Claimed Under The Mistletoe: The Triplet Alphas' Destiny

Chapter 46

Gwen

Cain was looking at me like I was something sacred. Like I was more than a woman—like I was his world.

My heart raced, but not from fear. Not this time. I felt nervous, sure—but I also felt ready. Steady. Safe.

I ran my fingers through his hair and leaned in, brushing my lips over his. “I want this,” I whispered against his mouth. “I want you.”

He stilled for a second—just long enough for me to realize he was giving me one last chance to pull away.

When I didn’t, he kissed me again. This time deeper. Warmer.

Our mouths moved together like they’d done this a thousand times, like our bodies already knew the way. His hands were everywhere and nowhere at once—trailing fire down my arms, my sides, my hips. But never rushing. Never taking.

He caressed me slowly, carefully, positioning me until I was bare beneath him. I trembled—not from fear, but from the sheer gravity of being seen. All of me.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered, fingers grazing the curve of my waist.

I reached for him and tugged at his shirt. “Then let me see you, too.”

Cain shed the rest of his clothes, eyes never leaving mine. When he lay back over me, skin to skin, the heat between us crackled and surged. I could feel his need, how tightly he was holding himself back for my sake.

I pulled him down and kissed him, slow and deep.

And then I nodded. Just once.

He understood.

Cain positioned himself, his hand gentle as he guided himself to me. He paused again, checking, waiting, protecting me even now.

I wrapped my legs around his waist.

“I’m ready.”

He slide in. And in. And in. His hard length filling me. He groaned, breathlessly, his arms shaking with the effort it took to stay slow. I gasped—it hurt, but not unbearably. More than anything, it was overwhelming. Stretching. Real. Intimate in a way nothing else had ever been.

He kissed my forehead, then my cheek, and whispered how proud he was of me. How much he loved me. How long he’d waited for this.

And with every movement, every thrust, the pain faded—replaced with warmth and connection. I clung to him, and he held me like I was the most precious thing he’d ever touched.

He was being gentle for my sake, I could tell. But once the initial pain wore off I needed more. More friction. More heat. More of him. I grapsed his shoulders, digging my nails into them as I felt the heat building in my belly. "Cain," I keened "Please." He kissed me and whispered in my ear "Please what, sweethear? Use your words." I couldn't speak as he kept a steady pace with his thrusts. "More. Please Cain. More." I was practically begging him, but I didn't care. Cain sat up a little straighter so he could place his thumb on the apex of my thighs. I contracted around him and he hissed. "f**k, Gwen." He gently stroked me as his thrusts became harder and faster. "Cain" I cried as release found me. He grunted as I tightened around his c**k, soon finding his own release.

But it wasn’t just a release.

It was healing.

It was home.

Cole

I felt it the moment it happened.

A ripple in the bond, like a new thread had been woven—stronger, deeper, more visceral. My connection to Gwen didn’t weaken, but something about it... tilted. As if Cain had been granted access to a room I hadn’t stepped into yet.

I sat on the edge of my bed, fingers laced together, knuckles white.

This was what we agreed to. What we wanted. For Gwen to feel safe enough to take that step with one of us. Still, knowing it was coming didn’t stop the ache from sinking into my chest.

Jealousy wasn’t the right word. Not really. It wasn’t that I didn’t want Cain to have that closeness—it was that I wanted it too. I wanted Gwen to come to me one night, her heart steady and her hands sure. I wanted to feel her let go with me like she had with him.

I scrubbed my face, exhaling hard.

“You okay?” Cash asked from the doorway, leaning against the frame. He looked tired. His jaw was tight.

“You felt it too,” I said.

He nodded. “Yeah.”

We sat in silence for a moment. The bond hummed softly between us, changed but still whole. Still Gwen’s.

“I thought I was ready,” I admitted quietly. “I told Cain to get over it when it was hard for him. But now… now I get it.”

Cash let out a dry laugh. “Same. Doesn’t mean I’m mad, though. I’m happy for them. I really am.”

I nodded. “Me too.”

Because at the end of the day, I loved her more than I hated this ache.

And I’d wait.

I’d be ready when she was ready for me.

Gwen

Sunlight filtered in through the gauzy curtains, brushing golden across Cain’s bare chest. He was still asleep, one arm slung heavy over my waist, his breathing deep and steady. My body ached in places—but it was a good ache. A safe ache. My body still humming with the aftershocks of what we’d shared.

I shifted gently, pressing my face against the warm line of his throat.

It hadn’t been perfect—nothing that vulnerable ever is—but it had been real. Honest. And I had chosen it. Chosen him.

The bond between us pulsed stronger now, fuller. I could feel him in a way I hadn’t before—his steadiness, the way his heart beat for me. It filled the quiet between us with something powerful. Something I’d been afraid of for so long… but not anymore.

Cain stirred, tightening his hold on me, and mumbled something that sounded like my name.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I whispered.

His eyes fluttered open, still heavy with sleep. “You okay?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I feel… different. But in a good way.”

Cain smiled, slow and sweet, and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “You’re glowing.”

I laughed softly and pressed a kiss to his collarbone. “Don’t be cheesy.”

He smirked. “I’m serious. You look like the Moon Goddess herself kissed you last night.”

I buried my face in his chest to hide the sudden wave of emotion that comment brought.

Because maybe… maybe she had. Maybe this was what healing really looked like.

I wasn’t whole yet. But I wasn’t broken anymore either.