Chapter Sixteen
1122 Words
The full moon rose like a wound in the sky, round, silver, merciless.
The clearing was alive with firelight and laughter. Torches ringed the space, casting long shadows that danced with every shift of the wind. The pack had gathered early: pups chasing each other between legs, elders sharing stories over mugs of spiced ale, warriors already half-shifted and restless. Music thrummed from a makeshift drum circle. The air smelled of roasted meat, woodsmoke, and the sharp, wild edge of moon-mad wolves.
Lila stood at the edge of it all, arms wrapped tight around herself.
She had dressed simply, borrowed black leggings and a loose tunic that still carried faint traces of Maya’s scent, but the fabric felt wrong against her skin. Too rough. Too tight. Every brush of cloth sent sparks racing across her nerves. Her lower belly ached in deep, rolling waves that came and went like contractions. She pressed a hand there, breathing shallow, trying to will the pain back down.
It didn’t listen.
She had hoped the full moon would pass quietly. That she could hide in the crowd, sip tea, pretend everything was normal. But the cramps had sharpened as the sun set. Now they pulsed in time with her heartbeat, hot, insistent, demanding.
She scanned the clearing. Maya was laughing with Sarah near the fire. Jace and Cole were arm-wrestling, drawing cheers. The three alphas stood together near the central bonfire: Kade in front, Darius at his shoulder, Ronan half in shadow. They were talking low, heads bent close. Even from here she could see the easy way they occupied space, partners, not subordinates.
She turned away quickly. Looking at them hurt in a different way.
The first real wave hit without warning.
A deep, cramping twist low in her abdomen that stole her breath. Heat flooded her core, sudden and violent. Her knees buckled. She caught herself against a tree, nails digging into bark. Sweat broke across her forehead, her neck, between her breasts. Her scent changed, sharp, sweet, unmistakable. Omega in heat. Fertile. Needy.
The pack noticed.
Conversation stuttered. Heads turned. Nostrils flared.
Then the alphas noticed.
Kade’s head snapped up first. His eyes found her instantly....dark, focused, unblinking. Darius stiffened beside him, shoulders rolling forward like he was already moving. Ronan stepped out of shadow, silver gaze locking on her with predatory precision.
The clearing went quiet.
No one spoke. No one moved. The only sound was the crackle of the fire and Lila’s ragged breathing.
Another cramp ripped through her, harder this time. She gasped, doubled over, one arm wrapped around her middle. Slick heat bloomed between her thighs. Her vision blurred. The world narrowed to sensation: fire in her veins, ache in her womb, the desperate, clawing need to be touched, filled, claimed.
She collapsed to her knees.
The alphas moved as one.
Darius reached her first, long strides eating the distance. He dropped to one knee in front of her, hands hovering for half a second before he cupped her face, thumbs brushing her sweat-damp cheeks.
“Lila,” he said. Voice rough. Urgent. “Look at me.”
She tried. Her eyes were glassy, pupils blown wide. “It hurts,” she whispered.
Kade was there next, kneeling at her side, one hand on her back, steadying her. His touch was cooler than Darius’s, controlled, but the contact sent a fresh wave of heat crashing through her.
Ronan circled behind, silent, watchful. He didn’t touch her yet, but his presence pressed against her like a physical weight. Protective. Possessive.
The pack watched in stunned silence.
Lila’s scent bloomed again, thick, intoxicating, unmistakable. Three distinct alpha scents answered it instantly: Kade’s cool stone and winter wind, Darius’s pine smoke and leather, Ronan’s cedar and dark earth. They wrapped around her, mingling, layering, claiming the air she breathed.
Mate.
The word slammed into her mind like a door kicked open.
Mate. Mate. Mate.
All three.
Her breath hitched. Horror and wonder twisted together in her chest. She looked up at them, Kade’s steady gaze, Darius’s burning intensity, Ronan’s quiet certainty, and understood with sudden, shattering clarity.
They were hers.
She was theirs.
Fated.
The realization broke something inside her. A sob tore free, half pain, half relief. She reached blindly. Darius caught her hand, pressed it to his chest. Kade slid an arm around her waist, lifting her against him. Ronan stepped closer, his hand finally settling on her shoulder, light, but grounding.
Kade’s voice cut through the haze. Low. Commanding.
“Disperse.”
One word. The pack obeyed instantly. No questions. No hesitation. They melted back into the trees, into cabins, into silence. The clearing emptied in seconds. Only the fire remained, crackling softly.
Kade lifted her fully into his arms.
She curled against his chest without thinking—face buried in his throat, inhaling his scent like it was air she’d been denied for years. Darius walked at his side, one hand on her back. Ronan flanked the other, eyes scanning the darkness.
They moved as a unit toward the alphas’ private den, the large cabin at the far end of the compound, set apart, surrounded by thick pines. Kade carried her up the steps without breaking stride. The door opened, someone had left it ajar, and he stepped inside.
The room was warm. Low fire in the hearth. Wide bed piled with furs and blankets. Scented with all three of them, overwhelming, comforting, right.
Kade lowered her gently onto the bed. She whimpered at the loss of contact, reaching for him instinctively.
He caught her hand. Pressed a kiss to her palm, brief, reverent.
“We’re here,” he said. “All of us.”
Darius knelt on one side of the bed. Ronan on the other.
She looked between them, three alphas, three mates, three promises.
The heat rolled through her again, deeper, hotter, more insistent. She arched off the bed, a broken sound escaping her throat.
They didn’t hesitate.
Darius slid behind her, pulling her back against his chest. His arms wrapped around her waist, one hand splaying low on her stomach, right over the worst of the cramps. Warmth seeped through her skin. She moaned softly, head falling back against his shoulder.
Kade took her hand again, threading their fingers together. His thumb stroked slow circles over her wrist.
Ronan leaned in, slow, careful.....and pressed his forehead to hers. His breath mingled with hers. “Breathe,” he whispered. “We’ve got you.”
She did.
In. Out. In time with their breathing.
The pain eased, just a fraction. Enough to think. Enough to feel.
Enough to know.
This was it.
No more running.
No more hiding.
Just them.
And her.
And whatever came next.
- Writer
