Claimed by the Alphas: Part Three Read Online Free PDF Page B

much less warmth.
    Gesturing towards the bed, she said, “Have a seat, Mila.”
    Laughter bubbled up from Mila’s chest. “What?”
    “Have a seat,” she repeated evenly. “We need to have a conversation.”
    “Um, I don’t think so. You can’t just barge into my room and order me around. Besides, I know what you want to talk about, and I don’t care. You can have him.” Her voice traitorously cracked on the last part. Lotus gave her a dry look.
    “Do not presume you know why I came here, and I do not need your permission to have Caim. I h ave known him from the time he was born. Much of my life has been devoted to ensuring his happiness, and right now that means I must help you.”
    Mila felt mildly dumbstruck as Lotus moved from the doorway and took a seat on her bed. Curiosity winning out over pride, she followed suit, sitting down a few feet away from her. Lotus smiled again, and this time it seemed less forced.
    “Good, now talk to me. How are things between you and our alphas?”
    The question caught Mila off-guard. She was not interested in admitting to this golden goddess that she was hopelessly overwhelmed and at a complete loss as to how to handle the two men in her life. She looked down at her hands and began picking at her nails.
    “I have two, insanely hot men vying for me in bed. What could possibly be wrong?” Mila thought she sounded pretty convincing.
    Lotus put a cool hand on her shoulder. “You have two extremely aggressive males fighting over you in bed. If you were not frightened being stuck between Asch and Caim, I would think you were the insane one.”
    Mila looked up at Lotus, her throat constricting. Lotus’s crystalline gaze was unnerving. It made Mila feel stripped, exposed, and strangely eager.
    Her mouth opened and closed before saying, “It would be so much easier if it was just Asch.”
    Guilt permeated her. It was the thought that had been on loop in her mind for days.
    What if I just rejected Caim?
    No one had said that she couldn’t reject one of the alphas, just that it would be impractical for her to choose a male without first determining which was strongest. But strength was a w olf value. Mila was not a wolf—she was a human, and she had other needs.
    To her relief, Lotus didn’t pull away from her.
    She said, “Asch has a way of making you feel special and needed.”
    “Yeah,” Mila whispered. “Wh en he looks at me, I don’t know. I just feel like one day he could love me, like really love me.”
    “And you do not think that Caim is capable of loving you as well?”
    Mila shook her head. “I don’t see it. He’s just so hot and then he’s cold. Just when I think I get him—” she snapped her fingers, “ —he turns into a giant jerk.”
    “So you would rather it just be you and Asch?”
    Mila frowned. “I just said that.”
    Lotus nodded. “Yes, but it didn’t make any sense.”
    “What?”
    “That you would claim you only want Asch when you are so clearly besotted by Caim.”
    Mila recoiled as if she had been struck. “Besotted?” she huffed.
    Lotus tapped her cheek with her index finger. “Perhaps that is not the right word. Possessive, maybe?” When Mila opened her mouth to protest, Lotus cut her off. “Do not bother denying it. You will only be doing yourself a disservice. I told you, I am here to help.”
    Mila hesitated, and then said , “I don’t want to like him.” Lotus squeezed her shoulder, and gave her a meaningful look.
    “Asch will cherish you, and he is easy to love. He is the safest choice. Caim will make you doubt yourself at every turn. He is also easy to love, but nearly impossible to be in love with. If you let yourself love him, he may very well hurt you. One thing I can assure you though, is that Caim is just as capable of loving you as Asch is, only in different ways.”
    “What if I end up loving one of them more?” she asked, unsure which one of them she was referring to.
    “That is all in the future. The