Claimed by the Alphas: Part Four (4 page)

Since the moment he had thrown Mila against the wall and pressed her soft body against his, Caim’s only thought was that he needed to be inside of her.

While he had never experienced the thrall firsthand, he understood what it entailed, and had fully prepared himself for the inevitable loss of control. Part of him had even anticipated it, exciting at the prospect of fully surrendering to his baser urges.

But once he was finally inside of her, he was faced with a new need, one which eluded him and pushed him to the brink of madness.

The need for release.

The desire consumed him, and his cock strained within her as it swelled to the point of pain. Thrusting inside of her should have brought him at least a modicum of relief, but it only built the pressure. The pain and sensitivity grew with each thrust, but as if he were possessed, he couldn’t stop himself. Before long he was pounding into her, snarling each time his swollen crown slammed against the back of her hot sheath.

He had never taken the human with such ferocity, but she gave no indication that he was harming her. If anything, she seemed to feed off his need, her inhibitions
burning away under the searing heat of the mating thrall.

She thrashed and writhed beneath him, her nails scoring his back as she cried out in ecstasy. Somehow, she was able to match his furious pace, her hips meeting his blow for blow.

At the height of her pleasure she screamed his name and bit down hard on his neck. It was what he had needed. His eyes flew open, and he ground his cock into her one last time as every muscle in his body clenched.

Caim roared with the force of his release. His body became wracked with spasms as he poured his seed into her in waves. A deep-seated relief suffused him. It was more than pleasure, and more than liberation from the pain.
He felt fulfilled.

He stayed on top of her for a few moments,
both of them panting. The air around them was warm and thick with the scent of their mating. He could smell sweat mingled with blood—his blood—from where his enthralled little mate had bitten him. His lips twitched at the thought of her bite leaving a mark, one that he could taunt her with long after the thrall had passed.

She squirmed beneath him, giving his chest a weak shove. He acquiesced to her unspoken demand, maneuvering
their bodies so that they lay side by side. Too greedy to give up any part of her, he made sure that he stayed firmly planted inside of her wet depths.

In a throaty voice
, she said, “I bit you.” He heard her swallow. “Am going crazy?”

Caim pulled her tighter against him, burying his nose in her hair. “It is the thrall.”

“Oh,” she croaked.

Seemingly of their own accord, his hips began moving again. Caim groaned.
He had not even completely softened, and his cock was already hardening again. The walls of her sex tightened around him as he became fuller, and soon the pressure was building inside of him again.

It was
more bearable this time, though he still could not have stopped himself if he wanted to. His mate was more subdued as well. She moaned and whimpered as her rocked inside of her at an achingly slow pace. He took his time, running his hands over her supple body.

In that moment, everything about her was perfect to Caim.
He gave her thick thigh an appreciative squeeze before moving to the curve of her hips. On the way to her breasts his hand stopped, lingering on her fleshy stomach. With atavistic conviction, he knew that after tonight she would be carrying his pup, and the knowledge filled him with renewed purpose.

She came just before him, her body trembling in his hold. His
second release came, but was no less powerful. When his body finally stopped shuddering, Caim buried his nose in her hair once more, filling his lungs with her sweet scent.

He was already hardening again when he heard the sound of footsteps coming from the den entrance. He knew it was Asch, and that he wouldn’t be pleased that Caim had taken their mate without him. It was Asch’s fault for naively trusting in him though, and Caim was fully prepared to point this out.

But when he got his first glimpse at Asch, with his fangs bared and his face contorted in rage, Caim realized that what he hadn’t been prepared for was a fight.

~~~

Throughout most of the time that she was acting like a dog in heat, Mila was loosely aware of the fact that Asch would be back at any moment. He had been gone for a lot longer than she’d anticipated though, and it was incredibly difficult to think about anything when her body felt like it was on fire. At one point, she was pretty sure that if someone had asked her if she’d rather climax or keep breathing, well, she would have died rapturously.

By the time Caim abruptly pulled out of her, she could hardly be bothered to remember her own name. That was why it was particularly jarring when she turned around just in time to see Cai
m slamming his body into Asch’s.

Mila struggled to take in the scene unfolding in the dark room. They snarled at one another as Caim grappled with Asch, pinning him against the wall. He had one large hand banding Asch’s wrists together, while the other was wrapped around his throat. Gasping, she jumped up, ignoring the ache between her thighs.

Her mind racing, she grabbed Caim’s shoulder, desperately trying to pull him off. “Stop it! What are you doing? You’re going to hurt him!”

“Get back, Mila,” Caim growled in response. She immediately complied, releasing him and taking a step back. He never said her name.

Asch snarled, kicking at Caim’s legs. She couldn’t see Caim’s face, but she could tell from the tension in his body that he was straining to hold Asch at bay.

“Please don’t hurt him.”

“He is not in control and he could harm you. He needs to calm down,” Caim said, directing the last part at Asch.

Mila realized that she’d automatically assumed Caim was fighting Asch for her, when in reality he was just trying to protect her.
She took a step forward again, this time resting her hand on Asch’s arm. His skin was chilled from the night air.

She wet her lips, and then said, “Asch, do you want me to warm you up?”

Asch eased in his resistance, still breathing heavily. Mila trailed her hand up his arm and past his broad shoulders, placing her palm on the side of his face. She brushed her fingers across his hairline, lightly stroking him. He leaned his head into her touch.

“You’re mine,” he rasped.

She kept her voice low and placating. “That’s right, but I’m also Caim’s, remember?” She traced her finger around the shell of his ear, and then down his strong jawline. “I need you. Both of you.”

Mila could feel the
rigidity leave his body at her words. He leaned his head back against the wall, his shoulders slumping. With obvious reluctance, Caim released him, but made no move to step back. After a tense moment, Asch shouldered past him, taking Mila in his arms.

His hold was tight and possessive, and Mila could feel his erection straining against her belly.
She wanted to touch it, to take him into her hand as she had Caim, but before she could reach for him, Asch lifted her up. She gasped as he tossed her over his shoulder, hauling her over to the fur pallet.

She could see Caim’s shadowed form still standing by the wall. He watched silently, making no move to join them as
Asch lowered their bodies onto the furs.

Mila was grateful for
Caim’s restraint, because Asch was not in a compromising mood and she was in no position to mediate between them. The moment they were on the pallet, Asch flipped Mila onto her knees, sinking into her slick passage. When he was fully inside of her, he groaned, sounding almost pained. He needed her just as much as Caim had, and his desire was intoxicating.

As Asch began wildly thrusting into her from behind, Mila began to lose herself to the thrall once more. Entrusting her mates with her care, she didn’t bother trying to find herself again.

Day and night became interchangeable to Asch. Nothing existed except for desire and satisfaction—desire for his mate, and satisfaction when he took his release inside of her.

After his initial frenzy had worn off, Asch’s mind cleared, marginally. He recognized that Mila had other needs besides his cock, namely food and water. When they woke, after he had taken her at least once, Asch would go down to the river and collect water for her, giving Caim time to take Mila for himself. The routine served to make Caim less temperamental when Asch took her first.

Once the supply of fresh food had run out, they hunted in shifts, bringing back small game from the valley. For once, Asch took no pleasure in hunting. As he sank his teeth into his prey, all he could think of was returning to his mate and sinking himself back inside of her warm body.

The first morning that Asch didn’t wake up with a painful erection, he knew that the thrall was finally over. Mila was nestled between the two of them, her head turned into Caim’s chest while her legs were laced with Asch’s. Even in her sleep, she tried to spread herself evenly between the two of them.

Occasionally he’d wonder, if she had to, which one of them Mila would choose. As quickly as the thought came to him though, Asch would discard it. She had chosen, and she’d chosen both of them. Now more than ever, he knew that.

When he’d seen Caim with her, smelled Caim’s sweat all over his naked mate, he’d nearly lost his mind. Caim had managed to restrain him, barely. Mila hadn’t needed to accept him, but she had.

Asch leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead before standing to stretch his limbs. He rolled his shoulders, his sore muscles protesting the act. He needed a good run.

~~~

Mila lay still for a while after she woke, assessing the miserable state of her body. She hadn’t known that it was possible to be sore in so many places. Everything above her waist ached, and everything below it flat-out hurt. After managing to push Caim’s heavy arm off of her, she sat up and stretched, trying to work a knot out of her lower back.

She felt around for Asch, but his side of the bed was cold. She figured he must be out hunting, and her stomach growled at the thought. How long had it been since she’d eaten?

More than hungry, she was thirsty. Her mouth was parched and she suspected some of her discomfort was probably related to dehydration. Crawling over to the far side of the bedding, her hands found the clay pot that she’d been drinking from the night before. She picked it up, bringing it to her lips and tilting it back slowly. A scant amount of liquid, hardly enough to wet her cracked lips, dripped into her mouth.

Setting the bowl down, she crawled back over to where Caim was sleeping. She
put a hand on his arm, giving him a little nudge.

“Caim.”
When he didn’t respond she shook him a little harder. “Hey, wake up. I need something to drink.” He remained still, and if it weren’t for the sound of his heavy breathing, she would have thought he was a corpse. She considered reaching between his legs and giving him a hard squeeze, but decided that probably wasn’t the best way to wake an alpha werewolf. “Okay, well, I tried.”

Mila
managed to find her clothes in the dark and then headed up the narrow passage that led out of the den. The sky was a deep blue that indicated that the sun had either just left, or it was fast approaching. She was surprised to find a light dusting of snow covering the ground, and considered going back inside as she had not brought her boots. After a moment’s hesitation, she decided to suck it up and head for the river.

Getting to the river was more
grueling than she’d expected. She followed the sound of the water, doing her best to avoid the sharp rocks, pointy acorns, and prickly pinecones that littered the forest floor. By the time she made it to the river, her toes had surpassed being cold and had settled for burning.

Sitting down at the
riverbank she tucked her feet under her legs and bent down to scoop up water in her cupped hands. The cold liquid was refreshing, and for a few moments she forgot about the pain she was in and focused on quenching her thirst. Once she’d drunk until she couldn’t drink anymore, she leaned back and ran a hand through her tangled hair.

It occurred to her that this was the first time she’d been outside alone since she’d come to the pack, and despite the cold, it felt pretty good.
There was really something to be said about fresh air coupled with personal space.

She knew that she couldn’t stay long. Not only was it freezing out, but the guys would probably be pissed if they realized she was gone, especially considering…

Mila looked down at her stomach warily. Her fingers twitched with the urge to pull her shirt up and feel around, as if there was even anything there to feel besides her own belly fat. It just baffled her that her body could very well be creating life as she sat there, but she would be none the wiser for weeks. The thought of waiting so long to know one way or the other was daunting.

For some reason, the idea of being pregnant
didn’t seem as scary as the idea of getting pregnant had. She decided it probably just hadn’t sunk in yet, and she’d revisit her thoughts on it when her condition was less ambiguous. Right now, she should just appreciate the fact that for the first time in weeks, she wasn’t really stressed out about anything.

A soft crunching sound drew her attention to the woods on the other side of the river. Mila squinted, making out a shadowed form approaching the bank. Groaning inwardly, she prepared herself for the fit Asch was going to throw when he found her away from the den.

Just as she was starting to climb to her feet, Mila froze. The shadow emerged from the forest, not a wolf at all, but a giant cat.