Page 8 of Fated
Ryker doubled over cackling as Jace smirked, clearly enjoying her mortification.
“Hey,” Ryker gasped, “I wasn’t laughing at you. I was laughing at the logistics. I mean, how were we supposed to—”
“Do. Not. Start!” Lena snapped, but the memory flooded back anyway.
Lena had been breathless, flushed with excitement, adrenaline singing in her veins following their run. The scent of pine and damp earth clung to the three of them, mingling with something headier—the raw musk of pheromones thick in the air, a primal undertone that set her skin ablaze.
She’d drank in Ryker and Jace, seeing them—reallyseeing them—their naked bodies a novelty, a secret treasure she was privileged to behold. She’d been mesmerized by their lean muscles. How sweat trailed down their skin like rivulets of moonlight. How their chests heaved with ragged breaths. By the obvious arousal hanging thick and heavy between their legs.
Lena was so convinced that Selene had destined her for both of them. Elara had stalked beneath her skin that night, whining with anticipation, almost frantic with the need to claim what she’d believed was theirs.
At sixteen, she and Ryker had recently received their wolves, while Jace was nearly eighteen—the age when fated bonds were revealed. Lena couldn’t fathom waiting two more agonizing years for fate to confirm what she already knew in her heart. That they were meant to share her, to claim her, to behers.
She’d been shocked by her own boldness. One second: marveling at their sweat-drenched bodies. The next: grabbing their wrists, dragging them toward the packhouse and into her suite like a female possessed. “We’re going to fuck,” she’d declared with awkward determination, voice cracking on the last word.
The scene had been chaotic—overly aggressive kisses, her clumsy hands struggling around Ryker’s erection, and Jace’s inexperienced mouth fumbling between her thighs. Rykercouldn’t stop laughing—about her nipples, about the way Jace’s cock curved slightly left, about how the mechanics would even work.
Jace, however, had been fully committed. His pupils blown wide, cock engorged and dripping pre-cum as he took charge. “Ryker, lie down,” he’d ordered. “Lena, you on top.”
She straddled Ryker, back to Jace, but he’d halted her with a hand on her hip. “No, keep your back to him.”
Lena frowned. “Why?”
Jace cleared his throat. “So, he doesn’t have to, um…stare directly at your—uh…” He gestured vaguely. “Very…assertivenipples.”
“Oh, come on, Jace.” Ryker snorted.
“I swear to Selene, I will murder you both,” Lena growled, though the fire in her cheeks made her threat less intimidating.
What followed could only be described as a train wreck. Limbs tangled, angles misjudged, and at one point, Lena’s knee ended up somewhere that had Ryker letting out a strangled yelp and curling into the fetal position.
Just as they were both positioned at her entrance and started arguing about whether to thrust at the same time or take turns, the door slammed open so hard the windows rattled.
“What in Selene’s name is going on here?” Cian’s roar nearly took the roof off.
Lena screamed, scrambling for a blanket. Jace fell off the bed in his haste to not be there anymore. Ryker, who had been mid-laugh at Jace’s misfortune, choked on his own breath upon meeting Cian’s gaze and flailed, knocking over a lamp.
“Cian—get out!” Lena shrieked, dignity already in tatters.
“What the actual fuck are you doing?” Cian’s face was a storm cloud, golden eyes ablaze with disbelief, rage, and what looked suspiciously like deep psychological distress. “Are you—are you trying to run a fucking train? Onmy sister?”
Lena groaned, pulling the blanket over her head. “This is the worst night of my life.”
Ryker, ever the peacemaker, held up a hand from where he was half-draped off the bed. “For the record, we never got that far. We’re still sorting out the uh…technical difficulties.”
Jace, still on the floor, covered his face. “Kill me. Just kill me now.”
Lena pulled herself from the memory, firelight dancing at the edges of her vision. The aftermath of the Incident had been...interesting. Lena’s emotions had been a tangled mess of anger and mortification. She’d been furious with Cian for bursting in—for stealing what she’d believed was rightfully hers—but her anger had crumbled when she saw his face, looking every bit as mortified as she felt.
Ryker, shameless as ever, had brushed off the entire ordeal with his usual nonchalance. He’d laughed and joked—especially about her nipples:“They’re like a little team. One’s just a little more ambitious than the other! It’s inspiring.”Lena had been grateful for his efforts to diffuse the tension.
Jace, however... Something had shifted between them. Until she turned eighteen and they’d realized they weren’t fated, an unspoken tension had lingered, a spark of attraction that had never quite fizzled out. Even now, Lena couldn’t help but wonder what might have been if Cian hadn’t interrupted them. If they’d been given the chance to explore the desire that had simmered between them.
Yes, the night had been a disaster, but also a turning point. She’d been trying to force destiny’s hand, to reshape their friendship into something it wasn’t meant to be. What they had now—this unshakeable bond that didn’t require fate’s blessing—was too precious to risk.
Jace cleared his throat, breaking her thoughts.
“Look, Lena. I know Ryker’s an obvious choice—alpha-smart, beta-strong, blah, blah, blah... But don’t sleep on your other option.” He waggled his eyebrows with a wicked grin. “Sleepwithme instead.” He leaned forward, purring into her ear as he added, “The only thing better than raising our smart, diplomatic, and gorgeous pups would bemakingthem. And trust me, you’re going tolovemaking them.”
