Mated to the Alpha and His Beta

Lanie

Xander and Zane both jumped away from me, scrambling off the bed as if my touch had burned them.

“You need to get out of here, Xander told me without even speaking.

Acold knot of dread settled in my stomach.

Those f u cking cowards.

The second they heard the voice of their precious Alice, they once again abandoned me to save their own skin.

| wrapped my arms around my chest, suddenly feeling very exposed.

| was their mate first so why did | feel like the side chick caught in the act?

Seconds ago, they were caressing me, practically begging me to f uck them again, and now they were exchanging horrified. glances, no doubt trying to think of a way to stuff me out of sight like a dirty secret.

out.

For a second, | had even thought that they were talking about more than sex...

Was everything they just told me a bunch of bul Ish it?

| pushed myself off the bed, the desire fd felt moments earlier curdling into sour fury.

| imagined myself snat ching up my clothes and strutting into the living room, looking Alice straight in the eye as | walked

But then a lump formed in my throat.

All | really wanted to do was escape and erase all traces of what had just happened between us.

“| get it, | told them. “Do what you have to do.”

The look of relief that washed over their faces felt like a dagger to the heart.

Obviously they thought | was good for a f uck, but they were too ashamed to ever call me their mate.

That title was reserved for Alice and Alice alone.

How humiliating.

| turned away from them and shifted, grabbing my clothes in my teeth and diving onto the roof from the window, then- climbing down to the ground.

Disappearing like smoke. As if | was never there to begin with.

Xander

I

“She’s gonna f ucking know, | told Zane

| paced around the room, sna tching up Zane’s boxers and tossing them at him, then throwing the towel back around my waist

“It's fine, just keep it together,” Zane reassured me.

At least Lanie understood the situation.

Handling Alice was delicate, to say the least. Letting her down wasn’t going to be easy, and now was not the time to do it. What the f uck would | even say? “Surprise! You know the mate we told you not to worry about? Well, actually, we’re more bonded with her than we'll ever be with you. And, oh yeah, if we don’t continue f ucking her we think we might literally die.” Alice would take that super f ucking well.

We'd have to tell her eventually, but in a way that wouldn't potentially get us into even deeper sh it with the Elders.

It was worth taking our time and being careful, especially if it meant we’d get to have Lanie again.

Alice knocked hard on the looked bedroom door.

“Hello! What the hell are you two doing in there?”

| took a deep breath and walked out into the living room to face Alice.

She studied us for a moment, taking in our heaving chests, our nearly naked bodies, our tousled hair.

| had to get ahead of this before she came to her own conclusions.

“Sorry. We just got done working out.” | shrugged.

Alice scoffed, her face reddening.

“You have a gym downstairs, genius. And you think | don’t know you and Zane’s ‘-just-had-sex looks by heart?”Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

F uck

She planted her hands on her hips..

“Who do you have in there with you?”

Zane waved toward the empty bedroom,

“No one. Check for yourself,”

Her nostrils flared. Go ds, the smell of sex must be all over us. | knew she wanted to believe us...| had to hope that was enough to keep her of f our trail.

“So what?” she asked, “You guys were just f u cking each other?”

She was too busy trying to peek around us into the bedroom to see the tension that formed like a heavy rain cloud between Only once, a long time ago...

Zane’s fists clenched, and his eyes were dark when they flashed up to meet mine.

“| told you...” Zane’s growl echoed inside my head. “We're never mentioning that again...”