The bathtub is full of steaming water, and I can smell... lavender? Something soothing and gentle. There are towels warming on the rack, and he’s even found some kind of bath salts or oils that make the water shimmer slightly.
Sierra’s sharp intake of breath tells me she understands. They’ve drawn her a bath.
“I thought you might want to soak,” Jalen says, suddenly looking uncertain. “After everything. But if you’d rather shower or just go back to the nest?—”
“It’s perfect,” Sierra interrupts, and her voice has gone soft. Almost wondering. “You did this for me?”
“Of course we did,” Cole says from where he’s appeared in the doorway. “You’ve been through a lot.”
I can feel Sierra trembling slightly in my arms, but it’s not from weakness this time. It’s emotion. The kind that makes my alpha want to wrap around her and protect her from whatever is making her feel so much.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“Can we help?” Malik asks, stepping closer. “Or would you prefer privacy?”
The question hangs in the air. This is different from the heat. Different from the nest. Sierra is quiet for a long moment. Long enough for me to think she will say no.
“You can help,” she says finally, heat climbing up her cheeks. “If you want to.”
If we want to.
Like there’s any question.
“We want to,” I say, speaking for all of us. “But you need to know. If at any point you change your mind, if this becomes too much or too weird, you just say the word and we’ll leave you to it. Okay?”
She nods, and I can see her swallow hard. “Okay.”
I carry her to the tub and set her down gently on the edge. She’s wearing just the sleep shirt we helped her into before, soft and oversized and utterly unsuitable for bathing.
“Arms up,” I say gently, and she complies.
My hands are steady as I help her pull the shirt over her head, even though seeing her bare again after the heat has faded makes something primal surge in my chest. This isn’t heat. This is just Sierra, trusting us enough to be vulnerable, and that feels infinitely more intimate than anything that happened during her cycle.
She’s beautiful. All soft curves and warm skin, with faint marks still visible on her hips, her thighs, her throat. Evidence of what we shared. What we gave her.
What she gave us.
I can see her cheeks flushing as we all look at her, but she doesn’t try to cover herself. Just sits there, bare and perfect and trusting.
“In you go,” Jalen says softly, offering his hand.
Sierra takes it and lets him help her stand. Her legs shake slightly, and I move to support her other side, Cole stepping in to steady her from behind. Together, we help her step into the tub.
The moment the hot water touches her skin, she makes this sound that’s part sigh, part moan, that goes straight through all of us. Her whole body seems to melt, tension draining away as she sinks into the warmth.
“Oh my God,” she breathes, eyes closing. “This is amazing.”
“Good,” Malik says, kneeling beside the tub. His hand trails through the water, checking the temperature. “Just relax, sweetheart. Let us take care of you.”
And she does.
Sierra leans back against the tub, letting the water lap at her shoulders, and just... surrenders.
It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
“Can I wash your hair?” Jalen asks softly, already reaching for the shampoo bottle.
“Please,” Sierra murmurs, and I can hear how much she means it.
