Emily
Finn’s claiming curls through my bond with Soren like the sweetest of addictions. For a moment I feel like his heat might be catching, but it’s just Derek’s big body pressing against mine, his eyes alight with that same hungry echo. He gives me a drugging kiss, our fingers tangling together as we watch Creed take Soren’s slick-coated erection into his mouth. Soren arches with a cry, and our bond pulses in my chest. I have to wonder if I’m drunk on their pleasure or my own, every inch of my skin buzzing as Derek nibbles across my neck. A few tantalising moments later, Soren clutches the comforter and the sweet scent of his cum fills the air. When Creed growls, lost to a slick haze, I turn needy eyes on the alphas in the corner.
Only to find Finn striding towards the nest, his hands extended in our direction. It takes me a moment to realise what he means, and I draw Derek off the bed with me like a tide rushing back to the shore.
“Come bathe with me.”
It sounds like a command but feels more like a promise, and I almost trip over my feet to follow him. As we step into the ensuite, Finn’s back flexes under his thin tee, and I trace the shadow of black ink under the thin cotton. “You have a tattoo.”
It seems crazy that I’m just discovering this now, but I can’t think of a time when I’ve seen Finn shirtless. Not even on the beach, or when he took off his hoodie and I discovered his childhood scars. But he pulls it off now, his skin like marble beneath the layers of feathers, angel-like at his shoulder blades, but sharp and pointed where they curl around his ribs. His whole back is covered, the design so intense it sends a shiver through me. “What does it mean?”
“A skewed sense of loyalty.” He turns to face us, but his back is still visible in the mirror as he props himself on the counter. “When I was in my teens, I was in a gang, of sorts. I did a lot of things to convince myself they were my brothers, including this.” He shrugs his shoulders, and I stare at the rippling feathers. “But then I went to college with Lang and started working with Creed, and I knew what I had before was the exact opposite of a pack.”
Is he talking about a criminal gang? I can’t picture it, but Derek looks troubled. “Who were they?”
“They don’t advertise, so you won’t have heard of them,” Finn says with a small smile. “But in some parts, they’re called the Umbrans. Shadow Alphas.”
I shiver, even though I know it’s just a name. But for a moment I picture a different Finn, his dominance given free rein to hurt instead of protect.
“I’m not that person anymore,” he says, and stepping forward, wraps his cool palms around our necks. I’m certain Derek’s pulse is as rapid as my own, and Finn soothes us with the steady brush of his thumbs. “You never have to be afraid of me, I promise.”
“I’m not afraid,” I reply. I don’t like the thought of his shadowy past, but I won’t hold it against him either. Besides, our lives are already twined with his, the bonds of our pack stronger than any ink on his skin. “But you need to claim us, Finn. You can’t hide from us anymore.”
He nods, squeezing me gently. “No more secrets.” His lips curl as he gestures behind him. “Shower or tub?”
Both are big enough for the three of us, but if given a choice, I want to sink to my neck in these men.
“Bath,” I reply, lighting some of the beeswax candles on the counter, then moving over to the alcove where the salts and oils are stored. After dimming the overhead lights, Finn joins me, his body heat radiating through the thin material of my dress. It’s a gold silk, and Soren said I looked like a spoonful of honey, so I don’t see any reason to change up the theme. “This one is made from Manuka honey and lavender,” I tell him as I take the luxury bath wash off the shelf. “You can’t get better than that.”
He looks at the label, his eyes creasing at the edges. “I think I have something that might change your mind.”
I expect him to reach for one of the other bottles, but he turns me towards him, brushing his mouth against mine. Cinnamon and musk tease my lips, and then his tongue is sliding inside and I gasp. His taste is pack , but there’s also the heat of spice, and the cool whisper of mint. As he deepens the kiss, I think of the wolf in the woods, and of that thin line between predator and protector. Both, I know, live under his skin, and when his tongue strokes mine, an electric shiver skitters down my spine.
“Exactly like licking lightning,” I murmur when we break the kiss.
I expect Finn to laugh, but he just stares at me with his wolf eyes. “Imagine how that will feel when I wrap it around your clit.”
“Oh, God.”
He chuckles, and I turn into Derek’s arms, overwhelmed. He’s started the bath, the air growing hazy with steam, and I tip my head back for his kiss. He groans into my mouth, no doubt tasting Finn on my tongue, while the alpha returns to his perch on the counter.
“Undress her, Derek,” he murmurs, his gaze like hot sparks on my skin. “Slowly, so I can see everything.”
Derek makes a rumbling sound, his big hands brushing my straps down my arms. He plants a kiss on each shoulder as he works on my zipper, the fabric sliding to my ankles when he’s done. It leaves me in my fancy French underwear, and Derek makes a reverent sound as he cups my breasts. “You’re beautiful, babe,” he murmurs, gently pinching my nipples through the champagne lace.
My head swims and I arch my back, holding Finn’s gaze as Derek removes my bra. I catch glimpses of my reflection behind him, my nipples as hard as berries in the candlelight as Derek guides my underwear down my legs. When I’m stripped bare, he steps up close behind me, a hand slipping between my thighs as he meets Finn’s hungry stare. “Like what you see, Alpha?”
“More than you know.”
Derek gives a grunt of approval, slipping a finger between my aching folds. When it brushes my clit, a needy moan escapes me. “She’s so wet and ready. Are you gonna make her wait any longer?”
“No.” Finn nods his head towards the bath. “Climb in and let her ride you. Facing me, so I can watch you both come.”
Nothing Finn says is a command, but I feel the tug low in my belly as if compelled to obey him. And why would I argue, anyway? I want him to watch us almost as much as I want to sink onto Derek’s straining cock.
The fragrant water laps around us as Derek positions me over his lap. I sink down slowly, feeling his muscles tremble beneath me as I draw it out. If Finn wants to see us come, I’m going to wring every bit of pleasure out of the viewing. But I refuse to torture Derek in the process, leaning back and arching my neck so he can tear a kiss from my lips.
“Fuck me, Derek,” I whisper, watching his pupils blow wide. “Show our alpha what you mean to me.”
He doesn’t hesitate, wrapping his hands around my waist and tilting me forward. His cock is still inside me, but now I’m on my knees, clutching the edge of the tub. Water surges onto the floor, splashing Finn’s bare feet, but Derek just grunts and pushes inside me, all the way to the hilt. “If you want to watch,” he tells Finn, “you really should come sit in the front row.”
I’d laugh if my orgasm wasn’t already spiralling up my spine. Derek drops kisses along my back as his hips shuttle forward, hitting mine in a wet slap. I stare at the proud line of Finn’s erection against his boxers, so hungry for it, I’m panting. But then Derek bucks into me and I cry out, my eyes rolling back in my head.
I only realise Derek has pulled out when the water surges over my hips and he staggers to his feet. I look up as twin columns of muscle plant themselves over me, bathwater pouring off Derek’s abs in shining rivulets. I’m floating in my own puddle of bliss, but my throat grows dry as Finn takes Derek’s cock in his hand, milking him to a grunting release.
“Are you mine?” Finn demands, staring deep into his eyes. “Will you give yourself to me, as I’ll give myself to you?”
“Yes, Alpha.”
Derek’s voice is choked with so much emotion, it brings tears to my eyes.
“Then I am yours, and you are mine.”
Derek clutches Finn’s arms, his body still shaking as Finn draws him down and sinks his teeth into his throat. I think he whispers the bonding vow, but it’s hard to tell when his head falls forward, resting on Finn’s shoulder. I grab his thighs as Finn slowly lowers him into the water, crawling into his lap to nuzzle his bonding mark.
“So proud of you,” I whisper. “I love you so much, Derek.”
He gives me a stunned smile, his fingers lifting to touch his bonding mark. “Holy shit, Em.”
I’m tempted to trace it myself, but Finn crouches at the side of the tub and my eyes widen. “You didn’t break him, did you?”
Fin tilts his head. “How do you feel, Derek?”
“Good. So, so good.”
Finn’s lips quirk. “He’ll be fine in a moment. Do you want to sit with him some more, or can I tempt you to come out to me?”
I’m not sure how I’d answer if Derek didn’t lean forward and squeeze my arm. “Go on, babe. I’m just going to lie back here and watch for a while.”
“Okay,” I reply, licking my lips. “But don’t fall asleep, okay?”
He chuckles, then presses a hand to his chest. “No fear of that. My heart is pounding so hard, I think it’s trying to tap out an SOS.”
I know he’s joking but I cast Finn a wary glance as I climb out. Despite those dark wings on his back, he’s the picture of innocence as he takes my hand, helping me over the edge and setting me on the sodden bathmat. It squelches under my feet, and I bite my lip. “We’ve made a mess of your bathroom.”
“ Our bathroom,” he corrects me, and opens a cupboard, drawing out an armful of thick, fluffy towels. “Do you want it soft and sweet, in a silken nest?” he asks as he hands me the towel from the top of the pile. “Or do you want it here, on our wet bathroom floor, fast and hard until I own every inch of you?”
I gulp again, but my mouth is now watering, my thighs clenching behind my towel.
“I want you to own me,” I tell him. “Right here, until I can feel you under my skin.”
A slow smile spreads across his face, his back flexing in the mirror as he tosses the towels on the floor. I watch the wings stretch across his muscles, more demon than angel in the flickering candlelight. With his black hair and haunting eyes, he could be Lucifer reborn as he spreads the towels with his toes, soaking up some of our mess and forming a makeshift bed. “Lie down, .”
Has the devil just whispered in my ear?
I’m not sure, but my soul is already his, so I sink to my knees and gaze up at him.
“Beautiful girl,” he says, cupping my face. Twin flames dance in his eyes as he studies me. “Looking at you like this, I’m not sure if I want to make you pray or beg.”
I bite back a whimper, because I’m not sure what I want, either.
“The truth is,” he says as he crouches beside me, “I just want you to lie back and let me worship you.”
Without a second thought, I sink onto the makeshift bed, opening my thighs so he can position himself between them. When he’s settled, he peels away the last towel, but he doesn’t touch me like I expect. Instead, he takes my hand, his lips pressing to the ugly bite mark on my wrist. His tongue laps over the scar, and I feel a tingling sensation. Not lightning, but something soft and warm, like soap bubbles popping on my skin. “A few more kisses, and it will be as good as new.”
“Really?” He releases my hand, and I stare in wonder at the patch of skin, still pink but smoother than before. “Um. There’s the scar on my knee I got when I tripped over a chair.”
Derek snorts from the bath, but Finn just bends and kisses the tiny mark. I shiver at the sensation, although it’s more from his soft hair trailing over my skin than his soap-bubble healing.
“Where else?” he asks, planting an arm on either side of me and staring down at my body. “This area here looks a little sore.”
His lips feather over my left shoulder, lapping up to my neck before dancing across to my right. When he’s done, he skims down between my breasts, licking across my ribs and leaving a swath of goosebumps in his wake. My fists curl against the damp towels, but I hold still, soaking up every kiss, every worshipful caress. I don’t know how much time passes as he chases all my invisible hurts, but when his mouth reaches my lower belly, I’m panting in need.
“Please, Finn,” I whisper, my hips lifting in supplication. “I need you inside me.”
I expect him to tell me to be patient, but when his gaze meets mine, I can see how close he’s riding the edge. “You’re ready?”
“Please,” I whimper.
“My brave and beautiful mate.”
It’s all he says as he peels off his boxers, his erection a perfect marble shaft with a thick, pink head. I moan at the sight, and he swipes a bead of pre-cum off the tip, leaning forward to push it between my lips. Not soap bubbles this time, but spicy chocolate, as dark and decadent as the look he gives me as I suck his finger clean.
He moves quickly then, and I brace as he slides into me, but there’s no pain, only the buzz of pleasure. I’m touching every part of him that I can reach, digging my fingers in hard enough to leave marks against the shadows of his tattoo. He doesn’t seem to mind, a growl building in his chest as he grips my hips and glides in and out of me. I remember his promise to own me, to drive into me fast and hard, and I clench around him, urging him to go deeper. The buzz has become a tremor in my veins, my pussy weeping something close to slick.
“Harder!” I moan, tilting my hips and clutching at his back. “Everything, Finn.”
But he pulls back a fraction, and I see him clutching the bulbous ridge of his knot. I haven’t taken one as a beta, and seeing it cupped in his hands sends a bolt of alarm straight to my core.
“You can take it,” he says, “But only if you calm your body.”
The word resonates through me like a gong.
“ Calm . Is that how you control me?”
“ Soothe you,” he says. “It’s never a command, only a reassurance.”
I nod, too needy to question him further. “Tell me how to do it.”
“Just open yourself to me.” His hands spread my thighs wider, his tip slipping back in. “Relax into the pressure, and my cum will ease the way.”
I try to think of calm things, of cuddles on the couch and picking driftwood up off the beach. Mind over matter, . You can take this knot, or you can die trying.
Not exactly a relaxing thought, but as his knot starts to press against my clit, the pinching pain becomes something else. A dark hunger. A need to stretch for him, to feel the ache in my deepest parts, and to let him own me in every way.
Take me , I tell the wolf.
“I’m in,” he breathes, his chest pressed tight to mine. “And I’m coming. I’m filling every inch.”
I’m so overwhelmed, my orgasm rolls over me like a crashing wave.
Only his knot spares me from drowning, an anchor point that holds me until his mouth brushes my ear. “I’m yours, and you are mine.”
“Yes,” I whisper, pressing up into his bite. “Always, and in every way.”
It’s not the normal vow, but the words dissolve like mist, my body shuddering under his as his bond snaps tight. His knot swells, pulsing so hard I feel his power ripple through my veins. His lips are on my throat, but all I can smell is the musk of wolf, so potent it wrings another orgasm out of me. One last shuddering cry and I drop back into my skin, and then I’m spinning, a leaf on a lake, or a star in the sky. It’s hard to tell when your world is blown so wide, you can no longer see the edges.
“Em?”
It takes me a moment to realise Derek has climbed out of the tub and is hovering over me, his skin glowing in the candlelight. “Em, it wasn’t SOS my heart was tapping out.”
I blink up at him, too blissed-out to move. “No?”
“Nope,” he grins, dipping down for a kiss. “It was ‘I love you’, of course.”