With the blanket wrapped around my chest, I tucked one end in under my arm and stood outside the kitchen door for a few moments.

Don’t cry. Don’t cry.

I wiped the tear threading down my cheek. Why did Dagen bother me so much? Why the hell did I crave him as if my life depended on it? Honestly, what I needed was to get out of the Den because near shifters, I turned into a sex-starved idiot. But the focus was on helping Oryn and his pack, then heading home. Distance would allow me to clear my head and decide if my emotions were real or not.

I pushed open the door and stepped inside, the savory aroma of the roast welcoming me. Nero was serving rabbit stew in four bowls, while Oryn lounged at the table, tearing a chunk of the bread loaf with his bare hands. They met me with smiles and warming glances. Then why did I feel their affection for me was undeserved? And yet they acted as if they heard nothing, but I was convinced they had.

They’d been nothing but caring and adoring, and my heart beat for them. So I shouldn’t have wallowed over Dagen or daydreamed about him.

“Just in time,” Nero said. “Come. You must be famished.”

Oryn tapped the chair beside him and winked at me to join him.

“Smells divine.” The aromatic scent engulfed me, and I crashed next to Oryn. He kissed me on the cheek.

“Dagen’s wolf has claimed you, hasn’t he?” he asked, softness in his voice.

“I don’t want him to claim me.” I slouched in my seat, and Nero joined us.

He lifted my hand and pressed my knuckles to his mouth. “You will always have Oryn and me no matter what.”

I smiled and leaned into his chest. Nero’s fingers were feather-soft across my arm.

“You’re both incredible. After the meal, I’ll run the test on the river’s water.”

“Perfect. We might finally understand what’s going on here,” Oryn said and he offered me a piece of bread as Dagen strolled into the room.

My pulse thumped through my veins, and I kept my gaze on my stew, though I sensed his every move, the scraping of his chair, the rough tearing of the loaf, and his slurping. Yep, talk about awkwardness.

We ate, and the warmth sliding into my belly left me sated and comforted. Yet I kept smelling the boar on the spit, knowing tonight we’d be eating like royalty.

“Don’t freak, but back home,” I said to eliminate the silence and encourage conversation, “I only eat meat once a week.”

Oryn choked on his bread and slammed his chest, cleaning his throat. “Once a week! No wonder you’re so tiny.”

“It’s just expensive and I have free veggies and herbs in my garden. Plus, most townsfolk eat that way. The royal families have personal hunters to capture deer for meat.”

“Well, little lamb,” Nero said before wiping his lips, “you need not worry anymore. We’ll give you all the meat you can handle.”

Oryn burst out laughing and slapped the table. “Man, are you referring to food or your sausage?”

Nero shoved Oryn in the shoulder. “She loves my bone and can’t get enough.”

I chuckled, heat climbing up my neck. I shouldn’t have been embarrassed since I was used to Bee’s sexual jokes. Though Nero had a point. I offered him a grin and licked my lips.

“She hasn’t tried Dagen’s yet?” Oryn blurted out.

I froze, daring to look Dagen’s way, unsure how to react. Would he growl and storm out of the room? I’d given him a hand job, but he’d never entered me fully… and the fact that Oryn knew this told me they’d heard us. Or he was simply fishing for information.

Dagen smirked and reached down to grab himself. “I’m packing more meat than both of you.”

“Ha.” Nero threw the rest of the bread at Dagen, who caught it in his other hand. “You’re dreaming.”

“So it’s true,” I said. “Dudes compare sizes? I thought only girls talked about this stuff.”

“To clarify.” Oryn lowered the plate from his mouth. “We never physically compare.”

“Bullshit,” Nero blurted out. “Remember that time we encountered that tiger shifter and he couldn’t stop gawking at your junk? He was comparing.”

“What? He was jealous. Simple as that. Everyone knows tigers don’t pack great ammunition. If you want a real man, it’s wolves all the way.” Oryn leaned against me and kissed my cheek. “Isn’t that right?”

“I can’t speak for tigers, as I’ve never seen one. But in relation to normal guys, let’s say you three are the abnormality in the best way, or every single female needs to move to the Den and get herself a hunter.” I waggled my eyebrows, and Nero chuckled.

I chanced a glance over at Dagen, and he watched me while biting into the bread. Was he remembering I’d said something similar to him when he was unconscious? Remembering how I’d helped him? Remembering I was the good person here, not someone who would hurt him intentionally?

Outside, the wind howled, and the door rattled. The drumming of rain struck the roof, yet in the kitchen, heat cocooned around me. I loved storms when I was at home in front of the fire. I’d read a book under a blanket on the couch.

With our plates empty, Nero cleared the dishes, Dagen reclined in his seat, and Oryn brought the bucket of river water to the table.

“Okay, let’s do this.” I crouched near the vines and plucked free half a dozen translucent petals. With Oryn bringing the vinegar, I prepped to test for toxins.

I filled a small bowl with vinegar and tossed a petal inside. No reaction. I needed to confirm the acidity wouldn’t impact the flower. With a few sprinkles of the river water into the same bowl, I dropped two petals into the mixture.

Oryn and Nero both stared at the experiment alongside me.

“It’s changing,” Nero called out.

Black dots formed on both translucent petals, spreading like lava, and within seconds, they both turned a charred tone.

“Is that what I think it is?” Oryn asked.

“Yep,” I replied.

Dagen stood and approached us, so I added two more inside for him to view the results.

I retreated as all three gawked at the evidence. “It’s a simple test but accurate. Any toxins present will react to the crystalweed flower.”

Oryn glanced at me, his cheeks ashen. “So the river has been poisoned?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“At least we’re narrowing it down.”

Nero patted Oryn on the shoulder, then faced me. “So, what poison is it?”

I scratched my head as all three shifters studied me. “I don’t have the herbs with me to check. To determine, I have to run dozens of tests on water samples to see what plant reacts with it. It’s a process of elimination. And in the meantime, no one should drink any water from the river until we find a solution. Maybe we can find other sources and determine if they’re poisoned.”

Oryn was pacing to the door and back, his fists curled by his side. “I’ll murder the priestess. Rip her spine out and shove it up her ass.”

Fear looped around in my head that if he went off like this to the priestess, he could get himself killed. “How about we find the toxin to help your pack first?”

“But I’ve seen no other animals go feral,” Dagen added.

“Meaning, something specific was used to target wolf shifters,” I said.

“Then we leave now,” Oryn said, reaching for the door handle.

“We’re not going anywhere in this storm.” Nero moved to stand near his friend. “Let’s get an early night and we depart at first light. Hopefully, the rain will pass by then and the wolves will be sleeping.”

I joined them and placed a hand on Oryn’s waist, pressing up against him, and he wrapped me in an embrace. “I’ll do everything to find out what poison it is and heal your pack.”

“That means the world to me.”

Nero nodded. “We’ll do this together. I’ll take Scarlet to her house in Terra to run the tests.”

For days, I’d been eager to return home, and now that it was happening, I hesitated. The whole idea of facing the priestess sat on my mind like a boulder. Would she be waiting at my store? Should I head into Terra alone to avoid the guards apprehending my men? Talk about asking for a death sentence, and if I got caught, I wasn’t dragging them into my troubles. Maybe I’d get them to wait for me at the border between our lands.

“Me too,” Oryn added. “We’ll combine forces to face any attacking wolves.”

I inhaled their musky and timber scents, closing my eyes. Both men held me, and their company felt familiar and like home. Still, Dagen came to mind, a part of me yearning to have him with us. Such thoughts were silly, and he’d made it clear as day where we stood.

“So, you in, Dagen?” Nero asked. “The more the merrier.”

He huffed, and I glanced over my shoulder as he collapsed in a chair, his expression dark.

I’d love to have you with us.

His head jerked up and he met my gaze. For those few moments, I swore he’d apologize for his earlier words, stroll over and take me into his arms. Instead, he climbed to his feet and turned toward the hall, vanishing.

“Give him time,” Oryn said.

An explosive thunder detonated outside, and Oryn tightened his hold.

Nero headed to the spit roast. “Almost done.”

Despite the delicious aroma, I’d lost my appetite.

Except the ache in my gut went beyond dealing with the priestess, but admitting to myself I’d have to choose how I dealt with the shifters. Did I move in with them, or did they relocate with me? Heavens, this was moving too fast. Except the cold hard truth slapped me in the face. They had packs depending on them, and they couldn’t go.

But I couldn’t leave my shop… everything I held dear about grandma was there. But departing from the men… I couldn’t take another breath. I might as well chop off a leg before I walked away. No solution came to mind, only heartache.

I cringed at knowing Dagen tapped into my insecurities, my problems, my yearnings. Well, considering I had no control over him or my thoughts, I had to accept he’d be privy to every crazy notion that went through my head.

Joining Nero near the roast, I sprinkled salt across the meat. “Delicious.”

“Once we help Oryn, I’ll introduce you to my pack. They will love you, spoil you with anything you desire.”

“You think?” I chewed on a hangnail. “They won’t hate me for being human?”

He shook his head. “Nope. Not when they see how amazing you are, how much you mean to me. Hunters have taken humans as mates in the past. It’s not illegal in theDen.”

I bounced on my toes. “I can’t wait.” And I meant every word. The dread of our mission going wrong twirled on my mind, but I couldn’t deny what my heart pined for.

* * *

“What’s poking my butt?” I squirmed and shifted onto my back on the bed of furs as I lay between my two shifters.

“Little lamb, that’s all me.” Nero laughed and pressed himself up against my hip, his hardness nestled against me.

Oryn was on his side, my head resting on his outstretched arm. “We’ll have no problems keeping warm tonight. So you can lose the other blanket.” He scanned the fabric still wrapped around me.

Hell, I’d considered it, but then what? We’d get it on in a threesome? “What if you can’t control yourselves?”

Nero nuzzled up against my ear, his hand across my stomach. “Who said we needed to behave?”

“You know how to make a girl blush. Geez, I’ve never been with men like either of you before. No one has ever touched me the way you have, or brought me to orgasm so hard. But being with two guys at once… That’s new.”

“No, no,” Oryn said. “Not at the same time. But I have no issues with watching.” He leaned in, his lips grazing mine. I softened beneath him, hungry to have him.

When I came up for air, Nero gently turned my chin to face him, his mouth kissing me with a passion coaxing a mewl. Oryn ran a finger across my collarbone and dipped toward my cleavage. He peeled back the fabric of my blanket dress, unwrapping me, and caressed my breasts.

I shivered with temptation, staring at the two men devouring me with their devilish stares. “You two will be the death of me with your kisses.”

Nero laughed and rolled me onto my side. He nudged my leg over his and he lifted me to straddle him. “Little lamb, time to show us how those gorgeous tits of yours bounce. And I promise to make it worth your while.”