Ezra hadnât realized what he was walking into when he took the jobârestoring standing stones in the Highlands. He thought it would be simple: labor, solitude, peace. Instead, he found them.
Five men. All older. All watching. They called themselves a crew, but they moved like a pack.
Mac, 57, was the leader. Silver hair, a scar along his collarbone, and a voice that never needed to raise. He spoke in few words, and everyone listened. When he fixed Ezra with those calm, coal-dark eyes, he didnât have to say anything at all. Ezra obeyed.
Rhys, 54, was the broadest of themâquiet, bearded, and tattooed from throat to wrist. Heâd lifted Ezra clean off the ground on his first day without so much as a grunt. Since then, heâd taken to standing behind Ezra during breaks. Just close enough to make him feel prey-like.
Tomas, 51, had a knife always strapped to his thigh and a laugh that never reached his eyes. He was the most playful, but it was the dangerous kind of playful. The kind that left Ezraâs pulse stuttering when he said things like, âPretty boys should kneel when real men work.â
Gregor, 49, didnât speak much at allâbut when he did, it was usually while gripping Ezraâs jaw. Between his two thick fingers and saying something in a low growl like, âYou look better when your mouth is shut.â
And Fraser, 46, the youngest of themâbut still old enough to have years of grit in his bonesâwas the one who always watched Ezra like he already owned him. Smirking. Waiting. Patient.
Ezra was twenty-nine. Still strong, still stubborn. But surrounded by them, he felt young in a way that wasnât about yearsâit was about power. He could say no, but he wouldnât. Not to Mac. Not to any of them.
Not now. That day, they had just finished setting a carved capstone in place when Mac crooked a finger at him.
âBoy,â he said simply. âCome here.â
Ezra obeyed. The others flanked him, slowly, as if they'd done this before. As if it was natural. As if they'd been waiting for him to understand something he hadnât yet realized.
âDo you know what happens,â Mac said softly, âwhen a Circle decides to keep what it finds?â
Ezra's breath hitched. âNo, Sir.â
Macâs fingers curled into the back of his hair, slow, deliberate. âWe claim it. Mark it. Use it. Ruin it for anyone else.â
Gregor murmured from behind him, âYouâre the youngest thing any of us have touched in years.â
âFresh,â Tomas added. âSoft.â
Ezra trembled. He wanted to run. He wanted to kneel.
Mac tilted his chin up. âYou want it. Donât you?â
Ezra nodded once. Then again.
The five men moved in. Boots crunching over stone. Kilts brushing against sweat-slick thighs. No one rushed.
Predators never do. Ezra stood still in the center of the circleâyoung, outnumbered, tremblingâand exactly where he belonged.
The stone beneath Ezraâs knees was cold. Theyâd led himâno, escorted himâinto the heart of the stone circle like something sacred, something offered. The moment he stepped inside, the temperature shifted. The wind stilled. The world narrowed to five men and the heat radiating off their bodies, off their stares.
He was on his knees now, at the center. Shirtless. Marked with dust, sweat, and the fingerprints theyâd left behind guiding him into place.
Mac stood before him. The others circled in silence, eyes gleaming in the firelight like wolves who had waited too long for their meal.
âDo you know why we brought you here?â Mac asked, voice low.
Ezra swallowed. âTo⌠prove I belong?â
Macâs mouth curled into something darker than a smile.
âNo, boy. You already belong.â
He reached out and brushed the back of his fingers down Ezraâs cheek, slow and firm. âThis is just where we show you what that means.â
Rhys stepped in next. He didnât say anythingâjust laid a thick, gloved hand on Ezraâs bare shoulder, squeezing once. Ezra felt the weight of that touch in his chest more than his skin.
Tomas crouched beside him, tilting his head. âStill holding yourself upright?â he whispered, amused. âLetâs see how long that lasts.â
Gregor pressed his hand between Ezraâs shoulder blades, firm, forcing him a little lower. âHead down, hands behind your back. Submit properly.â
Ezra obeyedâhis breath shaking, his spine bowed, his palms resting against the small of his back. The cold stone kissed his knees. His heart pounded.
Fraser knelt behind him, whispering close, âYouâre going to be so easy to keep once weâre done with you.â
Mac stepped in again, circling him slowly. âFive of us. One of you.â His fingers slid along Ezraâs shoulder, then under his jaw, lifting his head just enough to meet his eyes. âAnd yet none of us are rushing. You know why?â
Ezraâs voice wavered. âBecause you already own me?â
Mac smiled. âGood boy.â
Then he leaned down and kissed Ezraâs foreheadânot rough, not showy. Devotional. And one by one, they followed.
Rhysâs kiss pressed into his temple. Tomas ghosted his lips across Ezraâs cheek. Gregorâs was rough, right over the crown of his bowed head. Fraserâs lingered by his neckâhot breath and stubble, a silent promise.
When Mac knelt in front of him again, it was with slow reverence, resting one heavy hand over Ezraâs sternum.
âWeâre not just taking you,â he said. âWeâre marking you. As ours. As kept. As a group.â
âDo you want that?â Mac asked.
Ezra nodded, almost too fast. âYes, Sir.â
Mac leaned in, close enough to taste the words on Ezraâs lips. âThen remember this, boy: thereâs no going back.â
The circle closed in. And Ezra didnât want to.
The keep was old stone, high-ceilinged, lit with firelight and silence. Ezra knelt againâthis time on a thick wool rug in the center of their private den. His bare skin was warmed by the hearth, but his body still trembled from the weight of five men watching. Every breath he took felt like it was borrowed. Every second, suspended.
Theyâd stripped him slowly when they brought him insideânot just of his clothes, but of everything he thought heâd be allowed to keep. Confidence. Modesty. Control. Now all that remained was obedience.
Fraser was the first to speak. âWhat are you, boy?â
Ezra kept his eyes down. âYours.â
âAll of ours?â Rhys asked, voice a quiet scrape of thunder.
Gregorâs voice was sharp, near his ear. âAnd what does that mean?â
Ezra swallowed. âIt means I donât belong to myself anymore. It means I listen. I serve. I obey.â
âAnd if one of us tells you to stop?â Tomas asked, circling him.
âAnd if all of us tell you to kneel?â Mac added, stepping close.
Mac cupped the back of his neck. âThatâs right.â
Ezra was kissed againâfirst by the firelight, then by their hands. His shoulders. His ribs. His thighs. Every part of him claimed. Not rushed. Not rough yet. Just known.
They didnât take him that nightânot fully. Not yet.They made him wait. Made him kneel and listen as they spoke over his headâabout him. Around him. Like he was already furniture. Already theirs.
***************************************************
It had started months before Ezra even arrived. Mac had seen him firstâon a video, a recommendation from another crew. âStrong back. Sharp eyes. Fast learner. Pretty.â
Gregor was the one who asked the question none of them voiced: âIs he submissive?â
Fraser smirked. âLetâs find out.â
Theyâd shared men beforeâbriefly, in pairs or threes, during long winters when the keep felt too empty. But it had never lasted. No one could handle all five. Not really.
Not until Ezra. They saw it in him from the first day. The way he bent. The way he waited. How he flinched from praise like it hurt more than punishment. They talked in the dark that night, gathered around Macâs long wooden table.
âHe wonât last,â Tomas had said at first.
âHe might,â Rhys countered. âIf we take our time.â
Mac sipped his whisky, slow and certain. âWe donât take him. We train him.â
Fraser leaned back in his chair. âAs what?â
âAs ours.â Mac looked up. âEvenly. Fully. Permanently.â
The pact was made. Not just to share Ezra. To shape him. To strip him down until there was nothing left but instinct and obedience. To give him five centers of gravity. Five hands. Five voices. Five men whoâd never need to raise one to remind him where he belonged.
***************************************************
Back in the present in the keep. Ezraâs head was bowed. His body achedânot from pain, but from holding still.
Mac knelt behind him now, lips brushing his neck. âTomorrow, we begin properly. Youâll learn our rules. Our rhythms. Our hands.â
Ezraâs voice was barely a whisper. âWhat about tonight?â
âTonight,â Mac said, âwe teach you how to sleep* in service.â
Ezra blinked. Fraser was already lifting him up, strong arms around his waist. Rhys pulled back the furs on the bed. Tomas slid beneath them first. Gregor held out a hand.
And Ezraânaked, trembling, undoneâwas pulled into their bed and laid in the center like an offering on a shared altar. Hands curled around his waist. Arms wrapped around his chest. Someone kissed his temple.
âBreathe, boy,â Mac murmured as Ezra exhaled.
âYou belong here now.â
Ezra woke to warmthâtoo much warmth. Not the kind that came from a hearth or sunlight through an open window. This was the warmth of skin, of breath, of bodies wrapped around his like he was a prize hoarded through the night. His limbs ached, heavy from sleep and something deeperâsomething that left his muscles soft and his bones humming.
He was surrounded. Gregorâs chest was pressed against his back, one thick arm slung over his middle, holding him in place like a man guarding something sacred. Rhys was curled at his front, the slow rhythm of his breathing steady against Ezraâs throat.
Fraser's legs were tangled with his, one foot hooked around his ankle like he might float away if not claimed completely. Tomas sprawled behind them all, fingers idly combing through Ezraâs hair. And MacâMac sat at the edge of the bed, watching.
Always watching. Ezra blinked slowly, head swimming in the haze of what came before: hands and mouths and heat and being opened again and again until he was nothing but sensation. There was no pain left. Just the echo of being taken.
And now... he knew. This wasnât over. This was just the beginning. He could feel it in the tension coiled beneath their softness. In the way Rhysâs breath had quickened. In the weight of Gregorâs arm tightening across his waist. In Macâs eyes, sharp and unreadable in the quiet dawn.
They were waiting. Waiting for him to wake. Waiting for him to understand. He was going to be claimed. Not gently. Not sweetly. But fully.
No more soft mouths or whispered promises. No more teasing touches meant to ease him into obedience. Heâd had his initiation. Heâd been made pliant, made open, made theirs.
Now came the rest. Now came the ruin. One round for each man. Five bodies. Five lessons. Five ways to be undone. And Ezra? Ezra wasnât afraid. He was ready. He didnât need to ask what they would do. He simply met Macâs gaze, swallowed thickly, and whispered:
And they moved towards him both in unison and each of them individually.
Fraser was the first to move. Of course he was. The others stood back, watching with lazy curiosity, arms folded, lips curled in that half-smile the group shared when they knew something was about to be taught. Ezra was already trembling, lying back on the furs, his thighs slick with sweat and aching need. He was still soft in the way new boys always wereâeager, overwhelmed, too pliant for his own good.
Fraser, at 46, was the youngest of them, but he carried it with sharp confidence, coiled like a whip rather than worn like armor. He didnât need age to own Ezra. He needed only a smirk and two fingers hooked beneath the boyâs jaw.
âYou look sweet when you beg,â Fraser murmured, straddling Ezraâs hips, dragging the backs of his fingers across Ezraâs flushed chest. âYou donât even know what youâre begging for yet. You think you do. Thatâs cute.â
Ezra arched beneath him, breath stuttering in his chest. âI justââ
Fraser pressed a thumb to his lips. âShh. Donât ruin it by talking too much.â
He leaned in, his beard scratching lightly over Ezraâs cheek as he whispered, âRound One isnât about what you get. Itâs about what youâre denied.â
And then it began. Fraser rocked his hips, slow and steady, letting Ezra feel the pressure of him, the promise of friction, without giving anything real.
He rolled his body against Ezraâs, his hands braced on either side of the boyâs shoulders, dragging his torso deliberately across Ezraâs trembling frame.
âYouâre already making those sounds?â he teased. âI havenât even started.â
Ezra whimpered, back arching helplessly under him. Fraserâs rhythm was maddeningâgrinding, rolling, hovering just on the edge of friction. He let their bodies meet just enough to make Ezra pant, just enough to make his cock throb, but never enough. Not to fall. Not to come.
He bent down and nipped at Ezraâs throat, teeth dragging just hard enough to sting.
âSweet little mess,â Fraser growled. âYouâre going to come apart from nothing, arenât you?â
Ezra tried to respond, but Fraser kissed the words right out of his mouthâwet, hungry, filthy kisses that left Ezra gasping. Every time Ezra bucked his hips, Fraser stopped. Froze. Smiled. Waited.
âYouâre not in control,â Fraser whispered. âNot even of your own need. Thatâs mine now. You understand that?â
Ezraâs voice cracked. âY-yes, Sir.â
Fraser nipped his lower lip. âGood.â
He kept Ezra there, teetering on the edge for what felt like hours. Hands roaming. Mouth exploring. Heat building like wildfire in Ezraâs belly, only to cool again and again when Fraser pausedâdenying, denying, denying.
It wasnât until Ezra was flushed to the neck, trembling with need, his body arching helplessly into every denied motion, that Fraser finally leaned in, kissed his forehead, and whispered:
âNow youâre soft enough for them.â
And just like that, he slipped away, leaving Ezra panting, untouched, completely unraveledâand still aching for more.
Ezra barely had time to catch his breath. Fraserâs teasing had left him flushed and aching, chest rising and falling in desperate little gasps, eyes wide and glassy with want.
He was pliant nowâsoftened and opened by denial, left to tremble on the rug like a well-kept toy still waiting to be played with. And Tomas? Tomas liked his toys needy.
At 51, Tomas had the lean, coiled build of a predator that liked to stalk close. He wore his tattoos like warning signs, half-faded and wrapping down his arms like a story told in blood and ink. He grinned as he stepped forward, cocky and feral, a flash of teeth behind a beard still damp from whisky.
âWell now,â he drawled, crouching beside Ezraâs wrecked body. âLook at you. Soft little thing, twitching like youâve already been ruined.â
Ezra blinked up at him, lips parted, barely able to respond.
âDon't worry,â Tomas purred. âFraser just unwrapped you. I get to break you in.â
Without warning, he gripped Ezraâs jawâfirm, controlling, but not cruel. Yet.
âOpen your mouth,â Tomas said, and when Ezra obeyed, he hummed in approval. âGood boy.â
Then he turned to the others, who were still watching like wolves at the edge of the firelight. âHear that?â Tomas asked. âHe still listens.â
Gregor snorted. âWeâll fix that.â
âOh, I plan to,â Tomas muttered, turning back to Ezra with a smirk. âLetâs see how much noise you make when Iâm really inside you.â
He didnât stripâhe didnât need to. He simply pushed Ezra onto his back, straddled his hips, and began to move against himâgrinding, rougher than Fraser had dared, hands planted on Ezraâs shoulders to pin him down. Ezra gasped, voice cracking into a needy cry.
âThere it is,â Tomas grinned. âThatâs the sound I wanted. You like that? Getting taken like a boy who begged too pretty?â
Ezra nodded, but Tomas shook his head.
âNo, no. You answer. Use your voice, pretty thing.â
âYes, Sir,â Ezra whimpered. âPlease, more.â
âMore?â Tomas echoed, hips dragging over Ezraâs again, harder now. âMore of what? You want my hand on your throat, or my hips between your legs? Or both?â
Ezra moaned. âBoth. Pleaseââ
Tomas laughed, leaned down, and bit Ezraâs throatânot enough to break skin, just enough to leave a mark.
âYouâre going to be black-and-blue before the sun comes up, and youâll *thank* us for it.â
Ezra writhed beneath him, hands clawing at the rug, overwhelmed by the mix of rough friction and Tomasâs voice in his earâtaunting, cruel, intoxicating.
âYou begged for this,â Tomas growled, shifting his weight, grinding harder now. âBegged to be taken. Claimed. Filled. You know what that makes you?â
Ezra sobbed. âYours.â
Tomas chuckled, low and rough. âOurs. But tonight? Tonight, I make the first deep bruise.â
He gripped Ezraâs wrists and pinned them above his head, bending down to press their chests togetherâhis mouth barely an inch from Ezraâs ear.
âDonât come,â he whispered. âNot until youâve taken all five of us. And if you do?â
Ezra trembled. âThen I get punished.â
Tomas smiled against his skin.
âNow youâre learning.â
When he finally pulled away, Ezra was wreckedâface flushed, chest heaving, thighs trembling. Tomas stood up, looked down at the red marks blooming across Ezraâs collarbone and throat, and gave a satisfied hum.
âDonât wipe those off,â he said to no one in particular. âI want to see them in the morning.â
Then he walked away, boots slow against stone, and left Ezra gasping in his wakeâruined just enough for the next man to start again.
Ezra barely moved. His skin was flushed and glowing, streaked with sweat and marked by Fraserâs teasing fingerprints and Tomasâs bruising bite. His lips were swollen from kisses, his thighs trembling from friction, and his arms lay limp at his sides like heâd already surrendered the rest of the night.
But they werenât done with him. He heard the shift of heavy boots and opened his eyes just in time to see Gregor standing over himâstill shirtless, kilt hanging low, arms crossed over his broad chest. He said nothing.
Gregor never said much. At 49, he didnât need to. Gregor moved like stoneânot fast, not loud, but inevitable. Where Tomas had been fire and Fraser had been smoke, Gregor was gravity. Ezra didnât realize he was being pulled until it was already too late.
Without a word, Gregor reached down and gripped Ezraâs bicep, hauling him upright in one fluid motion. Ezra gasped as his knees scraped across the rug, trying to find balance.
Gregor didnât help. He simply stepped behind him, one hand curling tight around the back of Ezraâs neck, pressing him back downâhardâuntil Ezraâs cheek was flush against the rug, hips raised, thighs spread.
The message was clear: stay there. Ezra whimpered, chest heaving. Gregor still hadnât spoken a word. He kneeled behind him, the weight of his body radiating heat over Ezraâs back. One large hand slid slowly up Ezraâs spine, trailing sweat and tension. The other gripped Ezraâs hipânot roughly, but firmly, a wordless claim.
Ezra waited for a command. A question. Anything. But Gregor gave him only the slow, heavy slide of pressureâgrinding against him with brutal, controlled force, letting Ezra feel every inch of what was to come without once breaking the silence.
Ezra cried outâa sharp, broken sound that echoed in the stone room. Still, Gregor said nothing.
He rocked into him, relentless and brutal, his hand tightening at the back of Ezraâs neck to keep him down, keep him obedient. The only sounds in the room were Ezraâs cries and the punishing rhythm of their bodies colliding.
There was no sweet talk. No praise. No warnings. Just the grind of hips, the slap of skin, and Ezraâs desperate, strangled gasps for breath. Gregorâs control was terrifying. And perfect.
Ezra wasnât just being usedâhe was being silenced, reshaped, ruled by the absence of comfort. He couldnât beg, couldnât speak, couldnât process anything except the way Gregor movedâlike every thrust was a nail sealing Ezraâs place in the group.
His hands clawed at the rug. His mouth opened in a silent scream. His body shook under the weight of it.
And then, just when Ezra thought he couldnât take another second, Gregor pressed a flat palm between his shoulder blades and buried himself in a final, punishing thrust that made Ezra sob outright. Silence again.
Gregor didnât linger. He stood slowly, adjusted his kilt, and leaned down just onceâpressing a single kiss to the back of Ezraâs neck. Soft. Gentle. Intimate.
Then he was gone. Ezra was left gasping, trembling, forehead pressed to the rug like a prayer. Not a word had been spoken. But the message was clear: You are mine.
Ezra had stopped pretending he could hold himself up. His limbs were shaking, skin marked with fingerprints and heat, his breath shallow in the cradle of his throat. He lay on his side now, curled just enough to feel small, just enough to feel held, even if no one was touching him yet.
But that was about to change. Rhys approached quietly, like the tide. He didnât have Tomasâs bite or Fraserâs smirk or Gregorâs silence. He had weightâgravity of a different kind. Not like Gregorâs stillness. Rhys was movement. Rhythm. Pulse.
He knelt behind Ezra, one massive arm sliding underneath his waist to lift him gently. Ezra gasped at the touchâtoo soft after what had come beforeâand was immediately gathered close, cradled against a broad, hairy chest slick with sweat and warmth.
âShh,â Rhys murmured, voice like crushed velvet, deep and rasped from too many years of smoke and cold mornings. âIâve got you now.â
At 54, Rhys had strength like ancient stone. His hands dwarfed Ezraâs frame. He moved slowly, but when he moved, it was final. He didnât take. He claimed. Ezra melted into him before he even realized heâd done it.
Rhys shifted, settling back against the thick headboard, pulling Ezra fully into his lap. One big hand rested on Ezraâs chest. The other between his thighs. Not moving. Not yet. Ezra whimpered.
âYouâve been through it, havenât you?â Rhys murmured, pressing a kiss to Ezraâs temple. âAll wrecked and wet and needy.â
Ezra nodded, breath catching.
âYou still want more?â Rhys asked, rubbing slow circles over Ezraâs ribs.
Ezra moaned, whisper-soft: âYes, Sir.â
Rhys chuckled, low and warm, and tightened his grip.
âThen let me give you what the others canât.â
And then he moved. Slow. Grinding. A steady, possessive rhythm that stole Ezraâs breath and left him open and full. He rocked his hips with purpose, with heat, with ownershipâevery motion a wordless declaration: Mine.
Ezra cried out with each movement, body oversensitized, already wrung out, but Rhys didnât care. He held him through the tremors, pressed Ezraâs back against his chest, kissed his shoulder, whispered praise between every deep, shattering thrust.
âYou take it so well,â he murmured, mouth brushing Ezraâs ear. âAll of it. All of us. But right nowâright now, youâre mine.â
Ezra nodded, tears in his eyes. âYours. Yours, yoursââ
âThatâs right.â Rhys buried his face in Ezraâs neck. âAnd Iâm not letting you go.â
His thrusts grew deeper, heavier, more insistent. Ezra couldnât move, couldnât thinkâonly feel. The press of skin. The fullness. The unbearable sweetness of being wanted by a man who didnât stop.
Rhys held him tighter. âI donât fuck to get off,â he whispered. âI fuck to keep. And youâre not leaving this bed until your bones remember that.â
Ezra sobbed, body curling into the rhythm, hips pushing back desperately against Rhysâs every stroke.
âYouâre going to feel me tomorrow,â Rhys promised. âAnd every time you sit. Every time you *kneel.* Youâll remember who put you there.â
When he finally finished, it wasnât with a growl or a curseâit was with a broken breath, a kiss to Ezraâs throat, and a whisper so soft only Ezra heard it: âI could stay inside you for hours.â
Ezra collapsed in his arms, boneless, floating.Rhys held him through the aftershocks, stroked his hair, kissed his jaw.And just before sleep could steal him away, Ezra whispered, âDonât let me go.â
And Rhysâpossessive, patient, unyieldingâonly held him tighter.
Ezra didnât know how long he lay there, wrapped in Rhysâs arms, breath shallow and heart pounding.
His body felt like silk pulled too tightâfrayed at the edges, buzzing with overuse, oversensitivity, over-everything.He was soaked with sweat and praise, his skin shining with possession, every inch of him touched, tasted, taken.
He thought it was over.He was wrong. When Rhys let goâslowly, gently, like he was offering something back to the groupâEzra felt the shift. The air in the room grew heavier. The furs were tossed back. The others stepped away, and the last man approached. Mac.
At 57, Mac didnât move like a man his age. He moved like timeâslow, inevitable, quiet until it wasnât. He didnât say much. Didnât need to. Because when Mac entered the room, every other man stood still. And now, so did Ezra.
Macâs voice, when he finally spoke, was low and firm. âOn your knees.â
Ezra obeyed instantly, body moving before his brain could catch up. His thighs ached. His skin burned. But he knelt, trembling, head bowed.
Mac stood over him, silent, just watching. The others gathered like shadows around the edge of the roomâbare-chested, satisfied, silent now. Because this wasnât just the fifth round.
It was the final one. The claiming. Mac stepped forward and tilted Ezraâs chin up with two fingers, meeting his eyes.
âSay it.â he murmured.
Ezraâs throat was dry. âSay what?â
Mac crouched down in front of him, their faces nearly level. âSay who you belong to.â
Ezra blinked back tears. âAll of you.â
Macâs eyes didnât flicker. âNo. Not enough.â
Ezraâs lips parted, breath catching. âI belong to us.â
Still not enough. Mac leaned in, lips brushing his ear. âYou belong to me. Every inch thatâs been touched tonightâevery sound that left your mouthâitâs mine now. And Iâm going to take it. Slowly.â
Ezraâs whole body shuddered. âYes, Daddy.â
That made Mac smile. He stood again, then strippedâdeliberate, unhurried, folding his shirt neatly and placing it aside. He approached Ezra not like a man who needed to fuckâbut like a man delivering a sentence.
His hands gripped Ezraâs hips, guiding him up and over onto all fours. Ezra was beyond thought. Beyond fear. Beyond shame.
He was ready. Macâs first thrust was slow and deepânot rushed, not angry. But firm. Like he was sliding into place. Like heâd always belonged there.
Ezra cried out, head dropping, arms shaking under the weight of it. Mac growled, wrapping an arm around Ezraâs chest to pull him up, body flush against his back.
âYouâre not going to ride this one out like a good boy,â he whispered. âYouâre going to feel me.â
Ezra moaned, completely gone. Mac didnât thrust fast. He didnât have to. He fucked like a kingâcontrolled, claiming, ruthless. Every roll of his hips shoved Ezra forward, then dragged him back. Over and over. Deep. Cruel. Absolute.
âYouâre not just mine tonight,â Mac said, voice rough in his ear. âYouâre mine forever. Youâll sleep in our bed. Crawl to our boots. Beg to be used. And every time youâre touched, youâll remember who took you last.â
Ezra sobbed, body trembling.
âYou think they softened you up for their pleasure?â Mac growled. âNo, boy. They were preparing you. Because only I get to finish what they start.â
Macâs thrusts grew harsher, heavier. Ezra could barely hold himself up. Every movement wrecked him deeper. Every thrust made him cry out.
âYouâre going to carry this inside you,â Mac whispered. âFor days. Weeks. Youâre going to leak ownership when you walk.â
Ezra was beyond wordsâonly tears and moans and desperate, clinging hands. His body gave in. His mind followed. And Mac was relentless.
When he finally came, it was with a roarâhis hips grinding deep, his body shaking against Ezraâs, and his hand gripping Ezraâs throat just hard enough to hold him there. When it was over, Ezra collapsed face-down into the furs, his body still twitching, his mind blank.
Mac didnât leave him. He pulled Ezra into his lap, still inside him, cradling him like something precious. Ezra clung to him, breath shallow, tears running silently down his cheeks.
âYouâre ours now,â Mac whispered against his temple.
âYouâve been broken in. Now we build you back up.â
Ezra only nodded. Because he knewâthere was nothing left to give. And everything left to become.
Ezra wasnât supposed to still be conscious. He was trembling in Macâs lap, wrecked and ruined, body limp and marked in every shade of ownership.
Every breath he drew was shallow. Every inch of him burned. He couldnât remember the last time he spoke a full sentence.
Which is why no one expected him to whimper and whisper: âDonât stop.â
Silence. Mac stilled behind him. The other fourâRhys, Fraser, Tomas, Gregorâturned toward the bed, all breath and stillness and need.
âPlease,â Ezra choked, voice raw. âIâI can take more. I want to feel you all again. I want it to hurt.â
It was Tomas who growled first.
âYou donât ask for the final round, pretty boy,â he said darkly, stepping forward. âYou beg.â
Ezra looked up, eyes bloodshot but burning. âPlease⌠hurt me. Ruin me. Fuck me so hard I forget who I was before tonight.â
That was all they needed. The room moved fastâlike wolves drawn to a kill. Mac didnât stop them.
He offered Ezra. Gregor grabbed his arms. Rhys took his throat in a steady, firm hold to keep his head tilted back. Tomas straddled his thighs, pinning him flat. Fraser leaned in from behind, one hand tangled in his hair, the other already trailing down his spine.
And when they took him againâtogetherâit was with violence made holy. No rhythm. No teasing. Just brutality.
They used him like a body, a thing. Each man harder than the last. Thrusts rough enough to shake the bed. Hands gripping. Teeth biting. Voices low and brutal in his ears.
âDonât run,â Fraser snarled. âYou asked for this.â
âYou begged,â Gregor muttered, slapping his thigh. âNow take it.â
Tomas bit down on his shoulder. âYouâre nothing but a fucktoy now.â
Rhys kissed his cheek and growled, âAnd still ours.â
Ezra sobbed through it allâshaking, screaming, begging more, more, moreâuntil his voice cracked and his body stopped fighting and he surrendered. Entirely.
By the time Mac stepped in, he didnât even need to say a word. He flipped Ezra onto his back, climbed on top of him, and took him one last timeâmercilessly, fully, with every ounce of strength he had left.
No praise. No care. Just the final, deep, devastating stretch that made Ezra scream like he was being split in half. And he was. He was being splitâinto what he had been, and what he now belonged to.
When Mac came, he didnât groan or curse. He whispered: âThatâs it. Thereâs nothing left of you now, is there?â. Ezra didnât speak. He couldnât. But he nodded. And they all knew he meant it.
Ezra didnât remember the moment they stopped. Only that he wasnât alone when the stillness came. There was no fanfare. No final word.
Just a quiet settlingâlike the house itself had exhaled. The room no longer pulsed with heat and hunger, but with something heavier. Something sacred.
Ezra lay across Macâs chest, limp and quiet. He wasnât asleep. He was somewhere beneath itâdeep in the soft, shivering silence of subspace, where nothing hurt and everything echoed. His skin burned.
His body twitched when anyone touched him. But he didnât flinch. Because every hand that touched him now was gentle. They moved around him with care.
Fraser gathered a towel. Rhys stoked the fire. Gregor swept the sweat-soaked sheets from the bed and laid out clean furs. Tomas knelt beside him, a damp cloth in one hand, eyes unreadable. And Mac?
Mac never moved. He held Ezra like he was cradling something holy. When Ezra whimpered, Mac pressed his lips to the boyâs temple. âYouâre here,â he murmured. âYouâre safe.â
No one else spoke. Not because they had nothing to sayâbut because the moment didnât need words.
Tomas wiped the sweat from Ezraâs neck, careful not to press too hard. âYou did well,â he said quietly. âBetter than any boy weâve ever had.â
Gregor poured warm water into a basin near the hearth. âHe didnât fight once.â
âHe didnât need to,â Rhys said. âHe wanted it.â
Mac kissed Ezraâs forehead. âHe wanted us.â
Ezra didnât reply. His lips parted, but only a soft breath came out. He was goneâbut not in the bad way. He was far, far under. Floating.
Fraser scooped him up gently, towel in hand, carrying him toward the bath like something precious. Ezra curled into his chest instinctively, his head resting against Fraserâs collarbone.
They washed him in silence. Warm water. Strong hands. No teasing. No touching below the waist. Just steady careâpalms sliding over his arms, his back, his thighs. Gentle fingers through his hair. Murmured praise. You were perfect. You did so good. Youâre ours now.
Ezra wept softlyâbut not from pain. It was the kind of crying that happened when someone let go of something theyâd been carrying too long.
When they laid him in the clean bed, five hands were on him. Stroking. Holding. Settling. Fraser curled around his back. Gregor pressed close at his chest. Tomas spooned behind Fraser. Rhysâs arms went over all of them. And Macâhe rested a hand on Ezraâs chest, thumb stroking a slow rhythm over his heart.
âSleep now, boy,â he whispered. âYou donât have to be anything but ours anymore.â
Ezra blinked once. And then he sleptâdeep, silent, safe.
Ezra woke slowly. Not from sleep exactly, but from whatever place heâd drifted to inside himself. The fire had burned low. The air was cool against his skin.
The bed was soft. But it wasnât any of those things that made him open his eyes. It was a voice. Low. Rough. Quiet. Macâs: âYouâre safe.â
Ezra blinked. His head rested on someoneâs chestâRhys, by the sound of the heartbeat. He felt Fraser curled behind him, one strong arm around his waist. Tomasâs leg draped lazily over his thighs. Gregorâs hand still rested at the small of his back, heavy and grounding.
And Mac sat at the edge of the bed, looking at him. Like he hadnât taken his eyes off him all night. Ezra opened his mouth to speak, but the words cracked. His throat ached. His eyes burned.
Mac reached forward, thumb brushing gently over his cheek. âYou donât need to talk. Just listen.â
âYou took all of us,â Mac said. âEvery round. Every man. You let us into your body. You let us see you fall apart. And you never ran.â
Ezraâs lips quivered. His voice came out, cracked but real. âI didnât want to.â
âWe know.â Macâs voice softened. âThatâs what made it holy.â
Ezra looked down, unable to hold the weight of those words. âIâm... scared,â he admitted. âI didnât know I needed this. I didnât know it would feel so⌠big. Like I donât exist anymore unless Iâm with you.â
Fraser nuzzled into the back of his neck. âThatâs not fear, baby. Thatâs surrender.â
âAnd itâs beautiful,â Rhys murmured, arms tightening around his ribs.
Gregorâs hand slid up his spine, warm and firm. âLet it happen.â
Tomas leaned over, brushing his fingers through Ezraâs hair. âYou donât need to be strong when youâre with us. That was never the point.â
Ezraâs tears started silently. No sobs. Just soft shaking and quiet wetness that trailed down his cheeks. He didnât speak for a long time. Just let them hold him.
Thenâhe whispered: âI always thought I was too much... too needy. Too soft. Too loud in my head. Every time I wanted to give in, Iâd tell myself I was pathetic. That no one would want to keep someone like me.â
Mac leaned down, kissed his forehead, and whispered, âYouâre not too much.â
âYouâre exactly enough.â Tomas added.
Rhys grunted. âYou were made for this.â
âYou belong.â Gregor said simply.
Fraser kissed the back of his neck and murmured, âOurs.â
Ezra sobbed. And this time, he didnât try to stop it. Five sets of arms held him through it. And when he finally came down, breath soft, body warm, tears drying against Rhysâs chestâEzra looked at them all and whispered: âI donât want to leave.â
Mac smiled: âYou donât have to.â
Ezra woke to the smell of coffee. Not the kind you bought in shopsâthis was something darker, earthier. Ground by hand, brewed low and slow, filling the air like incense. He stirred beneath warm furs, his body sore and soft, every muscle humming like it remembered everything.
He was in the bed still. Alone, but not abandoned. The linens smelled like firewood and sweat and men who had taken him apart and put him back together again.
His fingers curled into the fabric, and he let out a soft sigh. Then the door creaked open.... Tomas, shirtless, barefoot, his hair a sleepy mess, a mug in each hand. His grin was lazy, like he'd never slept a full night in his life but didnât care. âMorninâ, sweetheart,â he said, voice thick with warmth. âThought you might be ready for something warm that doesnât involve getting split open.â
Ezra blinked. â...You make it sound like a threat.â
Tomas chuckled, set one mug beside the bed, and handed him the other. âBaby, if I was threatening you, you wouldnât be able to speak yet.â
Ezra smiled softly, the mug shaking just a little in his hands. His arms felt weak. His thighs ached. His chest was tight with something he hadnât named yetâbut it wasnât fear.
âWhere are the others?â
Tomas sat beside him, sipping from his own mug. âMacâs downstairs. Rhys and Gregor are splitting firewood. Fraserâs in the shower.â
âAnd me?â Ezra whispered.
Tomas tilted his head, watching him. âYouâre in bed where you belong. Cared for. Claimed. Wrecked six ways from Sunday, but still ours.â
Tomas leaned in, kissed his temple. âYou donât have to earn it. You already are it.â
Moments later, Fraser wandered in, hair wet, towel slung low on his hips. He leaned against the doorway and grinned. âHeâs awake?â
Fraserâs eyes softened. âGood. Was starting to miss your noises already.â
âYouâre awful,â Ezra muttered, blushing into his mug.
Fraser crossed the room, pressed a kiss to the crown of his head. âAnd youâre beautiful.â
Then Rhys appeared, shirtless, chest slick with sweat and morning air, carrying a folded bundle of soft gray cotton. âClothes,â he rumbled. âIf you want them. But no oneâs asking you to put them on.â
Gregor was behind him. He didnât say anythingâjust walked over to Ezraâs side of the bed and rested a heavy, warm hand on his head. A quiet gesture. A silent vow.
And then Mac entered. Fully dressed. Hair combed. Calm as always. He looked at Ezra like he was looking at the dawn. âGood morning, boy.â
Ezraâs throat caught. âMorning, Sir.â
Mac walked over, sat beside him, and cupped the side of his face.
âI meant what I said,â he whispered. âYou donât go back to the life you had. Not unless you want to.â
Ezra blinked. âAnd if I donât?â
âThen you stay.â Mac leaned in. âWe build something here. Not just sex. Not just power. Something sacred. You give us your trust. We give you everything.â
Ezraâs voice cracked. âI want that.â
They all whispered to him in unison: âYou have it.â
The others didnât speak. But their silence was full. Of love. Of ownership. Of home. Ezra looked around at them allâfive men, rough and real and devastatingly gentle in ways he never expectedâand whispered, âI donât deserve this.â
Mac kissed his lips, slow and firm.
âYou do,â he said. âAnd weâll remind you every day until you believe it.â
Mac leaned in once more, voice barely above a whisper as his thumb traced along Ezraâs jaw, and said,
âYouâre not just ours tonight, sweetheartâyouâre ours every sunrise, every breath, every time your heart beats like it was made to belong.â
He kissed him thenâslow and deep, not to take, but to remindâand when he pulled back, the warmth in his eyes said what words couldnât:
âYou donât have to earn love here. You just have to let us keep you.â