. The Portal

LORELAI

Derik’s mouth took mine, his breaths heavy with mine as I fucked him, slamming my hips down on his. The cushions on the bottom of the tent were everywhere; the fur blankets crumpled to the side as I took what I needed.

A moment of peace in the chaos, so I could focus for the day. Without the touch of my alphas, I was a mess, and I couldn’t afford to be. Not when I was hunting.

Derik gripped my loose braid in his hand, his kisses moving down my neck as he met my hips on each thrust. Pleasure kept me warm, a fire melting away the stress that I knew was waiting to eat at me, but I had to be stronger than it was.

It had been four days, and we still hadn’t caught up to Adrenna. We were on her trail—keeping her running, keeping her from making it to Silas without us intercepting—but it was killing me inside.

My soul was screaming for Zale; it was only soothed by the few moments I allowed myself in my alphas’ arms, and when Enzi was with me. She had been unsettled, crying, and I felt her need as my own; her shadows were leaking out of her all the time, looking for her brother.

It was breaking me, but that’s why I had to let my alphas put me back together.

Their skin on mine, their breaths sharing mine, their bodies gave me a respite so I could do what I needed to.

Kill Adrenna.

I moved faster on Derik, desperate for the finish line, desperate for the relief in my brain so I could get back to work. I didn’t have time for the intimacy I knew they craved, and they had been understanding so far, but they didn’t have a choice.

Derik lay back down against the cushions, his hips bucking into mine as his hands went to my waist, gripping me so he could bury himself farther inside. It was exactly what I needed. I gasped, moaning as pleasure stirred in my core and bubbled over the surface.

“Yes,” I moaned breathily, riding him hard until he was cursing and just as damp with sweat as I was. My orgasm stole my breath, the pleasure making me shudder against him, claws digging into his chest.

He groaned and emptied himself inside while my pussy clutched him tightly before I collapsed on him. He brushed my hair down, kissing the top of my head as he caught his breath. I didn’t give myself that luxury; climbing off his waist, I moved away to shrug into my clothes.

He sat up, running a hand through his short, dark brown hair that had grown slightly longer. It was curling a little at the top, the front falling over his forehead again.

“Brax is with Enzi, and Kai is getting the hunting teams organized this morning, beautiful. We’ve got a couple of minutes.” He tried, as they all did, but I needed to be out there, finding Zale.

I could feel him, his shadows; they were connected to his sister, who I could tap into. I had to make sure he was okay this morning. He hadn’t been in any pain; he was comfortable but ached for me like I did for him.

I wasn’t going to rest properly or take the time to catch my breath. The few moments after giving in to my alphas were the only times my head was clear enough to function.

“Don’t need them. Get dressed. We’re breaking that beast out of its cage today, even if it kills me,” I said, tugging on some leather pants before securing a muslin shirt and vest over my chest. Fuck corsets and dresses. Much to my mother’s horror, of course.

I pulled on my boots and then brushed my hair back as Derik moved over to me, kissing my neck. I sighed. His lips on me never fail to calm my erratic thoughts that had been driving everyone crazy.

“Tabby is meeting us today, beautiful. She’s got what we need to break it out; after that, we’ll have Zale back, okay?” he said.

I nodded, turning to him, and giving him a small kiss before leaving our tent. It was bigger than the others, but that was only because the alphas were freakishly big.

Since I had turned—half turned—the others had grown. I wasn’t sure whether that was the mating being complete, the fact that I was stronger than before, or whether it was a natural progression, but either way, they towered over everyone now.

Brax was still the leanest, but even he had filled out. Kai was a monster, fucking huge, terrifying everyone with his brawn. His wide shoulders and height alone kept him intimidating, even to his pack.

Derik had become as tall as Kai, his arms getting thicker, his waist trimming. If I wasn’t literally losing my mind, I would have taken full advantage of the fact that my alphas were now ridiculously stacked and grown in every area.  

I stalked through the huts, scowling at the wolves that were enjoying their morning meal instead of being useful. I disappeared into the main hut like I hadn’t just stolen a few minutes to myself too.

Brax was in there, Enzi tucked against his chest as he and Kai looked over the map of the realm. We had already traced Adrenna all through the forest area, along the borderline.

She was in vampire territory now, and we weren’t far away, but it meant staying on even higher alert. Not that it really mattered anymore. The border was down. We could come across vampires at any point, and I wasn’t willing to wait until they found us to find Zale.

“When are we leaving?” I asked, looking at today’s hunting plans. Little wooden wolves were in place where we were, and no teams were organized for where they were heading.

Kai shook his head. “We’re not. Tabby is heading here, so we’re staying,” he said sternly. His own fury channeled into the pack at all times and kept Adrenna cornered as much as possible.

We had cut her off a few times, but she always slipped past, and it was infuriating every time.

“So the pack can search the areas.”

“No, Little Luna. We may need the pack numbers to get this beast unlocked and pulled through to this realm. We will lose time, and Adrenna will get further ahead, possibly closer to Silas, but once the beast is unleashed, that won’t matter.”

I dropped my jaw. “And what if she makes it to Silas?!” I demanded. My patience and willingness to understand anything that wasn’t moving forward was non-existent at this point.

“She has been leading us on a hunt, one she is enjoying, so until we make it boring for her, I’m guessing she will keep entertaining herself. She’s not an idiot, Spitfire; once she hands over that baby, Silas could very well decide she has lost her usefulness too,” Brax said as Enzi started fussing.

I approached her, smiling softly at her perfect face before pulling her from him. I tucked her into my chest, and she turned straight into my chest, nuzzling for her breakfast. I smiled and undid my vest to feed her.

She suckled easily as Derik came in, bathed and dressed. He kissed my forehead before looking over the map.

“How’s the city? Have the vampires made a move?” Derik asked.

Kai shook his head. “No sightings. They’ve left them alone so far. The wolves covering the human scent seems to be working against the bloodlust. Galen and Cain have things managed. Pearl is heading the humans,” Kai explained.

Pride bloomed in my chest for how far my mom had come.

I think a certain werewolf elder may have influenced that, but it still made me smile. She was training, keeping the humans trained. They were learning to fight with the wolves, instead of against them, and maybe that would give us a chance against the vampires.

Maybe it wouldn’t, but I had to cling to the hope that it would, or I wouldn’t survive the days in the snow, hunting a witch who had stolen my son.

My magic flexed inside me, and I soothed it. I wanted to lash out too, burn the world down to find him, but I couldn’t if it risked Enzi and my alphas. The pack, my mom. They were my family, one I had wanted for my entire life.