Page 51 of Dearest Alpha Brothers 1: Vampire Prince

Ryker pinched the bridge of his nose. “Archer…”

“Or should we discuss why our big bad alpha’s hands are shaking every time he calls me generous? Jealous much, brother?”

“That’s enough!” Zane’s alpha voice rattled the bookshelves.

“Is it?” Archer sat up, his playful facade dropping. “Because I distinctly felt both of you react when he got possessive today. And none of those feelings were brotherly.”

A heavy silence fell over the library. Through their bond, Archer could feel the turmoil in both his brothers—desire warring with duty, instinct clashing with responsibility.

“We’re supposed to protect him,” Ryker finally said, his voice rough.

“And who’s going to protect him from us?” Zane added quietly.

“Maybe,” Archer suggested, his tone gentler now, “he doesn’t need protection from us. Maybe what happened today proves he’s exactly where he’s supposed to be.”

“As our brother,” Zane bit out, though his clenched fists betrayed his inner struggle. “Which is exactly why this stops now. No more shopping trips, no more deliberate provocations, no more… whatever game you’re playing, Archer.”

“Game?” Archer’s playful demeanor slipped, revealing something darker. “You think that’s what this is? You didn’t feel what I felt today when he got territorial. That wasn’t brotherly concern, Zane. And we all know it.”

“It doesn’t matter what it was,” Ryker interjected, though his own voice was strained. “We’re his protectors. His brothers.Grandfather Alexander and Lord Valentine were blood-sworn brothers. When Dark Haven’s politics turned deadly, Valentine knew his clan’s days were numbered. He made Grandfather swear a blood oath that the Whitlocks would protect Luca if anything happened to them.”

“And that’s all we’ll ever be.” Zane’s alpha authority rang through the room. “Whatever… complications… are developing, they stop now. We maintain appropriate distance. We act like the brothers we’re supposed to be.”

“Right,” Archer drawled, sprawling back on the sofa. “Because that’s working so well for you both?”

Twin growls echoed through the library.

“Face it,” Archer continued, his casual tone belied by the intensity in his eyes. “Something’s changing. You can feel it through the pack bond. The way our wolves react to him. The way he responds to us. Fighting it won’t make it go away.”

“We’re not fighting anything,” Zane snapped, “because there’s nothing to fight. He’s our brother. End of discussion.”

“Keep telling yourself that.” Archer rose smoothly to his feet. “But don’t expect me to pretend I don’t see what’s happening. Or feel how both of you react when he?—”

“Enough!” Zane’s alpha command vibrated through their bones. “This conversation is over. We maintain appropriate boundaries. We act like his brothers. Anything else is not an option.”

Archer paused at the door, his hand on the doorknob. “You know what’s funny? For someone so convinced we should only see him as a brother, you seem awfully concerned about how much time he spends with me. You can keep denying it, but sooner or later, we’ll have to address why all three of us can barely breathe when he?—”

A crash from the main library cut through his words, followed by a soft “Oh no” that had their wolves instantly alert.That voice—sweet and breathy and entirely too tempting—could only belong to one person.

The sound of wood creaking had them moving before conscious thought, bursting through the study doors into the main library. The sight that greeted them sent their wolves into a collective frenzy.

Luca balanced precariously on the top of the rolling ladder, stretched up on his tiptoes, reaching for a leather-bound volume. The silk sleepwear set Archer had insisted on buying him—despite, or perhaps because of, Zane’s growled objections—was a sin made fabric. Barely there shorts in silk rode high on his thighs. His matching tank had ridden up, exposing a strip of creamy midriff that begged to be touched. When Luca stretched higher, the silk molded to his lithe form like a lover’s hands, outlining every delicate line of the boy’s body.

Zane’s growl vibrated through the floor as his wolf howled at the sight. Through their pack bond, Archer felt his brother’s iron control threatening to snap.

Luca’s short black hair was slightly tousled, the soft waves framing his face catching the moonlight like a halo against his pale skin. As he reached up again, the tank slipped farther, revealing more of his slender torso and a hint of skin underneath that had Ryker turning away with a strangled sound.

“Oh!” Luca glanced down at them, wobbling slightly. The movement caused the silk to slide against his skin in ways that tested every ounce of their supernatural control. “I was just… um… looking for this book about vampire maturation? Benedict mentioned there might be something about controlling feeding urges and…” His voice trailed off as he bit his lower lip, unaware of how the innocent gesture affected all three brothers.

The title he’d been reaching for came into focus—Blood Bonds & Territorial Instincts: A Guide to VampireManifestation. The irony of his choice wasn’t lost on any of them.

“Could someone maybe help me down?” Luca asked, his voice small and breathy in a way that had their wolves pacing restlessly. A drop of sweat traced down the boy’s neck, disappearing beneath silk in a path their eyes couldn’t help but follow.

Archer took an instinctive step forward, his wolf practically clawing to get to Luca, but Zane’s hand shot out to stop him.

“Don’t.” Zane’s voice was barely human, rough with something that had nothing to do with brotherly concern. Through their bond, Archer felt the alpha’s control fraying. “You’re not touching him when he’s… like that.”

Luca shifted again, the silk whispering against his skin. The sound seemed obscenely loud in the tension-filled library. Luca’s scent—vanilla and cherry blossoms now mixed with something darker, headier—filled the air until breathing became dangerous.

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