Too Late To Regret, My Alphas

Rosalie:

The moment Zaiden’s lips crashed against mine, the rest of the world simply ceased to exist, freezing in a suspended breath that felt like it could shatter the air around us.

I had expected something tentative, perhaps a gentle exploration, but this was a claim, a demand that bypassed every rational thought I possessed.

My brain went completely blank as a white noise of shock and overwhelming sensation left me paralyzed for a heartbeat before my body decided to surrender entirely. I was a novice in this arena, the kiss unfolding not as a shy exchange but as a collision of heat and desperation that stole the oxygen from my lungs.

I had imagined my first kiss countless times over the years, always wondering whether it would feel awkward, disappointing, or perhaps magical like the novels I loved reading. Nothing I had ever imagined came close to reality. The world around me disappeared completely. The bedroom, the fading sunlight, the quiet mansion beyond these walls - everything faded until all that remained was the man standing between my knees and the impossible warmth spreading through my chest.

For one startled second, I froze.

Then I found myself responding without thinking. Without questioning. And without fear.

My fingers tightened instinctively against the fabric of his shirt while my eyes slowly drifted shut. The mate bond thrummed through every part of me, no longer feeling like something foreign but like a melody I had finally learned to recognize. My wolf was unusually quiet, not because she had disappeared, but because she seemed completely content, almost peaceful.

For the first time in months, I wasn’t haunted by memories of betrayal or abandoned promises. I wasn’t comparing this moment to my past. I was simply... here.

With him.

Zaiden led the kiss with an authority that made my knees weak. His mouth moved over mine with a possessive rhythm that I instinctively matched, my hands clutching at his shirt as if it were the only anchor in a storm.

He didn’t pull away until I was gasping, my lungs burning for air, but even then, he lingered. He rested his forehead against mine as he gave me just enough time to recover before he claimed me again.

This second assault was far more dangerous, far more consuming, because his hands were no longer idle. They roamed over my back, down my sides, and then settled firmly on my thigh at the hem of my shirt. The heat of his palm seared through the fabric and sent a jolt of electricity straight to my core.

The touch made me gasp, a sharp intake of breath that was the exact opening he needed to slip his tongue past my lips, deepening the kiss into something primal and intoxicating that made my toes curl.

When Zaiden finally pulled away, the room spun slightly as I struggled to catch my breath, my lips feeling swollen and sensitive. My cheeks burned with a flush that I knew was visible to anyone watching.

Neither of us spoke immediately. My breathing came unevenly, and judging by the rise and fall of his chest, he wasn’t entirely unaffected either. His gray eyes searched mine carefully, almost as though he was making sure I hadn’t regretted what had just happened. Instead of finding regret, his gaze met my shy smile.

"I have been wanting to do that," he admitted quietly, a rare trace of vulnerability slipping into his normally steady voice.

Heat rushed to my cheeks. "I... noticed," I whispered before lowering my eyes, suddenly far too embarrassed to hold his gaze.

A soft chuckle escaped him.

His thumb gently brushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear, the simple gesture somehow making my heart race all over again. I realized then that it wasn’t grand declarations or dramatic gestures that made my heart flutter around Zaiden. It was moments like these - the quiet ones, where he looked at me as though I were someone precious.

I was so lost in the haze of the kiss, so completely undone by the sensation of being wanted with such ferocity, that I hadn’t even registered the shift in the atmosphere until Eiden’s voice cut through the silence. He had entered the room without a sound, standing there with a look in his eyes that mirrored the intensity Zaiden had just poured into me.

"I was beginning to wonder whether either of you remembered dinner existed."

Eiden’s amused voice instantly pulled me back to reality.

My eyes flew toward the doorway.

He leaned casually against the frame with his sleeves rolled up, looking far too relaxed for someone who had almost certainly interrupted something important. His blue eyes shifted between Zaiden and me before lingering on my undoubtedly flushed face.

"I wonder what she tastes like?"

The question hung heavy and charged in the air for a moment, then Zaiden replied, "She tastes just like honey."

I felt a shiver run down my spine that had nothing to do with fear. It was the mate bond, the wolf inside me purring in approval of the praise, but there was a layer of horror mixed with it because I realized I was liking their words too much, liking the way my body reacted to the idea of being consumed by them.

Zaiden spoke again, "You should taste them yourself."

I stared at him with wide eyes, and before I could even process the implication, Eiden was there, stepping into the space between us with a confidence that rivaled Zaiden’s own.

I was supposed to be horrified, supposed to pull back and demand space, but my wolf was already leaning into the touch, my body betraying my hesitation as Eiden’s lips pressed against mine, replacing Zaiden’s heat with a different kind of fire.

It was somehow even more crazy than the kisses I just shared with Zaiden, because while Eiden devoured me with a hunger that matched his friend’s, I could feel Zaiden’s presence right there, watching everything with inches separating us, his gaze burning into my skin like a brand.