Grayson smirks. "Fated mates are a gift bestowed upon shifters whose souls waited an eternity to be united. A flame of the same origin." He reaches out, ghosting his fingertips along my jawline. He's not even touching me, but I feel it, like his tongue is between my legs. My omega is panting.
Three days ago, I was still running for my life every other day. Scavenging for food, with no money and no things, and no showers or warm comforts—just the cold, hard ground and the constant fear of being hunted by other wolves.
And now I'm here, in this lovely home that smells of old wood and books and leather, with baskets of food and twoalphas, the strongest of their kind, who make me feel more alive than I've felt in years, who I've known all of five minutes, telling me…
"Mona, you are my mate." Grayson's voice drops to a husky growl, so low it seems to vibrate into my bones. His rough hand finally makes contact, callused fingers gripping my jaw, tilting my face up to meet his green gaze, making me shiver beneath his touch. "You are Orion's mate. Nothing on this earth will ever come between us."
Grayson leans in until his breath is hot on my neck. His lips pause at my ear, and my scent blooms between us. I'm soakedbetween my legs, desperate for him to push his hard body against mine, to fill this sudden, aching, gaping need inside me. "Your body, your heart, your happiness—we claim them all. We will shield you from the cold, from hunger, from every darkness that dares threaten what is ours."
Grayson's teeth graze the shell of my ear, and I can't stop the moan from escaping my lips. It zaps like electricity, all the way through me, pulsing my clit. His voice lowers to a whisper. "Now. Come eat."
And then he steps away, with one hand gripping my shoulder, and I nearly trip on my way to the table.
Chapter 18: Grayson
The sight of her, still healing, with faded bruises, and what might leave a faint scar near her eye, hits me like a tornado. It took everything inside me not to tear out of the cabin, hunt down Andrea and Stance, and repay every hurt they caused.
I didn't hear a word of what Orion said, only peripherally aware that he was feeding out mate. Something I should have helped with, but I was too busy getting my alpha under control.
Probably didn't do a great job of that considering her scent went from sharp and scared to the sweetest, most succulent perfume I've ever witnessed in my entire goddamn life in a matter of minutes.
But she's eating, and she's got more color in her pale cheeks, so I've got myself under control. For now.
While she eats, I can't help but stare. Periodically, she shoots me a glare. Crystal clear and blue, sharp as ice. Her eyes sparkle with annoyance before her cheeks flush with lust, and she turns away, dipping bread into the bowl, stuffing her cheeks like a chipmunk.
It is, unquestionably, the cutest fucking thing I've ever seen.
"So, is this like a thing you guys do?" Mona waves a broth-soaked piece of bread between Orion and me.
"What's that?" Orion asks. He's already on his second bowl, more relaxed in her presence. He hasn't known her much longer than I have, but he has the fortunate luck of not looking like the man who attacked her. Something I've been thinking, rationalizing, and raging about since he told me.
"Umm…" she clears her throat, suddenly embarrassed. Now I'm curious.
"Yes, Mona?"
She shoots me another icy glare and meets my challenge. "Share. You know, like, mates or whatever. Is this something you do? Share… mates?"
"You think we have more than one mate?"
"I don't know. I don't know what any of this means! If I'm supposedly—"
"There's nosupposedlyabout it."
"Fine, whatever. If I'm your mate, then, you know… it's just…"
I smirk. It's devious, and I feel a bit like Silas in this moment. He was always pushing people beyond their comfort zones. "Say it, sweet mate. Say what you're thinking."
"There's two of you!"
Orion coughs a laugh.
"And?" I challenge.
Orion finally gets a hold of himself and throws Mona a bone. I suspect our future dynamic is taking root at this kitchen table.
"In the case of fated mates, packs always have one central mate. I know you were raised human, but that there're two of us… yeah, that's normal."
"So… everybody here's, like, a swinger?"
