Page 28 of Deadly Ties

But she doesn’t want to fucking hear it. Worse, she doesn’tneedmy apology. I saw that only an hour ago, when she was plastered to Kelly’s back, her mate on the other side of the omega sandwich. Even with Kelly in heat, the three of them looked… connected. I don’t know how the fuck it happened, but there’s a sick, churning feeling in my gut. To distract myself, I study the marble fountain as we pass it, two giant wolves caught in a leap. From this angle, it’s hard to tell whether they’re about to fight or fuck. “I just want you to be happy, little wolf. You think you can find that here, being a Ferrier?”

She opens her mouth, like she’s finally going to tell me to shut the hell up, but then her gaze grows distant and her shoulders relax. “I think I’m happy wherever Arben is. And I’ve worked out names don’t mean much in the end.”

That leaves me feeling even worse, my wolf snarling under my skin as she leads me through the trees to her mate’s cabin. It’s small but well-built, and I try to picture Marku coming back here after a hard day of killing to unwind before the fireplace.

Whatever Elvi sees in my face just deepens her frown. “You have to trust Arben that if anything goes wrong, he’ll handle it. And if it gets too much for you, just leave. Agreed?”

Bossiness seems to be contagious, but I nod, ignoring my stung feelings. Little Angel has no reason to trust me to behave myself, after all. And when she keeps looking at me with doubt in her tiger-gold eyes, I mutter, “I’ve seen this at its worst, so I’m just here to help.”

“Okay. Then brace yourself. He’s on the defensive.”

I don’t know how the hell she knows that from outside the cabin, but when we finally step through the door, my wolf gives a deep, warning growl. Elvi shoots me a glare, but then takes my arm and leads me over to a black leather sofa. It’s in front of an unlit fireplace, but since the living space is open, we have front-row seats to what’s going on. Which looks like a clusterfuck in the making.

Marku is sitting on a wooden chair he’s taken from the dining table, his shirtsleeves rolled back and his hands on his knees. I’m kind of expecting that – it’s not so different from the pose he took at the beginning of Elvi’s heat – but Kelly is a complete shock. Because right now he’s in his golden-red wolf form, and pacing in front of Marku like he’s getting ready to rumble.

The thing about Kelly, he’s a big guy when he’s not half-starved, and his wolf isn’t exactly small, either. He was also raised to be an alpha, so he’s got the arrogance of a top predator, and it’s never clearer than when he’s in wolf form. It was something that used to make us nuts when we were kids and this snotty shit from England refused to bow down to our superior wolves. It only took his first heat to educate us on the power of an omega male when he’s in a pissy mood.

Which means the cardinal rule of surviving Kelly’s heat is to never,everlet him shift into his wolf.

Too fucking late.

I suck in a breath – nightmare scenarios already playing out in my mind - and instantly regret it. Because the cabin is freakingsoaked. Not just in the musk of Kelly’s wolf, but in the mingled scents of Marku and his new mate. Elvi has always been mouthwatering to me, but together they smell like chocolate-coated sex. My dick is instantly rock hard, and I have to dig my hands into the sofa cushions to stop myself lunging for Elvi.

Because as much as Kelly’s wolf is sizing up Marku, he’s also super interested in the girl at my side. And I guess I must be sitting too close to her or something, because I’m getting a lot of wolfie side-eye tossed my way.

“Wolfling,” Arben purrs in that deadly sinful voice of his, “if you let your head win, your body will lose. Nowshift.”

The alpha command rolls through me and I have to bite back a curse as my own wolf strains against my skin. Holy shit. I always knew Marku was a dominating beast, but his power is off the freaking charts. And my shock quickly turns to anger as Kelly’s wolf gives a helpless whine and shimmers out of sight. Left in his wake is my naked, shivering mate. And when he gives a pained gasp, power surges through my limbs. It’s my wolf’s magic, ready to shoot me off the sofa and take the fucking bully down…

“Don’t. Move.” I expected a command to be thrown my way, just not from Little Angel. But her grip on my arm is brutal, her eyes all wolf. And I have to say my cock only gets harder when she snarls at me and I can see a hint of fang. “Watch and learn, Rory. Or I’ll kick you out on your ass.”

Fuck. The disapproval in her voice cuts me to the core, and my wolf instantly takes a step back. I force myself to watch as Marku leans forward a little, his voice curling around Kelly like a caress. “Listen to your wolf,princi. He doesn’t want to fight, does he?”

Kelly shudders, probably because of the way his pet name rolls off the devil’s tongue. But his face is desperate as he shakes his head, his eyes scrunched up tight. “No, he doesn’t.”

Arben nods, those big white teeth bared in a smile. “Then tell me, what does he want?”

Kelly sighs, his arms wrapping around himself. His shirt is long gone and I flinch at all those scars and bruises, like a fucking patchwork of pain. His shifter healing will take care of most of it, but it’s going to be a long time before I can look at him and not want to rip someone’s head off.

But Marku seems oblivious to his pain. “If you won’t answer me, wolfing, I’ll just have to talk to your other half.”

Kelly grunts. “You really are the devil, you know that?”

“I’m here to serve,” Marku purrs, but he follows it up with another command and Kelly shifts again. As soon as he’s formed, his wolf lets out a furious growl, his silver eyes instantly turning our way.

I grit my teeth. I’ve seen how this goes enough times to know he’s on the edge of a feral rage. “We need to try something else. You can’t just bully him through his heat.”

Instead of kicking me out of his cabin, Marku nods at Little Angel and she stands up, approaching Kelly’s wolf with zero fear. If I wasn’t so terrified she’s about to get her face ripped off, I’d be hella proud. But instead, I jerk to my feet, ready to jump between them. One look at Marku’s face and I know he’s going to command my ass if I try to stop her.

I force myself to wait, but tension prickles the air, growing thicker as Elvi reaches Kelly and runs her fingers through the gold-red fur between his ears. The growl that echoes in his chest is enough to raise the hairs on my arms, but Elvi just makes a soft tutting sound. “So this is how you want to play it,princi?”

When I interrupted them an hour ago, I didn’t pay much attention to her clothing. But now she’s wearing a sexy as fuck white halter dress, and I’m pretty sure my mouth drops open when she reaches for the knot behind her head and tugs it undone. The top half slides down to her waist, exposing a white lace bra that makes my eyes cross. But a few seconds later she’s removed the rest of her clothes, her fingers hooked in the sides of her tiny panties. None of us have taken our eyes off her, including Kelly’s wolf, and I expect her mate to be salivating as bad as I am. But when I glance at him, all I can see is pride in his eyes, which makes no sense to me. Isn’t he worried about her? Because she’s clearly getting ready to shift. And the second she does, Kelly’s wolf won’t just be growling at her, he’ll be all over her. Either fighting her or fucking her, but most likely trying to do both at the same time.

“Don’t do it,” I whisper to Marku. “You command her, and Kelly will attack. His wolf can’t take other wolves being around during his heat.”

Twin growls roll through the room, and I blink at the two wolves suddenly staring back at me. What the fuck? Did Marku command Little Angel, and I missed it? “How did you do that?”

“I didn’t,” Marku replies, his gaze caressing the wolves. “Princeshë takes care of her own shifts.”

---