Authors: Stacey Espino
* * * *
“So…” The beautiful woman wrapped in a loose navy wrap dress walked back and forth in front of a cast iron fireplace. The inside of the log cabin was rustic, everything Bella had dreamed for her own piece of paradise when in her youth. Nothing to rely on but nature itself. White mortar filled the seams between massive logs. The large bed Bella sat on was lush with thick bedding and an assortment of feminine pillows.
“Who are you?” The strange woman was pregnant, not someone who should be in a hunting party or risking the elements and wildlife surrounding the deserted cottage.
“My name’s Ingrid,” she said. Bella didn’t feel threatened by her. In fact, Ingrid’s presence was oddly comforting. Bella was usually a good judge of character, and her instincts told her she could trust Ingrid.
She watched the woman’s swollen belly as she moved, her hands perched on her rounded hips. “You’re carrying twins. Boys.”
Ingrid stopped dead and stared at her with a slack jaw. “What did you say?” She moved closer to the bed. “How could you know that?”
Bella wasn’t expecting such a harsh reaction. It was just a guess based on her size and the shape of her stomach. She’d always loved guessing games, odds, and applying science to folklore. The fact that she had been right had surprised her almost as much as Ingrid. “Lucky guess?”
Ingrid narrowed her eyes momentarily. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is that Ben and Draco are going to kill each other if you don’t do something to stop them.”
“Yeah…about that.”
“They’re not your everyday men, Bella. They’re special.” Ingrid ran a hand through her thick brown hair and exhaled heavily. “When Callen and Ethan both claimed to love me, I thought they were nuts, but I also knew in my heart that a relationship with the three of us was meant to be. At first I blamed my feelings for them on the love bites, but after a few weeks, when the effects of the claiming had diminished, I knew. I loved them both. It was fate that brought us together.”
Bella wasn’t sure what this woman was talking about. Love bites? Claiming? Ménage relationships? Maybe she was as crazy as Draco was for running around the forest naked. Bella really needed to get the hell out of the boonies and back to civilization. The city might have felt like a concrete prison most of the time, but it was safer than the woods and familiar. She needed reassurance after the past twenty-four hours. Why did her traitorous mind think she could find that comfort in either Ben or Draco’s arms? She shook her head and leaned over her knees.
“I just realized how crazy this must all sound to you at this point. I’m sorry for that. When everything gets sorted out, I’m sure we’ll be great friends. I promise. I’m not a crazy redneck. In fact, I’ll pull my hair out if our new house isn’t ready soon. Being pregnant with no indoor plumbing is
not
pleasant.” Ingrid sat beside Bella on the edge of the bed. “You’re from the city, right?”
Bella nodded.
“So was I. When you think back, do you ever remember nights feeling like you didn’t belong, like there was something out there waiting for you, but you had no idea what?”
She nodded without having to think about it. That feeling was all too familiar. What did it mean?
“It’s the mating call. It won’t let up. It’ll guide you, nag you, and drive you insane until you follow the right path.” She paused. “I think fate led you to us—to Ben and Draco.”
Bella knew exactly what the woman described. She lived like the shell of a woman in the city, not knowing where she belonged. But everything else?
A wolf’s howl echoed outside the cabin, reminding her of her need to get out of Dodge. Panic sparked inside her. Where were her friends? Shouldn’t they be here by now? Did these whackos hurt them? Did the wolves get them first? She had no vehicle to get out of the forest, no phone, no escape. The claustrophobic feeling of being trapped closed in around her, making her nerves flare and mind wander. What were they going to do to her? Knock her up and brainwash her like Ingrid?
Fuck!
“My friends. Draco was supposed to find them. I’m getting worried.”
She bolted to her feet, moving to the only window, needing to breathe. The frame wouldn’t budge. It was frozen shut from layers of old paint. “You okay?”
“I’ve gotta get out of here.” She paced like a caged animal, feeling feral and desperate. This was like a nightmare turned reality, and she refused to accept it.
Refused.
She could feel the walls of that guarded place deep inside her fracturing.
“Calm down, Bella. Sit down. Do you want a drink or something?”
“I’ve gotta get out of here,” she repeated, her gaze darting to all the exits.
The flames licking the logs in the fire mimicked the heat creeping up Bella’s collar. Her face flushed, and her skin crawled. So this was what an anxiety attack felt like. Her mother claimed to have them all the time, but Bella thought it was a ploy to garner attention. Maybe not.
“I hope you’ll forgive me for this later,” said Ingrid. Then a sharp blow to the back of Bella’s head stole her sight as she collapsed to the hard wooden floor.
“No! Wait!” Ingrid screamed. Ben followed Ethan and Callen around the side of the cabin in a mad dash. He’d sensed Ingrid’s spike of adrenaline, so his alphas would have felt it tenfold being mated to her. Something was terribly wrong.
“Faster, Ethan!” Callen growled, running just behind the other man. Ben would defend Ingrid with his life, as was his duty as a member of the pack, but he followed out of concern for Bella. If tough-as-nails Ingrid felt fear, no doubt Bella would be terrified as well.
Ethan kicked the door with a powerful blow, which exploded open with an echoing bang, and dashed to the bedroom. He dropped to his knees at Ingrid’s feet and wrapped his arms around her thick waist, laying his head on her lap. She looked up at Ben and Callen from her perch on the edge of the bed.
“She’s gone.” It was all she said and all Ben needed to hear before returning to the night and shifting forms.
Ben shook out his thick fur as he dashed into the cover of the forest. The night was pitch black, and Bella wouldn’t be able to see a thing with her human sight. At least all the wolf shifters were back at the meeting, but that didn’t mean she was out of danger. There were full wolves, bears, and many creatures of the night that would mean potential harm to Bella. She couldn’t be far. He had to find her. After testing the air, he picked up her unique scent. Relief flooded his veins. He was one of the best trackers. Once he had a scent, nothing could keep him from his target.
As he raced around obstacles and leapt over downed logs, a heavy body brushed against him. He turned to his left and noted the large black wolf racing alongside him. Draco. If the other shifter believed Bella was his, he’d need to ensure her well-being as well. Rather than protest, Ben accepted the other man’s presence because two wolves were better than one.
They reached a rocky outcropping, not uncommon in this part of the country. Bella’s scent was strong, making his wolf crazy with the need to connect with her. He heard her faint whimper before he noticed her crouched down near a thicket, the terrain sloping up behind her. Draco shifted into his human skin before Ben thought to. She’d be terrified if two wolves approached her, only highlighted by moonlight.
“Bella? Why did you run?”
She surprised them both by bolting upright and wrapping her arms around Draco’s thick neck. He held her close and whispered into her hair. “Don’t be afraid of us.”
Us.
At least the shifter included him as he reassured her.
“She tried to kill me.” Bella looked up into Draco’s eyes. “She seemed so nice, but then she lost it and hit me over the head. When I came to, I started running and didn’t look back.”
Ben shifted before joining them. Good thing the darkness could mask their nudity. He didn’t have the time to think about carrying along his pants when he had been desperate to find Bella. “Who tried to hurt you? Ingrid?” It was unreal. Ingrid was a modern woman. Surely she didn’t see Bella as a threat. Could she have been jealous? Seen the girl as a rival? It didn’t make sense since Ingrid was human, not primal, living off instinct, like a female shifter.
She nodded. “I want to go home. Please.”
“Whatever you want,” said Ben. He meant it. Whatever she wanted, he’d grant it, even if that meant losing her. Draco shoulder-butted him, obviously not as understanding if it meant giving up their woman.
“Where’re my friends? You said they were right behind you when we got to the cottage.”
“I’m sure they’re there now.” Draco smoothed her hair, hushing her gently. “Nobody will harm you or your friends. You’re safe.” Her breathing calmed, steadied, and her rigid body softened. Whatever Draco was doing appeared to work.
“Don’t leave me out here alone,” she whispered. “I said I could survive on my own, but I can’t. I’m cold, I’m scared, and more lost than I’ve ever been.”
“You have nothing to prove, Bella. We’re here to take care of you.” Ben moved closer, needing to feel her, to warm her chilled flesh.
She looked up at him, focusing on his eyes. Her lips were parted and full from crying. “Don’t ask me why, but I feel safe when I’m with both of you, complete. I don’t even know either of you, so I must be losing my mind.”
“Sometimes you have to listen to your instincts,” said Draco, leaning down and nuzzling her neck. She leaned her head back, eyes closed, and exhaled the breath she’d been holding.
“My whole body feels like it’s burning from the inside out,” she said. Draco pulled back. “No! Don’t stop.”
Ben felt lust-drunk on Bella’s pheromones. She was absolutely glowing with desire, her body ripe and willing. He was helpless to resist, and Draco already indulged in her sweet flesh, kissing her neck and holding her close.
Ben slipped his hand up under her shirt and caressed her back, loving the feel of her soft, feminine skin against his calloused palm.
“Yes, that feels so good.” She sighed.
Draco lifted an eyebrow and glanced at Ben. He only shrugged in response. No sense resisting her if she enjoyed their company. The rest could be sorted out later. Now he needed to discover Bella intimately. She gasped for air, staring up above the trees at the nearly full moon. It illuminated her face and highlighted her delicate features. The radiant energy from the moon teased the wolf inside him, which was desperate to be free.
Draco bent down in a crouch, lifting Bella’s shirt and kissing her stomach.
* * * *
An erotic fog squelched the fear and burning cold that had consumed her only minutes earlier. What was with these two men?
Her memories of the last few hours were sketchy. First, she had been in the warmth and comfort of the log cabin, talking with a pregnant woman. Bella had felt comfortable with Ingrid, even enough to believe she could trust her. How wrong she had been. Out of nowhere, the crazy woman whacked her on the head with a blunt object. She’d fallen to the ground and blacked out for what she assumed was minutes—maybe seconds. Her adrenaline-filled veins took over from there. She ran for the door and escaped into the woods, the moon her only source of illumination as she fled. Ingrid had tried to kill her, and Bella knew she needed to hide for her own self-preservation.
Bella tried to remember what they had talked about. Ingrid talked about ménage relationships, matings, and other nonsense. But it wasn’t the crazy topics of conversation that had bothered her, it was her own anxiety that had crept up on her until she felt ready to go mad. Was that why Ingrid hit her? Did she feel threatened for herself and her unborn babies? A simple slap in the face or splash of cold water would have sufficed if that were the case.
There was something about this place—and these two men—that brought out an array of her hidden emotions. On a normal day, Bella kept her cool and lived her life with little whining as her father had taught her.
A lady doesn’t wear her emotions on her sleeve. Maintain your composure under all circumstances
. Her life wasn’t ideal, but she rarely grumbled out loud and certainly didn’t feel close to losing precious control.
She’d crossed that fine line back at the cabin, not even recognizing herself as anxiety took over.
Now Draco and Ben were here, and suddenly everything was better. Her fear dissipated because they could protect her. They’d never hurt her. It was illogical, but she knew. She liked the way they both looked at her with adoration in their eyes. Back at the cabin, they’d both fought in an attempt to lay claim on her. Two gorgeous, muscled men actually fighting for her—it was unreal. How would she even choose? Ben was more reserved, a dirty-blond Adonis. Draco was more aggressive, which only served to make her hot. His dark hair, rugged good looks, and intense narrowed eyes made her melt on the spot. These were real men, not like Keith and Dave, both soft and unskilled in dealing with women, in her opinion. She’d always craved and needed a dominant man, a man that would set her pulse racing, but she’d never found one in the city. Her past boyfriends had been easy to walk over, and even easier to kiss goodbye in the end.
Now her two admirers were here to rescue her. They touched and tasted and drove her wild with new, untapped desires. She was a grown woman. If she wanted to fuck one, maybe two guys in the Great Canadian North, then that was her prerogative. Who would they tell? She’d already cut ties to her hoity-toity parents years ago. There was no one else left to disappoint. Bella was on her own and ready to accept what these men offered—a night to remember.
Ben was behind her, Draco in front. Their male heat enveloped her, and she reveled in the bubble of protection they offered. Ben tugged up her shirt, and she raised her arms to help him undress her. Her skin tingled once bared to the night air, but she quickly forgot her discomfort when four hands explored and caressed every inch of her exposed flesh.
“You smell so sweet,” growled Draco as he painted a trail along her collarbone with his tongue. Growl was the only word that could express the sound he made, as though he’d lost all humanity, retaining only an untamable nature that wouldn’t be denied.
She closed her eyes as he descended to her exposed breasts. His hot, hungry mouth clamped over her aching nipple. Ben toyed with her other breast, snaking his arm around her body, teasing the bundle of nerves until it had its turn with Draco’s skilled tongue. Was this real? The blanket of darkness hid their illicit act, but they were still out in the open, which felt so naughty. Her pussy pulsed as the men continued to torment her, making her desperate to be fucked.
“Lower,” she managed to say. Draco moved down her stomach until he reached the edge of her blue jeans. He unbuttoned her and tugged the tight material over her hips. The night air on her moist folds felt exhilarating. Her thin lace panties offered little protection from the elements, and even less from Ben’s probing hands. His strong arms encircled her. Two fingers slipped under the material and penetrated her throbbing cunt.
“I know you’re aching here, Bella. Let us make you feel good,” Ben said in a deep, erotic whisper. Just the sound of his voice promised hours of mind-numbing pleasure.
“Yes.”
“We both need you, little one. Can you handle that?” Draco nibbled her thighs, ripe and alive with sensitivity. Her entire body quivered, her knees wobbly. Ben lowered her to the soft leaf litter of the forest floor. She couldn’t even feel the cold on her back or care about the fact she was about to get double fucked in the middle of the woods. All that mattered was allowing these two men to take her to that next level. She was no longer herself. Her inhibitions, self-doubts, and insecurities vanished, replaced with a heady lust. She watched the moon from its perch in the night sky straight above her. It seemed to watch her, telling her to go through with the act. She needed no encouragement. This was going to happen.
Both men striped her of her remaining clothes, slowly, sensuously. Hot, naked and hornier than she’d thought possible, she reached for them, ready to beg, if necessary. Draco lowered his large frame over her body. His firm, hot skin scalded her, melting away her cool exterior. She loved the feel of his weight hovering over her. He kissed her, pulling her out of reality entirely. All that mattered was losing herself in Draco’s kiss—his taste, his scent, and the way he devoured her like a man finding his lost love after a lifetime of separation. For now, she’d pretend to believe it.
He reached between them and rubbed circles over her swollen clit. The blinding pleasure of his touch forced her to break their kiss to gasp for air. Ben knelt near her head, his silhouette visible with the glow of moonlight behind him. He bent low and kissed her as Draco moved to the side of her neck. She had no clue so many nerves resided in her neck or the rim of her ear, but he found every sensitive place and brought her to the brink of a spontaneous orgasm.
“Bella,” Draco growled. “Don’t run from us again.” He moved down her body with the fluidity of a graceful hunter. When he reached the juncture between her legs, he nudged her knees open and lapped at her moist folds.
Bella gasped from the initial intensity. Then she melted into the soft earth as Ben gently covered her areola with his mouth. The double stimulation had her body quaking with the need for release. Draco’s assault on her pussy was just that—a dominant claiming of her cunt. He suckled her, nipped, and teased. It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever felt and never wanted it to end. Heat sparked to life in her toes, curling up through her extremities toward her core. She focused on the stream of liquid fire warming her from the inside out. Any minute and her cunt would explode.
Bella grabbed Ben around the neck and held on. “It’s coming,” she said.
“Good. Don’t fight it,” said Ben. “There’s more where that came from. A lot more.” Damn, she liked the sound of that. She’d need a hell of a lot more to make up for so many years of unsatisfying sex and abstinence.
As her orgasm loomed at the surface, waiting for its chance to break free, she felt an irrational, but primal urge to connect with her men on a level sex alone couldn’t provide. Bella sniffed the musky, masculine scent of Ben as she hugged him.
So tempting. Mine.
Without thought, she bit into the thick cord of muscle where his shoulder met his neck. The same instant as his blood hit her tongue, her body detonated in a blinding release. She cried out, enough to scare off any lurking animals in the vicinity. If it were day, she had no doubt a flock of birds would be racing for the sky.
She had just experienced the orgasm of her life, but she wasn’t sated. Bella needed more. “Fuck me,” she demanded. Her pussy felt void and achy.
Draco crawled up her body and gripped the base of his cock before plunging it into her inviting, wet heat. He slid in easily despite his impressive size. She moaned once Draco filled her to the brink, his pubic hair rubbing against her clit. The satisfaction made her eyes loll back in her head. Before thrusting, he propped himself up on his elbows and stared down at her.
She tried to focus on his handsome face, but could only think about sex and the way his cock filled every inch of her pussy. He ran the pad of his thumb over her lip, collecting a rivulet of Ben’s blood, and looked from the other man to her. “So…you like to bite?” His voice carried humor and the promise of pleasure and pain combined into one epic experience.
Bella thrust her pelvis up, needing him to continue working her body. Regardless, she didn’t want to talk and couldn’t explain why she had the urge to bite at her sexual peak.
Draco complied, pumping in and out of her body with unbelievable stamina. Every thrust soothed the ache inside her and built up an energy that she knew was the beginning of another beautiful orgasm. His cock was thick, hard, and he knew how to use it.
“You’re mine.” Draco’s dominant voice was clouded by her haze of lust. All she could do was agree, anything to keep him focused on pleasuring her. Then he bit her. The erotic heat from his mouth on her neck brought out a new, powerful orgasm. She’d barely had time to recover from the first and now had to deal with a fresh assault that stole the last of her humanity. With Draco’s mouth still latched on to her neck, she went limp, her body hot and pliant with that titillating heat from their connection. Ingrid’s words danced in Bella’s head—talk of markings and matings. As much as she believed the words to be gibberish, part of her understood. She had the overwhelming urge to suck, to bite.
Before she could sink her own teeth into Draco, Ben knocked him off her, and the two men began rolling on the leaf-littered forest floor next to her. “You prick! You marked her!”
Bella sat and gently touched her neck with her fingertips. The area was tender and moist and sticky from her own blood. She watched the men wrestle, muscle and bare flesh shadowed by moonlight. Her vision was better now that it had time to adjust to the darkness surrounding them. Rather than worry about the men, she felt irritation. Her body still demanded more, so much more.
“Smell her heat. Are you telling me you’d have more willpower, pup? Hah! I doubt that.”