Bound by the Blood Moon

Kaelen kicked the iron-bolted oak door of the officer’s quarters so hard the latch pin nearly tore free from the timber frame.

Before Kaelen could even kick it shut behind them, the Bloodfang Alpha whipped Valery around, slamming her back flat against the iron-studded planks. The air between their chests blew out hot, thick with the sharp tang of fresh blood and un-dried battle sweat.

"Enough, Valery," Kaelen rasped, his breath blasting hot against her mouth. His blood-stained hands pinned both her wrists above her head against the rough wood. "Our wolves nearly died holding this heat in through the fight below. Don't ask us to wait any longer."

Valery didn't pull against his grip. Her silver eyes locked onto Kaelen's without a single flinch.

"Take your hands off my wrists, Kaelen," Valery whispered coldly, "or I will shatter this tether until your eyes burst."

Behind Kaelen, Julian stepped inside with ragged, shallow gasps. The Lycan prince yanked at the leather straps of his chest armor until they snapped, letting the steel plates clatter onto the carved stone floor. The magical tattoos across his ribs flared a vivid purple, standing out like fresh welts against his flushed skin.

"Let her go, Alpha," Julian growled, his voice hoarse and lethal. "You’re only driving her into another feedback loop. You're going to get us all killed."

Sean stepped inside, shoving the iron deadbolt into place. Sweat dripped from his chin onto his leather collar, his usually cold, calculating blue eyes now dark with raw physical strain. "Kaelen, drop your hands. She controls the circuit."

Kaelen held Valery’s gaze for two agonizing seconds. The veins in his neck bulged, his jaw clenched so hard the muscle twitched violently. But feeling the icy promise in Valery's silver glare—and the sharp, creeping pain radiating into his own chest from the Enforcer’s mental pushback—he slowly loosened his grip and dropped his arms.

He took a heavy step back, his broad chest rising and falling in ragged heaves.

Valery didn't waste a second. She drew a slow, steady breath, rubbing the faint red marks on her wrists, then unzipped her heavy Enforcer jacket and threw it onto the strategy table. She was left in her dark, sleeveless linen tunic, clinging to her damp skin.

She walked straight to the center of the broad timber bed in the corner, sitting down squarely on its edge. Her silver eyes swept over the three men circling her like restless predators.

"You want relief from this fever?" Valery said, her voice smooth and freezing cold, cutting straight through the static in their minds. "You get it on your knees."

Julian let out a harsh, dry laugh. "On our knees? A Bloodfang Alpha and a Lycan prince?"

"You heard her order, Rogue," Sean snapped through gritted teeth. He didn't waste time on pride. He stepped straight to the bed and dropped heavily onto his knees against the carved stone floor, placing his trembling hands flat on Valery’s thighs.

The instant Sean’s palms hit her legs, a violent shockwave of pure relief shot up his arms. Sean gasped, his head dropping forward onto Valery’s knee as the suffocating pressure in his skull began to bleed out into the circuit.

Julian cursed under his breath. His pride collapsed in an instant. He crossed the room in two long strides and dropped beside Sean, locking his hands over Valery’s ankles and leaning his forehead against her shin.

Kaelen stood alone in the middle of the room, his massive frame shaking under the weight of an Alpha’s ingrained ego. His fangs glinted under the oil lamp as his jaw worked in silence.

"Kaelen," Valery said softly, her silver gaze pinned to his golden eyes. "Yield."

A low, agonized growl tore from Kaelen's chest. Slowly, heavily, the Alpha of the Bloodfang pack dropped to his knees on the stone floor, right between Sean and Julian.

Kaelen reached out with his broad, calloused hands, wrapping them around Valery’s waist and pulling her forward until her chest was inches from his face. He rested his forehead against her collarbone, letting out a long, shuddering exhale that felt like scalding steam against her bare skin.

The circuit closed.

The wild fever that had been threatening to burn their minds out instantly smoothed into a deep, steady hum of power. The heavy air in the room settled, vibrating with a high-voltage current flowing out from Valery, looping through all three males, and returning to her core.

Valery tilted her head back, her fingers weaving into Kaelen’s dark, thick hair, holding his head firmly against her chest. She rested her left hand on Sean’s shoulder and her right on the back of Julian’s tattooed neck.

"Listen to me," Valery whispered, her voice carrying an absolute dominance that echoed along their shared tether. "Marek thought he could use this magic to turn us into mindless beasts. He thought we’d tear each other apart over blood and territory."

Kaelen lifted his head slowly, his golden eyes clear and focused once more. "He miscalculated."

"He failed," Valery corrected, a faint, cold smile touching her lips. "He didn't create four rabid monsters. He gave me three Alphas who will level his gates when I give the command."

Julian looked up from her ankles, his dark eyes glittering with lethal intent. "When do we move on the Crescent Moon compound?"

"At dawn," Valery said. "We haul the blood-silver crates straight to the High Council meeting at the border post. We lay out the proof before his pack elders can sweep it under the rug."

Sean lifted his head from her knee, his tactical focus sharp once again. "If we catch him flat-footed at the border post, the Council will have no choice but to strip his authority on the spot."

"And if he resists?" Kaelen asked, his deep voice thick with quiet, promised violence.

Valery leaned down until her face was inches from Kaelen's, her silver eyes burning cold beneath the amber lamplight.

"If he resists," Valery whispered, her fingers tightening in Kaelen's hair, "we tear his pack down brick by brick."