Ours.
Safe in my arms.
Her lips brush my shoulder, slack and warm, and something in my chest loosens. I press my forehead to hers, breathing her in. I know she can’t hear me; she wouldn’t catch a whisper from this close—but the words still push their way out.
“I almost pushed you away,” I murmur against her skin. “Almost fucked this up.”
I tighten my arms around her, holding her like I’m afraid she’ll disappear.
“Not anymore.”
Lincoln reaches over and settles a hand on her thigh. When I glance up, he’s already watching me with this soft, knowing smile, then he winks, like he’s telling me it’s okay to feel this, to say it, even if she can’t hear a damn word.
Milton strokes her back in slow, steady circles.
But she stays in my arms.
And for the first time, I let myself fully believe she really wants me here.
54
Milton
The nest isdim and reeks of heat. Pillows and clothing are scattered everywhere, blankets pulled into soft waves, her scent woven through the air like something alive. It’s what our home was missing. An omega. The undeniable rightness of the moment.
It hits me the second she curls tighter into my body. She’s ours.
She’s mine.
Lincoln went to gather items to restock the fridge and then went for a nap since she was sleeping. Korbin stepped out of the room to notify the team we’d be missing practice. Our omega was in heat. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t officially in our pack. She’s ours.
Her hands move up my chest, tangling in my hair as she presses soft kisses along my skin.
Guess she wasn’t still sleeping like I thought.
She lifts her body, turning her head to look at me. Her hair is mussed, cheeks flushed, pupils wide—omega in the truest, purest sense.
But it’s her eyes that hit me the most. They’re full of want, desire, heat—and something more. Hope. And what makes my heart flutter is the love shining there.
Bayleigh doesn’t know it, but I’d do everything within my power to ensure she’s always happy. That a tear of sadness never escapes her beautiful eyes again.
It’s taking everything in me to hold myself together. To not mark her as mine, to rut her. But she needs to rest, and I don’t want to force her in any way. So I wait, letting her take the lead.
“Milton,” she says through heavy breaths. Her voice is all it takes. I’m gone. Any restraint I thought I had dissolves instantly.
I make sure she’s looking at me. “Yes, Baby?”
I shift my body so that I’m sitting upright, bringing her with me.
“I need you.” Her voice cracks as she signs the three words I know without any doubt.
My hand reaches out, cupping her jaw. “I’m here,” I tell her. “I’m honored you want me here. And there’s nothing more in the world I want than you. Not just for now, during your heat, but for the rest of my life.”
Her breath shudders. She leans into my hand like she’s starving for touch, while placing one of hers on my thigh, so close to my cock that if she were to flinch, she’d touch it.
“You always make it better,” she says softly.
“Because you’re everything.” I brush my thumb along her cheekbone. “Everything I ever wanted. Everything I didn’t know I could have.”
