A harsh expression crosses his handsome face. “Yes.” He takes my chin and looks me straight in the eyes. “This is your last chance, Emma. If you take my truck and drive carefully, you can still leave. After this moment, you might not be able to.”
Sebastian sucks in a loud inhale, but Carter quells him with a glare. A part of me, an insecure remnant of my past, is hurt by his words, but I know what he’s really doing. He’s trying to protect me by giving me a chance to leave. He’s trying to be noble, I think.
But I don’t want any of that. I want Carter, as well as Troy and Sebastian, and the only way I’ll ever truly have them is to accept them. Fully and completely.
So I climb into his lap and fit myself to his chest. I take his face between my palms and lean forward until my forehead touches his and he has nowhere to look but at me.
“I don’t want to leave,” I say firmly. “I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere, so stop pretending you want me to go.”
“I’m not—” he starts to say, but I roll right over him.
“I want this. I want you, all of you.” I press a hard kiss to his lips, then stare him down, feeling fierce and determined. “Now,let’s get an early lunch and prep some water for the bedroom. I’m done waiting.”
Chapter
Twenty-Five
TROY
My body is burning up. I shifted to my half form an hour ago, after I could no longer hold my human shape. The transformation was a compulsion, unlike the rest of the time. The full moon is rising, and with it, our need to breed.
We’ve taken all the precautions, prepared snacks and water, and locked up all the doors and windows. Emma has been watching us warily ever since we shifted. We all agreed to wait as long as we possibly can, and so far, we’ve managed to keep our hands to ourselves. But Sebastian is whining quietly, his gaze following our new mate everywhere, and Carter is pacing up and down the living room, his low growls intensifying.
They both shifted before me, shedding pieces of their clothing around the living room. I held out the longest, worried about what will happen tonight.
Emma ishuman.
The more I think about it, the more I’m worried we’ve made a huge mistake, but it’s too late to change anything. If she tried to leave now, I don’t think I could let her. If she ran, I’d chase her, and the thought of it scares me to my core.
“It’s almost time,” Emma murmurs, glancing at the kitchen clock.
A snarl escapes me, and my hands twitch toward her all of their own volition. I clench my fists and draw back, then spin away from her and stomp to the other side of the living room, meeting Carter halfway. He sends me a curious glance, his eyebrows raised, but I don’t stop, not until I rush through the entryway, struggle with the lock, fling open the front door, and scoop up huge fistfuls of snow. Then I rub them over my face, trying to cool the fire raging inside me.
“Troy!”
Emma’s shocked cry has my tail twitching in awareness. My mate is close, and I can’t have her yet. Even if we all manage to fuck her tonight, if she accepts us as we are, I won’t be the first to knot her, that’s for damn sure. It should be Sebastian or Carter—they’re smaller than me. But I don’t know how I’ll survive the wait. Being inside her is all I can think about, so dousing myself in frigid frozen water is the best I can do right now.
Footsteps on the wooden floorboards of the porch announce Emma’s arrival. I know it’s her because she’s still wearing thick woolen socks, the sound muffled but unmistakable. Then her scent reaches me, and I moan, half delirious with want.
“Come inside,” she commands, her voice a sharp snap. “Right now.”
I turn on my heels to face her. She’s standing there with her hands at her hips, her frown fierce and so damn adorable, I want to pick her up and cover her face with kisses.
Instead, I focus on Carter who is waiting behind her, his claws digging into the wooden doorjamb.
“Take her away,” I rasp, barely keeping myself from running straight at her.
She stomps her socked foot on the frozen boards and steps away from Carter as if expecting him to pick her up and carry her away—which is exactly what I’m hoping for.
“No,” she protests. “You can’t just move me around like that, Troy. You come inside right now, and we’ll talk about this like adults.”
I hunch over, clutching my knees. Every breath I take is painful because she’s not in my arms. “Don’t want to talk,” I force out through gritted teeth. “Carter…”
There’s a moment of silence, and when I lift my head to see what’s going on, Carter and Emma are locked in a silent battle of wills. Then our alpha dips his chin in a curt nod, turns, and heads back inside.
“No,” I moan as my last chance of saving this situation disappears.
Emma takes a step forward. “Troy, listen to me. Youwill nothurt me. I know you won’t. We made sure I’m ready. And if it’s time to begin, if you need me, I’m here.” She reaches out and tentatively touches my shoulder. “I’m here for you.”
