Running my knuckle down her cheek, I slip a hand onto her shoulder and massage the tense muscles in her neck. “You aren’t fighting alone. Let us take the weight. Foster, Shepherd, and I can deal with your ex.”
“It isn’t just my ex. My mother is still out there pulling strings from the shadows. She’s a bigger threat than he is.”
Pinching my brows, I wonder how she can fear a brainwashed old woman more than the man who attacked her. There isn’t much information available about what went on in her parents’ cult because the investigation is still ongoing.
“Two years ago, I thought I could escape Whitlan. My father was away at a religious summit, and Colin had gone with him. Mother was supposed to be busy preparing for a visit from another anti-designation group. It should have been the perfect moment to slip away. No one would be there to realize I was gone.” Pain laces her voice so thickly it clogs my throat, stealing my breath as I wait to hear whatever terror she endured at her mother’s hand. I slip my hand from her shoulder and thread our fingers together, giving her an anchor to hold on to. This is obviously hard for her to talk about, but I sense she needs to get it out. To speak the words aloud and be free of their chains.
“Our bags were packed and hidden on the floor of the car. I waited until night had fallen, dark enough for us to go unnoticed. But she knew. Anticipated what I was going to do, or had someone watching me. When I opened the front door to sneak out, she was there. S-she took Kaitlin. Kept her at their house for a week and wouldn’t let me see her.” A sob slips throughher lips, but she powers through, clinging to my hand like it’s a lifeline. “No matter how many times I apologized or begged, she wouldn’t open the door. I could hear her crying inside, and it broke me. Things only got worse when Colin and my father returned and learned of my transgression.”
She drops my hand and fumbles with the oversized sweater she’s wearing. It lifts, revealing the silky, pale skin of her back. A thick scar runs from her ribs to her spine, thinning the closer it gets to the middle of her back. “I took a dozen lashes that night. In front of the entire congregation.”
Horror shocks my body like a current through water, making my limbs twitch. Theywhippedher? Badly enough to scar her beautiful skin? How did no one manage to dismantle that cult before this summer?
“Each one was worth it, because after Father finished his sermon, I finally got my baby back.”
I can’t handle the distance between us. Not when she’s so fragile that one push would break her. Shifting to lie on my side, I curl around her, holding her tight and letting my weight keep her together. “Mi Corazón…” I trail off, breath puffing against her neck, because what do you say to that? Apologizing for what she’s experienced seems too lame a response.
“I want them to leave me alone. When I got custody and my divorce, I thought that was it, the end of the terror. But they keep coming back! Taking more and more from me!” Hooking an arm around her waist, I flip her until she’s buried against my chest, letting her tears soak through my shirt. Fuck, do I want to tear the world apart to find her mother and put an end to all this.
No more words are spoken as she cries. When the door opens, slamming a little too hard, she flinches. I glare at Shepherd, who has the decently to wince.Alphas.They let their instincts take the wheel and forget to consider other people’s feelings.
Hannah’s head jerks up when she hears their footsteps, fear in her eyes. When she sees who it is, that fear melts, and more tears come. I don’t fight when she pushes away from me and leaps to her feet, throwing herself into her Alpha’s arms. Letting them have their moment, I slide over to Kaitlin and take her hand in mine, winking when she gives me an odd look. I distract her by asking about the superhero event she went to and the restaurant they ate at. I even let her help me stir the soup, careful she doesn’t bump her tiny arms on the top of the pot.
Foster joins us a few minutes later, wrapping himself around my back and whimpering. Leaning my head back, I bump it against his and press a palm to his arms, where they wrap around my stomach. “She’s safe, Galán.” It feels like a promise we’ll all be repeating for the next few days as we shake the feeling of devastation we share over nearly losing her.
“I called Lilah on the way here. She’ll deal with everything that happened tonight,” Shepherd says as he walks in, Everett in his arms and Hannah right behind him. Foster shifts, pulling her so she’s trapped between his chest and my back. She giggles but melts between us, clearly not minding that he’s made her the filling in our hug-sandwich.
Shepherd peeks into my pot and groans happily. In the short time I’ve known them, I learned that he lives up to the sayings about an Alpha’s appetite. The man can out-eat my nephews, all nine of them. “Smells great, Manny. You and the soup.” My jaw drops when he kisses me. Just a quick peck, but it shakes my foundation. He’s been careful to give me space, letting my relationship with Foster develop. Apparently, he is done waiting.
“I’m going to call the realtor, too. See if we can’t do anything to guarantee we’re able to move into the new house next weekend. Nailing down security measures will be easier when there aren’t as many people going in and out.” He gives me a possessive look that instantly hardens my cock. Mierda, I donot have the right pants on to be this turned on. My reaction is apparent through the tight fabric. “Let me know when you want to sit down and eat.”
Foster laughs when his Alpha stalks away, leaving me slack-jawed and impossibly horny. This pack is going to ruin me, and I kind of love it.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Muffled sound wakes me,my mind assuming it’s coming from the kids’ room and preparing to slip from my warm cocoon of blankets and mates to feed the baby. Blinking, I freeze when the noise comes again. Much closer than the baby monitor that sits on the bedside table.
Turning my head, I find Manny lying behind me, eyes clenched tight, and a fist pressed to his mouth. The blanket shifts where it is lumped over his legs.What… He groans again, and—Oh!Everything clicks in my sleep-muddled brain. Someone is under there, and I don’t think they’re sleeping.
Lifting the blanket, my mouth falls open when I watch Shepherd swallow Manny’s length, his nose brushing the other man’s pelvis. That’s…really hot!
I startle when a hand brushes through my hair; the blanket falls from my hand and hides my Alpha from view. Manny grips the back of my skull and drags me closer, lips melding with mine in hungry kisses. I swallow his moans, legs shifting as wetness builds between them. I don’t think I’m ready to try anything down there, but I can enjoy this moment by helping Shepherd take care of Manny.
He jolts when my fingers skim his ribs. They’re cold compared to his skin, but the dichotomy of the two sensations seems to turn him on. So, I keep going. Trailing them up his chest and circling his dark nipples. The whimper that passes from his mouth to mine fills the air with groans.
Lips feather over the back of my hand before a tongue laps at Manny’s skin near my fingers. Peeking down, I find Foster awake and joining in our torment. He winks at me, taking Manny’s nipple between his teeth and making him arch beneath us.
“Mierda,” Manny whines, turning away from our kisses to catch his breath. He’s flushed, and a needy look fills his violet eyes.
Foster grips my chin and turns my head so his lips can press to mine. Our tongues tangle between us, and we grin when Manny curses in Spanish, too rapidly for us to follow. He joins us, splitting our kiss three ways. It’s messy and awkward, but none of us pulls away. Not until the blanket shifts and Shepherd pops out, fist wrapped around Manny’s dick. The tip is a furious shade of purple, and pre-cum streams down the side, helping our Alpha’s hand glide along his length.
“Mmmm, look at the three of you,” Shepherd growls, “my gorgeous mates.”
I watch his hand rhythmically pulse as he drags Manny’s dick through it, earning another drawn-out curse from our mate. “Come help me devour our sexy Beta. You can handle all our attention, can’t you, Amorcito?”
Manny’s eyes widen, darting between the three of us before he gives us a shaky nod. I crawl down to join Shepherd, mouth watering at the scent of our combined arousal in the air. Citrusy, woody, and sweet. It’s a heavenly combination.
Dropping to my stomach, I lean over Manny’s thigh and meet Foster where he’s lapping up pre-cum. We get lost inexploring his length with our tongues, eyes glued to each other, and mouths occasionally brushing. This is easily the hottest experience of my life.
