Page 21 of Claimed By the Feral Wolves

I roll over, intending to snuggle into Ezra’s back, but he also starts to stir, turning and facing me in his sleep. When he settles, he reaches out and places one arm on my hip, tugging me a little closer to him. Always so protective, so considerate, even in sleep. Looking at him, I feel safe, wanted, so cared for and secure. Things that I never thought I’d feel again.

I should not be feeling these things for my fake mates, the men who are helping me get away from Kurt so we can all go our separate ways. This is all an act. Cayson and Ezra have both made it clear they’re not in the market for omegas, and I’m not in the market for alphas. We all plan to leave this place on our own, so it’d be stupid to confuse this for something real… something long-term.

Yet, I can’t help but rub my chest. I’m feeling so many things. Things that don’t seem to fit into the life of the Faye who arrived at The Selection. Feelings that have no place in my quiet cabin in the woods.

It dawns on me all at once. The connection I feel with Ezra and Cayson is something I haven’t experienced since my brother died. I’d put up such tall, strong walls against my pack, against Addilyn, against anyone who tried to reach out, that I haven’t felt this kind of tenderness and emotion in a long time. Maybe, maybe, I’d put a wall around my heart to ensure I would never be hurt again, maybe because I couldn’t handle being hurt again.

The strange thing is that same feeling isn’t here any longer. It’s like the wall is just… gone.

Before I know what’s happening, a sob rips through me, and I bring a hand to my mouth, not wanting to wake either of them,but it’s too late. The sound had cut through the room, too loud in the silence, and both men had tensed beside me.

In front of me, Ezra’s incredible blue eyes flash open, instantly focusing on my face as my eyes fill with tears. “Faye?” Ezra says, reaching out and tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “What’s wrong?”

“What is it?” Cayson parrots, and I feel him sitting up at my back, his muscles tense, his tone saying he’s ready to fight whatever is making me cry.

But how can I explain what I’m feeling? It’s silly. They wouldn’t understand. I should probably say nothing. Or maybe lie. But I don’t know if I can bring myself to do either of those things with them.

“Sorry,” I say, through a hiccupping sob. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“Faye,” Ezra says, his breath warm and soft against my face.

He leans forward and presses a kiss to my forehead, almost like his kiss can chase away whatever is making me cry. I feel Cayson relax behind me, settling back into the covers and pressing his chest to my back, tucking his head onto my shoulder.

I’m sandwiched between them again, feeling supported and protected on all sides. It eases something inside of me, making it feel safe to express my sadness. Sadness I feel like I need to address for the first time since I lost my brother.

“Talk to us,” Cayson murmurs, sounding more serious than I’ve ever heard him.

He’s tracing a finger over my shoulder-blade, and it feels so good it could almost put me to sleep. I don’t know what it is with these men, but they’ve made me realize just how good touch can really feel. Just how healing it can be.

“I’m fine. It’s just silly emotions,” I say, tears rolling down my face, trying to explain myself without making them think I regret last night.

Ezra brushes my tears away. “Emotions aren’t silly. Tell us. We might be able to help.”

I hesitate, but decide to take the risk. “I just—I’m feeling things I haven’t felt in a long time,” I admit. “After my brother died, it was like there was this big emptiness inside me. Like the only way to protect myself was by pushing everyone away, hiding in the cabin, wallowing in what I lost. I realize now that pushing everyone away was the wrong choice. I needed something different. Something more like… this.” Not the sex. Them. Ezra and Cayson. “It just hurts so much, being here with you and feeling the comfort I could have had all this time, that I’d been denying myself. Realizing that maybe letting people in would allow some of my sadness to stop torturing me.”

“You know,” Ezra says after a long moment of Cayson rubbing my back and his thumb running soothing circles over my hip. “My father always says that the path winds for a reason. It may feel long and dangerous, but the winding path is a way to prepare us for what’s ahead. A sharp turn may just tell you it’s time to take a break, or an uphill climb might condition your muscles for the battle you’re going to fight.”

“So, everything happens for a reason?” Cayson deadpans, and I laugh a little as Ezra rolls his eyes.

“If only we could all be as eloquent as you,” Ezra mutters, then, re-focusing on me, he says, “Essentially, yes. Everything happens for a reason. It’s not always something you want to hear when you’re going through the bad things. But they make you stronger. They give you character, like seasoning on a good piece of meat. People like Kurt, who have had everything handed to them, who have never gone through adversity or pushed through a tragedy, they are lacking a fundamental experience of what itmeans to be alive. Growing and changing requires pain. Without it, we would not have a reason to deviate.”

“I didn’t know you were a philosopher,” Cayson says, which makes me laugh again.

Between the two of them, Ezra’s comforting and rational speeches and Cayson’s light-hearted banter, I already feel miles better. There’s just something about these two. Something I can’t quite put my finger on.

“Also, it’s normal to feel a lot of emotions after sex,” Ezra says, kissing my forehead again.

“I wouldn’t know,” I say, clearing my throat, somehow feeling embarrassed at that fact. “Was it that obvious that I was a virgin with anything I did, or didn’t do, last night?”

“Gods, no,” Cayson murmurs, his murmurs turning to kisses that send shivers down my back. “There is not a single thing about you that I would change.”

“Nor would I.”

“I just don’t understand,” I say with a laugh. It comes out a little watery from the tears, but they’ve mostly subsided. “I’ve just never heard of alphas being so tender, so kind and gentle. Are the two of you anomalies? I always heard that alphas would be brutes, always taking what they wanted. Kurt made me think that was true. My grandmother and grandfather warned me that it was true.”

“My father would disinherit me if he heard that I had mistreated an omega. It goes against our pack’s moral code—my own personal moral code,” Ezra says, shaking his head, and I watch as his hair, loose from its normal perfect styling, shakes with him. “The strong should always protect the weak.”

“I just don’t see how sex could be fun if the other person isn’t into it,” Cayson says. “Seeing their arousal, how much they want me, is the biggest part of what turns me on.” He kisses my neck. “I mean, you saw what you did to us last night.”

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