She shakes her head and signs,Warm.
He snorts and signs as he talks. “I bet.”
She kicks him lightly. He catches her foot without thinking and holds it, thumb brushing along her heel in a way I know he does not realize he is doing.
Her scent flares again.
Every nerve in me lights up like a struck wire.
“Relax,” I tell her. “You’re safe with us.”
Her eyes flutter closed. She leans her forehead against my shoulder, trusting me to hold all her weight. When she finally exhales, it feels like she’s handing me something delicate and important.
“Lincoln,” she sighs. “I… like this.”
I lift my right hand so she can see it in her peripheral vision. She turns her head, and I sign with one hand, making each motion clear for her.I know, we like it too.
Milton looks up at her. “Yeah. More than we should probably admit out loud.”
Korbin smirks. “Speak for yourself.”
She looks at all three of us—really looks—and her expression shifts to something soft, warm, and unbearably vulnerable.
She signs two small sentences.
I feel safe with you. With all of you.
The room stills. Her scent shifts, sweetening in a way I have only ever smelled once in my life—on an omega right before her heat blooms. It is warm honey threaded with mint and something softer that is uniquely her.
Something inside my chest roots deeper, stronger, steadier than instinct alone.
“Good,” I tell her. “Because we’re not going anywhere.”
She exhales, and I swear the sound melts into my bones. Her body softens the way prey animals soften when they decide the predator isn’t going to eat them. Except there’s no fear here. Only trust.
Her scent spreads further, thicker, syrupy at the edges, like warm sugar.
I swallow it down and force myself not to tense. Tonight is not about losing control. Tonight is about anchoring her so she goes into heat knowing she’s good on all fronts.
Milton shifts, sliding up along her side so he’s crowding in next to her like a cuddle pile. He leans into her enough that his cheek brushes her temple. A scent-mark meant to reassure and nothing else. She sighs and melts into him before her body settles back against mine.
Korbin does the same from her other side. His jaw grazes her shoulder in a slow, restrained sweep. Not claiming or territorial. Just a quiet promise that he’s here.
Her breath hitches in that small, surprised way she gets when something feels good.
I lower my head and press a kiss into her hairline. It’s light, barely there, but she shivers and her fingers curl around my shirt.
Her scent thickens as she curls deeper into me, her forehead tucked under my chin, and something inside of me settles so completely I don’t recognize myself for a moment.
She smells like home.
Not my room.
Not the nest.
Her.
She shifts once, twice, then goes still, her breathing slowing into that deep, slow sound that tells me she’s asleep. Milton covers her with a blanket without being asked, draping it over her shoulders.
