<h4>Chapter 186: Bonds and boundaries...</h4>


    <strong>Charis</strong>


    "Don’t ask," Kael said sharply, ring at him. "Mind your business."


    He brushed past both of us, heading for the front door. "Is my room ready?" he called over his shoulder.


    "Yeah, it’s ready," Rhett shouted back, but Kael was already inside.


    I hurried after him, something about his behaviour bothering me. He wasn’t usually this short with us, even when he was in a bad mood.


    I caught up with him in the hallway and followed him to his room. It was one of the guest rooms in the pack house—Kael stayed here often enough that they just considered it his.


    He opened the door and walked in. I followed him.


    Kael turned around, surprised to see me there. "What are you doing here?"


    "Are you okay?" I asked directly.


    "I’m fine."


    "You don’t look fine." I studied his face. "You look exhausted. And something’s wrong. I can tell."


    For a moment, something flickered in his eyes. Vulnerability, maybe. Uncertainty. But then it was gone, reced by his usual careful mask.


    He smiled slightly. "I’ll survive."


    Then, in one smooth motion, he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside.


    I tried very hard not to stare. Kael was lean and muscr, his body sculpted from years of training. There were scars across his chest and arms—old ones, from fights and idents and the general violence that came with being a werewolf.


    He walked toward the bathroom, then paused and looked back at me.


    "Would you like to take a shower with me?" he asked, his voice casual, like he was asking if I wanted coffee.


    Heat flooded my face. "I—I already showered," I stammered.


    Kael closed the distance between us in two steps. He reached out and pulled me against him, one hand on my waist, the other sliding up to cup the back of my neck.


    Then he kissed me.


    It wasn’t gentle. It was deep and demanding, the kind of kiss that made everything else disappear. My hands came up automatically, pressing against his bare chest, feeling his heart beating fast under my palms.


    When he finally pulled back, his eyes were dark and intense.


    "Bathe again," he murmured, his voice low and provocative.


    My brain had stopped working. All I could do was stare at him, my heart racing, my face burning hot.


    And somewhere in the back of my mind, a small voice whispered that I was in very serious trouble.


    He pulled me closer to me this time, our gaze meeting for a second.


    "I love you, Charis," he murmured, staring at me tenderly. "It seems every second I fall in love with you more. I’ve never felt this way before."


    Before I could reply, his kiss consumed mepletely. His lips moved against mine with a hunger that made my knees weak, and I found myself kissing him back just as desperately. My hands slid up his bare chest, feeling the warmth of his skin, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat under my palms.


    He deepened the kiss, his tongue sweeping against mine, and I made a small sound in the back of my throat. His hand tightened on my waist, pulling me closer until there was no space between us. I could feel every ne of his body pressed against mine.


    "Kael," I whispered when we broke apart for air.


    "Mm?" His lips moved to my jaw, trailing kisses down to my neck.


    My head fell back, giving him better ess. His mouth was hot against my skin, sending shivers down my spine. His other hand came up to tangle in my hair, tilting my head exactly where he wanted it.


    "We shouldn’t—" I started, but he cut me off with another kiss.


    This one was slower, deeper. Exploring. His hands moved down my sides, gentle but possessive, like he was mapping every curve. I pressed closer to him, my fingers threading through his hair.


    He walked me backwards until my legs hit the edge of his bed. We tumbled onto it together, never breaking the kiss. Kael’s weight settled over me, careful not to crush me but heavy enough that I felt surrounded by him.


    His mouth left mine to trail kisses down my throat. I arched up against him, my hands exploring the muscles of his back. Everything felt electric, alive, as if every nerve ending were on fire.


    "You smell so good," Kael murmured against my corbone. "Like rain and something sweet."


    I was about to respond when—


    <i>BANG!</i>


    The door flew open and mmed against the wall.


    I sprang apart from Kael so fast I nearly fell off the bed. My heart was racing for entirely different reasons now. I scrambled to sit up, trying to fix my dishevelled hair.


    ter stood in the doorway with a dark expression.


    "Are you kidding me right now?" he demanded.


    Kael rolled his eyes and stood up,pletely unbothered by being caught. "Ever heard of knocking?"


    "Ever heard of not being selfish?" ter shot back. His eyes moved to me. "You two always do this. Always trying to go solo. It’s not fair."


    "I wasn’t—" I started, but Kael cut me off.


    "I’m taking a shower," he announced, and walked into the bathroom without another word.


    The door closed behind him with a definitive click.


    I turned to ter, guilt crawling up my throat. "Hi."


    "Don’t ’hi’ me," ter said, but his anger was already fading into something more like frustration. He crossed his arms. "Charis, if you keep favouring one mate over the others, you’re going to create rivalry and jealousy. You know damn well we aren’t brothers. Usually, having multiple mates works with twins, triplets, or quadruplets. We’re three different men, fated to you. You’re handling enough problems on your own. Do you really want to add that to the list?"


    I shook my head quickly. "No. You’re right. I’m sorry. It’s just—everything with Kael is always so unpredictable. One minute he’s being distant and cold, and the next he’s..." I gestured vaguely at the bed.


    "I know," ter sighed. He sat down on the edge of the bed, his shoulders slumping. "Kael’splicated. But so are you. And so am I, and so is Rhett. That’s kind of the whole problem with this situation."


    "Yeah." I sat down next to him, leaving careful space between us. "What are you doing here, anyway?"


    "Rhett wanted to talk to all of us," ter said. "Something important, apparently. He sent me to find you and Kael."


    "Oh." I fidgeted with my hands. "Is it about his mother?"


    "Probably. Or his father. Or his stepmother. There’s a lot of family drama happening right now."


    Before I could respond, the door opened again, and Rhett walked in. He had this contemtive look on his face, like he was working through aplicated problem in his head.


    At the same moment, the bathroom door opened and Kael emerged.


    He was wearing nothing but his briefs.


    Water droplets still clung to his skin, trailing down his chest and abs. His hair was damp and messy, pushed back from his face. He looked like something out of a magazine.


    My mouth went dry. Heat pooled in my stomach. I mped my legs together and bit down hard on my lip to seal the moan that wanted to escape.


    Kael noticed me staring and smirked slightly before walking over to grab a towel.


    "When is the full moon due?" Rhett asked suddenly, his voice still distant and thoughtful.


    ter nced at him. "Three days."


    Rhett scoffed, a hint of amusement breaking through his contemtive expression. "That would exin the unnecessary horniness in the air."


    His gaze slid directly to me. I felt my face burn hot with embarrassment.


    "Seriously," Rhett continued, "the tension is so thick I could cut it with a knife." He looked between me and Kael. "I wonder if both of you have sex behind our backs. As mates, we need to—"


    "Why are we in my room exactly?" Kael cut him off, wrapping the towel around his waist. His tone was sharp, clearly indicating he was not interested in this conversation.


    Rhett sighed and ran a hand through his hair. The contemtive look faded, reced by something more vulnerable.


    "I wanted to tell you all something," he said. "I’m doing much better now."


    The room went still.


    "Better?" ter repeated, leaning forward. "Better how?"


    "My heart," Rhett said, touching his chest. "Doctor Maxwell ran tests this morning. My heart function has improved significantly. Notpletely healed, but better than it’s been in years."


    Kael, who had been pulling on a pair of sweatpants, stopped and looked up. "That’s... that’s incredible."


    "That’s amazing, Rhett!" I said, standing up. Relief flooded through me so intensely that I felt dizzy with it.


    Even Kael smiled, nothing like his usual careful half-smirk. He walked over and thumped Rhett on the back. "Good news, man. Really good news."


    Rhett smiled back, and for a moment, he looked lighter. Happier. "It’s thanks to all of you. Your care, your support. But especially..." He turned to look directly at me. "Especially you, Charis."


    I blinked. "Me?"