Zev

I pulled the wooden pick from the center of the cake, careful to avoid the hot coils above baking the sugary contraction.

It could use a few more minutes, I thought as I eyed the unbaked bit that coated the tip.

As I pushed the pan back into the oven using a dishcloth, a poorly muffled moan followed by a squealed yelp had me jumping. I hissed when my knuckles made contact with hot metal, the faint scent of burnt flesh immediately filling my nostrils.

Despite the pain, it was a godsend. The scent of her arousal and her muffled moans had been driving me mad for the last hour. The smell and noises were all I could focus on, even when I tried to drown them out with other sounds or scents. I knew I should have left, but I couldn't help but stay put.

It had been a long time since I had last seen Ares. Though I could see he cared for Nea, the depth of which surprised me given they hadn't known each other long, the rumours that followed his name were ones that made me want to leave no room for error. He had changed a lot since I had last seen him.

I had to.

We were no longer kids who thought wars and rebellions were just stories written in books, we were now scarred men who led them.

My fingers tightened further on the dishcloth, stretching my burnt skin as the faint and barely noticeable rush down her end of our bond notified me once again that Ares was doing well to please her.

A stab of jealousy had me clenching my teeth together, but it was quickly dashed away by guilt. I had no right to feel anything regarding the decisions Nea made, not after what I did to her.

Not only did I force my bond and, as a result, Ares's bond on her, but I had betrayed her in a way worse than any of the others could have. In a way that only those like us could understand.

And she understood.

She understood that I knew on some level the horrors she had been through, even if the details weren't clear, the nature of them. I had admitted as much with my words, revealing a similar past of abuse. She understood that I recognized it because I had experienced a similar hell.

Pain recognized pain.

She understood that I had witnessed the pain in her eyes, recognized it as it resounded with the pain buried deep within me, and chose to believe the words of the likes that abused us over her.

I didn't deserve her. My anger at just the thought of her being like the women I hated had blinded me to the lies I was being fed. The fact that she had been occupying my mind more often, making me want to wander around the estate in hopes of accidentally running into her only made the betray feel worse, driving my guilt further.

I believed the women who victimized her and the boy she was in fact trying to save. I believed the ones that beat a boy viciously in a bid to get rid of their competition. The ones who would have gladly abused my body all those years ago. I bet they still would have today if it was an option.

But believing the lie and that Cassius would punish her wasn't enough for me.

Ezra may blame himself for the blood that stains our ballroom floor, but we all knew I was the one responsible. She wouldn't have needed to sacrifice herself for Ezra if I hadn't stolen the Queen's necklace and framed her, setting the unexpected events that followed into motion.

The faint warmth in my chest teased me again, letting me know it was the most I would get.

I wasn't stupid, I knew what role I would play in this bonded family we had created. I wasn't going to pretend that I deserved more than to be able to watch over her from a distance. That's why I stood there, baking a damn cake while listening to my brother take care of our mate in a way I would never get to.

The faint sensation signalling her pleasure was one of the reasons I still hadn't left after hearing her muffled consent and hearing him stop at any sign of hesitation through the door. I hoped they would be done before one of the others took notice of the faint warmth coming from her end of their bonds and came to investigate, but my hopes were dashed when the door slammed open.

Ryder's fox eyes narrowed on me as he curled his lip to reveal his sharpened canines. His eyes were alert, perceiving me as a threat.

The kitsune didn't trust any of us like my brother. I didn't blame them. If Nea had told them even half of the shit we put her through... I would hate us too.

I breathed out a soft sigh and went to throw the wooden pick into the trash, dismissing him.

"Wh-"

Another muffled moan cut off Ryder. His eyes immediately locked onto the door it emitted from. From the corner of my eyes, I watched his brows furrow in confusion, most likely feeling the warmth flare once more as she reached another climax. Rising his head, I watched his nose twitch as he finally took note of the scent that saturated the whole wing. I wasn't even able to escape from it even in my room. The candle I had lit was also useless.

I was able to witness the exact moment he understood what was happening behind the closed door. His face transformed from confusion to shock, to doubt.

"Ares..."

Neas's low moan of my twin's name was fast to clear that doubt, leaving him shocked once more.

"I don't think they plan on stopping anytime soon," I warned the Kitsune.

My voice seemed to snap him out of his shock. He paid me no mind as his eyes narrowed on the door. My brow rose in surprise at the surprising amount of anger displayed on his face. I thought he was a less dark and cunning version of Axel, but the brief flash of envy in his eyes had me reevaluating that opinion.

He walked up to the door, with controlled steps, his muscles tight. I didn't know him well but seeing him interact with the two the past two days, I wasn't concerned at his approach. Raising his clenched fist, the veins in his arm protruding, he pounded on the door, shaking it in the frame.

"Really?" He did nothing to veil his anger as he shouted the word through the door. "I've been running around for who knows how long looking for you and you leave me out without even telling me your safe? Assholes."

With another slam of his fist against the wood surface, he turned away and head for his room next door, slamming his door in anger behind him. Unless he had sound-blocking earplugs, I had a feeling he would come to regret his choice.

I couldn't help my lips from curving up from his curse. It took away from the threat he had initially appeared as. I hadn't heard anyone dare to curse Ares out before, let alone include someone he cared about.

Enough to sacrifice his life not to hurt.

Another sharp stab of guilt had me grabbing the edges of the island so hard that a fine crack made its way down the center. Courtesy of how I betrayed my twin for a woman who didn't even love me.

Shit.

Letting go of the countertop, I stepped back to examine the damage. It was large enough that it would take just a bit of pressure to break in half, a hazard.

Releasing a sigh, I placed my palm flat on the surface, the crack lining up with my pointer finger. Reaching out to nature, I willed the natural materials of the surface to merge and become one again. The tattoos decorating the back of my hand faintly glowed sliver as nature answered my demands.

I watched the crack stitch its self together as the door once again opened.

"Hey man, where's Ezra? I have this weird feeling in my chest-"

Fuck, I thought, closing my eyes and exhaling. I prepared for the chaos that was about to erupt.

Ryder wasn't the one keeping me stationed here, the main concern had just arrived.

Opening my eyes, I locked them onto Jaxon's stone still frame. His eyes were staring unblinkingly at the door quieting the sounds beyond, his nostrils flaring. The gold of his eyes darkened to nearly black, hiding his slit pupils. Thin tendrils of smoke began to drift from his nostrils.

"Jaxon."

He didn't so much as breathe at my call let alone respond. His focus remained on one singular point, the door. His ears were most likely drowning in the noise of faint moans and the clapping of bare skin.

Slowly his lips curled up in a snarl, smoke escaping in tendrils. The light glistened off his exposed and sharp canines. A low growl sounded threateningly from deep in his throat.

"Jaxon," I repeated, my voice demanding his attention.

But just because I demanded it, didn't mean I would get it. Life didn't work that way. I had learned that long ago.

It was about time Jaxon did, too.

Instead of turning his attention to me like I wanted, he took a threatening step forward, followed by another. I could see patches of gold scales break out over the backs of his hands, showing how much he was affected. The reaction to extreme emotions was something he had worked hard on getting under control, but it wasn't a surprise when he had the occasional slip up with how hot-headed he was, but what was surprising was how hard his dragon was pushing to let loose.

Before he could advance farther, I willed particles of water out of the Air surrounding his feet and froze them to the ground, rendering him immobile.

He didn't seem to like that.

Jaxon let out a snarled growl in my direction. It sounded more animal than man. He tried to free his feet from their locked positions, even succeeding on a particularly hard jerk of his leg, but his short-lived victory didn't last long as I replaced the broken shackle with a newer and stronger one.

Jaxon's anger and frustration and loss of control hit a new peak when two, large, leathery wings burst out from his back, ruining his shirt and knocking over everything near him. If his anger was strong enough to force a partial shift, I was glad I was able to stop him before he could get any closer to the source of his ire.

The temperature in the room dropped to levels that made our breath visible as we faced off. I hoped it would be enough to cool his head and get him thinking logically and rationally. I wasn't in the mood to deal with his unstable temper.

Placing a hand on the freshly mended countertop, I jumped onto the island in a crouch. I launched myself off the edge while manipulating the air around me to land in front of him, in the direct path of his fury.

"Let. Go. Of. Me."

Jaxon's strained words were spoken between harsh breaths laced with violence. His whole body told me he wanted nothing more than to hurt the man who his mate was happily enjoying.

Who was making her happy.

With a flick of my fingers, a muzzle of ice formed over his lower jaw. I wasn't in the mood to argue with him either.

I absentmindedly ran my finger over the burnt skin on my knuckles that was already healing as I locked eyes with him, narrowing mine.

"She wants it. Don't step between her and her bonded mate."

Jaxon's anger broke, the surprise my words brought too strong for him to ignore it.

I couldn't blame him. He was used to us being on the same side of the coin. Too bad we weren't tossing those anymore, opting for dice instead. There were too many sides to pick now, even if only one of them mattered.

I gave him a moment to understand my words before continuing. "Now. I'm going to give you a few minutes to get used to the scents and sounds filling this room. Once I see that they won't drive you to murder us all, I'll teach you to cook for her if you're still interested, okay?"

I waited for him to respond with a nod, but it never came. His eyes narrowed on me defiantly.

"She isn't just yours," I added, my voice turning harsher as I prepared to force him to face truths his dragon would never be ready for. "You are one of multiple options for her, one that she will never choose at this moment. You're angry because you smell her arousal and hear her moan, why? It's because you're not the one making her make those sounds or feel that bliss. And the hard truth is, you never will be unless you change your approach. So, while you work on undoing the damage that you caused and I work to undo the damage I caused, Ares will be fucking Nea and she'll be happily asking him to. Now, once you come to terms with that, do you still want to learn to cook for her, or not?

His eyes had dropped to his ice-covered feet as my words sunk in. Once they had, he gave me a small nod.

"I'll begin preparing what we'll need," I said before heading towards the fridge to see what meals we had the ingredients to create.