"I need—" I start, then stop. My voice is hoarse from crying out. "I want—"
"What do you need, angel?" Silas asks softly, still buried inside me.
The words stick in my throat. I look at Silas above me. At Liam beside me, fingers gentle on my skin. At Felix, watching me with those warm eyes.
My chest aches with how much I want this.
"Claim me," I whisper. "All of you. I want your marks. Want to be yours permanently."
The air in the nest goes still. A bonding bite is permanent.
"Naomi—" Liam's voice is rough.
"Are you sure?" Felix asks, his hand tightening in my hair. "Heat can make you feel things that—"
"This isn't the heat," I interrupt, looking at each of them. "I'm lucid right now. This is real. You're real. This—" I gesture at the nest, at us. "This is what I want."
Felix smiles. "Okay, so what's a hundred divided by thirteen?"
"Seven point six nine two three," I answer without missing a beat.
Felix blinks. Looks at Liam. "Is that right?"
Liam's lips twitch. "It is."
"Okay, well, I definitely didn't know that." Felix scratches his head, chuckling. "You're really good at everything, aren't you?"
We all laugh, the sound breaking the tension. Felix presses a kiss to my shoulder. Liam's lips brush my forehead. And Silas cups my cheek with one hand, thumb brushing my cheekbone.
"You know, when I first caught your scent, I—," he starts, shyly, "I panicked. I was terrified you'd see through me. See all the broken parts I try to hide and leave."
"I'm not leaving," I say fiercely. "I saw firsthand you can be a total jerk when it comes to letting people in. But once you do... You're careful. Protective. There's nothing you wouldn't do forthe people you love. I see you now, Silas. And I'm not going anywhere."
His eyes close briefly. When they open, they're shining. "I want this. I want you. I want to build something that can't be broken."
"Good," I murmur. "Because I'm thinking we get a Christmas tree after this and we celebrate our first Christmas together as a pack."
His mouth curves into a rare, full smile. "I'd love nothing more, angel."
He leans in and his mouth finds the curve where my neck meets my shoulder. A spot where the mark will be visible. Where everyone will know.
"Yes," I breathe. "Claim me—"
His teeth sink in.
Pain and pleasure twist together until I can't separate them. Something snaps into place, a presence that wasn't there before. I feel him. Steady. Grounding. A captain's certainty, the knowledge that he'll steer us through any storm. And underneath it, softer, the fear he hides from everyone, the desperate need to protect what's his. I feel it all, and I hold it close.
When he pulls back, there's wonder in his eyes.
I turn to Liam, reaching for him. "Now you, Liam."
He's looking at me like I'm something precious. His hand slides into my hair, cradling my head.
"I never told you or my pack," he murmurs, "but when I realized you were our scent match, I thought it was over before it started. I learned with experience that wanting something too much is the fastest way to lose it." His thumb strokes my temple. "But you make me want to be brave."
"Let's be brave together," I whisper.
He leans in and his teeth find the other side of my neck, mirroring Silas's mark.
