Monsters Brushing Teeth
The tent was far too small for four people, let alone five.
Scarlett sat squeezed between Saint’s massive frame and Kane’s equally huge body, with Rhys lounging elegantly on the other side like he owned the entire sleeping space.
The air was thick with their combined scents, pine, blood, musk, and that underlying warmth that made her stomach flutter whether she liked it or not.
Then it hit her.
The metallic tang of rabbit blood was still coating her tongue.
Scarlett’s eyes widened in horror. “Wait. No. Absolutely not.”
She sat up abruptly, nearly elbowing Kane in the ribs. “I can’t go to sleep like this. There’s blood in my mouth. That’s disgusting.”
Kane raised an eyebrow, lips curling into a lazy smirk. “Come on love, you’re fine.”
“I am not fine,” she snapped, fierce even while trapped between three Alphas. “I am not sleeping with all of you while I still taste dead bunny. That’s where I draw the line.”
Saint blinked at her, head tilted like a confused puppy. Rhys’s golden eyes sparkled with quiet amusement.
“Darling,” Rhys said smoothly, “it’s just a little blood. You looked quite beautiful with it on your chin earlier.”
Scarlett glared at him. “I don’t care. I need to brush my teeth. Right now.”
She turned to Saint, who was closest to her bag. “Saint, pass me my duffle please.”
Saint immediately reached over and handed her the bag without question, looking proud to be useful. Scarlett rummaged inside and pulled out her toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste.
She looked at the three of them expectantly. “Well? Go get yours too. I’m not the only one who ate raw meat.”
Kane groaned dramatically. “Seriously?”
“Yes, seriously,” she said, crossing her arms. “If I have to brush, you all have to brush. No exceptions.”
Rhys chuckled softly, the sound low and dangerous. “Bossy little Omega tonight.”
But he still rose gracefully and slipped out of the tent, followed by a grumbling Kane. Saint stayed behind, digging through his own duffle bag and pulling out his toothbrush like a good boy.
Scarlett and Saint stepped a few feet away from the tent, near a small water station the camp had set up. The moonlight filtered through the trees as they stood side by side.
Scarlett squeezed toothpaste onto her brush, cheeks already turning pink. Brushing her teeth in front of Saint felt strangely intimate, more intimate than some of the things they’d already done. She could feel his eyes on her the entire time.
Saint watched her with soft, adoring eyes as he brushed his own teeth in slow, careful strokes. Every few seconds he’d glance over at her like he was making sure she was still there.
Scarlett spat into the grass, blushing harder. “Stop staring at me like that,” she mumbled around her toothbrush.
Saint just gave her a small, toothpaste-foamy smile, his ice-blue eyes warm. He bumped his shoulder gently against hers, a silent I like watching you.
When they finally finished and walked back to the tent, Kane and Rhys were already waiting outside, both freshly brushed and looking far too pleased with themselves.
“Happy now, princess?” Kane asked, flashing her a bright, minty grin.
Scarlett nodded, trying to hide her smile. “Yes. Thank you.”
Rhys stepped closer, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “Anything for you, darling. Even brushing our teeth like civilized animals”
Saint took her hand and gently tugged her back toward the tent, clearly eager to return to cuddling.
As they all squeezed back inside the already-too-small tent, Scarlett couldn’t help but laugh softly at the absurdity of it all.
She had three psychotic Alphas who had just spent the evening rubbing all over her like giant wolves… and they had actually gone to brush their teeth because she told them to.
She was in so much trouble.
And as Saint curled his massive body protectively around her from behind, and Kane threw an arm over her waist, she realized something terrifying:
She was starting to love every ridiculous, unhinged second of whatever this was.
******
Scarlett finally drifted off.
Exhaustion from the day, the river trial, the blood, the emotions, the raw rabbit, pulled her under fast. She was curled up in the middle of the too-small tent, breathing soft and even, her body nestled between them like she belonged there.
The three Alphas stayed wide awake.
Saint lay behind her, his massive arm wrapped protectively around her waist, face buried in her hair as he breathed in her scent. His fingers traced slow, gentle patterns along her arm, careful not to wake her.
Kane was on her other side, propped up on one elbow, his dark eyes fixed on her peaceful face. Every few seconds he’d reach out and brush a strand of hair from her cheek, his touch surprisingly tender for someone so violently playful.
Rhys lay facing her, golden eyes glowing faintly in the dark.
He watched her like she was the only thing worth looking at in the entire world.
Slowly, almost reverently, he lifted his hand and brushed his thumb across her bottom lip.
When her lips parted slightly in sleep, he slipped two fingers into her mouth, sliding them along her tongue, rubbing the roof of her mouth, tracing her teeth with dark fascination.
His golden eyes grew darker, heavier.
“So perfect,” he whispered, voice barely audible. “Even when she’s unconscious, she lets us in.”
Kane’s gaze flicked to Rhys’s hand in her mouth, a low growl of approval rumbling in his chest. “She has no idea what she does to us.”
Saint’s hand stilled on her arm. He watched them quietly, protective instinct still humming in his veins.
Rhys slowly withdrew his fingers, glistening with her saliva, licked it and then looked at Saint.
“As promised,” he said softly, “we behaved. Remove the barrier.”
The air in the tent grew heavier.
Saint’s ice-blue eyes met Rhys’s golden ones. For a long moment, there was only silence.
Then he shook his head.
“No.”
Kane’s brows shot up. “Puppy…”
Saint’s voice was low, steady, and unusually firm. “You should be nice to her with or without the bond. She deserves that. Not just when I let you feel me.”
Rhys’s expression didn’t change, but a dangerous growl built in his throat. “Don’t you think she’ll get suspicious if we keep being *too* nice? Too gentle? She knows what we are.”
Saint didn’t back down. His massive hand tightened slightly on Scarlett’s waist, pulling her closer to his chest.
“She deserves to be safe,” he murmured. “Even from us. At least until she’s ready.”
Kane let out a frustrated breath, running a hand through his messy hair. “We adore her, baby. You know that. But the way we show our love is… different. You can’t keep us locked out forever. It hurts.”
Saint’s blue eyes flickered, guilt flashing across his face for a moment. But he stayed resolute.
“She makes me want to be better,” he whispered, pressing a soft kiss to the back of Scarlett’s neck. “Even if it’s hard for you two. I won’t open the bond again until I know she’s strong enough to handle all of us.”
Rhys stared at him for a long, tense moment. The calm, beautiful sociopath was clearly calculating, how far he could push, how much control he was willing to give.
Finally, he exhaled through his nose and leaned forward, pressing a lingering kiss to Scarlett’s forehead.
“Fine,” he said softly, though his eyes promised this conversation wasn’t over. “For now.”
Kane grumbled but eventually settled back down, throwing a possessive arm over both Scarlett and Saint. “You’re lucky you’re cute when you’re stubborn, puppy.”
Saint didn’t reply. He simply curled tighter around their little Omega, eyes half-closed in contentment as he listened to her steady breathing.
The three of them stayed like that surrounding her, touching her, watching her sleep like she was the center of their violent, broken universe.
And as the night deepened, Scarlett slept peacefully between her monsters…
Completely unaware of the storm of obsession, guilt, and dark love swirling around her.