Page 17 of Their Marked Mate

“Did things get better in Seattle?” She couldn’t miss the hopeful catch in Nate’s tone. He moved to the sofa but didn’t touch her. Was he waiting for permission from his alpha?

“Things got better for Dad,” she stressed. “He married again eleven months after my mother died and his new wife started popping babies. They had two daughters and two sons in six years. But our blended family did not blend. I was an unfortunate remnant of my father’s unsavory past. So was my brother.”

“You were a teen when your new siblings were born. It’s only natural that⁠—”

“I have one sibling,” she cut off Nate, her tone sharp and biting. “My father’s second family has nothing to do with me.”

Alex’s arms tightened slightly. Luna wasn’t sure if the reaction was a silent warning to be less bitchy or an attempt to calm her down. It didn’t matter. She was almost finished with the part of her past she had no control over. Once she got out on her own, life had been better. Maybe not easier, but better.

The males looked at each other, likely speaking telepathically. “Your father wasn’t any better once he’d sobered up?” Alex asked.

“My father was a selfish asshole with or without booze. My brother and I ceased to exist the moment he held his new wife’s first baby. We had a place to sleep and food to eat. He honestly thought that was all it took to be a father.”

“How long did you put up with the emotional neglect?” Alex finished his wine then set the glass aside.

Emotional neglect. She’d never used the term to explain how she felt about her childhood, but it fit perfectly. Her basic needs had been met. She was fed, clothed, always had a place to sleep, but neither of her parents loved her. There had been flickers of affection with her mother, but her father was cold and dismissive.

“I graduated a year early and worked my way down the coast,” Luna told him. “I stayed in each town just long enough to earn money to reach the next. I arrived in L.A. on my eighteenth birthday.”

“If you were a performer this would make sense,” Nate mused as he angled his body toward her. “But you’re a geneticist. That requires extensive education. How did a young woman on her own pay for college?”

It was a fair question. Less expensive options for higher education had been developed in the past few decades, but many who attended physical universities were still supported by family members. “I got my initial degree online through one of the free universities, but most companies don’t take those degrees seriously. However, what I learned online allowed me to pass entrance exams with very high scores. I got my master’s degree at UCLA and my doctorate at UC Berkeley.”

“That had to cost a fortune,” Nate reiterated as he shifted position. He seemed agitated, restless. “How did you pay for a university education?”

“I slept with my professors, of course,” she smarted off, irritated by his persistence.

“Watch your tone,” Alex warned. “That’s the second time you’ve snapped at him.”

She tried to move off his lap, but Alex held her firmly. “I qualified for several academic grants and got loans for the rest,” she explained. “There’s no big mystery. I went in debt so I could get a good job. It happens every day.”

“Nuevo Biotech was your good job?” Challenge returned to Alex’s tone, but his features remained impassive.

“I wanted to change my location and moving from one country to another hadn’t been drastic enough. I applied for every off-world position in the biomedical field. Nuevo simply paid the most.”

“How long did you work for them?” Nate asked, his expression unreadable.

“Eleven years,” Alex supplied the answer.

Clearly, he’d listened when she talked about it before. Still, he didn’t sound pleased. Too bad. She would not apologize for things beyond her control. She took responsibility for her actions. She would not be punished for the actions of others. Now she was agitated. She scrambled off Alex’s lap and moved to the center of the room. “I won’t apologize for participating in the program. My team made you stronger and healthier. Babcock is the one who forced the transformation on you, and he paid for his ruthlessness with his life.”

Alex and Nate both stood, but it was Nate who approached her. “You don’t regret anything you did at Nuevo?”

Despite her rising anxiety, she stood her ground. “When I was transferred to the Griffen Project, almost forty percent of hybrids died during transformation. When the complex was raided, my team had it down to two-point-seven percent. I saved lives. I never intentionally harmed anyone.”

Nate struck like a cobra, grasping a fist full of her hair and pulling her head back. “Your illegal experiments robbed us of our future. How is that not harm?”

Then his mouth covered hers and his tongue pushed into her mouth, a punishing assault on her senses. She stiffened for a moment, instinctively rebelling against his aggression. But his hold on her hair loosened and his lips began to slide. She went still in his arms then gradually yielded as his kiss went on and on.

Alex moved up behind her and pressed his warm body against her back. His hands slid up and down her arms while his beta explored her mouth. “Don’t fight it, Luna. Don’t fight us.” His fingers skimmed over the outer swell of her breasts, hinting at more intimate touches, more stimulating exchanges.

She squirmed, feeling restless and needy. How did they do this with one lingering kiss?

Nate lifted his head and Alex turned her to face him. “I intend to claim you,” he stated emphatically. “I’ll give you as much time as I can, but I’m not a patient male.” As if to prove his point, his mouth took possession of hers. His tongue pushed between her lips, movements insistent and bold.

Reality spun away and Luna felt only the hardness of their bodies pressing against her front and back. Alex’s mouth was warm and demanding as it moved against hers. Nate’s taste lingered on her tongue as Alex introduced his taste into her mouth. The combination teased her, coaxing responses she hadn’t meant to give.

Gradually, she melted into their embrace, undulating between them with obvious need. Nate cupped her breasts and pressed his cock against her bottom. Alex framed her face with his hands as he rubbed his erection against her belly.