Korbin moves into the nest, situating himself behind me as he places his hand on my spine, his thumb moving in slow, steady circles. Comforting me.
“I’m sorry,” I blurt. I’m feeling a mixture of overwhelming embarrassment mixed with a growing hunger. My voice cracks as I speak again. “I—I didn’t mean to?—”
Lincoln places a finger over my lips, hushing me instantly. His fingers brush my cheek, steady and careful. Then he signs against my skin—slow, deliberate motions I feel even through the haze.
We’ve got you.
You’re okay.Korbin signs.
You’re safe.Milton signs.
And I believe them. With every fiber of my being. Doubt no longer has residence in my heart or my mind.
My body still trembles, my nerves still buzz like they’re on fire, but Lincoln pulls me into him, bracing me against his chest. Milton curls closer into my side, his hand slipping into mine. Korbin kneels behind me, his forehead resting on my shoulder.
They’re not touching me like alphas touching some random omega in heat. They’re touching me like I’m theirs. Like we’re a pack.
I feel cared for. Protected. That I matter.
“Breathe with me,” Lincoln tells me.
“Sweet girl, you’re doing so good,” Milton says, after turning my face toward him. He lifts his hand, wiping sweat from my brow with the gentlest touch I’ve ever felt.
Korbin doesn’t try to move me to tell me something—he doesn’t need to. His scent alone wraps around me like a weighted blanket, calm and anchoring.
Slowly, I feel the worst of the first wave of my pre-heat start to diminish. My panic softens under their steady presence. My breathing slows and my body starts to relax, melding into theirs.
Just relax, Baby. I’ll get you something to drink. Lincoln signs before rushing over to the mini-refrigerator we just stocked with heat supplies.
I curl into myself as Milton wraps the blanket around me and Korbin fluffs my pillows, making sure they’re nice and plump for me.
I don’t feel embarrassed, panicked, or alone.
I feel loved.
Lincoln offers me a water bottle, and I take a small sip before handing it back to him.
“Thank you,” I manage to say before fatigue hits me.
My eyes become heavy, and before exhaustion pulls me under, I see them talking to each other. I’m not sure what they’re saying, and I don’t care, I’m too exhausted at this point. They’re my alphas, and I know they only want the best for me.
My eyes close tightly and I drift off to sleep, with my alphas around me, touching me, surrounding me.
My pack. I love these words.
52
Lincoln
Bayleigh wakesup again with a sound that’s half groan, half whine. I straighten immediately. I’d been dozing upright against the wall while Milton slept beside her and Korbin prowled from the doorway to the edge of the mattress. The moment her scent spikes, both of them jolt before freezing and looking her way. The sweet scent of her perfume fills the makeshift nest, and I can taste it more than I can smell it.
Her head swivels back and forth, searching the room, until she fully turns around and her eyes land on me. Everything on her face changes. Fear and confusion melt. What’s left is instinct, raw and focused entirely on me.
“Lincoln,” she whines, already halfway gone. Her voice is soft, strained, desperate in a way that claws right down my spine.
I move toward her before anyone else even exhales.
Korbin lowers himself to a crouch at the edge of the mattress, eyes sharp but also staying still so she doesn’t feel overwhelmed. We all know the rule of an omega choosing who she wants to be with during a heat. We feel it happening right now.
