Page 41 of Make Me

Bethany and Cody eyed each other. Zack bit his lip. He wanted them to take the sanctuary the headmaster was offering, but he knew they wouldn’t. Taking sanctuary at the Academy meant they were never going to be able to go back to their pride and pack, respectively. And they weren’t going to give that up, no matter how much it hurt them to stay. Although, from his last letter from Cody, Bethany wasn’t planning on running the pride the same way Sadara was running it.

A cautious hope had bloomed inside him at Cody’s description of the conversation they’d had. He was careful not to let that small flame of hope grow too big, but it was possibly a sign Bethany was open to an intermixed mating. Or two of them. He wasn’t sure how much longer Cody was going to be able to hold out. Nor himself, for that matter. In his letters to him, Cody had talked about how despite his best efforts to tire his wolf out, the mating pull was almost unbearable.

Now that the urgency of healing them had faded, Zack’s stomach flipped as the magnetic pull that drew all three of them together rose inside him. Bethany shifted in her chair, and Zack wondered if she felt the pull the same way they did. Cats were notoriously private about their affairs.

“No, thank you, Headmaster,” Bethany said diplomatically, answering his question.

Headmaster Dorian eyed them a moment longer and then nodded. “If that changes, the offer will always be there. Come into my office. Let’s talk. Desmond sent word that they are on their way here now.”

They went into his office, where Andy and Helene were waiting. It wasn’t long before Claire and her Triad showed up and filled them in on the events in the Elven Forest and at the Dragon Mountains. Claire was searching for something that her mother, Winona, had left for her but didn’t have many details on what it could be. But she knew she needed to find it alone.

When she left, Zack escaped to the library to, hopefully, lessen the pull. It was hell just sitting there talking about the danger they were about to face and being so close to his soul flames but so far as well. And yes, they were his soul flames. He didn’t care what the Realm thought about it. But they weren’t ready to claim him. Well, Cody might be, but he was still under his father’s Alpha Order, and Bethany was still trapped in the narrative her mom and the pride had instilled in her.

“Zack. Are you okay?”

Zack closed his eyes and kept in his groan. Speak of the devil.

He pasted a smile on his face and turned around. “I’m fine.”

Bethany stood before him, her golden hair framing her face where it had come loose from her braid. Her brilliant green eyes narrowed at his words. “Don’t lie. I thought we were friends.”

“Is that all we are?” The words slipped through his lips before he could stop them.

Her eyes widened, and she hesitated. “My pride…”

Zack groaned. He was so sick of that excuse. He knew her pride was a problem, but he wanted her to stop hiding behind it.

“I’m not talking about your pride,” he warned her as he advanced. “I’m not looking to be in a relationship with your pride. I want to know how you feel. Did what happened at the Solstice mean anything to you?”

Her eyes widened, and her raspberry scent hung heavy in the air as he closed in on her, coming to a stop just a few inches from her. Her green eyes flared, and Zack wondered if their proximity affected her like it affected him.

The pull intensified, and her eyes flashed over his shoulder as Cody entered the library.

“Whatcha all talking about?” Cody stopped behind Zack, leaning in and resting his chin on Zack’s shoulder. Zack leaned back against him, enjoying the feeling of Cody’s chest against his back. Cody’s hand came up to rest on Zack’s hips, and Bethany tracked the movement.

“What’s going on between the two of you?” Bethany asked. She stepped back as she changed the subject, but her eyes were curious.

Zack smiled at her attempt to avoid his questions, but he humored her for now. He tilted his head and brushed a kiss across Cody’s cheek. Cody rumbled in approval and pressed closer to Zack. Bethany’s eyes were alight with curiosity and heat. Did his lioness enjoy watching the two of them together? His cock hardened as he thought of all the possibilities. From the low rumble at his back, Cody was on the same page.

“Zack!” Andy’s voice came from the entrance to the library. “Are Cody and Bethany with you?”

“Yes!” Zack called back.

“Okay, bring them with you. Claire’s back, and she found it.”

Reluctantly, Zack stepped away from Cody, his heart panging at the loss of heat.

“This conversation isn’t over,” Zack whispered in Bethany’s ear as he passed her. He enjoyed the shiver that went down her spine at his promise. They were going to finish this conversation at the Dragon Mountains.

Bethany escaped to Holly’s and Claire’s side as soon as they got back to the office, but Zack was content to sit back and let her. He shared a conspiratorial glance with Cody and smiled at the gold flecks in his brown eyes. Their hellcat could run, but she wasn’t going to be able to hide for long. Not now that she’d shown her hand. She was more interested in them than she’d let on. For a while there, he thought she didn’t see them at all like that, but she had been slipping this year. He wasn’t the only one eager for the three of them to be together, it seemed.

After Claire shared what she found, they traveled through the portals to the Dragon Mountains and were headed down the stone tunnels towards their rooms. Holly was up ahead with Bethany, their heads close together as they had a whispered conversation. Zack didn’t have any shifter hearing, but he overheard Holly saying something about “enjoying the present.”

Zack frowned. Was Bethany just trying to take what she could from them before she thought she would lose them? Not that she actually would, but in her mind, did she think all she had were a few moments before she had to go back to the pride and what her mother expected of her? He wanted to be upset at her for that, but for how fierce Bethany was, she was also very skittish when it came to feelings and relationships. He could be patient with her. If she wanted to treat this like it had an expiration date, she could. But he and Cody would do everything they could to convince her otherwise. She couldn’t get rid of them that easily, and Zack would take on both the pride and the pack before he allowed either of the Heirs to be taken from him.

Holly opened the door and held it for Bethany. She gestured Zack and Cody through when they hesitated.

“Take care of her,” Holly whispered as they passed.

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