Trap of the King Alpha Triplet

Leo.

Emily's sleeping form nestled against me, her warmth seeping through my clothes and setting my skin ablaze. My wolf, Dominick, paced restlessly within me, his desire mirroring my own. She was so close, so tantalizingly near, yet still out of reach.

I watched her eyelashes flutter against her cheeks, like the delicate wings of a butterfly. The urge to claim her, to mark her as mine as ours-was almost overwhelming. She was a delicious little morsel, a tempting treat that I longed to devour. But I knew I couldn't. Not yet.

Emily wasn't like the other girls I'd been with in the past. She wasn't some random hookup, a nameless face to satisfy a primal urge. She was our mate, our future Luna, and more importantly, she was Emily. Fierce, stubborn, magical Emily, who challenged us at every turn and set our world on fire-sometimes literally.

"Leo," Logan's voice echoed in my head through our mind link. "You're projecting again. We can practically taste your lust from here."

I growled softly, careful not to wake Emily. "Like you're any better. I can feel your arousal from across the room."

Luca's mental chuckle joined the conversation. "Can you blame us? Our mate is adorable when she sleeps. And after those kisses..."

The memory of Emily's lips against mine, soft and yielding, flashed through my mind. I felt my brothers' agreement, their own recollections of kissing her mingling with mine.

"We need to do something," I said, my voice rough even in my own head. "I don't know how much longer I can control myself around her."

"Cold shower?" Logan suggested, only half-joking.

"More like a polar plunge," Luca added. "Hey, why don't we go for a midnight swim in Moon Shadow Lake? Like we used to when we were pups?"

The idea was tempting. The cool water might help douse the fire raging in our veins, and it would give us a chance to burn off some of this excess energy.

"Alright," I agreed. "But first, we need to get Emily to bed."

Carefully, I scooped Emily into my arms, cradling her against my chest. She mumbled something in her sleep, nuzzling closer to me. The innocent gesture sent a jolt of heat straight to my core.

"Careful, brother," Logan warned as I stood. "Your eyes are glowing."

I took a deep breath, willing my wolf to calm down. Slowly, I made my way up the stairs, hyper-aware of every soft breath, every subtle shift of Emily's body against mine.

Her scent enveloped me as I entered her room-vanilla and jasmine with an underlying hint of magic that was uniquely Emily. It took every ounce of self-control not to bury my face in her neck and breathe her in.

Gently, I laid her on the bed, my hands lingering perhaps a moment too long. Before I could stop myself, I leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek.

"Leo," Luca's voice held a note of warning in my head. "If you don't come downstairs now, I'm not sure you'll be able to resist doing something we'll all regret."

I growled softly, knowing he was right but hating to admit it. Part of me a large, possessive part-wanted to climb into bed with Emily and wrap myself around her, consequences be damned. "Don't even think about it," Logan chimed in. "We agreed to take this slow, remember? For Emily's sake."

With a final, longing look at our sleeping mate, I forced myself to leave the room. I took the stairs two at a time, my wolf urging me to hurry, to run, to release some of this pent-up energy.

I found my brothers already stripped down in the foyer, matching grins on their faces.

"Last one to Moon Shadow Lake is a mangy mutt!" Luca called, already shifting into his wolf form.

Never one to back down from a challenge, I quickly shed my clothes and let my wolf take over. The shift was as natural as breathing, bones cracking and reforming, fur sprouting across my skin. In seconds, a massive black wolf stood where I had been.

"Eat my dust, slowpokes!" I growled through the mind link, bounding out the door.

The cool night air rushed through my fur as I ran, my brothers hot on my heels. The forest was alive with nocturnal sounds-the hoot of an owl, the rustle of small animals in the underbrush. But all of that faded into the background as I focused on the race.

"You're getting slow in your old age, Leo," Logan taunted, pulling up beside me.

"Old? I'll show you old!" I put on a burst of speed, weaving between trees with practiced ease.

Luca's mental laughter echoed in our heads. "You're both delusional if you think you can outrun me!"

We burst through the treeline almost simultaneously, the silvery surface of Moon Shadow Lake stretching out before us. Without breaking stride, we leaped, our bodies arcing through the air before plunging into the cool water with three massive splashes.

The shock of the cold water was exactly what we needed, dousing the fire that had been burning in our veins. We surfaced, shaking water from our fur and yipping playfully.

"Race you to the island!" Luca called, already paddling away.

"Oh, it is on!" Logan and I chorused, giving chase.

We swam circles around each other, nipping at tails and splashing water in each other's faces. It was reminiscent of when we were pups, before the weight of future Alpha responsibilities settled on our shoulders.

As we reached the small island in the center of the lake, we shifted back to our human forms, collapsing on the sandy shore in a tangle of limbs.

"I totally won that," Luca panted, grinning widely.

"In your dreams," I retorted, shoving him playfully. "I touched the shore first."

Logan snorted. "You're both delusional. I was clearly the winner."

We bickered good-naturedly for a few more minutes before falling into a comfortable silence, staring up at the star-studded sky.

"So," Luca said after a while, "Emily."

Just her name was enough to bring all those heated feelings rushing back. I groaned, throwing an arm over my eyes. "Moon Goddess, what that girl does to me."

"To all of us," Logan corrected. "Did you see the way she blushed when we kissed her? I thought I was going to combust on the spot."

"And the little noises she made," Luca added, his voice rough. "Fuck, I've never wanted anyone so badly in my life."

I nodded in agreement, remembering the soft gasp that had escaped Emily's lips when I kissed her. "Emily's not like the girls we've been with before. She's special." "Agreed," Logan said. "No rushing her, no matter how much our wolves might want to."

"Speaking of our wolves," Luca interjected, "has anyone else noticed how... intense the mate pull has been lately? It's like I can feel her even when she's not in the room."

I sat up, surprised. "You too? I thought it was just me."

Logan nodded. "Same here. It's like... I don't know, like the bond is getting stronger or something."

"But how is that possible?" I wondered aloud. "Emily's wolf is still dormant, isn't it?"

We fell silent, each lost in our own thoughts. The mate bond was a mysterious thing, not fully understood even by the oldest and wisest wolves. And with Emily being a hybrid, who knew how it might manifest?

"Whatever's happening," I said finally, "we need to be prepared. Emily's going to need us, especially with her mom away on the honeymoon."

Luca's face lit up. "Hey, that reminds me. The Shapeshifter Hockey League starts in two months. Maybe we could use that as an opportunity to spend more time with Emily?"

Logan grinned. "Not a bad idea, little brother. We could teach her about the game, maybe even get her to come to some practices."

"And she'd get to see us in our element," I added, warming to the idea. "Show her that we're more than just pretty faces and killer abs."

"Speak for yourself," Luca quipped. "I'm definitely just a pretty face and killer abs."

We laughed, the sound echoing across the still water of the lake. As our chuckles died down, a more serious mood settled over us.

"With everything that's happened-Jasmine's outburst, the rogue attack-I don't want to take any chances." I said.

Logan nodded, his expression grim. "Agreed. I've been thinking... maybe we should have her stay with us for the season? It'd be easier to keep an eye on her, and we could use the time to strengthen our bond." "Plus," Luca added with a sly grin, "more opportunities for 'accidental' shirtless encounters."

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't quite hide my smirk. "Focus, Luca. This is serious."

"I am being serious!" he protested. "Emily needs to see what she's missing out on. How else is she going to fall madly in love with us?"

"Oh please," Logan scoffed. "Like you stand a chance against this?" He flexed dramatically, striking a pose that would have made a bodybuilder proud.

Not to be outdone, I stood up, letting the moonlight accentuate the planes of my muscles. "Sorry boys, but we all know who the real Alpha is here."

We dissolved into laughter again, shoving and wrestling like we used to as pups. It felt good to let loose like this, to just be brothers without the weight of pack politics and mate bonds hanging over us.

As our laughter died down, I looked at my brothers, feeling a surge of affection. "Whatever happens with Emily," I said softly, "we're in this together, right?"

They nodded, their expressions serious. "Always," Logan said.

"Till the moon falls from the sky, bro." Luca added.