Chapter 62
1470 Words
Gwen
Warmth.
It was the first thing I registered when my eyes blinked open—layered, enveloping warmth. The sun hadn’t quite risen, but pale morning light seeped through the gauzy curtains, casting the room in a soft golden hue. I was cocooned between the steady heartbeats and protective arms of my mates, and for once, there wasn’t a trace of anxiety in my chest.
Just… peace.
My legs were tangled with Cain’s. His chest was pressed to my back, one large hand cupping my hip like he’d never let go. Cash was curled at my front, his nose brushing my forehead, a soft breath stirring the baby hairs at my temple. Cole lay just behind him, one of his arms draped protectively over both of us.
I didn’t know when we’d fallen asleep, only that the hours before had felt like something sacred. Their mouths, their hands, their whispered I love yous—none of it had felt rushed or overwhelming. I’d been in control. I’d taken what I wanted, what I needed. I’d asked and they’d listened.
And then I’d touched the stars.
A smile ghosted over my lips as I turned my face into Cash’s chest, breathing in his scent. Warm amber and pine sap. My body ached in a delicious, satisfied way—not from pain, but from the slow unraveling of the tension I hadn’t realized I’d been holding for months.
Last night was about choosing me. Letting desire exist without fear. Taking back something Justin and Karl and all their schemes had tried to steal from me.
“You’re awake,” Cash murmured, his voice still husky with sleep.
I nodded, running my fingers over the line of his jaw. “You were watching me?”
“For a while,” he admitted, kissing the space between my brows. “You were smiling in your sleep.”
“I felt…” I hesitated, biting my lip, “like myself again.”
Cain pressed a kiss to my shoulder. “That’s all we’ve ever wanted.”
Cash cupped my face, his gaze serious now. “You don’t owe us anything—not your body, not your heart. But last night… it meant everything.”
“I chose it,” I said quietly. “I chose you. All of you. And I’ll keep choosing you.”
For a moment, none of us said anything. The room was quiet save for our breaths and the distant chirping of morning birds beyond the windows.
Then Cash claimed my lips in a slow, deep kiss. “Damn right you chose us,” he whispered, teasing just under the sincerity. “Now stop hogging her.”
We stayed like that for a little longer—kissing, touching, whispering. But the weight of the world waited outside these sheets. And I was finally ready to face it again.
The boys fell back into an easy slumber, though it was approaching afternoon. I took a moment to reflect. Last night had shifted something. Not just in Cole—but in me. I’d taken control. I’d let myself be touched, kissed, worshipped even—and I hadn’t crumbled.
But there was still a distance, a tender ache in my bond with Cash. And with Cole too, even after the night we shared. They’d held back, and I knew they were waiting for me to guide them closer. Cain had been my first—my anchor—and that had come naturally.
With Cash and Cole... it was more deliberate.
I wanted to bridge the space between us, not just physically, but emotionally. I wanted to choose them, not just as mates—but as men I trusted with the rawest parts of myself.
A quiet knock at my bedroom door startled me. I slipped out from under Cain’s arm and padded softly to open it.
Jordan stood there with two steaming mugs. “I figured you'd need coffee,” she said, handing one over.
“Thanks.” I let her in, curling up in the window seat. She followed, her brow arched in that perceptive, no-nonsense way of hers.
“You thinking about them?” she asked.
I didn’t need to clarify who them meant.
“Yeah,” I said. “I want to move forward—with Cash or Cole next—but I don’t want it to feel like I’m forcing something that isn’t ready. At the same time... I don’t want to keep waiting for the perfect moment. I don’t think it exists.”
Jordan sipped her coffee. “Maybe not. But you can create space for something real. Intimacy isn’t just about s*x, Gwen. What does he need from you right now? What do you need from him?”
I swallowed. “I think Cash needs to feel like I still want him—after everything. That he’s not just third in line. And Cole... I think he needs softness. Reassurance.”
“Then give them that. In your own way. When you’re ready.”
I looked out over the snow-covered courtyard. “I think I’m getting close.”
And this time, it wasn’t fear I felt pressing behind my ribs. It was hope.
Terrance
The cell stinks of mildew and rusted fear, but I’ve gotten used to worse.
What I haven’t gotten used to is the sound of Gwen’s footsteps echoing down the dungeon corridor. Light, careful, but confident. I stand as she approaches, heart pounding like I’m about to meet a ghost.
Because in some ways, I am.
She pauses outside my cell, her expression unreadable behind the flickering torchlight. Her hair is pulled back, her posture strong—but I can see the tension in her jaw. The storm brewing behind her eyes.
“Gwen,” I rasp, stepping forward slowly, as if one wrong move might shatter whatever fragile thread we’ve managed to rebuild.
“I have questions,” she says, voice even.
“Then I’ll give you answers.”
She doesn’t waste time. “Did you love my mom?”
I swallow. “With everything I had.”
Her eyes flicker, but she nods once. “Do you know what Karl is planning?”
I shake my head, but I can’t lie to her. “Not specifics. But I’d bet anything he knows you haven’t been marked yet.”
Her eyebrows lift, just slightly.
“He’d be stupid not to be watching for it,” I continue. “You’re vulnerable without it. Mating and marking will fortify the bond between you and your Alphas. It'll make you harder to manipulate, harder to pull away from them again.”
Her silence is heavy. Then, finally, she asks, “You think I should do it.”
“I think,” I say carefully, “that it’s your choice. But I also think Karl won’t give you the luxury of time. If he has something big coming—and I promise you, he does—you need every bit of strength and unity you can get.”
I see the weight of the truth settle in her eyes, and for the first time, I think she truly sees me—not just the mistakes, but the father who would die to keep her safe.
Gwen
I don’t remember walking up the stairs. My feet carried me here, but my head is still echoing with my father’s warning.
Karl knows. He’s watching. Waiting.
And I’m tired of waiting to be a victim again.
The boardroom door is open, and I step inside to find Cain, Cash, and Cole crowded around the long table. Screens are pulled up, files scattered, their faces grim.
They all look up when they hear me.
“I just spoke with Terrance,” I say, stepping inside and closing the door behind me.
Cain straightens. “What did he say?”
“That Karl’s probably tracking whether or not I’ve been marked. That not being marked yet makes me vulnerable. And he’s right.”
The room stills.
Cash leans against the edge of the table. “What do you want to do, Gwen?”
I meet each of their eyes, steady and sure.
“I want to be marked,” I say. “By the end of the week.”
Cole's breath catches.
“I want the three of you to mate and mark me. I’m tired of being hunted, cornered, controlled. I’m not giving Karl another inch of power over me. I’m ready to take it all back.”
For a second, none of them move.
Then Cain crosses the room in three long strides and pulls me into his chest.
“We’ll do it right,” he murmurs into my hair. “On your terms. But you’re not facing him alone anymore.”
And this time, I believe it.
- Writer
