Chapter 69 69
Lois
“Which way?” I asked, looking at Ezequiel.
“East. There’s a safe shelter,” Ezequiel replied, never letting go of my hand.
We walked quickly, knowing every second mattered. Aidan stayed close, his eyes alert to anything that moved. I could feel the tension in the air, the urgency pressing over all three of us.
Morning reached us as we followed Ezequiel’s lead.
“Are you tired?” he asked.
But I wasn’t tired—just worried. Worried for Emmanuel. Worried about Aidan behind us, following closely, carrying so many questions in his mind that kept crashing into mine.
I needed to speak to him about this, but Ezequiel was a wall between us. I wanted to get closer to Aidan; it felt more like a need than anything else, something I didn’t fully understand. But Ezequiel seemed aware of it, and his hand never left mine, making it clear he wouldn’t let me near him for anything in the world.
“I’m fine,” I whispered.
Nothing about this was fine. Emmanuel was missing, and I didn’t know what was happening to him. I knew he wasn’t well; his father had him now.
It was as if the three of us could never be together, and now Aidan was added to the mix.
That collar… I had questions too, but there were no answers to anything. Not even Aidan understood what was happening, and he didn’t seem to know anything about that collar.
“How do vampires form their mate bonds?” I asked Ezequiel.
“I won’t say anything about that. He’s not your mate. Your mates are Emmanuel and me. Whatever is happening with Aidan is just stupidity,” he said, though he didn’t sound convinced. Doubt leaked from his voice.
Not even our connection made him accept that Aidan was part of this too.
I remembered how I felt the first time I was rejected, the day Emmanuel appeared, the first time I saw them. I knew they weren’t my mates, and it never crossed my mind to be bonded to two alphas—not only because it was impossible for an omega, but because I already had a mate who rejected me.
Then I saw Ezequiel… after I already had my connection with Emmanuel. Everything became more confusing when I learned he was my mate too.
I had two mates.
I had two wolves.
I went from being a rejected omega to being wanted by both, protected by both.
Claimed by the alpha brothers.
Then Ezequiel was gone, and it hurt—truly hurt—to lose him. And now he was back.
When I first saw Aidan, there wasn’t even a suspicion that he would one day be my mate. And the way this was happening was beyond anything I could understand. Beyond anything I knew.
This was not how things worked within packs.
This was beyond strange.
When you saw your mate, you felt it instantly. You smelled it. You knew.
That wasn’t how it happened for me.
I thought maybe I was being given a second chance when I stopped believing it was a mistake.
But with Ezequiel, I was given a third chance. And then came the chance to rebuild our bond after his rejection.
And Aidan? What did he mean?
My plea to the Moon Goddess spiraled out of control. It almost felt like punishment.
Three mates. A vampire.
The perfect recipe for disaster.
Just looking at Ezequiel’s reaction was enough to know that Emmanuel’s would be worse.
“Aidan, how do vampires form mates?” I asked, glancing back. But before he could answer, Ezequiel lifted me onto his back and ran, not giving me the slightest chance to speak to Aidan.
My arms clung to him as he moved faster and faster, dodging branches that nearly scratched us.
When we reached a clearing, he lowered me onto the ground and immediately came over me, his hands caging my body on both sides, making it clear I couldn’t escape.
“You smell like him,” he said, dragging his face down my neck. “You’re wearing his clothes…”
“Ezequiel…”
He growled against my face.
“You have his blood in your system. Now you think he’s your mate. I am your mate. Emmanuel is your mate. He is not. And I will never let you complete a bond with him. If he touches you… I’ll tear him to pieces,” Ezequiel warned, his tone dark as he pushed the images straight into my mind.
Complete… bond?
I hadn’t thought about that part, though my body apparently had. Maybe that was why I felt the way I did when he bit me, when he bit Ezequiel.
“Lois!” he snapped, because my mind immediately went there—his fault, not mine. He was the one who brought it up.
He lowered his lips to mine and kissed me softly, rubbing his face against mine, letting his full weight settle over me. Then he flipped us, putting himself underneath me, switching our positions. I knew what he was doing—he wanted me to smell like him, only him. He was jealous, and I didn’t know how far he could hold himself back; this was dangerous.