The King's orders.

After the shower, Ryder carried Seth back to bed, unable to contain the bright smile splitting his face in half.

Who would have known that she would end up in his arms, naked? Seth held her arms around his neck, supporting her position if the Alpha suddenly dropped her or decided to play a trick on her.

Even though the men were more than just lovely - she had never known what happened in their minds. A weak smile crept on her lips as Seth's eyes met Ryder's.

The spark of desire that burned in his eyes, appeared to grow brighter within each moment passing. Her breasts slightly bounced with each step Ryder took - robbing his attention, forcing him to stop focusing on her facial features.

They left Dominic behind. The Alpha made sure to help Seth reach each spot on her body, washing her like she was incapable of doing it herself. While Dominic was busy, Ryder rinsed himself and decided to carry Seth to the bed, promising the other Alpha to wait until he would join them.

After a while, Dominic stepped outside the bathroom, drenched wet, wearing nothing but a towel, barely holding around his hips.

Dominic seemed a bit pissed, his joyful and excited mood long lost and gone.

Both Ryder and Seth sat in silence, waiting for Dominic to explain what had happened. His body tensed as soon as his eyes fell on Seth, making her think if she had done anything to offend or anger the Alpha.

“We need to talk. But first, get dressed; I'm not responsible for the things I might do if I keep staring at your bare body,” Dominic growled, hurriedly leaving the bedroom, closing the door behind him with a loud thud.

“What crawled up his ass and died there?” Ryder chuckled, rising from the bed and grabbing a sheet to wrap it around his hips. The Alpha's eyes scanned the room, landing on the pile of their clothing. Why would Dominic leave the room to get dressed if he left the clothing behind?

Slowly, Ryder picked up his clothes and followed Dominic's example. The Alpha glanced over his shoulder, winking at Seth. He didn't want to leave - they could have so much more fun together, but obviously, something serious had happened.

Ryder couldn't be so selfish and have her all to himself while watching his friend so distressed.

Besides, what would Dominic think if he returned to talk and found both of them still in the bed, having sex?

“Get dressed, princess. There has to be a reason for his behavior, don't take him too seriously yet. We can catch up from where we left later on.” Ryder added, opening the bedroom door and leaving quietly.

He didn't want to scare Seth more than Dominic already did. As a cat shifter, she could have remarkable climbing abilities - both Alphas wouldn't notice how she left if Seth decided to run and hide somewhere in the woods.

“Great, just great,” Seth whispered to herself, getting up from the bed and grabbing her clothes from the pile she left on the floor.

The thoughts rushed through her mind, haunting Seth. It didn't matter how hard she tried to come up with ideas - other than assumptions; she couldn't stop at least one reason for Dominic's behavior.

Everything seemed to go perfect until they left him alone in the shower. “I don’t understand… What happened? Why did he change all of a sudden like that?” She muttered to herself.

Would he get that butt hurt to throw a tantrum because he had to take a shower alone? No, that couldn't be the reason. A grown Alpha wolf could be easily angered, but if there was one thing they didn't tolerate, it was adults acting like toddlers.

Of course, Dominic wouldn't do the only thing he was known to despise. Well, at least that was what Seth hoped he wouldn't do. Seth shook her head, sliding on her panties and grabbing the bra.

Perhaps she acted too paranoid - the Alpha might, as well, bring up the problematic topic about sharing. Perhaps Dominic faced the truth, he was unable to let someone have whatever he could have alone, even if that something were a woman.

When Seth was fully dressed, she sat on the corner of her bed and stared at the door.

Any moment now, one or both Alphas could join her and start the discussion.

She kept wondering if she would get into trouble, but there was no reason for that. Maybe Dominic felt pleasure by torturing her with the whole announcement about the need to talk.

Seconds turned into minutes; minutes turned into an hour, then two, but there still was no sign of any of the Alphas. Her palms started sweating; her heart pounded against her ribcage as if it tried to escape the cage like a wild animal.

Seth jumped up from the bed, ready to stomp out of the bedroom and start a full-on war if no one bothered to explain what had happened.

Just as she ran up to the door and grabbed hold of the door handle - the door opened, nearly hitting her in the head.

Dominic held the door half-open, his eyes widening in shock.

So, he didn't expect to see Seth attempting to leave her room. A smirk grew on his lips as the Alpha opened the door a little more and marched inside the room, Ryder hot on his heels.

Even though both men did their best to smile - Seth couldn't ignore how they struggled to keep the smile on their lips. So, something grand must have happened; otherwise, they wouldn't be there, looking as if someone just threw them off the boat in the middle of the ocean.

She watched how Ryder sat on the bed, and Dominic relaxed his body on the chair near the window. Both men seemed to be deep in thoughts while Seth wanted nothing but to figure out what had happened to them.

“We need to talk, sit,” Dominic ordered, covering his face with his palms.

The Alpha struggled to stay calm, even looking at her made him feel as conflicted as never. One moment he wanted to attack her, to tear her body apart, and the next moment he imagined fucking her until she couldn't walk without help. What was wrong with him?

Seth crossed her arms in front of her chest, silently refusing the order given by the Alpha.

Ryder shook his head in disappointment and averted his gaze, staring outside the window. None of the men could face her, look into Seth's eyes, or even put up with her attitude.

“Dominic, I am not your dog. I am not a wolf shifter, so your Alpha voice won't work on me either. I bow to ones of my kind, not you.” Seth proudly spat back, trying to sound more confident than angered.

Maybe they thought it was normal for everyone to order others around and hide information, but Seth wasn't brought up in such a way. Rolling her eyes, Seth leaned against the door: “Just talk; we don't have the whole eternity all to ourselves.”

“I found out who the rest of your men are. Honestly, I wouldn't mind; I didn't care much when you confessed as well. But now, knowing that both of them still want you is forcing us into a difficult position. Should I mention that I slept with you, and not too long after, you fucked my best friend, huh? Out of all people, Seth, out of all masses of Alphas there, you had to choose my best friend. Vlad is like a brother to me; I couldn't take something he loves away from him. And I'm not ready, nor willing to give up on you,” Dominic slid his fingers through his hair, tugging on it in frustration.

The fact that Seth slept with Vlad didn't bother him as much as the fourth Alpha's identity.

The woman of his dreams couldn't have worse taste in men or timing to mess around with them.

Alpha Luciano Vincent was after her - looking for her, sending his men out to find her.

To make the matter even worse than it seemed to be, Luciano had just won the competition, becoming the next King.

Dominic had no idea what might happen next, but whatever it could be - he couldn't think of a scenario that would leave them all happy and satisfied.

Alpha Vincent, now the King, would have all rights to claim his Queen, it didn’t matter if she agreed or not. There was no limit to species he could choose from; even a human could become the next Queen.

But, Dominic knew all too well that Luciano wouldn't bother to pick a human if he had his eyes set on Seth. This was the first time the powerful man had ever put any effort into looking for a woman, let alone for such a long time.

Luciano was serious, he intended to make Seth his, and the other men might as well step down now. Nobody could go against the King.

“So, this whole fiasco is because you found out the names? That's all? What's the real issue, Dominic? Both of you were well aware of the fact that there were two more men. Don't you remember my confession? Don't you remember the moment when you both answered that you didn't care? What is the real issue?” Seth decided to push the Alphas buttons, throwing occasional glances at Ryder, who still ignored her.

The way their night started was terrific, full of surprises and a lot of fun. Now, they stood in a distance, each of them seeming to grow annoyed.

If there was one person who should feel anger boiling in them - it was Seth.

She came clean to the men, told them the amount of information she was comfortable with sharing. There was no written rule about the need to mention names, last names, birth dates, and all that bullshit.

Wasn't the bit of honesty enough for both of them?

Besides, they were away from the territory, spending the most fantastic time in a hidden forest cabin. It didn't matter with whom she had slept before - all they had now was the three of them.

“That's not the only issue. How would you expect me to be okay with you sleeping with my best friend? Let's be honest, that night; we never thought that anything more serious could happen between us. It was sex, just plain, animalistic need to fuck - that was all. As time went by, I understood that I wanted to see you again, but it was a while after the first time I got to taste you. I tried my best to look for you, but I kept ending up at a dead end. You were nowhere to be found. As it turns out, you were out of the territory, fucking my best friend. Funny how that's not even the worst part of that all.”

“So what is the worst part then? What did I do? And why the hell is Ryder ignoring me now?” Seth knew that if she rolled her eyes even more, she might not only see her brain in its glory but also risk them getting stuck back there.

Perhaps it was time for her to calm down and listen carefully. She was sure that the Alphas wouldn't attempt tricking her.

“The worst part is Alpha Luciano Vincent. You know, the fourth Alpha you managed to have some fun with? I got to find out more than I'd like to know; honestly, being clueless on whoever the rest was seemed easier. With his name involved, a lot of shit will happen. Now, pack your bag and get ready; we have a long road ahead of us.”

Dominic stood up from the chair and approached Ryder, placing his hand onto the Alphas shoulder. He shook the male a little to bring him out of his thoughts. They had no time to lose.

“Where are we going?” Seth raised an eyebrow, watching both men suspiciously.

She had a gut feeling that something was wrong, but it wasn't only the situation itself. For some reason, she felt like both men were dangerous to her, no warm feelings left.

“That doesn't matter, grab your things and move to the car. You can take the backseat; we will take turns driving,” Dominic replied, dismissing her efforts of finding out the destination.

Telling Seth where they had to go and why might get them into a stickier situation. If she attempted to run and managed to escape them by a miracle - their heads would roll.

“No. I won't move if I don't know where you are taking me. Actually, I think I'll rather walk. Pretty sure that might help to clear my mind from this unnecessary drama.”

She didn't attempt to manipulate both Alphas; she truly wanted to leave - alone.

“Do you have any idea how dangerous it is out there?” Dominic glared at her, doubting that getting any sense into the woman would be possible. Women like Seth were ticking time bombs - unpredictable and wild.

“I'm a big girl; I can handle myself. No biggie,” Seth shrugged her shoulders. Then, she bowed to both Alphas and smiled: “Gentlemen, it was a pleasure knowing you,” she added, spinning around and stomping towards the door.

“Don't leave, I'll explain.” Ryder jumped in front of the door, blocking Seth's attempts to leave.

“Oh, look who's talking now. Explain.” Seth crossed her arms in front of her chest and tapped her right foot against the floor in annoyance.

“We need to go back to the Council territory. The competition ended today, and the next King has been found. Everyone who works there, and Alphas who joined must be there by the morning to congratulate the winner. No exceptions. That might be the way we found out about the other Alpha.” Ryder's cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

Dominic's words didn't leave his mind - the things he had to hear were a brand new level of kinky and sick at the same time. Seth obviously enjoyed her time with Vincent.

“Who won?” TSeth stepped closer to Ryder, mentally begging the Gods that he wouldn't refuse her the bit of information. Seth knew, at least she felt like she knew - all she needed was someone to tell her that she wasn't crazy.

“That's not important.” Dominic appeared behind Seth, wrapping an arm around her waist. The Alpha pulled her in closer, forcing his face against her neck, inhaling the addictive scent.

“It is important. Who won?” Seth kept pushing. She had to be careful - if she wasn't, anything could happen back at the territory. About ninety-nine possibilities out of a hundred were nothing but trouble.

“Luciano Valentino,” Ryder sighed, averting his gaze.

The Alpha knew that Seth might break down or freak out after finding out. She had a reason to hide away from the man, and now, they had to bring her back - right to him.

“Oh, hell no, I'm not going back there. You can't make me. Dominic, let go!” Seth screamed at the top of her lungs, becoming frantic.

Suddenly, she felt as if Dominic had caged her, and she had to escape before the male returned or she wouldn't meet the next day.

“Sorry, doll, you have no say in this,” Dominic whispered in her ear and placed a gentle kiss behind her ear.

Seth tried to wiggle out of his hold, but suddenly, someone stabbed a sharp object into her neck.

After the stinging pain came an awful burning sensation. Dominic had given her sedatives to take her back to the territory. “I'm so fucking sorry, doll. We can't help you, we must follow the King's orders.”