44. Silas

Eva's cries of pleasure followed me into the kitchen. I gritted my teeth and tried really hard to ignore my weeping cock. It was becoming increasingly difficult to remember why I was holding back when I knew Tanner was fucking our mate. Cole too.

I'd heard them last night, while I was in my office monitoring my investments. A big part of me had wanted to join them, but it was too soon. She wasn't ready for all three of us. The poor girl had only just learned about the whole mate thing, for fuck's sake.

Fucking Tanner.

It still made me angry as hell he'd mated her without explaining what it meant. He took what he wanted with no regard for anyone else. Eva was soft and perfect. She'd endured so much in her life. The last thing she needed was another asshole pushing her into things she wasn't ready for.

Speaking of…

The three of us needed to talk about our plans for her scumbag guardian. I knew Tanner had installed some kind of elaborate security system around the cabin to warn us if anyone came sniffing around. He'd said nothing about how he intended to deal with the threat, however. Knowing my brother, it would involve plenty of bloodshed, which I was fully on board with.

Every time I thought about the scars on Eva's body, I wanted to rip the guy's throat out and tear him limb from limb. No female should have to suffer that kind of abuse. Wolves who treated their females like that were dealt with by the pack alpha. The decent ones, at least.

Some backward packs still treated the females like breeders and allowed the males to abuse them. Sadly, not all alphas were like Rufus; he was a good alpha: strong and fair. Even if he had banished Tanner after Jessie-Lynn's death.

I made a coffee, debating whether to shift into my wolf and run for a couple of hours. Tanner was with Eva, so she was safe. Cole, I had no clue, but I'd heard him leave earlier, probably to run for a bit. We usually shifted at least once a day, as nothing beat the freedom of running in our wolf form, but since Eva's arrival, one of us always remained at the cabin.

Still undecided, I slumped onto the sofa and stared at the fire. The flames danced and roared up the chimney, blasting heat into the room. Just as I swallowed the last of my coffee, Eva walked in. Her eyes skittered over me and then widened in surprise when she saw the gifts under the tree.

"How…who…?

I smiled. "For you. It is Christmas, after all."

To my surprise, her eyes welled up with tears, and her lip wobbled.

"But I don't understand? Since I got here, we've been snowed in?"

"The roads are closed, yes, but there are trails down to the valley that are passable on foot. For our wolves, it's a day trip." I grinned at her, enjoying the way each new revelation about how different shifters were provoked surprise and wonder.

"Oh." She looked from me to the gifts and back again. I could tell she was dying to know what we'd bought her, but too shy to ask. Then some of the excitement left her face, and she shuffled on her feet, fidgeting nervously.

"Silas, I—"

Tanner walked in, freshly showered, and scooped her up into his arms before she could finish what she was about to say. She squealed, but did nothing to push him away. Their bond was growing stronger, as it should. I was pleased. Eva needed a strong mate to protect her, so I pushed my irritation down, ignoring my wolf's reminder that she was our mate too, and stood.

Eva deserved some extra time to get used to her new life. When she was ready for another mate, I'd be here for her. In the meantime, she had Tanner and Cole. They were more than enough for her.

"I'm off for a run," I said. Tanner nodded before throwing me a smirk.

"I'll take care of Eva."

I knew he would, but it still stung like a bitch.