Chapter 32: Mate Pull
One night, Meredith leaned back into the warm bath, her skin prickling as the heat of the water seeped into her muscles. It was meant to be relaxing, but something felt off. Her body felt... tighter, more restless.
She shifted in the tub, trying to ease the strange tension building within her. The steam from the bath curled around her like wisps. Her breath came quicker, and as she looked down, she noticed a thin sheen of sweat despite the already heated water.
She blinked. "What is happening to me?"
There was an overwhelming sensation creeping up her spine. Her fingers gripped the side of the tub as her body pulsed with need, taking hold of her senses. The craving wasn't for food. It was for something to bite.
Meredith bit down on her lip as a sudden, almost uncontrollable desire to sink her teeth into something rushed through her. She tried to shake it off, but it only grew stronger. The water felt too hot now, her skin burning from the heat.
She stood abruptly, droplets of water sliding down her flushed skin. Every inch of her body felt overly sensitive. She stepped out of the bath and reached for a towel, but her eyes caught something in the mirror that made her gasp.
Her reflection stared back at her, but it wasn't entirely her anymore. The brown of her eyes had shifted, darkening and morphing into a brilliant amber. Her pupils had narrowed, more like the eyes of a wolf than a human.
She took a step closer and raised a trembling hand to her face. Her limbs ached, muscles rippling under her skin as though they were on the verge of breaking free from her control. Her chest heaved as a low growl rumbled from deep within her throat.
There was a tightness in her thighs, an ache in her stomach, and the relentless desire for something she couldn't name. She touched her lips, which felt fuller, warmer, like they were ready to bare teeth. And she blinked in disbelief at the reflection staring back at her.
“Is this the transformation?” she asked breathlessly.
The first shift could be confusing, they said. But this was something else entirely. The hunger. The heat. The way her body ached not just for touch but for sensation as well.
Meredith took a shaky breath, her hand clutching the edge of the sink. The fire coursed through her veins. Her teeth ached, sharper than they had been before. And she felt a primal urge to bite, to tear, to claim. She was on the edge of something powerful, and it terrified her.
But it also excited her.
She wasn't sure how long she had stood there, staring at the unfamiliar reflection, when she heard footsteps outside the door. Then there was a knock.
Before she could answer, the door slowly creaked open, and she froze. Damien stepped in first, his curious gaze immediately locked onto her. He took in her flushed skin and the wild look in her eyes.
"Meredith..." Damien said, almost like a growl.
Xavier and Magnus followed him, and their eyes widened briefly as they saw her. The three of them stood there, silently, curiously, intensely. They seemed to sense what she was going through, as if the change in her was pulling something primal from them as well.
"I… I don't know what's happening," she whispered. "It just… started. I feel like I'm burning from the inside. I don't understand it."
Magnus stepped forward as his eyes scanned her carefully. "It's the transformation, isn't it?" he asked. "Your body is reacting to it."
Xavier moved closer too, his hand hovering near her arm as if he wasn't sure whether to touch her. "You're shifting," he said firmly. "I think your wolf is coming through."
Meredith shook her head, trying to hold back the overwhelming sensations. "But it's not just that. It's like… like I'm craving something more. I can't control it."
Damien's expression darkened. "That's because your wolf is hungry for more than just the shift. It wants to claim, to be claimed. It's natural, Meredith. But it's dangerous if you don't let it happen."
She looked up at him. "What do you mean?"
"You're not just going through the physical transformation," Magnus said softly. "You're feeling the pull of the bond as well. It's why we're here. You can feel it, can't you? We can feel you too."
The heat in the room seemed to intensify as all three of them moved closer, surrounding her.
"Your body's calling out to us," Xavier said as he brushed a hand across her shoulder. "We can't ignore it. And neither can you."
Her pulse quickened, the primal hunger in her chest growing stronger. She could feel the bond between them all, stronger than ever before. Her wolf wanted to break free, but it wasn't just the transformation she craved.
It was them. All of them.
"I don't know if I can handle this."
Damien's eyes softened as he cupped her face in his hands. “We're here. We've always been here. Let us help you."
Meredith felt her knees weaken. She didn't know how to control the fire inside her, but she knew she didn't want to face it alone. Not anymore.
With one last look at the glowing amber in her eyes, she nodded. "I need all of you," she whispered tearfully. “Please.”
And that was all they needed to hear.
In an instant, the bathroom seemed to shrink as the three huge men closed in around her. Xavier's hands found hers. Magnus stood behind her. And Damien held her gaze.
Damien’s grip on her face tightened before he crushed his lips to hers. His tongue swept into her mouth, claiming her. She moaned into him, arching instinctively toward him.
Xavier’s hands slid up her bare arms. He pressed his lips to the curve of her shoulder, nipping lightly. “You smell like a pup,” he murmured. “Your wolf is calling to ours.”
Magnus stepped closer behind her, his broad chest pressing against her back as his hands slid around her waist. His fingers traced the dip of her hips, then lower, teasing the sensitive skin of her inner thighs.
“You’re so lovely, Little Wolf,” he rumbled.
Meredith gasped as Damien broke the kiss. His lips trailed down her throat, his teeth scraping lightly over her pulse.
The sensation sent a jolt of pleasure through her, and she shuddered, her nails digging into his shoulders.
“Please,” she breathed.
Xavier’s hands moved to her breasts, his thumbs brushing over her peaked nipples. Magnus’s fingers dipped further between her thighs.
He groaned against her ear. “Fuck, you’re soaked, Little Wolf…”
Damien’s hands gripped her waist, turning her toward him as he backed her against the counter. His amber eyes burned as he dropped to his knees before her.
“I need to taste you first,” he growled.
Before Meredith could respond, his mouth was already on her. His tongue licked a slow stripe up her center. She cried out, her hands flying to his hair as pleasure crashed through her.
Xavier and Magnus closed in on either side of her, their hands roaming her body, their lips and teeth marking every part of her as Damien devoured her.
She was so lost—Xavier’s mouth on her breasts, Magnus’s fingers twisting in her hair, Damien’s tongue driving her toward the edge.
Her thighs trembled as the pleasure coiled tighter, hotter…
Then Magnus’s hand wrapped around her throat. He didn’t squeeze—just held it gently. “Come for him.”
The order sent her over. Her back arched as she shattered, a whimper tearing from her lips. Damien didn’t let anything go to waste, swallowing all of her until she was gasping audibly.
Xavier pulled her against him, kissing her deeply as Damien rose to his feet. His lips glistened as he said, “We’ve just begun…”
Magnus’s hands gripped her hips, turning her to face him. He lifted her effortlessly, setting her on the edge of the counter. “Now,” he growled. “Let’s spend this entire night making love...”
Meredith could only nod as her men surrounded her, their touches marking her as exclusively theirs.
And as the night deepened, the untamed part of her that had been fighting for control finally found the peace it had been searching for.