Seduced by Seven

LORELAI

“Kai,” I gasp. His movements stir the water around us.

His lips find mine, a wild, passionate kiss that leaves me yearning for more.

He doesn’t disappoint. His rhythm is intense, his touch exploring every inch of me.

I let out a soft sigh, my head falling back as his lips trace the line of my throat.

Every nerve in my body is alive with the intensity of his movements. My body struggles to resist the overwhelming desire. But it’s a losing battle, and I’m already surrendering.

My thighs tighten around his waist, my nails leaving trails on his muscular back.

Our wet hair drips onto our skin as I clutch the edge of the lake, the grass slipping through my fingers.

The sky above us is a blanket of stars, the moon casting a glow on the lake.

It’s not full, but it’s bright, adding to the intensity of Kai inside me.

A moan escapes my lips as I find Kai’s mouth again, my body tensing.

My thighs tighten around him.

His eyes are bright, water droplets tracing a path down his strong jaw and full lips.

He watches me as he pushes me to the edge, the water splashing against me as he grips my hips, pulling me onto him with increasing intensity.

A cry escapes my lips as my body tightens, the wave of pleasure overwhelming me.

Heat and pressure explode within me, pleasure radiating throughout my body.

My body clenches around him, his grunt echoing mine as we tumble over the edge together.

The cool water of the lake is a welcome relief as I shudder against Kai.

His body tenses, his muscles hardening.

I kiss him, tasting every part of him before pulling back with a sigh.

He brushes his thumb over my cheek, leaning in to kiss the water droplets from my lip.

“Ready for round two? Maybe we can cause another earthquake like yesterday,” Kai teases.

I laugh, though it’s breathless.

“That earthquake is no joke, Kai. We’ve never experienced one like that before,” I say.

He kisses my worries away, his lips always able to erase the stress of everything else.

Usually, it’s just navigating the challenges of being a parent, a pack member, or a mate. But the earthquake last night has been on my mind since it happened.

“It’s not a joke,” Derik interjects, joining us in the lake, his clothes neatly folded on the grass.

Kai scoffs. “Compared to one of our own going missing and being killed, Derik, it’s nothing. Aella was supposed to be on patrol by the lake—then she was gone. That’s more suspicious.”

“She’s not necessarily dead.” Brax interrupts, already naked as he approaches the lake and dives in.

He surfaces and pulls me away from Kai—his lips finding mine.

His kiss is just as distracting.

My body tingles as his hands explore under the water. His shadows intertwine with mine, glowing beneath the surface.

I pull away and turn to Derik, who waits patiently for his turn.

He doesn’t rush. He waits for the right moment.

Which seems to be now, as Brax releases me and Derik takes my hand—pulling me toward him.

His lips find mine before he lifts me onto his back.

I wrap my arms around his shoulders, resting against him as we float in the water.

“Do you think Aella is dead?” I whisper, resting my chin on his shoulder.

“We all felt it in the link last night. It wasn’t just switched off—it was severed. It can’t be a coincidence that the earthquake happened just before her link went silent.”

I don’t want him to be right. The thought of her being killed is unbearable.

It means we’ve lost her, but it also means a new threat to our realm. And I’m not ready to face another one.

We’ve had years of peace, years without fighting for survival.

Which probably means we’re due for a new threat.

“I don’t know,” Brax mutters. “When her link went silent, I reached out with my shadows, and she wasn’t alone. It felt like she mated.”

“So where is she? And her supposed mate?” Kai questions.

“Maybe the earthquake had something to do with it? There was an aftershock.”

I offer what I can, but I’ve never experienced an earthquake before, so I’m not much help.

It scared me so much that all I could do was run to the children’s rooms to ensure they were safe.

That’s why Kai brought me to the lake—a peaceful place where I can relax with my alphas away from the city.

“The last earthquake was before our grandparents’ time, when the final talismans existed. There are myths that link them to other realms and the ability to travel between them,” Derik theorizes.

Kai scoffs. “Myths. Not reality. They’re probably just hiding somewhere, enjoying their mating bond, and don’t want us watching,” he jokes.

“There was an earthquake, and then she mated. Bond or not, she should have checked in with the pack. She didn’t,” Brax points out.

She’s from his pack, so I trust his judgment. But it doesn’t make the situation any clearer.

“But the talismans? We don’t have any proof they exist, just a few old parchments,” Kai argues, swimming over to separate me from Derik.

He pulls me toward him, and I go willingly, kissing him before playfully dunking him under the water.

He resurfaces, shaking his hair and splashing me with water.

“Those parchments are our history, Nikolai. Don’t dismiss them so quickly,” Derik scolds. He dives under the water before resurfacing and pushing his hair back.

“How long have we been here? Wolves, humans, witches, vampires. That’s all there’s ever been. If there were other realms, wouldn’t we have seen some evidence by now?” Kai isn’t backing down.

I move away from him, treading water on my own.

“If it happened before our time, our ancestors would have made sure we knew about it. They would have passed down the information through generations,” Derik states.

I can’t help but smirk. He’s got Kai there.

Not that Kai cares. He clearly doesn’t agree with Derik’s theory.

“Sounds like a load of crap to me. Perhaps the universe got ticked off and decided to stir the pot,” he says, a grin spreading across his face.

I can’t help but laugh, splashing him with water—his joke so terrible it’s actually funny.

Even Brax can’t help but smirk. “I have to say, D. The whole talismans and realms thing seems more like a fairytale now. Maybe it was real back in the day, but I think we’d know if that was what’s happening here,” he says, his shadows winding around my waist.

I play along, my shadows wrapping around his arousal. He smirks, licking his lips in anticipation.

I bite my lip, teasing him, lightly brushing him—his arousal growing with each slow stroke of my shadows.

“Watch it,” he warns.

I feign innocence. “Brax?”

Derik isn’t so easily sidetracked. “If the talismans are involved here, then we need to take action.”

Brax smirks, swimming closer—slowly, like a predator stalking its prey. I retreat.

Kai starts to corner me. I continue to back away—slowly, as they advance.

I can’t help but grin as they start moving faster—pushing me farther into the lake.

“You can either do that or you can help us catch and have our way with our mate,” Brax teases, his gaze locked on mine.

“I’m all in for the latter part of that plan.” Kai smirks.

“You’ve already had your turn,” Brax retorts.

“Then you better catch her quickly, because I don’t care,” Kai laughs.

I join in the laughter, then turn to Derik. “Or you could help your mate escape their wicked grasp?”

Derik’s lips twitch into a half-smile before he nods. “Come here, gorgeous,” he says.

I grin and start swimming quickly toward Derik. The other two are faster, hot on my heels.

I reach Derik, his arms enveloping me and pulling me into him just as the other two catch up. They surround me, all three of them.

Derik spins us around so I am shielded from the other two. I laugh as he keeps us moving, ensuring Kai and Brax are always behind him.

“Back off, barbarians,” he growls, but the playful tone in his voice has me laughing again.

Brax’s shadows move swiftly, wrapping around my ankle, pulling, dragging me down. I let out a squeal as he yanks me from Derik’s hold and pulls me into him under the water.

He kisses me passionately down there—until the bottom of the lake emits a groan loud enough to break us apart.

I frown at Brax, and we squint through the water, looking down. The lake bed is shifting, bubbles rapidly rising to the surface.

I’m pretty sure that’s not supposed to happen. I glance at Brax, and he shakes his head, equally confused.

Kai’s hand lands on my shoulder, and he pulls me up from the water.

“Something’s happening down there,” I gasp, catching my breath as Brax surfaces and peers down through the water.

“Another earthquake,” Kai mutters, pulling me toward the edge of the lake.

I frown as the realm rumbles again. But it’s not the realm—it’s just the lake.

Kai checks with the pack through the link to see if the city is okay, but they don’t feel anything.

“It’s the lake,” I whisper, looking down to see if I can spot anything.

The surface of the lake starts to glow, bubbles popping on the surface at an increasing rate. My heart pounds in my chest just as fast, and Kai pins me against the side of the lake.

Derik and Brax swim over to me, forming a protective barrier behind me. The lake groans and moans, the bubbles and glowing seeming like some sort of illusion.

“I hate to be the party pooper here, but this is exactly what happened the last time the talismans were around. I read about it in those scrolls you think are irrelevant,” Derik says, taunting Kai.

Kai rolls his eyes, then turns to leave when everything suddenly stops. I frown and look around. The lake returns to normal.

Kai eases back into the water, pulling me closer.

“That’s not strange at all,” I murmur.

A moment later, the lake spits out a blurred figure of white and red. It spins through the air and lands on the edge of the lake.

It’s a woman. My eyes widen in surprise as I stare at her.

I’ve never seen her before, and she’s wearing a tattered, blood-soaked wedding dress. And she’s clutching a gleaming gold gem shard in her hand.

“A talisman,” Brax whispers.

I draw in a sharp breath.

She sneers at us in the lake. She takes a step, her long black hair a mess of drowned strands and soaked clips.

“She’s wearing the wolf talisman,” Kai growls, preparing to climb out of the lake.

I think the woman is going to retaliate, her sneer and glare toward us intensifying. But before we can question her identity or she can attack us like she clearly wants to, the lake rumbles again.

“Damn it,” she snaps, then takes off running into the forest.

“Care to tell me again how the talismans and other realms are a myth?” Derik asks.

Kai glares, then nods to me. “Fine, I’ll let you have our mate as a reward. One time—and then I’m taking her back.” Kai grins.

Derik rolls his eyes. “Your mistake is thinking I will let you take her or that I need your permission to do so.”

“You’ll have to get past my shadows, boys, and since that’s never going to happen, you might as well give up.” Brax grins.

They are my mates. I love them, but damn, they can be infuriating.

“Are you serious? An unknown woman just emerged from the lake holding a talisman, and you’re arguing about who gets to sleep with me first?” I snap.

“Priorities, Little Luna.” Kai smirks, kissing me before I can tell him how ridiculous that is. He is a good kisser.

I am distracted. His silly tactic works.

I kiss him back and am planning on letting him have his way when the lake starts to rumble again. A louder rumble than before—much louder.

I pull away from Kai, and my alphas crowd around me again.

“Something else is coming?” I guess.

“Maybe the groom to that disaster of a bride?” Kai suggests.

The water starts to glow and bubble again, the sounds growing louder and louder until the surface breaks. A massive beast—roaring and covered in black scales—bursts through the lake, soaring high into the sky.

I am frozen in place.