CHAPTER 23
Rue
There’s a hand stroking my hair, and arms are around me as I fall apart on the floor of the honeymoon cabin, but it’s not the hands or arms I need.
Vaguely, I hear voices, but it’s not until three majestic gray wolves burst into the backyard that I snap out of my distant state and push myself to my feet to watch.
Despite only seeing them in wolf form a few times, I automatically know it’s my men who burst into the clearing like wolves scorned, ready to rip the throats out of anything in their path. Their protective instincts will ride them until they eliminate the threat.
Caylix’s wolf is huge, way bigger than I remember from the night I was attacked, although in my defense a lot was going on, and I didn’t get a good look at him. His hackles are raised, the gray streaked fur more prominent with the dusk light highlighting it. He exudes cunning, predatory grace.
Rhys’ wolf is right on his heels, easily distinguishable by the lazy quality to his gate. His wolf has more white on its muzzle than Caylix’s and there’s almost a blond tint to the fur like his human hair.
A feral lunges at Caylix and my heart leaps to my throat. It rakes its elongated claws down his side and his wolf lets out a pain-filled yelp that strikes me straight in the heart. I see red. My magic, as miniscule as it is, bubbles and crackles inside of me. I’m seconds away from unleashing whatever I can manage on the feral when Rhys leaps, his strong maw sinking into the creature’s neck and shoulder as the feral mindlessly snaps his jaws at him. One shake of Rhys’ massive head and it’s over though. And as much as I want to, I don’t close my eyes against the ghastly sight, too worked up on the possibility they might get hurt.
I won’t be okay until they’re safe inside, wrapping me in their arms.
Caylix’s accelerated healing should take care of his injury quickly as it doesn’t seem too deep, but it doesn’t ease my worry one single bit.
My gaze snags on Kathan, who is larger than the other two, despite being second in command. For a brief moment, his yellow eyes land on me like he’s making sure I’m still in one piece. My stomach lurches at the pain in his eyes, but the not-so-feral is a bigger threat here, and I know he needs to go after him. He’s going to be an issue if they can’t get rid of him. Men like that don’t let things go. It’ll only escalate until he gets what he wants, which is likely me flayed open for all the ferals to feast on. A shudder races up my spine at the thought.
I give Kathan a nod, telling him with my eyes it’s okay. He gives me one last look before he takes off after the leader who, realizing his plans have been thwarted, levels his dark gaze on me. “This isn’t over. We’ll continue this little charade until you right the wrongs done to us.” With that last dark statement percolating in my brain, he phases into the woods surrounding the swamp and out of my sight.
Kathan’s close behind, his wolf eating up the distance with long, powerful strides, his paws digging deep into the dirt. When he disappears from view, I return my attention to the other two just as Rhys is thrown into the air by a different feral, making my heart skip a beat. He’s not down for long but shakes his head like he’s disoriented when he pushes up on his paws. I want to scream for him to watch his exposed side, but hearing my franticness would only distract him, so I keep my mouth closed.
Thankfully, Caylix is there. He pounces, distracting the creature long enough to get it off Rhys while he recovers. The beast screeches, opening its wide maw as he blindly reaches his claws for Caylix. They’re powerful, faster, stronger, but they don’t have anything other than the bloodlust controlling them. Which is a good thing with this many around. If I didn’t see a few phasing into the trees, I’d say they have no sense of self-preservation either, but it’s like some of them are smart enough to escape. Why?
Rhys’ wolf is sporting a slight limp on his front shoulder, but he springs back into the action like he’s fine. He sneaks his jaws around the midsection of the feral and Caylix leaps, taking its head off in one fell swoop. The body tumbles to the ground, lifeless, its empty red eyes seeming to stare at me from the afterlife. More bile threatens to rise at the sight, but I manage to keep it down. Barely.
After two more wolves, both slightly dark in color, take down a third feral, the rest of them scatter like leaves in the breeze. Sadly, there aren’t enough wolves to track them all down, but the three others take off into the woods anyway.
“Ian’s out there,” Arya tells me, motioning toward the red wolf that’s slipping into the trees. She pockets her cellphone with a grimace. I was so lost in thought watching the shifters in action, I didn’t even hear her conversation. “Mauve and Calisto are on their way for backup. I’m going to help my mate.”
I don’t object.
Besides, Caylix and Rhys have shifted back, and their focus is on nothing but me as they make a beeline straight for the cabin, their injuries completely forgotten. A thousand different unspoken things pass between us as they close the distance, but none of us speak a word.
Rhys almost rips the door off its hinges in his haste to get to me and for a second they try to walk through the door together. Somehow, they finagle through it and the next thing I know I’m wrapped in between two naked bodies. Their nudity, the blood and grime, none of it matters.
Their warmth surrounds me, and I lay my head against Rhys’ bare chest. His sugary scent envelopes me, tangling with Caylix’s fresh linen, and it’s like floating through a cloud. The other alpha presses into my back, immediately sticking his nose to the sensitive part of my throat, inhaling like he’s trying to imprint my scent in his essence.
Being in their arms… all I feel is relief. Tears pool in my eyes and I can’t hold them back. I burst into heart wrenching sobs, letting out the storm of emotions against Rhys’ chest. He strokes my hair down my back and holds me while I grieve for the woman I didn’t even know. “I know, vixen. It’s okay. You’re okay. We’re here now.”
“She d-died. He k-killed her because of me.” My admission has another round of heavy sobs racking through my body. “It’s m-my fault.”
“Shh, it’s not your fault, Rue.” Rhys growls, instantly pressing his nose to my neck when Caylix is finished so he can inhale my scent next, soothing his wolf.
“I’m so sorry, little witch,” Caylix murmurs, his tone filled with shame. “We should’ve been here to protect you. We could’ve annihilated that fucker.”
“You couldn’t have known this would happen,” I whisper. My throat is raw and scratchy from crying. And probably screaming when… I shudder and attempt to shove the image of the bartender’s head being removed from my thoughts. “He was smart enough to bring backup.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Rhys growls. “We’re supposed to be here for you. Protect you.”
“We failed you,” Caylix adds, his tone full of self-loathing.
Him feeling this way makes me want to wrap him up and make it all go away like they’re trying to do for me. “It’s okay. I’m fine and Kathan went after the leader. Hopefully, he’ll… take care of things.” For some reason, I don’t want to say murder that guy because I don’t want to think about it. He tried to… abduct me? I think. His motives are still completely unclear. Especially since he could’ve waltzed in here like it was nothing. Not that Arya would’ve let him get far but… It’s unusual. There must be more going on here.
The sadness fogging my brain clears, giving me a moment of clarity. The realization that Kathan is out there chasing the not-so-feral hits me all at once. “Why are you with me? You need to go help him!”
Rhys grips me harder, and I cling to him. If I could somehow fit inside of them, I’d try. We need to be closer. “Kathan can handle himself,” Rhys responds, an air of confidence to his tone about his packmate. “Besides, Slade is with him. They’ll get him.”
I gasp, remembering the mental image of Slade right before I tried to hand myself over. “Slade is actually here?”
But Rhys doesn’t hear me. He’s growling against my hair like he doesn’t even know he’s doing it. “My wolf is so angry at me, he’s almost feral himself. When you cut off our connection… I thought I was going to lose my fucking mind, vixen. Don’t ever do that again.”
It takes my brain a second to trudge through the swarming thoughts inside me to realize what he means. I glance up at him through my lashes. “You feel it too?” I whisper.
He presses his forehead against mine like he needs the comfort and being sandwiched between the two of them feels divine. Like I’m close to whole again, minus two missing puzzle pieces. Caylix’s chest rumbles against my back. “Yes, we fucking feel it. We feel everything.”
“And it almost fucking killed us when you severed it,” Rhys adds. “I didn’t realize how much we could feel you until we couldn’t anymore. I’m hollow without you, Rue.”
The low timbre of a growl caresses my ears and the arms around me loosen. Kathan storms through the doorway, naked, and imposing. We lock gazes, his golden eyes tumultuous, mine reflecting the same. He takes a step closer with his giant tree trunk legs, and I take a dainty one back, my heart fluttering like a butterfly trapped in a cage. His lip pulls into a grin as he eats the distance between us, towering over me so I’m forced to tilt my chin to look up at him. A million different scenarios run through my mind as I try to puzzle out what he’ll do.
What I don’t expect is for his muscular arms to wrap me in his embrace or for him to cradle my head against his chest like I’m the most precious thing in the world. I shift slightly and he allows me to gaze up at him. Neither of us say a word. Instead, I snuggle into his bear hug. He strokes his fingers down my hair, detangling a few strands. It makes me feel whole, and tingly, and wanted. “Let us in, Rue,” he rumbles. “Please.” That’s not a word I ever thought I’d hear uttered from his lips.
Kathan… my grumpy shifter—the one who convinced himself I’m a spy—wants the bond between us? My heart explodes with happiness from being wanted, but it all comes crashing down around me when I realize what I’ve done. My eyes pool, and fresh tears fall onto Kathan’s chest. Shame burns my cheeks like a bonfire.
He tries to get me to look at him, but I can’t. I can’t look this man in the eye and tell him I’ve severed the connection for good. When I refuse to budge, he uses his index finger to tilt my chin up. My chest begins to rise and fall faster, each inhale like I’m breathing in shards of glass. He’s extremely patient, staring into my eyes as I fall apart. “I can’t. I severed the connections.” My voice is scarcely a whisper.
“You can, Rue,” Kathan tells me gently. “You’re fighting it. Give in to the bond.”
Give in to the bond? But how? There’s nothing in my chest, a stark reminder they’re no longer inside of me, filling me up with their emotions. The thought of never feeling them again is enough to send me spiraling into a pit of despair so deep, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to figure out how to claw my way out.
“Breathe, Rue,” Kathan demands, and I suck in a sharp, gasping breath. “There, now breathe with me, okay? You’re having a panic attack.”
“I am?” I pant.
This doesn’t feel like my normal episodes. It’s so much more. Like pure desolation. Emptiness. Hex, loneliness. It’s killing me.
“Yes,” he responds. “Open the flow again. It’s all right. We’re here. We’re not going anywhere.”
“You’re not?”
Rhys steps into my line of sight. The few scratches on his chest are completely healed and his shoulder seems fine. My sweet shifter coaches me through breathing exercises alongside Kathan. “My wolf would riot if I ever left your side again, vixen. It’s not happening,” he tells me, doing his best to reassure me.
Caylix is there next and my gaze snaps to the three long claw marks marring his side. The wound is stitching together before my very eyes, no longer bleeding. I suddenly feel like an asshole for not thinking about their injuries sooner. But it all dissipates when his stunning hazel eyes, full of longing, lock with mine and he says, “You’re ours, little witch. Ours. From this moment on, you’re a part of our pack.”
A part of the pack? I’ve always wanted something like that. Always wanted to fit in. Always wanted a family that’s more like home than anything else. The clawing anxiety eases enough for me to close my eyes and search inward for the connections that tie me to these wonderful men.
At first, I don’t find anything, and anguish threatens to take hold, but then there’s a twinkle and I catch sight of the threads that bind us together. I stroke a finger down the mental strands and am graced with three sharp intakes of breath when I grip them in my mental hand.
“That’s it, Rue. Let us in,” Kathan murmurs.
The threads suddenly lighten and become almost transparent. They slip from my grasp, but I fight through the fog, lunging for them. Like a light socket, I connect those threads to the small well of power inside my chest and they light up like an exploding spell, fireworks sprouting off them. Immediately, their worry and relief wash over me, alongside their happiness and desire. Who knows where everything will go from here, but as long as I have them by my side…
We can tackle anything.
When I open my eyes, Rhys is directly in front of me. His gaze dips to my lips and my tongue darts out to wet mine. Like magnets, we lean in toward one another. At first, he places the barest, gentlest kiss against my lips, but when I latch onto the phantom strings between us, he presses in harder. The steady feeling of them in my chest strengthens, and I gasp into our kiss. He takes the opportunity to dive in, our tongues dancing with one another like he’s trying to fill the hollow from before.
All too soon, he’s breaking the kiss because of a demanding bark behind us. I’m wrapped into Caylix’s arms, and he cups my cheek before kissing the shit out of me. It’s raw and demanding, and so alpha-like I can’t help but lean into it. I stroke the bond between us, and he shudders. “I don’t care what happens, or what you’re going through. Please, don’t shut us out again. Let us be your rocks.”
A part of me feels guilty for cutting them off, but I also know it was the right thing to do in the moment. I won’t apologize for trying to spare them even if it hurt like hell. “Okay. I won’t do it again, but I also want to be that for you all,” I whisper.
My grumpy giant’s chest rumbles and he scoops me into his arms. With several long strides, he’s depositing me on the bed in his room, the one I claimed for myself. He positions me to where I’m in between his legs, my upper body resting on his chest. Rhys and Caylix pile in on either side, both of them putting their hands on me, like they can’t stand not touching me.
Fine by me. I snuggle into their warmth, letting it ease the ache in my soul like a cooling salve. It’s everything I’ve been needing for so long. I hadn’t realized exactly how lonely I was and now that I have these men? I’m never letting them go.
The question is, will they still accept me if the simmering between Slade and I turns into something more? Because there aren’t only three strands in my chest… There are four.