Thorne
When I woke up, the world felt wrong. My head was heavy, my mouth dry, and my limbs sluggish like I’d been drinking all night—which I had. But it wasn’t the dull ache behind my eyes that made my stomach knot. It was the warmth. The weight. The fact that soone was lying against , their skin pressed to mine.
I blinked hard, forcing my vision to clear. And then I froze.
Josie.
Her soft hair brushed against my chest, her legs tangled with mine, her breathing steady in the early morning light that slipped through the cracks of the cottage window. For a mont, my heart stopped. My body went rigid, and I did the only thing my scrambled brain thought to do—I pushed her back, gently but with enough force to create space between us.
Her sleepy eyes fluttered open. Confusion clouded them at first, then clarity, then sothing sharp—hurt.
"What the hell are you doing?" she whispered, her voice raw from sleep.
I swallowed, my throat tight. "Josie..." My words failed . I didn’t even know what to say. Why was she here? Why were we—
She sat up slowly, her hair tumbling down her shoulders, her bare skin catching the pale light. My chest constricted.
"You pushed away," she said, her voice trembling with a mixture of anger and pain. "After you finally got what you wanted—you push away like I’m nothing?"
Her words sliced through , but I barely understood them. I frowned, shaking my head. "What I wanted? Josie, I—"
"Don’t you dare," she snapped, tears threatening to spill. "You took my virginity, Thorne. And now you’re acting like you don’t even rember?"
I felt the blood drain from my face. "Virginity...?" My voice cracked.
Josie’s eyes widened at my tone, and then disbelief settled in. "You can’t be serious."
I stared at her, my mind racing. My mory was a blur—flashes of her lips, the heat of her skin, the way her body had felt beneath mine. But it was all sared with drunken haze. I rembered the cottage, yes, but not enough detail to piece the night together clearly.
My wolf’s growl echoed inside . You fool. You touched her. You claid her. And now you’re making her feel cheap?
I dragged my hands over my face, horrified. "I don’t rember," I muttered.
Josie blinked at , as if I’d slapped her. "You don’t rember?" Her voice cracked. "You’re unbelievable, Thorne. Absolutely unbelievable."
Her words twisted the knife deeper. I clenched my fists. "Josie, I was drunk, I—"
"Oh, don’t give that." She shot to her feet, grabbing her gown from the floor and yanking it over her head with trembling hands. "Too drunk to rember, but not too drunk to take what you wanted, huh?"
My chest heaved. Sha burned through , hot and suffocating.
"I’m telling you, I—"
"Look at yourself," she spat, pointing at .
Confused, I glanced down. My stomach lurched. The sheet had slipped low across my hips, exposing myself. And there—red. Blood sared faintly along my length. My face went crimson as I scrambled for the blanket, sha flooding every vein in my body.
Josie let out a bitter laugh, though her eyes shimred with tears. "Still think you don’t rember? Or do you need to spell it out for you again?"
"Josie, wait—" I jumped to my feet, reaching for her, but she flinched back like my touch burned her. My heart cracked in two.
"I wanted you again, Thorne," she admitted brokenly, her voice soft and trembling. "Even after everything. Even after you hurt a thousand tis. I still wanted you. But you don’t even rember. Do you know how pathetic that makes feel?"
Her words destroyed . "Stop—don’t say that—"
But she didn’t. She turned away, clutching her clothes tight to her chest, and stord out of the cottage before I could stop her.
I staggered back, staring at the door she’d just slamd. Horror consud . My wolf howled in my head, clawing at with rage and sha. You ruined her. You made her feel cheap. You didn’t even protect her first mont. You disgust .
I grabbed the nearest object—a chair—and shoved it violently across the room. It crashed against the wall, splintering. My breaths ca harsh and ragged, but anger wasn’t enough to drown out the self-loathing suffocating .
Shoving a hand through my hair, I forced my legs to move. She couldn’t just leave like that. She was vulnerable, hurt, walking through unfamiliar woods in nothing but a thin gown.
Beta. Now. My wolf’s command burned through .
I stord out of the cottage, shifting halfway before reining it in. I linked with my Beta. et Josie in the courtyard. Don’t ask questions. Just get her ho safely.
"Yes, Alpha," he answered imdiately.
I lingered in the shadows, watching from afar as Josie’s figure appeared, her shoulders stiff, her walk fast and furious. She didn’t look back once. My Beta fell into step beside her, speaking softly. She didn’t acknowledge him. My chest clenched as I watched them disappear into the trees leading toward the pack house.
When they were gone, I turned back to the cottage. My hands shook as I stripped and stepped under the freezing water of the shower. I stood there forever, letting the icy sting punish . No matter how much I scrubbed, I couldn’t wash away the blood, the sha, the image of Josie’s broken eyes.
By the ti I returned to the pack house, the sun was high. My brothers were already awake, but the mont I entered, I felt the shift in the air. Cold. Distant. Kiel wouldn’t even look at . Varen’s expression was unreadable, but his silence was heavier than any accusation.
"Morning," I muttered. No one answered.
Before I could demand an explanation, the guard announced a guest. A Beta from a neighboring pack stepped into the office, bowing respectfully.
"My Alpha wishes to extend an invitation," he began carefully. "He is proposing to build war schools across the territories. He seeks your alliance and your input. He hopes the triplets will join forces with him."
I pinched the bridge of my nose, still battling the remnants of a hangover and the mory of Josie’s voice. "War schools?"
"Yes," the Beta said. "A place to train young wolves not only for pack defense but for coordinated warfare. He believes it will strengthen ties between the packs. He asks for your decision."
We should have discussed it. But instead, silence reigned. Kiel crossed his arms and leaned back, refusing to speak. Varen’s jaw tightened. The Beta shifted uncomfortably, glancing between us.
Finally, I exhaled heavily. "We’ll consider it. You’ll have our answer soon."
The Beta bowed again and left, relief clear in his posture.
The mont the door closed, I snapped. "What the hell is wrong with you two?" My voice cracked through the office like a whip. "You’ve been ignoring all morning. Acting like I’m the villain. What exactly do you stand to gain from this childish treatnt?"
Kiel’s head snapped toward , his eyes burning. "Childish? You want to talk about childish, Thorne? Let’s talk about last night."
My stomach dropped. "What about last night?"
"I saw you." His voice was sharp, his words a dagger. "I saw you with Josie. You were screwing her in that damn cottage."
The air froze.
My wolf growled low, my fists clenching. "That’s not true," I barked, though the image of blood on my body scread otherwise.
Kiel’s lip curled. "Don’t lie to . Don’t lie to us. I saw it. You can pretend all you want, but I know what I saw."
Varen’s face twisted, hurt flashing in his eyes. He didn’t say a word. He just stood abruptly and walked out of the office, slamming the door behind him.
Sothing in my chest fractured.
Kiel stepped forward, fury radiating off him. "You’re the worst brother I could ever ask for," he spat. "If you wanted Josie that badly, you could’ve at least had the decency to talk to us first. Instead, you take her behind our backs, like so horny bastard who can’t keep his hands to himself."
"Watch your mouth," I snarled.
"No, you watch yours!" His eyes blazed. "You always act like you can’t stand her—like she’s beneath you. But in the end, all you really wanted was to screw her and toss her aside like so doll. Don’t you dare act high and mighty with now."
"That’s not true!" I roared, my chest heaving. "If I slept with her, I’ll take responsibility for her. I won’t run from it!"
Kiel laughed bitterly, the sound dripping with mockery. "Responsibility? That’s rich, coming from you. You can’t even admit you did it. The joke’s on you, Thorne. Because you’ll never own up to it. You’ll just keep hiding behind your damn pride."
And with that, he stord toward the door, yanking it open so hard it slamd against the wall. He turned back just once, his voice venom.
"You disgust ."
The door slamd shut.
I stood there, fists trembling, my wolf clawing at my insides, sha and fury colliding until I thought I might explode.
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