Lorelei by Celia Kyle

“I’m sorry, but it’s the only way.”
    His mate turned her head into his chest, burying her face against him. She shuddered once, a hint of her fear reaching his nose, but she nodded her agreement.
    “I’ll… I’ll do it.” Her voice trembled and Zeke fought the urge to shift and destroy whatever frightened their mate.
    Zeke sensed the same desire from Dylan, and he met his partner’s gaze over Lorelei’s head. He saw the same conviction, the same anger, and the same possessive light in Dylan’s eyes that he felt inside.
    Neither liked the idea, but neither would stop it, either.
    “And after?” Zeke voiced the question, knowing and hating himself at his excitement and anticipation with the answer.
    Emmett’s voice was grim. “After… You’ll have to hold onto your wolves and magic long enough for them to heal her. Once that’s done, we’ll leave you three alone. There’s a set of rooms on the other side of the suite that we’ll use for the transfer and healing. Then we’ll all remain on this side. By tomorrow morning you should be… done.”
    Done. A pretty way to dress up their—essentially forced—mating.
    Zeke shook his head. For the last year, as he’d dreamed of finding a mate, he hadn’t anticipated it’d come about this way. He’d imagined… coaxing and sweet words and… more than a fuck fueled by other males touching their mate.
    “How long until they get here?” Lorelei’s voice was soft.
    “We’ll call them now. It shouldn’t be more than ten or fifteen minutes, depending on where they are in the building,” Levy spoke softly.
    “Okay, if it’s okay with you guys, I’d like to go to the room and talk to Zeke and Dylan alone.” She sounded unsure and embarrassed and those were two emotions she should never experience. Not with them.
    “Of course.” Levy nodded and stepped back. “This way.”
    Zeke wasn’t sure if she’d go through with it, if she’d take the first step to follow the Ruling Warden. But she did. She put one foot in front of the other and padded across the carpet. The room remained quiet, completely silent, save the shuffle of her bare feet and the brush of their shoes on the floor.
    As they walked past Rebecca, the woman reached for their mate, stopping her sister’s progress. Rebecca hauled Lorelei into her arms. “I love you. More than the moon.”
    “I love you more than the moon and the stars,” Lorelei whispered and he realized it was a small ritual between the two sisters. Something beautiful shared by women who meant the world to each other.
    Zeke prayed they’d someday have something similar.
    “They’ll find her, right, Lor?” Rebecca sounded so small and broken. Nothing like the vivacious woman who had given her mates a hard time.
    Lorelei pressed a kiss to Rebecca’s cheek. “Of course. They’ll be too afraid of Zeke and Dylan to fail.” They exchanged a quick hug and then Lorelei stepped back. “I’ll see you tomorrow, huh? All freshly mated?”
    At her sister’s nod, Lorelei continued on her path, following Levy across the suite, past little sitting areas and other rooms until they came to a set of double doors.
    Lorelei was the first to step into the room and Zeke and Dylan were on her heels. She paused by the bed, staring at the smooth surface for a moment before she stroked the blanket.
    “Not here.” She turned her attention to a far corner and Zeke realized a few chairs surrounded a low table. “There.” She nodded. “Yeah, there. And… I need a couple of minutes alone with the guys. We’ll open the door when we’re ready.”
    Levy nodded and quietly retreated as their mate made her way to the cushioned seat.
    When she settled onto the seat, Zeke dragged another chair over to her while Dylan did the same. They sat and stared at her, waiting to find out why she’d asked for time alone before…
    “So, we’re gonna be mated.” She flashed a rueful grin. “I’m okay with it, but I didn’t even ask… Is-is