Page 19 of Forsaken By Fate
“You’re ours,” he whispers, and the words sink deep into my soul.
The words send me over the edge once again, the peak claiming us both. It’s transcendent—a moment of pure magic. My entire body trembles as waves of ecstasy wash over me, the intensity of our shared release making my vision blur.
As we lay tangled together on the altar, our breathing finally steadying, I notice the change first. The air feels different—calmer, more settled. The wild energy that had been causing chaos throughout the territory since I’ve been here has mysteriously quieted.
“Everything is back to normal in here,” Fenris comments thoughtfully, his fingers tracing lazy patterns on my skin. “The magical disturbance... it’s not so wild anymore.”
I catch Victor looking at me intently, his golden eyes searching my face as if seeing me for the first time. A theory seems to form behind his gaze, but I quickly shake my head.
“I wasn’t doing it,” I insist, though something deep inside me whispers that maybe, unknowingly, I had been.
“Let’s try to keep it this way,” Victor says softly, his hand finding mine. The warmth of his touch sends a fresh wave of contentment through me, but it also makes my heart ache. Because this—this perfect moment of acceptance and belonging—can’t last forever.
I curl closer into their embrace, trying to memorize every sensation: the steady beat of Victor’s heart against my back, the gentle stroke of Fenris’s fingers, the comforting weight of Zane’s arm draped across us all. For the first time in my life, I feel truly safe, truly wanted. The irony of finding this sense of home with three men who aren’t truly mine makes my chest tight with impending loss.
One day, they’ll find their true mate. One special female meant to share their bond, their power, their love. And where will that leave me? Cast aside again, just like I always am. Just another temporary comfort, another fleeting connection in a lifetime of running and losing and starting over.
The thought brings unexpected tears to my eyes, and I blink them away quickly. I can’t think about that now. Can’t let the fear of tomorrow poison the sweetness of today. I’ve survived being alone before. I’ll survive it again when the time comes.
For now, I’m going to savor every moment—every touch, every kiss, every whispered word of affection. I’ll store them away like precious gems to take out and examine when I’m alone again. Because right now, in this sacred space, I’m morethan just a prey shifter running from her past. I’m an Apex pack member, claimed and protected by the three most powerful Alphas in Texas, and some of the most powerful shifters in the world.
And for however long it lasts, I’m their lover too.
The magic in the temple hums peacefully around us, no longer wild and unpredictable. Like my heart, it seems to have found its place—at least for now. Tomorrow’s heartbreak can wait. For this moment, I am home.
Chapter 7
Victor
We spend every night in my room or Aurora’s, learning every curve of her delicate, lithe frame. My brothers and I fall back into a proper balance of duty and responsibility, eager to return home and spend our evenings courting this new female.
Even though we all know it won’t last.
Aurora is more than just entertaining; she brings a lightness we hadn’t realized we were missing. Her quick wit and infectious laughter draw us in, breaking through the tension with her effortless charm. It’s clear she’s already carved out a place we hadn’t expected in our lives.
I find myself wondering how a mate might be better than her in any possible way, but who am I to question the gods of fate?
The following week, when the Oklahoma Alphas are set to arrive, I ask her to join us for the meeting, but she declines.
“There’s no reason for me to be there,” she insists, smiling beguilingly at me, her hand stroking my cheek. “They’re not here for me.”
“I wish I knew what they’re coming for,” Fenris grumbles again, shooting me a glance as he looks out the office window, toward the front of the estate.
Aurora’s hand drops and she turns to walk out of the study, her slender hand curled around a book for reading. “Call me when you’ve finished and we’ll go for a walk in the gardens afterward,” she promises. “Maybe I’ll let you chase me if you’re good. I might even let you catch me this time.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Little Prey,” Fenris growls playfully, and she titters, but I sense a nervousness about her as she reaches for the door handle.
She casts us another look as if she might say something, but Zane pipes up, “They’re here.”
“Good luck,” she breathes, slipping out of the room hurriedly and disappearing before I can comment.
We head toward the door together—me in the lead and my brothers in step beside me as the armored SUV pulls to a stop in front of the double pillars. The Alpha’s driver hops out to open the door, and I’m mildly surprised to see a fourth with the trio as they exit. The car door slams behind them, and we greet one another.
Wyn, Rex, and Lancer Galvin stand eye to eye with us, exchanging polite, but taut smiles.
“You had no issue getting through the portal?” I ask, eyeing the fourth male—the stranger—again.
Fenris had not mentioned an extra person, but he would not be there if my brother had not made allowances for him.