6. Aurora

Chapter 6

Aurora

I barely remember the rest of lunch, my mind on the impending blood oath and what it will entail. I don’t know what’s involved, but I can imagine.

I’m not afraid of blood, but I also don’t have much experience with it, being a deer, and not a predator.

As the staff clear off the table, Zane pulls out my chair and leads me away from the dining room and down the hall to the temple. I haven’t had a chance to explore this massive estate yet, but I’m already getting a sense that it’s an entire village in this house.

Zane told me that every Alpha estate has a temple to hold rituals, presumably like this one, but I wouldn’t know. This is all beyond me.

But I hope I get to learn it all.

The stained glass skylight casts vibrant patterns across the smooth stone benches in the intimate yet grand chamber. I’m too nervous to notice the beauty of the place, my mind on what’s coming up as they circle me around the altar. I’m distinctly aware of their closeness now, the three of them so near me, I’m vibrating with anticipation. Suddenly, I want them all touching me, but I don’t dare ask.

Fenris produces a bejeweled dagger as Victor stands at the sanctuary, flipping through a dog-eared book. Without warning, Zane lifts me up to drop me gracefully on the altar to sit. I gasp and laugh as he deposits me effortlessly on the cold surface of the granite. Nervously, I perch on the edge, my knees swinging as I wait.

Zane smiles reassuringly at me, brushing a strand of hair out of my face, and I try to smile back at him. “You don’t have anything to worry about,” he tells me as Victor settles on a page. “As long as you want to do this, it’s painless. If you’re going against your will, this is going to be a problem. Clear your mind.”

“I’m not worried,” I answer quickly. “I want this.”

Fenris slides up onto the altar beside me, reaching for my palm, and Victor finds the page.

“Got the passage,” the leader of the trio intones, raising his head, his golden gaze locking on me. “Are you ready?”

Swallowing, I nod. “I am.”

It happens so fast, I don’t have time to process it. Victor’s sonorous tone floods the temple, and Zane extends his hand as the three Alphas circle around me. I catch bits of Victor’s words—something about the promise of my bond to them, my commitment sealed with the spilling of my blood—but my attention shifts as Fenris swiftly cuts his hand, then Zane’s, and finally Victor’s in quick, precise motions. My instinct is to clean them up and stop the bleeding, but of course, we need the flow.

A stream of blood appears, but my palm splits open under the blade of Fenris’s dagger, and I yelp aloud, caught off guard, although I don’t know why I’m shocked by the sudden motion.

Victor doesn’t stop his incantation, his voice growing louder, our blood mixing over the altar, confirming my allegiance to the Texas Apexes—and to the Golden brothers.

My pulse rushes wildly as I fall back against Zane, suddenly lightheaded, his uncut hand catching my shoulders to hold me up, his breath warm against my neck.

“Easy there,” he whispers. “Let him finish.”

I close my eyes, willing Victor to end the blood oath and confirm my position in his pack.

“Open your eyes, Aurora,” Victor orders me, his breath on my lips.

Zane’s hold around my shoulders tightens, his breathing quickening against the bare skin of my neck and causing the hairs to rise deliciously. I’m distinctly aware of how close Fenris is to me on the altar, but Victor’s bright amber stare in my direct vision is blocking out everything else for the moment, his mouth too close.

“You belong to us now, the Apex pack of Texas,” Victor explains, his voice carrying a depth of authority that sends shivers down my spine. He brushes his lips over mine, the gentleness of the gesture contrasting with the raw power I sense beneath his control.

He pulls back, and my mouth immediately misses his warmth.

“Do you kiss all of your pack members?” I tease, trying to mask my vulnerability with humor. Deep down, I’m terrified this moment will shatter like all my other dreams of belonging.

“No, Little Prey,” Fenris growls, and I see the desire in his eyes. The blood oath we just completed pulses between us, a tangible reminder that my intentions were always pure, that the trust I’ve earned is real.

The heat in their eyes mirrors the longing that’s building inside me, and the realization sends a shiver down my spine. I’m just a prey shifter—a nobody—but here I am, desired by Apex Alphas who stand at the pinnacle of power, like royalty.

Zane quickly wraps up my hand in a cloth, and the ceremony is done almost as quickly as it began. His arm tightens around my shoulders again, and I relax against him, as if in surrender without speaking.

I raise my fingers to Victor’s face, kissing him again, letting him know I want more, my other hand curling around Zane’s arm as Fenris’s hand clutches my leg.

Victor’s mouth crushes on me harder, and my eyes close again.

I’m pulled in all directions, inside and out. Sprawled on the altar, my legs and arms are spread, the bodice of my dress pulled down to reveal my breasts as Fenris takes one of my nipples between his thumb and index finger, Zane stripping away my skirt and casting the silken fabric aside.

The altar beneath me is surprisingly warm, as if the stone itself has absorbed the heat of our passion. My body arches toward their touches, no longer afraid of showing my need.

My lids part as Victor pulls away, and Zane as he leans down to kiss me, my hands reaching up to touch him, palm already healing in the aftermath of the blood oath.

Fenris’s touch is demanding yet controlled, each movement calculated to draw out my pleasure. When he takes my breast in his mouth, the wet heat of his tongue sends shockwaves through my body. I’ve never felt so consumed, so completely possessed, and yet so utterly safe.

Victor spreads my legs apart, his warm tongue lapping between the heat of my center. Headiness overcomes me, Zane’s tongue stifling my moan of pleasure, and I grab for his manhood, struggling to find Fenris’s pants in tandem.

My ass arches upward into Victor, my now-naked frame writhing against the altar, and I gasp when Zane stands, slipping out of his shirt to reveal his perfectly sculpted chest.

Swimming in a sea of hazy lust, I look toward Fenris, his pants lowering when he reluctantly releases my breast from his mouth, his hand cupping my other one.

“Turn her over, brother,” Fenris tells Victor. “You’re going to have to share.”

A shock of heat surges through me at the command, but Victor ignores him, sliding a finger inside me and driving me higher toward the stained glass overhead. Every pore of my body is on fire, and I struggle to understand this connection to the Alphas.

Fenris leans over me, licking my swollen lips. “Are you going to come, Little Prey?” he murmurs, taking my hand to stroke his erection. I’m stunned at the size of him, envisioning it inside me. Surely it will break me in half, yet I’m thrilled by the thought of being filled so completely.

I tense as Victor’s licks grow more intense and Zane turns my head toward him, offering me a taste of him. Moans of pleasure vibrate through me as tinkling music plays jovially through the temple, the magic even and bright now as we all share the same mood.

My climax peaks, and the pleasure explodes outward from my core, radiating through my body in waves of molten heat. My muscles clench and release rhythmically, each pulse more intense than the last. Stars burst behind my closed eyelids, my vision going white at the edges as the sensation overwhelms me.

My entire body trembles uncontrollably, my back arching off the altar as the pleasure spirals higher. Every nerve ending feels like it’s singing, and time loses all meaning.

Holy fuck!

But they’re not done with me yet—far from it.

When Victor finally turns me over, the cool air on my heated skin makes me shiver. Fenris slides beneath me with a grace that belies his size, his hands steady on my hips as he guides me into position. The head of his cock presses against me, and I whimper at the stretch, equal parts apprehension and desperate need.

“Relax, Little Prey,” he murmurs, one hand sliding up to cup my breast. “Let us take care of you.”

Zane moves to the front of the altar, and his fingers tangle in my hair, guiding me toward him with gentle insistence. The musky scent of his arousal fills my senses, making my mouth water with anticipation. Victor’s hands on my back are soothing, grounding, his touch a reminder that I’m safe, protected, cherished.

When Fenris finally pushes inside me, the stretch is almost too much. I gasp against Zane’s skin, my fingers digging into his thighs. But Victor’s skilled hands on my back and Fenris’s soothing growls help me relax, help me accept the intrusion until pleasure overtakes the discomfort.

“So perfect,” Victor murmurs against my spine, his words punctuated with kisses that make me shiver. “So beautiful like this, taking my brothers so well.”

The praise makes me glow inside, a warmth that has nothing to do with physical pleasure. All my life, I’ve been running, hiding, trying to survive. But here, in this sacred space with these three powerful men, I finally feel like I belong.

We move together like we’ve done this a thousand times before, like our bodies were made to fit together this way.

Fenris’s breathing grows ragged, his powerful body trembling against mine. His grip on my hips tightens, and he whispers my name like a prayer. The tenderness in his voice, so different from his usual commanding tone, makes my heart swell with emotion. At the same time, I feel Zane’s shaft tighten, and salty beads of arousal form at his tip. All three of us are on the verge of release.

A deep, primal need coils at my core, the pressure building and building, until finally, I explode. My fingers clutch desperately at warm skin, seeking anchors in the storm of pleasure. Wave after wave crashes over me, each one stronger than the last, until I think I might shatter from the intensity. And at the same time, Zane and Fenris both release, their hot streams filling me, and I swallow down every drop of Zane’s pleasure, as Fenris pulses inside of me.

Before I can catch my breath, Zane pulls back, and Fenris moves out from under me.

Victor’s warmth enfolds me from behind. His touch is almost worshipful, as his hands slide along my sides.

“Let me take care of you now,” he murmurs against my ear, his voice thick with emotion.

There’s a moment of adjustment, of gentle guidance, and then Victor and I are moving as one as he takes me from behind, his thickness filling me, stretching me. His powerful form molds against my back. The sensation is overwhelming as he claims me and fills my core. My breath catches at the fullness, the completeness of our connection. Every movement is purposeful, passionate, making me feel needed and desired. I can’t tell where I end and he begins. Our bodies find a natural rhythm.

“You’re ours,” he whispers, and the words sink deep into my soul.

The words send me over the edge once again, the peak claiming us both. It’s transcendent—a moment of pure magic. My entire body trembles as waves of ecstasy wash over me, the intensity of our shared release making my vision blur.

As we lay tangled together on the altar, our breathing finally steadying, I notice the change first. The air feels different—calmer, more settled. The wild energy that had been causing chaos throughout the territory since I’ve been here has mysteriously quieted.

“Everything is back to normal in here,” Fenris comments thoughtfully, his fingers tracing lazy patterns on my skin. “The magical disturbance... it’s not so wild anymore.”

I catch Victor looking at me intently, his golden eyes searching my face as if seeing me for the first time. A theory seems to form behind his gaze, but I quickly shake my head.

“I wasn’t doing it,” I insist, though something deep inside me whispers that maybe, unknowingly, I had been.

“Let’s try to keep it this way,” Victor says softly, his hand finding mine. The warmth of his touch sends a fresh wave of contentment through me, but it also makes my heart ache. Because this—this perfect moment of acceptance and belonging—can’t last forever.

I curl closer into their embrace, trying to memorize every sensation: the steady beat of Victor’s heart against my back, the gentle stroke of Fenris’s fingers, the comforting weight of Zane’s arm draped across us all. For the first time in my life, I feel truly safe, truly wanted. The irony of finding this sense of home with three men who aren’t truly mine makes my chest tight with impending loss.

One day, they’ll find their true mate. One special female meant to share their bond, their power, their love. And where will that leave me? Cast aside again, just like I always am. Just another temporary comfort, another fleeting connection in a lifetime of running and losing and starting over.

The thought brings unexpected tears to my eyes, and I blink them away quickly. I can’t think about that now. Can’t let the fear of tomorrow poison the sweetness of today. I’ve survived being alone before. I’ll survive it again when the time comes.

For now, I’m going to savor every moment—every touch, every kiss, every whispered word of affection. I’ll store them away like precious gems to take out and examine when I’m alone again. Because right now, in this sacred space, I’m more than just a prey shifter running from her past. I’m an Apex pack member, claimed and protected by the three most powerful Alphas in Texas, and some of the most powerful shifters in the world.

And for however long it lasts, I’m their lover too.

The magic in the temple hums peacefully around us, no longer wild and unpredictable. Like my heart, it seems to have found its place—at least for now. Tomorrow’s heartbreak can wait. For this moment, I am home.