Chapter Twenty-Three: Restraint

Luther stood frozen in the doorway, his breath catching in his throat as he took in the scene before him. The sight of Charlie sprawled out naked on the bed, her body arching with pleasure, made his heart race and his wolf surge to the surface. Liam was nestled between her legs, his head moving with a languid, deliberate rhythm, drawing soft moans from Charlie that filled the room like music. The bond between the three of them pulsed with energy, and Luther felt it deep in his chest, calling him to join them.

‘Claim her. She's ours.’ Rex, growled inside his head, the primal urge to take what belonged to them nearly overwhelming.

His body tensed, his breath coming in short bursts as the temptation flooded his senses. Every part of him wanted to step forward, to tear off his clothes and claim Charlie beside his brother, to lose himself in the shared pleasure of their mate.

But he didn’t.

Luther clenched his fists at his sides, forcing his wolf back with every ounce of control he had. His rational mind screamed at him to stop, to think about what they were doing. Charlie was still fragile, still healing—physically and emotionally. They couldn’t push her too far, too fast. She needed time, and if he let his desires take over now, they might risk breaking the delicate bond they had only just begun to build.

So instead of giving in to the primal urges thrumming through his veins, Luther tore his gaze away from the sight of Charlie’s naked, trembling body. He took a deep breath, his muscles trembling with restraint, and turned away. The door closed softly behind him as he left the room, his heart pounding in his chest, his body aching with need.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Luther made his way out of the packhouse, his thoughts in turmoil. He barely registered the sights around him as he pushed through the door and into the fresh air. His mind was a blur of images—Charlie’s soft moans, the way her body had arched beneath Liam, the sheer pleasure on her face. It was all he could think about, and the intensity of it made his wolf pace restlessly inside him.

Without stopping to think, Luther headed toward the woods that bordered the packhouse, needing to clear his head. He reached the edge of the trees and began stripping off his clothes, desperate to shift and let his wolf run free. But as he yanked off his shirt, he realized that his body was still hard, still throbbing with arousal from what he had walked in on. His rod stood at attention, his pulse quickening at the thought of Charlie, naked and vulnerable, being pleasured by Liam.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t sense Leah’s presence until it was too late.

A soft touch wrapped around his waist, and Luther’s entire body stiffened as a pair of hands began to move along his length in slow, deliberate strokes. A surprised moan escaped his lips before he could stop it, his mind reeling as the sensations flooded his system. For a brief, disoriented moment, his body reacted purely to the touch—his hips jerking forward, his cock twitching in her hand.

But then the scent hit him—Leah.

Shock and confusion gave way to rage as the realization slammed into him. He grabbed her wrist, squeezing hard enough to make her release him. Her hands fell away instantly, and he spun around, letting out a menacing growl that reverberated through the air. His eyes glowed with the amber of his wolf as he stared down at Leah, barely able to contain his fury.

"Don't ever touch me again," Luther growled, his voice low and dangerous.

Leah whimpered, but instead of backing down, she straightened up, her expression turning sultry. She stepped closer, her lips curling into a sly smile. “Your body says otherwise,” she purred, her voice dripping with seduction. Her eyes flicked down to his still-hard cock, a smirk playing on her lips. "Once upon a time, you enjoyed what I could give you."

Luther’s entire body tensed as her words sank in. He hated the way his body responded, hated the reminder of the times they had shared before—when she had been nothing more than a distraction, a source of fleeting pleasure. His cock twitched again, traitorously, and Leah’s gaze flicked down, her smirk widening.

"See?" she taunted, her voice a low, teasing whisper. “Your body remembers me, Luther. You want this.”

Luther clenched his jaw, every muscle in his body tightening with rage. He stepped forward, closing the distance between them in one swift move, his hand gripping her wrist again—this time tighter. “I said, don’t touch me,” he repeated, his voice filled with a barely restrained fury. His wolf snarled beneath the surface, furious at the mere suggestion that Leah could compare to Charlie.

Leah’s smirk faltered, her eyes widening slightly as she felt the intensity of his grip. She whimpered again, this time more out of fear than arousal, but she still didn’t back down completely. “You didn’t seem to mind before,” she whispered, though her voice had lost some of its edge.

“Before, I didn’t know what it meant to truly want someone,” Luther snapped, his eyes blazing with anger. “Before, I didn’t have my mate.”

Leah’s face twisted with jealousy at the mention of Charlie. She yanked her wrist out of his grasp and took a step back, her eyes narrowing as she looked up at him. “You think she’ll choose you over Liam?” she sneered, her voice venomous. “She’s already given herself to him. I heard the way she moaned for him in your room. Do you really think she’ll need you when she has him?”

Luther’s wolf roared inside him, but he forced himself to take a step back, his hands trembling with the effort of keeping his control. Leah’s words stung, but they only fueled the fire burning inside him. He knew what he had seen—Charlie’s pleasure, her connection with Liam—but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t need him too. He wasn’t going to let Leah poison his mind with her bitterness.

“She’s MY mate,” Luther growled, his voice low and filled with finality. “And nothing you say will change that.”

Leah’s eyes darkened with rage, but Luther didn’t give her a chance to respond. Without another word, he turned away from her and shifted into his wolf form, his body exploding into fur and muscle as he let Rex take over. His wolf took off into the woods, the wind whipping through his fur as he ran, leaving Leah behind without a second glance.

As he ran, the images of Charlie and Liam faded into the background, replaced by the thrill of the hunt, the freedom of the forest. But deep down, the tension still simmered beneath the surface—the primal need to claim what was his. He would wait, give Charlie the time she needed.

But when the moment came, he would be ready.