Chapter 36: Chapter 36

SEBASTIAN

Erik’s office was a mix of leather, steel, and sheer determination. Maps were spread out on the desk, each one detailing the landscape and potential vulnerabilities of Silverclaw territory. Aaron was hunched over them, his finger tracing the lines as he muttered about possible ambush points and escape routes.

Erik was deep in thought, his eyes glued to the strategy laid out before us, his mind working overtime to calculate every possible outcome. I had already recited all the necessary spells before we left for the planned work. I tried to keep my focus sharp, laying out what we knew about the witches’ magic, strategizing every counter we could muster, and every spell I should cast.

But a part of me was always aware of Jasmine, seated quietly in the corner of the room. Her presence was like a flame, always warm, always strong, even when she didn’t realize it. Today, though, her flame seemed to flicker.

She was staring out the window, her body rigid, and my heart clenched with every second I saw her like this. Jasmine. She was a mere shadow of her usual fiery self. She sat by the window, her gaze distant, lost in thought as if the weight of the world were on her shoulders—and maybe it was.

I could feel her turmoil, the unease radiating off her like an invisible storm. Suddenly, Aaron straightened, his gaze fixed on her. His brown eyes were clouded with worry as he turned to Erik, his voice barely above a whisper.

“She’s worried. She hasn’t said a word since we got here,” he said.

“She doesn’t need to be here for this,” Erik agreed, his honey-colored eyes glancing at me. “Seb, she needs you right now.”

Aaron’s voice softened as he leaned closer. “You’ve always been her anchor, Seb. We need her to be okay—and you’re the one who can do that.”

I didn’t need their prompting to know my place, not now, not ever. I made my way toward her, my mind drifting back to the countless moments we’d shared over the years. From the very beginning, Jasmine had been different—fierce and unrelenting, but with a softness she showed only to those she trusted.

And she trusted me. As I approached, memories flooded me—of the day we found out we were all fated to be her mates. It had been overwhelming, surreal, but also undeniably right. Everything about it made sense because it was Jasmine.

She was our everything, and we would make this work for her, no matter the cost. I couldn’t help but think of the first time I saw her, that fierce girl who could command us all with just a glance. Even as young alphas, with our pride and strength, we always surrendered when it came to her.

Maybe she never realized it, but we had always belonged to her. And I would love her until my last breath. When I learned she risked her life to save mine, it broke me in ways I didn’t think possible. Aaron once said I had her heart, but the truth was, I just understood her better—her vulnerability, especially when it came to us.

Jasmine was strong, a force of nature. But when someone that powerful crumbles under your touch, it’s a feeling that words can’t capture. I knelt in front of her, my hands finding hers, small and delicate yet holding more strength than she realized. Her emerald eyes lifted to mine, shadowed with fear she couldn’t hide, and my heart twisted at the sight.

“Come, my angel,” I whispered, my voice barely audible as I stroked the back of her hand. “You need a break from all of this.”

She didn’t argue. She never did when it came to moments like this—when the storm inside her raged, and all she needed was a place to catch her breath. I guided her away from the maps, the strategies, the looming war. The weight of the future pressing down on us was momentarily forgotten as we stepped into the adjacent room, quieter, softer, filled with the fading light of the afternoon.

I lay down on the sofa, tugging her down on top of me. Her body molded to mine instantly, as if this was where she belonged, her head resting against my chest. I could feel the tension slowly leave her, her breathing evening out as I held her close.

Her fingers curled into my shirt, clutching it like a lifeline. She was silent for a long time, but her mind was loud—loud with thoughts of the battles ahead, the danger looming over us all. I could feel it in the way her body trembled against mine, in the way her breath hitched when she tried to hold back the tears that threatened to spill.

In these fleeting moments, it was just Jasmine and me. She was my everything, my angel, cradled in my arms. My mind wandered back to the night of the Moon Ball, the night that changed everything. The moment I realized Jasmine was my mate, and the subsequent shock of discovering she was also Aaron’s and Erik’s.

The next day, the three of us sat together, trying to make sense of it all. There was no jealousy, no competition—just the mutual understanding that we had to make this work for Jasmine. Erik had voiced his confusion, desperation seeping into his words.

“What are we going to do?”

I had responded with a certainty that wasn’t quite clear in my mind but was resolute in my heart. “There’s only one way…” I knew Jasmine loved all three of us, and that she felt our love for her in return. If we forced her to choose, to reject one of us, it would shatter her.

As Aaron and Erik looked at me, their eyes wide with anticipation, I proposed a mate bond dynamic unlike any I had ever considered.

“We should all be her mates, each in our own way. We should be there for her, love her, and if necessary, fight the world for her…”

I didn’t have all the answers, but my heart knew what needed to be done. Aaron laughed, his quick mind already accepting the truth of my words. Erik, however, still looked uncertain.

“How? How do we share her? How do we do the things you should do with your mate…kiss, have sex, have pups?”

I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of our decision. I hadn’t planned for this, but I knew Jasmine hadn’t either. This would be hard for us, but even harder for her. For Jasmine, I was willing to make it work, willing to set aside my pride.

“We do it however she wants. We’ll figure it out as we go. I don’t care if the pups are mine, or yours, Erik, or Aaron’s. What matters is that they’re hers.”

Erik stared at me, taking in my words. I could see him processing, trying to make it fit.

“I would do it for her,” he finally said.

Aaron’s eyes widened in surprise. He hadn’t expected us to be so fearless, so selfless, for Jasmine.

“For her,” he echoed softly. And with those words, we pledged our commitment to Jasmine, and for Jasmine.

We all knew the truth: forcing her to choose would break her. She loved all three of us, and for her, we would find a way.

We made a pact that day. We would be her mates, all of us, and we would love her in our own unique ways.

We would make this work—not because it was easy, but because it was Jasmine.

For Jasmine, we would move mountains, shatter the world, and rebuild it, if that’s what it took.

Jasmine stirred in my arms, her heart and mind wrestling with the enormity of it all.

“I can feel your worry,” I murmured. Her sweet scent grounded me as I gently stroked her back.

“I hate this,” she whispered after a long pause, her voice fragile. “I’m always worried…always crying. I’m supposed to be strong. But the thought of losing any of you—” Her voice broke. “I don’t think I could handle it. I feel like I should be out there with you.”

Her words cut through me, but I couldn’t suppress a soft chuckle. “No, my angel. You won’t be going with us. If you were there, we wouldn’t be able to focus. We’re stronger together, Jasmine. Nothing will happen to us. And when we come back, we’ll face whatever comes next, just like we always do—together.”

“I’m not strong without you,” she confessed, her voice shaking.

I smiled gently at her, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. “You’re the strongest of us all. You always have been.”

She didn’t reply, but I could feel her body slowly relaxing, her grip loosening. We stayed like that, lost in the quiet comfort of each other.

A tear slipped from her eye, trailing down her cheek. I brushed it away with my thumb, leaning in to plant a soft kiss on her lips.

It was a tender, slow kiss, meant to comfort her, to remind her that she wasn’t facing this alone. But as she melted into me, something deeper sparked between us.

The kiss deepened, becoming more passionate, as if the world outside had ceased to exist, and it was just us, here and now.

Her fingers found their way to my neck, getting lost in my hair as she reciprocated my kiss with a fervor that mirrored mine.

The sensation of her lips on mine, the taste of her on my tongue, the heat of her body so close to mine, awakened something primal within me.

I had always desired her, but right now, the need was overpowering, impossible to ignore.

I flipped us over, positioning her beneath me as my lips journeyed from her mouth to her neck, leaving a trail of kisses on the sensitive skin there.

A soft moan slipped from her, sending a wave of desire coursing through me. My hands explored her body, tracing the curves that had been driving me crazy for so long.

She arched against me, her breath coming in ragged gasps, and I could feel the tension morphing, shifting from fear to something entirely different.

Her hands clumsily tugged at my shirt, pulling it over my head, and I didn’t hesitate. I wanted her—needed her—in a way that transcended the physical.

This was about grounding her, reminding her that no matter what transpired, we would always share this connection, this unbreakable bond.

“Seb…” Her voice was a breathless whisper as I kissed her again, deeper this time, my hand slipping under her shirt to stroke the soft skin of her waist.

“I’m here,” I whispered against her lips. “I’m always here.”

Her fingers dug into my back as I kissed her more passionately, my self-control wavering as her touch, her taste, consumed me.

The world outside could hold on. Right now, it was just us—just the sensation of her beneath me, the way she reacted to every kiss, every touch.

I pushed her shirt up, my lips discovering the bare skin of her stomach, and she quivered beneath me, her body shaking with need.

I reveled in the way she melted under my touch, the way her breath hitched whenever I kissed a particularly sensitive spot.

“Sebastian…” Her voice was a plea, and it sent a thrill through me, knowing I was the one who could make her feel this way.

The urge to take things further, to show her just how much I desired her, surged through me.

But I pulled back, just for a moment, locking eyes with her. Her green eyes were heavy with desire, her lips parted, her body quivering beneath me.

“I love you, Jasmine,” I murmured, my voice choked with emotion. “I’ll always love you.”

And then I was kissing her again, losing myself in the blaze between us, in the warmth of her skin against mine, in the way she drew me closer as if she couldn’t get enough.

In that moment, with our bodies entwined, the weight of the world seemed to lift.

All that mattered was this—this connection, this love, this moment that was uniquely ours.