The night before the ceremony, sleep eludes me. I pace my chambers like a caged wolf, moonlight streaming through frost-covered windows, painting silver patterns across stone floors.
Tomorrow changes everything. Tomorrow I return to my birthright, sever ties to the only pack I've known, and potentially trigger something none of us understand.
Ryder has no idea what's coming. We're hundreds of miles apart, no way to send messages, no chance to warn him. How do I prepare someone for a mate bond that might suddenly slam into recognition across all that distance?
He could be in council, in his chambers, anywhere when it hits. The thought of him feeling that overwhelming pull without context makes my chest tighten.
"Can't sleep either?" Luca's voice draws me from spiraling thoughts. He stands in my doorway, golden eyes reflecting moonlight, wearing only loose sleep pants. The mate bond between us hums immediately, stronger than ever, as if proximity alone intensifies it.
"Come in," I say, gesturing to the sitting area near the fireplace. "I think sleep is impossible tonight."
He settles beside me on the fur rug, close enough that our shoulders touch. The contact sends electricity through my system, the bond singing with satisfaction.
"Whatever happens tomorrow, we're in this together," he says, voice uncharacteristically serious. "Nathan and I, we've talked about it. Even if the ceremony changes things, even if completing it means complications we can't foresee—we're not letting you face it alone."
"What if the old magic decides I have to stay here?" I voice the fear that Luca instilled. "What if returning me means—"
"Then we stay too," Luca interrupts, fierce certainty and slight regret for making me worry in his tone. "Where you go, we go. That's what mates do."
I lean into his warmth, drawing comfort from his presence. "I keep thinking about Ryder. If this third bond I'm feeling is real, if he's truly my mate too and the curse has been hiding it—"
"It might be overwhelming for him," Luca finishes. "Going from believing he'll never have a mate to suddenly feeling one activate. But Coralina, if anyone can handle the impossible, it's Ryder. He's been defying death itself for years."
"Love is sometimes stronger than laws of magic," I murmur, remembering something the elders said. "Maybe that's what this is—love refusing to be contained by curses and traditions."
We sit in comfortable silence, watching flames dance, when footsteps announce Nathan's arrival. He enters without knocking, and I can read the tension in every line of his body. His green eyes are dark with worry, the same questions that plague us all written across his features.
He doesn't speak his doubts. Instead, he crosses to us with predatory grace and drops to his knees beside me. "I need—" he starts, then stops, jaw working. His hands find mine, grip almost desperate. "I need to feel you. To know you're here, real, mine."
Understanding floods through me. He's asking for physical comfort, intimate connection to anchor us before tomorrow's uncertainty. I look at Luca, uncertain. But he nods too, his eyes desperate the same way Nathan’s are.
I feel the weight of their desire and anxiety press into me like a wave cresting, ready to break. The air between us crackles, electric and alive, and I know this isn’t just comfort—it’s hunger, raw and unrelenting.
I lean forward, my body already humming with anticipation, and Nathan’s hands find me first. His fingers slide over the curve of my waist, calloused and possessive, as he pulls me close. His scent wraps around me—woodsmoke and salt—and I breathe him in, letting it fill me like a drug.
Luca moves in behind me, his chest pressing against my back, and I feel the heat of him searing through my skin. His lips brush the nape of my neck, a slow, deliberate kiss that makes me shiver.
Nathan’s mouth finds mine, and it’s like a spark igniting. His kiss is deep, consuming, and I melt into him, letting his tongue claim me. My hands slide up his chest, feeling the hard planes of muscle beneath his shirt, and I can’t help but moan into his mouth.
Luca’s hands roam over my hips, his touch firm, almost reverent, as he palms the curve of my ass, pulling me tighter against him.
Nathan breaks the kiss, his breath ragged, and he looks at me with those storm-gray eyes, dark and wild. “Carolina,” he murmurs, his voice rough, and I know he’s barely holding himself together. Luca’s lips trail down my neck, his teeth grazing my skin, and I arch against him, craving more.
Nathan’s hands move to the hem of my shirt, and he lifts it slowly, exposing me inch by inch. Luca’s hands follow, his fingers trailing over my bare stomach, sending jolts of pleasure through me.
The shirt falls to the floor, and Nathan’s eyes rake over me, hungry and possessive. He leans in, his mouth trailing down my collarbone, and his tongue flicks over my nipple, wet and hot. I gasp, my fingers tangling in his hair, and Luca’s hands slide up to cup my breasts, his thumbs brushing over my sensitive peaks.
Luca’s mouth moves to my shoulder, his teeth nibbling at my skin, and I feel his cock pressing against my back, hard and insistent. Nathan’s hands slide down to my hips, and he kneels before me, his eyes locked on mine as he hikes up my skirt.
His breath is hot against my thighs as he kisses his way up, his tongue tracing the delicate skin. He pauses, his mouth hovering over my clit, and I whimper, needing him to close the distance.
When his tongue finally touches me, it’s like lightning coursing through my veins. His mouth is relentless, licking and sucking, and I cry out, gripping the back of his neck for support.
Luca’s hands roam over my body, his touch everywhere at once, and I feel like I’m drowning in sensation. He slides a hand between my legs, his fingers teasing me, and I buck against him, my moans echoing in the room.
Nathan pulls away, his lips glistening, and he looks up at me with a smirk. “You taste divine,” he growls, and I can’t help but blush. Luca’s hands grip my hips, and he turns me to face him, his eyes burning with desire. He kisses me hard, his tongue plunging into my mouth, and I feel Nathan’s hands spreading me open behind me.
Nathan’s tongue laps at me, slow and deliberate, and I writhe between them, caught in a whirlwind of pleasure. Luca’s fingers find my clit, rubbing in tight circles, and I feel myself unraveling, my body trembling on the edge. Nathan’s mouth seals over me, his tongue flicking rapidly, and I scream as the first wave of my climax crashes over me.
Luca catches my moans with another kiss, his lips soft and demanding, as Nathan continues to devour me, drawing out every last shudder.
When he finally pulls away, I’m boneless, trembling, and completely theirs. They hold me between them, their hands stroking my skin, their breaths mingling with mine, and I’m no longer afraid to face tomorrow. Because I’m not alone.