Safety (5 page)

He joined her in the water, but swam over to the rock in the center of the pool. Extending his hand, he beckoned her to join him.

Without hesitating, she pushed off the rock with her hands, using the momentum to propel her body towards him. Then, she began to swim. Though her arms flailed gracelessly, she managed to make it to him. When her hand reached his, Alder pulled her into a tight embrace, his hand running the length of her back.

“I’ve got you,” he said.

Her scent was rich, heady, and called to him on a primal level. After tonight, she would be his mate in every sense of the word.

Alder looked down at her face. Her bottom lip was caught between her teeth as she stared up at him, her eyes brimming with a nervous excitement.

Perfect. She was perfect.

Bending his neck, Alder captured her lips and pushed his tongue inside of her, relishing the feeling of penetrating her. He tilted his head for better access, his hips unconsciously bucking against her.

Hale had yet to join them in the water and Alder didn’t care. It didn’t matter to Alder that Hale shared his scent or that he usually enjoyed watching his brother with his mate. Tonight, he had very little interest in sharing.

He wasn’t going to fight Hale, but he also wasn’t going to offer his mate up to him. Tonight, she belonged to Alder, and Hale would have to settle for whatever Alder allowed him to have.

With that thought spurring him on, Alder lifted himself and his mate onto the rock. Water rolled off his naked body and onto hers as he settled himself between her thick thighs. He leaned down to nuzzle her neck, taking a long drag of her scent as he worked to position his hips.

Fisting his hard length, Alder ran the tip along the seam of her sex. She was wet—the type of slick, slippery wetness that could have only come from within her. His cock throbbed in response, flaring with awareness of her need.

He had to be inside of her. But there was something else, something more he needed.

Age-old instincts had him pulling back and grabbing her hips to move her onto her knees. She assumed the position without resistance, as if understanding the instinct that he couldn’t deny.

He needed to take her from behind like the wolf that he was.

Alder gripped her hips with both hands. His cock was as hard as steel and required no guidance to find its way to her. As soon as the tip came in contact with her drenched folds, he thrust forward with unbridled force.

His mate’s cry echoed within the cave. Alder had to believe that it was pleasure and not pain, because once he was inside of her, his fate was sealed. The sheer bliss of being sheathed with his mate, coupled with the overbearing scent of her fertility, had robbed him of all self-control.

Soon, she was crying out in short, punctuated moans. Recognizing that she was enjoying herself, Alder began thrusting harder. He reveled in the feel of his sensitive cockhead slamming against the back of her tight passage as each thrust brought him closer and closer to release.

Ecstasy soon gave way to frustration as his climax eluded him. Pressure built in his lower back, but thrusting did nothing to alleviate it. Even worse, he could feel more blood rushing to his cock, causing it to swell larger and become more sensitive. Thrusting became uncomfortable and then almost unbearable, but he couldn’t stop. He needed to come, more than he needed his next breath.

Just when Alder thought he couldn’t take any more, he felt something within him snap. He thrust again, howling as his seed surged up and gushed into his mate’s womb.

Alder collapsed on top of her, his body quivering with aftershocks long after he’d emptied himself.

This was mating, he remembered. This was what it meant to claim a mate. The thought repeated itself over in his muddled mind until he perceived Hale’s approach. He knew that in his current state, he would have a difficult time contesting his brother, though his instincts urged him to do so anyway.

In the end, Alder rolled off of her, forcing himself to temporarily relinquish his mate. Hale took her from behind as well, a look of astonishment overtaking his face as he pushed inside her. Alder knew it was only a matter of time before his brother would experience the same torment he had, and, unlike Alder, Hale was in no way prepared for what was to come.

Alder took a perverse pleasure in watching Hale’s face slowly contort into a grimace, and then, pure agony. As Hale began thrusting harder in search of reprieve, Alder turned his attention to Taylor. Now lucid enough to worry about her comfort, he was pleased to see that she seemed to be enjoying it.

He knew that his coherence was fleeting. Soon, perhaps even before Hale was finished, he would be hard and ready to mate again. The cycle would repeat itself for days, until her scent normalized.

Alder hoped that when Hale was done, he would at least have the good sense to bring her over to the furs where she would be more comfortable. It was going to be a long night.

***

Taylor woke to Alder climbing on top of her…or was it Hale?

Sometime between when she had fallen asleep and now, the fire had gone out, plunging the room in darkness. She tried to take stock of her situation, but her brain felt like a bag of marbles that had been dropped on the floor. Memories scattered in every direction, rolling out to the obscure recesses of her mind.

She felt soft fur against her cheek and knew that she must have been lying on the pallet. Her body was jostled as strong hands maneuvered her hips, causing the fur to tease at her nipples. Despite a dull ache between her thighs, she realized that she was deeply aroused.

Her torso was angled to the side as a mouth latched on to one of her nipples. Her hands sought out her mate, and she ran her fingers through his thick hair. Behind her, a hard rod of flesh pressed against her entrance.

Both of them. It was both of them.

She didn’t know which was who, but as a hot tongue swirled around her nipple and a stiff member pushed inside of her, she didn’t care.

The male at her breast reached down to gently stroke her clit with two fingers. As she was already being thrust into from behind, the soft touch was enough to send her sailing towards orgasm.

Her body convulsed as she came, powerful sensations rippling, invigorating her tired body. The male behind her soon followed, snarling as he took his release inside her.

She caught one of the marbles.

Hale
.
He snarls when he comes.

In fact, he’d been snarling all night. She remembered the first time Hale had climaxed, when Alder had tried to take her back. Hale had made a sound to rival that of a feral beast and she had been sure that they would fight. Rather than being afraid, the thought of them fighting over her had been…exhilarating.

When Hale stopped shuddering, Alder released her breast. None too gently, he pushed his brother from atop her. She gasped as Hale’s softening penis slipped from her, only to moan a second later when it was immediately replaced by Alder’s fully erect one.

As Alder began to thrust into her, Taylor’s hand sought out Hale’s in the darkness. He found hers first and he laced their fingers together.

She caught another one of the marbles.

Her reason for agreeing to this.

It should have been that she wanted to be a mother, or even that she wanted to make Alder happy.

Maybe those things had factored into her decision, but in the end, there was only one, true reason. Hale had told her early on that once she was pregnant, he’d no longer have any interest in her, and she needed him to lose interest. If he kept inserting himself into her life, if he kept smiling at her, kissing her, and holding her in his arms, she was going to fall deeply and horribly in love with him. More in love with him than she already was.

So she was going to be with Alder, have a family with him, and move on with her life. Hale would lose interest in her, and eventually, she would lose interest in him, too.

It was selfish of her. So fucking selfish. But she could hate herself later.

Right now, all that existed in the darkness was sensation. She let go of the marble and allowed herself to slip back into the merciful delirium of the mating thrall.

Hale sat at the water’s edge, watching as Alder bathed Taylor in the pool. She had only just awoken and her head lolled from side to side, her heavy-lidded eyes unfocused. Holding her neck, Alder adjusted her head to rest on his shoulder before resuming their bath.

She was in dire need of washing up. Although the water had been close by, neither male had had any interest in expending energy on anything that didn’t involve mating. The first couple nights, they hadn’t even been able to summon the energy to hunt and had eaten some of the food they’d brought for Taylor.

The food had run out quickly and he had memories of hunting, but they were vague, as if he’d dreamed them.

Once they were out of the water, Alder dried her off with a soft pelt and then wrapped her in a bearskin. Alder cradled her in his arms for a moment, gazing down at her with a profound affection.

Hale sat up, feeling unsettled as Alder carried her over to the pallet and settled her in Hale’s arms.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes. Keep her warm.”

It was only then that Hale realized how cold it was in the cave. How many nights had they been gone? He couldn’t even begin to fathom.

Taylor didn’t protest his hold, and in fact, seemed content to rest her head against his chest. The fire had nearly burned out, but it gave off enough light for him to make out the peaceful expression on her face.

Without opening her eyes, she asked, “Is there any food left?”

“I think Alder is going to get some meat,” he said, glancing up towards the doorway. His brother was already gone.

Her nose crinkled. “Gross.”

“You liked it well enough the past few days,” he told her.

Although his memories of hunting were hazy, his mind had always seemed to clear once he was back in the cave with her. It was as if he left a part of himself behind each time he left her, and he was only whole when they were together again.

Taylor’s eyes flew open. “I ate meat?”

Once her food had run out, neither he nor Alder had been interested in foraging for more. Fortunately, it had not taken much convincing to get Taylor to share their kills. Hale distinctly remembered hand-feeding her venison. She had licked his fingers clean and it had aroused him beyond measure.

“It was mostly cooked meat,” he said in an attempt to calm her.

Her jaw dropped. “I ate
raw
meat?”

Hale grinned and gently flicked her forehead. “You better get used to eating meat. You can’t be eating plants while you’re carrying my pup.”

She sat up, her expression immediately sobering. “You mean, Alder’s pup?”

He didn’t answer.

Taylor freed one of her hands from the pelt and rested it on Hale’s thigh. “You don’t have to feel responsible for me. You’ve been honest about where you stood from the beginning, and I’ve accepted it.”

She was giving him an out, he realized. The mating thrall was over. His instincts would no longer be urging him to claim her. Aside from the pup she would carry, which could just as easily be Alder’s, there was nothing tying Hale to her.

“Is that what you want?” he asked. “You want to be done with me?”

Taylor shifted uncomfortably in his lap. “It’s for the best.”

He gripped her chin too tightly and forced her to meet his gaze. “That’s not an answer. Do you want to be with me, or don’t you?”

As they faced off, Hale found himself wishing he could channel Alder’s composure. As he struggled not to betray his feelings, the muscles of his face refused to stop twitching.

Moisture pooled in her eyes, but she didn’t blink. “Let go of me. Please.”

Hale didn’t release her until he heard his brother’s footsteps in the passageway. Alder entered the room, smiling and completely oblivious to the tension.

“There’s nothing around for miles,” he announced. “The animals must have caught wind of us. We should be heading back to the den anyway.”

Alder bent down to scoop Taylor up in his arms. He went to kiss her but stopped short, concern flashing over his face.

“You’re pale,” he said, placing the back of his hand on her forehead. “If you’re hungry, we can wait. Between Hale and I, we’re bound to find something you can eat.”

Taylor shook her head before burying it into the crook of Alder’s neck. “No, let’s go. I’m fine. Honestly.”

Alder carried Taylor on his back all the way to the cabin. The ride back was much longer than she remembered it being, though she could attribute that to time being relative. She was exhausted, cold, and sore in every place imaginable.

Hale came with them, though he kept his distance. Only the occasional glimpse of white fur moving through the trees told her that he was still nearby. When they finally arrived at the cabin, he hung back in the woods.

Taylor dismounted onto shaky legs, pulling the furs close to her body as she gazed around the familiar landscape of her home. It was still early morning, and a thick fog had rolled in from the lake, making her cabin look as though it were floating on a cloud.