A Twist of Luck (Shifter City Fated Mates #2)

Chapter 39

CHAPTER 39

EMME

H unter hauled me up into his arms, hands tight on my ass as he charged up the stairs, and I swore I heard Cora’s laughter following us. I found myself pressed against the wall just out of sight, with a background symphony of Kellan’s rumbling growls as he warned the others to shut the fuck up . There were shuffles and mumbles as the crowd dispersed.

The pack didn’t really let outsiders into their house much, and I doubted this group would make it past the front foyer.

Hunter buried his face against my throat, biting down into the skin, and I let out a low shriek, but he didn’t break through. It was another one of those temporary claims, situated on the opposite side of Kellan’s permanent one. “Mine,” he snapped, his chest heaving. “You can’t go out looking like that tonight without my claim on you.”

My core clenched on nothing as my hips surged forward, desperately searching for any sort of friction to ease the need, but Hunter had me pinned thoroughly, his massive frame holding me in place. “Hunter,” I moaned, my voice growing harder as I demanded, “Make me come.”

His face remained buried against my skin, and I swore he let out a low laugh. “I like when you use your words, little omega. Makes me want to give you exactly what you demand. While also leaving me with a need to punish you for your smart mouth. It’s a quandary.”

“Is it though?” I gasped, half out of my mind. “You can easily do both.”

He rocked back, and I was left panting and staring up into black eyes. There was no chance to catch my breath as he reached out in a slow, deliberate movement and grasped the edge of my thong. When he jerked his hand, my panties tore right off me, and I gawped as he tucked the destroyed lace into his pocket.

His hand slid between us again, his roughened fingers stroking gently over my clit, and I gripped his shoulders to keep myself steady.

“You want to be punished, baby girl?” he whispered in a dangerous tone that was a warning I was about to ignore. I was too far gone to care about the consequences of my actions .

I needed whatever he was offering.

He lifted his hand and lightly slapped my pussy, and I jerked with a moan, surprised at how fucking good that felt. This time I was sure of his laughter as he kissed me, lips moving against mine, his tongue dominating as it drove into my mouth.

I cried out as he slapped me again, closer to my clit this time, and I felt a burst of release that wasn’t even an orgasm yet. Pure arousal slid down the top of my thighs. I was a desperate, shaky, needy mess.

“You are going to smell like sex and pack, little omega,” Hunter rumbled, sounding pleased with himself. He slid two fingers inside me and curled them. When he added a third, his thick fingers stretched me to the point of pleasure-pain, and I… came so hard my head slammed against the wall.

Hunter didn’t stop there, his hand continued to pump into my body, slower as I moved through my orgasm, and then faster, until I was gasping and gripping his shoulders. The last orgasm was never ending, and more than that, it built to an intensity that could quite possibly kill me. At least, that was how it felt. I wanted it to build though—I never wanted this touch and pleasure to stop.

Oh, goddess. I needed Hunter’s destruction.

“Eyes on me,” Hunter commanded, and my gaze jerked up to meet the tumultuous storm of his. “Watching you fall apart is the best sight of my existence,” he whispered, the deep rasp of his voice adding more stimulation.

My gasping moans grew louder and louder, and not that we’d been quiet before, but no one in this house would be unaware of what was happening up here.

“Come for me,” Hunter directed again, and my screaming orgasm burst from me until my head spun and I lost control. I almost faltered on our eye contact, but somehow, I found myself clinging to his gaze and those flares of addictive gold.

“That’s my good girl,” Hunter growled, pressing kisses to the corners of my lips. “Such a good girl, coming so prettily for me.”

His fingers continued to stroke perfectly inside me, and then over my clit when he eventually slid them free. “You… your pants,” I huffed, breathless and boneless.

It was hard to tell on the black material, but I had soaked him.

Hunter smirked as he brought his hand to his mouth and slid his tongue over my release. I found myself mesmerized by the pink length lapping at my cum. “I get to wear your scent all over me tonight,” he said throatily. “Almost as good as a claiming bite.”

After he’d finished tasting me, he steadied me on my booted feet, my legs weak and wobbly. “Do you need me…?” I gestured to the massive erection tenting his black slacks, hoping he’d say yes.

Hunter wrapped an arm around me, and before I knew it, we were heading for the stairs. “I’m more than satisfied, and we’ll be late if we don’t leave soon. I know you’re looking forward to this night, and I want you to have the full experience.”

Hunter Reeves, my secret knight in shining suits.

“What about underwear?” I asked, my bare thighs brushing, my release still sticky.

Hunter paused, as if debating, before he finally nodded. “If anyone caught a glimpse of you without them, Emme, I’d have to murder that shifter where he stood. Let’s save the bloodshed for another time.”

He stayed with me as I dashed on wobbly legs to my room, and when I went to slide on another thong, Hunter grasped them out of my hand and to my utter fucking shock, knelt before me. He held the lace out, his hooded gaze dark and locked on my face. My heart slammed in my chest as I automatically lifted one boot and then the other, unable to believe what was happening.

Hunter maneuvered the underwear to fit over my boots, and then slowly slid the lace up my bare legs. His eyes never left my face, and even on his knees he was massive.

With a final graze of his fingers over my core, he gracefully rose, and I tried to calm myself, though we could both hear the racing of my heart.

“They’re waiting for us,” Hunter said, in a deep rasp. “Come on.”

My head spun at the implications of what Hunter had done, and we were silent as we exited my room and made our way to the foyer. Entitled alphas knelt for no one; it was pretty much part of the package. They submitted themselves to no one, standing as the head of the pack.

But he’d knelt for me. There was no mistaking his actions.

I just didn’t know what to make of it.

Downstairs, we found all the guys and Cora climbing into a row of black Escalades, there to take us to the club. Each car had a driver, dressed in black suits, holding open the doors. Most of the hockey bros minus our friends and core group filled the first few vehicles.

“Don’t you smell, delicious,” Kellan said as he hurried over and spun me around, planting a heavy kiss on my lips. “And you look like a fucking goddess. More than that. You would put the goddess to shame.”

“Shush, don’t insult the gods,” I said with a choked laugh, giving the sky a quick glance like Forsana or Hecatana, the goddesses of shifters and the lunar cycle, were about to smite him where he stood. I didn’t exactly worship in the old ways, but I appreciated the sentiment, and tried never to bring disfavor from the deities. “But thank you. Cora did an amazing job.”

Hunter’s chest rumbled, and his mirth held a hint of derision. “It has nothing to do with Cora or makeup.”

When he lifted his hand and brushed his thumb over my cheeks, I could smell myself on his skin, and fuck, it was a turn on. Kellan’s nostrils flared as he chuckled too. “A very nice scent.”

Hunter ignored him as he continued to rub away the powder over my nose and cheeks, even though I’d told Cora to use a light touch. “Much better.”

“My freckles.” Kellan’s laughter faded into a sigh. “I swear, when I’m not kissing my way along all the delicious connect-the-dots on your body, I dream about them.”

It hadn’t escaped my notice that Kellan enjoyed kissing his way between my freckles. By now, he had my whole body mapped out. Not that I was complaining.

“Come on, lovebirds,” Cora shouted, half hanging out of the last car. “You can obsess over her gorgeous butt when you get home.”

“Oh, that’s a certainty,” Kellan replied, sliding his hand down my body and over my ass. “I’ll be obsessing every day for the rest of eternity.”

I remained flushed and breathless even once we were seated in the middle row, the two massive alphas on either side of me. Cora, Warrick, and Finley were in this car as well, the mated pair squished in the back, and the bear shifter taking the passenger side.

My gaze met Finley’s as he turned, and for once he didn’t scowl at me. He wasn’t smiling either, but his expression remained neutral, and I held on to a small hope that for tonight we could pretend everything was okay in the pack.

The wink . I still had no idea what to make of it, so I shoved it deep inside and locked the lid on that memory. For now.

It was a twenty-minute drive to Luxuria, and in that time the conversation centered around hockey and how fucked up some of the plays had been. When they moved on to the first scheduled winter pack run on Tuesday, Cora leaned forward and said, “You have to be there, Emme. There’ll be hundreds of us out for the first snowfall exploration. It’s my favorite run of the year.”

“I’ll be there,” I assured her, already excited by the prospect. My wolf had been desperate for a run with more of the city’s packs, and this sounded like the perfect opportunity. Add in the snow for us to frolic, and I was bouncing like a pup.

“Wait, do we still need to meet with the council tomorrow?” I asked, angling myself toward Hunter to read his expression.

He had an annoying habit of dropping shit on me at the last minute and giving me little time to mentally prepare. I presumed it was his way of taking the bulk of the worry and preparation, but I couldn’t always play the helpless female omega letting her alphas deal with life. Occasionally, I needed to be the one who handled my own problems, especially when it pertained to the fucking Rogers pack

Warrick released a low, warm laugh, as if he already knew the answer, but I didn’t remove my focus from Hunter. “The meeting is scheduled, but I’m not sure it’s worth showing up,” he said with a shrug that sent me into Kellan. “I was going to wait and discuss it with you in the morning.”

“What he actually said,” Warrick began, his voice still filled with humor, and I had a feeling we were about to learn why he’d laughed, “was to shove their orders up their asses and not to bother his fucking pack again until they worked out a satisfactory consequence for the Rogers pack.”

“Which is death,” Kellan grumbled, his arm wrapped around my shoulders from where he’d steadied me a second ago. “I’ll accept nothing less.”

Hunter nodded, as if that settled it. “Anyway, let’s not discuss that shit tonight. Tonight is about freeing your beast and having fun. No one will ruin this for Emme.”

Hunter’s way of showing he cared was different to Kellan’s, but both made me feel… everything . It was frankly terrifying. How did shifters just wander around with all of these emotions spilling out them like a leaking faucet? It couldn’t be natural.

The vehicle came to a halt, and I glanced out the darkened window to the familiar entrance of Luxuria, with its red carpet and gold-tinted, cathedral architecture. There were dozens of shifters standing in line, waiting for entry, and I wasn’t surprised by its popularity. The interior was just as stunning, with gold chandeliers, red velvet, runners on the floor, and drinks that were more than a generous pour.

Of course, no one made us wait as we strolled along the red carpet, and it didn’t escape my notice how the shifters in line stared at the alphas, taking photos on their phones like they’d run into celebrities.

When Kellan and Hunter closed in on either side of me, linking my hands in theirs, there were shouts of my name. I didn’t turn to the crowd; Hunter had told me not to engage with them, and I chose to follow his orders. I’d like to say for once , but so far he hadn’t demanded anything I wasn’t happy to comply with. I’d never felt the need to rebel for the sake of it—the very thought was exhausting.

“Wait,” Cora called, stopping us in the candelabra-lit entrance, the heavy beat of the music pulsing behind us. “Let’s get a photo.”

She pulled out her phone, and Hunter and Kellan pressed in even closer to either side of me, until I felt heated and breathless at their scent and energy surrounding me so thoroughly. Cora sighed and started to snap away.

“You too, Finley,” she ordered after a few more photos, and I barely managed not to glare at her. It helped no one to keep forcing our proximity, especially if poking the bear brought out the grouch. Chilled-out Finley was my favorite Finley.

To my surprise, he just offered a brief smile and stepped in on the other side of Kellan.

“Perfect,” Cora gushed as she snapped a dozen or more pictures. “You four are far too attractive to be in one pack. It’s criminal, really.”

Warrick smirked as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Love, you’re one to talk. Your beauty has no comparison.”

She scoffed at him, but I could tell she was pleased, as her pretty face lit up. “Thank you, mate. You’ll be rewarded for that later.”

His eyes darkened as he leaned in to kiss her lips, and she returned that kiss before jumping away. “Oh, I need a photo with Emme. Besties must take at least one photo together a year. It’s the rule.”

She handed her phone to Warrick and hurried over to me. The alphas were slow to move from my side—except for Finley, who’d already headed into the club. I noticed him make his way to Christian, who was perched against the stunning mahogany bar that ran the full length of the wall.

“Smile,” Cora cheered, and I returned my attention to my friend, laughing as Warrick jumped around pretending to be a professional photographer as he took the photos.

“Cora will message them to you,” he said as he handed her device across. “I have no idea how to share from that model.”

His mate nudged him playfully. “You and your old school tech. It’s almost as if you didn’t live in the cities your whole life. I swear you have the heart of alphas who existed in the wild in tiny packs hidden from humanity.”

“I’ll show you a wild alpha,” he growled playfully. He scooped her into his arms and strode across the club, disappearing in the darkness.

It was dimly lit inside, the array of chandeliers adding a soft golden light. As a new song started, my hips shook to the beat, and Kellan placed his hand in the small of my back. “Come on, baby. Let’s get you a drink. I need to dance with my mate.”

“Ours,” Hunter told him. “Say it with me, annoying pup. She’s ours.”

Kellan shot him his brightest grin. “Aw, come on, Daddy Alpha. You know I’m a good sharer. There’s plenty of Emmeline to go around.”

I tapped him hard on the shoulder. “Please, never reference our shared sexual relations in that way again. Otherwise, you’ll be sleeping in the doghouse.”

He sobered a touch. “Is it weird for you? Being in a multiple mates situation? We’ve never really discussed it, but I mean… outside of your mom, you wouldn’t have much reference for this sort of dynamic in the human world, right?”

It hadn’t felt weird to me, not even for a second. “I think there’s been such a natural progression of our emotional connection that the sexual part has fit in just as seamlessly.” My voice was quiet, and the music was loud, but both alphas heard me. “I can’t imagine being in a pack any other way.”

“We’re meant to be,” Hunter agreed, his nod decisive. “Always have been. Always will be. Nothing more right than that.”

As much as I wanted to argue the point, I couldn’t. This pack was nothing like my mother’s, and that was reason enough for me to start trusting in the bonding process.

My omega energy might even be safe with them.

For the first time, I was willing to risk it all to find out.