Too Late To Regret, My Alphas

Rosalie:

Zaiden had just stepped into the room. And for a brief second, I simply stared.

I had grown so accustomed to seeing him dressed in impeccably tailored suits that the sight before me caught me completely off guard.

Instead of formal clothing, he wore a simple dark olive shirt with the sleeves casually rolled to his forearms and fitted black slacks.

His hair, which had grown slightly longer over the past several weeks, was still damp from the shower, falling into effortless, messy waves across his forehead.

Without the perfectly styled appearance of the Alpha everyone else knew, he somehow looked even more breathtaking. More approachable. And more...

Mine.

Before I realized it, he had already crossed the kitchen. He slipped effortlessly between me and the counter until I found myself trapped in the most pleasant way imaginable. Eiden remained behind me, his arms still loosely around my waist, while Zaiden stood in front of me. I was sandwiched between the two men.

Zaiden’s gray eyes found mine almost immediately.

"Tell him."

I blinked in confusion. "Tell him what?"

"That your anger toward me never survives past training."

Heat immediately crept into my cheeks. "Zaiden..."

He lifted one eyebrow expectantly. "Go on."

I wanted to deny it. I truly did. But... he wasn’t wrong. Every single training session followed exactly the same pattern. During practice, I wanted nothing more than to throw him off the nearest cliff. But the moment training ended, he would smile at me. Or pull me into a hug. Or brush sweaty strands of hair away from my face before praising how much I’d improved. Sometimes he would steal a quick kiss. And somehow, every ounce of frustration simply melted away.

Because despite all his relentless teasing, I knew why he pushed me so hard and because he wanted me strong enough that no one could ever hurt me again.

Lost in those thoughts, I didn’t even notice I’d trapped my lower lip between my teeth. Not until Zaiden slowly lifted his hand and his thumb brushed gently across my mouth before carefully freeing my lower lip from beneath my upper teeth.

His gaze never left mine. Neither did mine leave his. His thumb lingered against my lower lip for another heartbeat before the corner of his mouth curved upward. And when he finally spoke, his voice was low enough that it sent a pleasant shiver through me.

"You know," he murmured, "if all you wanted was swollen lips..." A teasing smile appeared on his lips. "...all you had to do was ask. Eiden and I would have been more than happy to help."

Heat instantly rushed to my face. "W-What? I wasn’t-"

Barely two words had left my mouth before he closed the remaining distance between us. His lips found mine in a kiss that stole the rest of my protest before it could ever become a sentence.

For one impossibly long second, my brain simply stopped working. Unlike Eiden’s gentle kiss from only moments earlier, Zaiden’s carried the same confidence he brought into every sparring match. It was decisive, warm, and completely unapologetic, leaving me no room to think about anything except the fact that he was kissing me.

One of his hands rose to cradle my cheek with surprising tenderness while the other settled lightly against my waist, anchoring me without trapping me.

The world around us seemed to disappear.

Somewhere behind me, I was dimly aware that Eiden still stood exactly where he had been all along. His arms remained loosely around my waist, steadying me, his chin still resting comfortably on my shoulder as if he were content simply watching the two people he loved.

Instead of feeling awkward, the moment somehow felt safe... and complete. The mate bond stirred warmly inside my chest, wrapping around my heart with a quiet contentment that was becoming more and more familiar every day.

It was strange. The closer I grew to them, the more that mysterious ache I’d been experiencing over the past several days seemed to respond. The warmth beneath my skin deepened until it felt almost like my wolf was stretching awake, quietly basking in the closeness of her mates.

Zaiden kissed me as though he had missed me despite the fact that we’d spent the entire morning together. By the time he finally leaned back, I found myself blinking up at him, my thoughts hopelessly scattered.

If Eiden hadn’t still been supporting me from behind, I wasn’t entirely convinced my legs would have remembered how to do their job.

Zaiden smiled with unmistakable satisfaction. Slowly, he brushed his thumb across my lower lip once more. "There," he said, his voice rich with amusement. "I think I did a much better job."

"Oh, you are unbelievably full of yourself," I muttered, though the words lacked any real conviction.

"I have been told."

Before I could think of a sharper comeback, Eiden gently lifted my chin, silently asking for my attention. The moment my eyes met his blue ones, he smiled. Then he leaned forward.

His kiss couldn’t have been more different. It was brief and soft. Sweet enough that it felt less like a challenge and more like a quiet reminder that I was cherished. When he pulled away only a few seconds later, he rested his forehead lightly against mine.

"There," he whispered with an amused smile. "Now it’s fair."

I laughed under my breath, shaking my head. "You two are impossible."

"And yet," Zaiden replied, folding his arms, "you still haven’t thrown either of us out."

"I have considered it."

"But never seriously."

I opened my mouth to argue. Then I felt a light tug near the hem of my blouse. I blinked just as another gentle tug followed. Looking down in confusion, I realized someone’s fingers had caught the edge of the fabric.

As the material shifted upward ever so slightly, my eyes widened. I immediately caught the wandering hand before it could lift the blouse any farther.

Turning sharply, I looked directly at Eiden, who wore the most innocent expression I had ever seen.

"What," I demanded, though my voice came out low and hoarse, "do you think you are doing?"

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