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Raidon hauls me on top of him, so I am straddling his waist. My eyes are on his neck, my bond demanding to know where my mark went. I check the other side of his neck. Raidon’s fingers trail up my spine as I turn his head, looking for it. I could have sworn I marked him.

Pulling back, I look at him before glancing over my shoulder at Leon, wondering if he is the one I marked. I remember the taste of blood. I remember marking one of them. Leon is pulling his jeans on, watching me. His eyes flick to Thane, and I feel the bed dip as Thane climbs on behind me. He sits between Raidon’s legs, and his hands slip around my waist as he pulls me back against him, his hands gently rubbing over my belly.

“You’re confused why your mark didn’t stick,” he states, and I nod, staring at Raidon’s neck. Some part of me wonders if he rejected me while I slept. I glare at him, my chest hurting at the thought. I touch his mark on my neck. It feels perfectly fine, and I let out a breath.

“You did not just think that!” Raidon growls at me. “I would never reject you,” he says. He must have read my thoughts on my face. Thane sighs behind me, his hands slipping under my belly as he holds it.

“We should have told you, but we were afraid of how you would react,” Thane purrs, nipping at my shoulder. His lips trail up my neck, and I turn my face to look at him. He pecks my lips, and sighs.

“Tell me what?” I ask him, my voice shaking, wondering why they sound so worried. Their worry bleeds into me, making me anxious.

“You can’t mark them,” Thane says slowly. My lips part, wanting to protest, but his lips cover mine, cutting off anything I might say. “Wait, I’ll explain,” he mumbles against my lips before pulling away.

His eyes flick to Raidon, and I can feel Thane’s fear, loud and clear. He is afraid to tell me whatever it is. He exhales, pressing his face into my neck before sitting back up.

“Do you remember how I had to mark you first?” he asks, and I nod.

“Yes, because you’re the Alpha. They can’t accept me unless you do.”

He nods his head.

“It’s the same with you marking us. I have to accept your mark first. Until I do, any mark you make on them will just heal.”

“Wait, so you don’t want me to mark them? Therefore I can’t?” I ask, jerking away from him. He growls, pulling me back to his chest.

“That is not what I said, Low.”

“But you just said —”

Thane cuts me off, growling at my accusatory tone.

“You have to mark me first. I never said I don’t want you to mark them. Just that until you mark me, you marking them won’t stick,” he finally says.

“It’s also why we wouldn’t touch you,” Raidon says. “We didn’t want to upset you knowing you want to mark us.”

I raise an eyebrow at him before looking at Leon, who shrugs.

“Are you all thick?” I ask. Leon bristles and shakes his head.

“Wow,” Thane says, and I turn to look at him.

“What? Not one of them would touch me. My bond has been going haywire thinking they are rejecting me because they wouldn’t come near me. Only to find out they wouldn’t touch me because I might mark them?” I stare at them. They glance at each other.

“You didn’t think to just say that? Jeez, I am not unreasonable!” I snap at them.

“That’s debatable,” Raidon chuckles, and I growl at him. He holds up a finger and gives me a pointed look. “If we told you that you had to mark Thane before you could mark us when you got back here, you would have pitched a fit.”

I blink at him. I swear I can see his brain cells dying right before my eyes.

“And probably run from us, again,” Leon adds.

“No. I wouldn't have liked it, but I wouldn’t have run. I didn’t have to come back here, and I knew that by doing so I would have to accept Thane too, since you all damn well come as a quadruple package. I would have been pissed, but at least I wouldn’t have spent the last couple of weeks thinking you were all repulsed by me,” I tell them.

“Why would you think that?” Raidon snarls angrily, and I point to my stomach. Is he blind!

“Maybe the fact that I am the size of a fucking house, while you all walk around here like Greek gods, posing to have your goddamn statues erected.”

“The only thing ‘erected’ around here is my damn cock. Don't let me hear you speak such nonsense again,” Raidon snaps at me. “Besides, I like your tiger stripes. There’s nothing sexier than knowing you are growing our child,” he purrs, leaning forward and clamping his hands on either side of my face.