Page 12 of Bound to Four Alphas

She didn’t finish her insult, her ankle buckling beneath her, sending her flying forward.

She closed her eyes, bracing for impact, but it never came. Kaelen had lurched forward, catching her in his arms, the panic evident on his face. “Fucking hell, Omega, are you trying to injure yourself?”

Weakly she tried to push away from him, but dizziness overcame her, and she fell limp, her brain addled with the thick scent of Kaelen surrounding her, oak and fire and citrus.

“Get off me,” she protested, but his arms only tightened further.

“She cannot walk,” Malek said, as if confirming to himself. She narrowed her eyes at him. What the hell was his problem?

“Then I’ll carry her,” Kaelen said through gritted teeth, the rumble in his chest vibrating through her.

Selena shook her head, “No, not you.” At his molten glare, she gestured towards Ronan. “Him.”

Kaelen was like marble as Ronan advanced towards them with a feral grin, taking her from the dragon and sweeping her up in his thick arms. She curled into his chest, too tired to do anything but bask in the warmth from his bare skin.

Risking a glance at Kaelen, she couldn’t help the slight tremble at his ferocious expression, the spike of possessiveness in his eyes.

“Don’t worry about him, sweetness,” Ronan practically purred, angling her so that her head could rest on his shoulder. “He just can’t stand that you know a real alpha when you see one.”

Kaelen snarled and whipped around, pushing past Malek and forging on into the woods, fists clenched at his sides. Ronan chuckled and began following him, the gentle sway of his long strides lulling her eyes closed.

She had only allowed herself to be picked up, carried away like the sacrifice the villagers had made her, because she knew that realistically she had no other choice. She needed to rest, to eat, to recover from her ordeal. Then, when she had her wits about her, she could make a plan.

As for choosing Ronan, she was half-regretting it already, the raw pheromones he wasn’t even trying to control sending a strange warmth pooling deep in her belly. He seemed to notice it too, his head drifting closer to hers than was strictly necessary, the heat of his breath fanning across her exposed neck.

Ronan had seemed like the safest choice. Kaelen seemed intent on controlling her, using the power of his designation to establish his dominance, and even though her treacherous body seemed more than happy to submit to him, she wasn’t going down without a fight. She certainly hadn’t been about to choose Malek to carry her, something deep in her warning her that he was nothing but pure predator, even if his actions so far had done nothing to indicate he meant her any harm. And even though she felt the least threatened by Elian, she was absolutely sure that she could not trust him, and to give him the slightest indication that she might seemed like a dangerous game to play.

That left Ronan, who was currently nuzzling against the top of her head, making no secret of the fact that he was scenting her. It was normally considered the height of rudeness to scent an unmated omega, but he was openly sniffing at her, an appreciative rumble in his chest.

Screwing her eyes shut, she concentrated on something else, anything else, to distract her from the huge alpha’s hands gripping her tightly, his touch burning hot.

“At least you won the argument.” Elian had skipped out in front of Kaelen, walking backwards so that the furious dragon could see his grin. “Here we are, traipsing through the woods, on foot. What’s the point in those leathery wings of yours if you refuse to use them?”

Kaelen snarled at him, running a hand through his deep red hair. “We’re heading into the borderlands. As soon as we leave Ronan’s territory, we’re exposed. And even if we could take on an army, do you really want information about her to spread? It’s only a matter of time before the humans catch word, and I want our situation resolved before the inevitable conflict.”

Elian hummed, “You make an excellent point, King, I would certainly be put out if anyone else solved the mystery of our little dove before I did. But do you really think the humans would be so stupid as to attack us when we’re bound by magic to defend one another?”

“For all your years, you’re incredibly naive, Benellane.”

Elian shrugged, an easy smile on his face. “Or perhaps my age has granted me wisdom to see things beyond your tiny imagination.”

“We should hunt,” interrupted Malek before Kaelen could snap back a retort. Ronan tensed at the monster’s voice, and the other two alphas looked warily at their quiet companion. “She is hungry.”

Selena could not deny the truth of his words, even as Kaelen’s jaw set in irritation as he glanced back at her, that same heated possessiveness evident there. “Then hunt, Malek, you know the borderlands better than we do.”

Malek nodded and melted into shadow, a cool breeze kissing her skin as the black mist dispersed.

“Are you sure we can trust him to find something edible? For all we know he lives on frogs or bats or beetles—”

“Elian,” Kaelen snapped, “make yourself useful and scout ahead. I want to know how far this temple is.”

Elian pouted but nevertheless melted back down to the golden hawk, powerful wings lifting him into the air. He cocked his head at her. “Sleep well, little dove.” And then he was gone, disappearing above the canopy.

And as Kaelen forged onward, a self-satisfied Ronan carrying her a few steps behind him, sleep finally claimed her.

Chapter 6 - Malek

For six days, they had traveled together, the five of them, and Malek wore the proximity like an ill-fitting cloak.

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