Nina nodded, not seeing where the hell this was going.

“So you know that Lex is Second in this Pack, right below me?”

Nina raised her eyebrows, showing impatience. “Yes. Where is this going?”

“Okay so the deal is that when werewolves mate, they have something called the tri-bond. It’s to establish an anchoring bond for two really important reasons. First, so that the female won’t lose herself in the emotional and hormonal surge of the claiming, and also to keep her alive should something happen to her mate.”

“Tri-bond?”

“Well, you bonded with Lex. Now you need to bond with another wolf. That bond will stabilize your connection to him, keep you safe.”

She pulled the sheet up higher. “Bond? Like how?”

“Like you bonded with him.”

Narrowing her eyes, she jumped out of bed and began to pace, forgetting that her butt was naked beneath the T-shirt she was wearing. “Like I bonded with him? You mean f**ked? I’m supposed to f**k some other wolf to save myself? Oh and does he get to f**k someone else to save him?”

“Nina…” Lex began, standing up.

“No! Answer the question!” She stopped in front of him, her hands on her hips.

“No, I’m not going to have sex with anyone else. It’s just for the female of the bonded couple. We don’t know why it works that way but it does.”

“Let me get this straight. You want me to f**k another man?” Cold hurt replaced the warmth of connection she’d felt when he’d first come into the room.

“No! Damn it, I don’t. I don’t want anyone else touching you, but we have no choice. Nina, without the anchor of the tri-bond you’ll drown in the sensation of our connection. It will slowly overwhelm you until you can’t handle it anymore. Those females who didn’t have to be institutionalized have killed themselves over it. And even if you could overcome that, I have a dangerous position in the Pack. If I died you’d follow me. The tri-bond will save your life! Do you think I want you insane or dead? I love you, Nina. I want to protect you.” His voice caught and she shook her head.

“And you didn’t see fit to tell me about this before you claimed me? Oh yes, you didn’t ask to claim me either! And you love me but you want to share me?” She spun and yanked open drawers until she found her clothes and began to put them on.

Lex stood there. He could feel the pain knifing through her and as such, it knifed through him too. He didn’t want her to be with anyone else but it had to happen to protect her. She was right to be angry that he hadn’t told her.

When he saw her reach for her bag and begin to toss clothes into it, he sprang into action. “What are you doing?” he asked, grabbing the bag.

She reached for it but he tossed it to Cade, who opened the door, threw it in the hall and closed the door, his back against it.

“What the hell are you doing? You can’t keep me here!”

“You can’t leave, Nina. In the first place, it isn’t safe for you out there. In the second place, the tri-bond needs to be sealed today. It’s dangerous to let it go much longer. The longer we’re bonded the worse it will be.” Lex tried to pull her into his arms but she pushed him off.

“Oh so my substitute f**k is here? Where?” She was sarcastic until she saw Cade against the door and it finally dawned on her.

“You have to be kidding me! You two lure me up here to wolf mansion and now, oh gee, I have to f**k you both or I’ll go crazy? Has this worked on other women? Oh my god, what a fool I’ve been. I actually fell for all of this mate stuff.”

Lex growled and grabbed her upper arms, hauling her to him gently but firmly. “You are my mate, Nina. You can’t deny it. And there is no other woman. You’re it! You know this is real. Stop lying to yourself, stop lying to me.” He was desperate to make her see the truth of it all.

“Lex, why don’t you give us a few minutes.” It wasn’t a request. This was the Alpha speaking. Lex growled at his brother but felt compelled by his Alpha.

“I’ll be just outside the door, baby. We will work this out,” he said and went to the door. “Don’t hurt her, Cade.”

Cade growled low and menacingly and Nina pressed herself back against the dresser in reaction. “How dare you, Alexander? Do you think I would hurt any member of my Pack without reason? Do you think I would harm your mate? Get out into the hallway, now.”

Lex gave her a look back over his shoulder and left the room.

“Sit down, Nina.”

“He may cow to you but I don’t. I’m not a werewolf, you’re not my king.”

“Have it your way.” He sat down on the bed. “You’re hurting him, you know that don’t you?”

“What?” she asked, incredulous. “I’m hurting him? The man who f**ks me and then comes into the bedroom and announces that I’m supposed to have sex with his brother? I hurt him? Puhleeze!”

“Oh cut the tough act. I can see how upset you are. But to answer your question, rhetorical though it may be, yes, you hurt Lex. He doesn’t want this, Nina. He loves you. But it’s the only way.”

“Oh, and what a sacrifice for you,” she said sarcastically.

He sighed. “Let’s cut the shit shall we? Total honesty. On one level, I hate this because he’s my brother. He’s taken a bullet for me. He spends his life protecting me and this Pack. That he’s found you is a wonderful thing. It grounds him in a world that’s chaotic with violence and threat. So yes, on that level it is a sacrifice because I have to do this and it hurts him.