THINGS GET SPICY
UNSURPRISINGLY, the doctor checked my vitals and announced I was completely healthy. I promised Aran that I would hang out later and left to find my bed and take a long nap.
I wandered aimlessly through the training compound. Long mahogany corridors with shiny candelabras and exposed brick walls repeated endlessly. It was a maze of cramped stairwells and sharp angles.
After a few wrong turns, I sighed with relief when I finally saw the familiar wood door with an A carved into it.
My sigh of relief got stuck in my throat when I opened the door.
The first thing I noticed was the alpha pheromones. The scents of frosty chestnuts and pine hit my face in a choking cloud.
The second thing I noticed was the noise.
Heavy grunts, growls, and moans vibrated through the room. The sound was so deep and guttural that goosebumps broke out across my skin.
The third thing I noticed was the massive alphas fucking against the wall.
I had seen betas and null shifters have sex at the tavern: women discreetly sitting on males’ laps, men bending each other over behind the pool table, women finger-fucking
each other in the bathroom. I had even taken the trash out and found a woman on her knees, sucking a man off in a pile of snow.
Shifters were known to be extremely amorous and would fuck literally anybody.
The bar encounters had made me want to puke with disgust.
This was different.
Jax had Cobra pinned against the wall. Jax’s sweatpants were pulled down his massive thighs, like he had been in a rush and forgotten to take them off.
Firelight cast shadows across his bulging muscles and rounded butt as they flexed with each punishing thrust into Cobra.
It was breathtaking. Cobra’s light skin and emerald jewels contrasted dramatically with Jax’s dark skin and gold jewelry.
They were both massive men, but Jax’s bulky muscles managed to dwarf Cobra’s tapered frame.
His right hand pinned Cobra’s neck against the brick wall, and Jax’s skin glistened with sweat. His chiseled bicep bunched as his left hand stroked Cobra, and he grunted loudly with every thrust.
Jax’s frame was so large he hid most of Cobra from view.
However, parts of Cobra’s legs and arms were exposed.
As I watched, the shadow snakes slowly disappeared off Cobra’s skin.
Concern flared in my gut, but the tiny black shadow snake still zinged contentedly around my wrist.
“Fuck, you like that?” Ascher moaned, his voice startling me. I hadn’t noticed him.
Ascher was sitting on his bed with his back against a mountain of pillows.
The alpha was completely naked, his glorious tattoos covering every inch of his chest and thighs.
I swallowed thickly.
His dick was in his hands, and he was stroking it up and down as he watched Jax fuck Cobra against the wall.
I nearly squealed and gave myself away when his hand showed off the root of his massive dick along with his alpha knot.
The beta rumors were correct. Ascher’s entire dick was tattooed with colorful ink. It must have hurt like a bitch.
I had also heard rumors about alpha knots, but had never seen one in person. The bulge was massive at the base of his cock, and with each stroke, Ascher paused to squeeze it.
“You want him to take you even harder than that?” Ascher asked in a silky voice.
Cobra moaned low as Jax thrust harder into him.
The entire wall vibrated from the force of Jax’s thrusts.
The sexual dynamic of the three alphas and the heavy pheromones in the room had my knees trembling and my stomach feeling weird again.
“You’re gonna come so hard all the betas will hear you scream.” Ascher closed his eyes and started pumping his hand faster.
“Fuck, yes you are.” Jax growled deeply and slammed Cobra against the wall.
Cobra shouted and jerked. The veins on Jax’s biceps popped out as he pressed Cobra forward in an unforgiving grip.
As Cobra bucked, the cool scent of frost became more prominent. All the shadows disappeared off his pale skin.
Abruptly, Cobra turned his head to the side, and his normal emerald eyes stared at me.
His icy gaze was terrifying.
My little shadow snake zinged in alarm and traveled up my arm and down my back, obscured by my sweatshirt. My heart jack hammered in my chest.
I had been caught.
Jax continued to thrust slowly, unaware that Cobra was staring at me. With each thrust, a soft blush spread across Cobra’s cheeks. It would have been cute if he weren’t staring me down with intense, soulless eyes.
I swallowed thickly and prayed to the moon goddess Cobra wouldn’t call me out for watching.
My feet should have slowly backed away from the room, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the men.
“Beg him to fuck you!” Ascher yelled in between loud moans, his powerful, tattooed hips bucking off the bed. He stroked himself faster.
“Fuck yes,” Jax growled, and Cobra moaned beneath him, but his emerald eyes didn’t break contact with mine.
“Beg him to fuck you now, Princess!” Ascher shouted, and his seed erupted out of his hand as he turned to stare directly at me.
When Ascher said “princess,” Jax roared loudly and jerked into Cobra.
Princess. Fuck my life.
Ascher’s golden eyes danced with heat, and from his smirk, I realized he’d known I was standing there the entire time.
My mouth dropped open in shock, and instantly, my face caught fire. The implication of everything Ascher had said hit me like a hammer. He had been talking to me, not Cobra.
Suddenly, I felt like the spider fae was pinning me to the ground. Ascher and Jax turned to me at the same time.
Three sets of eyes speared me where I stood.
Ascher’s thick white cum covered his hand and thighs, and he smirked at me evilly. His large tattooed dick bobbed against his ripped stomach.
Jax slowly pulled out of Cobra, watching me with an unidentifiable expression on his face.
I stared at Jax’s dick in shock. It was dripping cum and pierced with gold bars. Piercings traveled all the way down,
including along his alpha knot. Holy shit, the betas should be gossiping about that.
As the three alphas stared at me expectantly, the crushing weight became heavier.
Pheromones and the scent of sex filled my nose, and I struggled to make sense of everything that had just happened.
Ascher had insinuated Jax was going to fuck me…hard. I didn’t know how to feel. My breathing became erratic, and panic clouded my brain because no one could ever see my body. My scars.
It was probably wasteful to use the numb and not save it for battle, but it was an emergency.
As terror overwhelmed me, I let my brain click. Instantly, all emotions left me and I became indifferent to the situation.
The numb had recharged. I flipped the switch in my brain, and all my emotions poofed away.
You’re an apical alpha. Assert yourself.
“Very dramatic.” I stalked forward into the room.
Ascher, for once, had nothing to say. He raised his eyebrows, clearly surprised I hadn’t run screaming. Even Cobra and Jax watched me with shock.
None of the men knew what to do with my cool indifference. Look them in the eye. Do not look away.
I grabbed a pair of sweats from my dresser and a clean towel from on top of Jax’s dresser. “I’m going to take a long bath.”
The numb said to look them in the eye, and I listened, mostly.
My eyes trailed downward against my will, and I wondered how men could be built so large. Three massive cocks with swollen knots bobbed in my vicinity. If I weren’t numb, I probably would have passed out.
Good thing I was numb.
Openly, I stared at the gold piercings on Jax’s cock. The heavy gold metal was pierced through the tip, and there were bars all the way down the underside. The bars were massive at the bottom to fit through his knot.
His dick was so big I almost started to laugh. It was already impossibly thick, and the swollen knot at the base made its girth monstrous. It was physically unfeasible that would ever fit inside me. Cobra was worried for no reason.
With one last casual sweep of the room and the naked male figures on display, I walked into the bathroom and locked the door.
The huge tub was wide enough to fit ten shifters and bubbled with warm water. I dumped a bag of salts labeled “Relaxing” into the tub and climbed in.
I deserved to be pampered.
After soaking in the tub for an extended period of time, I dried off in Jax’s massive towel. The towel was so large that it dragged on the floor when I tied it around my chest.
Brushing out my long hair, I stared indifferently at my face in the mirror.
Shifting had accelerated my healing, and my nose was no longer swollen. It sat small and pert on my face. The black circles under my eyes were gone, and my tan skin practically shone with health.
You’re a predator. Show the alphas your strength.
Images of me mounting the alphas flashed in my mind. The numb had never been remotely sexual before. Usually it was all death and stabbing.
Ignoring the numb, I pulled back on Ascher’s pine- scented sweatshirt and shorts. I told myself I was only wearing them because they were clean and there was no reason to change.
Slowly, I stepped back into the room.
All the alphas lay on their beds, but the scent of sex still lingered.
Jax and Cobra sat writing out battle reports. In contrast, Ascher was lying on his back with a fancy phone in his hand, tapping his thumbs and leaning it back and forth. Fancy phones were from the human realm, and they were so rare that only the wealthiest shifters could afford them.
When I closed the bathroom door, all three stopped what they were doing to stare at me.
Mount them. Assert your dominance. I stared back but ignored the numb that was urging me to sexually assault them. Highly concerning.
There was a line of books and notebooks above the fireplace mantel, and I took an empty notebook. Sauntering across the room with my prize, I stared at Jax, then leaned forward and grabbed an extra pen off his bed.
The big alpha arched his eyebrows at my hubris, and I stared back. The numb kept all emotion off of my face, and I could tell he was confused.
Keep the upper hand. Assert yourself.
After stealing the pen and notebook, I crawled into my bed, which was warmed by the roaring fireplace. The flames kept the howling cold at bay.
My bed was furthest from the fire, and it was a little drafty compared to the rest of the room, but in contrast to my room at Dick’s, it was a sauna of warmth and comfort.
Outside the window above my bed, thick white snowflakes gathered on the windowsill and framed the white mountains.
As I wrapped the fur blanket around my shoulders, even in the numb state, warmth spread through me, and I curled my toes.
In the notebook, I began to write out every single thing that had happened during the battle, down to every last detail. My numb brain cataloged patterns and events, meticulously noting everything.
A few hours later, Zed stuck his head through the door.
“Sadie, how are you doing?” Concern was etched in deep grooves across his face.
Even though I was numb, a smile split across my cheeks at the sight of the scrawny null shifter. His black hair was shaggy on his head, like he had been running his hands through it.
I gestured him forward.
He hurried past the three alpha shifters, who were now staring him down like he was a tasty deer and they were starving.
“How are you doing? I heard you transformed into a cat. Everyone in the fortress is freaking out. The first female alpha. The sun god has surely blessed us. The entire realm is going to know soon.” He perched on the edge of my bed and looked at me like I was some type of divine savior.
Jax growled deep and low, and Zed jumped off the bed like it was on fire.
Assert yourself.
I whipped my head around to stare at Jax. “Don’t threaten my friend.” A soft grumble started in my chest. I rubbed my palm across my sternum, and vibrations shook through my hand. This was new.
“Easy there, tiger,” Zed joked as he settled on the edge of my bed, and I smiled at him. Maybe I was becoming more of an alpha?
“Thanks for the support. I’m just glad I didn’t die in battle. So, what’s your job in the compound?” Surprisingly, even though the numb was coursing through my veins, it settled down around Zed. It wasn’t telling me to slit his throat or mount him, which was nice.
“I do odd jobs around the compound. I’m a servant,” Zed said softly, and his dark eyes clouded.
My chest tightened, and I made a note to look into his situation. I had a feeling he was here against his will. I could relate.
“Better than having to stab at the creepy fae creature.” I chuckled, and he joined me, laughing.
“True. Well, I’m so glad you’re okay. I was freaking out, and the doctors in the ward wouldn’t tell me anything.” Zed grabbed my hands in his.
Chaos erupted.
Jax and Ascher jumped out of their beds and crowded around us.
“Don’t touch her,” Jax growled while physically pulling Zed away from me. Jax’s eyes glowed, and he dwarfed Zed with his size and muscles. At least he was fully dressed.
“Leave.” Ascher leaned over Zed and invaded his personal space.
Fight them off. Assert your dominance.
My chest vibrated with a deep growl as I shoved myself in front of Zed. Jax growled back, and Ascher just sneered down at me with a cocky smile.
“I better be off to work anyway. I’m glad you’re okay.” Zed rolled his eyes at the antics and hurried out the door.
Before he left, he turned around in the hallway. “Also, the compound gave you a phone, Sadie. It’s in your top drawer. You can text me at any time.” He gave me a thumbs-up before Ascher slammed the door shut in his face.
“Give me your phone, Princess.” Ascher held out his hand expectantly, like I was a little bitch who listened to him. Who was going to tell him?
Stab him, quickly.
“Touch my shit and I’ll stab you with your horn after I rip it off your head.” I climbed back into bed and opened up my notebook. My broken voice had sounded harsher than usual and nicely emphasized my threat.
Ascher opened his mouth like he was going to argue, but Jax shoved Ascher onto his bed before he could say anything. The horned alpha rolled his eyes and picked up his phone.
He wisely refrained from saying anything more or trying to issue new orders.
Throughout it all, Cobra remained focused on his report, seated on his bed and completely unfazed by the commotion surrounding Zed. “Mount him quickly.”
Trying to push my troubling thoughts aside, I returned to documenting observations from the battle. Unfortunately, even my numb state couldn’t shield me from the unsettling nature of the events that had unfolded in the room.
I spent the entire night staring out the snowy window, unable to sleep a single moment.
When the morning alarm rang, the numbness still coursed through my veins.
