"It destroys their case," Liam said firmly, pressing a kiss to my shoulder. "They can't force you into marriage with one of their heirs when you're already bonded to four Alphas."
"Plus," Fin added with a wicked grin, "the scent of four Maxwell males is going to be all over you. Even if they somehow missed the marks, they'll smell our claim the moment you walk into the room."
I felt heat rise in my cheeks at the thought. "Is that... normal? The scent thing?"
"Completely normal," Brent assured me, though his eyes were dark with possessive satisfaction. "It's nature's way of warning other wolves that you're taken. Protected."
I slid out of bed, my legs slightly unsteady as I made my way to the bathroom. M
"It destroys their case," Liam said firmly, pressing a kiss to my shoulder. "They can't force you into marriage with one of their heirs when you're already bonded to four Alphas.""Plus," Fin added with a wicked grin, "the scent of four Maxwell males is going to be all over you. Even if they somehow missed the marks, they'll smell our claim the moment you walk into the room."I felt heat rise in my cheeks at the thought. "Is that... normal? The scent thing?""Completely normal," Brent assured me, though his eyes were dark with possessive satisfaction. "It's nature's way of warning other wolves that you're taken. Protected."I slid out of bed, my legs slightly unsteady as I made my way to the bathroom. M
Liam stepped forward first, his green eyes searching mine. "Are you sure? This isn't something we can undo.""I'm sure," I replied, setting my mother's journal carefully on the side table. "My mother wrote that I should let love be my compass. Not fear.""This isn't just about the bond," Fin said, moving closer. "This is about something deeper. Something permanent.""I know." And I did know. Despite everything between us, the years of cruelty, the recent revelations, the confusion of the mate bond, something inside me recognised the truth. These four men, for all their flaws, were mine. And I was theirs.Brent reached me first, his hands cupping my face with surprising gentleness. "Seraphina," he whispe
"It's Alpha Maxwell," came the reply. "I need to speak with you. It's important."I wiped at my face, trying to erase the evidence of my tears. "Just a minute."After splashing cold water on my face in the bathroom, I opened the door to find not just Alpha Maxwell, but all four of his sons standing in the hallway. Their expressions were grim, and my stomach dropped with foreboding."What's happened?" I asked, immediately alert.Alpha Maxwell's face was taut with tension. "The Northern Alliance representatives have requested a meeting with you. Tonight.""Tonight?" My voice sounded thin even to my own ears. "But the ceremony isn't until tomorrow.
"They knew," I whispered. "They knew what was coming and they still tried to save me."Fin's arm tightened around me, and for once I was grateful for the contact. "They succeeded. You're here. You're alive.""But for how long?" The question slipped out before I could stop it. "The Northern Alliance killed them. Tomorrow night, they'll try to finish what they started.""Not if we stop them first."I looked up at him through my tears. "We? Since when is this 'we,' Fin? Yesterday you would have handed me over to them yourself if it meant getting rid of me."His jaw tightened, and I saw something flicker in his green eyes, shame, maybe. Or regret. "Yesterday I was an idiot. Yest
I moved to the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face. The girl in the mirror looked different somehow, her eyes brighter, her cheeks flushed with colour, her lips slightly swollen from Brent's kiss. I barely recognised myself.A soft knock at the balcony door made me jump. I knew without looking that it would be Fin, the only brother I hadn't had a real conversation with today. The pattern was becoming clear: they were taking turns, each trying to convince me in their own way.For a moment, I considered ignoring him. But curiosity won out, and I moved to the glass door, sliding it open just enough to speak."I'm not in the mood for another heartfelt confession," I said by way of greeting.Fin's green eyes studied me with an inte
I wiped away the last of my tears. "Lucky me.""You meant what you said in there, didn't you?" Brent asked quietly. "About us tormenting you being a kind of death."I sighed, looking down at my hands. "Yes. No. I don't know. It just came out.""But you felt it.""Of course I felt it," I said, frustration bleeding into my voice. "Do you have any idea what it was like? Year after year of being told I was nothing, that I was worthless, that no one would ever want me? It breaks something inside you, Brent. Something that doesn't just magically heal because suddenly you've decided I'm worth something."He flinched as if I'd struck him. "I know. And I