My pulse raced for a different reason now, my body responding to their proximity in ways that had nothing to do with fear. The heat building in my system recognized their Alpha status, wanted to respond to their presence, and I felt my face flush with more than just elevated temperature.
“We'll leave you to rest,” Theo said, reading my physical responses correctly. “But we're right outside if you need us. We’re here to help.”
They backed toward the door slowly, maintaining eye contact, and their scents lingered even as their bodies moved away. Oak and leather, protective and safe, creating a barrier between me and whatever had drifted through those vents.
The piano continued its gentle melody, and I sank deeper into my nest, letting their scents and Lucian's music wrap around me. The fear had passed, leaving exhaustion in its wake, and my body felt heavier now, pulled down by the heat that was building with every passing hour.
But beneath the exhaustion, beneath the physical discomfort of approaching heat, I felt something else. Something that might have been trust, fragile and new, taking root in the safety of my nest while three Alphas stood guard outside my door.
Chapter Twenty-six
Jasmine
Sleep didn't come. I lay in my nest, surrounded by carefully arranged blankets and pillows, and felt my body betray me increment by increment. The exhaustion was pulling at me, building in my system. Heat wasn't gentle. It didn't ask permission or wait for a convenient time. It just took over, cell by cell, until nothing else existed except the burning need.
My skin felt wrong. The soft fleece I'd chosen so carefully now scraped against my arms like sandpaper. Each thread of cotton pressed against my legs, creating a pressure point that made me want to crawl out of my own body. I shifted, trying to find a position that didn't exacerbate the situation, but movement only increased the sensitivity. The blankets slid across my shoulders, and I gasped at the sensation, my nerves interpreting every touch as too much.
The temperature in the room hadn't changed, but I was burning up. Sweat gathered at my hairline, dampening the strands that stuck to my neck. My heart hammered against my ribs, too fast and irregular, like it couldn't decide on a rhythm. I kicked at the blanket I’d snuggled in, pushing it down to my waist, but the cool air hitting my overheated skin just made me shiver violently before the burning resumed.
The scents from the clothes I'd borrowed filled my nose with every breath. Oak, leather, and rosewood, strong and distinctly Alpha. Earlier, they'd been comforting, grounding, safe. Now they did something else entirely. Each inhale sent heat spiraling through my chest and lower down, pooling between my thighs with an intensity that made me squeeze my legs together. My body recognized what those scents meant, what they promised, and what it wanted. God, it wanted it so badly.
Then the pain started.
It began as a dull ache low in my abdomen, like the warning cramp before bleeding. I pressed my hand flat against my stomach, fingers splaying over the thin fabric of my shirt, and felt the muscles tense beneath. The ache sharpened. It became a twist of sensation that made me curl onto my side. Not unbearable yet, but insistent and demanding attention.
I pulled my knees up, wrapping my arms around them, and tried to breathe through it. In through my nose, out through my mouth, like my mother had taught me for singing. But each breath brought more of those Alpha scents, and my body responded with another wave of need that made the pain worse.
Sweat soaked through my shirt, making it cling to my back and chest. I could smell myself now, my apple pie scent intensifying until it filled the room, broadcasting my status, my desperate biology, to anyone within range. The realization should have embarrassed me, but I was past caring about dignity. I just needed the pain to stop.
Another wave hit, stronger this time. The cramping sensation intensified, rippling through my abdomen like a sharp, uncontrollable contraction. I doubled over, my forehead pressing against my knees, and made a sound that was half gasp, half whimper. My fingers dug into the fleece blanket, nails catching in the soft material, holding on like it might anchor me through what was happening.
The room was too hot. Everything was too hot. My clothes felt like they were suffocating me, trapping heat against my skin until I couldn't stand it anymore. My hands shook as I grabbed the hem of my sweater and pulled it over my head. The fabric dragged across my sensitized skin, and even that brief contact made me gasp.
The leggings came next. I peeled them down my legs, kicking them off with frantic movements that tangled them in the blankets. Cool air hit my bare legs, and I shuddered with relief that lasted maybe ten seconds before the burning resumed. I was down to my underwear now, minimal fabric, but it still felt like too much.
My mind was beginning to fog. Thoughts that should have been clear became slippery, hard to hold on to. I knew I was in my nest. Knew I was in heat. But the details beyond that kept sliding away, replaced by physical sensation so intense it drowned out everything else.
I grabbed Theo's shirt from where I'd placed it near the center of my nest and pressed it to my face. Leather filled my lungs, strong and protective, and for a moment, the pain eased. My body recognized his scent, wanted what it promised, and the temporary relief made me whimper. But it wasn't enough. The scent alone couldn't satisfy what my biology demanded.
I reached for Kade's next, then Lucian's towel, pressing each to my face, breathing them in until I felt dizzy. Oak and rosewood joined the leather, and my core clenched with need so sharp it bordered on pain. My hips moved without conscious decision, seeking friction, seeking relief that wouldn't come from fabric and scent alone.
Another wave crashed through me, and this time I couldn't stay curled up. I had to move. My body demanded it, overriding any rational thought about staying still or riding it out quietly. I shifted onto my hands and knees, the blankets bunchingbeneath me, and rocked forward. The movement sent another spike of sensation through my abdomen, making me cry out softly.
The pain was changing. Still there, still intense, but now mixed with something else. Need. Desperate, aching need that made my whole body feel hollow and wrong. I needed to be filled. Needed an Alpha's touch, their scent, their knot.
I clutched at the blankets, my fingers digging in so hard they cramped. Sweat dripped down my temples, my back, pooling in the hollow of my throat. My breathing had gone ragged, sharp gasps that didn't bring enough air. The room spun slightly when I tried to focus on anything, my vision blurring at the edges.
My scent had grown so strong I could taste it, sweet and cloying, filling the air until it was all I could smell beneath the Alpha scents. Broadcasting. Calling. Begging for someone to come, to help, to make it stop.
Another wave built, and I felt it coming like a storm on the horizon. My muscles tensed, my whole body going rigid with anticipation and dread. It hit with the force of a hurricane, cramping through my abdomen and radiating outward. I doubled over completely, my forehead pressing into the mattress, and the sound that tore from my throat was barely human.
Pain and need twisted together until I couldn't tell them apart. My hips jerked, seeking contact that wasn't there. My hands scrabbled at the sheets, finding no relief. The heat had taken over completely now, burning through me, demanding satisfaction I couldn't give myself.
I tried to stay quiet. Tried to ride through it like I'd done before, on the streets, alone and hurting with no one to help. But this was stronger than any heat I'd experienced, my body making up for lost time, and I couldn't control it anymore. Couldn't control myself.
The next wave hit before the first had fully passed, doubling the intensity. My back arched, my body convulsing with the force of it, and the cry that ripped from me was loud and desperate. I barely recognized my voice, the sound full of pain and pleading and need so intense it terrified me.
But I couldn't stop. Couldn't quiet it. Could only curl into my nest and let the heat consume me while I called out for relief that had to come soon, or I'd shatter completely.
