Page 57 of Claimed By 3 Mountain Men

My cheeks burn anew with the memory of this afternoon. It was better than I could ever imagine.

They’re all I can think about. Their hands, their lips, their bodies. All their parts are so similar yet feel unique to me.

A shiver works its way down my spine as I remember the way Hank’s cock had felt inside me, hard and fast, the way my name had sounded on his lips.

I take a deep breath, trying to clear my head, but it's no use. Images of him, of them, keep invading my mind.

Hank had been rough, but there was something so primal about it that had me aching for more even after he left. Ben is always sweet and hot, teasing every part of me slowly.

I shake my head. This wasn’t me. I wasn't the type of girl who got caught up in heat-of-the-moment trysts. But then again, isn’t this exactly what I wanted?

Outside, the sun is starting to set, casting a warm golden glow over the snow-capped peaks. It feels lonely in the hotel room, the four bare walls feel like they’re pressing in on me.

I thought losing my virginity would make me feel different, but instead all I am is ravenous for more, and I’m not sure if I’ll ever see them again.

My gaze falls back on the laptop, and I reach for the room service pasta I’d ordered but hardly eaten.

The footage I’ve collected over the past few days has been frustratingly mundane but also and tantalizingly close to what I’m looking for.

I click through the files, scanning each one carefully, my eyes trained on the screen. The camera’s view shifts as I cycle through the different angles—trees swaying in the wind, the rustle of leaves, the distant sound of a bird taking flight. The forest is alive, vibrant, and teeming with the kind of life that makes it worth fighting for.

Then, I see it.

“Holy shit.”

It’s nothing more than a flicker at first, a movement in the corner of the frame that catches my eye. I pause the footage, my heart skipping a beat as I rewind, playing the scene back in slow motion. The screen blurs for a moment, and then it comes into focus, and there, in the shadows between two trees, is the unmistakable form of a silver lynx.

I gasp, my breath catching in my throat as I freeze the frame, staring at the screen in disbelief. The lynx is beautiful, its fur a shimmering silver that almost blends into the dappled light filtering through the trees. It’s crouched low, its muscles tense, ready to spring at any moment, but it doesn’t move. It seems tobe watching, and waiting, its sharp eyes scanning the area, as if it knows it’s being watched.

I can hardly believe what I’m seeing. I’ve been searching for evidence of these elusive creatures for so long, and now, here it is—proof they’re still out there, still surviving, despite everything.

My hands tremble as I take a screenshot, capturing the image, my mind racing with the implications. This isn’t just a sighting—this is the key to everything.

If I can prove the silver lynx is still in this area, still thriving, then I’ll have the leverage I need to stop the Truitt’s’ operations, in order to protect this land, and to ensure that these creatures have a fighting chance.

But Hank’s words keep echoing in my mind.

The mountain decides who stays and who goes, and it’s been known to change its mind on a whim.

I had a feeling his words were a veiled threat, a warning to turn back while I still could.

But I couldn’t, not now. Not when I was so close.

I quickly draft a one line email, attach the screenshot and send it off to the conservatory, without a subject in the email.

My heart pounds in my chest, and adrenaline surges through my veins, leaving me breathless.

I have to go back.

After everything that went down with the Truitt’s, I had half a mind to turn back and head home defeated, but now—now, I have a reason to stay.

The night airis cool against my skin as I make my way deeper into the woods, the darkness swallowing me whole where the taxi dropped me off.

I clutch my backpack straps tightly.

The trees loom tall and shadow around me, their branches reaching out like skeletal hands, but I keep moving, pushing forward into the location of the camera. My breath comes in steady puffs, my feet crunching softly on the damp ground.

I have the perfect excuse if one of them catches me. I left my camping equipment on their property and had to pack it up.

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