Mind link….
“There’s nothing to explain, Ashley,” he said gently, his voice so calm it threw me off balance. “You were overwhelmed, and your wolf took over. You don’t need to feel ashamed.”
I bit my lip, unsure how to respond. I had expected… well, not this. Understanding, yes, but this level of calm acceptance was something I hadn’t anticipated. “But I lost control,” I said, more to myself than to him. “I never meant for any of this to happen, and now everything feels… weird.”
He stepped closer, his hand reaching out to cup my face. The touch was gentle, almost reverent. “Ashley,” he said softly, “you don’t have to carry this burden alone. You’re not just a queen or a mother. You’re a person, and sometimes even queens lose control. It’s part of being what we are.”
I closed my eyes, leaning into his hand, trying to let his words sink in.
“No! I’m not just anyone, and I can’t randomly accept it as part of being what we are. Do you take me for a cheap, loose woman?” He remained silent, his demeanor starting to shift. It wasn’t easy. The shame still lingered, but maybe, just maybe, I could start to forgive myself.
What about Simon? I thought, opening my eyes to meet his again. Although we had strong eye contact, we still didn’t say anything further at this point. As for Simon, I hadn’t even spoken to him. How was I supposed to face him?
Out of nowhere, Lucas smiled slightly, his thumb brushing my cheek in a soothing gesture. “You’re a silly woman, Ashley.” I furrowed my brows, trying to reason where exactly this sudden act of his was leading. “I really don’t know why you have chosen to be this dramatic right now, but trust me, you don’t need it.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, we did it, okay? It’s not like this is the first time, even though I understand things aren’t the way they used to be.” I gulped at this, and he paused for a short while upon noticing.
“Are you okay?”
“Hmm.”
“Alright then. As I was saying, I’m sure you’re not happy with what happened. It’s obvious you still don’t want to be in this place with Simon and me, which we really don’t care about.”
“Ouch! Do you have to be this blunt and harsh?” He shrugged, and I rolled my eyes, urging him to continue.
“All I’m trying to say is that you can’t hold on to things that have passed and let them affect the present. We’re all adults here, and let’s not forget that you’re ours now,” he said, his voice husky toward the end. He moved closer, and I kept backing away until I hit the wall with nowhere else to go. Just by having him this close made my breath hitch, and he raised his arms on either side of me, trapping me between his body and the wall. Slowly, I felt his face coming closer, the warmth of his breath intensifying. As soon as I felt him extremely close, I softly closed my eyes, expecting nothing but a kiss.
Two seconds passed, nothing! Five seconds, still nothing! Ten seconds down, and I was already curious. Opening my eyes, I found him standing a few feet away from me, arms crossed, watching me quietly. I bit my lip in embarrassment.
He had a teasing look on his face, which made the situation even worse for me.
“Really?”
“What? I was only doing what you wanted. I mean, you don’t want to get close to Simon and me, right?”
“No, I mean yes, no…” I groaned loudly, and he raised his brow at me. I expected him to say something to ease my embarrassment, but he said nothing-how typical of him. He walked over to the chair by his desk and quietly watched me while I remained frozen on the spot. I couldn’t tell what was supposed to happen, and soon enough, he urged me to come over.
It honestly felt as if I was being controlled, because I found myself walking over to where he sat. As soon as I got there, he tapped his lap for me to sit, and my eyes widened in shock.
“What? Are you seriously telling me to…” He didn’t respond but just tapped his lap again, and I gulped anxiously. I didn’t hesitate, nor did I ask any questions, as I sat at the edge of his lap where his knee started. He scoffed at this, but I was not going to move.
Before I could think any further, I felt his strong hands grab me by my behind, and I yelped. He lifted me higher than before, and I obviously didn’t need anyone to tell me where exactly I had landed.
“Now that’s more like it,” he said with a sigh of relief. Unbeknownst to him, just sitting there, feeling myself seated fully on top of his third leg, was driving my wolf crazy. Flashes from last night kept coming to mind, and only the help of the Moon Goddess kept me from letting my wolf take over. Lucas looked at me with a teasing expression, clearly enjoying my discomfort. I looked away, but I could still feel his gaze on me. He laughed out loud, and I peeked at him.
“Wow, Ashley, just a minute ago you were so brave and bold. What happened?”
“Just leave me alone,” I responded, still covering my face, and he tried to take my hands away.
“Oh my goodness, will you stop covering your face? What are you so ashamed of?”
“Everything! It’s weird, and I, I…”
“You what?” I let out a deep sigh before venting exactly what was on my mind.
“You surprisingly don’t seem to look at me weirdly after last night. I can’t help but feel Simon might think I’m a cheap woman who can’t even stick to her word.” Lucas shook his head, a teasing smirk on his face.
“Relax, woman! Simon understands more than you think. He feels the same way I do-relieved that you’re safe. He’s not looking at you weirdly, Ashley. Neither of us is.”
“But really, I need you to understand that I was…”
“Under the influence? We know! Your eyes changed color during it, so we knew you were under something strong. I’m guessing it was an aphrodisiac. Did you eat anything about an hour before you started feeling funny?” I remained silent as I tried to recall.
“Oh wait, yes! I requested a glass of warm milk, and that was all I had.”
“Bingo! Someone probably spiked it.”
“Hmm, and who else but Veronica?”
“What? Come on, Ashley. Veronica would never do such a thing.”
“Of course, Veronica is an angel, so she obviously couldn’t have done it.”
“Okay, don’t say it like that. I didn’t mean it that way. The point is that we’re not looking at you in a bad light, so you have nothing to worry about, okay?”
I nodded in response. His words were comforting, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted between us. I needed time-time to think, to figure out how to move forward without letting the weight of my guilt consume me.
Suddenly, the door creaked open behind us, and I turned to see Simon standing there, his expression a mix of uncertainty and hesitation. He must have overheard part of our conversation. He stepped into the room quietly, his eyes immediately finding mine.
“Simon,” I started, but the words caught in my throat. How was I supposed to explain myself to him when I could barely explain it to myself?
As he approached us, I tried to get up from Lucas’s lap, but Lucas held me back. Sometimes I wondered how they were okay sharing the same mate. It felt strange that neither of them seemed jealous.
Simon crossed the room in a few strides, stopping in front of us. His eyes searched my face with an intensity that made my heart race. For a long moment, he said nothing, just watching me, as if trying to understand what I was feeling without me saying a word.
Finally, he spoke, his voice soft but firm. “Ashley, you don’t need to explain anything to me. I know what happened last night wasn’t your fault. We’ve all been through more than we can handle at times.”
I looked between him and Lucas, feeling the tension that had been gripping me for so long start to ease, just a little. They were giving me more understanding than I felt I deserved. But maybe, just maybe, that was what I needed.
Simon took my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “You’re not a cheap woman or whatever you were saying before,” he said, echoing Lucas’s sentiment. “Besides, there’s nothing wrong in what happened-we’re married, after all.”
I nodded, feeling the emotions swirling inside me, unsure of what to say next. But for the first time since last night, I felt a sense of calm beginning to settle. Maybe I didn’t have to carry this burden alone.
“Thank you,” I whispered, looking between the two of them. They had forgiven me, now I just needed to learn how to forgive myself.
But as I sat there, the relief was quickly overshadowed by another thought-a more pressing one I couldn’t ignore. The mating season was still weeks away, yet something had triggered my wolf’s desire so powerfully. Could it have been more than just stress and pent-up emotions? Was there something darker at play, something I had overlooked?
I exchanged a glance with Lucas, and he seemed to understand the unspoken question in my eyes. Whoever might have had something to do with my sudden loss of control, I would definitely find out. Even though it most certainly must have been the bitter Veronica herself.
“Well, I think I have to go attend to something real quick,” I said, trying to get up from Lucas’s legs, but he just didn’t let me. “Oh, please, Lucas, I really have to go.”
“Why?”
“Well, I haven’t gotten some things done this morning, and I really have to attend to them.”
“And they are?”
“Well, they are… um, I…”
“Mommy!” I heard from the door, and I quickly sprang up from his legs as I rushed toward the door where Simeon was standing. I honestly couldn’t have been happier to have my boy come into the room at that moment-it was a relief. I turned back to see Lucas looking at me teasingly, and I couldn’t help but blush.
Out of nowhere, I heard a voice in my mind: *”We’ll see each other again tonight.”* I heard it loud and clear, and it didn’t take long for me to figure out that it was Simon. But how?
It was only after a while that I understood what had just happened.
**Mind link!** They could now mind link with me!
I froze for a moment, realizing the magnitude of what had just happened. **Mind link**-the ability to communicate telepathically-was something only the closest of bonded wolves could share. The fact that Simon and Lucas could now mind link with me meant that our bond had strengthened significantly, perhaps more than I had even wanted it to. It made everything feel more… real, more permanent.
I glanced at Simeon, who was holding onto my hand tightly as we walked on, clearly unaware of what had transpired. He raised an eyebrow, and I could sense his amusement.
“Are you okay, Mommy?” he asked, his voice breaking through the haze of my thoughts.
I nodded, though I was far from okay. The intensity of everything-the emotional whirlwind, the confusing dynamics, the sudden mind link-was overwhelming. Simeon tugged at my hand, pulling me out of my daze once again. I smiled down at him, grateful for the distraction.
“Come on, Mommy!” he said excitedly, his eyes bright. “I want to show you something!”
I followed him along, feeling so many emotions flying across my body the entire time. As we
walked away, I couldn’t shake the lingering sensation that the events of the past day were only the beginning. The mind link was just the first step; something deeper, something more profound, was taking root between the three of us. And I wasn’t sure if I was ready for what was to come.