Chapter 2

Lilitha was in shock. Damon and Mateus were actually laughing! Damon landed a punch on Mateus’s shoulder that looked like it hurt, and Mateus returned the favor with a punch to Damon’s side.

They continued to laugh, even as they helped each other up, their faces swollen and bloody, their noses running. Damon was holding his side, while Mateus cradled his arm against his chest, suggesting it might be broken.

Yet, they were still laughing!

Mateus gave Damon a hearty slap on the back, sending him to his knees. Damon, caught in a fit of laughter, sprayed blood and snot as he fell. Then, with a swift move, he swept Mateus off his feet, and the big Diablon landed next to him with a thud.

Carmella asked, “Are we done now?”

“You’re both so stupid!” Lilitha yelled, on the brink of tears. She was shaking.

“Calm down, Lila.”

“I won’t calm down. This is crazy! How can you not see how crazy this is?!”

If she hadn’t been shaking so much, she would have punched them both in their stupid, yet lovable faces.

“Sorry, Lilitha,” Mateus said, sitting up. He didn’t look sorry though, as he blew his nose onto the ground, sending blood flying.

Damon sat up next to him, playing with one of his loose teeth. He pulled it out, spat, and tossed it aside. He looked at Lilitha, his tail swaying. “Get used to it. It’s what we do. What we have to do. To train. To protect you. To be useful alphas.”

He stood up slowly, his muscles bulging, blood dripping from his chin and chest. His forearms were as thick as branches, his thighs like tree trunks. His hands were huge. How could he look even bigger?

“You must be kidding,” Lilitha said, recognizing the look in his eyes. She pulled her knees to her chest, trying to cover her nakedness. His blood had stained his pubic hair and even his balls. As for his manhood… Lilitha shook her head. “You’re unbelievable.”

Damon grinned, showing his bloody teeth.

“Don’t even think about it.”

But he did.

“Damon!”

He was quick. One moment she was on the ground, the next she was in his arms, his face buried in her neck, his chest pressed against her breasts.

“Let go!”

She wanted to be mad. She wanted to fight back. But with Damon, it was impossible. She struggled for a bit, but eventually gave in, resting her chin on his shoulder.

He was growling, his tail lashing behind him. Lilitha closed her eyes as he kissed her. The last thing she saw before he lowered her to the ground were his gleaming horns. Then he was inside her, moving like a wild animal, growling and snarling.

Lilitha held onto him, matching his rhythm, urging him deeper, growling and purring from deep within her throat. Then he shuddered, snarling against her lips as he thrust up his hips again and again.

He pulled away, a thin line of saliva connecting them. Lilitha lay beneath him, panting, her groin raw and hot. He kissed her again, pushing deeper, grinding his pelvis against hers until his shaft stopped pulsing and Lilitha’s hips stopped throbbing.

As they lay there, breathing each other’s hot breath, they heard a moan. Mateus and Carmella were still going at it, Mateus’s muscles flexing as he thrust into her, Carmella’s dark thighs spread wide. Her arms were wrapped around his broad back. Mateus’s tail was coiling and uncoiling.

All the muscles in Mateus’s shoulders were bulging. Carmella was grunting, her fingers digging into his back. Her thighs were tense. With a growl, Mateus gave a hard, deep thrust, his butt clenching as he came. Hidden somewhere within his mane of brown hair, Carmella sighed.

Mateus gave her a long, lingering kiss, murmured something, then rolled onto his back, his sticky erection resting against his belly. Carmella sat up and brushed at her hair, glowing and smiling, the black thatch between her legs glistening.

Carmella winked at Lilitha, who buried her face in Damon’s shoulder, her cheeks burning. Damon pushed a little deeper inside her. “Wanna go again?”

“They’re watching us.”

“So? You’re such a prude.”

“Just because I don’t want to have sex all over the place.”

He bared his teeth, looking ridiculous with his missing tooth. “Really? That’s news to me.”

Lilitha gasped as he pushed in deeper.

“Are you quite done yet?” a voice yelled from the trees. “I’m waiting for you all.”

“Shit!” Lilitha pushed Damon away.

He slid out of her and Lilitha pulled her knees to her chest, covering herself, but Silus didn’t enter the clearing. Lilitha’s cheeks burned even hotter.

“Can you get my clothes?” she asked Damon.

He grinned at her as he rolled onto his hip, watching her drowsily. “Why should I? I like you this way.”

“Because I don’t want my Goddamn father to see me.”

Damon shrugged and grabbed her ankle. Lilitha slapped his hand away. He laughed.

“And you need to put some pants on,” she hissed, peering anxiously through the trees. “He can’t see you like this.”

“Like what? My natural state?”

“I’ll get them,” Carmella said. “Honestly, Damon, you’re incorrigible.” But she was grinning as she left. “Give us a minute, Silus,” she called. “We’ll come join you soon.”

Mateus yawned and stretched. He started to put his hands behind his head but winced and moved his arm back. His face was stained with blood. More blood stained his chest and abdomen. There was a big clot of it in his chest hair.

Lilitha shook her head. “How can you do this to each other? Doesn’t it hurt?”

“Like I said, it’s training,” Damon said. “We need to keep ourselves strong.”

“It does hurt,” Mateus admitted. “But it’s fleeting. No pain, no gain.”

Lilitha couldn’t help but snort at his words.

Carmella came back with their clothes and both Lilitha and Damon hurriedly dressed.

“Feeling better now?” Damon asked, pulling his hair into a knot at the top of his head.

“Much better,” Lilitha replied.

Carmella and Mateus, still in their birthday suits, joined Silus deeper into the woods. As they came into view, Silus glanced up. Lilitha found herself unable to meet his gaze, a sudden wave of discomfort washing over her as they settled down next to him.

They didn’t bother with a fire or their cloaks. The weather was warm enough.

Silus shook his head at the sight of Damon and Mateus. “What a disaster,” he muttered.

Mateus coughed, blood spilling from his nose. He tilted his head back and pinched his nose, snorting.

Silus eyed Mateus’s arm. “Broken?”

Mateus lifted it, wincing. “I think so, but it’s not too bad.”

Carmella gently took his wrist and kissed it. She wiped the blood from his face and planted a kiss on his nose.

Mateus looked at her with his soft, indigo eyes and intertwined their fingers.

Carmella whispered something to him, and he nuzzled her cheek.

Lilitha nestled into Damon’s lap, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. She reveled in the rhythm of his breathing, the sound of their voices, their mingled scents.

Her throat tightened as she remembered the weeks she’d been away.

Damon wrapped his arms around her. When he spoke, air whistled through the gap in his teeth.

Lilitha looked up at him, frowning.

Damon ran his tongue over the gap. “Don’t worry, it’ll grow back.”

“It grows back?”

“Absolutely. A Diablon’s teeth are too crucial.” He gestured toward Mateus. “His arm will be healed within a week.”

Lilitha remembered how easily Mandalay had injured her wrist when he chased her through the forest. How effortlessly he had overpowered her.

She thought about all the injuries she had sustained over her lifetime.

“But when I’ve broken bones before, it took forever to heal,” she protested.

“You’re not an alpha. You’re not built for battle, for the hunt, like we are. You’re as delicate and vulnerable as a human.”

“I am not!”

“You are.”

Lilitha shot him a glare.

He raised his hands in surrender. “Don’t be mad at me. I didn’t make the rules.”

“Don’t be upset,” Carmella interjected. “You possess abilities far more remarkable than mere strength. Be thankful for them.”

Their eyes locked, and Lilitha felt her anger dissipate. She lowered her gaze to her lap.

It had been four weeks since she had returned to the clan.

A full cycle since she had started eating properly again. She hadn’t had her first period yet, and she didn’t know whether to be relieved or worried.

Lilitha could feel her ears heating up, aware of where everyone’s thoughts were heading. The prospect of a child among them would change everything.

She could feel Carmella’s gaze on her, always watching, ensuring she was eating and sleeping enough, happy and healthy, sniffing the air whenever she was near to check if she was menstruating.

The anticipation was palpable. She could see it in all of them. And with it came the pressure.

Every time Lilitha felt a dampness in her underwear or had to use the bathroom, a small wave of anxiety washed over her.

What if she couldn’t do it?

Even worse—what if she could?