The forest pressed in tight, shadows thick and suffocating. Sena's back was still pinned to the tree, her pulse hammering so hard she swore the brothers could hear it. Four sets of eyes burned into her—silver, amber, storm, and green—each gaze a tether, pulling her apart and binding her all at once.
"You thought you could run," Kael murmured, voice deep and dangerous, his hand braced beside her head. Silver eyes glinted like moonlight on steel. "Little wolf, you don't run from us."
Her throat worked, dry and aching. "I—I don't belong to you."
A cruel smirk curved Rian's mouth. He stalked closer, circling her like a predator. "Don't you? Then why does your scent tell a different story?" His hand brushed her hip, slow, deliberate, making her shiver. "Why does your body lean toward us, even as your lips lie?"
Sena gasped as Deacan's grip tightened on her wrist, pulling her flush against him. His heat seared through the thin dress, every hard line of his body pressing into hers. His mouth hovered at her ear, breath ragged. "Say the word 'no,' and I'll let go. But gods help you if you don't—" His teeth grazed her throat, sharp enough to buckle her knees.
Her breath came in ragged gasps. She should have screamed. She should have fought. Instead, her head tipped back, baring more of her throat to him. A soft, broken sound escaped her lips—half protest, half plea.
Thorne—or maybe Loran, silent and watchful—stepped from the shadows at last. His green eyes pierced her, unyielding. He didn't touch her. Didn't have to. The weight of his gaze stripped her bare. "Look at you," he murmured, voice low but commanding. "You don't even know what you are yet. But your wolf does. She's clawing to the surface, aching for us."
Her chest heaved, lungs straining for air that wouldn't come. Heat flooded her core, a pulse of liquid fire that left her trembling.
Kael's hand slid from the tree to her jaw, tilting her face up. His thumb brushed over her swollen bottom lip, eyes gleaming with possession. "This mouth," he whispered, "was made for us." He bent closer, lips hovering a breath away. "Say you don't want it. Say it, and I'll walk away."
Her lips parted. "I..." But no words came. Her wolf roared beneath her skin, wild and hungry.
Kael didn't wait. His mouth crashed against hers, hot and demanding. The kiss was brutal, devouring—nothing like the sweet fantasies she'd once had of love. His tongue thrust past her lips, claiming, conquering, until she clung to him, nails digging into his shirt to anchor herself against the storm he unleashed.
When Kael finally tore away, Sena was panting, lips tingling, body thrumming with need. Rian laughed darkly, catching her chin and dragging her head toward him before she could recover. His kiss was different—wicked, teasing, teeth tugging her bottom lip until she gasped. His tongue flicked against hers, playful and taunting, promising endless sin. "Sweet little rabbit," he murmured. "You taste like surrender."
Her knees gave out, but Deacan was there, unyielding, arms locking around her waist. His lips descended before she could breathe. If Kael's kiss was a storm and Rian's a fire, Deacan's was an inferno. Rough, desperate, punishing. He kissed her like he'd waited centuries, like he would die without it. Teeth scraped her lip, tongue plunged deep, and her moan broke free despite her shame.
Her body burned, every nerve ending alive, every inch claimed.
And still—still—there was Loran. He hadn't touched her, hadn't moved, only watched with eyes sharp enough to cut. When he finally stepped forward, the air thickened. He cupped her face with surprising gentleness, tilting her head so her wide, desperate gaze met his. "You think this is a choice," he murmured. Lips brushed hers once—just once, whisper-soft—leaving her trembling harder than the others' hungry mauling. "But you were always ours."
Tears stung her eyes. Want and fear tangled inside her chest, tearing her apart. "Why me? Why... me?"
Kael's silver eyes burned. "Because you're the missing piece."
Rian grinned, lips grazing her ear. "Because you're fire, and you don't even know it yet."
Deacan's growl vibrated against her ribs. "Because you're mine."
Loran's calm voice sealed it. "Because fate doesn't make mistakes."
Her legs buckled. Heat pulsed between her thighs, slick and aching. Nipples strained against the thin fabric. She hated it. She craved it.
Kael's hand slid lower, skimming her hip, but stopped just shy of where she burned most. Restraint was agony. He smirked at her whimper. "Not yet, little wolf. You're not ready to be ruined."
Rian chuckled darkly. "But oh, when you are..." He nipped her jaw, making her gasp. "We'll break you apart and put you back together. Every night. Every way."
Deacan's hand splayed across her stomach, possessive and protective. "Until you can't remember a life without us."
Loran's thumb brushed away the tear slipping down her cheek. Soft, reverent. "And you'll thank us for it."
Her whole body trembled, caught between terror and hunger so sharp it bordered on pain. The forest pulsed with their combined power, scents wrapping around her until she could hardly breathe.
Kael finally stepped back, though his eyes never left her. "You don't run from us again." Not a threat. A promise.
Deacan scooped her up as if she weighed nothing, her body sagging against his chest. "She won't."
Rian traced a finger along her thigh, smirking at her involuntary shiver. "Not when she aches like this."
Loran walked beside them, silent and watchful, presence heavier than words.
Sena closed her eyes, breath trembling, body still burning from their touches and kisses. Shame warred with need, fear with hunger. She didn't know who she was anymore, what she wanted—only that she was theirs, whether she admitted it or not.
And when they carried her back toward the pack house, she knew one truth with bone-deep certainty:
She had never been hunted.
She had been claimed.