My fingers tug at his shirt, the fabric tearing under my grip, and I feel Eric’s hands on my shoulders, his lips moving lower, trailing fire across my skin. It’s raw, consuming, the kind of heat that could burn this whole pack house down. 

I want more—more of Rick, more of Eric, more of this bond that makes us whole, even without her.

“What the hell are you guys doing?” a voice snaps, sharp and raw, cutting through the haze.

I freeze, my lips still on Rick’s, my hands gripping his hair. I turn my head, slow and deliberate, and there she is—Lia, standing in the doorway, her eyes wide with shock, her face a storm of fury and something else, something that makes my wolf howl. 

My smirk widens, slow and deliberate, as I meet her gaze, letting her see every bit of the monster she hates.

### Chapter 24: Tangled in Their Chains 🐺🔥🌙


I shove Dorian away, my hands trembling, my voice sharp. "You're drunk, Dorian. Go to your room, sleep it off, and stop making my life hell. Maybe tomorrow when you are all clear up then let talk."


He sways, his eyes glassy, his voice rough. "Why's it always Rick, Lia? Why him over me or Eric? What's he got that I don't?"


I glare, my heart pounding, the mate bond a twisted ache in my chest. "Rick's not like you. He's not cold—he cares, Dorian. He's not a freak who stand there and watch other lycans toy with his mate."


He laughs, a bitter, slurred sound. "Cares? Is that why you let him have you? Slept with him like it was nothing?"


I step back, my voice fierce. "You don't get to judge me. You don't deserve me, Dorian. Not after everything."


He leans closer, his breath heavy with liquor. "I've waited, Lia. Waited for you to want me, to kiss me, to not push me away. You think that's easy?"


Chapter 25 - chapter 24