Under Their Gaze
The world tilted.
Three silhouettes stood just beyond the café’s floor-to-ceiling windows, half-shrouded by the dusk shadows under the sycamores. Tall. Impossibly tall. They didn’t move. They didn’t need to. Their stares pinned me in place like butterfly wings to corkboard.
My breath fogged the glass.
Then, as if someone had snapped their fingers, they were gone. Melted into the dark between the lampposts like they’d never existed.
“Scarlett?” Lily’s voice sounded miles away. “You’re white as milk.”
I blinked. Forced my legs to move. “I..I thought I saw…”
“Nothing,” Milo finished gently, steering me toward the corner booth. “You saw nothing. Sit. Eat sugar. You’ll feel better.”
They pushed an éclair and a steaming mug of hot chocolate into my trembling hands. The pastry was perfect, flaky, creamy, dusted with powdered sugar but it tasted like ash. I chewed mechanically, nodding whenever Lily or Milo spoke, but their words blurred into static.
Who were they?
Why did looking at them feel like staring into the mouth of something powerful and hungry?
At eight o’clock sharp, Lily checked her phone and grimaced. “Curfew’s technically ten, but after eight most Omegas try to be inside. Just… safer.”
Milo was already standing. “Come on, it's on to the South Wing.”
We stepped back into the night. The campus felt different now, lamplight too yellow, shadows too deep. Every rustle of leaves sounded like footsteps.
Halfway across the quad, a bright voice called out, “Milo! Lily! Wait up!”
Two Beta girls from our Pack Diplomacy class waved frantically. Milo glanced at me. “Two minutes, okay? Stay right here under the light.”
They jogged over, leaving me beneath the sweeping branches of the massive weeping willow that everyone called the Kissing Tree. Its long, silvery leaves brushed the grass like curtains.
I wandered closer, needing something to do with my hands. The leaves were cool and silky between my fingers. For a moment, the tightness in my chest eased.
A soft rustle in the bushes.
I turned and there was a rabbit.
Snow-white, ears twitching, nose wiggling. The cutest thing I’d seen all day.
“Hey, little guy,” I whispered, moving over to where it was near the bush, and crouched down. It didn’t bolt. I scooped it gently into my palms, laughing under my breath as it snuffled my wrist.
When I straightened and looked up…
Red eyes glowed between the leaves.
Not cute. Not small.
A wolf the size of a grizzly bear stepped out of the underbrush, lips peeled back from fangs longer than my fingers. Black fur, scarred muzzle, shoulders rolling with every silent step.
I screamed.
The rabbit leapt from my arms and vanished.
I ran.
Branches whipped my face as I bolted for the willow.
My skirt tangled around my legs, but terror made me fast.
I grabbed the lowest branch, hauled myself up, bark scraping my palms raw.
Climbed higher, higher, until the tree swayed under my weight and I was ten, twelve feet off the ground, clinging to a limb, chest heaving.
The wolf circled below, tail wagging like this was the best game he’d ever played. A low, happy chuff rumbled out of him.
Two more shapes melted from the darkness.
Rhys stepped into the lamplight first, hands in his pockets, looking amused.
And beside him, tall, broad, black hair, dark eyes, was the third.
He turned still when he saw me, nostrils flaring, pupils blown wide. His gaze raked over me like fire, my bare legs dangling, skirt ridden up to my thighs, nipples still hard and visible through the thin singlet from the cold and the fear.
Rhys tilted his head at the wolf. “Saint. Down.”
The massive wolf sat instantly, tongue lolling, but his eyes never left me.
Rhys’s gaze lifted to mine, golden and soft and utterly merciless.
“Evening, little one,” he said, voice warm like honey. “You climb trees now?”
My mouth opened. Nothing came out.
Then the one I realized must be Kane took a single step forward… then another… until he stood directly beneath me. He lifted his head and drew in a long, deep breath, like he was tasting the air. A shudder rolled through his massive frame, slow and hungry.
“Fuck,” he rasped. “You smell even better terrified.”
Rhys elbowed him hard, but his own smile was sharp. “Behave.”
Saint whined, pawing the ground, clearly desperate to get closer.
I clung tighter to the branch, heart trying to punch through my ribs.
Rhys looked up at me, something almost gentle flickering behind the predator.
“We’re not going to hurt you, Scarlett,” he said quietly.
Kane cracked his neck, grinning. “Not Yet.”
Saint huffed in agreement, tail thumping the dirt.
And just like that, I knew.
The Triumvirate. The complete trio.
My eyes snapped back to the three of them, my heart thundering in my chest. Why were they here? Were they the ones watching me through the window earlier?
It had to be them.
My eyes shook as I held the branch, feeling it creak under my weight. I needed to come down, but I couldn’t, not with that big wolf watching me like he couldn’t wait for me to drop so he could gobble me up.
“You can come down. He won’t hurt you, he’s just excited,” Rhys said.
But I shook my head quickly.
I clung to the branch, knuckles white, thighs trembling.
Saint’s massive wolf head lifted toward me, red eyes glowing with pure, manic delight. His tongue hung out, drool dripping in thick ropes onto the grass. His tail hadn’t stopped wagging since I climbed up here.
Kane stood directly beneath me, head cocked, staring straight up my skirt like it was the only thing in the universe. His black eyes were blown wide, nostrils flaring with every breath.
“Fuck me,” he muttered, voice rough. “Pink lace. You wearing that for us, baby girl?”
I squeaked, clamping my thighs together, which only made the skirt ride higher. “Stop looking!”
Rhys leaned against the trunk, arms folded, smirking like this was the best show he’d ever seen. “Kane. Eyes up here.”
Kane didn’t move. “Can’t. Her scent’s stronger from this angle. Jesus, I’m gonna come in my pants.”
The wind shifted.
Their pheromones hit me like a wall.
Pine and smoke from Rhys.
Burning cedar and gunpowder from Kane.
Fresh snow and something wild and electric from Saint.
It flooded my lungs, my head, my blood. My nipples ached. Heat pooled low and sudden between my legs, slick soaking the thin lace Kane was currently drooling over.
Saint whined, a deep, desperate sound, and took one experimental step up the trunk. His huge front paws scraped bark, claws gouging wood.
“Saint, down,” Rhys ordered, but his voice was thick now, pupils blown gold.
Saint ignored him. Another step. The whole tree shuddered.
I yelped, clutching the branch tighter. “He’s….he’s climbing!”
Rhys pinched the bridge of his nose, fighting a laugh. “He’s excited. You smell like heaven and panic. It’s short-circuiting his brain.”
Kane’s hands flexed at his sides, claws lengthening. “Let him. I’ll catch you when you fall, little rabbit.”
“I’m not falling!” My voice cracked. “Tell him to get down!”
Rhys stepped forward, voice dropping into that calm, terrifying Alpha command. “Saint. Off the tree. Now.”
Saint froze halfway up, ears flattening. He let out a small whine, then slid back down, landing with a heavy thud that shook the ground. He immediately flopped onto his belly, chin on his paws, staring up at me like I’d personally betrayed him.
I couldn’t breathe right. Their scents were everywhere, thick and drugging. My thighs were slick. My whole body felt too small, too soft, too breakable under their stares.
Rhys’s eyes softened, just a fraction. “Come down, sweetheart. We’ll behave.”
Kane snorted. “Speak for yourself.”
I swallowed hard. “Promise you won’t… touch me?”
Rhys tilted his head. “Not unless you beg.”
Kane grinned, all teeth. “And you will.”
Saint huffed again, tail thumping.
I glared down at them, cheeks burning, heart racing, body betraying me in ways I didn’t understand.
“Turn around,” I demanded, voice shaking. “All of you. No looking until I’m on the ground.”
Rhys’s smile was slow, wicked. “Yes, ma’am.”
They turned.
Slowly.
Kane made a big show of covering his eyes… with two fingers spread wide.
Saint’s wolf head swivelled 180 degrees like an owl, red eyes still locked on me.
I groaned, mortified, and began the world’s most undignified descent, skirt fluttering, slick thighs rubbing together, their pheromones still drowning me in heat.
I dropped the last few feet.
Strong hands caught my waist before I hit the ground.
Kane’s hands.
He pulled me against his chest, nose buried in my hair, inhaling like I was oxygen and he’d been underwater for years.
“Fuck,” he breathed, voice wrecked. “You’re ours.”
I shoved at him, legs wobbling. “You promised!”
Rhys stepped in, gently prying Kane’s hands off me. “He promised not to touch. He lied. We’ll work on that.”
Saint let out a low whine and started walking toward me. I instantly tried to hide behind Rhys, who only smirked.
It’s not like I was being overdramatic, I’d seen wolves before. A lot of them. Everyone in my pack could shift except me.
But this wolf?
This Alpha wolf?
He was huge. Bigger than my pack’s Alpha. Scarier too. And I didn’t know these guys. At all.
So yeah… unnerving was an understatement.
Rhys caught my wrist, holding me in place. His voice dropped, firm and steady. “Relax.”
Saint reached me and stopped right at my feet. Then he pressed his massive face against my bare ankle.
A deep, almost worshipful growl rolled out of him.
Then he licked a slow stripe up my calf.
I shrieked.
Rhys exhaled hard. “Saint. Manners.”
Saint looked up, lips shiny, and gave a small, needy growl.
His tongue had been hot, wet, and way too long. The second it touched my skin, my knees almost gave out. A tiny, helpless sound slipped from me before I could swallow it.
Kane’s laugh was low and filthy. “You hear that? She liked it.”
Saint’s red eyes flared brighter. He pressed in again, nose nudging up my shin… my knee… then dangerously close to the inside of my thigh. His breath warmed the damp lace between my legs and I squeaked, twisting uselessly.
Rhys’s hand stayed tight around my wrist like a cuff. “Saint,” he said again, voice smooth but sharp. “Slow.”
Saint froze and made the saddest, most pathetic little sound I’d ever heard come from something that could bite me in half.
Then he dropped straight onto his belly, chin resting on my foot, tail thumping the grass so loudly it sounded like a drum.
He looked exactly like a two-hundred-pound murder puppy who’d just been told no treats.
I couldn’t help it, I laughed. A tiny, terrified giggle that turned into a full-body shiver when Saint’s ears perked and he licked my ankle again, softer this time, like an apology.
Kane groaned, palming the front of his jeans. “Fuck, Rhys, she’s laughing. I’m dying.”
Rhys’s thumb stroked over my pulse point, slow and soothing, even while his eyes were molten gold. “Breathe, little one. He’s harmless.” A pause. “Mostly.”
Saint rolled onto his back, belly exposed, tongue lolling, tail still wagging like a helicopter. Then he let out a low, happy chuff and scooted closer, rubbing his massive head against my bare legs like a cat the size of a truck.
I stared down at him, heart still racing. “He… he’s really big.”
Kane snorted. “That’s what she’ll say later.”
Rhys elbowed him again, harder. “Shut up.”
Saint whined, rolling back to his feet. He sat up tall, ears forward, and stared at me with those glowing red eyes. Then, very deliberately, he lowered his head and pressed his cold nose right to the center of my panties.
I shrieked again, jumping backward, straight into Kane’s chest.
Kane’s arms snapped around me instantly, hands splayed over my stomach, thumbs brushing the undersides of my breasts. “Easy, baby girl,” he murmured against my ear. “He just wants a proper hello.”
Saint’s tail wagged harder.
Rhys sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Saint. Personal space.”
Saint huffed, but backed up one whole step. Then he flopped onto his side, tongue lolling, and stared up at me like I was the best thing he’d ever seen in his entire violent life.
I swallowed hard. My entire body was on fire. Their pheromones were so thick I could taste them on my tongue, dark, rich, addictive. My thighs were soaked. My nipples ached. And Saint’s happy little chuffs were doing something terrifying to my stomach.
Kane’s lips brushed my ear. “You’re shaking, little rabbit.”
“I…I’m scared,” I whispered.
Rhys stepped closer, crowding me between the three of them. He cupped my cheek, thumb stroking my bottom lip. “Good,” he said softly. “Fear keeps little Omegas alive.”
Kane nipped my earlobe. “Until they decide they’d rather be devoured.”
Saint whined again, pawing the ground, clearly dying to get his mouth back on me.
I looked up at Rhys, voice trembling. “What… what do you want from me?”
Rhys’s smile was slow, beautiful, terrifying.
“Everything,” he said simply.
Kane’s arms tightened. “Starting tonight.”
Saint barked once, practically vibrating with an almost unhinged excitement.
And for the first time since I’d climbed that tree, I realized I wasn’t getting away.
Not tonight.
Maybe not ever.