Chapter 28: The Race

I rode all three of the alphas on that accountant’s desk. I enjoyed it too. I came so many times that by the time we made it out to the starting line of the plains race, my legs were jelly.

But it was a sated jelly that made it totally worth it.

With the sun beaming down on the plains, the pack all getting excited, shifting in preparation. Others came forward with paint, drawing swirling tribal patterns on the fur of all the runners.

It was beautiful.

Atticus and Dorian were buzzing and full of energy—energy that reached me. I smiled, leaning into Zachariah as he kissed the top of my head.

Sating the magic inside of me and the three alphas beside me was tiring work.

“Too much for you, Little Red?” he asked.

“No. I’m looking forward to seeing what this is.”

“This is when I show you who the real alpha is and remind you that I am the only one who can keep you safe,” Dorian grinned.

Atticus scoffed. “Douche move, Dorian. Playing the vamp card. Total bullshit.”

“I have warriors. No accord with the vampires. And I win at everything I do.”

Atticus rolled his eyes. “And I have an underwater fortress that vampires can’t go in—”

“They can’t go in?” I asked, frowning. He hadn’t mentioned that part.

“Vampires can’t go under. The pressure of the lake is too much for them.”

Well, that made me feel marginally better about the possibility of living there. Silas dead would go a long way toward that too.

“Alphas. No fighting today. We’re honoring what we have been given, not bragging.” Zachariah was firm as he started shedding his clothes.

Taylin came running over and started doing the same. I looked away but quickly closed my eyes when I saw that heaps of people were beginning to take their clothes off.

It was starting.

The wolves started migrating, moving over to the starting line. I peered up at the alphas who shifted before me.

They were gorgeous, the biggest wolves there. I remembered seeing them for the first time, coming out of the trees on the blood moon. The magic of them, the beauty—it had hit me just as hard then.

My heart stuttered as I looked at them. Something drew me in and they all came over. I leaned my face against Zachariah’s huge snout, nuzzling in before my hands went into the fur of Dorian and Atticus’ necks too.

It felt so damn good. Comfort and warmth filled me. So did magic.

It hummed and buzzed between all four of us. Like a complete match.

I clenched my eyes shut and enjoyed it. Even though I knew we had a race to run, I couldn’t help but embrace what I had now.

I had come from a family—a loving one where I had been protected. Then the vampires had taken that from me. I had thought that was all I had, but that wasn’t true anymore. I had the alphas.

Except they weren’t just any alphas. These ones were protecting me, keeping me, loving me.

They were my alphas.

A low whine from Zachariah confirmed that, and he hooked his big head over my shoulder, nuzzling. Atticus growled, licking my arm. Dorian nipped at my skin with his teeth, and it tingled in response.

Something about the moment made me sure that choosing only one of them to spend my life with was going to be the hardest decision I had ever made.

My heart clenched and held them tighter. When I pulled back, the pack had stopped chattering—the silence deafening around us.

The commotion had paused, and I looked up to see everyone staring in awe.

“Wow. That power coming off you four right now is wild,” Taylin grinned before he howled and shifted into a wolf that was an ashy gray color. He looked so similar in features to Zach, but so much smaller.

I smiled up at my alphas. Taylin was right. The power was potent now.

The dramatic pause ended, and everyone started prepping themselves again. They howled and growled, pawing at the ground, ready to race. The power was dense in the air, and I was pretty sure it was hyping them all up.

I met the eyes of my alphas and smiled. “You’re all mine. You know that, right?” I whispered, hoping they knew I meant that fully—whether I had to choose one of them or not.

They all kept their eyes on me, bowing their heads respectfully.

I grinned and went to Zachariah. I looked over my shoulder for some help up when Taylin nudged my leg.

I smiled at the little wolf who was closer to my size. He came to heel so I could step up.

“Thanks, Tay,” I said softly, then accepted his help and climbed on Zachariah.

I squeezed my thighs either side of him. He growled his approval—a growl I felt all the way up my body.

I looked at the row of wolves at the starting line, us in the middle. They all look so powerful, but none of them quite as impressive as the alphas. All three of them look dangerous, ready to go, and ready to prove themselves. But they don’t feel like that to me.

I don’t know how, but I can feel that they are running on the connection of the power between us—like something in it had shifted—in the right direction.

“Grasslands pack, Alpha Zachariah and heir Taylin! Our guests, Alpha Dorian, Alpha Atticus, and honored guest Kassandra Kane of the mountain!” one of the women called from the sidelines. There was a group of them, but this one was taller, with a fascinating presence. She wore tribal paint and had gray hair.

The wolves all howled and growled in a line, bowing their heads and pawing at the ground.

It made me tremble, and I gripped Zachariah’s fur.

“Today we run in our wolf forms. Our gifted magic forms to honor that gift of the realm! Tonight, the most impressive runner will lead an honoring ceremony in the name of the realm!” she called, her voice loud and clear as it carried with the soft breeze of the wind over the grasslands.

The wolves got louder—especially the alphas.

And then the horn blows, and the reaction is instant. Dorian races ahead, Atticus next. Then Zachariah is on their tail, and I am clutching his fur.

The speed is insane. Something abnormal, something I would expect of a vampire. But the wolves were just as fast, elegant, and seamless through the wind like they were at one with it.

Zach’s pack was flawless as they moved, running with fierce, powerful strokes of their muscles. It was one hell of a rush.

Wind whipped across my face and flew my hair back behind me. Zachariah paced himself with Taylin beside us, his tongue flopping out the side of his mouth.

Dorian was ahead, Atticus nipping at his heels as the rest of the wolves ran behind us. It was an odd kind of race where everyone ran but wasn’t very competitive. It was just the joy in the run that kept them going.

The plains were long and vast, sprawling ahead of us.

I enjoyed every minute of it, even with the panic that was in my chest. I was high up, going so fast, and if I fell, it would hurt—a lot. But Zachariah kept us steady, running elegantly, with drive and purpose after the other two alphas while still keeping Taylin close.

We made a sharp turn at the end poles, following Atticus and Dorian.

Dorian was sprinting back to the finish line, Atticus growling, trying to catch up. Zachariah didn’t try, keeping us steady behind them. It was a much easier speed to get used to.

We crossed the finish line third with Taylin. Everyone who wasn’t racing cheered and clapped.

I climbed off Zachariah in the gathered crowd, and the alphas shifted back.

They were handed clothes, and Zachariah pulled me into him, kissing me roughly in front of everyone.

“Sorry for slowing you down,” I said.

Zachariah smirked. “I would rather have your thighs squeezing me over winning any day.”

I grinned at that, and he nodded to the other two alphas who were panting and grinning, being congratulated. Then they heard what Zachariah said and scowled. “I think they would too,” Zach chuckled. I laughed and nodded.

“I think so too,” I said back, making sure Atticus and Dorian heard me.

“Winning better come with the kind of prize that means your thighs are around my head anyway, Fox,” Atticus said, grinning as he came over to kiss me.

But Dorian snagged the back of his neck, pulled Atticus back, and stole me for a kiss instead.

I laughed and kissed him back. Dorian wrapped me in his arms, lifting me from the ground.

“I believe I was the winner,” Dorian whispered.

I grinned and kissed him again, loving the way it felt in his arms.

“You were. But I think I’m still going to want my thighs around all three of you later.”

Zachariah pulled me back down into him, kissing my cheek as the rest of the wolves came in, shifting back and putting on clothes.

They all moved in a massive celebration toward a bonfire that had been started. It was roaring with life, and people were already dancing around it, drinking, and eating from the feast that had been laid out over multiple tables.

It was so unstructured, so informal while still being a routine celebration—one that had such a good feeling about it.

The power inside hummed happily, and I celebrated with the pack. I felt like one of them. But not just this pack. I felt close to Dorian and Atticus too.

Connected in a way that was so deep, so profound that breaking it was going to break me. At least it seemed like it would.

The sun descended, leaving the celebration, but the moon came after it. And then the wolves sat around telling stories, singing, and dancing like nothing was wrong in the realm. To them, I don’t think it was.

To me, the singing usually reminded me of Silas, but tonight, I was okay. I felt content and happy. Even safe.

Something about the way the pack was worshiping the realm in such a way that it left me with only awe. Zachariah danced with me, and Atticus too.

But Dorian—he was in the worship circle. A circle of women all dancing around him. They were painting tribal runes all over him. The idea of them touching him, seeing it happen, was the only dampener on the spirit of the night.

Except Dorian only had eyes for me—literally. Any jealousy that tried to break through was instantly washed away because Dorian only looked at me.

Me with the other two alphas, and I knew—felt in him as sure as I was that it was in him. He wanted to be here dancing with me too. But he was trying to be respectful to Zach’s traditions.

I kept watching Dorian, grinding my body between Atticus and Zachariah, music playing around us like it was nothing. To me and Atticus, it was—but here, everything was free.

So I let go in it. The music around us, the warmth of the fire and bodies—it was exhilarating.

Atticus was in a bliss too, his presence softened—calming instead of intimidating. Even Dorian, surrounded by other women and in the middle of being celebrated as the realm’s honored.

He only let them touch him long enough to paint, and then he glared. But even that glare wasn’t as sharp as it normally was.

And his eyes still stayed on me—between glares, of course.

Zachariah wasn’t as intense as when we had first met either. He kept kissing me, his lips on my skin wherever and whenever they could be.

And the way the chords and melodies brought us together had my heart racing and my skin tingling.

A pressure was low in my stomach—between my thighs—for the whole night.

I danced, feelings of the vibrations of the music so clear in my bones. I hung my head back, leaning it on Atticus’ pec, looking up at the sky.

Zachariah pressed his lips against my throat, and the feeling between us made my body shiver.

And then Dorian was there too. He pressed against us, enclosing me in a triangle between them. I felt so secure and safe.

My eyes caught the glint of the three-quarter moon, and my stomach sunk. I couldn’t believe I only had about a week left. I didn’t want to go, and I didn’t want to choose.

Every good feeling from the night washed away because staring at the moon only came with a tremble that had nothing to do with the Alphas’ skin on me and everything to do with the looming decision hanging like a battle axe over my head.

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