Chapter 24: The Brother

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I had enjoyed them during the ritual, I had enjoyed them in the forest tied to a tree, I had enjoyed them sprawled over a chair—but the alphas were something else entirely when under the influence.

So was I.

I couldn’t be shy, I couldn’t hide anything because everything felt so right. And it wasn’t about the physical acts. We were connected beyond that.

It was hard through the smoke and the amount of touching we did to really discern who was touching me and when. All I knew was that every single time their skin was on mine, I floated higher.

I was stuck in this euphoric heaven, the smoke like clouds. It was a sensual release, one without the desperate finish line and more about the journey there.

Zachariah caressed my skin everywhere; Dorian too. Atticus was beside himself, trying to kiss every part of me.

And I wanted them too. I wanted their flesh so close to mine.

Whenever one of them entered me, it was so we could be close, our bodies sliding against each other in a way that was so much more intimate than it had been before.

I could feel their intentions, their warmth to me. I knew that Dorian needed to please me; he needed to be the best, but he had a calm confidence about him as he did. Atticus was showing off, stroking me with his cock over and over so he could hear my moans as I took him inside me.

And Zachariah—he watched me. Every touch and caress was done with his eyes on mine. It was another world we belonged to in those moments.

I was twisted and turned, shared between them—but it was slow. It wasn’t forced or expected; every movement between them felt natural. And when we finally crested on the euphoric high, our bodies tense for only a moment, the way down had us all sighing and moaning.

My orgasm was languid and swirling through me like the smoke around us. Even the alphas, as they came—Zachariah inside me, Atticus in my mouth, Dorian on my stomach—it was another high. Something connecting in coming together while we had this drug in our systems.

Afterward, I lay there on Zachariah, Atticus and Dorian panting next to us.

“I get it now,” Dorian grinned, looking up at the top of the hut.

“Maybe your pack can teach mine a thing or two,” Atticus admitted, his voice dreamy.

I smiled, and my eyes fluttered closed. Zach stroked my hair and kissed the top of it.

“Sleep, Little Red. You can experience more tomorrow,” he whispered. And I did—the relief in my body, the relaxation, too much to resist.

When I woke up the next morning, I was covered in furs on the giant floor bed. But I was alone. I sighed and looked up at the ceiling of the hut. It was covered in a tan leather with symbols of the territories on it.

“Come have breakfast, Little Red; your stomach will need filling after last night,” Zachariah smiled as he came into the hut, dressed only in his leather pants and a long dangling necklace.

His abs and tattoo were on full display, and I licked my lips. “Or you could fill something else?” I offered, pulling the furs off me and exposing my body to him.

I probably needed the sustenance more, but he was addictive. He licked his lips, growling as he came over to me. He climbed over my waist and kissed down my neck and over my breasts to my stomach.

Where it growled. Zachariah paused, and I cursed under my breath, “Damn it.”

He smirked and leaned over me. “Breakfast first, Little Red. Can’t have you wasting away before you’ve tried the food here.”

I wanted to argue, but there was no point. I was hungry, and now Zach knew it. He pulled a silk dress around me without a corset and tied it in my front. It sashayed around my legs and dipped low in my front. But it was one of the more freeing dresses I had been given, so I smiled.

“Comfortable.”

“And beautiful,” he kissed me.

I kissed him back and was prepared to convince him that bed was the better option when I heard Atticus’ booming laugh.

I pulled back and looked towards the hut entrance.

“They’re having breakfast with the others,” Zachariah explained.

“And laughing with them?” I raised a brow.

“I am told we are a great vacation spot for the others because we are quite relaxed here. No need for fancy corsets and expensive trinkets. Just us and the company we choose,” Zachariah said, leading me out of the tent. I went with him, and he led me to an open area of wooden tables. They were large round tables with eight chairs to each.

There was an open hut with steam coming out and open flaps all around by the tables. People were going to it and getting their plates filled with food that made my mouth water. It smelled divine.

My stomach rumbled again, and Zachariah took me over. He grabbed me a wooden plate, then himself. We lined up.

I had to admit, I was a bit surprised he didn’t just go to the front of the line—being an alpha and all. In Dorian’s territory, it would have been expected. Atticus’ pack would have parted and let him in. But Zachariah’s pack was different again.

We got our food—a mix of eggs and bacon that filled my senses and reminded me how starving I was.

We took our plates over to where Atticus and Dorian were seated. There was a little black-haired boy at the table. He looked about fourteen and had the same deep green eyes as Zachariah.

Atticus was laughing at something the boy said, and I smiled as we sat down.

The boy stopped smiling and looked at me.

“Little Red, this is Taylin. My brother. Taylin, this is Kassie,” Zachariah introduced, getting stuck into his food. I smiled at the boy, but he glared back.

“You’re the one they’re saying could save us or break us,” he said sharply.

My eyes went wide, and I swallowed the food in my mouth. Before I could answer, Zachariah growled.

“Taylin. She is here under order of the witches and the realm. Do not be rude.”

Taylin scowled and went back to his food, pushing it around his plate.

Was that what they were saying? I frowned and decided I wasn’t hungry after all.

“I don’t intend to break anything,” I whispered.

“Our parents just died. If you’re not here to fix the pack after that loss, then you might as well leave now.” Taylin was full of sass, his anger palpable. But I understood the loss and the way it twisted in the heart like constant daggers. Sometimes the blood tarnished other things.

I just wished Zachariah had told me about his parents.

“You just lost your parents?” I asked, my eyes filling with tears about how hard it must have been to act like that hadn’t happened this whole time.

“They stopped shifting a while ago; we knew it was coming. It was their time. Taylin knows that; he is just lashing out.” Zach turned to his brother. “Apologize,” he ordered.

“I will not.”

Zach sighed. “Then off you go. To your hut.”

Taylin huffed and slammed his fork down. He glared at me, then stormed off, shoving into a hut near the one we had been in.

Zachariah looked at me. “Sorry about him. He didn’t get as much time to adjust to our parents leaving. I’ve tried to give him some room to grieve while still teaching him, but it is difficult—”

“I could try talking to him?” I offered.

Dorian and Atticus were silent, letting us work out what had just happened—which I appreciated. I also wanted to make sure that this place, the grasslands territory, was even an option before I got even more invested.

This was Taylin’s home. If he didn’t want me here, then I didn’t want him to be forced into accepting me here.

“He isn’t the talkative type lately,” Zachariah admitted.

I looked around at the others enjoying breakfast with warm smiles and big laughter. Taylin deserved that, even if he was hurting. He looked so young—maybe close in age to when I lost my family.

“Would it be okay if I tried? I enjoy children, and if I was to stay here, I don’t want Taylin to feel that way about it,” I admitted.

Zach hesitated, then finally sighed and nodded, “Yeah. But if he is rude, then leave him be, and I will deal with him later.”

I smiled softly and kissed him. “I’ll handle it.”

I left the alphas at the table and went to Taylin’s tent. “Taylin, can I please come in?”

He huffed, “You’re to be our new Luna, aren’t you? You can do whatever you want.”

I slowly went inside. He was sharpening a spear with a small knife on the ground.

I raised a brow and sat down in front of him.

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The furs were soft, and I played with the strands in front of me before talking. “I don’t know if I will be your Luna. And I don’t know if you are right in what you said earlier,” I admitted, thinking he might appreciate not being talked to like a child—or talked down to.

“I’m sorry for what I said. It was rude,” he admitted, curling more wood off the tip of the spear.

“It’s okay. I understand.”

“No, you don’t. Nobody does. They all pretend like my parents going back to the realm and the stars was a good thing.”

I put my hands together and watched as he kept honing his spear tip. “I do understand. I lost my parents around your age—my whole family, actually.”

He paused and looked up at me. “How?”

“Vampires.” I swallowed.

He went back to his spear. “I’m sorry.” His voice was small.

“And I’m sorry you lost yours. I can’t bring them back, and I don’t intend on replacing them with Zachariah, but I can be something else to you. Maybe a big sister? Even if I don’t stay, maybe we could still be friends at least.” I offered all I had to give—myself, my friendship, and my empathy.

He seemed to be open to it, his lips lifting slightly in the corner. He put his spear down and looked up at me.

“We can’t be friends.”

“Why not?” I asked, trying not to be offended.

“Because I like doing things that you will not. Things that someone like you could never keep up doing,” he grinned.

Oh. It was a challenge.

I smiled and leaned closer. “How do you know?”

“Because you’re human,” he said, standing up.

“How do you know?” I tried again in a quiet voice.

That had him grinning. “Fine then. Let’s hang out. If you can keep up, we can be friends.”

I stood up and shook his outstretched hand. “Deal.”

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