Claimed By Three Rival Alphas

Chapter 64: Something Else

~LYRA’S POV~

His lips met mine again, and this time there was no pulling back.

The kiss started soft, almost careful, like we were both testing whether this was really allowed now. My hand came up to rest against his chest, not pushing him away, just feeling the steady beat of his heart under my palm. It was racing. So was mine.

I broke the kiss first, only enough to breathe.

"Ryland," I whispered, "Are we really doing this?"

He didn’t answer right away. His forehead rested against mine, eyes closed, breath warm on my lips. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and rough.

"I’ve been waiting for you to come to me, Lyra. If you want to stop, say it now. But if you’re here... then yes. We’re doing this."

I swallowed hard. My fingers curled into his shirt. "I don’t want to stop. I just... I need you to know I’m still a mess inside."

"I already know," he said simply. One of his hands slid up my back, slow and deliberate, until his fingers threaded gently into my hair. "And I’m still choosing you. All of you. Mess and all."

The words hit me harder than they should have. Something tight in my chest loosened just a little. I leaned in and kissed him again, deeper this time, letting the warmth of his mouth chase away the cold edges of grief that had been living in me.

We stayed like that for a long moment, kissing slowly at his desk, on the table the papers he’d been working on. His pen had rolled somewhere. Neither of us cared.

Finally, he pulled back just enough to look at me. His eyes were dark, searching.

"Tell me what you need tonight," he said quietly. "Not what you think I want to hear. The truth."

I bit my lip, hesitating. My heart was hammering so loud I was sure he could hear it.

"I need to feel something good," I admitted, my voice shaking just a little. "Something that doesn’t hurt. But I don’t want to pretend the hurt isn’t there either. Can we... can we have both?"

Ryland’s thumb brushed gently over my cheek. "We can have both. Always."

He stood up then, taking my hand. The chair scraped softly against the floor as I rose with him. For a second we just stood there, inches apart, eyes locked. The air between us felt thick, charged with everything we hadn’t said in months.

"You’re sure?" he asked again.

"I’m sure," I whispered.

He didn’t rush. Instead, he lifted my hand and pressed a kiss to my knuckles, then to the inside of my wrist. The simple touch sent a shiver through me that had nothing to do with cold.

"Come with me," he said.

We left the desk behind. The walk to his quarters felt longer than it was, our footsteps quiet in the empty corridor. His hand stayed wrapped around mine the whole way, warm and steady. Every few steps I glanced at him, catching the way his jaw was set, the careful control he was keeping.

When we stepped inside his room and the door clicked shut behind us, the tension in the air shifted again. The space was simple but familiar now. The large bed against the far wall, the soft glow of a single bedside lamp he must have left on earlier.

Ryland turned to face me. "Still okay?"

"Still okay," I said, but my voice came out breathier than I meant it to.

He stepped closer until there was almost no space left between us. His hands settled lightly on my waist, not pulling, just resting there.

"I’ve thought about this," he confessed quietly. "More times than I should admit. But never like this. Never when you were carrying so much."

I reached up and touched his face, tracing the line of his jaw with my fingertips. "I’ve thought about it too. Even when I told myself I shouldn’t."

His eyes darkened at that. He leaned down and kissed me again, slower, deeper, like he was memorizing the way I tasted. My arms slid around his neck, pulling him closer. The kiss grew warmer, a little hungrier, but still careful.

When we broke apart, I was breathing harder.

"Ryland... I don’t know how to do this without feeling guilty," I admitted, the words slipping out before I could stop them. "Like I shouldn’t be allowed to want this right now."

He rested his forehead against mine once more. "You’re allowed, Lyra. You’re allowed to want comfort. You’re allowed to want me. The grief doesn’t disappear if you let yourself feel something good. It just... shares the room."

I let out a shaky breath. "Share the room with me tonight, then." freewēbnoveℓ.com

His hands tightened slightly on my waist. "I’m right here."

We moved toward the bed together, not in a rush, but with quiet purpose. He sat down on the edge first, then guided me gently to stand between his knees. For a long moment he just looked up at me, eyes full of something deep and steady that made my chest ache in the best way.

"You’re beautiful," he said softly. "Even when you’re hurting. Especially when you’re hurting."

I felt my face warm. "You don’t have to say that."

"I’m not saying it because I have to. I’m saying it because it’s true." His hands slid up my sides, slow and reverent. "And because I want you to hear it from me."

I leaned down and kissed him again, needing the contact. This kiss had more heat in it. His fingers flexed against my ribs, and I felt the restraint he was exercising, the way he was letting me set the pace.

I pulled back just enough to speak against his lips. "You’re holding back."

"I am," he admitted. His voice had gone lower. "Because I don’t want to take anything you’re not ready to give. Even if you think you are."

That honesty made something inside me melt. I climbed onto the bed, straddling his lap so we were face to face. His hands settled on my hips, warm through the fabric of my clothes.

"I’m ready to give this," I whispered. "All of me. But this... us... right now. I want it."

His eyes searched mine for another long second, making sure. Then he nodded once.

"Okay."

We kissed again, and this time the hesitation started to burn away. His hands moved up my back, pulling me closer until our bodies pressed together. I could feel the heat of him, the solid strength that had been my anchor for so long. My fingers tangled in his hair as the kiss deepened, turning slower and more intense.

Between kisses, words slipped out.

"Tell me if it’s too much," he murmured against my neck, lips brushing the sensitive skin there.

"It’s not," I breathed. "It feels... good. Really good."

A soft sound escaped him, something between a sigh and a groan. He kissed my collarbone, then higher, until his mouth found mine again.

We shifted together until we were lying down, me on my back, him braced above me on his forearms. The weight of him felt perfect, grounding. Not overwhelming. Just... right.

I looked up at him, heart pounding. "Ryland?"

"Yeah?"

"I’m scared this will change everything."

He smiled, small and tender. "It already has. But only for the better. I promise."

The kiss deepened, and my fingers found their way into his hair, pulling him impossibly closer. His body pressed against mine, heat radiating between us as the bond surged, overwhelming and undeniable.

My wolf howled in approval, her demands drowning out any logic or restraint I had left.

I shouldn’t be doing this, I thought.

Every rational part of me screamed to stop, But his touch, his scent, the way he looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered, it all made it impossible to resist.

So I didn’t.

I threw caution to the wind, letting myself give in to the pull of the bond, the demands of my wolf, and the undeniable chemistry between us.

His lips trailed from my mouth to my neck, and a low growl escaped him as his hands roamed over my body. My breath hitched, and I tilted my head back, exposing my throat, a gesture I hated myself for but couldn’t stop.

In this moment, I wasn’t Lyra Hale, the woman who had spent her life on the ground, being rejected and humiliated.

Right now, I was just his mate, and for the first time in years, I let myself feel it.