Four

Kain's pov 

Every muscle in my body tightened. My wolf paced under my skin, his claws raking at me from the inside, crying out for our mate.

Her scent clung to me—wildflowers and warm skin.

That damned omega servant with her piercing green eyes. A stranger who should have meant nothing, yet my wolf snarled for her like she was our salvation.

Before I confronted Jax, my brothers’ voices cut sharply through the mind link. We were supposed to leave this shithole pack at dawn, but none of us had moved. 

Jax, ever the smug bastard, was probably plotting to claim Lira first. His charm had always won him any woman he wanted.

Riven was harder to read, lurking in the shadows, his thoughts buried deep where no one could reach them.

I was unraveling. Fated to the same omega as my brothers.

The Moon Goddess must have been laughing when she tied the three of us to a girl who couldn’t even feel the bond. It was a joke. A cruel insult to our family name.

Elora’s face flashed in my mind—my first mate, my first love. I saw her as she had been that night five years ago: torn apart by my enemies, her blood soaking my hands. I had failed her. I had sworn never to love again, never to let anyone break me open like that.

And yet here I was, bound to Lira, a fragile omega who might not survive this bond. My wolf didn’t care. It howled for her endlessly.

I had warned Jax to stay away from her. My rage boiled until I couldn’t hold it in. I ripped open my door, ready to run into the woods and vent my fury.

But when I stepped into the hall, there she was.

Lira stood outside Jax’s door, frozen like a deer caught in a hunter’s sights. A fresh cut marred her left cheek, and her dark hair had fallen loose from its braid. My vision went red. My wolf roared so loud I almost lost control.

I grabbed her by the waist, and pulled her against me. She trembled, but her green eyes blazed, full of defiance. Her heartbeat pounded beneath my hand—a wild mix of fear, anger, and something far more dangerous. Something that drove my wolf mad and made my body react with raw hunger.

“What are you doing here?” I growled, my voice guttural and barely human.

Her eyes widened, but she didn't cower like most omegas. “I was sent for, my lord,” she said steadily, though I felt the tremor running through her body. “Alpha Jax ordered me here.”

“Sent for?” My fingers dug into her sides. “You are not his. You are—”

The word mine nearly tore from my throat, but I swallowed it. I couldn't claim her. Not while Elora’s screams still haunted me. Not with my brothers circling like wolves over the same prey.

Jax’s door swung open. He leaned against the frame, shirt hanging open to show his chest, a smirk carved across his face.

The mind link flared, his voice slicing into my skull like a blade.

|What’s this, Kain? Already sniffing around my girl? Didn’t think you had a taste for omegas.|

I snarled aloud, teeth grinding. |Let her go before I rip your spine out.|

“Oh, I am not letting her go,” Jax said smoothly, his gaze sliding over Lira like she was his next meal.

|She’s mine, brother. I’ll fuck her first, make sure her body rejects anyone else. Especially you.|

Rage flooded me, so hot it burned. “Keep talking,” I growled, “and I’ll tear your throat out and feed it to the dogs.”

My grip on Lira tightened, her scent driving me closer to madness. She was mine. She had to be mine.

Riven’s mocking voice cut through the link. |Greedy, Kain. You swore off women after Elora bled out in your arms. Now you’re fighting us for a mate? And you, Jax—you’re nothing but a rutting beast with a line of lovers waiting outside your door.|

“Fuck you, Riven,” Jax snapped aloud, his grin twisting sharper as he stepped closer. “Go play with the ghosts in your head. Break your bond if you want, but I’m not sharing her with either of you.”

Lira wrenched free, stumbling backward. Her voice shook, but the force of it stopped us in our tracks.

“Stop it!” she cried. “Please, stop! I don’t want this! I don’t feel anything, do you understand? You’re going to get me killed!”

Her hands clawed through her hair as tears threatened to fall. Blood dripped from her palm, proof of what I already suspected—Garrick’s venomous sister had hurt her.

“I am an omega! I am nothing!” she shouted. “If you keep this up, they’ll kill me. Please, just leave me alone!”

Her words cut deeper than any blade. She wasn’t weak. She was fire and fury, standing against three alphas even as she trembled.

Jax’s smirk faltered. For once, he looked shaken, like her rejection had actually pierced him. 

My wolf howled even louder, craving her more fiercely for it, but shame burned hotter still. An omega. A servant. And without even trying, she was tearing us apart.

Riven stepped out of the shadows, his black coat glinting under the lamps. His eyes were locked on Lira.

“You feel it,” he said softly, his tone like velvet over steel. “I felt you across the hall. But you are right—this is dangerous. Three bonds to one woman should not exist.” His voice hardened. “That does not mean I will not protect you.”

Jax laughed cruelly. “A challenge, brother?” He turned to Lira, his voice dropping low. “I summoned you, sweetheart. I’ll show you how a Lycan fucks, make you scream my name.”

I yanked Lira behind me. “She’s under my protection.”

“Protection?” she spat, shaking. “I don’t belong to any of you! I just want to live!” 

Her eyes burned, tears shimmering but refusing to fall. 

Jax stepped forward, growling. “See? You’re scaring her, Kain. Maybe she needs protection from you. I’ve been waiting years to make you bleed.”

Riven’s voice slid into our minds, calm, and precise.

|You’re both fools. This bond is wrong. We are destroying each other while the truth stays hidden. There is more to her than we understand. We need to find out what.|

“Find out?” Jax snarled, rounding on him. “I’ll find out when she’s under me. Break your bond, Riven. She’s mine.”

I shoved him back, my own growl ripping from my chest. “Touch her, and I’ll bury you.”

Before Jax could strike, a sultry voice cut through the storm.

“My Lords,” Selena purred, gliding toward us, her robe clinging to every curve. “Is this truly worth your time? An omega?” She reached for my arm. “Surely you’d prefer someone… worthy.”

I recoiled instantly, my voice like ice. “Do not touch me.”

Her painted smile faltered.

Lira stood trembling, a lone girl trapped between three powerful alphas, each ready to destroy the world for her.

And the worst truth of all? I could not let her go. Even if it meant breaking my brothers. Even if it meant breaking myself.