The thing that has nothing to do with the flood and everything to do withthem.
It’s a sudden shock to the system. Their presence. They’re not just standing in the doorway anymore. They’re in the space with me, and I feel it. The sharp, clean musk of Ford hits me first, followed by the deeper, more grounded undertone of Beck, a scent that makes the room feel warmer, more enclosed.
And then Hayes… his Beta scent, lighter but comforting, a perfect blend of something almost sweet with the subtle tang of leather and outdoors. All pulling my Omega instincts to the surface like a magnet dragging iron shavings. My skin tingles, my heart pounds, and it’s hard to breathe, to think clearly.
“Lo?” Beck cuts through the chaos in my head. He’s the first to step forward, his expression a mixture of concern and something else I can’t quite place. “Let us help. Please.”
That takes me by surprise.
I’m not sure I’ve ever heard Beck use that word before.
Do Alphas use the word “please”?
He certainly doesn’t.
I swallow hard, forcing myself to step back from the door, feeling the wet cold of the wood beneath my feet. My body rebels, instinctively wanting to pull away, wanting to retreat to a safer, quieter place.
But I can’t.
Not when this is happening right in front of me.
The space between us feels… charged. I can feel Hayes’s gaze on me, sharp and searching. He’s trying to read me, I know it. And Ford, standing slightly behind him, is scanning the room, preparing to take control of whatever mess I’ve gotten myself into.
It’s too much. Too fast.
But I nod and step aside regardless.
Beck steps past me, his broad shoulders filling the doorway as his gaze sweeps over the damage. The tension in the room becomes a little less suffocating, but the strength of his presence is unmistakable. His hand brushes the back of my shoulder as he moves into the hallway, the subtle contact sending a wave of heat down my spine.
My Omega reacts to him without warning—a sharp, jarring jolt that makes my heart race. I can’t seem to stop it.
I feel the sharp tug of something primal deep inside me, drawing me toward him in a way I can’t quite control. It’s not just the heat of his touch. It’s the quiet assertion in it, the way he doesn’t even have to look at me for my body to bend to the pull of his dominance. I swallow hard, trying to steady myself, but the warmth in my chest is still spreading, and it’s all I can focus on.
“You can’t stay here tonight, Lo,” Beck tells me. I blink, my mind scrambling to catch up with what he’s saying. “It’s no good. If water is getting in like this, it means the fire destabilized something foundationally.”
I open my mouth to protest, to tell him I’m fine, that I don’t need to rely on anyone. But the words die on my lips. The storm’s still raging outside, the house is still taking on water, and I’m standing here, helpless.
Ugh, I hate this.
I hate feeling helpless.
Ford is already at the doorway to the kitchen, his gaze focused as he looks around. He doesn’t say much, but whenhe looks at me, there’s an intensity behind his eyes that stirs something deep inside me. He’s waiting for me to make the decision, to acknowledge what we all know is coming.
Hayes, ever the silent observer, watches me carefully, as if he’s studying my every move. His presence looms larger than it should in such a small room. Especially for a Beta. I feel his energy like a wave crashing over me, as if to say, “Yes, we’re here, and we’re not going anywhere.”
“It’s only for tonight,” I mutter. “I’ll be okay.”
“You can stay with us,” Ford insists before I can get another word in. “Me and Hayes. We have a spare room.”
“I don’t want to be a burden,” I murmur, barely above a whisper.
It’s hard to look any of them in the eye, especially when I know how vulnerable I feel in this moment. But Beck’s gaze is steady, his expression softening as he steps toward me.
“You’re not a burden, Lo,” Beck says, his words filled with an edge of protectiveness that I can’t ignore. “Never have been. But you can’t stay here. Not with the flood, and not with… everything else. And I’ll drive.”
Oh God.
This isnothow I thought my last day here would go.
