The Betas Revenge

Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Emma POV

The fireplace in the Alpha suite had burned down to a mound of glowing crimson embers by the time the muted, gray light of dawn filtered through the tall, arched velvet-draped windows. The air inside the sprawling room was warm and thick, smelling of sweet pine smoke, aged cedarwood, and the heavy, intoxicating musk of three distinct mate bonds intertwining in the quiet room.

I woke up slowly, my consciousness floating out of the deepest, most restful sleep I had known in months.

I didn't move a muscle. Honestly, I couldn't if I wanted to.

Kieran was still anchored firmly between Cast and me, his heavy head resting in the soft hollow of my shoulder, his breathing deep, rhythmic, and entirely free of the desperate, wheezing panic that had choked him down in the freezing courtyard hours ago. One of his large, calloused hands was hooked securely around my hip beneath the heavy fur blanket, while his broad back was pressed flush against Cast’s solid, warm chest. Cast’s long, muscular arm was thrown casually over Kieran’s waist, locking all three of us together in an unbreakable, protective circuit.

I shifted my hips just a fraction of an inch, my slight movement causing Cast’s eyes to open instantly.

There was no morning grogginess in his gaze, no brief second of confusion. Cast's dark brown eyes were crystal clear, razor-sharp, and intensely focused on me across Kieran’s sleeping form. A slow, faint smirk twitched at the sharp corner of Cast’s jaw—a brief flash of his signature Alpha arrogance, but softened by the staggering wave of raw warmth radiating through our shared bond.

Beside us, Kieran stirred.

A low, gravelly sigh escaped the Beta’s throat as his dark eyelashes fluttered before opening, revealing hazel eyes that were no longer clouded with feverish grief or wild, haunting hallucinations of Liv. They were clear, bright, and deeply grounded.

Kieran looked at me first, his fingers tightening against my hip as if physically verifying that I wasn't a phantom conjured up by his own grief. Then, feeling the heavy, suffocating heat pressed against his spine, he turned his head slowly to look back over his shoulder.

"Cast," Kieran rasped, his voice rough and uneven from sleep and exhaustion.

"I'm right here, Beta," Cast murmured, his voice a low, vibrating rumble that resonated straight through Kieran's chest and into my own.

Cast didn't pull away or offer a polite distance. Instead, he reached up with his free hand, his large palm cupping the back of Kieran's neck, his thumb soothingly tracing the tight, overworked muscles at the base of the Beta's skull. The gesture was shockingly tender—born from decades of shared battles, shared blood, and a fierce brotherhood that ran deeper than territory lines or pack politics.

Kieran let out a long, shaky breath, rolling onto his back so he was facing Cast directly. He didn't let go of my hip; his hand simply shifted, his knuckles resting warm against my bare stomach, keeping me tied to him while his attention locked onto his Alpha.

"I panicked," Kieran whispered, the raw, agonizing vulnerability returning to his voice. "The grief... the ghost of Liv... it almost broke me out there in the courtyard. I thought I was losing everything all over again."

"Shh," Cast cut him off firmly, leaning down until their foreheads pressed together in the dim morning light. "You were suffocating on old ghosts, Kieran. But the dark hallucinations are gone now. Look at her. Feel the bond."

Kieran turned his face back toward me, his hazel eyes wide and swimming with vulnerable awe. "I feel it. Goddess help me, I feel both of you."

Cast’s hand slid slowly from Kieran’s neck down to his jaw, his grip firm as he tilted Kieran’s head back toward him. "Good. Then stop looking back at the dark and remember who the hell you are."

Cast didn't just offer words of comfort—he leaned down and pressed his lips firmly against Kieran’s.

It wasn't a tentative, hesitant touch. It was a deep, possessive, deeply familiar kiss. Kieran let out a low, shuddering sound in the back of his throat, his eyes slipping shut as he tilted his head up into the pressure, his hand reaching back instinctively to tangle his fingers into Cast's thick dark hair. There was no hesitation between them, no awkward shock. The sheer intimacy of it was electric, flowing through their shared wolf bond and pouring straight into me through Kieran’s hand resting against my stomach.

I sat up slowly, resting my weight on one elbow, the heavy fur blanket slipping down to my waist. I didn't say a word, nor did I look away. I couldn't take my eyes off them even if I tried.

The contrast between the two men was breathtaking: Cast, dark, commanding, and utterly ruthless, holding Kieran—broad, fiercely loyal, and currently completely undone by relief—with a raw, instinctual possessiveness.

When Cast finally pulled back, his breathing heavy as his dark eyes flicked down to Kieran's flushed lips, both men were chest-heaving in the quiet room. Kieran’s cheeks were painted in a deep, healthy crimson, his hazel eyes glowing with a quiet, grounded light that replaced his former despair.

Cast slowly turned his head, his dark eyes sliding over to meet mine. He took in where my gaze was locked, the sudden rise of heat flushing my own neck, and the faint, breathless tremble of my lips. His smirk returned, wider this time, wicked and thoroughly satisfied.

"See something you like, Emma?" Cast purred, his voice dripping with smooth, dangerous Alpha confidence.

Kieran turned his head, looking up at me from the pillows, his hazel eyes dark with a sudden, heavy heat. "Cast and I... we've never been traditional, Emma. In the pack, on the battlefield... we've shared everything. Command, blood, territory, weapons..." He swallowed hard, his gaze dipping down to my mouth before rising back to my eyes. "...and women."

"We built this pack from nothing," Cast added, his hand sliding over Kieran’s broad shoulder, his fingers casually tangling with Kieran's as they both looked up at me from the mattress. "Before the rogue attacks, before the relics tore through our borders... if a female caught our eye, she had to satisfy both the Alpha and the Beta. But this... this true triad bond? The Moon Goddess knew exactly what she was doing when she tied us to you."

Cast sat up fully, shifting his broad frame so he hovered over Kieran, resting his palms flat on the mattress on either side of the Beta's shoulders. He looked across at me, his usual cold, arrogant expression softening into something raw, honest, and deeply respectful.

"You don't have to shrink away from this, Emma," Cast said softly, his voice losing its arrogant edge. "And you don't have to step into it unless every breath in your body wants it. You hold the power here. The choice is entirely yours."

Kieran nodded weakly, his hand reaching out from between them to lay his palm flat against my knee. "No force. No pressure. You saved me tonight, Emma. If all you ever want is my blade to protect you, it's yours. But if you want... all of us..."

The air between the three of us vibrated, thick with static, liquid heat, and a promise of absolute, unyielding devotion.

I looked at Kieran—the tortured, loyal Beta who had finally found peace under my touch.

I looked at Cast—the cold, calculating Alpha who had just shown me the fierce, protective warmth hidden beneath his iron armor.

I didn't say a word.

Instead, I let the heavy fur blanket slide completely off my shoulders, sat up on my knees, and reached for both of them.