I remain silent as they approach the couch. Sebastian is still holding me in his lap, and though I should probably stand and put on some clothes, it’s good to have his support.
“So,” I begin. “Troy, I want to start by saying that you have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. I was never in pain. You did exactly what I asked. You treated me so well, and that orgasm was spectacular. I came so hard, I nearly blacked out and couldn’t talk afterward, which is why you thought that I’d been hurt, is that right?”
He comes to stand in front of me, just out of my reach, and watches me with those glowing golden eyes. Nothing in his wolfy face gives me any indication that he understands what I’m saying, but the guys said nothing about them losing reason when they’re in their full form, so for the moment, I’ll assume he hears and gets every word.
“Now that we got that out of the way,” I continue, “I do see an issue with us being together. If you three managed to nearly knock me out just by fucking me once each, I don’t know how well I’ll be able to handle the night of the full moon.” I glance at Carter and force myself to speak even though my cheeks are flaming with heat. “You said that you’ll be inside me all through the night, correct? If this is how I reacted to just your, uh, shafts, what will happen when I try to take all three of your knots?”
Troy lets out a low whine and flops to the floor, his snout resting between his front paws, the picture of sadness. His too-short tail flicks once, then remains still, as if he’s waiting for my decision.
“You want to leave.” Carter’s voice is flat, his words a statement, not a question. “I can drive you to Clearwater this afternoon. The roads should be passable…”
“No,” Sebastian growls, squishing me to his chest. “She’s not going anywhere.”
Carter frowns at him. “That’s not really up to us. If she wants me to?—”
“She doesn’t, you ass,” Sebastian snaps. “Carter, I’m sorry, but you and Troy are both playing martyr, which makes zerosense right now, so I suggest we let our mate talk and listen toher.”
Three pairs of eyes focus on me, and my skin pebbles with goose bumps. I’ve been the center of their attention for a full day now, but this is different. It feels like my decisions from now on will shape our lives forever.
“I don’t want to leave,” I say as firmly as I can. “But you do have to understand that I have limitations. I might get better with time, stronger, but if that’s a problem for you, if you think I’m too weak to be your mate, you have to tell me now.”
Troy makes another sad noise and shuffles a little closer so his snout rests on my bare foot on the floor. I don’t dare move, even though his soft fur tickles my skin.
“We don’t think you’re too weak,” Carter barks, his frown deepening. “What are you talking about?”
“You called her weak just before you ran out to get Troy,” Sebastian explains warily.
Carter runs his clawed hand through the fur on his head. “I did?”
“I know you didn’t mean it like that,” I jump in before they can start another argument. “But the truth is, Iamweaker. I’ll never be as strong as you. And while I loved what we just did, I don’t know how the full moon will play out. What I need to know is that you won’t freak out again if I’m tired. If I’m overwhelmed.” I glance from Carter to Troy. “I don’t know if you noticed, but you guys area lot. There’s three of you, to start. It’s not just about your dicks. I’ve never had so many orgasms in one day before, and apparently, that wrings me out physically and emotionally. I’ll need rest. And care. And food and drink and sleep.”
Troy rolls to his side so both my feet are now buried under his fur, his warmth seeping into me. Sebastian is rubbing circles on my belly. I don’t think he even knows he’s doing it, it’s just hisinstinct to keep touching me. Carter is still staring at me intently, his hands clenched into fists.
“What are you thinking?” I ask.
He’s silent for so long, I think he might not answer, and my heart falls at the thought of this being an insurmountable obstacle.
Then he sits heavily on the couch next to us. “I’m running scenarios in my head for how to make the night of the full moon safe for you. And I don’t know if we can do it. We won’t be ourselves, and our instincts will take over. Like you said, you’ll need rest. But I don’t know if we’ll be able to give it to you.”
I bite my lip, considering this issue. While a full night of wolfy sex sounds amazing in theory, I don’t know how I’ll manage if even one round left me so tired. Still, I reach forward and offer Carter my hand. He takes it immediately, pressing my palm to his cheek, and closes his eyes as if he missed my presence in the short time we’ve been apart.
“I want to figure this out,” I say softly. “But first, I think I want to talk to Troy if that’s okay.”
Sebastian stiffens behind me, his arms clenching around my middle. “Emma…”
“I won’t pry,” I promise, looking down at Troy. “Not unless you want to tell me your story. But we can’t have this issue every time we have sex. You guys have to trust me, and I have to trust you.”
Carter stares at me for a moment, slaps Sebastian’s shoulder with the back of his hand, then stands. “Come on. Let’s get started on some food. We all need it.”
Sebastian kisses me softly, his tongue stroking briefly against mine, then deposits me on the couch, still wrapped in the blanket. “We’ll be in the kitchen if you need us.”
I nod, then focus back on Troy. He’s not showing any signs that he might want to shift back to a form in which he can usehis words, so I’m guessing I’ll have to talk to begin with. But with the open plan of this cabin, the kitchen is right across the room. Carter and Sebastian might have given us an illusion of privacy, but I don’t doubt that they’ll be listening to whatever I say.For now, I’d like to talk to Troy—and only him.
So I stand on wobbly legs, waiting to see if I’ll get dizzy. I had some water earlier and breakfast in the morning, but our sex marathon really took it out of me.Then Troy stands, stretching and coming up to my side. He’s so massive, my hand rests easily on his back. It takes me a moment to realize he’s offering me support—because he knows I need it.
I smile down at him, then shuffle around the couch and toward the big bedroom. It’s far enough from the main living room that we’ll have some privacy, at least until curiosity gets the better of Sebastian and Carter and they follow us there.
At the threshold of the bedroom, I turn the doorknob to let Troy in, then shut us in. With no lights on, the space is dark, the curtains still drawn from this morning. I think about letting some of the pale light in, but this feels better, and I think Troy appreciates it. He jumps on the bed and stands there, looking so very wolfy, I can’t help but grin.
