Page 100 of The Alpha's Mates

Clover rested her head on my shoulder as she fought sleep. Harper had Gleam in her lap as she petted his soft fur. Me and my omega friends were sitting on the floor in the guys' main dining room, in front of the fireplace, while everyone else crowded around. It was the only room big enough to fit the entire village. I didn't miss the way some of the alphas were eyeing the women sitting around me. Soren had left orders thatno omegas be claimed while we were gone, but that didn't mean that the males hadn't been trying to get to know the women. Except Clover. Not only were there explicit instructions that no one was to get near her, none of the older alphas were interested in a child.

Emma shot me a worried look when Atlas finally finished telling the longer than condensed version of our story. "What are we going to do?" she asked.

I sighed in relief. She was still my best friend and the same girl I'd known all my life. Even though she was dealing with her own troubles, and they were big, she was still willing to help out for the greater good of everyone. "I don't know," I whispered. "We'll figure something out."

"Okay, okay," Vera called out. "Everyone's tired. We need to let the travelers get their rest."

It took about ten minutes for everyone to file out of the house and for Vera and her mates to retreat to their section of the mansion. Gleam disappeared with Emma. She'd been staying in Griff's home with all the males, but I knew for a fact she had her own room. We'd had a quick conversation and she told me they were treating her very respectfully, and being quite protective of her. I loved that for her and the irritated look on her face made me laugh.

I looked around, suddenly aware of how quiet it was. My mates were watching me with predatory looks. I swallowed hard, unsure of what all this meant.

"It means, Mate," Soren said, his voice low and deep, "that it's time for us to claim you properly."

I frowned, reaching up to touch my mating marks. "I thought you had."

"Not yet," Calder said.

"That was only a portion of what we need to do, for you to be fully ours," Atlas added. He walked over and bent in front of me.

Suddenly the world was spinning as he tossed me over his shoulder. I yelped, but couldn't help the laughter that poured out. It was so different now than before. When we were in this place prior I'd been scared, wary, and mistrusting. Now, there was nothing but love and friendship between us. So much had changed in such a short amount of time.

The breath was knocked out of me when Atlas suddenly dumped me on a bed. It was the room where they had the silver cage.

"This is our mating bed," Soren told me.

My brows shot up. There were so many customs I knew nothing about because Haron didn't observe any kind of tradition. My mother hadn't known about the traditions enough to pass them onto me. "What does that mean?"

He put his hands on the bed and leaned in until our faces were close together. "It means, this is where we're going to fuck you. To claim you. You're going to be ours forever."

"I already am," I whispered, searching his gaze for a sign that he was there too.

His eyes crinkled at the edges when he smiled at me. It was enough to kickstart my heart into overdrive. He was a handsome bastard when he was scowling. But when he smiled? Whew. Not to mention his cadre mates were flanking him and I had three huge alphas staring down at me. It made me feel a little helpless. I wasn't. I was strong. Powerful. The priestess to a Goddess. And I was theirs. But I liked feeling helpless before them.

"What a good fucking girl you are," he murmured. "Are you going to give in to us?"

I nodded, my hair moving with the motion, rubbing over my already charged skin.

"You'll do anything we want?" Atlas inquired.

Another nod.

"You may regret that," Calder stated with a wicked smile.

No, I wouldn't. I trusted them down to my soul. They wouldn't ever hurt me. Even now I felt the deep seated need within all of them to protect me, to keep me safe, and to show me how much they cherished me. "Maybe you should try it and see," I taunted.

Calder's brows shot up and both Soren and Atlas's laughter filled the room. "Maybe I should," Calder growled, crawling onto the bed. His hands were on me in moments and I arched into his touch. But all he did was strip off my clothes.

I didn't bother to cover myself. These were my mates. They'd already proven to me they loved every swell and dip on my body. I was theirs to do with as they wished and I trusted them implicitly.

Soren took a seat in one of the chairs nearby and Atlas sat on the end of the bed, watching as Calder started touching me. He ran his hands over my skin, caressing me, teasing me, but not giving me enough pressure to get me off.

I squirmed under him and he chuckled.

"You're going to be the death of me," he murmured, leaning down to press a kiss to my lips. "But it'll be worth it."

"It will," I agreed, running my hands up his arms and into his hair.

He kissed me again, his tongue sliding against mine. His hands were busy, moving over my body, causing goosebumps to rise in his wake. My nipples pebbled and my pussy ached. I needed them so badly I could barely stand it.