Page 130 of Brutal Reign
Riv immediately sits up, curling forward to check out her fresh ink. “I love it!” she exclaims, her lips spreading into a wide grin as her eyes ping up to meet mine.
“I loveyou,” I reply.
Her breath catches, mouth popping open. “W-what?”
“I love you,” I repeat, setting my tattoo gun down and leaning in to smack a kiss on her lips. “Figured you already knew, but wanted to say it just in case you didn’t.”
“I love you too, Riv,” Seb blurts, seemingly emboldened by my own declaration.
Her eyes widen as her head swivels from side to side, as if she can’t decide which one of us to look at. “I love you guys too,” she rasps, her eyes shining as tears rise to the surface. Reaching out, she grasps for our hands, squeezing them tight in hers as a fat tear rolls down her cheek.
“Hey, no crying,” Seb growls, his free hand reaching up to wipe it away.
“They’re tears of joy, asshole,” she huffs, snapping her teeth like she’s going to bite his fingers.
I roll my eyes, laughing softly to myself as the two of them glare at one another, knowing full well that I just signed up for a lifetime of their bickering. Somehow, though, the thought of that doesn’t bother me in the least.
Seb’s my best friend, and River’s my mate. Though in very different ways, I love both of them.
There’s nobody I’d rather spend the rest of my life being annoyed by than these two.
43
It’s been a while since I’ve been up before the sun. The pale glow of dawn is filtering through the trees when River, Ace, and I set out on the trail, accompanied by the chirp of birds as they rise to greet the day. There’s a distinct chill in the air this morning, signaling that the weather is about to turn. The birds will be headed south soon to escape the cold, while I’m perfectly content to stay right here with my fated mate.
I’m not big on running unless it’s in wolf form, but after last night, I’ll do just about anything if it means being near River. The pull of our bond is even stronger now that we’ve sealed it. Suddenly, the thought of sleeping in is a lot less appealing if it means being separated fromher.
Yeah, the mate bond has turned me into a fuckin’ sap.
This may be the first time that I’ve joined in on River’s morning run, but it’s far from Ace’s. I’m well aware of his little habit of stalking our girl, following her out of the barracks at dawn every day to keep a watchful eye. The guy’s got issues, but who am I to judge? Between the three of us, we’ve each got our fair share. Guess we’re all cut from the same, fucked up cloth.
Riv’s conditioning routine has clearly been paying off, because she’s running at a decent pace this morning without her usual huffing and puffing. I’d venture to say she’s evenenjoyingit. Paired with the other subtle things I’ve picked up on since the three of us marked last night, I’ve got a theory brewing in the back of my mind, but I’m staying quiet about that until we get the opportunity to test it. I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up if I’m wrong.
“You wanna stop up here for a rest?” Ace asks, pointing to a break in the trees ahead.
“No, I feel great!” River exclaims, her ponytail bouncing as she runs alongside him with extra pep in her step. “Last night totally energized me, I feel like I could run a damn marathon right now.”
I shoot Ace a glance, wondering if he’s thinking the same thing I am. I’m betting he is by the amount of looks we’ve exchanged like this one lately.
“I could use a break,” I pant, wiping at my brow with a forearm.
“Jeez, Walker, I thought you had more stamina,” River teases, smirking at me over her shoulder.
“You know damn well how much stamina I’ve got, Jacobsen,” I growl back.
She snorts a laugh, shaking her head as she veers off the trail into the small clearing. Slowing to a stop, she whips around to face me, folding her arms over her chest as I approach and popping out a hip. “Maybe you should’ve been out here in the mornings running with us,” she quips sassily.
“You mean whenyouwere running and Ace wasstalkingyou?” I scoff.
River darts a glance toward my best friend, the corner of her mouth ticking up in amusement. “Is it really stalking if you’re aware and let it happen?”
“Don’t act like I wasn’t stealthy about it,” Ace grumbles, grinning back at her.
I swing my gaze between the two of them, wrinkling my nose in confusion. This must be yet another one of their weird things that I’ll never understand, like when they discuss the intricate details of the music they listen to. My relationship with River is completely different than Ace’s, but in a way, I guess that’s the beauty of this double bond. We each have our own unique connection with our mate that defies comparison. One doesn’t come at the expense of the other, and both can be equally as strong.
There’s a certain comfort in that realization; one I didn’t even know how much I needed until it hit me. Alphas are competitive and possessive by nature, but I can finally see how there’s no need to compete with Ace when we can both possess River. She’s mine, and she’s also his. She’sours.
“Well, he can loosen up on his bodyguard duties now that you’re marked,” I drawl, stepping in closer to River. I reach out to sweep the pad of my thumb against one of the fresh scars at the junction of her neck and shoulder, admiring how my mark looks on her skin. “Everyone knows who you belong to now.”