Screw My Childhood Sweetheart His Alpha Brother Marked Me First novel Chapter 71

Chapter 71

Chapter 71

Mason’s voice ricocheted through the space.

“I’m sorry. I just wanted to give us time to figure this out and make sure we were right. I’ve never heard of someone having

five mates before,” Knox said.

Mason let out a growl that made the fine hairs on my arms stand on end. “I could’ve helped you navigate the process if I’d known. Then we wouldn’t have had to deal with the cluster fuck that was yesterday. Do you know what would’ve happened if Senna had died? Likely, all of you would have too.”

“What?” The single word was out before I could stop it as I descended the final stairs.

Six sets of eyes swiveled to me.

“She moves like a freaking ninja,” Caspian muttered.

I scowled at him. “You wouldn’t have to worry about that if you weren’t talking about me behind my back.” My gaze turned to Mason. “What do you mean, they could’ve died?”

Mason ran a hand through his hair, tugging on the ends. “Your ties are stronger than any I’ve ever seen, even without the bond being cemented. You’re already impacting each other strongly.”

“You mean that they got sick when I did?”

“That and their gifts are stronger when they have prolonged contact with you. Typically, that only happens after you’re

bonded.”

I looked around the room, stopping briefly on each of them. I halted altogether when I came to Vaughn. There was a war going on within him. Anger and fear seeming to dominate.

“I can’t do this. I don’t want to hurt you,” he said quietly.

“You haven’t. Not once.”

“What about when I first touched you? I saw the pain in your face.”

“That was nothing.” I took a step towards him, but Vaughn held up a hand, backing away,

“You don’t know. I’ve killed people before. I won’t do that to you.” He turned on his heel and strode out the back doors of the lodge.

The tugging sensation in my chest was back, but it was so much more. My heart broke for Vaughn the weight he carried and the self hatred I could see flowing through him, clear as day.

Caspian moved in close to me. “Give him time, Ro. He needs to wrap his head around this. He’ll get there.”

I pushed into Caspian’s side as he wrapped an arm around me. “I know. I don’t want to push, but I don’t want him to hurt like

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Screw My Childhood Sweetheart–His Alpha Brother Marked Me First!

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Chapter 71

this. He thinks he’s bad when he’s anything but.”

A tremor ran through Caspian. “I hope you can make him see that. I’ve been trying for the past nine years.”

I nuzzled Caspian’s neck, the way the guys so often did to me. The sensation was incredibly comforting, and I wanted to give Caspian some of that reassurance. He pressed his lips to the top of my head in thanks.

I looked at the rest of my guys and Mason. “You keep talking about cementing the bond. How does that happen?”

Knox shuffled his feet. “It depends. Sometimes it’s emotional, sometimes physical. It’s different for every mate in the bond.”

My cheeks heated as Knox mentioned something physical triggering the bond. Just what I wanted, to talk about sex in front of one of my boyfriend’s fathers. I willed my voice to hold steady. “And there’s a mark, right? That’s how we’ll know it’s started?”

“The mark will appear when you bond to your first mate,” Anson explained. He sent me a cocky grin. “You can bond with me any time you want.”

River smacked him upside the head. “Shut it.”

“Hey, I’m just saying I’m willing.”

Knox moved in closer, running a hand along my jaw to the back of my neck. “It’ll happen when the time is right. Usually after you’ve had your first shift, which won’t be for another nine months, at least.” He brushed his lips against mine. “But none of that changes that you’re ours and we’re yours.”

“You have got to be fucking kidding me.”

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