Her Mates

BONUS -- it happens between chapter 15/16

I was beginning to understand something dangerous.

This wasn't just about me.

It never was.

I wasn't the missing puzzle piece in some monogamous fairytale. I wasn't the sole center of their orbit. They already had connections-threads of intimacy woven long before I was thrown into their lives.

And yet, the bond that tied us together didn't make me feel like an outsider. If anything, it made me hyper-aware of everything happening around me.

Like the way Zac's gaze lingered on Juri's lips when he thought no one noticed.

The way Hunter's fingers brushed against Emilia's thigh absentmindedly, as if the touch was second nature.

The way Damon's golden eyes darkened every time someone dared him into something during the game, a predator watching, waiting.

And Dorian...

Dorian watched me.

I could feel his pull the strongest, like a magnet pressing against my bones, dragging me toward him whether I liked it or not. Maybe because we were the newest additions to this tangled web. Maybe because we hadn't done anything yet-not really.

And that tension? It was killing me.

I wasn't stupid. I knew something had already happened between the others-things I hadn't been there for. I could see it in the way they moved around each other, in the subtle touches, in the silent conversations passed between them like secrets wrapped in desire.

I wasn't sure how much I knew. But I felt it.

And the worst part?

I wanted in.

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I woke up in a tangle of limbs.

Zac was draped across me like a human blanket, his face buried in my hair, warm breaths fanning against my neck. Juri's arm was slung lazily over my waist, his fingers resting just beneath the hem of my shirt. Emilia was curled up beside me, her body heat radiating against my back.

Dorian, of course, wasn't in bed with us.

Because Dorian didn't trust himself.

I had seen the way his jaw clenched last night when I laughed at something Juri said. The way his fingers flexed against his knee like he wanted to grab me, to pull me into his orbit. But he held back.

I didn't think I liked that.

I shifted slightly, trying to untangle myself without waking anyone, but the second I moved, Zac let out a sleepy groan and tightened his grip on me.

"Where do you think you're going?" he mumbled against my neck.

"Bathroom," I whispered.

Juri smirked, eyes still closed. "Liar."

A warm hand slid up my thigh.

I froze.

It was slow, teasing, fingers trailing over the fabric of my shorts before stopping just shy of indecent. My breath hitched, heart hammering in my chest.

"You like being in the middle, don't you, dushka?" Juri's voice was thick with amusement, his accent curling around the pet name like honey.

I swallowed hard, my body betraying me.

I did like it. I liked the weight of them around me. I liked the way Zac's breath sent shivers down my spine, the way Juri's touch left behind a trail of fire.