Chapter Three

He held back.

Somewhere deep inside, she knew it. He could have caught her, but he let her run instead, run until she was nearly stumbling, until her sides were heaving with every labored breath.

And when she finally fell, she sprawled to the grass in her human form—exhausted, but with the change still thrumming in her blood.

He dropped next to her as a wolf and nuzzled her chin, his breath tickling her ear. She felt the magic as his form shimmered, his pained grunt disappearing in a groan as he sank his face into her hair. "You smell like home."

She shook her head and reached for him, licking his shoulder as he stretched out over her.

He groaned again and grazed his teeth across her jaw. "How are you and the moon doing, sweetheart? On good terms?"

The night sky was dark now, and the silver light of the full moon cast both shadow and glow over them. "I need you."

"Do you?" He braced his elbows on either side of her head and rocked his hips, sliding his cock against her. "I think you need something, all right."

The fire beneath her skin blazed hotter.

"Look at me."

Powerless to resist, she dug her nails into his sides and met his gaze.

He lowered his body just enough to let her feel the solid weight of him pressing her down into the grass. "What do you need, Ashley?"

"Y—" The word dissolved into a moan. "You."

"Sweet little liar," he murmured. His fingers twisted in the wild strands of her hair, tugging at her scalp. "You want me, but I'm not what you need. Not tonight."

No, tonight was about something else—instinct, impulse. Being surrounded and overwhelmed by sheer, primal sensation. "What about you?"

He dragged his tongue over her lower lip before sucking it between his. His teeth scraped it, forcing a shiver through her as he growled softly. "Tonight, I need to give you everything."

She licked her lip and shivered again at the taste of him lingering on her skin. "And everyone?"

"Everyone."

Her body throbbed at the images it elicited—skin on skin, damp and hot, rough hands and soft lips all over her. "Blake..."

"All of us," he whispered against her mouth. "That's what you need. And all you have to do is ask for it."

For one paralyzing eternity, she couldn't. But his breath blew against her skin—warm, reassuring—and she understood the truth. If there was ever a time when she could let go, really let go, it was now.

Slowly, she opened her eyes. "All of you," she whispered. "Tonight, I want to fuck all of you."

He rocked to his knees and rolled smoothly to his feet, dragging her up with him. Before she could catch her breath, he had his fingers curled beneath her thighs, hoisting her up so she had to wrap her legs around his waist to keep her balance.

"How?" he rumbled, shifting his grip to her ass as he started to walk. "Tell me."

"H-how?"

His eyes glinted in the moonlight, dark and hungry. "How do you want us? One at a time, or all of us, fighting to touch you? Fighting to make you come on our fingers and mouths and cocks?"

"I—" Her body was flush against his, and every step rubbed her pussy against the hard muscles of his stomach. She could barely breathe, much less form coherent sentences, so she swallowed hard and tried to focus. "Rules. There have to be rules for this sort of thing."

"You're a female in heat, sweetheart. The only rules are the ones you make."

His voice echoed in her ears, all the things he'd told her, the promises he'd made after that first time. About Lucas's intensity and Jud's ropes. About Mac's touch melting into Connor's because they were always, always together.

She'd tasted most of it already, but not all at once. Not like this.

A flash of utter mischief overtook her, and she smiled wickedly. "I'm in heat," she agreed, leaning in until her lips brushed his ear. "Naked and burning. Wet. You can't tell me you'd all politely wait your turn."

"We would if you wanted us to." His fingers flexed, rubbing her against his stomach. "But I knew from the first morning you wouldn't. When I had my fingers buried in your pussy and you squeezed so tight with every word."

It didn't seem to bother him. Maybe he wanted it too, not just for her wild, incandescent pleasure, but for the satisfaction of knowing she could gleefully fuck everyone else...and still want to end the night in his arms. "You promised me ropes, but I think I like hands more. The harder, the better."

They broke free of the trees, and the golden light from the huge lodge windows spilled across his face. "Tell the truth, Ashley," he said lowly. "You want us to fuck you. Even when you squirm, even when you swear you can't come again..." His hands tightened, and he dragged her higher, until her head was higher than his and he could turn his face and close his teeth on the curve of one breast.

She gasped as anticipation sizzled through her. "I want it," she confessed. "Even when I don't think I can take it. Because I trust you."

As if to reward her for her words, he closed his lips around the tight point of her nipple, sucking it into the heat of his mouth. She clung to him, her head bent to his, as he made his way toward the house through memory alone.

The big doors to the great room had been thrown wide to the outside air, and she could hear voices inside, the low murmur of the pack. Warm hands slid over her hips before they reached the house, and Connor's familiar scent curled around her as lips brushed the center of her back, between her shoulder blades.

The simmering heat flared, the fever rushing through her with an intensity that made her shake. Even so, it was easier now that she knew she didn't have to fear the need twisting her into knots. Her pack would ease it.

Blake would ease it.

Connor's fingers stroked higher, teasing across her waist. Blake's grip tightened, and he growled against her breast, a sound full of low warning.

Connor froze, and Ashley threaded her fingers through Blake's hair with a soothing noise.

After a tense moment, Blake pressed her against Connor, edging them both back across the threshold. Connor's breath tickled her skin, a shiver that turned into a shudder as his tongue traced a hot line up her spine.

With her body crushed between them, Blake didn't need to hold her up. He sank his hand into her hair instead and dragged her mouth to his.

And then they were sinking, all the way down to the furs and plush cushions strewn on the floor. Connor's tongue never left her skin, just blazed a path up her neck to her ear. Then Mac was there, growling as he nudged him aside and sank his teeth into her ear lobe.

Blake's hand tightened in her hair, turning her head. She tried to suck in a ragged breath, but Mac cut it off with a hungry kiss, devouring her mouth as his fingers slid down over her belly, between her thighs.

"Lay her back." The low voice rumbled around her, over her, and Ashley moved without thinking, her body already reacting to the sheer magnetic strength in Lucas's growl.

They followed her, bare skin surrounding her, wrapping her in warmth and comfort even as her body burned for more. She reached out, her fingers skimming blindly over hard muscle, the soft inside of someone's elbow, the eager jut of a ready cock.

But it was Blake who loomed over her, finding her hands and dragging them up. His fingers spanned both of her wrists so easily, pinning them in place above her head. She struggled, not from a desire to free herself, but to feel his grip strengthen, squeeze just shy of pain.

He stared down at her with those incredible blue eyes, shadowed now with lust. His free hand settled across her throat, more promise than warning, and his thumb rubbed the spot just beneath her ear. "Open for your pack, sweetheart. Let us take care of you."

She didn't decide to obey, just moved automatically. Instinctively. She arched her hips, rubbing against him as strong hands clutched her, fingers biting in as they pulled her legs wide. Opening her, just like Blake said. They caressed the inside of her ankle, the back of one knee. The soft, secret spot at the top of her thigh.

Ashley whimpered and arched again, sharply this time, and Blake made a soothing noise against her cheek before kissing his way to her ear. "Trust me, Ash. I know what you can take. And tonight, it's so much more than you know."

A bearded cheek brushed her hip, and Jud rumbled her name against her skin. A heartbeat later, two wide fingers teased between her pussy lips, brushed her clit, and thrust inside her.

Blake lifted his head to study her face, his focus absolute. More hands joined Jud's, stroking her thighs, her belly. Someone's teeth closed on her hip, sparking pain that melted into pleasure when callused fingertips grazed her clit.

They were touching her, tasting her, claiming her, but Blake was the one protecting her.

"More," he rasped, already pressing harder against her wrists, as if he knew the resulting touches would have her twisting up and away. "I don't care how tight her pussy feels, she wants more."

Mac cursed, rough and low, as he palmed her breast and lifted the taut peak to his mouth. He licked her nipple, then sucked it to a stiff, aching point. Finally, he bit her, a hard nip that flashed pain and something much, much darker through her.

"How much more?" he asked, his voice gone silky. Wicked.

Blake didn't release Ashley's gaze. "How many fingers, Jud?"

"Two," the wolf replied hoarsely, pumping them so deep that Ashley shuddered and almost tried to jerk away. "Damn, she's already squeezing me hard."

Blake followed the same path again with his thumb—from her shoulder to her ear, soft and calming and so gentle compared to the implacable command in his voice. "Two more, Mac. Fuck her hard."

Mac groaned, but the fingers he gave her were in her mouth, sliding between her lips and over her tongue. "You heard the man, honey." He pulled them free and trailed them down her body, between her breasts, down until they clashed with Jud's. "Hard, just the way you like it."

For one eternal, agonizing moment, she thought he wouldn't do it. Then he did, fucking his wet fingers into her as Jud withdrew. She clenched her teeth, waiting, but they kept up the rhythm for several thrusts, taking turns, before finally driving into her at the same time.

It hurt, and it was so good she tried to break free, push away. But Blake released her throat and splayed his fingers across her abdomen, holding her down, forcing her to feel the slow, burning stretch.

"Look at me," he growled, his fingers biting into her flesh when she twisted again. When she obeyed, he gentled his touch and licked her bottom lip. "Good girl."

"I can't," she panted helplessly. "Blake—"

"Ashley." Another growl, this one so close to her wet, aching flesh that the vibrations rocketed through her. She looked down and saw Lucas leaning over her, his mouth a mere inch away.

He held her gaze and slowly drew his tongue over her exposed clit.

She shuddered, but Blake held her tight, pinning her hands and hips, forcing her to ride every flicker of sensation. From the deep pressure of the fingers inside her to the wet lash of Lucas's tongue, Blake was there, in all of it, holding her. Soothing her.

Then Connor bent his head, sucking the tight point of her nipple between his lips, between his teeth. And it was too much, all of them on her, the pleasure and the pain tangled up and pushing her toward something overwhelming.

"Let go," Blake whispered against her cheek. "I have you. I'll always have you."

It was more than a reassurance, pretty words to put her at ease during a moment of excruciating intimacy. No, he said it like it was truth, immutable and eternal. No matter what happened, he would always be there.

"Blake." She said again, though she barely recognized her own voice, strained and fraught with tension.

"It's okay, sweetheart." His voice stayed soft and comforting, even when her hips tried to jerk and his hand held her ruthlessly in place. "You can come. It won't be over."

No, it wouldn't. From the intensity of their gazes to the rough fingers fucking into her to Blake's hands locked around her wrists, one thing was clear—they wouldn't stop until she was screaming, sobbing, beside herself with pleasure.

She dragged in a rough breath, but it caught in her chest as ecstasy seized her. So sharp it bordered on pain, and so sweet it wracked her entire body. She rocked against Blake's restraining hand, riding their fingers, riding the sweet swell of pleasure as it crested and broke, taking her along with it.

And then his hand vanished, replaced by someone else's, she didn't know or care whose, not with release still shaking through her, not until Blake seized her jaw and pressed his forehead to hers. "Don't stop," he ordered roughly. "Don't let her come down."

"I don't think she could," Lucas rumbled, then licked her again, a fast, savage flick that left her shuddering all over again. "It's a pretty view, watching Jud and Mac fuck your hungry pussy like this."

Ashley squeezed her eyes shut and moaned, clenching her fingers as another knot of ecstasy unraveled inside her. He had to be able to see every tiny reaction, every clench and flutter as her pussy contracted helplessly around their fingers.

"You know what he's talking about." Mac licked the inside of her knee, his dark laugh blowing hot on her wet skin. "You're still sweet—you'll always be sweet—but you're not so innocent anymore, are you, honey?"

No, not innocent. Not even close. The fever wouldn't let her be, not so long as it still burned, a need that could never be sated by touch alone, though it was easier to ignore it—for now. She was surrounded by men who were just as hungry, who would never leave her wanting. Even Connor had stretched out beside her, his mouth hot on her nipple as he alternated long, fervent sucks with short, quick lashes of his tongue.

It soothed her just enough to open her eyes and seek Blake's blistering gaze. "You're the only one not fucking me."

"Is that what you think?" He rubbed his thumb over her lip before edging it between her teeth to stroke her tongue. "I'm the only one fucking you. I'm the one who decides how many fingers and how deep. How fast. Where."

All the shameless things that stole her breath, things that probably should have been Lucas's decisions—except that he seemed to understand, like all the others. Even as they touched her, soothed her, wanted her...

It would always be Blake.

His teeth grazed her earlobe, nipped just hard enough to make her hiss in a breath. "When they work their fingers into your ass, that'll be me. Because I remember what you want, all those sweet, dark things you can't even say until you're about to come because you're scared I won't want you to have them. But when they're fucking their cocks into your pussy and your ass and your mouth, it'll be me, giving you everything."

She was still shivering, shuddering, trapped between the neverending orgasm he wanted her to have and a deeper, more visceral hunger. "So give them to me."

Blake's wet thumb lingered on her lips, and he let her tremble through another dizzy pulse of pleasure before lifting his head. "She's ready, Mac."

"For what?" Mac grinned, slow and wicked, as he undulated his fingers inside her.

Before now, Blake would have made her say it. Would have forced her to form the words, to ask for it, to beg for it, every explicit request confirming her need and her trust.

He'd been learning her. But now he knew her, and she didn't have to beg. She didn't even have the option. He pushed two fingers between her lips this time, fucking them into her mouth as his thumb urged her jaw open. "Start slow on her ass. She's too close to the edge."

"I thought you liked having her there." But Mac moved slowly, in spite of the words. The world spun in dizzy, lightheaded circles as he picked Ashley up and slid behind her, beneath her, until he was lying on the floor with her back against his chest, his arms around her. "Con?"

Connor was already looming above her, every movement smooth and coordinated. Mac and Connor knew exactly how to manage a woman between them, who would steady her, who would hold her legs, who would stroke a quieting hand down her side when the first broad fingertip slicked against her.

But it wasn't just them this time. Jud was there, shivering pleasure through her as he plied her nipple between his thumb and forefinger. And Blake was always there, still above her, still drawing her gaze back to his as Connor worked the first inch of his finger into her ass.

She licked her lips, struggling to keep still as the exquisite sensation sang through her like the ripples of a pebble dropped into water, as Mac framed her hips with his big hands. His thumbs traced lazy circles on her flesh, digging in just enough to send the ripples arcing wildly as her brain tried to process everything that was happening.

Impossible.

Every time she got a grip on it, everything changed. Jud pinched harder. Connor's finger sank deeper. Blake stroked a hand down the center of her body, and finally, finally lower, caressing her clit with a familiar rhythm.

Pleasure thundered through her, and she dropped her head back against Mac's shoulder as Connor pushed a second finger against her ass—coaxing, stretching. Demanding that she open up and take it.

Blake planted a hand on the floor next to Mac's head, leaning over them both as his fingers kept her balanced between the pleasure of his touch and the ache of Connor's. "Stay with me, sweetheart. Don't go getting all fuzzy on us yet."

"How do I stop?"

"Look at me."

Ashley whimpered.

"Ashley." He gripped her chin again, his fingers wet from her body and rubbing the taste of her against her lips. "Look at me."

She couldn't not, and what she found when her eyes met his made the rest of the room fade just a little. He had her, no matter what happened or how wild it drove her, and he wouldn't let her fall too fast or far.

He pressed the pad of his thumb against her lips, not trying to edge between them. Just an indulgent pressure as he studied her face. "It's okay, Connor," he said finally. "She can take it. No more making her wait. Not tonight."

Connor pulled his fingers free, and Mac's groan rumbled against her back. She felt the hard length of his cock against her inner thigh, along with stroking fingers wrapped around it, almost as if—

She dragged in a shocked breath, and Blake laughed hoarsely. His grip shifted, fingers plunging into her hair so he could drag her up head up. "Connor's not just getting you ready."

She watched, spellbound, as Connor's slick fingers pumped the shaft of Mac's cock, then teased over the glistening, engorged head.

Connor looked up, meeting her eyes with a feral smile. "If you could see how wide her eyes are, Mac..." He gripped the man's shaft, dragging another groan from behind her, and guided the tip to nestle against her ass. "But I bet they can get wider."

Mac breathed a curse and flexed his hips, easing into a gentler thrust before Ashley had a chance to protest the invasion. He went slowly, so slowly that by the time the blunt head of his cock finally breached the trembling ring of muscle, she was grinding down against him, trying to take him deeper. Faster.

Then he arched up, driving into her, and she couldn't have protested, even if she wanted to, because all she knew was heat, lust. Animal need.

Then Blake turned her head, forced her to meet his eyes again...and pushed two thick fingers into her pussy.

Ashley gritted her teeth, trying desperately to hold back the moan that exploded out of her. She moved her hips fitfully, fucking against his fingers. He let her, made her, his thrusts too shallow to pacify her, his thumb barely skimming her clit only to retreat when she gasped and pressed up into his touch.

She braced her hands on the floor and tried to chase the caress, but she couldn't get enough leverage—especially with Mac's hands caging her. "Fuck," she cursed. "Fuck me, please—"

Instead of obliging, Blake withdrew, and she watched as he licked her wetness from his fingers. "You heard her."

She was still staring up at Blake when Jud crawled over her, his body hot and hard, pressing her down against Mac's chest. She was surrounded by blazing skin and anchored by Blake's grip in her hair, even as Jud claimed her mouth in an open, voracious kiss.

She had burned already, through and through, ashes scattered to the wind. But when the realization of what was about to happen finally pierced the haze of pleasure, she gasped into his mouth.

You heard her.

Jud's erection rubbed against her, heavy and stiff, and she wrapped her fingers around his upper arms as the blunt head nudged her pussy, teasing her with the promise of more.

Except it wasn't a tease. Oh, it was slow, agonizing, his control perfect as he flexed his hips and pushed into her a fraction of an inch at a time.

"Hurry," she whispered, perversely eager to be denied.

He didn't disappoint her, his handsome face settling into stern lines. "Blake indulges you too damn much," he muttered, but his voice held amusement and affection and something better—a tight strain, a tremor in his perfect control.

And she wanted it. Oh God, she wanted it, so much that she clenched around him from the undeniable surge of longing that raced through her.

"Fuck, Ashley." Jud growled against her chin and drove deep, cutting off her breath. Her thought.

The sounds brought her back—raw, animal, slick and wet as Jud began to move. Every thrust pushed her up, off of Mac, and with every retreat she sank onto him again, deeper and deeper.

And then, just when she'd settled into the rhythm, Blake sent her spinning again with his fist in her hair, fixing her in place as he closed the other hand around his cock. "I told you I'd be here next time."

The hazy memory snapped into sharp focus, and she whimpered again. "Yes. Always."

His gaze dropped to her lips. "Are you going to take all of us?"

There was no room for shock or modesty, not here. Not with her entire body burning. Ashley licked her lips and strained toward him. "Blake—"

Mac braced his hands on her shoulders and lifted her. "That's it, honey. Show him that tongue."

Blake pressed his cock to her mouth...and waited.

A snarl rumbled through her.

Wildness flashed in Blake's eyes. A slip in that rigid self-control, quickly corrected—but not quickly enough. His hips were already flexing, pushing forward, driving between her lips.

It was everything she needed—almost. She had no idea she'd moved until she was clutching at Blake's hip, her fingers digging in to the firm swell of his ass, urging him closer.

"Ashley—" he rumbled, the warning clear. But he gave in, gave her just what she wanted. He rocked, stopping just before he pushed into the back of her throat. She gripped him harder, her nails biting into his skin, and he groaned and thrust again, quick and demanding and deep enough to choke her.

She couldn't breathe, but breathing was nowhere near as important as chasing this feeling. There was something tugging at her, something deeper than thought, beyond the pleasure. Ashley started to give in, to reach for it—

Then Mac moved beneath her, no longer content to lie still inside her. He drove up, one hand bracing her shoulders and the other wrapped around one, holding her in place. He and Jud fucked her with their cocks the way they had with their fingers, back and forth, until she couldn't separate one from the other.

Her skin was too tight. Sweat sheened her body as she worked Blake with her mouth, sucking harder before backing off. A different kind of push and pull, one that shredded his control, bit by bit. His grip got rougher, his groans lower. He chased her mouth when she pulled back, growling when she took him and demanded more.

Connor stroked her cheek, her breast, then slid his hand lower. His fingers circled her clit, rough and quick, wrenching a cry from her already raw throat. Sensation seized tight, shaking her, overwhelming her, so intense that she could barely comprehend it.

Pleasure didn't unfurl in her limbs, it exploded. Blood roared in her ears, almost drowning out the sound of Blake's voice, encouraging her to let go. Even the cries torn from her sounded distant, far away from the shattering bliss.

And it didn't stop.