One more thrust has her ass clamping down on me, causing both our bodies to explode with release. We stay connected, our breathing heavy as our knots deflate. Only then do we pull apart, collapsing on the nest in a sweaty heap, our scents mixing.
Lincoln pulls her into his arms. This has by far been the most intense moment of her heat. Korbin curls up on her other side, pulling his legs up so that I can move beside him, getting close to her as well. She rests her head on Lincoln’s chest, her eyes barely able to stay open when she lays her head down.
“Her breathing’s slowing,” Lincoln tells us as Korbin reaches out with trembling fingers, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. Lincoln presses his forehead to the top of her head, eyes closed like he’s praying.
I choose that moment to move, laying down and resting my head on her legs, as I weave my arms through them, holding her in place. Keeping us connected in the most basic of ways.
She’s exhausted, but we know she’s not done yet. This is just a moment of rest, and we aren’t planning on going anywhere.
“Sleep,” Lincoln tells her while lifting one hand to spell the word. Korbin grabs some blankets, putting them over each of us, covering our bodies slightly.
She lifts her head, looking over at me, and I mouth, “We’ve got you. All of us.”
She mumbles something unintelligible before resting her head back on Lincoln’s chest and drifting off to sleep.
I just hope that when this heat is over, she’s ready for us to claim her. To make us what I know we are.
A pack.
I’ll always be the alpha to protect her. It’s a promise I’ll make to her now and always.
I’ll guard her with my life.
Content and happy, I drift off to sleep.
55
Bayleigh
I wake slowly,but I don’t want to open my eyes. I feel happy, warm, as if I’m floating on a cloud. The scents of my alphas wrap around me, ensuring that my heat wasn’t just a dream, and I was with the three of them. Each of them made sure I felt special and cared for. That they weren’t with me just for the sake of my heat, but they wanted me.
Finally, my eyes flutter open, and I lift my head just slightly to gaze around the room.
I’m in the nest the guys made for me at their home, and they’re all around me. Sandalwood, citrus, and honeydew intertwined with mine. I’m with my pack.
Not yet. Not technically, but in my heart I know they are.
Only then do I really look around the nest—pillows scattered around the room, blankets kicked half off the mattress, half twisted beneath them and woven through our limbs. The light is dim, just a thin strip spilling in from the bathroom across the hall. The curtains are still drawn, so I’m not really sure if it’s morning or night.
And then… the bodies.
Lincoln is behind me, curled into my back with the natural instinct of an alpha whose entire world has been focused on protecting his omega. His arm rests on my hip, not gripping, not holding, just there, warm and familiar. I can feel his warm breath against my shoulder, his lips barely grazing my skin.
Milton is draped sideways across my legs like an affectionate golden retriever. One hand resting on top of my knee, fingers twitching occasionally like he’s dreaming about touching me even in sleep. His hair is tousled, mouth slightly open with just a twinge of drool dribbling from it onto me. He has an innocent, youthful look when he sleeps. A huge contrast to how un-innocent he was with me during my heat.
And Korbin—God, Korbin.
He’s half sprawled on the mattress, half hanging off the edge onto the floor like he passed out mid-movement. One arm is reaching out to me, barely touching my stomach, while the other is resting underneath his head. Even asleep, he looks poised, ready to spring into action if danger were to show its ugly head. You wouldn't even think he was asleep, merely resting his eyes, except I can feel the rumble of his snoring through the mattress like a slow, uneven vibration.
I’m absolutely going to tease him for it later.
But right now? At this moment? Them sleeping soundly around me isn't something I want to disturb; I want to savor it. To commit it to memory, just in case life hurls a cruel joke at me and I have to let it all go.
I rest my head back on the pillow and stare up at the ceiling, remembering flashes from my heat—hands, warmth, scent, signs, and most importantly, safety. The way each of them had private moments, then moved together as a unit. They made sure I was sexually sated, fed, and hydrated. All without any hesitation.
For the first time in my life, I feel settled. Like I finally stopped running from the bad things in my life and instead ran smack dab into the right things. Three of them, to be exact.
The urge to pee takes over, and I know if I lay here any longer I risk pissing all over myself. Carefully, I ease my hips to one side. Lincoln’s arm slides off me, landing on the mattress. He stirs, but doesn't wake. I see Milton’s lips moving as if he’s mumbling something in his sleep, but he doesn’t lift his head. But he’s still on my legs, and I need to move him so I can get up. I reach over to the side, grasping a pillow in my hand, and sit up easily. I take hold of his head, lifting it gently, placing the pillow under it at the same time I move my legs.
