Chapter Twelve

Blake had been pissed at Lucas for sending him away, and now he was pissed at Lucas for keeping him home.

It was irrational. Even he could see it, now that he'd vented the first thrust of his temper by chopping enough wood to heat the lodge for a week. But leaving Ashley alone while he poked at an empty house wasn't the same as leaving her while he dealt with a possible enemy.

Mac and Jud could be ruthless, but ruthless wasn't enough with Ashley in their lives. They had to be proactive now, too. Decisive. Brutal. So fast the potential threat didn't realize they were coming.

If anyone found out she was here...

Blake swung the ax too hard, and the blade shattered the log and sank heel deep into the stump beneath it. Blowing out a frustrated breath, he abandoned it to gather up enough firewood to heat the great room. It was getting dark already, and the last thing he needed to do was sink the ax into his leg with another reckless swing. He wouldn't be a damn bit of use to Ashley then.

He wouldn't be of use to her if he couldn't keep his temper under control, either. Too bad she was the one thing that seemed to spark everything so hot and fast he was always burning now.

Even her voice twisted him up inside. He heard it as soon as he nudged open the back door, the last murmur of words and her warm, honeyed laugh as Lucas said something undoubtedly charming.

His temper and his jealousy. Two things he'd never had to struggle with before. Two things that could drive her away.

Biting back both, he carried the firewood into the great room and found a smile for Ashley. At least those came as easily as the jealousy did. "You two having fun?"

She was wearing a tank top, and her hair slid over her bare shoulder as she turned to look at him. "I was just asking Lucas why he can't manage to keep you all at home. He admits that he's insufferable."

Blake huffed and moved to add more wood to the fire. "We take turns running errands and picking up jobs. Keeps us all from getting on each others' nerves."

"Not that Blake has any problems with that," Lucas said smoothly, reaching for a bottle on the coffee table. "Do you like wine, Ashley?"

A tiny smile tilted the corners of her mouth. "Sometimes."

Wine. Firelight. Blake shot Lucas a look, but couldn't read his alpha's expression. "Do I get wine too?"

He tapped the neck of the bottle against the edge of a third glass. "Of course."

His jealousy vanished before it could truly form. Whatever game Lucas was playing tonight, at least he wasn't excluded from it. He finished tending the fire and moved back to the couch, relaxing a little more when Ashley welcomed him with another smile. "Quiet nights can be nice, too," he said softly.

"Yeah." She leaned her head on his shoulder. "Where did they go?"

"Another pack wants a meeting," Lucas told her. "We're not sure why, so they've gone to find out."

"Pack," Blake scoffed. "That's what they call themselves, but none of the alphas are like Lucas. None of them have plans."

Lucas waved it away. "It's nothing. Not important right now."

Blake recognized that voice. It was the same one Lucas had used to warn him that he had to compete with Jud's charm. Along with that realization came another--he wasn't just including Blake in whatever plans he had for the night.

The plans were for Blake.

He wanted to be offended at his alpha's lack of confidence, but his growing need for Ashley left no room for wounded pride. Lucas could exert his power and dazzle Ashley's wolf, but he wasn't going to.

Which meant Blake had a chance.

If you use it, Lucas's expression all but screamed. The silence had gone on long enough to become awkward, so Blake cleared his throat and settled his arm around Ashley. "Yeah. Tonight you can just relax."

Her brow furrowed. "What's going on?"

So suspicious. Oddly, it eased the crushing pressure in his chest. "Sorry, Lucas. She already knows me better than this."

Lucas sighed and rubbed the side of his face. "The other pack didn't want to meet, they wanted to come here. Possibly because they know about you."

"Oh." Ashley stared at him, then down at her hands. "So this whole scene is about mating?"

Blake caught her chin and tilted her head back. "For him, maybe. Nothing's changed for me."

Lucas spoke, his voice gentle. "If you're ready, Ashley. It all depends on that. But other packs might not be--" He faltered, as if he couldn't choke out the words.

"It doesn't matter," Blake said firmly. "Even if we have to host the other pack, nothing will happen. No one will bother you, no one will hurt you. End of story."

Her frown vanished, and she threaded her fingers through his hair. "I know. You won't let them."

"Never." He rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes, sinking into the peace that came with her touch. Everything was clear like this. No more noise, no more confusion... She was focus, even if she wasn't his.

Yet.

"It's still better, though, isn't it?" she whispered. "If there isn't even a question of some stranger pursuing me."

Blake gave in and kissed her cheek, her temple, then nuzzled his way down to her ear. "Are you asking Lucas, or me?"

"I'm--" Her breathing hitched. "I'm just saying. It's easier if it's not an issue. If I'm already mated."

"Maybe," he conceded before closing his teeth lightly on her earlobe. He loved her gasp, the way her body arched. "But I meant what I said. It doesn't change anything for me. Nothing could make me want you more than I already did."

"Blake--" She wrapped her hands around his wrists. "I'm saying yes. Now."

As if it was that easy. If he knew how to mate her, he would have done it that morning, while he was sinking into her with so much giddy relief and longing. He didn't know the first thing about mating.

But Lucas did.

Taking a deep breath, Blake lifted his head and met his alpha's eyes. The man stared back at him over Ashley's head--and slipped his fingers through her silky hair. "That's good," Lucas murmured. "It's the first step. Wanting it."

"I do." Her eyes were locked on Blake's face. "I want it."

When she was looking at him like that, the words sounded like something else. Something seductive, too good to be fucking true. I want you.

He pressed the pad of his thumb to her lips, as if he could feel the echoes of what she hadn't said. "You're clearheaded right now. Will it still work, Lucas?"

"I don't know." His hand drifted lower, to the top of her spine, and energy crackled through the room. Ashley's head dropped back, and she exhaled on one long, shaky sigh.

Maybe the mating urge had already been there, and Lucas had been holding it back, giving Ashley a little peace. Or maybe he could turn it on as easily as he turned it off. Whichever it was, the result was undeniable. Blake could see the difference in her flushed cheeks and trembling body, could feel it in his bones.

It wasn't just want anymore. It was need, and he'd made her a promise.

With Lucas holding her head steady, Blake leaned in to kiss her. She met him with an open mouth, a hungry tongue, and a sharp indrawn breath that drove his own arousal higher. He groaned and pressed deeper, claiming her mouth the way he intended to claim every single part of her.

Her mind, her body, her heart...

And her wolf.

Lucas was holding her head, but her hands were free. She slid them around Blake's neck, beneath his collar to stroke his shoulders. He jerked at his shirt, tearing the fabric in his haste to give her room to explore, and ripped it over his head before reaching for hers.

But he didn't bare her body. He couldn't, because, for the first time, he wasn't the strongest wolf touching her.

Lucas made another soft, soothing noise and nudged her hair aside to nuzzle the back of her neck. His hands dropped to her shoulders, and he tugged on her tank top and bra until both straps slipped down.

The fabric clung to her full breasts, revealing enough to make Blake's mouth run dry. It wouldn't take much to coax the lacy edge free of her nipple, and the mere thought cranked him higher.

Maybe this was what had been missing--the patience to tease them both to a state of desperation.

Blake sank lower on the couch and dropped a line of kisses down her throat. "You thought my teasing was bad," he murmured against the swell of her breast before biting softly. "Lucas won't lose control."

"And you will?" A thread of longing trembled through her words.

He licked the spot where his teeth had marked her delicate skin before sliding even lower, low enough to tease her nipple through fabric. "Oh, yeah. Lucas will hold me back for a while..."

But not forever. Only he didn't have to say it, because their alpha was already moving.

Ashley shivered as Lucas eased his fingers under the top edge of her bra and pulled it down, exposing her nipple. It was already hard, a tight, tempting point begging to be sucked. Blake closed his mouth around the tip, reveling in her sharp gasp and the arch of her body. But his control was already slipping. It wasn't enough. He lifted a hand to her other breast and caught her nipple between his thumb and one finger.

Soft sucking. Hard pinching. Pain and pleasure, and enough of both to show Lucas just how hot she got from the combination.

Ashley's growl was nearly drowned out by Lucas's deeper one. "So fast," he muttered. "You could take her now, and she'd open right up for you."

"Ask her." Blake lifted his head just enough to catch Ashley's gaze. He held it as he pinched her nipple again, harder this time. "Ask her how wet she is. She blushes so sweet, but talking dirty just makes her wetter."

She lunged at him, nearly snapping her teeth on his lower lip before Lucas hauled her back with one hand wound tight in her hair.

"Bad girl," Blake chided, trying to keep a mock-stern expression. It was impossible. His approval crept into his voice, into everything. He loved her spark and her challenges, and she knew it. He could see his own delight reflected in her gaze as he pressed his thumb to her lips, silently daring her to bite him.

Instead, she drew her tongue over the pad of his thumb and gave him the barest hint of teeth.

A hoarse laugh rumbled up from Lucas. "Not so easily handled. Good for you, love."

"Oh, she's trouble." Blake edged his thumb deeper into her mouth. "I've been threatening to turn her over my knee and spank that beautiful ass from the first day."

"And you haven't?" Lucas's free hand drifted down to the waistband of her lounge pants. "I'm disappointed."

It would have been easy enough. Ashley would have let him before now, and he had no doubt she would have enjoyed it--physically. But for all her eager hunger, there was an innocence in her that Blake couldn't let himself forget.

Hell, it was still there in her big eyes, if you knew how to look. If he wanted to do this, she had to understand what it was, and what it wasn't. Pleasure, not punishment. Possession, not jealousy. A promise of strength instead of a demand for weakness. Nothing he could explain easily with words. But he could show her, now--with Lucas's help.

"She wasn't ready," Blake said, teasing his thumb over her tongue before slipping free of her lips. "But I think she is now."

She licked her lips. "Ready for...?" The question faded as Lucas untied the drawstring on her pants.

Blake hooked his fingers under the waistband, catching her pants and panties both. "Letting go," he answered as he dragged the fabric off her hips and down her legs.

"You say that like I don't always," she told him breathlessly. "But I do. I can't help it when you touch me."

"Not like this." She looked debauched, almost naked except for the bra and shirt circling her middle and holding her arms trapped. Her breasts were bare, her nipples wet from his mouth and hard from his touch.

It was so tempting to slide to the floor, shove her knees wide, and lose himself in her. But she needed to be lost this time, coaxed beyond her boundaries until there was nothing left but her, her wolf--and the hunger for a mate strong enough to claim both.

So he caught her around the waist and dragged her from the couch. Lucas must have been planning something, because there were even more pillows than usual heaped on the furs in front of the fireplace. "Help me, Lucas."

The alpha dropped to the pillows and pulled Ashley down on top of him. He kissed her open mouth--quick, soft--then scattered the same brief kisses across her skin as he guided her bra and shirt over her head. Her bare skin gleamed in the firelight as she moved restlessly, tossing her head back with a cry when Lucas drew her nipple into his mouth.

Blake knelt next to them and stroked a hand down her spine. She shivered under his touch, and trembled when he reached her ass and smoothed his hand over the generous curve. She was primed already, shaking with anticipation.

Good. "On your knees, sweetheart. Lift this ass up for me."

"I don't know if I can." But she did, raising onto her knees while keeping her upper body low. Lucas rewarded her by switching to her other nipple, and Blake spent one moment admiring the sight of her--her lush body naked and quivering, her silky skin flushed, her gorgeous ass lifted in obedient, eager hunger.

Books weren't the only thing he'd picked up on that endless trip to town. Jud knew where to buy all sorts of toys the humans used to debauch one another. Many had seemed needlessly complicated to Blake, but he'd found a few things that appealed. Delicate steel plugs that would fill her ass and make her whimper at the fullness when he fucked her deep. Clever leather cuffs to bind her wrists and thighs and leave her beautifully vulnerable.

Interesting, enticing items, and his dick throbbed at the thought of using them to make her scream. But he didn't need them to drive her beyond herself. All he needed was his hand--and a little help from his alpha. "Hold her steady, Lucas. She gets impatient and grabby when she's close."

Her hands were on Lucas's chest, and he gathered them together, locking his fingers around both of her wrists. Ashley struggled for a moment, then relaxed with a soft sound.

A sound of submission.

"You can't touch this time," Blake murmured, rubbing his hand over her ass before squeezing lightly. Starting slowly would drive them both crazy, but the end result was worth it. "This is all about you."

"What if touching is what I want?"

Of course she wanted it, for all the reasons he did--because touching meant giving pleasure, and she would never be happy simply taking. Blake brought his hand down in a gentle swat, just enough to tease her. "Why do you want to touch us, Ashley?"

"Because..." Her fingers flexed, her nails digging into Lucas's skin. "Because I know how good it feels."

Blake slid his hand lower, biting back a groan when his fingertips encountered the slick warmth of her pussy. She was wet already--aching, no doubt. And he could make her so much wetter.

So he swatted her again, a stinging slap to each cheek that left her squirming, because it wasn't enough. "I give in to you too easily. You're so cute when you're begging, I can't say no."

"I can." Lucas gave her wrists a little jerk--just enough to assert dominance, but not upset her balance. Instead of letting her have a moment to recover, Blake smacked her ass again.

Ashley went rigid, as if she was trying to hold still, but she broke with a shuddering whimper. Blake soothed her with a wordless murmur, rubbing and petting until she was soft and boneless again before delivering another solid slap.

A growl rumbled up in Lucas's chest. "Does it hurt?"

"It--" She whimpered. "I don't know. Yes?"

The rumble melted into a laugh, and he smoothed his free hand across her cheek to cup her face. "It all gets mixed up, doesn't it, love?"

"Only one thing matters," Blake said, leaning to sink his hand into her hair. He tugged, forcing her head back so he could see her expression. "Do you like it?"

"Yes," she hissed.

Oh, there was fire sparking in her eyes. She wanted it, but didn't know why. Couldn't know why, any more than she could know that what she craved was to lash out and be put in her place. To know the security of order and the comfort of pack hierarchy.

If they'd had time, it would have happened differently. Playfully, without sex and the mating urge adding such a painful, high-stakes edge. But she had come to them hurting, twisted up in conflicting needs.

It was time to start unraveling the deepest one.

Blake bent lower, almost close enough to kiss her, and smiled. "How much?"

She lunged again, just like before, and this time her teeth scraped painfully over the spot just beneath his chin.

Just like he'd known she would. But fuck, he wasn't prepared for the bolt of lust, the heat streaking through him and straight to his cock. He liked the pain, too--the danger of it pinging his nerves and sparking adrenaline.

Taming her would take a lifetime. And he was going to start tonight.

Tightening his fingers, he hauled her head back with a growl. "I think that means she wants me to spank her harder. What do you think, Lucas?"

"I think it doesn't matter what you do," their alpha rasped. "She'll love it. Every second."

Daring another bite, Blake licked her lips before releasing her hair. She was still swaying at the sudden freedom when he planted one hand between her shoulder blades. He pushed her down against Lucas and held her there as he returned his attention to her ass.

Blake was finished playing. Her skin was already pink from his earlier attentions, but he struck her firmly, again and again, bracing himself against her rough, pleading noises. It would be too easy to give in, to let her up, let her touch and lick and give pleasure.

Not tonight. Tonight, she'd have to take it all.

And she did. Restlessly at first, tensing after each blow and squirming until Lucas had to secure her more firmly in place. By the time she relaxed into it, the scent of her arousal had grown so temptingly strong that Blake could barely stand the distraction. She was wetter every time he let himself stray between her parted legs, her pussy hot and eager, her thighs slick.

It wouldn't take much, just a few fingers plunging inside her, one quick lash over her clit. She would explode in a heartbeat, but Blake didn't let her. Instead, he returned to the reddened skin of her ass, falling into the hypnotic sound of his open palm on her soft flesh until she started to wiggle again--but into his touch, this time, struggling to get closer, arching in anticipation of each firm slap.

"That's right, sweetheart," he murmured, lifting his hand from her back to her hair. She wasn't trying to get away now--she was a liquid pool of quaking limbs and need, and she deserved a reward for such sweet submission.

He twisted his fingers tight in her hair just to revel in her moans, then pulled, urging her to sit up. "Show him," he whispered against her ear. "Show our alpha how wet you are for us."

She turned her face to his and kissed him, open and hungry. A heartbeat later, she stiffened, shuddered, as Lucas caught his breath on a strangled groan.

Blake fought his own low noise and licked Ashley's lower lip. "How many fingers has he got inside you?"

She didn't answer. She moved instead, riding Lucas's hand, her fingers locked around his wrist so tightly her knuckles turned white.

Wicked, shameless girl. Fighting a laugh, Blake caught her arm and dragged it behind her back. Then he leaned in until his lips brushed her ear. "How. Many. Fingers?"

Her throat worked. "T-two."

"Only two?" He slapped her ass, and she lurched against Lucas's fingers with a whimper, driving them deeper. "I bet you feel so tight and hot around them, he thinks two is enough. But it's not, is it? Not for you."

Her gaze snapped to his, sharp and defiant. "So help him."

Oh, he wanted to. Work his fingers right into her, until she was so full the pleasure of it shattered her. But giving in would only give her the fleeting satisfaction of what she wanted, not the deeper pleasure of what she needed. "No. Lucas?"

"More?" the man asked softly. His arm flexed as he drew back, then thrust up again with a force that drove a stifled, hoarse shriek from Ashley's throat.

"Good girl," Blake whispered, squeezing her hip and rocking her against Lucas's hand. "He's the alpha. Your alpha. You'll take what he gives you, won't you?"

"Anything." A hot flush crept up over her chest and bared neck. "Please--"

And there it was. Surrender. Trust. She'd gone pliant against them, so Blake wrapped one arm around her for support and slid the other down until his fingertips grazed her clit. She squirmed, her hip rubbing against his cock. He fought the urge to grind against her and kept everything focused--on her pleasure, and on keeping his touch careful. "What do we give her next, Lucas?"

"That depends." He pinched her nipple, tweaking the hard tip with a rough twist, and growled when she shuddered. "So many possibilities. So many ways to make her scream."

"I'm still learning all of them." Blake nuzzled her ear and inhaled, dragging the sweet, hungry scent of her deep into his lungs. "So is she."

Lucas released her breast and traced her parted lips. "Then we should find a brand new one."

"Any ideas?" Blake waited until Lucas's finger balanced on her full lower lip before brushing her clit again, driving a gasp from her. "She's earned something wonderful."

Lucas's finger delved into her mouth, but only for a moment before he pulled it free and drew a wet path down her chin and throat. "We get her off," he rasped. "And then we let her go."

She'd be wild by that point, desperate, ready to tear them both up. Blake gave in to a moan, right against her ear, and centered two fingers over her clit. "Perfect."

Ashley flailed, grasping at him, clinging as she trembled over the edge. She came hard, swaying against Blake, barely coherent pleas falling from her lips. "Don't stop--I can't--I need it--"

He closed his teeth on her ear and rolled her clit between his fingers. Her hips rocked over Lucas's hand, taking his fingers so deep that Blake couldn't help but envy him. He wanted to feel the tight clench of her pussy, muscles rippling as she got off. "How hard?" he rasped, the words edged in a desperation he couldn't hide anymore. "How hard is she coming?"

"Hard." Lucas's voice had gone ragged, too, and he kept pumping his fingers, fucking them into her faster. "Like she wants more. Like she can't get enough."

Trusting Lucas to take over, Blake wrapped his arm around her waist to free up the other. Then he stroked all the way down her back, to the warm, red curve of her beautiful ass.

"She likes it to hurt a little," he said, letting the promise beneath his words tickle against her ear. He dragged his nails lightly over her skin before giving each cheek a firm slap that had her twisting away with a harsh noise.

Lucas slid down, lifting one of Ashley's legs with his free hand. Blake lifted the other, and she settled with her knees on either side of Lucas's head.

"How much pain?" he asked, his voice muffled against her inner thigh. "A little..." He twisted his hand, and she cried out. "Or a lot?"

Blake dragged Ashley's head back and watched her face as he tugged lightly on one swollen nipple. "How much?" he asked her softly. "More?"

"I keep waiting," she whispered dreamily, her dark eyes unfocused. "There has to be a line. Somewhere I want it to stop."

The words sharpened his attention, gave him a tangible goal. "We'll find it," he promised, squeezing her nipple until her back arched. "And then you'll know how much you can take."

Her gaze cleared as it fixed on his face, and she licked his lower lip as her hips began to rock.

Still hungry, still soft. But she was lost in him, so he couldn't be jealous of Lucas. His alpha was shaping everything about this moment, nudging and maneuvering to give Blake this--a female who was open and ready, who was staring into his eyes like she wanted to fall into them.

No, it wasn't about jealousy, this throbbing need to get his fingers inside her and savor her tremors the next time she came. He just wanted to touch her.

He licked her back, lingering over the full curve of her lower lip. And even though he spoke to Lucas, his words were for her. "Is it my turn to see how hard she comes yet?"

"Can you handle it?" But Lucas had already pulled his fingers free of her body. He lifted them and circled her nipple until it was slick and hard.

Irresistible.

Blake dipped his head and closed his lips around the tip, licking the taste of her off her skin before sucking hard. She was still moaning when he released her and slid a hand down, past her ass to stroke her pussy. "She tastes so good."

The man's only answer was a low hum, drowned out by Ashley's fevered moan--and Blake learned why a moment later when his fingers nudged past Lucas's tongue.

Heat flooded his veins as he inched his fingers back, and then into her. Three, all at once, slowly working deeper. She was so ready she opened for him easily, and he could already feel her around his cock, welcoming him, gripping him as he fucked her.

Soon, so soon. But not yet.

He twisted his wrist, turning his fingers until his palm was down and his fingertips could rub just the right spot inside her.

Ashley thrashed, and it took both of them holding her with their free hands, fingers biting into soft flesh, to keep her still. She moaned, each sound louder and more desperate than the last, and struggled against their grip.

"You can do this," Blake told her, refusing to relent, even with her body gripping his fingers so hard that it hurt not to drag them free and drive his cock into her. But that was a distraction and this--this was about one thing. "You can take this pleasure, can't you?"

Her moan turned into a cry as a shudder wracked her. "Yes. Yes."

He didn't stop. Not with the first orgasm, or with the second. She clawed at his arm wrapped around her midsection, at Lucas's hands on her hips and thighs. She screamed, sobbed, buried her face in the hollow of Blake's neck and bit him almost hard enough to draw blood.

Almost.

Blake ground against her hip. He couldn't stop himself, couldn't block out the lure of her arousal. The intoxicating scent, the slickness as he pumped his fingers into her. She was so open to him, wet for him, that he could have added a fourth, could have stretched her and readied her for a merciless claiming.

Instead, he slowed his touch, giving her time to drag in a shuddering breath. "Ask the alpha," he whispered against her ear. "Ask him how many more times you have to come before he'll let you touch him."

She mumbled something unintelligible, her breath warming his skin in hot, quick pants.

Beyond coherence. She was out of her head, so Blake eased his fingers free of her body and gently cupped her pussy. "Lucas?"

The man moved slowly, every muscle taut and trembling. He lifted Ashley's legs and sat up, clutching her to his chest as she slid down his body to land in his lap. He traced the curve of her cheek, his gaze fixed on her face.

Tension flooded Blake.

Lucas wasn't relaxed anymore. The lazy alpha playing matchmaker was gone, replaced by a feral, powerful wolf who looked all too eager to roll Ashley beneath him and claim her for himself.

If he did--

Blake's hands curled into helpless fists. He could fight it. He might not even lose the challenge--Lucas was the strongest, but Blake wasn't weak. But he'd still lose everything that mattered. His friend. And all of Ashley's easy trust, her growing confidence and pride in her own desires. He would shame her, scare her, hurt her...

Of course, if he sat here and watched Lucas fuck her, he'd lose her. How couldn't he? She was so strong, so fierce. Her wolf would rejoice in accepting the strongest mate in the pack...

But what was Blake if he wanted less for her? A liar, a hypocrite, a selfish bastard keeping her from what was best because he wanted her for his own.

"She's yours," Lucas said finally, touching Ashley's chin. "All you have to do is take her. Claim her."

Every instinct screamed at him to snatch her out of the alpha's arms and drag her under his body. Instead, he held himself motionless and risked his heart for her happiness. "Is that what you want, Ash?"

She stared at Lucas--but she reached for Blake, her hand finding his automatically, as if she knew, effortlessly, exactly where he was. "Yes."

The leash on his self-control snapped.

He moved without thought, hauling her out of Lucas's lap. There were cushions scattered everywhere, enough to lay her out in a hundred positions. But his wolf only wanted one thing. Her, on her knees in front of him, welcoming him into her body.

So he put her there, shoving a pillow beneath her hips to lift them before smoothing both hands over her ass. "So pretty and pink," he muttered, lifting one hand to jerk open his pants. "I marked you."

Her back arched, lifting her ass even higher. "I liked it."

"I know." And he proved it, thrusting into her without warning, without mercy. Just one endless shove into the clasping heat of her, until he was snug against her ass. Groaning, he closed his eyes and let his head fall back. "You fit like you were made for me."

Ashley jerked forward and inhaled sharply. By the time Blake opened his eyes again, Lucas was kneeling in front of her, gripping both of her wrists, stretching her out on the pillows.

She flexed her fingers with another harsh inhalation. "You promised to let me go."

Lucas froze, then relaxed his hands with the barest hint of a smile. "I guess I did."

Rocking back, she rose on her elbows--and reached for his belt.

Blake let her fumble with the buckle. Let her pull the leather open and reach for the fastening on Lucas's pants. Let her think she was getting away with it as he eased back...

She reached for the zipper, and Blake dragged her into his next thrust with a growl. She cried out, and her whole body shook as she clenched around him.

"Fuck." He reached for her hair, already so disheveled from their hands. But he liked the noises she made when he wrapped the tousled locks around his fist, loved the way her body clenched even tighter when he pulled hard enough to yank her head up. "You like being pulled around, don't you, sweetheart?"

"Strong," she whispered dreamily. "So strong."

"Strong," he agreed, leaning over her to press his lips to her ear. "Strong, so you don't have to be all the time. That's what pack means."

Ashley growled softly. She kept the fingers of one hand curled into the top of Lucas's jeans, but she reached up with the other and threaded her fingers through Blake's hair. "A different kind of strong. That's what I am. What you see."

He saw strength in every part of her. Even starving and locked away to wither and die, she'd been strong, fighting to be free when she could barely lift her arms. "You wouldn't be here if you weren't, Ash."

"We took her too high," Lucas rumbled, sliding one huge hand up her arm. "Got to bring her back down a little."

She choked on a startled cry as a sudden surge of energy arced through the room, through her, so strong even Blake could feel it. Rough, demanding, dominant...

Starving.

Shuddering, he straightened and did the only thing he could--closed his hands around the wicked flare of her hips and fucked into her. Hard.

Everything was fast now. Ashley's hands, fumbling with denim. Lucas's hands, sliding over her skin, into her hair.

Blake's words, falling from him, sharp and harsh, between every thrust. The dirty, filthy, raw words that got her going, the ones that demanded she open, lick, suck, all the things she was already doing because Lucas was the alpha, with the power to make them all wild.

Even Blake. Hell, even the most jealous, possessive parts of him. They'd skidded past some point of no return, past any awareness of Lucas and Blake. They weren't two men, dancing around one another with the unspoken tension of rivals. They were wolves, pack, barreling toward the same prey.

Ashley writhed between them, so tight and hot around Blake's cock even as she parted her lips as wide as she could. This was what she needed--the freedom to revel in the shamelessness of her desires. To reach out and claim them after a lifetime of being forced to let life happen to her.

Just like he kept happening to her.

Gritting his teeth against the loss of her clenching slickness, he eased back and loosened his grip on her hips. "Fuck us, Ashley."

She made a low noise, muffled around Lucas's dick in her mouth, and shoved her hands against his thighs, using the leverage to slam back into Blake.

So good. So fucking good. Being inside her was coming home, a pleasure so intense it set his hands to shaking. He hid it by pushing her away again, forcing her to fight to return. Maybe if she was focused on reaching for him, on yearning for him--

The next time, it wasn't just Ashley moving. Lucas wound his fingers in her hair, holding it back from her face, and gripped her shoulders through the thick, glossy strands. He drove her back, urging her into a harder, more feverish rock, moaning when she rebounded and almost gagged on his cock.

It didn't stop her. Nothing stopped her. She was fucking glorious, but she was distracted, torn between the two of them because Lucas didn't understand her yet.

Blake did.

He dragged her back, onto his cock, so hard that Lucas slipped free of her lips. "Do you know what's different about the alpha, Ash?"

She whimpered, licked the corner of her mouth. "What?"

Her hair was free, so Blake gathered it up, freeing the ends from beneath Lucas's steely hands. "He goes first. And he comes first, too."

A short, husky laugh burst free of her, but it melted into a moan as Blake gave her hair a warning tug. "Always?"

Fuck, it was hard not to pull her back onto his dick again, to shove her to the floor and just ride her until the tense pleasure throbbing at the base of his spine found its release when she came around him again. "Always," he ground out, lifting his gaze to Lucas's. "You came all over his face, sweetheart. Make him come all over yours."

"That's filthy--"

Lucas silenced her by pressing his thumb hard against her full lower lip. "Use your hand," he growled. "And keep telling me how fucking dirty all this is."

Trembling, she obeyed.

He was still slick from her mouth, and her fist glided easily up his shaft when she wrapped it around him. She squeezed tighter, and Lucas groaned, his head falling back, his throat working.

Blake tugged at her hair again, just to make her moan, and ground deeper. "Your alpha told you to talk. Say all those words that make your pussy clench tight."

"I love it," she breathed. "It gets so hot, like my skin doesn't fit anymore. Except now it finally does." The tip of Lucas's cock glistened, and she licked away the evidence of his arousal with a flick of her tongue. "It is filthy. It's wicked, and I want more."

Lucas's gaze had gone dark, heavy-lidded. "More what, love? Say it."

"More everything--fucking, spanking, kissing..." She trailed off as she pumped her hand over him, then growled as she twisted her hand lightly. "Pleasure."

"Jesus--" Lucas shuddered, his hips twitching, and thrust into her fist. "What else?"

She didn't answer immediately, not with words. But a shudder rippled through her, too, one Blake could feel deep inside. "Love."

He could give her that. He would, whether she chose him or not. "I told you the first day, sweetheart. We'll give you everything."

Her head fell back against his shoulder, and her eyes fluttered shut. Lucas wrapped his fingers over hers and jerked her hand faster, his chest heaving. He lifted his free hand to her face, pushed two fingers between her parted lips, and rumbled when she licked them hungrily.

"Blake--" His voice was strained, taut, like the muscles standing out in stark relief beneath his skin.

He didn't have to finish the sentence. Blake hauled Ashley up against his chest, sliding one hand down to splay across her abdomen as he curled the other around her throat.

"Where should he come?" Blake growled, edging his fingers low enough to brush the slick outer lips of her pussy. "So many pretty places to choose from." But not inside her, whispered that darker voice. Ashley might shiver at the illicitness of having Lucas's come splashed across her tits, or licking it from her lips, but Blake was the one inside her.

Right where she wanted him.

Ashley drew in a sharp breath and let it out on such a desperate, pleading noise that Blake took pity and gave her what she needed--quick, firm pressure on her clit. She bucked with a shriek, her pussy clamping around his cock.

Lucas came with a grunt. He pumped his hand, milking his orgasm, painting Ashley's hard nipples and luscious breasts with every eager spurt of semen. Spent, he fell back on the pillows with another groan.

Ashley shivered, then slowly reached up and circled her nipple, rubbing the new slickness over and around the hard peak. Growling, Blake lifted his hand to catch hers and dragged both of them to her lips. "Go ahead," he dared her. "Lick him off your fingers. Lick yourself off mine."

She turned her head far enough to almost meet his gaze before opening her mouth and sliding her hot, pink tongue over their fingertips.

It was too much. He spilled forward again, bending her across Lucas's sprawled body. She went so willingly, even when he pressed her cheek to Lucas's chest with a whispered, "Stay there," and straightened.

She did, her body a sweet, submissive arc, her ass like heaven under his hands as he gripped her and finally, finally gave into the need to move, to thrust deep, to give pleasure and take it.

It had to be enough. Her body still gripped him tightly every time he withdrew and welcomed him eagerly with every advance, and she was so wet, so primed, making desperate noises that matched the need pulsing in his bones.

Jerking her hips higher, he used everything he'd learned of her body to angle his next thrust just right. A scream tore out of her throat, so sudden and hoarse that it took him a moment to realize it was his name.

Yes.

He fucked her harder, wilder, riding the spot that made her scream. With her voice ringing in his ears, urging him on, maybe he could out outpace the doubts breathing down his neck, the certainty that this was too easy, too cowardly. Letting Lucas step aside wasn't a victory he had earned.

But it was one he couldn't stop himself from taking, especially when she screamed again, coming so hard around him that he couldn't hold back. With pleasure graying out the world, he ground deep and gave in to it.

Release. Bliss, undercut with the sharp bite of disappointment, because it was so, so good--

But that was all it was.

Ashley shivered against Lucas's chest, and he murmured something low and soothing, words that couldn't quite penetrate the pounding rush in Blake's ears. Her shivers turned into trembling, and she looked up over her shoulder.

Confusion marred would should have been sleepy contentment. Resolving to lick his wounds in private, Blake locked down every last shred of pain and leaned over to kiss the furrow between her brows. "Shh. It's okay."

"But you..." A darker flush replaced the glow on her cheeks.

"Shh." Even a werewolf would be aching after the way they'd worked her, so he withdrew carefully before wrapping Ashley in one arm and tugging her to sprawl between him and Lucas. She was still trembling, flushed and uncertain, and he hated himself for diminishing the brightness in her eyes, even a little.

Once he had her snuggled safely between them, Blake nuzzled past her hair to kiss the spot just beneath her ear. "Your wolf's too strong to be rushed, and too clever to give in while you're having this much fun. So enjoy it, and so will we."

She relaxed, just a little. "The full moon," she whispered. "I bet that's it."

"Clever girl," Lucas murmured, an easy smile curving his lips.

Maybe it was true. When the moon hung full in the night sky, none of them would be able to resist its call. They'd run together. Hunt together. Shed their skins and bask in the comfort and safety of pack.

And when they slipped back into their human bodies, hot and hard and still riding that feral edge of adrenaline, they'd give Ashley what she'd been craving from the start. Her secret desire. Her filthy, treasured fantasy. All of them on her and in her, fucking her until they'd wrung the last possible drop of pleasure from her beautiful body.

Maybe that would finally sate her wolf.

Lucas stroked a hand through her hair, then reached for a folded blanket at the end of the nearest couch. "You've been reading some of the lore?"

She clung to Blake as Lucas draped the blanket over them. "Connor showed me some of the right books. I figure I should know as much as I can."

It was probably irrational for Blake to feel as if he'd failed her, but teaching her about their world had been one of the few things he had to offer. Of course Connor could do it better. He knew what it was like to come from the outside, confused and unsettled. Just like Mac knew how to smooth the transition, and Jud understood both worlds.

Blake could buy her things, punch people for her, and fuck her cross-eyed. What a fantastic fucking recommendation.

It was harder to choke down his bitterness this time, but he did it for her, smoothing his hand over the silky skin at her hip. "Have you learned anything interesting?"

"Yeah--that no one really knows much anymore." She twined her fingers with his. "It's sad."

"It is. But that's why--"

He cut off as the front door banged open. Connor strode in on a wave of anxiety so tangible Blake tightened his arm around Ashley.

Lucas sat up immediately, dragging part of the blanket with him. "How'd it go?"

Connor's usual easy grin was nowhere to be seen as he stopped in front of them, seemingly oblivious to their bare skin, Ashley's flushed cheeks, and the scent of sex lingering in the air. "We've got a problem, Lucas."

"You figure out what all the fuss was about?"

His gaze flicked to Ashley and away so fast, Blake almost thought he'd imagined it. But the next words hit him hard. "They've heard about Ashley," Connor said. "But that's not the problem."

"Spit it out, Connor," Blake snapped.

Connor ignored him, locking eyes with the alpha. "They have a girl, too."

End of Part Two
Find out how Blake & Ashley's story ends in Part Three!