Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
EVANTHE
Idid not think it possible, and yet the steady, rocking gait of Ranulf’s huge bipedal werebeast form lulls me into sleep. With his powerful arms wrapped around me and his soft, shaggy coat serving as my pillow, I feel safe.
The slowing of his pace rouses me. I blink my eyes open, realizing he now walks through stone passages.
A strange sensation presses around me—heavy, muffled—like we’re deep underground.
Perhaps that should frighten me. He told me he was taking me to his pack, and though I know wolf shifters often make their homes in caves, it is far from a universal truth.
The air here is warm. Thick. It carries a faint, musky scent that settles pleasantly in my nose.
There’s a moment of startling weightlessness—his arms releasing me—and then the great beast is gone. In his place stands the man.
Ranulf slows his steps, now bare-skinned and towering. Only then do I notice that Alden and Beric have also shifted, walking in human form beside him.
Beric moves ahead and lifts a heavy pelt curtain from an arched stone doorway. Warm light spills out.
Inside is a cozy chamber.
A small hearth burns low, its glow painting the room gold.
A wooden table stands with chairs around it, a tray on top with a cloth covering whatever lies beneath.
Little nooks and ledges dot the walls, holding curious trinkets.
Opposite the hearth is a single, enormous sleeping platform covered in layered furs—so large it seems built for three grown wolves… and perhaps one very small human.
Ranulf strides toward it, his chest vibrating with a deep, rumbling purr.
I blink, suddenly aware of how dirty I am—mud, dried blood… and other things. The clean, forest-sweet scent rising from the bed sharpens my shame.
“Oh… I’m filthy,” I whisper.
“Don’t mind it,” Ranulf says. “We’ll fetch fresh pelts as needed.”
The other two close in gently.
Alden lifts a cup toward my mouth. “Water,” he says.
I drink it greedily, realizing only now how thirsty I am.
“Food?” Beric asks.
My hand goes to my belly, which is still full of butterflies. “No… I’m not hungry.”
They exchange a look, as if this answer carries meaning I don’t yet understand.
Alden takes the cup away and returns to my side again.
“Are these your quarters?” I ask, glancing around.
“Aye,” Ranulf says. “Are they to your liking?”
Beside the fire, I notice a little shelf holding a few books, a small bouquet of dried flowers, and misshapen pottery bowls—rustic, charming. Brightly woven rugs cover the floor. I recognize the style; the Merrywood weaver makes similar ones. Part of the wolf tithe, maybe.
“It is lovely,” I say honestly. “I like it well.” I nod toward the corner where a narrow archway stands. “What is through that little door?”
“The bathing chamber,” Beric replies. “There are more rooms in our quarters. Ranulf has a study. And more chambers besides—for when the pups come.”
My hand drifts to my belly, and the fluttery feeling increases. “Will your pack mind that you’ve taken me?” I ask quietly. “I heard there are human women here.”
“There are,” Ranulf says dryly. “The pack leader is my brother. Last year, he took a human mate. A lass from Merrywood.”
“Aye,” Alden adds. “She is a sweet lass. And a good queen to our pack. We’ll introduce you.”
Ranulf leans closer, lowering his voice. “We are high-ranking. We can provide everything our mate needs. It is our duty now to care for you. To keep you safe.”
I reach up, touching his cheek, then Alden’s, and finally Beric’s. I want to say something more, but my eyes grow heavy.
“Rest, mate,” Ranulf murmurs. “Rest. We’ll talk more on the morrow.”
Warm happiness seeps into me, pulling me down into a comfortable, dream-soft haze. A last awareness flutters through me as I sink into the bed. Their human flesh presses in close, shifting into soft, thick wolf pelts.
Their purrs surround me, a deep melody guiding me into sleep.
Mistress Nina’s words drift back… how they prefer their wolf forms and are more comfortable like that.
That is not so bad, I decide, for I already love all their forms well.
That last contented thought fades as darkness claims me.
I lie, caught between a dream and the quiet warmth of the den. Something heavy is draped over my waist—not cloth, not fur. A limb. A… tail?
As awareness trickles back, the truth lands with a splash.
I am surrounded.
Ranulf lies behind me in his wolf form, massive head resting on my shoulder, his chest pressed to my back.
His fur is thick and impossibly soft against my bare body, his breath warm where it stirs the tiny hairs along my neck.
One huge paw is draped over my hip; its weight pins me gently but completely.
Before me, curled close, is Alden’s gray wolf, his forehead tucked to my sternum as though listening to my heartbeat—each breath he takes tickles my skin there.
And at my legs, curled protectively around them, is Beric—larger than Alden or even Ranulf—his massive russet head resting over my lower belly, a weight that feels strangely comforting.
They have me enclosed on all sides, their bodies touching mine, heat sinking into my skin in slow, delicious waves. Their scents—earthy musk, pine-laced, warm cedar, and moss—blend into something that feels like belonging.
Ranulf’s ears flick at the change in my breathing. He lifts his head, nuzzling behind my ear in a slow, deliberate sweep.
I shiver. Memories flood back of what we did in the forest.
A soft rumble rises from his chest.
Alden stirs next. He lifts his head, pale blue eyes dark with sleep, and presses his nose into my breast. A warm puff of breath escapes him in a huff of wolfish satisfaction before he takes a long lick right over my nipple.
“Oh,” I pant, heat zipping straight from the taunt needy peak to my core.
Ranulf rumbles an approving sound, and Alden licks me there again.
Beric snuffles me, making a giggle pop from between my lips. His huge head lowers until his snout is right over my pussy, and he inhales me more deeply. Then his tongue flicks out, lapping the inside of my thigh in a light, intimate touch.
My breath stops.
Ranulf shifts, displacing the heat behind me. The air shimmies, and his human hand replaces the paw on my hip. I watch him squeeze lightly over me, depressing my flesh. It is not even a particularly intimate touch, yet it still lights me up.
“Our sweet mate is awake,” he rumbles against the side of my throat, “And if her scent is anything to go by, she is having some very naughty thoughts.”
“I-I wasn’t!” My protest is stringent.
Ranulf’s deep husky chuckle tells me he doesn’t buy into my denial.
“It is assuredly not my fault you all tease me thus,” I say a little petulantly.
“Mate,” Ranulf says gruffly. “The teasing has barely begun.”
Alden and Beric shift to human. I glance from one to the other and feel my cheeks fill with heat. Goddess, they are a lot to take in when in wolf or werebeast form, but their human side puts me in a state of jitters, for they are unquestionably handsome… and there are three of them.
“You looked small and adorable between us last night,” Alden says, drawing my gaze to him. “We took turns watching you rest. Keeping you warm. Making sure no one disturbed us.”
Beric huffs a soft laugh from where he lounges, head propped on his fist, lips hovering over my thigh. “She doesn’t need to know that Ranulf refused to sleep.” He presses a soft kiss to the skin there, making goosebumps spring.
I try to gather my wits, distracted as he kisses me gently again.
“He… didn’t?”
“He remained vigilant the entire night. Wouldn’t so much as close an eye.”
Ranulf’s expression is decided regal when I chance a glance at him. “It was my right,” he says. “You are newly brought into our den. I would not have you wake, perhaps disoriented and confused.”
“And did she wake up thus?” Alden asks with an arched brow before his eyes shift to meet mine. “Or did she seek each of us in the night, even sleeping, her nose against our fur, her small hands grasping onto our coats to keep us close, her cold toes using Beric as a warmer?”
I glance down at Beric, who only smirks, like me using him to warm my toes is a source of personal pride. “My fur is the thickest. It makes sense that she would prefer me.”
Alden laughs and tosses a pelt at him, which Beric catches easily. “I did not say she prefers you, asshole.”
Ranulf chuckles, before burying his nose against my throat and nipping at me there. “Ignore them, mate. You curled toward each of us in turn. A mate instinctively knows to whom she belongs. You are ours to protect. And we are yours.”
Suddenly I am aware of… everything.
Bare chests.
Men who can become beasts. What I have done with all of them. Of the tightness in my pussy when I consider them taking me. The slick heat that gathers and the underlying soreness of places used for the very first time.
Finally, that there are three enormous male bodies close enough for their rich scents to invade my lungs.
I yank the nearest soft pelt up to my chin.
Ranulf’s expression turns thunderous before he grabs the pelt I use as a shield and tugs it away. “Did we not cover this yesterday, Evanthe?” he says in a low warning tone. “Did I not mention clothing being a privilege?”
“It is not clothing,” I point out, feeling twice as naked and exposed. They are all looking very hungry and predatory, as if my cover attempt has roused their dominant sides.
“The lass has much to learn,” Beric says, lips curved in a sinful smirk. “We shall enjoy teaching her our ways.”
“I believe our human forms make her shy,” Alden says, his big hand skims from my waist to cup my breast. “She has yet to be taken this way.”
I swallow hard.
“Do you like the thought of that, mate?” Ranulf says with a note of calculation. “Of us claiming you as men, too?”
My mouth opens, but no words come out.
Alden is petting my nipple absently, toying with it, rolling it, and squeezing it lightly. It is very distracting, and I must fight the urge to squirm and give myself away.
“You are very, ah, strong,” I blurt out. “Beautiful… and naked.”
My eyes lower to where Alden’s thick member flexes against my hip. Beric’s cock juts proudly from a nest of curls. Ranulf’s is hot, hard, and leaking pre-cum against my ass.
They smile, all wicked male amusement that makes my stomach swoop.
“Maybe we should clean our mate up before we get her all dirty again,” Alden says, wiggling his eyebrows.
“We will wash you. The warm water will help with the soreness.”
“Wash me?!” I splutter.
“Was that defiance I heard?” Beric turns to Ranulf, arching one brow.