Chapter Four — Trinity
CHAPTER FOUR
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TRINITY
Istared up at the Alpha, my heart pounding. Now that he was closer, the elusive scent of cinnamon and sugar wrapped around me. Sweet, but just enough edge to raise chills on my skin. The good kind.
Amber set her hand on mine, and I jumped. She smiled at me, clearly sensing my nerves. But the nerves didn’t come from these Alphas. It came from the unknown and what I was about to do, but not them.
“This is Trinity. She’s new to Element.”
The Alpha held out his hand for mine, and I gave it to him. He lifted it, kissing the back, never breaking eye contact. Through the darkness of his mask, his eyes were a warm brown that made me feel… everything.
Woah.
“It’s nice to meet you, Trinity,” he said. “I’m Logan. This is Brooks, Bastian, and Theo.”
Four of them. My mouth dropped open, and I looked at Amber. “Does it need to be all four?”
“Not unless you want it to be.” She smirked. “I’ll give you a minute to talk. I’ll find an available room, and when you’re ready, if you’re ready, let me know, okay?”
“I will.”
Logan still held my hand and was still staring at me like Amber didn’t exist, even as she slipped away. What did I do now?
His hand tightened on mine, and I startled, looking back at him. Them. The wall of Alpha in front of me. “Sorry. Not exactly sure how to start a conversation with four Alphas who volunteered to punish me.”
He smiled, and it felt like my heart skipped a beat. It lit up the shadowy space we were in. “Can we sit with you?”
I nodded, and he sat where Amber had, still holding my hand. The others pulled the surrounding chairs closer—way closer. I was suddenly surrounded by them and within touching distance of all of them. That was… overwhelming. And not in a bad way.
Just in a way I wasn’t sure how to deal with. Every nerve was primed and ready, jumping as Logan ran his thumb over the back of my hand.
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” he murmured.
“Not sure startling is the right word,” I said. “Being overloaded with Alpha intensity? Yes. So could the four of you tone that down?”
The Alpha nearest me laughed. He wore a deep blue button-down that brought out the color of his eyes. “Can’t promise that. It’s part of our charm.”
I gave him a look, sensing I could push back. “We’ll see.”
His voice lowered. “Gladly.”
Logan tightened his fingers on mine, drawing my attention back to him. He watched me, and it was impossible to deny the heat in his gaze. “First things first, may I touch more than your hand?”
“You want to?”
A wicked smile curved his lips. “If I had my choice, I would have already had you pinned against my body.”
“Oh.” I tried to make a habit of not lying to myself, and I couldn’t deny that I wanted them to touch me. “Yeah, I’m good with that.”
He pulled me across the couch and settled me so my legs were slung over his; that wonderful sugary scent washing over me.
The others once again clustered closer in response, so I was in the center of a little knot of Alpha.
I smothered the smile at my own joke. It should have felt awkward to be tangled up with a complete stranger and nearly pressed against three more. But… it didn’t.
“Can you tell us what happened?” The Alpha who spoke was casual. Sandy blonde hair, tousled, and a simple grey mask over his eyes. Dimples appeared when he smiled at me.
“Which one are you?” He chuckled, and I winced. “Sorry.”
“Not at all. Logan was so enthralled he didn’t attach our names to us. I’m Brooks. This is Theo.” The blue-shirted Alpha. “And this is my twin, Bastian.”
Bastian felt darker than the others. He had the same sandy blonde hair, but unlike the others, the lower half of his face was covered with a mask that looked like a skull.
A dark, zip-up hoodie hung open, showing an absolutely insane physique—what I could see of it in the dim space—and plenty of tattoos.
“Can you tell us what happened?” Brooks asked again.
“I was up on the roof, and I didn’t hear them clear it. I guess I was too far into the maze. I heard—” I shook my head. “I interrupted a scene because it didn’t sound like a scene. It sounded so real, and… Amber offered me a choice to leave tonight or to be punished.”
“Brave Omega,” Logan whispered.
I flushed at the words and felt my own eyes go wide. Every time Isolde or Ocean blushed at the words their Alphas said, it felt like overkill. I teased them about it. And here I was, doing the same thing. I was so, so fucked.
Hopefully by them. Because damn.
It felt like I was coming back to myself. “I would always wonder if I left without trying. My curiosity would never let me live it down. So here I am.”
Logan picked up my hand once more and wove our fingers together. “And would you like us to be the ones who punish you?”
Heat rolled over me in a wave. The complete opposite reaction to the idea of Amber’s punishment.
I wanted their hands on me, even if the touch was punishing.
This close I got smaller waves of scent, all incredible.
Leather and clove, smoke and vanilla, Logan’s cinnamon and sugar, and finally, the purest, most delicious almond.
No idea who the other scents belonged to, and for the moment I didn’t care.
“Yes,” I managed to whisper. “I would like that.”
Though I suspected it would be far more than like.
“I’m happy to hear that,” he said. “Thank you for trusting us.”
My stomach did a happy little flip at the praise. I liked that too much. Too soon. I pretended to toss my hair over my shoulder, even though it was already pinned up, and smirked. “Well, we’ll see how you do.”
Brooks leaned forward and tilted his head. “Do we have a brat on our hands?”
“Guess you’ll find out, won’t you?” I winked, and he shook his head with a slow smile. As if they couldn’t already tell I wasn’t going to make everything easy. “What happens now?”
“Questions,” Logan said. “A few questions and a few choices to make sure we’re all on the same page.”
“All right.”
“This is your first time in a scene?”
I bit my lip. “Unless you count the occasional man trying to spank me while pulling on my ponytail during sex, then yes. But I have friends who play, so I know about it even if I haven’t experienced it. They’re the ones who brought me.”
“Good to know,” Brooks said.
“Would you like this to be public or private?” Logan asked.
Everything in me tensed. Being spanked by relative strangers was one thing. Being spanked by relative strangers in front of a whole club of other strangers? No, thank you. “Private, please.”
Brooks took the hand that Logan didn’t hold and squeezed it. The extra touch settled me. Relaxed me. Then he tilted his head. “Do you have a position preference?”
I raised both eyebrows. “Jumping ahead a little, aren’t we?”
They all laughed, even Bastian, who hadn’t said anything yet.
“What he means to ask is if you’d like to be spanked on a piece of equipment, like a spanking bench, on the edge of a bed, or would you rather simply be taken over a knee?”
Another cascade of arousal poured over me. Because being taken over his knee sounded hot and intimate and oh-holy-fuck-yes, and frankly, I wasn’t sure I could handle that with someone I'd just met. Did I want it? Yup. Yes. Abso-fucking-lutely.
But not for this. I didn’t want that to be about anything but me and whoever’s hand was on my ass. Not because I fucked up when I should have known better.
“Equipment,” I managed.
He stared at me. Like he knew it wasn’t the real answer, but I held my ground. It wasn’t like I was a prude. I had my fair share of sex—at least up until the last few months—and the occasional drunk, night-out hookup. I wasn’t afraid of what I wanted.
And yet, the intensity of how much I wanted what he described did scare me a little.
“Barehanded or paddle?”
There wasn’t a question there. “Hands, please.” My voice rasped. The idea of a paddle terrified me, and I wasn’t sure why.
Of course they noticed. Logan’s fingers tightened and released, the tiny movement encouraging.
“What about restraints?”
I blinked, and it felt like the world went silent for a moment.
“Don’t forget to breathe,” Brooks said softly.
My lungs filled with air, following the quiet command. I cleared my throat. “Why would we need them?”
“Some people find it easier to take a punishment while being held down. Making someone stay still and bear it is a different kind of punishment.” The corner of Logan’s mouth tipped up.
“And I don’t think you need to fight so hard during something like this.
But I also understand not wanting them with strangers. ”
That made sense. I was pointedly ignoring the fluttering, tingling excitement at the images in my mind centering around the words ‘held down.’ I didn’t want to have to make myself stay still, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to be tied. Not this first time.
Had the club suddenly gotten warmer? Because my skin suddenly felt hot. Sweat gathered at my temples and the back of my neck. Behind my knees.
“I—” Taking a frustrated breath, I repeated my thoughts to them. “I don’t want to have to keep myself still, but I don’t want to be tied down.”
Logan leaned in, the words so low they were barely audible beneath the music of the club. A rumbling vibration and breath that tickled my ear. “And if we were to help restrain you instead?”
All the air was gone. Sucked out of the room with his words. Like he’d been reading my mind and every tantalizing thought…
“We would make sure you stayed still, but it would be easier to free you if you panic than regular restraints.” His fingers stroked where they rested on my waist. All of them were so close.
Holy shit. What was I doing? Four hot-as-fuck Alphas surrounding me?
This was a situation I’d dreamed about. Even in my spicy extracurricular activities, I’d never been with a pack.
You didn’t usually find groups looking for a quick fuck in a nightclub bathroom.