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  Then his eyes drop to my stomach.

  Holy shit.

  Does he know?

  “What are you doing out here?” Vlad asks.

  “Taking a walk. Clearing my head. You?”

  “I’m on watch,” he says. “Relieved Sebastian a couple of hours ago.”

  “Oh.”

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Hmm?”

  “When are you going to tell them?”

  “Tell who what?” I ask.

  “Don’t do that,” he says. “You’re better than that.”

  His eyes fall to my stomach again, and his hand reaches out for my body. I bare my teeth to him and growl, and his hand stops moving. But it doesn’t drop. My eyes flutter up to his, and he locks his gaze with mine, but instead of feeling him trying to control me, there’s nothing. No voice. No look. No pheromones or raging voices inside my head.

  There’s only me. And Vlad. And his earnest waiting for my consent.

  My eyes fall back to his hand, and he continues to move. His body is so close I can feel his heat against my face. He takes the hem of my shirt between his fingers and slowly lifts it up, watching as my small baby bump comes into view. I look up into his eyes, and I can see them dancing with something. But I can’t determine what. He isn’t angry. Or upset.

  Like I thought he might be.

  Like I thought they would all be.

  “Do you know who the father is?” Vlad asks.

  Guilt clenches my heart as I shake my head.

  “I suppose it doesn’t matter. We all love you.”

  I whip my head up at his statement.

  “Did you say ‘we’?” I ask.

  His eyes connect with mine, and I feel his hand cup my stomach. His touch is warm, and it shoots electricity throughout my entire body. I can’t help it when my eyes close and a purring growl escapes from my throat.

  I want him.

  And I know he can smell it.

  He takes another step toward me, his body hovering over mine. I lean my head back against the tree and force my eyes to open. He reeks of lust and desperate desire. He’s shivering from the effort it’s taking to hold himself back. His teeth are gnashing. Grinding together in an effort to keep himself in control.

  But the moment my eyes fall to his lips, it’s over.

  For both of us.

  His arms draw me close to him, and he rips my clothes from my body. The two of us fall into the snow, naked as we roll down the embankment. We crash to the ground, and my legs are spread salaciously for him. Dripping with heat that steams up his body. My hands slide down his toned back, feeling every rippling muscle as his cock grows between my legs. It’s thick. Long. Teeming with rage and leaking with a thick stream of cum I can feel pooling against my leg. My lips latch onto his neck, and he bites back a howl. I know he wants to do it. I can feel it bubbling in his gut. My nose runs over his carotid artery and the overpowering scent is too much.

  I lay my fangs into him, drawing blood before licking my tongue across the open wound.

  Vlad’s lips part and an earth-shattering howl escapes from his lips. His cock slides into me effortlessly, and my howl joins his in a harmonizing chorus of lust. He slams into me, scooting me along the icy frost of the snow as it beats down upon his back. My claws are digging into him, pulling him closer to me as our lips swell at the contact of the other. Our tongues battle for dominance as his cock splits me in two.

  My head is spinning with a pleasure I’ve never felt before, and it’s only heightened by Vlad’s teeth sinking into my breasts.

  I grip his hair and press him deeper into my tits as he licks my wound closed. My entire body is trembling underneath his as he slams his cock further into my body. My heels dig into the ground, meeting him thrust for thrust as his balls smack against my ass. His tightly-wound curls grind against my clit, shooting fire through my veins as every atom in my body explodes with a heat I can’t control.

  Can’t ignore.

  Can’t breathe through.

  Vlad’s lips connect with mine, and he breathes his essence into my lungs. Reopening them and causing me to gasp as I spiral into an endless abyss of ecstasy. One orgasm rolls into another, and soon my legs are cramping they hurt so badly. I roll him over and ride his cock. He rolls us back over and fucks me senseless. He turns me over and fucks me from behind, pressing my face into the ground.

  I can’t get enough of him.

  He peels me from the ground and wraps his arms around my body. His hands massage my aching tits as his lips suck patches of skin between his teeth. He pierces my skin and licks. Pierces my skin and licks. Throwing me into a frenzied state of passion every time he heals my wounds. My brain is muted. I can’t hear. I can hardly breathe, and my legs are no longer holding up my body weight. Vlad pounds into my pussy relentlessly and my ass grinds back into him, causing him to growl into the nape of my neck.

  “Fucking hell, Clarissa. I don’t want to stop.”

  “Then don’t,” I say breathlessly. “Please don’t.”

  We fuck the rest of his shift away until all of the snow is melted by our steam. I am coated in his sweat, and he in my cum. His cock is still buried between my legs, even as his threads of arousal leak from between my legs. He’s panting into me. His cock is still pumping me full of the cum he had been holding in just for our encounter. Stream after stream, until it is a river running from between my legs.

  Then he collapses on top of me, his lips falling onto mine.

  He rolls off my body and quickly pulls me to him. The snow is surrounding us again, blocking out the rest of the world. His hand is cupping my protruding stomach, massaging it as if he’s trying to remind me of something. His touch is protective, but not overbearing. More of a guardian than a guard dog.

  “Vlad?”

  “Yes?”

  “Can I talk with you about something?” I ask.

  “Of course, you can. You can always talk to me. I hope you know that.”

  I turn around in his arms and hook my gaze with his.

  Holy hell, he has such beautiful eyes.

  “I have feelings for you.”

  “You do?” he asks.

  “I do. I have for a while. I’ve tried to fight them, but I couldn't. I can’t any longer.”

  The smile that crosses his face makes my heart ache for what I’m about to tell him.

  “But I also have feelings for Sebastian.”

  “I understand,” he says.

  “And Theo.”

  “I get it.”

  “And Toshi.”

  “Clarissa.”

  “What?” I ask.

  “I get it,” he says.

  The look in his eyes is understanding, and it isn’t the reaction I’m expecting.

  “You get it.”

  “I do,” he says. “I know you care about them. I know you love them. It’s obvious with how you look at them. The interactions, sexual and otherwise that you participate in with them. And with everything you guys have been through, I can’t say it shocks me.”

  “Uh-huh,” I say.

  “So I’ll save you the diatribe I know you’ve prepared, and I’ll tell you this. In my village, it’s common for men to share mates. In the Wolf kingdom, in general, Alphas share mates. I’m not sure what’s up Sebastian’s butt right now, but the possessiveness he’s been exerting isn’t because the two of you have had sex.”

  “You don’t think so?” I ask.

  “No. I think he senses something’s changing with your body. I think they all do. They’re waiting for you to talk with them.”

  “I don’t want them to be angry.”

  “How could anyone be angry at something like this? Clarissa, you’re pregnant. You're going to bring a wonderful gift into this world. If they’re angry at that, then they don’t deserve you. And you shouldn’t be doing this pregnancy alone.”

  “How did you figure it out?” I ask.

  “I’m a lot older than I look,” he say
s with a grin. “And I’ve been around thousands of pregnant females. I know what it looks like and smells like.”

  “How long have you known?”

  “Since Theo’s apartment.”

  “What?” I ask.

  “It was about thirty minutes into my interaction with you.”

  “And you still wanted to be with me?”

  “Yes,” he says. “I did. And I do. Sharing women? It’s a common thing. I don’t know any other way. There hasn’t been a woman I’ve taken that hasn’t been shared by at least one other male. It’s actually uncommon in my village for a woman to only attach herself to one man.”

  “So this doesn’t make you feel weird?”

  “No. It doesn’t. And I hope that I’ve shown you the kind of control I can now exercise around you.”

  “You don’t have to apologize anymore. I get it, Vlad.”

  “I’ve never met a woman with so much power coursing through her veins. You have so much control over yourself, and control over the men around you. It’s alluring in ways I’ve never experienced.”

  A blush tints my cheeks, and I smile up at him.

  “I know we’re meant to be together,” he says as he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “And I know you’re meant to be shared. The greatest women always are. No one man is ever solely good enough for the greatness of one woman, Clarissa. She needs a team of men to fill her needs. A team of men to match what is encased in one of her. I support whatever decision you make but know I’m on your side in all this.”

  Looking into his eyes and hearing his words, part of me believes I can make this work. Part of me believes that maybe, just maybe, I can have all of the men I’ve come to love. I reach my lips up and press them against his, and a small growl vibrates down to my toes. I giggle into his lips and shuffle closer to him, curling into the heat barreling from his body.

  “A few more minutes?” I ask.

  “I think I can spare that,” he says.

  Then he kisses the top of my head before settling his chin into my hair.

  Chapter 22

  Sebastian

  “H as anyone seen that damn Cat?” I ask.

  “Toshi?” Theo asks.

  “Don’t tell me there’s another fucking Cat around here.”

  “No. I haven’t seen him. Wait, have you not seen him?” Theo asks.

  “I haven’t seen him, no,” Vlad says.

  “Who hasn’t seen who?” Clarissa asks walking into the room.

  “Toshi,” I say. “Where the hell is he?”

  “You don’t know where Toshi is?” Clarissa asks.

  “Is it my job to keep up with the furball?” I ask.

  “It’s our job to look out for one another, yes. And for someone who constantly proposes a want to protect us, you do a damn fine job of losing track of us.”

  “Then maybe you shouldn't go wandering off, Clarissa.”

  “What? Jealous?”

  “We have to find Toshi,” Theo says. “When was the last time someone saw him?”

  “He relieved me from my watch shift yesterday,” Vlad says.

  “What?” I growl.

  “He came out there and said he was taking a watch shift. Morphed. Ran off. Figured you’d sent him out here so you could keep an eye on Clarissa like you wanted.”

  “Wait, why were you keeping an eye on me?” Clarissa asks.

  “Can we put all of that aside for a second?” Theo says. “Who was supposed to relieve Toshi from watch?”

  “No one. He was supposed to come back at sunrise. That’s what he told me he was doing anyway,” Vlad says.

  “And no one has seen him since then?” Theo bellows.

  “Guys! Guys! It’s happening. They’re coming.” Joel bursts through the door and snow barrels into the cottage.

  “What?” Josie asks.

  “The Council. They’ve started their march. They’re coming for us,” Joel says. “So much for your idiotic plan.”

  I growl at him standing in the doorway.

  “What are we going to do about Toshi?” Clarissa asks.

  “We can’t do anything right now. Our watches didn’t bring us any intel on them moving. There’s a good chance Toshi figured it out and was captured,” I say.

  “Then we have to go after him. We have to get Toshi, Sebastian!”

  “We can’t!” I rumble. “He knew the risks when he took that watch without telling me about it. I didn’t even know he was going out there. Vlad was supposed to come back before someone took his place. Toshi made his choice.”

  “I’m not leaving him in the hands of the Council to die!” Clarissa yells.

  “Enough!” Theo bellows.

  The entire cottage goes silent as he steps up to the plate.

  “We have no more time to worry. War is on our doorstep. We have to go. The Council has found us, and this village that we said wouldn’t get hurt is now in their crosshairs. We all have to go,” Theo says.

  I see Clarissa leaning into Vlad, and his arm is around her. I feel jealousy bubbling in my veins, but it’s draining me of so much energy. I’m tired of being jealous. I’m tired of thinking she’s mine before she turns around and claims another man I know she loves. I see the way she looks at Toshi. At Theo. Even now, at Vlad. I see the care in her eyes. The tenderness she shares with them. She’s pulling away from me because I’m trying so hard to make her solely mine when I know that isn’t how Alpha wolves operate.

  We take. But we don’t claim.

  Rarely do we ever claim.

  “Sebastian.”

  Theo’s voice rips me from my trance and my eyes pan over to his. We step into the kitchen.

  “What?” I ask.

  “How are we going to get out of here without alerting Clarissa to the fact that she isn’t involved in them?”

  “We tell her she’s the second line of defense. She’s strong enough, and she knows it. We head out to the edge of the woods and fight this battle before it even gets to her,” I say.

  “You think that’ll work?”

  “It’s all we’ve got.”

  “We have to go,” Clarissa says loudly to us from the other room. “We have to get to the edge of the woods.”

  “I have a plan,” I say walking out of the kitchen.

  “What is it?” Vlad asks.

  “We’ll need two lines of defense if they aren’t going to reach the village. A few people to meet them at the entrance to the woods and a few people back here about a half mile out from the village.”

  “Then I’m coming to the front line,” Clarissa says.

  “No, we need you to be our second line of defense. You’re strong. Anyone who can get past us won’t get past you. But if they still want to kill you, then that gives you a fighting chance to take out who we can’t,” I say.

  “You’re lying, Sebastian. I know it.”

  “Take it or leave it, Clarissa.”

  “It’s a good battle plan,” Joel says. “But we have to go now. My men are gathered a half a mile into the woods, so they’ll stand at the side of your second defense. But we can’t pussyfoot any longer. Come on.”

  I brush past Clarissa as she growls at me. She can be as pissed off as she wants, but it isn’t changing. She isn’t fighting on the front lines, and if we do our jobs well enough, she isn’t fighting at all. I love her. I want what’s best for her. No matter what that means.

  I turn and look back at her as Theo grabs my wrist.

  “What?” I snarl.

  “We need to talk. All of us,” Theo says.

  “We’re about to head out to war, and you want to have a pow-wow?” I ask.

  “I think I know what Theo’s about to say,” Vlad says. “And you should listen.”

  “Can you make it quick?” I ask.

  “Joel told me Clarissa’s pregnant,” Theo says.

  My eyes pan over to Vlad, and he nods his head. I sniff the air deeply, turning my nostrils over toward Clarissa. She’s sitting at the table wi
th the fake battle plans I told Joel to show her once the time came. To keep her off our trail. I sniff deeper again, and the pungent garlic smell is tinged with something I did recognize.

  A slight floral scent.

  “How sure are you?” I ask.

  “I’m one hundred percent positive,” Vlad says.

  “How?” Theo asks.

  “I saw her stomach the other day.”

  Theo and I lock our eyes onto Vlad as he snickers and shakes his head.

  “Come on, guys. Get with the program. Clarissa loves all of us, and we all love Clarissa. Can we move on and stop being shocked about things like this?” he asks.

  “You saw Clarissa’s stomach,” I say.

  “Yes. She has a slight protrusion. I’d say she’s a little over three months along,” Vlad says.

  “So it’s true. She’s actually pregnant,” Theo says. “Because if that’s the case, then she really is the woman in the prophecy.”

  We all pan our gazes back over to Clarissa. My eyes study her closely. Her smell is overwhelming, and the slight paunch hanging from her stomach looks different in my eyes now. It wasn’t something I would’ve even noticed had it not been brought to my attention. But now that I know where to look, I can’t stop seeing it.

  Clarissa’s pregnant.

  “That would explain the nausea,” I say. “And her mounting strength.”

  “It explains a lot, but it only solidifies one thing,” Theo says.

  “We have to protect her at all costs,” I say.

  “In another time, I would’ve said keeping this from Clarissa wasn’t a good idea,” Vlad says. “But now? I’m with you guys. We need to get out of here and get set up. And keep our eyes peeled for Toshi. Because if he’s in the hands of the Council, he’s got an equal chance of being killed as he does being used as a weapon on their side in this war.”

  “Then let’s go,” I growl. “Because no one gets to pick on that Cat but me.”

  Chapter 23

  Vlad

  Ilook back at Clarissa one last time and her eyes are staring right at us. There’s something in her look that’s unsettling. Theo, Sebastian, and I walk out onto the porch and head for the edge of the village, preparing ourselves for the fight ahead.