Jax’s eyes were slate gray and colder than the ice wafting off Cobra. “First, we are going to ask some questions, and you are going to nod yes or no.”
I wrinkled my nose.
Trussed up on the bed, there was little way for me to express myself. If I wasn’t gagged, I would have screamed expletives at them.
“Did Clarissa hit you after the test?” Jax asked as a low rumble shook from his chest.
I rolled my eyes and didn’t move my head.
When was I not covered in bruises?
It didn’t slip my notice that they were trying to make Clarissa some big baddie when they were the ones who were all over her.
Did men think women were stupid?
Time ticked by slowly as I stared at Jax and didn’t move my head.
Memories of a chair in the fae realm made my skin prickle and my heart rate speed up.
They’d already toyed with me once before, and I wasn’t about to give them a repeat performance.
Why the fuck was I always restrained around them?
The violence in the room ratcheted up.
I slumped against the headboard and closed my eyes. How were we supposed to move forward as a group?
If I was fire, then they were kerosine.
Ever since we’d entered the beast realm, an inferno of violence burned between us.
The exhaustion from sleep deprivation, studying (truly, the worst thing a person could go through), physical exertion, voices in my head, the aftermath of controlling people with my blood, and the emotional upheaval of a pack with an omega in heat were just too much for one person to handle.
My eyes burned—definitely Xerxes and the damn heat hormones—as tears dripped down my cheek.
I just wanted to cuddle with Aran, smoke an unknown enchanted substance, and sleep until I had to fight one hundred terrifying alphas basically to the death.
Was a little peace really too much to ask for?
Ascher’s face fell as he raked his hand through his golden curls. “Fuck, Princess, don’t cry.”
Cobra hissed, “Don’t fall for her fucking games. Grow the fuck up, Kitten.”
His words were biting, but there was an edge of panic in his voice, like he didn’t know what to do.
The shadow snake sent me calming images of love and support.
Jax sighed heavily, and he leaned forward, gently pushing the white hair that was tangled in front of my face.
He asked softly, “How did everything get so messed up?”
Xerxes tilted his head back like he was praying to the sun god. “She rejected us. That’s how.”
My tears dried up.
I made a disgruntled noise from behind my gag and glared at him.
Technically, I’d just agreed with the don’s overt threats.
Xerxes was the one who’d immediately replaced me.
Xerxes’s eyes were hard amethysts as he glared back at me, and his too-pretty features hardened into granite.
If I hadn’t known any better, I’d say he didn’t have any emotions. Didn’t feel anything.
The Black Wolves are hunting him.
Goose bumps pricked my skin, and I squirmed against my uncomfortable bindings.
Ascher held out his palms like he was begging. “Something must have happened to make her…enslave us like that. We need to hear her out.”
“Oh, now you’re all about peace and rationality. Coming from the spy who betrayed us,” Cobra scoffed and dismissed him.
Ascher’s tattoos rippled as he bunched his muscles, horns lengthening. “How long are you go to fucking toss that at me? I’ve fucking proven my loyalty.”
Cobra whirled and charged at him. “You will never prove your loyalty.”
Ascher barreled forward, and their chests cracked against each other. “Oh, but you’re buddy-buddy with the soldier of the woman who fucking imprisoned you your whole life? Grow the fuck up. You use your snakes as an excuse to act fucking unhinged, and I’m tired of it.”
A warning hiss rattled, a predator’s warning, and I closed my eyes.
I really should have bought those gratitude journals.
Peeking through my lids, I looked just in case there was bloodshed, which I definitely didn’t want to miss.
If the girls were here, they would all have been chanting “fight.”
I missed them.
Jax grabbed each of the others by the backs of the necks and dragged them apart.
“We’re a pack,” he said calmly. “Cobra, we can all feel the fact that you were deeply hurt by Ascher’s actions, but that you’ve already forgiven him, so stop posturing.”
Ascher smirked.
Jax turned to him with a snarl. “And we can all feel that you’re worried sick about earning Cobra’s acceptance, so stop riling him up. If you keep this up, you’ll lose it.”
Ascher’s shoulders deflated under Jax’s scowl, and he wrenched himself out of the big man’s grip.
Not done, Jax whirled on Xerxes, who was standing unnaturally still in the corner of the room.
The entire time, he hadn’t stopped staring at me.
“And, Xerxes, stop fantasizing about asphyxiating Sadie and fucking her against the wall. It’s distracting.”
I squirmed and suddenly became very interested in the comforter on the bed. Was that real gold silk weaved into the red fabric? Very artsy.
“And Sadie.” Jax stalked to the bed and leaned over me.
My forehead wrinkled as I waited for him to diagnose my wrongs.
Since I wasn’t fantasizing about asphyxiating anyone, I was not the problem here.
Jax leaned forward until his handsome face filled my vision.
Up close, his gold piercings and chains glimmered in the room’s dim light.
“We’re all going through it right now, and you don’t get to play the victim. If you have something to say, something to complain about, say it. Don’t overtake our free will and breach our trust by using us like little marionette dolls.” His voice trailed off and cracked slightly. “That was messed up.”
My conscience reared its ugly head, and guilt made my chest spasm.
I went back to studying the comforter.
They’d bound and gagged me; it wasn’t like I could say anything to defend myself. A wrong for a wrong—that was all we were.
Sweet cinnamon caressed my nose, a reminder of what I wanted so badly but could never have.
Shame and resignation churned in my gut.
A few weeks ago, I’d thought my scars were my biggest problem. That somehow, everything would fall into place after they were enchanted away. I’d never been more wrong.
It was all too much.
A heavy weight fell across my lap.
Jax was a blurry figure, head in his hands as he slumped across my lap dejectedly.
I slammed my head back against the headboard. The pain distracted me from the pressure in my eyes. Don’t you dare break down.
“Princess.” The bed dipped as Ascher crawled across the other side of the bed and settled next to me.
His tattooed fingers gently traced across my face and wiped away the moisture. He was so tall he sat high above me against the headboard and looked down at me.
Chestnut and pine comforted me, and the knot that had formed in my chest when they’d joined a pack without me loosened slowly.
Xerxes and Cobra stood across the room and stared at us.
They didn’t move.
Both men looked lost, frozen, like they were being approached by an unknown enemy. Both were large and intimidating warriors who didn’t know how to express what they were feeling, so you never knew what they were going to do.
It made them terrifying.
Their eyes darkened as they stared at me.
All four men shared a glance, and the room filled with an unfamiliar tension, like they’d had a silent conversation.
Suddenly, I was extremely nervous.
Ascher leaned down, his breath hot against my face as he untied the gag around my mouth.
Once my mouth was free, I gasped for air and got ready to deliver a scathing retort to their heavy-handed treatment.
The words died in my throat.
A tongue slowly licked across the seam of my lips, and musk engulfed my senses.
Tattooed fingers slowly traced across my jaw and tipped my head back.
Pine exploded across my senses as Ascher deepened the kiss, his tongue strong and sure as he traced my mouth wantonly.
“My sweet princess,” he whispered as he pulled his head back and ran his thumb slowly across my cheekbones.
Our breath mingled, and I struggled to process what had just happened.
Before I could say something awkward and make both of us uncomfortable, a large, callused hand grabbed my jaw and turned my head to the other side.
Warm chestnuts were delicious on my tongue as Jax tangled his fingers in my hair and kissed me deeply.
When he finally released me, I was gasping, and an ache throbbed between my legs.
As soon as Jax released me, Ascher grabbed my jaw again. His mouth was rougher than Jax’s, more demanding, as he kissed me deeply.
Jax’s hands slowly traced up underneath my T-shirt, and his callused palms grabbed me and easily spanned my rib cage.
I gasped into Ascher’s mouth.
Ever so slowly, Jax pushed underneath my sports bra until his hands were flush against my small breasts.
Ascher kissed me deeper, his hand tightening on my jaw so I couldn’t move away from him. Not that I wanted to.
Jax’s callused fingers rolled both my nipples.
I moaned into Ascher’s mouth.
My core clenched, and my eyes rolled back in my head as Ascher gripped my face so hard it hurt.
I drowned in chestnuts and pine.
It was intoxicating. It was everything.
The large men overwhelmed my senses, and with my hands still pinned to the headboard, I could do nothing but squirm beneath their attention.
Suddenly, icy fingers yanked my sweatpants off.
Ascher kissed me so deep, fingers digging into my face so I couldn’t see what was happening.
Ever so slowly, nails scraped down my inner thigh.
Jax pinched my nipples, Ascher slammed his tongue deeper down my throat, and fingers dragged closer to my core.
I kicked my legs out, but hands wrapped around my thighs and mercilessly pinned me to the bed.
A cold tongue slowly trailed up my thigh and lapped delicately across my inner junction.
The scent of frost joined chestnuts and pine.
Need gushed between my legs.
I tried to speak, but I lost my words as Ascher punished me with his mouth.
Finally, Ascher pulled back with a smirk, amber eyes on fire as his horns straightened on his head. “Were you trying to say something, Princess?”
His neck tattoos jumped as he swallowed thickly and trailed his fingers softly across my throat.
Jax continued to play with my nipples as he whispered softly in my ears so only I could hear, “No matter what happens, know that I love you, little alpha. Don’t forget it.”
I stilled, my heart beating impossibly fast in my chest.
I turned my head, so my lips were even with Jax’s. His gray eyes intense as he stared at me.
“I love you too,” I whispered back automatically.
The truth of those words burned my heart with a warm glow. No matter what, Jax had always been there for me.
Even when the other men drove me crazy, he was steady. Consistent. Patient.
I love him.
He was the rock that held us upright after we’d been tortured. The soft-spoken one who ensured we didn’t kill one another.
Cobra interrupted our moment by wrenching my thighs apart.
I bit down on my lower lip as he crouched between my legs and said, “I need to shower.”
Cobra arched his eyebrows, and his fingers loosened on my thighs.
I slammed my legs together.
Jax and Ascher chuckled, and my face flamed with embarrassment.
Xerxes stood across the room, watching us all and not moving.
His pants were tented with a massive bulge.
A dark expression contorted his face, and his purple eyes were on fire as he stared at me with unwavering intensity.
I shivered and looked away.
“My kitten.” Cobra’s voice dripped with steel. “I don’t give a flying fuck.” His nails dug into my thighs as he wrenched them apart.
Cobra leaned forward until his face rested at my core. “I’ve already tasted your cranberry wine, and I want more.” His tongue flicked out at my lips as he teased me but didn’t part my folds.
Content to drive me crazy.
A low rumble of pleasure sounded from Jax’s chest. “Little alpha, Cobra’s going to taste you.” He flicked my nipples. “And you’re going to like it.”
My core spasmed with desire.
I nodded mindlessly as need exploded through me.
Ascher grabbed my jaw and slammed his tongue deep into my mouth.
One of Jax’s hands tangled in my hair, and his fingers pulled at my scalp, forcing my face deeper into Ascher’s kiss.
His other fingers pinched my nipple mercilessly.
Cobra’s chilly fingers parted my folds, and he slammed his tongue across my clit. Sucking and toying with it until I screamed into Ascher’s mouth.
My hips rose off the bed as I begged Cobra to lap harder.
Jax’s hands became rougher as he tortured my nipples and tugged at my hair. “Love you, little alpha,” he whispered repeatedly so only I could hear.
Ascher devoured my mouth like we were fighting a war.
Jax’s stubble and warm breath tickled my ear as he leaned against the side of my head and growled, “One day soon, little alpha, you’re going to take each of us.”
He pulled at my nipple and pulled my head back so Ascher could claim my mouth harder.
“And you’re going to like it.” He nipped at my ear, then dragged his tongue along the sensitive shell.
Cobra dragged a finger through my dripping heat and slowly pressed it into my butt. His tongue sucked on my clit, and he pumped his thick thumb into my vagina.
Ascher groaned into my mouth.
Jax pinched my nipples so hard that I saw stars.
And Cobra pumped both my holes as he tortured my clit.
I came with a scream, hips slamming into Cobra’s face as my pussy spasmed. He growled as his mouth and fingers pushed me to new heights.
Ascher swallowed my screams, then released my mouth so Jax could take over, slamming his tongue down my throat.
Euphoria sparked behind my lids as Cobra kept licking me.
Ascher and Jax passed me back and forth.
I kept screaming.
When I finally stopped coming, I pulled at my restraints and gasped for air. Expecting the men to set me free and maybe cuddle a little.
How the fuck had we gone from fighting to this?
Cobra tipped his head back and laughed as I pulled at my restraints.
I begged Xerxes to release me, but he didn’t move from his position across the room, just stared at me with a dark expression.
“You’ll be okay, little alpha,” Jax said softly as he ripped my shirt and sports bra off (something that I would have said was impossible if I hadn’t seen him do it with my own eyes).
Then I knew I was truly fucked, because he and Ascher leaned forward and wrapped their mouths around my nipples.
I jackknifed off the bed as they sucked.
“Tsk, tsk, Kitten.” Cobra smirked and pinned my legs to the bed by lying on my lower body.
His jeweled biceps bunched as he licked his lips between my thighs. “We’re just getting started.”
At some point, when my clit and nipples were thoroughly overstimulated and I’d lost count of how many times I’d come, Cobra left the room.
I thought it was over.
Jax and Ascher, who were naked, were pumping their pierced and tattooed cocks against my side as they lounged over me on the headboard and continued to kiss and torture my nipples.
Xerxes still just stood and stared.
Cobra came back with a small vibrating device in his hand, and the realization of what it was had my breath quickening with excitement and fear.
“I can’t come any more,” I whined.
The shadow snake on my skin sent me visions of comfort and relaxation.
Cobra smirked. “Yes, you can, Kitten.”
His smirk fell, and a predatory expression transformed his face. “You can, and you will. This is a punishment, after all.”
His jewels glinted menacingly. “I believe you begged for it back in the fae realm, Kitten.”
Cobra roughly pulled my thighs apart and pressed the vibrating device against my clit. “I will deliver.”
I opened my mouth to argue back, but Jax knelt in front of my face and pressed his pierced cock into my open lips.
My mouth burned as I struggled to take his wide girth.
Need gushed harder between my legs, and Cobra slammed three fingers deep inside me.
Suddenly, there was a weight across my chest; Ascher knelt behind Jax so they were flush.
A hard cock pressed between my boobs, which were just big enough for Ascher to squeeze them together and pump his cock between them.
He swore as he tugged at my nipples and rode my chest.
Jax’s hand tangled in my hair as he tipped my head back and fucked my face.
I choked and gagged as warm chestnuts burned my mouth, and cold metal dragged across my tongue.
Just when I thought I couldn’t take any more, he pulled his dick back and let me breathe. “Just like that, little alpha,” he praised, then roughly started fucking my face again.
Cobra mercilessly pressed the vibrator against my clit and pumped me with his fingers.
Minutes later, I screamed as I came.
Liquid spurted down my throat as Jax threw his head back and roared.
Hot cum spurted across my chest as Ascher shuddered.
Slumping against the headboard, I pulled on my bindings as I begged, “Please.” Desperate for something thicker to fill my fluttering heat.
Ascher and Jax kissed my lips, tilting my head back and forth as they muttered praise.
Cobra’s face was as hard as granite between my legs. “Kitten. This is a punishment.”
The men swapped places.
Ascher knelt in front of my face.
Jax knelt over my tits.
Cobra’s nails left marks on my thighs, and a vibrator was once again pressed to my clit.
A dozen orgasms later, Xerxes untied me. Sweet cinnamon wafted off him like an aphrodisiac.
Three alphas curled themselves around my sensitive flesh, but the omega just backed away with sadness in his purple eyes.
I patted at a free spot on the massive bed.
Xerxes shook his head, shoulder’s hunched as he went to the chair in the corner and awkwardly curled up on it. His large body didn’t fit.
Even across the room, his rich cinnamon scent was ridiculously potent.
Is it his heat? Is he afraid of hurting me?
“We fucked up. It was all just to make you jealous. But you’ve always been ours. You’re my kitten,” Cobra whispered in my ear as I stared sadly at Xerxes.
The last thing I heard before I fell asleep.
“You will be punished for not choosing me, but I’ve never stopped owning you. How could I? You are my soul.”
