Owned By The Alphas novel Chapter 41

40. The Snow
I cried out as my alphas claimed me like the beasts they were.
Brax slammed inside me, his hips jarring against mine as I leaned over
Derik, Kai’s cock pushing inside my mouth, touching the back of my throat.
I could feel Derik’s eyes on me, hungry and intense as he watched me get
filled by Kai and Brax.
I clutched the blanket in my small fist, my eyes watering as I sucked and
licked Kai.
He held my hair back tightly, grunting as he thrust in time with Brax, who
was making my whole body tremble with the fierceness in his strokes.
It was snowing outside still but I was so hot, so flustered as my core
released so much pleasure in my veins, I could barely hold myself up.
Not that it mattered because Derik had my hips firmly grasped in his hands,
his fingers digging into the bone as Brax thrust, his cock pushing against
my walls that sucked him in greedily.
I panted, trying to catch my breath, but I was too full, of cock, of pleasure,
of heat. It was too much.
Brax leaned over me, kissing along my back as Derik’s hand brushed my
nipple that was hard and sensitive.
I gasped as he did, the dam breaking within my body, releasing a flood that
washed through me with so much power I tried to collapse.
My alphas held me up.
Brax grunted, slamming harder against me, cumming with me as he
released himself. I pulled away from Kai, taking gulps of air as Brax slowly
fell from my body, kissing over my skin again before falling back onto the
blankets.
I looked up to Kai, who gave me a smirk.
“Not finished yet, Little Human,” he said, before he wrapped his arms
around me, pulled me over Derik, and slid me onto his throbbing cock, my
legs landing either side of him.
I sucked in a shuddery breath as my body accustomed to his size again,
even bigger because I’d had my mouth on him, and then he was f**king
me. Thrusting up, pulling me down on him over and over.
My head fell back, my mouth open as my body pooled with a liquid heat in
my core again.
I clutched him so tight, my body covered in sweat, before he pushed me
back on the ground, spreading my legs wider and driving into me, his eyes
wide and wild as he looked over my face.
I moaned as my pussy tightened again, threatening to overwhelm me. He
groaned in return, pumping faster.
Derik was panting hard next to us, his cock hard in his pants, but he kept his
hands to himself this time, tucking them behind his head as he watched me
lose myself to the pleasure being f**ked into me.
It didn’t take long before I was giving in to the orgasm that threatened. It
crushed me, making me lift my hips with the arch of my back, my nails
digging into Kai’s biceps as he strained to hold back his own climax.
It hit him seconds later, his cock pulsating inside me as his cum filled my
pussy. I milked him dry with tight throbs of my walls, moaning and
shuddering as my pleasure brushed every nerve until it was just a hum.
Kai huffed, his eyes hooded as he licked his lips, looking over my naked
body before moving out of me and placing my legs down next to Derik’s.
Derik opened his arm up, and I moved into him, my eyes fluttering closed
as I rested on his warmth. There was shuffling in the hut, and then a blanket
was being placed over me.
I smiled and looked over my shoulder to where Kai was climbing from the
hut, pants back on.
I sat up. “Where are you going?” I asked, frowning as I held the blanket to
my chest.
Brax had put on his clothes too.
“I’m taking first watch, Little Human. Get some sleep,” he said, then
moved outside.
I frowned harder at that, looking over at Brax.
“I’m just getting comfortable, Spitfire,” he reassured, then shuffled over to
the other side of me and slid inside the blankets.
“Why did you get dressed then?”
He chuckled and kissed my shoulder.
“Because there are vampires on the other side of this mountain, and if they
try anything then I want to be able to get out there and do something about
it without worrying about where my dick is.”
Seemed reasonable to me, but if they were worried about the vampires, then
so was I.
“Do you think they will try anything?” I asked, and lay back down on
Derik.
“No. This mountain does not belong to us, they know that,” he said, and I
nodded, reassured enough for the tiredness to creep back in and take over
my mind in seconds.
***
When I woke, the sun was peering into the hut. Kai was snoring next to
me, and Brax was outside, his feet crunching as he paced in the snow.
I looked over at Derik, and he was smiling at me. His hand went to my face
before he slowly kissed my lips.
“Are you feeling better?” I asked quietly, and he nodded.
“Much.”
“Thank you. For what you did.”
“It was for all of us.”
“I’m still grateful,” I said, kissing him again, showing him just how grateful
by deepening the kiss, my fingers running down his abs, his thighs, to the
bulge between them.
I cupped him and rubbed as his breaths panted against the kiss. Until he
pulled back.
“I can’t afford to be distracted, beautiful.”
“You don’t trust Brax to keep an eye on things for a bit?” I teased.
“I resent that,” Brax called from outside, and I chuckled as Derik smirked,
shaking his head.
“You know I do, but the vampires refuse to communicate with anyone but
me. I have to be available for that.” He sighed.
I understood that, to an extent, I just felt bad that he hadn’t gotten what the
rest of us had.
“Don’t feel bad, you can make it up to me when we get back.”
He grinned, and I smiled, meeting his lips with a kiss that had me annoyed
at having to wait that long. He chuckled against the kiss, then gave me one
last tease.
“Sun’s up, time to go,” Brax called, and Kai woke instantly, yawning and
stretching as I sat up and looked for my clothes.
I scowled at my corset. I much preferred the dresses that didn’t require
them, or at least had the looser ones on the outside of the dress; they were
comfortable enough.
Climbing with the restrictions on my ribs was not as easy as I thought it was
going to be.
“Are you sure a formal dress is required?” I huffed, wrapping the stiff fabric
around my torso.
Kai grabbed it and started tying me into it. “Sorry, Tabby said it would
make the best impression,” he said, yanking as I coughed air from my
lungs.
He loosened it a little, and I sighed.
“I don’t know, I think breathing is probably the best impression I could
make,” I huffed again, and Derik chuckled.
He sat up and kissed my cheek before climbing from the hut.
Kai finished helping me dress in my annoyingly constricting clothing, my
frown getting worse as I watched them put on their leather pants, white
muslin tunics, and leather vests. How was that fair?
I finished putting myself together, then climbed out of the hut and met them
in the dim sunlight that shone through the snow, highlighting the jagged
rocks lining the mountain that had not been there last night.
I shuddered just looking at them. I was definitely going to die.
“Soooo, I was thinking I could just ride my shadows from here. Would that
be a loophole to the ‘must take every step myself’ thing?” I asked, knowing
my answer when the alphas laughed at me.
“Still considered cheating, Spitfire. Now c’mon, I’ll race you to the top.”
Brax grinned, then leapt up to the rock platform above me.
I glared at his easy manipulation of gravity, then started climbing, resenting
my human body a little bit more.
I would say climbing over the rocks took us hours, but I actually had no
idea. All I knew was that I was reaching my limit for what I could deal
with.
My pretty, “good impression” dress they had been so adamant about me
wearing was torn to shreds, snagging on everything.
My hands had cuts, stained with blood, just like my knees and feet. My hair
was a mess, sticking to my damp skin.
I had a bruise on my lip from biting it so hard, trying to concentrate on all
the jagged rock coming up at my face, and I was so over it.
I plonked down on the next flat section that was just another step before
more rocks and leaned back against the rough terrain.
“This is so stupid. We’re trying to stop the vampires from forcing me to go
with them based on a price I shouldn’t have to pay, all because Elias was an
asshole all those years ago, and now that he’s back, I need to get to the
Summit to get answers on how to help and all I’m doing is climbing rocks.
“He could be out there using more human sacrifices right now,” I sulked,
the cold and pain getting to me.
It was still snowing, only lightly, but it was enough to get to me. It was too
cold, and the wind was getting stronger, and my skin was stinging. I just
wanted to get it over and done with.
Brax was ahead this time, sniffing the air, finding the best routes. He
actually seemed to be enjoying himself.
He was running and leaping up the rocks with Kai like kids, not caring what
scratch or cut they got, laughing as they tried to push each other down,
which looked hilarious because they were both huge.
Derik got stuck behind me the entire way, holding my waist to lift me onto
the next jagged rock, licking clean every wound I got, grabbing my hand
every few minutes when I stumbled.
He didn’t even seem annoyed at my pace, but maybe he was just holding it
in, because I felt a little irritation coming my way.
“That’s not at you, beautiful. I’m irritated that I can’t just carry you without
risking the witches’ wrath,” he said, scowling at the wind, his eyes
narrowing as he sniffed.
Then his head snapped to the others, both of them pausing their playful
banter to check the wind that seemed as cold and noisy as before.
“Something happened,” Derik sighed.
I sat up, forgetting my sulk and looking around, the snow starting to fall
heavier, the wind stronger, tugging at the tendrils of my dress that had
survived the rocks.
“What is it?” I asked, not sensing the same things as them. The link was
there but not as strong, thanks to the witches slowly weakening the magic.
“I’m not sure, but the wind changed. We have to get to Second Camp,”
Derik urged.
I wasn’t about to argue with a wolf who sensed more than I could. I got up
and climbed fast. Faster than I had been, not caring about the scrapes and
bruises I accumulated.
Derik stayed behind me, urging me on, still helping but looking around
every few seconds, making me even more anxious as Kai and Brax took the
lead, spreading out to look ahead but staying a lot closer than before.
The snow got thicker, colder, and I shivered, my fingers turning frozen, my
feet slipping on the snowy death traps. My teeth chattered. I was soaked,
but I kept climbing.
There was no point complaining. I could, I had lots I wanted to say, but
there would be no point. The alphas couldn’t do anything but coddle me,
and that was the last thing we had time for, so I pushed through.
I came up to a cliff edge and focused through the snow, looking for a
foothold.
There wasn’t one.
I jumped to the ledge but slipped off it, the snow tipping on me. I sighed
and looked up as Brax knelt down, leaning over the edge, holding his arms
out.
I held my hands up and he hoisted me up onto it. He didn’t say anything
though.
What could he say? He knew I wasn’t okay, but I had to deal. He smirked at
me, probably in my head listening to me whine internally. He gave me a
wink to let me know that was true, but before he could leave, I stopped him.
“Why can’t we use our shadows here? Or feel them?” I asked, not able to
sense his or find much left of mine.
It was unnerving, especially since I knew if they were here in full capacity,
they could keep me warm like they had when I was a baby.
“The witches. The shadows interfere with their magic. They don’t like it, so
they silence them.
“They can’t have full control of them like they do everything else, we can
still hold onto them inside us where they can’t reach, but we can’t draw
them out,” Brax explained, having to shout over the howling wind as we
climbed the next steep rock, Derik jumping up on the ledge behind me.
And then we heard it.
An ear-piercing scream through the wind.41. The Balance
We all spun to the noise, but I couldn’t pinpoint exactly where that was.
The scream turned to a screech as my heart raced. I shivered, holding my
arms as I squinted, trying to find out what the hell was going on.
The poison taste in my mouth came back, and I frowned.
“It’s a vampire. I think.” I shivered, and the alphas looked at me, confused.
“How do you know?”
“I don’t know, it’s like I can taste it when they are around. I can taste it
now.”
“Then they are the ones who pissed the witches off,” Derik realized.
“Good. Hopefully it was Silas. Then they’ll get rid of him for us.” Kai
laughed, turning to carry on.
We followed as Brax looked over me with a frown. “My shadows don’t
whisper to me like that,” he said. “Yours are getting stronger. That’s a
strong whisper for being here.”
I shrugged. “Isn’t that a good thing?” I asked, following him up more
pointy rocks.
“Hope so,” he whispered, then kept climbing.
I shook it off; I couldn’t do anything about it now.
Whatever the vampire had done to piss off the witches must have been
decent enough because we were all getting punished.
The wind was still getting stronger, the snow was treacherous, and my
human body was almost at its limit.
I wanted to be strong and get through it, but there was only so much I could
physically do, and with the magic of the alphas getting weaker, they were
slowing down too.
Nowhere near as much as I was, but it was enough that I noticed.
When we finally made it to camp, it was barely a reprieve. We were still
being punished. There was no hot soup. Not big hut. Just a tiny triangle hut
that had open flaps and one fur blanket.
I shivered and hobbled toward it. My feet were sore, my legs freezing and
numb.
There was snow covering the tiny ledge, even smaller than last time, and I
forced my eyes away from the edge so I couldn’t look down, or I’d never
get any sleep.
I couldn’t see much in front of me, that was scary enough. Kai’s hand came
through mine and he dragged me toward the hut, pushing me inside and
shrugging out of his clothes.
I wiped the wet snow off my face and hugged my body, still shivering.
“F**k this shit,” Kai growled, hauling me into him.
I sighed at the heat that radiated off him and seeped beneath my skin,
defrosting me slowly. Derik and Brax ducked in then, pulling off their wet
clothes too. I smiled, my eyes raking over them both appreciatively.
“Stop that, beautiful. Tonight we stay alert—and alive,” Derik ordered,
eyeing Brax and Kai, who nodded.
“Why? Aren’t we safe here?” I asked.
Derik hesitated, and my heart rate sped up.
“We’ll keep you safe,” Kai tried.
“From what?” I shivered, my body trembling as it tried to keep the warmth,
but it was just so cold.
“The vampire that we heard could still be out there, trying to get out of
whatever torment it is being put through. Not to mention the distraction it
might be. We have to be careful. I’ll take first watch,” Derik said, going to
leave the tent.
“Wait, you’ll freeze to death.” I tried to stop him, but he just grinned.
“We’re wolves, beautiful. We run hot. Until tomorrow when we leave, we’ll
be able to keep you warm,” he said, then left, tying the hut shut as tight as it
would go.
I blew out a cold breath, trying to get closer to Kai, but I was already as
close as I could be.
“Take your dress off, it’ll help you get warmer quicker,” Brax said,
grabbing the blanket.
I peeled off my dress, stumbling a little, needing their help with the bits of
it, my fingers still frozen.
I left my panties on, then lay down on the bottom of the hut, which was
lined in a lumpy piece of leather that was better than the snow but still
freezing.
My teeth started chattering, and I couldn’t stop them.
“They know I’m human, right?” I asked.
My shadows stirred inside me then as if to remind me I wasn’t completely.
They swirled inside my body, but they were light, like a feather’s touch, but
they spread enough warmth that I let out a sigh.
The hut went silent. I peeled an eye open at Brax and Kai kneeling next to
me, frowning between me and each other.
“You just used your shadows,” Brax said, his voice and eyes wary.
“Yeah. Can you hurry up and get down here, please?”
I shivered again, choosing to ignore their worried glances and “What the
F**k ”
comments in their heads.
Kai shrugged out of his pants, then moved up against me. I curled into him,
shaking as my body tried to regulate. Then Brax was there behind me,
laying the throw over us.
With my shadows, their body heat, and the blanket, I managed to stop
shivering, but it was still cold.
“Will you still want me when I have frostbite on my nipples?” I asked
through a dry laugh.
Kai chuckled and kissed my forehead. “You know we will,” he said, and I
grinned against his pec, blowing on my icy fingers, my eyes closed.
Brax’s arm was over my waist, our legs all entwined, and eventually I was
warm enough to fall asleep, but it was restless.
The wind was so strong, howling and crying all night, shaking the hut with
a fierceness that had me waking up constantly. Derik came in a while later
and switched with Kai.
The blizzard kept going.
Then it was Brax’s turn.
“Are we staying while the storm is here?” I asked, not sure what time of the
day it was or how long it had been, but I was starving and impatient.
Derik hesitated before he nodded.
“I told you before, once we leave here, we have no magic. We’ll be
vulnerable like you are. No shifting, and we won’t be able to protect you.
We’re making sure they aren’t waiting for that.”
“But the witches?”
“Are only allowed to maintain the balance, not interfere. What happens to
one, happens to all here. So either it hasn’t killed whoever pissed them off
or the vampires purposely did this, came up with bad intentions knowing
we would be vulnerable and they would be able to stall long enough,” Derik
explained, and I gulped.
“So we’re just going to sit here and wait?”
My alphas looked at each other before Brax nodded. “It’s safer.”
I sighed. Maybe it was, but I couldn’t survive on no food like they could.
There was water in the hut, the witches had granted that reprieve, but it
wasn’t enough to stop my stomach rumbling.
“Can you still taste the vampire?” Brax asked, and I shook my head.
“Not since we heard it ages ago,” I said, and Brax nodded, stuck in his own
head. I didn’t pry.
***
The storm finally cleared after what felt like hours, and even then it
wasn’t completely gone, it was just less.
We dressed in our soggy clothes and climbed from the hut. It was already
warmer, a hint of sun trying to break through the snow.
I sucked in the fresh air, looking around at all the snow. It had covered
everything.
It was kind of beautiful when it wasn’t so deadly.
I let out my breath and turned to the alphas, who were all frowning. A
queasiness settled in my stomach, filtering weakly through the link that was
barely there.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, and Brax stood up, holding his hips.
“Being separated from our wolf is hard. A little dangerous,” he admitted,
and I felt the fear in him.
“How dangerous?” I demanded.
“If we’re separated for too long then we die,” Kai said, not sugarcoating it,
before grunting and shaking out the headache that pierced my brain and his.
“This link has its downsides,” I murmured, holding my stomach as it
intensified.
Derik frowned at the movement, then stood up, somehow separating me a
little further from the link. It was the only magic we had now, and even
then, it was minimal.
“We should get going. We have no idea how much time has passed, and we
need to get back,” Derik said, and headed off up the snowy, never-ending
hill.
At least the rocks were gone.
I followed him, just as anxious to get back. The alphas kept pace with me
this time, and I tried to keep my distance. The closer I was, the more I felt
their nausea and headaches. They were horrible.
We hadn’t been moving long before Brax was vomiting. He wiped his
mouth and swore under his breath, scooping up some snow before spitting it
out.
“Are the vampires going to be like this too?” I wondered, hating the idea of
facing them when the alphas were feeling so human.
“They will. Their body will function as a human and not run on blood like
normal.
It makes them sick too. We should be better by the Summit,” Kai said,
refusing to show any of the weakness I knew he was feeling.
I looked over at Derik for a split second, right before the hill abruptly
stopped, opening up to a huge clearing on the Summit, coming out of
nowhere.
I sucked in a breath and stopped behind Derik, who straightened his spine.
The vampires were already there.
They looked less intimidating too, and I wasn’t sure whether I was meant to
be reassured by that or not because they looked pissed about it.
I walked forward between the triangle of my alphas surrounding me,
keeping my head down, refusing to inspect the vampires like I so badly
wanted to.
They stood in a straight, two-row formation. They all wore red robes, all
looked forward at the rock barrier that separated the sides of the Summit.
“Where are the witches?” I whispered.
“They’re here. You won’t see them unless you’re about to die. They hide
from our human sight up here,” Brax whispered.
“I can feel them,” I whispered back, the weight of magic in my shadows
making them—and me—dizzy and lightheaded.
Brax frowned and looked around as if he should feel something but
couldn’t. “You shouldn’t be able to.”
I shrugged and kept walking, until we were facing the vampires on our side
of the Summit.
Silas stepped forward and put his hand on a stone platform like the ones I
had taken my oath at on the blood moon. Derik did the same on our side.
They both grimaced as they cut their palms open and placed the blood side
on the stone.
A shimmering sheen, not unlike the portal we had come through, dropped
between the sides.
“The blood offering has been accepted. Our intentions have been read as
pure,” Kai explained, and I swallowed, looking up.
Silas’s eyes snapped to mine the second the veil between the sides dropped,
and I knew what it meant. He had felt the link. I swallowed hard, all of their
eyes falling on me, the glares making my heart race, my palms clammy.
“You linked yourself to the winter born?” Silas demanded, and the eleven
other vampires behind him looked like they were each choosing which part
of me they were going to tear off first.
Silas pinned me with a hard stare, and I knew he was seeing my death,
wishing for it, promising me it would hurt.
A lot.