Chapter 66

ISABELLA

By the time Jax and I reach the edge of the pool, Ash and Knox are already naked in the water. Their brother quickly joins them after undressing, leaving me alone at the edge of the pool, fully clothed with them scrutinizing me.

I begin to undress slowly, watching them stare at me with their eyes darkening a little more with each passing moment. Once I'm completely naked, I sit down on the edge of the pool with the intention of getting into the water, but Knox's hands on my thighs prevent me from going any further. They slowly spread my thighs and bring his face closer to my opening. My head jerks back at the first stroke of his tongue. I grab his hair and his hazel eyes lock on me. Fuck, he's so handsome and so good with his tongue. My gaze moves behind him to his two brothers, their hands hidden under the water, and I imagine what they're doing as they watch us. I explode with Knox's tongue on my clit and his brothers watching us. Then he helps me down into the water and holds me against him, kissing me. We're soon joined by my two companions who surround us, waiting their turn to kiss me. Still in Knox's arms, I feel two more pairs of hands on my body, breasts and inner thigh. I move from Knox's arms to those of Jax, who positions himself opposite my entrance and penetrates me, moaning. Pushing me against Asher, he quickly pistons me. We don't last long before cumming at the same time.

“Let's go to the Balinese bed.” Asher whispers in my ear.

Lying together on the oversized Balinese bed, the four of us were completely spent, our breaths coming in ragged gasps as we tried to recover from the blissful exhaustion. The sun was beginning to dip lower in the sky, casting a warm, golden light over the entire scene. The ocean waves lapped gently at the shore, a soothing background to our quiet laughter and whispered words.

"That was… something else," I murmured, still catching my breath. My head rested on Knox’s chest, and I could feel the steady rise and fall as he breathed deeply, his fingers lazily tracing patterns on my back.

"Agreed," Asher chuckled, his voice full of satisfaction. "I’d say we’ve earned these next few days off."

Jax, sprawled out beside me, nodded with a grin. "Definitely. It’s about time we got a real break."

Knox, always the one with boundless energy, was the first to recover fully. He propped himself up on one elbow, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "How about we try some water sports tomorrow? Jet skiing, maybe? Or parasailing?" His enthusiasm was infectious, but I could tell by the groans from Asher and Jax that they weren’t as keen on the idea.

"Water sports?" Asher asked, raising an eyebrow. "I was thinking more along the lines of lounging by the pool with a drink in hand."

Jax nodded in agreement, his hand lazily resting on my hip. "Yeah, I’m with Asher on this one. A little less adrenaline, a little more relaxation."

Knox laughed, rolling his eyes good-naturedly. "You two are getting soft."

"And proud of it," Asher shot back with a smirk. "This bed is more than enough adventure for me right now."

I couldn’t help but laugh at their banter, feeling completely at ease. It was moments like this, where everything felt light and carefree, that reminded me of how lucky I was to have these three incredible men in my life. The weight of the world seemed to lift off our shoulders, if only for a little while.

"Maybe we can compromise," I suggested, running my fingers through Knox’s hair. "A little bit of relaxation, a little bit of adventure. That way, everyone’s happy."

Knox sighed dramatically, but I could see the affection in his eyes. "Fine, fine. We’ll play it by ear. But don’t think I’m letting you all off the hook too easily."

Jax chuckled, reaching over to ruffle Knox’s hair. "We wouldn’t dream of it, brother."

Asher pulled me closer, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "Whatever we end up doing, these next few days are going to be exactly what we need."

I smiled, feeling content and completely at peace. The tension and worries of the past weeks seemed distant, almost forgotten in this perfect little bubble we’d created. As we lay there, talking and laughing in the fading light, I knew that no matter what awaited us after this trip, we’d face it together. And for now, that was enough.

ASHER

As I prepared for dinner, I stepped away from the others for a moment, needing to check in with the office. While they were getting ready, I pulled out my phone and opened my email, scanning through the usual updates and reports. Everything seemed to be running smoothly, which was a relief. This trip was meant to give us a break, not add more stress.

But then, nestled among the routine messages, one email caught my eye—a message from Nicole. My jaw tightened as I opened it, already knowing it wouldn’t be anything pleasant.

"Asher, you know you’ll never ascend to the throne with a human mate like Isabella," she’d written. Her words were sharp, almost desperate. "The pack will never accept her. You know what needs to be done. Choose me."

I stared at the screen, cold anger simmering just beneath the surface. Nicole had always been intense, but this was something else entirely. She couldn’t seem to move on, couldn’t accept that what we had was over. Our relationship had never been about love, only about satisfying mutual needs. We were never destined to be mates, and I’d made that clear from the start.

But Nicole wasn’t hearing it. She was clinging to some delusion that she could still be part of my life, that she could force my hand by pushing Isabella out of the picture. Her desperation was almost palpable, seeping through every word she’d written.

I knew what she wanted—she wanted me to choose her. But Nicole didn’t understand that I’d already made my choice, that I’d already marked Isabella as my mate, the only one I’d ever have. The bond between us was unbreakable, and it had nothing to do with her being a werewolf.

The truth was, Isabella would never become a werewolf. The marking had sealed our bond, but she would always remain human. And that was something I had come to accept, even cherish. She was strong, resilient, and perfect the way she was. Our connection ran deeper than the physical—it was something born of fate, something no one could challenge.

I could feel the frustration building as I read Nicole’s message again, her desperation practically jumping off the screen. Nicole was grasping at straws, unwilling to let go of the idea that she had any claim on me. She’d always been possessive, but this was something else. She was trying to manipulate me, to make me doubt what I had with Isabella. But all it did was strengthen my resolve.

I closed the email without responding, shoving the phone back into my pocket. Nicole could try all she wanted, but it wasn’t going to change a damn thing. Isabella was my true mate, and nothing—no amount of manipulation or desperate pleas—was going to change that.

As I headed back to join the others, I forced myself to push Nicole out of my mind. This was our time, our chance to escape from all the pressures and expectations that came with who we were. I wasn’t going to let Nicole’s bitterness ruin that. Isabella was everything to me, and I’d protect her, no matter what it took.

Whatever twisted game Nicole thought she was playing, she’d already lost.