Land rats.

“So, you are telling me that I would have a full week with two Alpha men all to myself? What's the catch? I have no idea what brought your attention to me, but this is highly suspicious. Alphas don’t do sharing, under any circumstances. Refusing to keep participating in the competition is a mind-blowingly stupid decision. Who or what made your two feel like I could agree?”

Since there was no response from either, Seth ran her fingers through her hair and groaned to voice the frustration that was building within her.

“Guys, this is way too much; I won't bother to point out the damn bet. I am a living, breathing, thinking shifter, not someone without the ability to process thoughts or feel emotions. You two might find a rock by the side of the road and ask it, since it seems that a positive reaction is one you seek the most.”

Of course, the offer was tempting, and Seth would love to accept it. However, the idea behind it was quite terrifying - sooner or later, both men would start to pressure her to make a choice.

The problem was that Seth had no idea if she wanted to choose in the first place. Perhaps she wanted to stay alone and enjoy freedom more than anything. Now, she felt as if the men surrounding her limited the freedom she needed.

“Isn't the thing we chose to do our business? Doll, don't kill the mood; you have nothing to lose. It's just a week off - let yourself live a little. We won't make you do anything you wouldn't agree to do. Plus, the lakehouse is absolutely amazing, you'll love it there. Just imagine the lake under the moonlight, the peaceful silence of the night, the scent of pine trees surrounding you. Doesn't that sound good enough to drop the stress and enjoy the little things life offers? Come on; it won't be that bad.” Dominic crossed his arms in front of his chest as he spoke.

Her eyes focused on the muscles the Alpha gladly showed off. The memories of the time they spent together flooded her mind - how she clung to those arms, how small she felt whenever Dominic held her.

Seth understood that she couldn't complain about the lack of intimacy with a man. Vlad left hours ago, and she still felt a little sore after their moment of fun in the shower.

Those two men held her interest, despite the things Seth believed in before.

She was sure that lust drove her closer to them but had to face quite the opposite. As she stood in front of them, eyeing men with nothing but suspicion, a realization washed over her.

Seth liked them for who they are, not because she needed to get rid of some steam.

“Listen,” Ryder let out a deep, frustrated breath. “Dominic is right. We didn't come here to force you to do anything. This is a simple offer, and yes, we made a major mistake by having a bet for you. We shouldn't have done that, but all is fair in love and war, as they say. Since you decided to leave without explaining yourself, we had to look for you. Trust me when I say - finding you wasn't as easy as it might seem. So, we had enough time to talk, get to know each other better, and meet each other in the middle. Dominic wanted to take you to the lake house while I insisted on a dinner out. Then, he thought of this idea - we will have separate rooms, if you agree, we will have separate dates or even some together. We want to get to know you and prove that we are genuinely interested in you as a woman. And no, it's not about you being a puma - both of us like your personality. You're kind yet rebellious, a true firecracker - any other man would be happy to be with a woman such as you.”

Ryder was a persistent man, one of the rare men Seth had met - stubborn and respectful at the same time.

Seth promised them to think about the offer. She needed, and wanted some more privacy, making a deal that men could return after an hour.

At this point, she felt like every other decision she made was the wrong one. No matter how hard she tried to avoid unnecessary drama - it came around the corner to look for Seth.

She was tired of continuously blaming herself for sleeping with someone. Of course, as soon as she stepped over the only rule she had - that's where the problems started, but how was she in the wrong?

Thus far, Seth didn't feel uncomfortable for the way she was. A strong woman with open views on her sexuality and change of partners.

Perhaps others, more conservative shifters, didn't like her views on life, but that wasn't a reason for her to change the way she was or refuse things she loved.

Too many things had changed since the day when she agreed to take the job.

Up to the day she got the job, she would avoid dominant men, yet slept with three and forth one joined the crowd, saying that he was interested.

Attempting to choose between Luciano and Vlad was a pain in her ass, but if those two jump right into the whole mess - it would be impossible to make the decision.

Seth watched how both men nodded their heads and left the property, walking towards the little town. She suspected that they would head for the car that might be parked further away from the main building.

Seth closed the door, turned the lock, and grabbed onto her hair. What was she supposed to do now?

“Seth, you idiot!” She hissed under her breath. Her life slowly turned into a telenovela - one nobody would enjoy watching.

An hour passed by faster than expected - Seth didn't get to decide what would be for the best. It was her heart against the brain, one wanted nothing more but to escape, other nothing more than to stay on the spot and face every other hardship to come her way.

“So, did you make the decision?” Dominic sat on the sofa - his large frame making the piece of furniture look like one from a dollhouse.

He grinned, showing off how sure he was that Seth would follow them. He was the first one to invite himself inside the tiny guesthouse, while the puma didn't even offer him to join her.

The Alpha acted how he liked to, not how he was supposed to.

However, Ryder didn't look anything near confident. The other Alpha didn't attempt to get inside the guesthouse, same as he seemed a bit hesitant to enter even after Seth kindly offered him to. He refused to sit down, standing near the main door.

While his ally kept a positive view on everything, this Alpha was more pessimistic. He was sure that Seth would send them away, so he decided to stay near the closest exit to avoid showing off the humiliation of defeat.

Of course, he didn't want to end up with empty hands - Seth was the reason why he gladly agreed with Dominic's idea. Plus, why would he keep on fighting for the title he never wanted if he would end up living in the castle anyway?

Taking in his Royal background - Ryder might not become the next King, but he would stay near to advise the next man in charge.

“I didn't choose. I probably underestimated the time I gave myself. Besides, it's getting dark already, and I shouldn't waste more time, right? I've already called my friend to tell her where I'm going and exactly when I have to come back. If anything was to happen - she knows I'm leaving with the two of you. Don't try anything because you'll be the main suspect if the police find my dead body in the alley. Gosh, please don't drop me off in an alley - perhaps a river or a flower field? Anything that would make me look a little pretty even after death, okay? Anyway, is there anything specific I should bring? Like clothes or snacks? I'm not joking about the death thing, though. I could bring a red dress to make everything look more dramatic.” Seth grabbed the packed suitcase she had hidden behind the door and placed it in front of her.

Ryder still kept quiet, but thankfully, his body didn't seem as tense anymore. Of course, his eyes widened when Seth spoke about her ideas, but Alpha tried to ignore her words and take them in as a weird way of joking.

Dominic grinned at her words, probably imagining the red dress on her. Or the way he would gladly shred the piece of clothing with his claws.

Seth followed Ruder's movements - he approached her, took her bag, and announced that he would wait for her in the car. She didn't expect anything less from him - thus far, he had been the perfect gentleman.

Dominic, on the other hand, as always - acted like a true caveman. He grabbed Seth and threw her over his shoulder, following Ryder. What was it with men always trying to carry her around like a sack of potatoes?

She was sure that one of them would drive, but as soon as they approached the vehicle, she noticed that the said car wasn't a regular car at all. It was a limo - the driver held its door open for both men and Seth, getting back to his seat only when the trio sat down.

The man didn't speak, like the Alphas who didn't seem to be in the best mood. Why would they act so grumpy when they got exactly what they wanted?

“Guys, would you mind if I take a nap?” Seth yawned, somehow catching the feeling of the drive being longer than one might assume. She was right, it would take a five hours drive to get to the lake house.

Dominic and Ryder sat silent, pulling Seth onto their laps. Her head rested on Dominic's thigh and her legs were hooked over Ryder's. She expected that the closeness might make her feel awkward, but it didn't, being around them felt like the most natural thing to do.

For once, the men didn't argue, just shared a few knowing glances and smiled at each other.

Seth knew that the Alpha's were up to something, no matter what it was - she would find out before the week came to an end.

Seth slept for nearly five hours; she was woken up by Dominic, showering her face with gentle kisses, whispering that they had arrived.

To say that Seth was mind-blown when she got out of the limo would be an underestimation.

Whatever Dominic called a lake house was a vast mansion, three stories high with extra spaces for cars. If this really was just a holiday house, Seth could only imagine how massive his own home was.

People tended to choose holiday households to be smaller than their actual apartments. She wanted to run inside, explore every little detail about the beautiful building, but since both Alpha's held her hands - she couldn't.

Seth let her eyes take them in, Dominic and Ryder acted as if they were childhood friends. So free and chatty around each other, avoiding making even a little judgment. They would make a great fit as friends, especially since they found a way to communicate without talking aloud.

“No rush, doll, we're going skinny dipping,” Dominic leaned down to whisper in her ear; the Alpha straightened his posture and winked at her.

“I don't recall any of you asking me if I wanted to go. Besides, I don't like water that much,” Seth tried to avoid their idea. She did love swimming at midnight, mostly nude, but not with two men watching over each of her steps. “I'm a cat, remember?” She rolled her eyes.

This time, Ryder spoke up, suddenly possessing the same energy as Dominic: “Don't worry, you have two big wolves to protect you from the bad, bad water. Or are you just scared of getting wet?” His eyebrow rose in a question, the smile on his lips reflecting nothing but pure amusement.

“Don't blame me, guys, but whoever gets to the lake last will be the old grocery store lady,” Seth pulled her hands out of their hold and bolted to the lake. Both Alphas took a second or two to process what was happening but soon ran right after her.

Seth reached the lake first, seeing how she had a head start. However, both men didn't seem like they had to stop anytime soon, so she ran to the deck, stopping at the very end.

Dominic and Ryder ran after, smirks of mischief on their lips. Seth knew that men planned to do something annoying, most likely push her into the water, so she would have no choice but to join them and swim for a little while.

However, what they didn't expect was Seth, kneeling seconds before they reached her - sending both men into the water. She watched over them, laughing out loud, holding onto her sides.

“I swear, I've never seen two land rats jumping into the water at such speed. You should have seen the splash - that one was grand,” Seth choked out, struggling to pronounce words without bursting out in another uncontrollable fit of laughter.

“Let's see if you'll love the view just as much when you're the one under the water.”