Axel POV

The scents in the room are overpowering. Full of lust and desire. I scrub my hand over my face, turn around, and walk to the window. I stare at the grounds, town, and the forest. The forest I so desperately want to escape into right now.

This whole situation is impossible on a multitude of levels, and I have no idea how to even begin fixing it. I want to mate with Alice, and not Elara. But I do not want Elara to end up with monsters like Greg and Luke.

“Elara,” I sigh, and turn to face her. “We must make the best of the situation. Either we compromise and work together, or we all lose. There is no golden midway. Mate with us or take your chances with the Elders. There’s no other alternative.”

“I … I need a bathroom,” she stutters, standing up. “Which way?”

“Down the hall, second door to the right,” Kane directs.

“If we mate with Elara tonight, what the fuck will happen to Alice?” I mind-link Kane. “And how would we mate Alice later if we are forced to mate Elara tonight?”

Kane POV

Axel’s questions echo in my head as I watch Elara leave the office. Those are good questions.

“There might be something,” I mutter when an idea hits me.

I walk to the bookshelf and pick out the massive book of pack laws. I put it on my desk and quickly page through it until I find what I am looking for.

“This,” I point at the page, and Axel leans over to get a better look.

“No,” Axel looks at me wide-eyed, shaking his head. “Don’t even think it.”

“It could work,” I say urgently as the glimmer of hope grows.

“No, bro,” Axel snorts. “Shit is complicated enough without doing that. And we can’t guarantee that the elders will assign Alice to us as a second mate.”

“We can find a way to force their hand,” I argue. “Surely there must be something we’ve overlooked when it comes to second mates. We haven’t gone over those laws as closely …”

“And we’re not going to, Kane,” he cuts me off. “You’re playing with fire even thinking about that.”

“Am I, though?” I raise my eyebrows, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

“Yes, you are,” his voice raises an octave.

“Listen,” he inhales deeply and calms his voice. “There’s no way Elara will go for that. Not in a million years. And she’s a feisty one. She could cause trouble for us if we don’t handle her correctly.”

I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and get a glimpse of Elara’s scent that is still lingering in the room. Her sweet, sweet, in-heat scent …

No! I reprimand myself, shaking my head to get rid of the thoughts.

“It doesn’t matter if she goes for it,” I continue. “She has no choice. If she refuses, she’ll be mated to …. to … hell, I don’t know. They’ll find the oldest, grossest pair for her. You can believe that.”

“Kane, this isn’t like you.” he bends over the desk, flipping page after page, scanning through the tiny words, looking for a needle in a haystack.

“There’s nothing else,” I sigh, taking a seat, as sadness fills my heart.

“But this isn’t right,” Axel mutters.

“We can’t let Alice go to them,” my voice is filled with despair. “And we can’t let her end up with someone worse, Axel.”

“I know,” he sighs, sitting down. “Dammit, you’re right. As much as I want to play by the rules and keep everyone happy, we can’t.”

“Alice is our chosen mate,” I smile sadly. “We must do whatever we can to protect her. Even if it meant taking on some collateral damage in the process.”

“We’ll give Elara a good life,” Axel nods. “We’ll find a way to make her happy. Once she has a pup or two, they’ll keep her busy. And, hell, if she wants to keep someone on the side, that’s okay, too.”

Axel starts looking through the tome again, his finger running over the words line by line, looking for mentions of second mates.

“Whatever we must do, we will,” Axel says adamantly, closing the book.

Elara POV

Anxiously, I enter the bathroom and lock the door. I open the tap and splash cold water on my wrists. I reach for the paper towels, wet them, and rub the back of my neck.

I close the tap, placing my hands on the counter as I inhale deeply and close my eyes.

I was so caught up in the day’s events that I did not consider how my future would be if I refused to mate with them tonight.

And now … well, fuck.

I have two options, and both are awful.

Either I mate with these two assholes who are hot as hell, or I take my chances with another match.

Choosing the twins sounds easy. They are hot as hell, and I am sure it will be an enjoyable experience, but they are in love with someone else. They will never be completely devoted to me.

The alternative could go either way. But if today was any indication of my luck and future, I will get stuck with whatever limp-dicked old-ass guy they can dig up from their graves.

“Life. Is. Grand,” I murmur to my reflection in the mirror, my green eyes dark with concern.

I stare at my auburn hair curling over my shoulders and down my back to my waist. I love my long hair, but will Kane and Axel like it?

My stomach dives at the image of them running their fingers through the curls or draping around them as I ride one of them … whoa, now I am getting ahead of myself.

I look at my watch, and it is less than two hours until midnight, and I have no idea where to go or where to hide.

I do not want to return to the office because I do not have an answer for them, but the last thing I want is to roam the hallways and run into Alice.

With limited options, I leave the bathroom and accidentally bump into a woman.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I apologise, reaching for her arms to stop us both from falling.

“It’s okay,” she chuckles, and looks at me intensely. “You’re Elara, right? The alphas’ mate.”

“I guess so,” I shrug.

“Yes, I’m Elara,” I say quickly when she looks at me confused. I cannot expect her to understand our drama.

“Pleased to meet you, I’m Erin,” she smiles. “Axel asked me to find you and take you to your room. They’re still busy in the office.”

“Thank you,” I nod politely, and follow her. Finally, a place where I can hide.

“How are you holding up?” Erin pushes a stand of straight black hair behind her ear. The chic cropped cut looked amazing on her.

“I’m…” I pause, not entirely sure how to answer. “I’m here. That’s about all I know right now.”

“I get that,” Erin nods. “When I was mated, it was terrifying. I had no idea what to expect, and then having to live in this place on top of it? Yeah.”

She opens a door, and I follow her inside. Holy shit!

Everything is newly updated, with sleek, modern appliances all in stainless steel, and the decor is simple and elegant. It is mostly black, cream, and grey, which I love. Whoever decorated the room added splashes of emerald green, deep blue, and rich purple. I could not have done it better if I designed it myself. Mesmerised, I inspect the rooms. Wow, it is big. I basically have my own fully furnished luxury apartment with a bedroom, living room and bathroom.

“I get what you’re saying,” I laugh nervously. “This is something else. The bath is the size of a pool, complete with jets.”

“It’s overwhelming, but you’ll get used to it,” Erin smiles.

“Honestly, I have no freaking idea what I’m doing,” I sigh, taking a seat on the luxurious couch in the living room. “How is this supposed to work? Like, everyone saw what happened today. I’m simultaneously terrified they are going to walk in here to complete the mating and desperately want it to happen.”

“Girl, you and everyone else who’s ever been mated.” Erin laughs softly. “I know you’re in a different situation than most, given the whole Alice situation, but it could be worse. You could be the one mated to Gregory and Lucas.”

We look at each other and shudder simultaneously before we burst out laughing.

“I’m sorry for Alice. I don’t care who you are, nobody deserves Greg and Luke,” I roll my eyes. “I just wish I didn’t have to be stuck in the middle. I think what Kane and Axel are doing is commendable. And I can’t imagine being in her shoes, but …”

“But now you’re the meat in a shit sandwich,” Erin says sympathetically when I trail off.

“Yes!” I exclaim. “Exactly.”

“I know it might not seem like it, but Kane and Axel aren’t as scary as they look,” she smiles. “I’ve got to know them, and I promise you, they’ll make a decision that will protect you both. You can count on that. Trust them.”

“Trust,” I snort. “The only thing I ever got from trusting a person was pain and humiliation.”

“The key to trust is to know whom to trust,” Erin smiles before she leaves.

Kane POV

My head is spinning, and my eyes are burning. It feels like an eternity since Axel and I started looking at the bylaws, and we are still not close to a solution.

I have no idea what we are going to do, but if we do not mate with Elara tonight, we will not have a choice anymore. And I do not do well with choices.

I know for certain I expected to have my way when it came to Alice. We bided our time and waited … and waited … for four mating ceremonies after we started sleeping with her when she turned eighteen. I sighed somewhat wistfully.

“I know,” Axel looks at me with the same despair I feel. “Remember when we first saw her?”

“I do,” I smile nostalgically.

“The fucking pigtails and ice cream cone,” Axel chuckles. “She knew what she wanted and how to get it.”

It is forbidden for anyone, no matter their age, to sleep with a she-wolf until she is eighteen, and then she is mated. But sometimes, there was a bit of a grace period, depending on when their birthdays were. Alice had six months of freedom before she was mated, and she decided that those six months would be spent with us.

She made her move, and we were toast, panting after her with our tongues hanging out. We have been inseparable since.

Most Alphas chose their mates, although it was a bit of an unspoken rule. If an Alpha were pretty set on a particular she-wolf, it was more than likely that the elders would assign that woman to them. After all, it was beneficial for them to have a happy Alpha.

So, what in the fuck happened with us and Alice?

“Kane,” Axel calls, and I snap out of my thoughts.

“Look at this,” he taps his finger on a notation below one of the laws.

“How did we miss that?” I mumble.

“It’s a bit harsh,” Axel replies. “But is the only way to get what we want.”

We look at each other, nod and stand up.

Kane POV

Erin leaves Elara’s quarters just as Axel and I approach. She nods in our direction and walks away.

I crack my neck and enter Elara’s quarters, and Axel shuts the door behind him, clicking the lock into place. As if anyone would dare disturb us.

Instead of standing as a sign of respect, Elara leans back onto the couch, crossing one knee over the other, and folds her arms across her chest. Her mouth is pulled into a line of determination as she glares at us.

The urge to turn her over my knee and redden her ass for her disrespect was a monster racing through my veins. A very lustful monster … which shocks me. Where did that image, that desire, come from?

I return her scowl and shove the thought away.

“It’s time to mate,” I say brusquely, still irritated with her disrespectful demeanour.

“Wow,” Elara makes a show of looking at the clock on the wall on the other side of the living room. “You’ve allotted me a whole forty-five minutes for mating.”

She un-crosses and re-crosses her legs, and I get a fresh whiff of her scent, sending my wolf into a frenzy of excitement. Slowly and deliberately, she looks me up and down. “Then again, we probably only need a few minutes.”

“Oh, well,” she leans forward and unties her golden sandals. “Let’s get this over with.”

I open my mouth to snap at her, but before I can form any words, Axel is in my head.

“Leave it alone, Kane,” he hisses urgently. “Let’s just get this done and do what we need to do so we can proceed tomorrow.”

I release my breath slowly, he is right. We must do this and move forward, there is no time for anything else.

I stalk through the living room towards the bedroom, unbuckling my belt. When I reach the threshold, I stop and turn to look back at Elara, yanking my belt out of the loops for show.

“Well, come on then,” I smirk.

I turn away and walk into the bedroom, shedding my shoes, pants, and shirt before standing at the foot of the bed in my boxer briefs, waiting.

Staring through the doorway, I see Axel smirking and walking toward the bedroom, shedding his own clothes as he makes his way to the bedroom. Elara finishes untying her shoes and kicks them off before rising from the couch and sulking her way in here.

When she reaches the door and sees Axel and me, both half-hard and in our boxer briefs, she hesitates, and her eyes widen. The pulse in her neck beats rapidly, and she swallows before making eye contact.

We know the effect we have on women, and I did not expect it to be any different with her, but I am still pleased by her reaction. Elara is feisty, and she has already insulted me. Now, she must eat her words.

“Like what you see?” I spread my arms out, flexing my stomach muscles.

She lifts her chin, narrowing her eyes before she slips her long, black dress off her shoulders, and it puddles around her feet on the floor.

“I can ask the same thing,” she glares at me, stepping over the dress, and my mouth turns dry.

Axel POV

Holy shit, I did not expect that. She is beautiful. No, that would be an insult to her. Beautiful does not do her justice. She is breathtakingly exquisite.

I am unsure what I was expecting. I have eyes – she has a pretty face, and the black dress showed promise of a beautiful body, but this! There is something about all that flawless porcelain skin and those perfect, full breasts in a simple black, lacy bra that made me speechless.

Would her nipples be as pale as her skin? Or would they be darker, like strawberries or raspberries? Suddenly, I cannot wait to find out.

I have been dreading mating with her, dreading what we had to do, but now … now I want nothing more than to do her.

I reach down and adjust my cock, which is now fully and painfully hard.

From the corner of my eye, I see Kane reach down to do the same, and I look at him. When his eyes meet mine, they are glassy with arousal, and I nod.

Good. We are on the same page. And if Elara’s scent was any indication, so is she. Her scent fills the room and wraps around us, heightening our desire.

My wolf, Blade, is pawing at the inside of me, eager to taste Elara, and I am sure Kane’s wolf, Hunter, is doing the same.

“You only want her because she’s in heat and you’ve never been with a woman in heat before,” I scold Blade, but his only response is a low growl. Hell, if I know what that even means.

My legs develop a mind of their own, and suddenly, I am in front of Elara, my hand gently cupping her chin. Her skin is delicately smooth under my touch, arousing me even more.

“Before we start,” my voice is hoarse with desire. “Kane and I must know if you’ve been with anyone before.”

“Ex … excuse me?” She steps backwards, her face flushed with surprise. “Um, what does that even matter? How is that any of your business?”

Her reaction speaks volumes, and I smile softly. Kane walks and stands beside me, stroking the back of his fingers down her arm. Instantly, she is covered in goosebumps, and I develop an overwhelming urge to count them … with my tongue.

“Because,” Kane’s voice is thick with lust as he strokes up and down her arm, over her shoulder, neck and finally grasping the back of her head. “If you haven’t been with anyone before, Axel and I will proceed a little differently.”

A soft frown nestles between her perfectly shaped eyebrows, and she looks at us with slight bewilderment, telling us everything we need to know.