20. Rainor
20
RAINOR
I lay on top of the soft, fluffy bed. Fluffy because Weylin had insisted we needed fifty fucking blankets beneath us after we’d fucked Lila on the floor. He said she needed something soft, and if the beast or I ever marked her up again, he would permanently disfigure us.
The beast would. He wanted to mark her. He got a high off his claws grazing her smooth skin, drawing blood. I stared at that piece of skin now, smooth and unmarred. I couldn’t explain what had happened—one minute, we were ready to kill one another, the next a pulsing light emanated from Lila’s chest, and we were all standing in human form.
If that wasn’t enough to freak me the fuck out, when Lila had seen the wounds we had inflicted on one another, she’d healed them. The light had returned. Kage’s face and chest should be scarred, since my claws always left scars behind. The same phenomenon happened to the section of flesh on her skin. For once in my cursed life, the beast’s claws left no mark behind. He was enraged by it, wanting another chance to mark her as his own.
Laying on my side, I stared at my mate, her naked back to me, the roundness of her ass exposed to the air. She was tucked into Kage’s arms, their legs intertwined as they slept. Her enticing lemony scent was all over me, however I suspected another wave was about to hit. She had been kicking off the covers within the last ten minutes, her skin turning flush.
I rolled away, deciding now was the time to get up. Glancing at Kage’s clock, I was surprised it was nearly noon, and he was still sleeping—soundly, I might add.
I got up, but before I could leave, I ran my eyes over them once more. I had never stayed in Kage’s residence, never mind in his bed. I had never shared a female with anyone. It wasn’t something I thought I would do, yet here I was. Three rounds last night, serving her through her heat, each of us working for her, and sharing her had felt more natural than being with any other female on my own.
I picked up the cloth we had used to cover the beast's mouth while she pulled him out to join, ensuring he was as much a part of the pack as anyone else. It had been white, but now was stained with my blood and riddled with holes from hours of biting through it.
What Lila had done to the beast and me last night left us both intrigued and suspicious. She hadn’t just commanded the beast's cooperation; she’d demanded it. Created it. She called to one of us, pulling us out while shoving the other back. It was more than persuasion, it was more than an alpha command, it was…manipulation.
I allowed my eyes to roam her body once more, ready to leave, but something caught my attention. Crawling onto the bed, I moved the bunched-up blanket that covered her left hip.
My eyes narrowed at the birthmark.
It was too perfect to be coincidental. I reached for my phone on the nightstand and took a picture before walking out of the room.
I could hear Weylin humming along in the kitchen, however it was the sound of Emma’s voice that had my hackles standing on end. In here? While my mate is in heat?
When I rounded the corner and stepped through to the kitchen, though, Weylin was the only one in it. “Very good.” Emma’s voice came from a phone as Weylin held up a bowl. “Now, pour it into the waffle press, and while that’s cooking, get the toppings ready. You can sift the powdered sugar on top of the waffles and put the mint leaf to the side to make it look nice. Maybe you can put the rest of the toppings on the side? Then she can pick what she wants.”
“Yes, I will do that,” Weylin said as he poured the batter into the press.
“There are small ceramic dip bowls in the furthest cupboard on the left. Oh, the coffee. Are you going to be able to use that machine?” she asked, slightly worried.
“I’ve got it,” I said, walking in and going right to the ridiculous coffee machine. When Kage first got it, I’d had to read the manual twice to figure out how to work it. I started the process of grinding the coffee beans.
Emma had fallen quiet. “Blueberries?” Weylin asked.
“Um. In the fridge, there’s a crisper. Um.” Her voice was much meeker than it had been when she’d only been speaking to Weylin.
“Em, I’m not going to bite your head off,” I said, throwing in a chuckle for her benefit.
Silence again before Emma sighed. “There’s also chocolate syrup in the pantry, and raspberries are with the blueberries.”
“What about whipped cream?” Weylin asked.
“There isn’t any, but I can order some or you can make your own.”
“Hmm.” Weylin paused, and I tilted my head up, breathing in the same scent he had.
“That’s my cue to go,” Emma said before hanging up.
Lila’s scent filled the condo, another wave beginning. Weylin dropped the carton of blueberries and raspberries on the counter, ready to go to her, when I grabbed his arm. “He’ll take care of her.”
He frowned. “Why? Because he’s the alpha?” I could hear a little snip at the end of his question, maybe some contempt, even.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Yes, Kage is our alpha. But, no, I did not ask you not to enter because the alpha is with our mate. This is going to take adjusting, for all of us. Sharing a mate will not come naturally—we may have a few challenges here or there—but if we keep our heads straight, it might turn out all right. That involves giving one another space. Don’t you want one-on-one time with her as well?”
He shrugged and then grinned at me. “Honestly? The more the merrier. But you know I’ve always been that way.”
Yes, unfortunately, I had heard the rumors. I got to work brewing her coffee.
“Two sugar, one cream,” Weylin said.
“How do you know?”
“Same way I know she likes waffles. I pay attention to her.”
The waffle maker beeped, and he got to work taking them out before filling it with more batter. I watched him set a food tray filled with the waffles, toppings, syrup, bacon, and a glass of orange juice. I placed the cup of freshly brewed coffee next to the juice.
Then Weylin proceeded to pull his shirt off before taking the tray. He held it low, at his hip level, and then frowned.
“What?” I asked.
“Does this look like a thirst trap?”
“A what?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Like, sexy. How do I look?” He flexed his arms a little, his one pectoral muscle popping, the other damaged by the scar tissue. He never blamed me for that injury. He’d never come at me for it. Not once.
“You look good, man,” I said.
He nodded and moved past me towards the room before stopping and looking back. “I know it’s still early, she’s new to us. But this feels the closest we’ve ever been to being brothers.”
The heaviness of his words hung in the air for a moment. Then I picked up a stray blueberry from the counter and threw it at him. “Fuck off and go feed her already.”
I made myself a coffee before going to Kage’s office. Grabbing hold of his tablet, I logged on to my files. The blood results were back. I wasn’t surprised it hadn’t taken long, however I was disappointed they hadn’t been hand delivered to me or at least made an attempt to do so. I’d have to have a talk with the gamma in charge.
I began skimming through the results. As I suspected, Lila was nutritionally deficient, though her numbers weren’t too far off. A few supplements would likely help. I sent that information back to the lab with the request to send the files to Dr. Thatcher, so she could inform Lila and my hands would be clean.
Then I kept reading until I got to the DNA results.
I read the results over a few times before Kage walked into the office, freshly showered and dressed. He said nothing as he walked to his spot in the window, staring out over the city, the afternoon sun warming. “She wishes to leave.”
“Max?” I asked.
“Yes, and her home.”
I took a deep breath, releasing it quickly as I continued to catch up on emails. Emma had done a good job rearranging most things. “She’s not finished her heat.”
Kage looked down at his shoes. “I know. And the waves are getting closer together.”
“There’s other business we should be cautious of.”
“Such as?” Kage glanced up at me, and I could see it in his fucking eyes. He was ready for me to tell him something terrible. How she isn’t meant for us, how she will ruin our pack. And the bastard would believe me, even if I lied to his face.
“She bears the same mark as you do,” I informed him. “The same mark I have on my left hip, and Weylin has on his, only hers looks like a birthmark.”
His lips thinned, his eyes swinging back to the window. “I guess she truly was made for us.”
“Also, the DNA results are in. As suspected, she comes from an old bloodline, however it isn’t listed.” I got to my feet as I pulled the results back up on the tablet, handing it to him. “Have you heard of Scarad Pack?”
Kage frowned as he took the tablet, looking over everything and scrolling down with his finger to continue reading. He wandered over to the map on his wall, then dropped to the bookshelf below. He set down the tablet before thumbing through the books, pulling one out, skimming the pages, then grabbing at another. They were his father’s journals.
“What are you looking for?” I asked.
“A specific passage.” Again and again, book after book, he pulled and flipped through. At first, I thought maybe he had forgotten, and it was in someone else’s journal, because there was no way he had forgotten where anything was in his father’s journals. He had those things memorized from front to back and front again.
Getting to my feet, I walked over to the mess he had made, which was completely out of character for him. I placed my hand on his shoulder. “I have all your father’s journals saved online. Do you have a date? We can search for it from there.”
“What year did the link between us open?” Kage asked.
“I was ten. It was around the same time the beast became known,” I said, picking up the tablet and thumbing through it.
“It was shortly after my first hunt, the first heart I had consumed,” he said.
“Then it will be simple to pull up.” I picked up the tablet, opening the program that held the passages.
“It’s the year Lila was born,” Kage said.
I frowned. “How could—”
“A suspicion.” He faced me, but his eyes were on the tablet. “Rain, whatever we find, we discuss it before we tell her.”
“You know something.” I had never seen regret in my alpha’s eyes like I saw now.
“Her pack didn’t abandon her. They were all massacred, and I’m fairly sure we were the ones to do it.”
Lila
I rolled onto my back, my body slick with sweat and the chill creeping in. Kage had wrapped a blanket around me before he left. I didn’t question it, didn’t question him, since it wasn’t my place to demand he stay with me. Instead, I focused on what I needed right now, and that was to get warm.
I had learned after a few waves last night that the better the orgasm, the worse the cold after. Warming up in their arms, being passed between Rainor to Weylin, had felt amazing. Even though Kage held me early this morning, he had done so in his sleep. He never partook in the warming process with his physical body, though he seemed to know my needs because, as he had done so now, he always ensured to wrap a blanket around me.
It wasn’t enough.
My wolf begged for skin-to-skin contact. She whimpered to feel that deep purr they all hummed post-orgasm. If I didn’t restrain her, I was fairly certain she would wrap herself around one of them and refuse to allow them to peel her off.
When Kage had left, he barely even glanced at me. It was a reminder that this was a task he was supposed to do. This was his job—to help me through my waves. As much as he now seemed to enjoy sex in the moment, afterwards he was already moving on to the next task.
I had woken up that morning in a low king-size bed. The room was nearly the size of my house, and it screamed of Kage. His scent saturated everything in here, but that wasn’t what gave it away. Modern and minimalistic, there was nothing in this room that was personal. The artwork on the wall was generic, though it looked hand painted. And that was Kage, nothing personal. Nothing expressive. Just cold and distant.
Maybe another blow job would fix it. The glimmer of emotion he’d displayed as he held me after his release had me aching for more.
The most amazing smell came to me, and my eyes swung to the open door. That sweet citrusy scent of Weylin calmed something in my body, as if my wolf knew she was about to be taken care of. It was followed by the smell of pastries or pancakes and sugar and—oh my, I think I just came again—coffee.
Weylin rounded the corner into the room and paused with a confused frown on his face. He held a tray of food and coffee low, around his hips, the move causing me to take in each delicious, perfectly sculpted curve of his skin, every groove and line. Even his scars did nothing to take away from the sexy appeal of the man before me. If anything, they added to it. If it ever came down to him or one of us, he would protect us first, which told me I needed to do what I could to protect him.
“Did he just leave you?” he asked.
“I’m a burrito,” I said, wiggling in the plush blanket I was completely wrapped in. Weylin gave a faint growl. Days ago, I might have even missed the growl, it was so low, but now that I was used to the sound of his voice, I seemed to be more attuned to him. “Is that for me?” I asked, sitting up and trying my best not to shiver. It was difficult when his eyes roamed my naked body.
“Yes, I hope you like it.” He brought the tray over and set it down over my legs.
My mouth fell open. If I wasn’t careful, I’d start drooling. “You made this for me.”
He gave a nonchalant shrug. “The waffles aren’t frozen—Kage doesn’t have frozen food here—but if you don’t like them, I can go out and get you the frozen ones.”
I stared down at everything. The waffles were light and fluffy, covered with powdered sugar, as if done professionally. The toppings were all laid out in individual serving bowls and placed in specific spots to give off a certain aesthetic. Time and effort had been put into each aspect on the try.
Now it was my turn to be confused. “I’m not going through a wave right now. Why did you do this?”
“You’re my mate, you’re my pack now. This is what pack does. We take care of one another.”
My heart ached for his words to be true, but how would I know if they weren’t? “I’ve never been in a pack before, never had anyone that felt like my real family.” My parents did their best, but I’d always felt like I was missing that wolf connection.
Weylin reached over and took my hand in his, pressing a gentle kiss to the back. “Neither have I.” He gave a sad smile, then his frown reappeared. “You’re fucking freezing.”
I pulled my hand away. “It’s a bit drafty in here.” I tried to pull the blanket back around me, but he yanked it away with a scoff.
He unclipped his belt and allowed his pants to fall to the ground, standing in his underwear, then he got into the bed behind me. Slipping a leg on either side of my body, Weylin pulled my shoulders until my back was resting against his chest. The warmth wasn’t felt only where our skin touched; it seeped into me. It spread through me like wildfire caught by the wind, and the icy feeling melted, right down to my toes.
He reached for my coffee, taking one of my hands and placing it through the handle, then grabbing the other and wrapping it around the cup. With a smile, I brought the cup to my lips and took the most orgasmic sip of coffee I’d ever tasted. All the while, Weylin pressed gentle kisses to my neck, breathing in my scent as if it was his morning cup of coffee.
“What topping would you prefer?” he asked, reaching for the tray.
“Mmm, all of it.” My stomach growled. It had been days since I had last eaten.
Weylin tsked while spreading fruit on the waffles and topping it off with a drizzle of chocolate. “I should’ve been more attentive. Females are known for not eating during a heat. I should’ve fed you. Forgive me.”
I snorted. “I don’t even feel hungry. Plus, I am not your responsibility.”
“You’re not my responsibility, you’re my mate, my everything. Now eat,” he ordered, using the fork to cut a small bite off and holding it to my lips.
“You shouldn’t say stuff like that.” I turned my head so I could see his eyes, see if he was being honest.
“Eat,” he growled, touching the chocolaty waffle to my lips.
“I mean, isn't all of this just because of sex?” I asked.
His hand gripped my hair, pulling my head back. I was careful not to spill the hot coffee on the blanket. “You want me to tell you I only do this for the sex? For the intoxicating scent of your heat?”
Is that what I wanted? “Yes.”
Weylin leaned forward, licking the chocolate off my lips. “I don’t lie. Now, eat your waffle before I give up and have you for breakfast.”
My heart begged to believe him, and my wolf was ready to dive headfirst into all things Weylin, but my human side needed time. He brought the waffle back up to my lips, and this time, I took the bite. Weylin growled his approval as he nuzzled into my neck, breathing in my scent again, which seemed to be his favorite thing to do with me—at least, a close second to his favorite.
He fed me, and I sipped on my coffee in between as we talked about our plans for the day. I really wanted a shower but had no clothes. Weylin said he would find me some, not that he wanted to, but he also didn’t want me to go anywhere with no clothing.
I needed to go home. Home had my scent, my belongings, and Max. I worried for Max. That’s when Weylin pulled out his phone to show me Max on the…security cameras???
I had finished eating at this point and was fuming. The bastard just grinned.
“How, what?” Ugh. I growled, pushed the tray away, and climbed out from his embrace. One look at him told me everything I needed to know. “You see nothing wrong with this?”
His grin didn’t slip. “No.”
“How do you not see this as a violation of privacy? Who else has access to the cameras?”
“Only the three of us. Are you mad?”
“Yes! I’m pissed. You have no right!” I got out of bed.
“Oh, baby, we would do so much more to protect you. Best get used to it now, because we have more enemies than are known to us.”
I shook my head. He really saw no issue with this. “How often did you watch the cameras?”
“As much as I wanted to, and yet, likely half the amount of time Kage would watch them.”
I pressed my lips tightly together, not sure how to deal with this right now. “Where’s the bathroom?”
“Right there.” He pointed to a door. “I’ll join you.” He jumped up off the bed, but I held up my hand.
“No. You don’t get to join me.”
He stopped, his grin turning to a full-blown smile. “Are you punishing me?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.
“Yes. I am.”
“Fuck, that’s hot.”
I was fuming at Weylin…and Kage…and Rainor! Because if it was anyone that set the cameras up, it would’ve been Rainor. I needed to lay it on them how they violated my rights. The moment I got home, I was going to take down all the cameras.
I walked into the bathroom and nearly threw up. Good god. It wasn’t just big; it was ridiculously big. There was a fabric sofa chair. If you could put a sofa chair in your bathroom and not worry about it getting wet or moldy from all the moisture and steam, I’m sorry, but your bathroom was just too big. What was the point?
Stepping into the gigantic shower, I looked longingly at the soaker tub that was more like the size of a hot tub. Though I guessed I understood that part, since Kage was a big guy.
It took me longer than I cared to admit to get the water spraying out of the proper nozzles. I didn’t need all fucking forty of them going, but three was nice, and the pressure was perfect to soak into my hair.
A part of me, likely my wolf, was disappointed as I began washing the scent of the guys off my body. She snarled when I began massaging the soap into my skin, in my hair, over the very sensitive swollen bits of my body. I’d had more sex in the last two days than I had in two years.
After I was thoroughly clean, I took a moment to stand under the water, feeling the rainfall pitter-patter against me, taking the time to soak in how happy I was at this moment. How my belly was full, my body warm and satisfied. How I felt this glow within me.
I turned off the water and opened the door to be greeted by Rainor, holding out a towel. He was showered and dressed in his usual suit and tie. “Thank you,” I said, taking the towel and drying my hair before moving to my body.
“Weylin said he wasn’t allowed in here.” His eyes seemed amused by this, but his expression remained neutral.
“Glad to see he’s respecting boundaries,” I said, walking over to the sink and wrapping the towel around myself.
“Ah, yes, he mentioned that as well. Also requested more, not so hidden, cameras on the chance you would find them and punish him again. He’s hoping, next time, he can push you on the punishment type.”
I rolled my eyes. Weylin had clearly not learned a thing.
“Careful, he enjoys the back and forth.” Rainor collected a stack of clothes from the sofa chair and brought them back to me.
I lifted them all to my nose, inhaling deeply. “These are all Weylin’s.”
“Yes, well, he has casual clothes. Kage’s clothing would dwarf you, and I only have…” He waved down to his attire.
“Oh,” I said, trying to keep the disappointment from my voice. I was never one for stealing boyfriends’ shirts or hoodies, but their scents did something to me. Made me feel protected and, dare I say, like I belonged. As if I were one of them.
Rainor sighed before taking his suit jacket off, neatly hanging it on a hook on the wall, then unbuttoning his white shirt. I said nothing as he slipped it off and held it open for me. “It may only be Bijan, however it is one of my favorites.”
Dropping the towel to the floor, I slipped my arms through the crisp sleeves. I was surrounded by Rainor’s smokiness. Closing my eyes, I let the scent take over my mind, appeasing my wolf.
I could feel Rainor’s fingers brushing my skin while buttoning up the shirt. “Your hair is still wet.”
“I just got out of the shower.” I opened my eyes, seeing the glowing red within him.
Rainor walked over to a cupboard, opening it and pulling out a hair dryer. I almost laughed while imagining Kage blow-drying his hair. Rainor walked back to me and plugged in the dryer.
I reached out to take it from him, however he pulled it away and positioned himself behind me. The whirl of the dryer was relaxing, not too loud, not too hot. I stood staring into the mirror as he began combing his fingers through my hair, drying it out.
“Why are your eyes red?” I asked, not having to speak too loudly to be heard.
He didn’t respond, just continued working through my hair. I stayed quiet the rest of the time, allowing him to do his thing. It wasn’t like I disliked it, anyway; his fingers felt amazing in my hair. I was almost disappointed when the hair dryer turned off.
He very meticulously unplugged the dryer and put it back in its place. Then, on his way back, he picked up the towel, walking over to the hamper and dropping it in.
I opened a drawer, found Kage’s toothbrush, and got to work brushing my teeth. By the time I spit and rinsed my mouth, I looked up to see Rainor standing quietly behind me once more. I put everything back as it was before he could.
Then I spun around and sat myself up on the counter. “Why are your eyes red?” I asked again.
“How did you push the beast back last night? I myself cannot do it, how did you? And the light, what caused it? How did you force us back into human form? Answer some of my questions, and I will answer yours.”
I dropped my head to the side, my brows knitting together. “I… forced you guys into human form?”
“What do you remember about last night? When we were fighting?”
I answered him honestly, curious as to what had happened because, now, I felt like it wasn’t exactly what I’d thought. “The pain from the wave was increasing, you three were fighting, and I was afraid—”
“Of getting hurt,” he finished.
“No. I was afraid of you three getting hurt. It looked like you were ready to kill one another. I just wanted it to stop.”
“So, you didn’t mentally push our wolves away in fear for yourself?”
Narrowing my eyes, I tried to pick up what he was dropping, trying to figure out what exactly he was accusing me of. “No, did I do something wrong?”
“No. In fact, had you not stepped in, we very well would have killed one another. The beast had it out for Kage. He was ready to take you and Kage interrupted him. Though I’m starting to wonder if the beast would’ve been able to continue had you told him no.”
“What do you mean?”
“When you send the beast back and bring me forward, what does it feel like?”
So much had happened in the heat of the moment, I hadn’t really thought about it. “Um. It’s like a tether. A tie, of sorts. There’s one around you, and one around him. I don’t really see the tethers, though, not in the physical sense, but I can feel their vibrations. When I called your name, it was like I picked up that tether and pulled it towards me. Does it hurt you?” I was suddenly worried.
“No. It was startling. I’ve never heard of this before. I do have one request, though.”
“I won’t do it again, if it bothers you or hurts you. I’ll leave it alone. But, last night, it happened in the heat of the moment.”
Rainor shook his head. “Do it again,” he whispered. “I have no control of the beast. If he is coming for you, or Kage, or Weylin, and only you three, please pull him back. Only you three,” he repeated.
I nodded. “And during a wave… I noticed you didn’t join last night after what happened.”
“The beast wants to claim you. I cannot safely assist in your wave with him lurking around.”
“And what we did in that room? That wouldn’t work? If he wore a mask while he was in control?”
Rainor stepped between my legs, the end of his shirt resting high on my leg, his hands resting on either side of my thighs. “He doesn’t want to just fuck you, Lila. The beast wants to rut you. He doesn’t care if you feel any pleasure—it’s all about him. He will hurt you.”
Rainor always talked of the beast as if he were some identity that he disassociated with, rejected, and wanted no connection with. The beast was his wolf, but last night, those emotions came from them both.
I reached out, running my hand along his chest, his muscles twitching under my fingertips. “Why are your eyes red?” I asked for the last time. If he didn’t answer me, I would drop it.
“Eating hearts gives you a high like no other. An instant energy boost that heals everything within your body…and out. However, the power consumed eventually hits a point where it damages your human self. The beast didn’t slow down, he has no off switch, he’s engorged himself so often that he has damaged our body. My eyes were the first. In wolf form, my eyesight is perfect. In human form, I am blind. So, he lends me his eyes to see.”
Sadness gripped my heart.
Rainor’s hands gently brushed my thighs as he pulled back. “When balance isn’t upheld, chaos, it will create,” he said before picking up his suit jacket and leaving the room.