Chapter 128
Kara
"Tell me to stop," he murmured, "and I will."
I didn't.
The washcloth—and his hand beneath it—moved over my breast with agonizing slowness. Circled. My nipple peaked under the rough terry cloth, and a low sound escaped my throat.
His eyes flared gold. "You like that."
"Yes." The admission came out strangled.
He switched to the other breast, his touch firmer now. Through the bond, I felt his iron control—and the barely leashed hunger underneath.
Want to bend you over this tub. Want to make you scream my name until you forget last night ever happened.
"Asher—"
"I know." He withdrew the cloth, his jaw tight. "Not now. You need gentle right now. But tonight..." His hand cupped my jaw, thumb brushing my lower lip. "Tonight, I'm going to remind you exactly who you belong to. And you're going to come so hard you can't remember being afraid."
My core clenched. Through the bond, I sent back: Promise?
His answering growl was pure Alpha. Fucking promise.
He finished washing me with brisk efficiency, like he didn't trust himself to linger. When he lifted me from the tub, wrapping me in a towel, his hands trembled slightly.
"You're not the only one affected," I whispered, pressing against him.
He groaned. "Kara. Don't."
"Why not?"
"Because if you keep looking at me like that, we're not making it to school." His arms banded around me, towel and all. "And you need normal right now. You need to prove to yourself that bastard didn't take anything from you."
He was right. Damn him.
But when he carried me to the closet and set me down, his hand lingered on my hip. Slid beneath the towel to squeeze my ass possessively.
"Tonight," he repeated, his voice dark velvet and sharp edges. "You. Me. This bed. Understood?"
I nodded, dizzy with want.
He pulled out the ice-blue turtleneck, black jeans, boots. "High collar hides some of the marks." His fingers traced the bites at my throat, making me shudder. "But the color makes it clear you're ours. And this..." He added the silver scarf with the Sterling crest. "This tells everyone you're under our protection."
He dressed me himself—slowly, reverently, his knuckles grazing skin whenever possible. By the time he zipped my jeans, I was breathing hard.
"You're doing this on purpose."
His smile was wicked. "Absolutely. Consider it motivation to get through the day without incident." He pressed a hard, possessive kiss to my mouth. "So you can come home to me."
Through the bond, I felt Blake and Cole's distant awareness—felt them sense the spike in arousal between Asher and me.
Asher, Blake growled through the link. Stop making our girl wet when I'm not there to help.
Shut up, Asher sent back. I'm multitasking.
Cole's laughter echoed through the bond, followed by a wave of possessive heat. Save some for later. I want her thinking about us all day.
Asher's hand cupped the back of my neck, his thumb stroking my mark. "They're right. I want you wet and wanting all day. Because when you get home..." His lips brushed my ear. "We're going to take care of you. Thoroughly."
My knees went weak.
He steadied me, chuckling darkly. "Come on, my Luna. Let's get you to school before I change my mind and keep you in this bed all day."
I wouldn't complain, I sent through the bond.
His answering wave of possessive satisfaction nearly buckled me.
Tonight, he promised again.
And God help me, I couldn't wait.
---
The kitchen smelled like coffee and bacon. Asher sat me at the island, started cooking without asking what I wanted.
Blueberry oatmeal. Scrambled eggs. Fresh fruit. Hot chocolate—not coffee.
"Your stomach's still in knots," he murmured, sliding the bowl in front of me. "This'll help."
I was halfway through when the back door burst open.
Blake and Cole stumbled in, covered in snow and frost, their scents sharp with cold and adrenaline. Blake's fire-and-gunpowder was icy, Cole's mint-and-ozone even sharper.
They made a beeline for me.
Blake yanked me off the stool and into his arms, burying his face in my neck. "Missed you."
Cole crouched beside us, gripping my hand like a lifeline. "You okay? You sleep? Any nightmares?"
"I'm fine. You look exhausted—"
"Don't care." Blake's arms tightened. "Needed to see you first."
Asher's command cut through: "Report."
Blake straightened but kept me tucked against his side. "Five kilometers out, near the border. Found an abandoned camp. Three sets of footprints. Vehicle tracks. They were staged there—waiting."
Cole added, "Left supplies. Russian vodka. Cigarettes. And this." He pulled out a crumpled paper. "Handwritten address. Warehouse in Anchorage."
Asher's eyes gleamed. "That's our next move."
"After we confirm Kara's safe," Blake said firmly. "I'm going with her to school today. Non-negotiable."
I opened my mouth to argue—
"Choose, Kara. Me with you, or you stay home."
I sighed. "Fine. But you sit in the back of the classroom. And no staring."
His grin was pure wolf. "I'll be a ghost."
Cole pouted. "Why does he get to go?"
"Because it's his shift," Asher said. "Tonight's yours."
Cole looked at me. "Link me every hour. I need to know you're okay."
"Every hour?"
"Every. Hour." His mint scent spiked with anxiety.
Through the bond, I felt their fear—bone-deep, visceral. They'd almost lost me. They needed constant reassurance I was still here.
"Okay," I whispered. "Every hour."
---
At nine a.m., we piled into Asher's black Cadillac Escalade—armored, Blake informed me with grim satisfaction.
He sat in back with me, letting me lean against his shoulder while his fire-and-gunpowder scent wrapped around my frayed nerves. Asher drove with lethal focus, eyes constantly scanning.
When we pulled into Northern High's parking lot, he didn't let us out immediately.
"If anything feels wrong—any scent, any person, any instinct—you call us. I'll be here in five minutes."
Blake added, "I'm not leaving your side."
Cole's voice came through the bond: I'm watching the surveillance feeds. I've got eyes on the school entrances.
"I'll be careful," I promised.
Asher caught my chin, his dark blue eyes fierce. "I love you. Come home safe."
I leaned over the seat to kiss him. "I love you too."
Blake walked me to the entrance, his hand possessive on my lower back. Students stared—whispered—but two pack warriors in security uniforms flanked the doors now, and the campus announcement system crackled:
"All students: due to recent security incidents, campus protocols have been upgraded. Report any suspicious activity immediately."
Blake's arm tightened. "You ready?"
I looked up at him—at this man who'd killed for me without hesitation, who'd broken himself open to earn my forgiveness, who'd die before he let anyone hurt me again.
"With you?" I smiled. "Always."