Chapter Three – The Brothers

The echo of Kael’s growl still vibrated in my chest when I felt it—another presence. No… two. The air shifted, heavier, like the forest itself held its breath.

Kael froze above me, every muscle taut. His cock still pressed against me, my panties damp from the friction, my body begging for more. But his gaze was locked on the darkness beyond the trees. His nostrils flared, his lips curling into a snarl.

“They’re here.”

A shiver raced down my spine. “Who?”

The answer came before he could speak. Two figures emerged from the shadows, tall, broad, and devastatingly familiar. My breath caught. They looked like Kael—same golden eyes burning like wildfire—but each of them carried a different kind of danger.

The first stepped forward with a grace that was almost lazy, though his presence made my pulse thunder. His hair was a shade lighter, falling in careless waves to his jaw, his smirk sharp enough to cut. His gaze raked over me, lingering on the way Kael had me pinned, my jeans shoved down, my shirt rumpled, my skin flushed.

“Well, well,” he drawled, voice smooth like silk over a blade. “Our runaway Alpha finally finds a reason to stop sulking in the dirt.”

“Lucian,” Kael growled.

The smirking one winked at me. “And who’s this little prize?”

Before I could answer, the other brother moved closer, slower, like a predator circling prey. His hair was darker than Kael’s, his jaw sharper, his presence quieter—but somehow heavier. Brooding, dangerous. His gaze wasn’t teasing like Lucian’s. It was consuming.

“Mine,” he said simply, his voice low, guttural, final.

Kael snarled, shifting slightly to shield me with his body. “She’s mine.”

Lucian laughed softly. “You’re both wrong. She smells like mate. To all of us.”

The word cracked through me like thunder. Mate. My stomach flipped, my chest tightening.

“What?” I whispered, though my body already knew. That strange heat coiling in my veins since I touched Kael—it surged now, sharper, pulling me toward the other two men as much as the one above me.

The dark one’s gaze sharpened on me. “You feel it too,” he said, not a question.

I swallowed hard. “I… I don’t know what I feel.”

Lucian’s smirk widened. “Let us help you figure it out.”

Kael bared his teeth. “Stay back.”

But they didn’t listen. They moved closer, steps perfectly in sync, surrounding me with heat and shadow and fire. The forest seemed to shrink until there was nothing but them—the three of them, golden-eyed and hungry, their attention stripping me bare.

I should have been afraid. Three monsters, three predators closing in on me. But fear wasn’t what tightened my thighs and made my breath hitch.

It was need.

Lucian crouched beside me first, his hand brushing my cheek, thumb smearing Kael’s bite mark. “Already marked. Already ruined for anyone else.” He leaned closer, his breath teasing my lips. “But not ruined for us.”

The dark one—Damon, I realized from the way Kael hissed his name under his breath—moved to my other side. His hand wrapped around my wrist, lifting it to his mouth. He kissed the inside slowly, then dragged his teeth across my pulse. My entire body shuddered.

“You’re shaking,” he murmured. “Not from fear. From want.”

I whimpered, helpless.

Kael’s snarl was low, torn between fury and hunger. “Don’t touch what’s mine.”

Lucian chuckled. “You feel it too, brother. She belongs to all of us. The bond doesn’t lie.”

Damon’s eyes locked on mine. “Say it,” he ordered softly, a command that sent heat rushing straight between my thighs. “Say you want us.”

“I…” My voice trembled. Their eyes burned into me, their bodies so close I could feel their heat. “I shouldn’t.”

Lucian’s grin turned wicked. “Shouldn’t feels a lot like begging when your nipples are this hard.” His hand slid boldly down my chest, palming my breast through my shirt, thumb circling until I gasped.

“Lucian,” Kael barked.

“Relax,” Lucian teased. “I’m just introducing myself.” He pinched my nipple through the fabric, sharp, making me cry out, then leaned close to whisper in my ear. “I’m Lucian. You’ll scream it soon.”

Damon’s mouth brushed my other ear. “And I’m Damon. You’ll beg for me.”

Kael growled again, furious—but his cock still pressed against me, thick and hard, his own restraint unraveling.

I moaned, overwhelmed, my body arching helplessly between them. “This is… too much.”

Lucian’s laugh was dark, sinful. “Sweetheart, we haven’t even started.”

His mouth covered mine suddenly, hot and demanding, his tongue sweeping in to claim me. I gasped against him, kissing back without thought, the taste of him dizzying—smoke and spice, wild in a different way than Kael.

When Lucian finally pulled back, my lips swollen, Damon replaced him. His kiss was slower, deeper, his tongue exploring me like he had all the time in the world. My body melted, trapped between them, every nerve ending on fire.

Kael cursed low, then grabbed my jaw, forcing me to look at him. “Mine,” he snarled, before crushing his mouth to mine in a brutal, possessive kiss that left me whimpering.

Three kisses. Three flavors of hunger. My body didn’t know where to turn, every touch sending me spiraling.

Lucian’s hand slid beneath my shirt, tugging it up, baring my bra. He groaned. “Fuck, look at her.”

Damon’s hand joined his, tugging the fabric down to free my breasts. Both of them stared hungrily before lowering their mouths, Lucian sucking one nipple while Damon teased the other with sharp bites. I cried out, arching into them, my hands flying to their hair.

Kael shoved Lucian back, growling, but instead of stopping, he leaned down to claim my mouth again, his hand sliding between my thighs. His fingers found me wet and desperate, and his groan was feral.

“She’s dripping,” he snarled. “For us.”

Damon’s mouth left my breast just long enough for him to whisper against my skin. “Let us taste her.”

Kael hesitated, his body vibrating with fury and need. Then, with a curse, he shifted off me, tugging my jeans the rest of the way down, ripping my panties aside.

The night air kissed my slick heat, and all three of them groaned in unison.

Lucian’s grin turned savage. “Fuck yes. She’s ready.”

Before I could process, Damon moved lower, settling between my thighs. His eyes met mine once, dark and unyielding, before his mouth descended.

The first stroke of his tongue made me scream.

He licked me like a starving man, slow then fast, sucking my clit until my hips bucked uncontrollably. My fingers tangled in his dark hair, holding on for dear life as he devoured me.

Lucian kissed my throat, biting gently, whispering filth into my ear. “So sweet. So wet. You were made for this. For us.”

Kael’s hand fisted in my hair, forcing my head back so he could watch every reaction, his own cock straining against his pants. “Don’t come yet,” he growled. “Not until we say.”

But Damon’s tongue was merciless, curling, stroking, thrusting inside me. I was shaking, moaning, my body betraying me.

“Please,” I sobbed. “Please, I can’t—”

Lucian chuckled. “You hear that, brothers? She begs so pretty.” He pinched my nipple hard, making me gasp. “Go on, sweetheart. Beg louder.”

“Please, Kael, Damon, Lucian—please, I need to—”

“Now,” Kael snarled.

Damon sucked hard, and I shattered.

The orgasm ripped through me like fire, my scream echoing in the trees. My body convulsed, my thighs clamping around Damon’s head, but he only growled and licked me harder, prolonging it until I was sobbing, boneless, wrecked.

When he finally pulled back, his mouth glistened with me. He licked his lips, eyes burning. “Addicted already.”

Lucian leaned down, licking a stray drop from Damon’s mouth before kissing me again, making me taste myself. “Perfect,” he purred.

Kael’s voice was rough, breaking. “She’s ours. All of ours.”

I could barely think, trembling, overwhelmed. “I… can’t…”

“Yes, you can,” Kael growled, cupping my face. His eyes were wild but certain. “You were born for us. The bond chose you.”

Lucian kissed my neck, Damon bit my thigh, Kael pressed his forehead to mine—and I knew, with bone-deep certainty, that I was lost.

Three Alphas. Three mates.

And they weren’t going to let me go.