Page 49 of Mate

I opened the front door and strode inside, irritated that there was still a pack of hot men sitting around the living room talking in hushed tones to one another.

I practically sprinted past them, ran up the stairs, and burst into my bedroom. I paced the room, not wanting to sit down even though I was pretty certain that it was going to be the last time I would be able to sit comfortably for a good long while. I turned back and slammed the door shut.

Then I realized my door had been repaired.

Aw. The pack must have done that. What do you know, out of thirteen men, there was someone downstairs who could screw in a lightbulb.

I searched for a lock, but there was nothing on the inside, just a keyhole on the outer side of the doorknob. Apparently so my ‘alphas’ could lock me in whenever they wanted to.

Nevermind. The pack were a bunch of assholes.

With a feral sounding snarl, I sat down and crossed my arms over my chest, annoyed and pouty and more turned on than I thought possible. My nipples were stiff even though they were safely encased within my bra, and I swallowed hard, imagining Caelum’s tongue swirling around each erect bud. I shook my head, more annoyed with myself than ever.

I hated my body right now.

With a frustrated humph, I stared out the window. Ry and Caelum were talking to each other outside. Curious, I stood up and made my way over to it, cracking it open just enough so that I could hear the two of them speaking to one another as thoughthey couldn’t imagine that anyone would be listening in, least of all me.

Idiots.

“What are we going to do?” Ry exclaimed. He sounded frustrated and angry. His expression twisted with dark desire as he adjusted his dick. I couldn’t help but notice it was hard again.

“I don’t know,” Caelum replied, his annoyance more than clear.

“My plan is sounding better and better, isn’t it? It would definitely be fucking better than dropping dead because little missy decides she wants to take a road trip all on her own like that again,” Ry blurted out.

“We can’t just chain her up to the bed, Ry. She has a family. They’re going to start asking questions sooner or later,” Caelum replied, and Ry sighed.

“So, what now?”

“Until we figure out if the bond is truly unbreakable, we keep her,” Caelum said, his tone weary.

“What if she wants nothing to do with us?” Ry muttered.

“It’s not up to her,” Caelum answered, his voice strangely calm and extraordinarily firm.

What the actual fuck?

I didn’t care how strong the mate bond was between me and the two of them. I was a human being, and I wasn’t just going to be kept. I wasn’t going to surrender my independence just because of this stupid little magical bond between us.

Fuck that.

If they didn’t hear me out, I was fully prepared to tell the two of them exactly where to shove it, consequences be damned. I didn’t care about this tangled web of fucked up fate. I’d forge my own path and walk my way right out of here after I kicked them both in the nuts.

Hoorah! Yay, women!

Caelum glanced up at the window, and I tried to hide behind the wall, but I wasn’t quite fast enough. His expression hardened as his eyes narrowed in my direction. I drew in a shaky breath, trying to hold onto my resolve after seeing his expression that had a dutiful look about it. Something that said, ‘Oh, well, here’s another job to do that needs doing right now.’ It made my ass clench.

“Guard the bottom of the stairs. It’s time for me to handle our mate,” Caelum growled, and I closed my eyes.

“What about me?” Ry asked.

“Don’t worry. You’ll get your turn.”

As quickly as I could, I moved back over to the bed. I took a seat at the furthest point from the door as my heart pounded in my chest. I couldn’t help but stew in my thoughts. The silence was oppressive, and the ticking of the clock on the wall seemed to echo my unease. My determination mingled with my nervousness, creating a knot in my stomach that wouldn’t unravel.

Then, I heard it—the soft, deliberate sound of his footsteps coming up the stairs. My heart quickened, and I held my breath.

Caelum was coming upstairs, probably to spank me, but that was no big deal, right? Definitely wasn’t a big deal. I wasn’t nervous at all.