It's a start.
"Stay," I mumble, already drifting. "When I sleep. Don't leave."
"Never," Dorian promises.
"We're not going anywhere," Oakley adds.
"Statistically, leaving during an omega's heat increases rejection symptoms by—" Corvus stops at what must be twin glares from the others. "We'll stay."
I smile into the pillow.
My pack.
Not perfect. Not forgiven.
But mine.
twenty-two
Vespera
Iwakeuptobirdsong.
Not the desperate whimper of heat. Not the fevered need. Just birds. Morning light filtering through the curtains. The weight of three bodies surrounding me in the nest we built together.
My body is sore but not burning. Tired but not desperate. For the first time in days, my thoughts are my own.
The heat is over.
I should want to run. Should want to grab my things and get as far away from this lake house as possible. From the three Alphas who kidnapped me, who kept me here, who claimed me.
But I don't.
Dorian is behind me, his arm heavy across my waist, his breath steady against my neck. Oakley is curled on my right, one hand resting on my hip. Corvus is stretched out on my left, closer than he probably intended, his usual careful distance abandoned in sleep.
I should be planning my escape. Instead, I'm cataloging how safe I feel.
The realization should terrify me. Maybe it does. But it also feels... true.
I shift slightly and Dorian's arm tightens. "Don't," he mumbles, voice thick with sleep. "Stay."
"I'm not leaving. Just stretching."
He goes still. Then his eyes open, ice-blue and cautious. "You're not?"
"Not right now." I turn to face him. "Is that okay?"
Something in his expression cracks. Relief. Fear. Hope. "You can do whatever you want. Stay. Go. We'll—we'll figure it out."
"I know." I touch his face, feeling the stubble on his jaw. "That's why I'm staying."
Oakley stirs on my other side. "Did you say staying?" His voice is rough, hopeful.
"For now," I clarify. "I need to see who we are when I'm not in heat. When you're not in rut. When it's just us."
"Okay." Oakley props himself up on one elbow, looking at me like I'm something precious. "Whatever you need."
Corvus is awake now too, those dark eyes assessing. "What do you need?"
