Masuk"This is a test," she said. "You're testing whether I'll stay.""No." Alaric's voice was firm. "This is us giving you real power. Real choice. What you do with it is up to you."She stood up. Walked to the window. Looked out at the grounds.She could leave. Could walk out the door. Could go back to her mother. Could rebuild her life.The contract would be dissolved. The obligation would be gone. She'd be free.But the bond...The bond would hurt. Would pull at her. Would make every day away from them feel wrong.And next month, when the full moon came, they'd suffer without her. She'd feel it. Would know they were in pain. Would know she could help but chose not to.Could she live with that?"This is cruel," she said quietly. "Giving me this choice. Making me decide between my freedom and your suffering.""This is fair," Alaric corrected. "This is you getting to choose what your life looks like. Not us choosing for you."She turned to look at them."If I stay," she said slowly. "If I
"I'm not forgiving.""You're still here." Aiden's voice was quiet. "Still in this bed. Still touching us. Still checking to make sure we're okay. That looks like forgiveness to me.""That's not forgiveness. That's exhaustion. I'm too tired to fight.""Then rest." Alaric stood up. "I'll have food brought up. You need to eat. Recover. Take care of yourself.""I can take care of myself...""Let us take care of you." His voice was firm. "You took care of us all night. Now it's our turn."He left before she could argue.***An Hour LaterThey'd showered. Separately. Melina had insisted.Now she was in clean clothes...her clothes from Alaric's closet....sitting on the couch in his sitting room. Food laid out on the coffee table.All three brothers were there. Dressed. Looking normal. Like last night had never happened.She picked at her food. Not hungry. Too much in her head."We need to talk," she said finally."About?" Alaric asked."About what happens now. About what last night means. Ab
Melina's POVShe woke up slowly.Body aching. Sore everywhere. Between her legs. Her hips. Her shoulders where Archer had bitten her.The memories crashed back.The collapse. The desperation. The way she'd helped all three of them through the night. The positions. The intensity. The absolute necessity of it all.She opened her eyes.Morning light streaming through the windows. She was still in the center of the bed. Still surrounded.Alaric was awake. Sitting up against the headboard. Watching her."Good morning," he said quietly.She looked at him. Really looked at him.He looked better. Completely better. No fever. No pain lines. No exhaustion. Like the curse had never happened."How do you feel?" she asked. Her voice was hoarse."Better than I have in nine years." His hand touched her hair gently. "Thanks to you."She looked at the other side of the bed. Aiden was still asleep. So was Archer at the foot of the bed."What time is it?" she asked."Almost nine. You slept for about sev
Archer groaned from the floor.He was the worst. Still on the floor. Barely conscious.She went to him. Dropped to her knees beside him."Archer. Archer look at me."He couldn't. His eyes were closed. His breathing shallow.Terror shot through her. "Archer please...."She stripped him. Pulled off his clothes with shaking hands.Then she positioned herself over him. On the floor. Carpet rough under her knees.Took him inside her even though he wasn't fully hard. Wasn't responding."Come on," she whispered. "Come on Archer please...."She moved. Desperate now. The bond screaming at her. He needed more. Needed all of her.She leaned down. Pressed her body against his completely. Skin to skin everywhere she could manage.Her lips found his neck. His pulse was racing. Erratic."Please," she whispered against his skin. "Please don't do this. Please don't...."His arms came around her suddenly. Held her tight.His hips thrust up. Once. Twice.He was responding. Finally responding."That's it
Melina's POVThey collapsed.All three of them. Simultaneously.Melina screamed.Ran to Alaric first. He was closest. Slumped in his chair. Head back. Eyes closed. Breathing shallow."Alaric....Alaric please...."She touched his face. He was burning up. Fever so high she could feel the heat radiating off him.His eyes opened. Barely. Silver eyes glazed with pain."Melina..." His voice was broken. Hoarse."What do I do? Please tell me what to do...""Close...need you close...."She looked at Aiden. He was on the couch. Curled on his side. Shaking.Archer on the floor. Not moving.Panic clawed at her throat. This was worse than she'd imagined. So much worse.And the ache in her chest...the pull....was unbearable now. Screaming at her to help them. To fix this. To do something."I don't know what to do!" Her voice was breaking. "Please someone tell me what to do!""Touch..." Aiden's voice from the couch. Barely audible. "Touch helps...proximity..."She went to him. Knelt beside the couch
Hours LaterMelina lay in Alaric's bed staring at the ceiling.He was beside her. Not touching. Just there.She'd spent the last four hours processing. Pacing. Demanding more answers. Getting some. Not believing most of them.Mates. Fated bonds. Supernatural curses.It sounded like a fantasy novel. Like something made up.Except she'd seen the symptoms. Had watched all three of them get progressively worse over the last four days. Had seen the fever. The pain. The exhaustion.That was real. Whatever was happening to them was real."I still don't understand," she said into the darkness. "How can three people share one mate? How does that even work?""It's rare," Alaric said quietly. "But not unheard of. Triplets especially. We share everything else. Why not this?""That's not an answer.""It's the only answer I have." He turned on his side. Looked at her. "I don't know why the universe decided you belong to all three of us. I just know that you do. We felt it. All of us. The moment we
"I don't...." She couldn't finish the sentence."You do." His hand moved to the button of her pants. Didn't open it yet. Just rested there. "You're going to tell me what you want. And then you're going to ask for it. And then you're going to beg for it."Her breathing was unsteady now. Completely u
Melina's POVShe woke up at five thirty feeling him everywhere.Not Archer this time. Alaric. His mouth. His hands. The specific ache between her legs that came from being held open on a desk and taken apart methodically until she couldn't remember how to think straight.She lay there in the dark s
Then he went to work.Methodical. Precise. His tongue moving in patterns that made her unable to form coherent thoughts. He wasn't rushed. Wasn't frantic. He was solving her like she was a problem that required his complete attention.And he was very good at solving problems.Her hands gripped the
He stood up. Came around the desk slowly. Every step deliberate. He stopped three feet away from her. Close enough that she could see the faint shadow of stubble on his jaw. Close enough that his presence filled the space between them."You look tired," Alaric said quietly."I'm fine.""You're not.







