Page 53 of Marked By the Alphas

“Your most powerful sense is your sense of hearing. It gives you the edge, it gives you control even when all your other senses might fail you. If you can hone your hearing, then you can almost predict what is about to happen before it happens. Even with your sight cut off, you were still able to see the rope before it hit you. You need to be able to put up a shield to block out the unnecessary noise, but you can’t block out every sound. It leaves you vulnerable and helpless. Do you understand?” I asked, and she quickly nodded.

I pulled out a piece of cloth from my pocket and moved behind her. “I’m going to blindfold you now. Trust your instincts and trust your wolf,” I urged as I covered her eyes with the cloth.

I watched as she bit her lip in anticipation and the small action was enough to distract me. Her scent washed over me, and the intoxicating blend called to the very core of my being. It threatened to unravel the careful control I maintained over mywolf, and I blinked hard, forcing myself to focus on the task at hand and ignore the very strong pull of her essence.

“Be calm, baby. Clear your mind of all wandering thoughts and focus only on the immediate sounds around you,” I advised and I watched as calm washed over her and her shoulders relaxed.

“Catch,” I said, throwing an item at her and my heart swelled with pride when she did.

For the next couple of minutes, I made her catch or duck different items, and in different directions. Once I had exhausted the items I had to throw at her, I approached her, pulling the blindfold off her eyes and laughing when she squealed with excitement.

“I did it!” she said, and I nodded.

“You did so well. I’m so proud of you.”

“I could feel my wolf so close to me, Rowan. I’ve never felt this…” she began, but the rest of her words were lost to me.

For some reason, her scent seemed to be starting a war inside of me, and the closer I was to her, the more it felt like an actual struggle to keep my wolf at bay. His growls echoed in my mind, a relentless demand for dominance and it filled me with confusion.

“Are you all right, Rowan?” Elara suddenly asked, and I blinked to clear my foggy vision. Her eyes were filled with worry as she reached out to touch my forehead.

“Let’s continue another day,” I said, stepping out of her hold, hoping that it would help clear my mind, but it didn’t work.

“But I was enjoying this,” Elara responded with a pout and I felt a pang of guilt shoot through me, but it felt like I needed to step away from her or my wolf would completely take over.

“We will continue to do it, okay? Every day, as early as you can manage, we can have a one-hour training session before the day begins. How about that?” I offered, and her smile returned, stirring something deep inside of me.

“I’d love that,” came her response, but her eyes still held a trace of longing. I wanted to spend every moment with her, but the thought of losing control over something that I still couldn’t even figure out terrified me.

“We can do something else,” I suggested, hoping to distract her as well as myself. I didn’t have to work today, and I reasoned that it might be better if we spent some time together out of the house. Maybe this feeling would ease.

“Can we go to the salon?” she asked excitedly, and I nodded in agreement.

“Of course.”

But as we walked away from the training field, hand in hand, I knew that the battle for control had only just begun. There was something about her scent that had changed and the stir that had begun within me was hard to ignore.

Chapter 27

Elara

As I slowly came awake, I could feel the invisible pattern being traced across my face and a small smile formed on my lips at the familiarity of it all. This was Kai’s favorite thing to do, and I couldn’t count how many times he had roused me from sleep in this manner. It was heartwarming, learning all the unique ways that Rhys, Rowan, and Kai expressed their affection and I loved how the routine had become so normal that it felt like I’d been with them all my life.

It was still hard to believe that only a few months ago, these wonderful men had been nonexistent in my world and my mind would never have been able to fathom this beautiful life that I had now. Looking back, I couldn’t believe that I had thought sharing my past with them would make them look at me differently. It had caused some vulnerability, but they had followed it with acceptance and passion so intense that I sometimes wondered if I was dreaming.

I had bared a part of my soul to them, fearing that it might be too dark for them to handle, but they had offered their unwavering support, and it felt like a balm to my wounded spirit.

I opened my eyes, and just as I had expected, Kai’s face came into focus. The smile that spread across his face as I opened my eyes made a warm feeling flutter through me. He was so incredibly handsome, and his smile never failed to give me butterflies.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” he greeted me, his morning voice husky and deep, stirring sensations in my lower abdomen.

“Good morning,” I said back and Kai’s smile widened.

“You look so incredibly cute when you sleep, and I love your little snores too,” he said, and I gasped in fake hurt.

“Take that back right now! I don’t snore,” I said as I pulled myself to a sitting position and Kai laughed, moving to prop the pillows against the headboard so I could rest comfortably.

“Yes, you do, and I have video evidence to prove it,” he responded, and my jaw dropped for real this time.

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