Cristof stepped forward, eyes narrowing, his gaze slicing through the tension that had been building. “You know, Geri,” he began, voice low, almost amused, “you’re the one who pushed into my mind that Bam is my mate.”
I froze mid-breath. My hands clenched into fists at my sides, trying not to betray the sudden spike of fear and curiosity.
Cristof’s smirk deepened, sharp and teasing. “Yes, you. You planted that seed, and now I see the results.” His eyes flicked toward Geri, pointed and calculating. “Now you’re acting like a secret admirer of your best friend’s girlfriend. Clever, aren’t you?”
Geri’s lips quirked, but his posture didn’t falter. He stood taller, aura radiating that dangerous confidence I had always hated and secretly feared. “And I suppose you’re just realizing now?” he said, voice smooth.
Cristof tilted his head, lips curling. “You’re also the reason why, whenever Bam and I fight… I make the wrong decision. I believed your advice. Foolish me.” He laughed, but it wasn’t a happy sound. It was a deep, knowing laugh, dangerous as a wolf in shadow. “Thought you were a pure werewolf… but looks like you’re more like a snake. Or a fox. Slithery, clever, charming….”
I felt my chest tighten. That pointed jab wasn’t just a tease. It was sharp, cutting straight to something buried. Geri’s eyes flitted to Cristof briefly, but there was no flinch, only that smug alpha grin I knew too well.
Cole, who had been quiet until now, finally interjected. His voice was calm, deliberate, but carried weight. “And I saw you, Geri. Saw how you flirted with other women. Slept with them too.”
My head whipped toward him. “Wait-how do you even know that?” I demanded, eyes wide. “Cole! I know some things, but that? Just how.”
Cole tilted his head, eyes dark, expression unreadable. “We entered the same university. I saw everything. I observed. Not hard to figure out, really.”
Shock slammed into me. The same university? I blinked, mind spinning. I had never seen him there, never even noticed him, despite the fact that my father owned the school and the principal was my mom. Yet somehow, Cole had been… right there. Watching. Waiting.
Cristof didn’t let the moment rest. He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming, and added with a smirk, “Because before, Cole looked… different. Younger, wilder. Different name too-Alpha Taveon Vrriel. A far cry from the man standing here now.”
I froze mid-step, mouth opening, closing, then opening again. “Wait… THE ONE WHO GAVE ME FLOWERS?” My voice rose. “The one with white hair… looked so nice… so… polite… I never-” I whirled on her, heart racing. “But Rheona said you already have a mate, what happened? He changed… a lot! I mean, it’s not just his hair or his uniform. He’s different!”
Cole’s lips quirked into that faint smirk I hated and adored in equal measure. “Things happen… here and there,” he said casually. “Back then, I didn’t have a mate. More like… an arranged marriage, if you want the truth. But I ran away. And well… here I am, with my first love.”
My heart hammered, a mix of shock and something else-something warm, dangerous, and thrilling. My thoughts swirled, memories colliding with the present. Could this… could it really be him? My first love standing here, changed, watching me, calm yet brimming with a quiet dominance that made my knees weak?
Cristof’s gaze shifted to me briefly, soft yet unreadable. I felt his presence wrap around me, familiar and grounding, yet heated with the possessive tension that only he could carry.
Then, without warning, my senses were flooded with Geri. He stepped forward, voice low and commanding. “Did you forget I’m here?”
All the warmth, the rush of emotions, the subtle flicker of romance between Cole and me-it crashed into my chest like a wave. My heart leapt, adrenaline mingling with something that was definitely more primal. Geri’s tone wasn’t jealous. It wasn’t playful. It was a demand, a reminder that no matter what, he was mine too, in his way.
I looked from Cole, whose expression had softened slightly, warm and dangerous all at once, to Cristof, whose eyes burned with silent possessiveness, and finally to Geri, whose alpha presence made my pulse pound in my ears.
I felt trapped… but not in a bad way. Surrounded by three strong, protective, maddeningly magnetic men, all claiming a part of me, all holding some piece of my heart. And I… couldn’t run. Couldn’t hide.
“You’re… all insane,” I whispered, a shaky laugh escaping me. “All of you.”
Cole’s smirk deepened. “Perhaps,” he said, voice low, eyes glinting. “But you love it, don’t you, Bam?”
Cristof’s voice cut in, calm but possessive. “Do not make her flustered, Cole. She’s mine. And she always will be, first and foremost.”
Geri chuckled softly, shaking his head. “We’ll see about that, Cristof. She’s my Luna. Always has been. Don’t pretend you’re the only one who gets her attention.”
I threw my head back, trying to keep my balance-both physically and emotionally. The tension was ridiculous, impossible, overwhelming. My heart raced, and yet… I felt a strange thrill. The way they all looked at me, claimed me, challenged each other for my attention-it was chaotic, yes. But it was alive. And for the first time in a long time, I wasn’t scared.
“I… I can’t even-” I started, then swallowed hard. My gaze softened, heart fluttering. “I… I need to… think.”
Geri smirked knowingly. “Sure. But don’t forget-I’m always here. Watching. Waiting.”
Cristof stepped closer, a dangerous heat radiating off him. “And I will always be here too. Protecting her. Even if it means standing against you.”
Cole, ever calm but now tinged with hunger for my attention, leaned slightly closer. “And I… will stay. Always. Even if I’m not first, even if I have to share your heart… I will never leave you.”
I felt the pull, the weight of their words, their presence. Three men. Three claims. Three halves of my heart, each leaving me breathless, trembling, alive.