27

ROWAN

I KNEW it.

The pulsating need to claim Ivy grew stronger. It was a pounding, echoing urge that wouldn’t quiet down. Even though she was an arm’s length away, with her cheeks pink and lips swollen from stolen kisses, I wanted more of her.

More of her lips on mine, of the soft sounds she made as we kissed. More of her hands on my body, taking everything I had left to offer her.

She already had my heart. She claimed it the first time we met.

But soon, she’d have my body, too.

And I couldn’t fucking wait.

The front door pinged, and the alarm by the bedroom door alerted us to the return of the others. Ivy was right—it had taken them only ten minutes to ruin any moment we might have had. At least she’d been okay with my confession. It probably wasn’t the wildest thing she’d ever heard, at least.

The door to the bedroom slammed open and Wolfy appeared, an almost wild glint in his eyes. Immediately, they locked on her.

Ivy turned, an Oberon Academy blouse in her hands, and lifted her brows as she took in the others. “I told you I was okay.”

I lifted a lazy hand and waved it in their direction, ignoring their glares. “Yeah, she told you she was fine. ”

Based on the dark, murderous glare from Adrian, I had a feeling I was one comment away from being beaten. Would be worth it, though, with the revelation that Ivy was mine. It didn’t matter how many glares—she was mine and that was all I cared about.

Elias ripped the shirt from Ivy’s hand and pulled her into his arms. He dropped onto the bed with her in his lap and buried his face in her neck.

But Ivy chuckled and ran her fingers through his hair. “I’m fine . Really.”

“Then what made your magic react?” Maeve asked, panic filling her voice. “You said you would explain.”

Any amusement fell from Ivy’s face as she sucked in a breath. “A couple of things happened. One: Rowan made me have coffee with his mother.”

I coughed, sending her a look. “We were both forced, you mean. She is a menace.”

Ivy rolled her eyes, but she relaxed. “Two: Rowan and I are definitely mates. That’s why my magic reacted the way it did.”

I smiled proudly, way too happy about being claimed as her mate. She glanced over at me, offering me a reassuring smile as the others watched on. They didn’t even matter to me in this moment. I was damned Goddess Blessed having her now.

“But you didn’t complete the bond,” Elias said, finally lifting his head from her neck.

Sighing, Ivy twisted in Elias’s arms. “For starters, it’s not like we exactly had time to, you know, have sex. Especially because I had a feeling you three would be on your way back. No offence, but it didn’t feel right completing a bond knowing you guys could storm in at any moment.”

“Yeah, we didn’t want you guys getting jealous.” I yawned and stretched my arms over my head as Adrian sent me another annoyed glare. “So, we packed.”

Adrian’s gaze softened. “Sorry, man,” he said finally, running a hand through my hair.

I sat up and shrugged, though I couldn’t help but feel a little guilty that he felt guilty. “I’m not mad, but you sure do know how to give a guy blue-balls.”

Ivy grunted and gagged. “Let’s not dive into the prepubescent terminology, thank you. Especially when referring to how sacred you guys say mate bonds are. ” She sent me a glare, then one to Adrian. “Otherwise, sex is off the table.”

My brows shot up, though a smile tugged at my lips. I tensed, sitting up straighter. “Off the table?”

She nodded. “Yep. I will not deal with it. Also, I will not deal with jealousy. So—” She patted Elias on the arm, and after a growl, he released her. Ivy slid off his lap and stalked over to Adrian. His arms opened, and she circled her own around his waist, burying her face in his chest. She continued speaking, her voice muffled by his shirt, “—no hogging, no bitterness, no jealousy. Okay?”

Ivy moved to Maeve hesitantly, but I saw the relief on the vampire’s face as soon as Ivy wrapped her arms around her. Out of all of us, Maeve was the best at hiding her emotions—but I had a feeling she wasn’t used to having someone to protect. It was one thing being an agent—but another having a mate.

Ivy murmured something to the vamp, keeping her voice low, and eventually they parted.

“Can we all agree to be a bit more...civilised about the whole sharing thing? I vaguely remember hearing promises that this wouldn’t be an issue.” Her hands went to her hips, and she looked around the room. “Because as much as I get it’s hard for you guys, it’s overwhelming for me, too. There’s only one of me to the four of you, and I want to share time with all of you equally. ”

I released a breath, but it was Elias who spoke. “I’m sorry, Angel.” He rose from the bed and stalked towards her. Unintentionally, my body tensed, but I had to remind myself there was nothing wrong with this—even though part of me was a little jealous that they’d had more time with her. “I suppose the wolf is still struggling to grasp what it’s like to share.”

Ivy cupped his cheek and gave him a soft smile. “I know.”

“Any tricks on how to deal with all of this, Kingsley?” Elias asked.

Adrian’s brows furrowed, and he pursed his lips. I wasn’t shocked he was being asked—who better to ask than the son of the current Queen, who had gone through all of this before?—but I also knew the issues he had with his family. The dynamics between us were different from regular mate circles. We felt everything a lot stronger, harder, more intensely than the rest, and it affected our magic, too.

Adrian was silent for a few moments, a war playing out in his eyes. I felt a little bad for him. But also sort of vindicated. If it weren’t for him and the others, I’d have Ivy in my arms right now.

But at the same time, I knew this conversation was needed. Not just for us mates, but for Ivy, too.

He sighed. “We’re basically a family unit now,” he said, looking between each of my fellow bond mates, then to Ivy. “We have to stop treating this like it’s one mate against the other.”

Ivy’s gaze softened, and she dropped onto the bed with a sigh. “I want this to all...work,” she said quietly, “but I’m not going to choose who I spend more or less time with. There is so much going on right now. With the academy, my training, the kids. I feel like I ’m being pulled in all these different directions, and I don’t want to be feeling that way when I’m with you. Any of you. ” As she ran a hand through her hair, she glanced around the circle. I sat up and inched closer to her back.

She was right. She shouldn’t have to be choosing between any of us, and we shouldn’t be making her feel that way.

“I will admit, I have monopolised a lot of your time,” Elias said, followed by a deep sigh. He knelt down in front of her and cupped her cheek. “You need more time with your other mates, Angel.”

She searched his face carefully. “You have been pretty possessive.”

Elias cracked a smile before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to her lips. “I was trying harder at the first safe house. Right, Kingsley?”

Adrian shrugged. “Yeah, and I should also say I’ve had a lot of alone time with you, too. Second safe house made sure of it.”

“So, it’s Maeve’s and Rowan’s turns for a little...alone time,” Ivy concluded, nodding slowly, peering up at Maeve warily. “But that doesn’t mean shared time isn’t off the table. Like Adrian said, we are kind of a family unit now.”

I brought a hand to her shoulder, but she stiffened at my touch. “Ivy?”

Her gaze cut to mine and then to Elias’s and Maeve’s. “Sorry. I just...” She stopped and cleared her throat before shuffling back on the bed and out of Elias’s reach. “It’s kind of just hit me how...huge this is.”

Anxiety swirled within me as she wrapped her arms around herself. “This isn’t the time to close in on yourself, Sweetheart,” Adrian said, and she flinched. “Remember what we promised?”

Slowly, I wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into my chest as she sighed. Her head fell back against my shoulder, but she stared up at the ceiling for a moment. Even though we didn’t have a completed bond, I could almost hear the trajectory of her thoughts and worries.

“We are going to be spending the next, like, five hundred years together, ” she whispered, glancing down at her hands as she twisted them in her lap. “It’s kind of insane knowing that. And this isn’t just about me—you guys are stuck together, too. You might each be individually bonded to me, but you kind of have to be able to get along, too, right?”

“You’re right,” Adrian replied. “Being stuck with Rowan for the rest of my life is going to suck, but I’m sure we’ll make it work.”

Ivy snorted, shaking her head. But I reached for one of the scattered pillows and threw it at his head. He barely had the time to duck and miss it.

“Fuck you, princeling,” I said, tightening my hold on Ivy.

He raised a brow. “See, we’ll be fine.”

Ivy rested her arm over mine, giving my fingers a squeeze. “I’m pretty sure you guys will be alright. But what about others? I mean, I kind of know your thoughts about—” She pressed her lips together, and we all stiffened.

Her mystery mate.

“We won’t kill him,” Elias offered, “but I won’t make any promises about him not feeling any pain. Not after what he’s done to you.”

He had a lot to answer for, this mystery mate. I’d thought that, at the very least, he would have tried to reach out again after the nightmare. But knowing he hadn’t made my blood boil.

Ivy shook her head. “I don’t want to be stuck with someone who doesn’t want to be with me. These mate bonds are...well, they’re a lot of responsibility, and there’s a lot of baggage here. I essentially have three kids and a kingdom, and he didn’t sign up for that. He didn’t know.”

But we knew. We were committed—or at least, I hoped she figured that out. We were by her side, no matter what, and we would be for the next week and in five hundred years.

“You guys are...You are the best things that have happened to me in a long time. I never thought I would get one chance at love, at a family, let alone...” She glanced up and met the stare of each of her mates. “I never thought I’d get four. Or however many more end up here.”

Right now, Queen Greer would be planning balls so potential bonds could be identified. Hell, there was a chance she’d likely meet one at the academy—it was full of powerful creatures, all of whom would be vying for a place at her side.

A different wave of jealousy hit me, and I shoved it down immediately, though I guessed I wasn’t the only one who had also figured it out.

“I’m going to be honest, and don’t judge me,” she said, returning to twisting her hands.

“Never,” I vowed. “But if it’s really bad, don’t hold me accountable.”

Ivy sighed before tightening her hold on my hand. “I kind of don’t want to add more mates to...this. We’re still figuring out these dynamics, and with the kids, I don’t think I’m ready for all of that additional pressure.”

“That’s why we’re here,” Maeve said, stepping up and resting a hand on Ivy’s shoulder. “Our bonds aren’t just sex and gratification. We’re partners— your partners. We shoulder the weight you do. That ’s why the Queen’s Council is so important. Why her mates take on so much responsibility. It’s so it isn’t just on you.”

Ivy nodded, though she didn’t look entirely convinced.

“You aren’t Queen yet,” I reminded her. “And like you said—we’re still working out these dynamics. So, why don’t we do just that. You leave for the academy soon. But tonight, you’re ours. The girls can stay with the Queen, Thea will be fine. But let us be just the five of us. We’ll work on being a family unit—together.”

Hope flashed in my girl’s eyes as she turned to me, and a smile curved at her lips. “I do like the sound of that.”

Even Elias looked impressed. “So, we’re taking our girl out.”

“So it seems,” Maeve mused, her shoulders loosening. “In two hours, the sun sets. Be ready by then.”

And with that, the conversation ended. There was a new, excited energy, especially from Ivy. I hadn’t realised just how badly it stressed her out that we weren’t functioning more cohesively. But not anymore , I thought. Tonight, we were her mates.