enough to help; the math checked out.
The jaguar began to sniff around, moving toward us, and I saw its pale yellow eyes flare wide. His wild fae magic unfurled, and he shifted back into his human form with a bright, curious,almost playful attitude. He rose as fluid as a tide, massive and tall, dick swinging as he took a few steps toward us. A wide grin broke across his face like sunlight. It immediately pissed me off.
"Oh! I didn’t know I was blessed with mate-brothers.” The words were a sucker punch straight to the gut. Deslen’s teeth flashed, eyes bright. “I'm Deslen. So happy to finally join the pack!”
Join… the what?My brain stalled.
Peering around his tall, naked form, I looked at Nova for an explanation. She was naked, too, knees snapping together, a sheepish, exhausted smile tugging at her lips. I knew that look. My chest tightened painfully.
Never in all the time I’d known her had I seen her shield herself while naked. It was a natural state for a werewolf. My eyes bounced between her and Deslen. Obviously, something had happened between them.
She cleared her throat before asking firmly, “Did you catch him?”
