Zander’s POV
“Why don’t you get some more rest, then when you feel up to it you could join us downstairs for dinner.” I let go of her chin and hope I’m not pushing our luck.“We can get some clothes brought here for you but for now, there is a T-shirt and sweatshirt here for you.” Christian hands her an item of clothing from each of us. It will be easier for her to realise she is ours if she gets used to our scent. She holds up my T-shirt as if checking the length and chuckles for the fist time. The sound is like honey balm for the soul, I want to hear her chuckle more often. My brother and I both look at her, wondering what’s funny.“Thank you, these will probably come down to my knees.” Her smile gives me hope. Whatever the asshole put her through might not have entirely broken her spirit.“Bathroom is through that door. Take your time.” I point at the door then Christian and I both stand to leave. I desperately want to kiss her, to smell her hair, scoop her off the bed and take her in the bathroom to look after her myself. “Quit fantasising and leave already, or she will never come down.” Christian hisses over the mind link. “I think we should call Lottie over for dinner, maybe she can find out what happened. Caleb can’t handle seeing her look at us like we are going to hurt her.” Our little sister is around the same age, she has an annoying talent for getting people to open up and bare their soul without them knowing. Goddess knows she has gotten inside our heads often enough. In all honesty, I think she is quite enjoying our inner turmoil, she has never seen us have to practise self restraint, having our mat right under our noses is proving to be a challenge unlike any other. Liberty’s POVThe twins leave the room and I take a moment to gather myself. My toes sink into the pile of the soft carpet, it’s a stark contrast to the rough, rusty metal grid they have become accustomed to. Everything is so different here. Even the fresh pine smell that fills my head with every breath is overwhelming. Nothing like the stale sweat and cigar smoke that clung to the walls in Kendrick's dingy room.The bathroom is huge, sliver marbled tiles on the wall glitter and glint. A tub big enough for 4 normal people stands in front of more floor to ceiling windows, the twins would probably almost fill it on their own. Grey stone steps, the width of the room, lead down to what I assume is the shower. There is no screen or tap, only a honeycomb series of holes in the ceiling. I have no idea how to turn it on. I don’t belong here, I can’t even work something as simple as a shower. I’ll just go and thank them for everything and leave. It’s for the best. If they really aren’t planning on sending me back, Kendrick will come for me, he never gives up when he has his sights set one something. Someone has already cleaned the blood off me and put me in a t-shirt. They must have seen everything, all the punctures , the welts from the chains, its humiliating, being so weak.The stairs groan quietly as I make my way down. We can’t run forever, we don’t even know where to go. I won’t let you kill us. I push Justice to the back of my mind. She doesn’t know how cruel the world is, she wasn’t there when that chain tore my flesh and sprayed the walls with my blood or when he pinned me to the floor by my throat until I was sure my head would explode whilst he sank his teeth into my thighs. She doesn’t get to choose for me.“That was quick little one.” Two pairs of eyes look over at me from the stove. The one with the scar, Alpha Zander, I think, slowly closes the distance between us. He treads lightly, like he is approaching a baby deer, making me feel like prey.“Did you not want a shower, we thought it might help with the aching?” Christian asks. He has stopped stirring whatever is in the pot, the smell is indescribable, my mouth waters and hunger briefly overrides my decision to leave. Zander is close enough for the heat of his body to warm my own. He doesn’t touch me, only waits. His chest expands under the tight fitting black t-shirt, muscles and tattoos spill from the collar and sleeves. I thought Kendrick was intimidating in stature but he doesn’t compare to these two.“I... erm.. I didn’t know how... to work it.” I look to the floor, my hair swings over my face, helping to hide the flush rising in my cheeks.“Come, I’ll help you.” Alpha Zander holds his hand out to me. This isn’t the plan.“Thank you for helping me. But I should leave. He will come for me and I can’t be here. He will tear your pack apart to get me back.” Alpha Zander lifts my chin with his finger, sparks fizz beneath my skin and my breath gets stuck behind the lump in my throat.“Even Alpha Kendrick isn’t foolish enough to trespass here, as long as you are here, you are safe little one.” Alpha Christian growls from the other side of the room. Now he is angry, his eyes flash with fury and his knuckles turn white as he balls his fists at his sides. I can’t tear my eyes away from them, if I look away I won’t know where to prepare for the blows to land. It’s always easier to cope if I can see what’s coming. I hate the unknown, it didn’t take Kendrick long to realise my weakness and start blindfolded me during his assaults.Zander’s POV“You are fucking terrifying her Chris, go for a run and calm the fuck down.” My unspoken words seem to pull him back. We are both beyond livid about the abuse she has obviously suffered, but Max is the wilder of our wolves and he is out for blood. The only way to calm him is to let him free in the woods.“I’ll be back soon.” He replies before almost ripping the door from the frame and shifting into his monstrous, pitch black wolf. He leaps from the back deck into the woods and disappears from sight in seconds.Liberty wobbles on her feet and I catch her in my arms just before she hits the floor. My heart races when she buries her face against chest and her silent tears soak my t-shirt. Caleb is beside himself with joy, only because she isn’t fighting me to put her down. “Let me help you little one.” My pleas seem to fall on deaf ears as I take the stairs two at a time, back to her bathroom. Christian and I have had this room ready for years. Since we realised we would sh
“One second little one.” I step back and pull off my top before returning to where I was and gently pulling her back against me. Her skin hungrily drinks in my body heat, and she pushes herself closer to me. I have no idea where to put my hands. I don’t want her to freak out, we need to know what she has been through so we can help her heal and know her boundaries. As if sensing my thoughts, she takes my hands in hers and wraps them around her tiny waist so they both lay open and flat. One across her tummy, the other just above it, on her ribs. My cock throbs to life, straining against my jeans. Fuck, this is not the time. She looks up at me, panic flashes through her eyes as my stiffening length presses into her soft, forgiving cheeks.“It’s ok, I would never… not if you didn’t want me to.” The back door opens then closes with a crunch. Yet another door to be replaced. It’s the third day out of the four since Liberty has been here, that one of us has almost pulled it from its hinge
“Little mate, you don’t even know the power you have over us.” Christian breathes through gritted teeth. He is fighting the urge to touch her, to reassure Max she is ok.“Mate?” she mutters. Yeah, I was wondering if she would pick up on that. We have both felt the connection, the sparks on the occasion we have physically connected, but she has never reacted. Probably the emotional trauma, her mind has to be less receptive to us, survival instinct kicking in for self preservation. Christian and I both lift our heads, our movements have been in sync since we were young. Our parents always said it was like we were one mind in two bodies. We spent our childhoods driving them crazy with all the usual twin tricks and practical joke. Christian was always more serious than I, but he followed my lead when it came to mischievous plans. Her hands both lift and cold, delicate fingers slide into our hair, her finger tips send sparks along my scalp and down my spine, tugging at my heart on their w
Liberty’s POV Two mates. Are you kidding me? Two Alpha mates! How the… what… I…We are very lucky, two strong, handsome, Alphas. Justice purrs in my head. Just look at them Liberty, those muscles, the way they look at us, can’t you feel how much they want us? She is practically drooling in my head. That’s the problem, I can feel how much they want me, the last time someone wanted something from me it led to nothing but degradation and pain. I won’t put myself back in that position. I know what you are thinking, they don’t want that, they want to love us Liberty, touch them, feel the difference. Kendrick was a monster, you can’t let him take this from us. We need them as much as they need us. “I need to get dressed before we eat.” And I need time to process this. My tummy gurgles, loudly, and the Alphas stand. The tips of Christians fingers graze my ankle as he rises, sending effervescent tingles up my leg. Justice has a point. Their touch does feel different, it feels good, not d
“Hey, what’s wrong little one?” Zander steps off the last step, leaving me two steps above him. His thumb sweeps a lobe tear from my cheek. “It’s nothing.” Great, so this is how it’s going to be. I just cry at the drop of a hat. How is it I can get through the nightly routine with Kendrick and not feel anything, yet the mere mention of something as mundane as food has me weeping like a pup.“If it makes you sad, it’s something.” He leads me down the last couple of stairs and I find myself pulled against his warm, hard body. His arms wrap around me, one hand cradling the back of my head against his chest. I can’t move, not even to draw breath. My heart pounds against my ribs with such ferocity I’m sure he will have bruises. “Your suffering is over little mate.” He purrs into my hair as his lips settle into a kiss on the top of my head. My limbs begin to relax into his embrace, it feels good to be held like this. “Where is she?” an excited squeal comes from what I assume is the k
“Just leave what you don’t like little one.” He winks and pours drinks for all of us. A comfortable silence falls over the three of them, broken by the occasional moan of appreciation. The food is good, but my appetite is nowhere to be seen, despite the aching hunger. I don’t want to appear rude so I try everything on my plate. One of the dishes makes my lips and tongue burn, Lottie laughs as I grab for my water to put out the fire in my mouth.“Not a curry fan then.” She splutters as she takes another bite of her food.“It burns.” My voice croaks. The water has done nothing to give me the feeling back in my lips. I think I’ll stick to the plain, familiar food for now. I eat a bit more chicken and some broccoli and soon feel full.“Thank you for dinner.” I lean back in my seat and thank Christian. My stomach feels so heavy I doubt I’ll be able to stand any time soon. “You barely ate anything.” Lottie’s off the cuff remark earns her a glare from each of her brothers. “The Doc sa
“This is amazing.” I breath in awe. My feet move automatically, weaving between the deep reclining sofas and high backed, spacious chairs. One of the chairs is so big it could easily fit 4 people on it, the curved back has holes and trays built into it. Christian laughs when I put a hand down one of hole holes to see how deep it is.“That’s for you to put your drink, so it doesn’t spill. The trays are for popcorn, sweets, nachos, French fries, burgers, whatever you fancy really. Not pizza though.” He laughs. My eyebrows knit together, why is that funny?“Zander balanced a whole pizza there once, still in its box. Then he started to fall asleep and his head hit the corner. The pizza flew through the air and hit the wall before sliding down it, all the way to the floor. He thought it was hilarious. That pizza was half mine.” he pouts and looks like he was genuinely sad about his lost pizza and a giggle escapes me. Maybe he isn’t so frightening after all.“When I was little I saw Find
Christian’s POV This morning I never would have expected or dared to hope that by this evening Liberty would be snuggled against me waiting to watch a movie. Our bond may not be complete, but I can sense her seeking comfort from presence. Part of me is overjoyed she would find comfort in my touch, the other part is beyond livid that she has anything to seek comfort for. Her heart is hammering in her chest, and I muffled sniffle escapes her as I take the chance and wrap my arm around her tighter, pulling her as close as I can.“Look at me little one.” I cup her chin in the v of my hand, between my fingers and thumb, and gently tip her head up to face me. A single tear drops from her lashes and lands on her flushed pink cheek. Max starts ranting in my head about the things he will do to that bastard Kendrick when we get out claws into him. The salty sorrow that coats my lips when I lean down to kiss the tear away only enrages Max further and I have to push him as far back in my mind as