Alaric
My arms tightened around Radley's torso as he snuggled closer, sighing in his sleep. Burying my nose in his hair, I breathed him in, my wolf rubbing against the edge of my mind, relishing in the scent of our mate.
It was the first time Radley had been in my room, and I wasn't about to let him sleep anywhere else from now on.
Last night had been the best nights' sleep I'd ever had. Lying next to him, snuggled up close, my wolf had been content, and all I'd felt was a sense of peace wash over me.
This.
This was what I wanted.
To wake up next to Radley.
Every morning.
For the rest of my life.
I felt his fingers gently press against my bare chest and I tightened my grip. I wasn't ready for him to wake up yet. He'd had a late night with me.
Sighing, I thought back to the night before. When I climbed through his bedroom window, it was shock that had registered on his face, then curiosity, and wonder. And my wolf ... all he could think about was mating with him, claiming him, making him mine.
But then, when I'd brought Radley back here, to my room, for a second he'd felt frightened and that had been enough to force my wolf back into submission and lessen the heat pouring through my veins.
Radley had been scared. Only for a second. But that was a second too long. He shouldn't ever be scared. Not with me. And it was enough to shock my wolf, to pull me out of my rut, to calm down my body.
My wolf had thought he'd scared Radley, and that was enough to bring him back to his senses. To stop him from wanting to mate with Radley. Instead, he just wanted to comfort our mate. To show him he was loved in another way.
Going down on him ... that was my idea. To bring him pleasure. To taste him.
And he tasted amazing.
Now that feeling, that pleasure that he'd experienced ... that was what I wanted him to feel with me. Not fear.
Radley shifted a little, his legs tangled with mine, and I leaned my head against his.
What was I going to tell him about Orion? About the fact that we had him in our cells ... as a prisoner. Did Radley know he was a hunter?
Did he know why Orion was here in the first place?
Orion had told me that he was planning to see Radley last night. That Radley was waiting for him. Maybe he didn't know that Orion was a hunter. Maybe Radley was doing what any wolf would do in his situation ... being intimate with his mate. I mean, I was pretty sure they were mated because ... well ...
Was that how this worked? Were all three of us mated like that?
Only one way to find out ... once Radley was awake, I'd take him down the cells. Let him see Orion. Try to explain it all to him.
If I could.
Dad still hadn't told me what he'd found in the library about a wolf having two mates. I'd been a little ... distracted ... last night.
Sunlight peeked through the little gaps in the curtains, casting stripes across my bedroom. I wasn't sure what time it was. I had turned off my alarm last night. I hadn't wanted to wake Radley early. Instead, I wanted to make the most of being in bed with my mate.
Usually, I'd be up early and out in the field at the back of the house, training with the guards and warriors. Shifting in and out of wolf form, getting my body used to being in a battle. Not that I was planning on finding a fight.
But with Radley here ... I didn't want to leave my room. I just wanted to spend time with him.
He made a soft noise, and my wolf's ears pricked, his tail wagging, like he was telling me that Radley would soon be awake.
Smiling to myself, I breathed in Radley's lovely scent once more.
Since finding this little guy, nothing had been the same. Everything was ... confusing. Upside down. Not making any sense.
Two mates, one of which is human and the other ... I took another deep breath. Was Radley really wolfless?
My thoughts went back to my mate in the cells.
Orion.
A hunter.
I'd told him he wasn't a hunter any more. I couldn't think of him as one.
Hunting my pack members, my family, my friends ...
Tala.
I blinked against the burn of tears pricking my eyes. We were still no closer to finding out what happened.
What if Orion had something to do with it?
If he was ... tears blurred my vision and I squeezed my eyes shut, swallowing past the lump that had formed in my throat.
Was that the real reason Dad was keeping Orion in the cells? He was suspecting him of murder?
Radley stirred a little more, pressing his hands against my chest, trying to pull away from me. Blinking away my tears, I leaned over and kissed his hair, feeling him tense underneath my touch. Lifting up on one elbow, I looked down at him as he rolled on to his back, the pale skin of his chest standing out against the dark blue of the sheets on my bed.
His face was pinched, almost as if he was in pain.
My wolf was whining, his ears twitching, on high alert.
Radley gripped the sheets in his fists, his eyes still closed, scrunched. He let out a whimper.
Nightmare. He was having a nightmare.
I leaned over and nudged him.
"Hey," I muttered softly. "Radley. Wake up."
He cried softly and I shook his shoulder.
"Radley. Come on, wake up."
A tear fell from his closed eye, running along his temple. His hands were balled into fists so fiercely that his knuckles were white. His chest was rising and falling heavily. His whole body tensed up. His head was shaking, his cries getting louder.
Sitting up, I grabbed both of his shoulders and shook him. "Radley!" I called. "Come on. Wake up!"
With a loud cry, Radley bolted upright, his green eyes wide. His breath was coming out in pants and he was shivering.
Cupping his face, I turned his head so that he was looking at me.
Kissing his forehead, I smiled warmly at him. "Hey. You were having a nightmare. Are you okay?"
Tears coated his eyes and he shook his head. "Something's wrong," he muttered.
Frowning, I scanned his face. "What is it?"
He opened his mouth to speak, but then yanked his head out of my grasp, only to drop it in his hands, his fists tugging on his hair.
Cries escaped his lips and he fell against the bed, his face buried in his hands, his body shivering, convulsing, shaking.
"Radley!" I cried. "Radley!"
"Mom! Dad!" I called over the mindlink. "Something's wrong with Radley!"
"Radley?" Mom's voice floated into my head as I tried to pull Radley into my arms to calm him down. "How do you know something's wrong with him?"
"Because he's in my room right now! I think he's having a fit!"
Radley began thrashing around on my bed, crying, tears streaming down his face. His hands were gripping on to the bedsheets, his back arching off the bed, his legs kicking wildly.
He looked ... in pain. Like something really bad was happening to him.
What the fuck was going on?
My door crashed open, bouncing off of its hinges as my parents burst into the room.
"Alaric!" my father called as he rushed over to the bed, still dressed in his t-shirt and shorts from this morning's training. The training that I'd missed.
Mom appeared on the other side of my bed and leaned down, placing a hand on Radley's brow as I pressed down on his shoulders, trying to calm him down.
She glanced at Dad, a look crossing her face, then dropped her gaze to me.
"You need to get him off of the bed and onto the floor," she commanded. "He needs to be free of these blankets." She stood up and started tugging at the bedsheets. "Make sure you strip him of his clothes, too."
I paused and looked up at her, her hands tangled in the bedsheets.
She cocked a brow, her striking eyes boring into mine. "He's not wearing any clothes, is he?"
My cheeks began to heat up and I averted my gaze, concentrating on pulling the blankets off of Radley and wrapping him in my arms to lift him off of the bed.
He thrashed in my arms, crying out in pain, his hands balled into tight fists, thumping against my chest. He opened his eyes a little, squinting up at me, tears streaming down his face.
"What's going on?" he whispered, his green eyes scanning my face, as if he couldn't quite focus.
Leaning down, I pressed a kiss to his forehead, wincing at how hot his skin was. Pulling back, I smiled down at him. "We'll get you better again. I promise. Try not to worry, okay?"
He nodded his head, then closed his eyes and buried his face into my chest as I lifted him off of the bed, bridal-style, and placed him on the floor, not caring that we were both nude as the sheets fell away.
Gently lowering his head, I looked up as Mom knelt beside Radley and ran a hand through his hair.
"What's going on with him, Mom?"
I felt my father squeeze my shoulder as my mother smiled at me before running her hand through Radley's hair again.
"He's going to be fine, Alaric," Mom cooed as she looked down at Radley, a soft look on her face.
"What's wrong with him?" Tears pricked my eyes once more as I gazed at my mate, writhing on the floor, clearly in pain.
"Nothing is wrong with him, son," my father said as he stood behind me, his voice calm. "Radley is getting ready to shift into his wolf for the first time."