Dahlia’s POV
Moonlight still streamed through the massive bedroom window when my eyes fluttered open. I turned my head toward the clock on the bedside table. 4:46 a. m. A frown creased my brow. Why was I awake so early? As if in answer, a familiar pressure in my bladder made itself known.
Now came the real problem-how was I supposed to get out of bed without waking the two hulking men currently caging me in?
Sometime during the night, we must have shifted. I was sprawled across Logan’s chest, one leg tangled between his, while Liam’s solid weight pinned me from behind, his arm locked around my waist. I had no room to move, yet somehow, I was incredibly comfortable.
Sparks tingled wherever our skin met, yet I had slept deeper than I had in a long time. In the back of my mind, I felt Blue stir, waking along with me.
“Good morning!” she purred, her voice laced with satisfaction. “Now this is a marvelous way to wake up!”
I couldn’t exactly disagree, but wariness crept in. What had gotten into me last night?
“That was so not supposed to happen.”
“Good morning to you too,” I muttered back, exhaling.
“Do you happen to have any brilliant ideas on how to get out of this without waking the twins?” My annoyance with her was growing. If she hadn’t spent last night whining for our mates, I wouldn’t have been in this predicament to begin with.
“Just wake them up. They won’t mind. And stop being so pissy with me!” she shot back. “They’re ours. There’s nothing wrong with wanting them-physically or otherwise!”
“Blue, we’ve been over this!” I growled, shoving her out of my thoughts. I needed a moment to think-without her constant pro-mate commentary.
Yesterday had been fun. Playing in the snow, letting my guard down for once… I had convinced myself there was no harm in it. Maybe we could become friends. Maybe we could walk away from all this on good terms.
But last night?
Last night had shattered any notion of the “friend-zone.”
A shiver ran through me as memories surfaced-the way their touch had set my body on fire. And the worst part? I didn’t regret it.
When Liam and Logan had shown up at my door, I hadn’t expected it. It never even crossed my mind that they might be struggling to sleep without me, just as I had been without them. (Blue rolled her eyes at me in the back of my mind at that thought.)
When they asked to stay, a part of me knew it was a bad idea.
Another part of me wanted them close.
I told myself it would help me sleep, that I’d think clearer in the morning. But then they touched me-and my body reacted entirely on its own.
And why shouldn’t it?
We were consenting adults. The attraction between us was undeniable.
No woman in her right mind could ignore that kind of masculine perfection-mate bond or not. And clearly, they found me attractive too. Though I suspected the bond played a large role in that, I wasn’t about to complain.
We were all young wolves. We had needs.
Sex didn’t always have to mean love or commitment. The Goddess knew it had never meant that for them before-especially Logan.
I had long since learned how to lock my emotions away. The naive girl who once believed in love? Who longed for romance? She didn’t exist anymore.
I had loved Finnian. I had tried to be the perfect mate, proving to his family that I could be a worthy Luna.
And yet, he still left me without a backward glance.
I had been the perfect daughter too-obedient, well-behaved, never causing trouble.
And my parents still left.
I knew it was unfair to blame them, but it didn’t change the truth: Nothing I did had ever been enough.
So, if I was suddenly ready to embrace the “bad girl” within me, why was I so mortified by the idea of them hearing how turned on I was?
And Goddess, was I turned on.
Even with all my love for Finnian, my body had never reacted to his touch like this.
Liam and Logan had reduced me to a whimpering, moaning mess with nothing more than kisses and teasing caresses.
And then, there was that-
“We’ll have to punish you for teasing us, little mate.”
My breath hitched just remembering their words.
Punish me?
Worse still… why did the idea of that excite me so much?
An hour passed, and all I had managed to do was confuse myself further.
But one thing was clear-whatever happened last night…
I wanted more.
Blue, quiet in the back of my mind, was buzzing with excitement at the thought of their hands on us again. I ignored her, but deep down, I couldn’t deny the truth.
Two weeks. That was all this was.
Two weeks of physical pleasure, and then I would walk away.
I just had to make sure I didn’t let my heart get involved.
That should be easy enough, I thought bitterly. There wasn’t much of my heart left intact anyway.
(Blue scoffed at that, but I ignored her.)
At last, Liam shifted slightly, giving me the chance to escape. I carefully slipped out from between them, tiptoeing toward the bathroom, grabbing workout clothes from my dresser as I went. If I hurried, I could make it to training and burn off some of this energy.
Brushing my teeth quickly, I tied my unruly curls into a ponytail and pulled on a hot pink sports bra with black capri leggings. I grabbed my shoes but didn’t put them on yet-I needed to make my exit silent.
Slowly, I cracked open the door, slipping out as quietly as possible. I held my breath, listening.
Nothing.
The Alpha twins were still snoring softly.
Exhaling, I crept to the top of the stairs, slid on my sneakers, and bolted.
By the time I reached the training field, my heart was pounding-not from exertion, but from the storm of emotions still raging inside me.
I scanned the field and immediately spotted Nikolai.
Without hesitation, I jogged toward him.
“Hey! Mind if I join this morning? I could really use a good workout to burn off some energy,” I said, flashing my most convincing pretty please look.
Nikolai raised a brow, suspicion lacing his tone. “Do the Alphas know you’re here?”
I grinned, tilting my head playfully. “I was kind of hoping this could be our little secret,” I replied with a conspiratorial wink.
He let out a deep chuckle, shaking his head. “You’re tryin’ to get me killed, aren’t ya, darlin’?”
“Don’t be such a scaredy-cat! I promise I’ll protect you,” I teased, placing a hand over my heart in mock sincerity.
“In that case, let’s see what ya got,” he said, nodding toward the warriors already gathered, waiting for instructions.
Two hours later, I was drenched in sweat, every muscle aching in the best way possible. The tension I’d been carrying felt lighter, burned away by exertion. We started with a few miles to warm up before Nikolai split us into pairs for sparring practice. At first, he kept matching me with newer trainees, probably fearing the wrath of the twins if I ended up bruised or broken under his watch.
Big mistake on his part.
I took down my first three opponents with ease. The second one had made the fatal error of invading my space, leaning in to whisper how he couldn’t wait to pin me beneath him. That particular victory had been especially satisfying.
Eventually, after a bit of cajoling, Nikolai finally gave in and paired me with real competition. Aziel, one of the lead warriors, stepped in to show me some of the advanced techniques they’d been working on. He was tough-too skilled for me to beat outright-but I pushed him hard enough to earn his respect. And I loved learning from him.
“Well, aren’t you just a little powerhouse?” Nikolai mused, walking over as I chugged my water. “Guess it’s true what they say about small packages.”
I wiped sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand, breath still coming a little fast. “Eh, I’m a little rusty. Work’s been keeping me busy, so I haven’t been able to train as much as I’d like,” I admitted. “Thanks for letting me join in.”
“If that’s you rusty, I’d hate to end up on your bad side,” he said, shivering dramatically.
I smirked, tossing my empty bottle into a nearby bin. “Just make sure not to piss me off,” I warned playfully before turning to head back.
The hallway was quiet when I reached my room. I paused just outside the door, listening intently, hoping to hear the telltale sound of soft snores. Still asleep, I prayed. Slowly, I pushed the door open and slipped inside-only to be met by two pairs of hazel eyes fixed intently on me.
Both men looked slightly dazed, still shaking off the pull of sleep. Tangled in the blankets, hair a mess, they looked almost adorable. Blue let out a low, satisfied growl in the back of my mind, but I ignored the traitorous tug in my chest.
It didn’t take them long to figure out where I’d been. Their eyes darkened as they took in my appearance.
“Where have you been, Angel?” Liam was the first to break the silence.
Logan’s gaze swept over me, lingering on my sports bra and leggings. “And did you have to leave the room dressed like that?” he added, voice edged with something I didn’t quite trust myself to acknowledge.
My face warmed under their scrutiny. “I went to training. And these are workout clothes,” I mumbled hastily before darting into the bathroom, locking the door behind me like the coward I was.