She came looking for Charles.
She’s mated.
She’s going into heat.
Whatever she was using to block her scent was still working, but it didn’t matter. The signs were there. Her flushed face, dilated eyes, the way she unconsciously pushed herself closer and closer into Pierce.
She has to leave.
It was morning now, she had slept through the entire night, much to his chagrin. But that didn’t mean anything.
It’s still snowing.
He hadn’t looked outside yet, but he could hear it.
Raveling himself back up into a neat knot, he straightens to his full height before forcing himself away from the omega. Acutely aware of how each step is more challenging than the last, until he finally makes it to the living room.
Staring out the back sliding glass door, his mouth opens at the sight. The entire land is covered in a thick towel of snow. He can barely make out the barn and building next to it in the distance.
And yet Luther still hasn’t returned.
Ever since everything went down with Charles, Luther had continued to stay away from his other pack mates. Leaving Pierce and Wren to handle everything.
Wren snaps himself out of it. He doesn’t blame Luther. He wishes he could just bury his head and hide away too, but someone has to keep their lives afloat. Ensure the bills are paid, the land is maintained, theRossisare kept at bay, Pierce doesn’t run directly into trouble.
Wren’s attention flicks back to the hallway, in the direction of the omega.
The three of them had always wanted more than anything for an omega to be in this space, to fill the empty hole in their hearts. But then life had taken the reins, and they were forced to grow quickly,too quickly.By the time there was space in their lives for an omega, they were all well past their prime. They had all accepted that an omega would never be in their cards.
So her being here? Already mated? To a Rossi? And going into heat?
It was as if the world were mocking them. Throwing one last cruel curve ball directly at their faces.
She’s going into heat.
The thought solidifies Wren’s intent.
The snow isn’t stopping. There is no way to take her away from here. But they can at least set her up in a different space.
He just needed to get Luther out of the cabin first. It was small and cozy.
She can manage her heat out therealone.
Wren ignores the way the idea of heralonenearly debilitates him. Instead, he slips on his shoes and a coat as he forces himself out the back door and directly into the snow.
thirteen
Xenia
Wriggling free of Pierce, I muster up all my reserves and will my body to cooperate.
Looking down, I realize that I am in an oversized shirt. And nothing else.
“What happened?” I ask as my mind clears. I realize that I am alone in a nest with an unfamiliar alpha. That I am wearing, what is most definitely, his shirt.
Lifting the material up, I inhale it deeply. It immediately calms my nerves, settles me back into my skin.
He props up on one arm, watching me with hypnotic eyes. “You stripped all of your clothes shortly after you slept. I wanted to put something on you. This was the only thing you wouldn’t tear back off.” There is humor but also a slight edge of concern in his voice.
