“That happened fast.” Lucas turned back to me, and his gray eyes shone with interest. He scooped up my paw from his lap and met my eyes. “Declan is protecting you like you’re his wounded mate.”
Declan chuffed behind me and laid his head over my side, watching Lucas with concentrated attention I could feel from here. When I nuzzled his face, he licked my muzzle before turning back to Lucas. Declan was indeed treating me like his wounded mate, but the big wolf’s behavior was no doubt due to the fact I was an omega. My nature tended to bring out the basest instincts in wolves.
Lucas flushed out my paw and wrapped it in gauze. He taped the end of my bandage and met my eyes. “This is loose on purpose, so if you try to walk with it, it might fall off. I did it that way so if you have to change without warning, it should come apart easily.”
I nuzzled his thigh in thanks.
Lucas shouldered his jacket off one arm, but he froze and shook his head. “Sorry, Teagan. Do you mind if I join you guys?”
I shook my head.
His head rocked back. “You do mind?”
I shook my head, again and chuffed.
Lucas rubbed a hand over his beard and chuckled. “That’s probably the worst question I could have asked a wolf. Is it okay if I join you?”
I nodded. Of the three wolves here, Lucas was the least likely to dominate me, and somehow, I wasn’t feeling vulnerable at this moment with Declan or Jasper either. I felt safe, which was so strange, but there it was.
Lucas grabbed the hem of his shirt, clearly planning to undress right there, inches away from all three of us. I watched his lean muscle ripple as he pulled off his shirt. Dark hair covered his chest and trailed down, disappearing into his jeans.
He flicked open his fly, and I closed my eyes, giving him the privacy I probably should have been giving him all along. A few minutes later, Lucas flopped down on my other side and leaned into me. I now had werewolves lying up the length of both of my sides, and an alpha sitting over us. I had completely failed at staying away from the Grayhaven pack, but it was hard to care as the sweet warmth lulled me to sleep.
“Little wolf. Sweet, docile wolf,” a high-pitched voice whispered in my ear. “Come dance with us, Omega.”
My eyes opened to the sight of a glowing blue globe. Around me, the pine forest was completely dark, save for the trees lit by the illumination of the light. At some point, I turned back to human, and I stood there, completely naked. Mud and leaves coated my feet, meaning I had been walking without even being aware of it.
The glowing orb darted around me. “Come to our party, pretty wolf. Come dance with me, and I’ll make you forget. Forget with me, sweet child of the earth. We can hide you. We can take you where he’ll never find you again.”
“Teagan,” the low male yell came from somewhere behind me in the forest, but I reached out toward the glowing light.
“How would you hide me?” I asked.
The glow brightened. “In the deepest places, my sweet docile wolf. You’ll be mine, and I will protect you from the monsters that chase you. Follow me…”
The light darted away, and I stepped into the glowing path as the sound of feet trampling underbrush crashed behind me.
“Come quick,” the light whispered as it darted between the trees.
I fell into a run, following the streaming light as hope flared to life in my chest. Finally, I’d be hidden in a place that Kane could never find me. This was my chance—maybe my only chance.
The footfalls behind me grew louder, and though I hastened my pace, within minutes, Jasper appeared beside me.
“Teagan,” he growled. “This is a fae trap,” he said.
The ball of light sped up, darting through the trees, and I continued to run while I kept Jasper in the corner of my eye. If he grabbed for me, I’d dodge and keep running. But he didn’t reach for me, he just kept an even gait beside me.
“I’ve suspected that their queen, Mab, has been trying to trap a wolf for a while now. Do you want to exchange one collar for another?” Jasper asked, and his words woke me like a bucket of ice water poured on my head.
What the fuck was I doing? I slowed to a stop and watched as the glowing ball of light darted into the forest.
“Shit.” I rubbed my fingers over my eyes. “Thank you, Jasper. I don’t even know what I was thinking.” The full scope of what I had been about to do hit me, and I staggered a step. Fuck. I was about to give myself over to a fae for protection and willingly go with her to a deep place where I’d never be found again. I peered back the way I came. Declan had said the fae lured us out to their parties like the fucking Pied Piper. He’d shown me that there was so much more magic around me than I could even perceive and that only fae were safe from other fae. He’d fucking spelled it out for me in thick red letters, and I’d disregarded his every warning. “Are Declan and Lucas okay?”
“They’re sleeping soundly,”
