My fingers tug at his shirt, the fabric tearing under my grip, and I feel Eric’s hands on my shoulders, his lips moving lower, trailing fire across my skin. It’s raw, consuming, the kind of heat that could burn this whole pack house down. 

I want more—more of Rick, more of Eric, more of this bond that makes us whole, even without her.

“What the hell are you guys doing?” a voice snaps, sharp and raw, cutting through the haze.

I freeze, my lips still on Rick’s, my hands gripping his hair. I turn my head, slow and deliberate, and there she is—Lia, standing in the doorway, her eyes wide with shock, her face a storm of fury and something else, something that makes my wolf howl. 

My smirk widens, slow and deliberate, as I meet her gaze, letting her see every bit of the monster she hates.

### Chapter 12: Tangled in New Chains 🐺🔥🌙


I stare at the guy in front of me, my heart pounding like a drum, my laugh sharp and bitter as I stand up. 


Did he just say mate? Were the things I felt real?


"This is a damn joke, right?" I say, my voice shaking with disbelief. "Three mates are enough. There's no way you're a fourth. The god damn goddess will not pair me to four right?"


Dean stands, his dark eyes locked on mine, and steps closer, his presence heavy, like a storm ready to break. 


"I felt the pull, Lia," he says, his voice low, intense, almost a growl. "You're telling me you don't feel it too? Or are you just afraid for it to be true?"


I freeze, my breath catching, the mate bond humming in my chest, a burning thread tying me to Dorian, Eric, Rick—and now, impossibly, him. 


"No way," I snap, my voice hard, my hands trembling. "I'm not doing this. Not another mate. Not you."


Chapter 13 - chapter 12