My heart raced when Alpha Damien suddenly knelt beside me. His eyes softened slightly, as if he were studying my face.
"I know you have so many questions," he told me. "And this won't be easy. But you need to know about the Marking."
"Marking?" I asked shakily.
Beta Xavier also crouched before me. "It's like a sacred bond between a werewolf and his fated mate. It connects our souls, changes our blood, and alters the very essence of who we are."
"What?"
Magnus remained standing, as if acting as a guard. "This Marking also makes you one of us. And once marked, we'll feel each other, share each other's strengths, and so much more…"
I began to realize that perhaps I was really stupid. These werewolves tried their best to explain everything to me, but still, it didn't make any sense. Marking? The bond? Fated Mate?
I wondered, why? Of all the girls out there, why did it have to be me?
"What's your name?" Alpha Damien asked suddenly.
That made me blink. Everything was happening so fast, and I couldn't even keep up.
I was so lost in my thoughts that it took a moment before I finally said, "Constansciandra…"
The three of them cleared their throat, as if testing my name on their tounges. Suddenly, Damien brushed a stray lock of hair aways from my cheeks. "Don't worry, we'll guide you through everything, Sweet Pup…"
Xavier added, winking at me, "Whatever you want to know, Gorgeous Mate…"
Magnus leaned closer. "Anything, Little Wolf."
I breathed heavily, and smelled their intoxicating scents. I had never imaged anything like this. I had never even dreamed any of it. But this was my fate now.
They were so silent after, and I was afraid of what they were thinking about as they stared at me. So, I whispered, "What happens next?"
"Good thing you asked," Damien answered. "Your neck, please…"
"Huh?" I bit my lip and thought, Is this it? The end? Well, then…
I sighed and closed my eyes. My trembling hands pulled my hair aside as I offered my neck to them. I could feel their eyes on me, like predators staring at a feast. When I opened my eyes, they locked onto Alpha Damien's grayish ones.
"Will this hurt?" I asked as sweat began to form on my temples.
"Yes," he murmured. "But I'll be gentle."
Slowly, I just nodded, comforting myself with the thought that they truly meant everything they'd said.
Then I tilted my head, exposing my neck, and Damien's eyes darkened. I swore I could hear the growl of the beast inside him as he leaned closer. His hot breath brushed my skin, and in the next moment, everything around me seemed to freeze.
I braced myself, and then, as gently as he could, he sank his fangs into me.
I felt him immediately, and I couldn't help but scream. But the sting lasted only a second before a strange sensation filled my core. It was so intense that I almost forgot to breathe.
He pulled back and licked the wound, sealing it. Suddenly, I could now feel him in a way I didn't understand. His desires, his fears, his thoughts.
After a while, I heard Alpha Damien softly call for Beta Xavier. Xavier cautiously stepped forward and positioned himself behind me. I was still trembling in Damien's muscular arms, unable to adjust to what he had just done to me.
Then, carefully, I felt Xavier gather my silky hair and tug it back. It was enough to expose the delicate part of my neck.
His ragged breathing somehow comforted me. Slowly, he leaned over, and as if wanting to end this once and for all, he sank his fang into the soft flesh just near my jaw, placing his mark across Damien's.
Another scream left my throat as I began to feel Xavier. His very essence seemed to be as strong as Damien's.
Suddenly, as if Damien felt what I did, his hand slid down the curve of my waist. His palm found my underside. Then, gently, he moved slowly across my torso until he reached my breasts.
I issued a suppressed moan, and to Damien, it felt so sweet that it thrilled his entire being.
When I thought nothing else could top this, I sensed Xavier's aching desire behind me. His hand then claimed my other breast, following Damien's movements.
He leaned closer to my ear and murmured, "You love this, don't you, Gorgeous Mate?"
I tensed under their hold, my heart pounding hard against Damien's chest. I never thought I could achieve this kind of feeling, as if our souls had finally begun to merge as one.
Damien then called softly, "Magnus…"
For a moment, Magnus just stood there, staring at me. Then he approached my side.
"Please trust me," he said as his soft lips brushed against my forehead. Then his scorching fingers trailed my belly, as if offering comfort. "I promise I'll never hurt you after this."
The two stepped back to give Magnus the space and time he needed. I heard his wild growl inside him, and later his fangs began to emerge.
But he did not mark me right away. Damien had to nod and Xavier had to personally order Magnus before he sighed. He probably thought that I could not handle all of them, and surely I didn't think I could.
But somehow, I trusted Magnus, and myself as well.
Magnus' towering frame finally leaned over me. I could feel myself shiver. Hesitantly, he pressed his lips on the other side of my neck, marking his territory.
"I'm sorry, Little Wolf," he whispered before he finally completed the Marking, sealing our fate.
I gasped as his blood seemed to surge inside and blend with my own blood, filling me. I hardly had any time to process anything before I felt my knees buckle under me.
Xavier instinctively caught me from behind and whispered, "It's over…"
I half-closed my eyes, and before I knew I was going to faint, I heard Alpha Damien.
"You're officially ours now, Constansciandra…" he said. "We swear, with our hearts and souls, that we'll keep you safe at all times and love you in all ways, as long as you let us…"
As I drifted to my dreams, I wondered, "Can I truly be one of them? Can I truly belong in their world?"
We'll see.