We’re in this together.
“You okay?” he asks quietly, even as his hips start to move.
I nod. “Rest. I’ll take next.”
He grins, that easy Ben grin that makes everyone like him. “Deal.”
I settle back into the nest and watch. Not because I’m a voyeur, but because I’m learning. Because watching helps me understand her, understand them, understand us.
Tessa cries out, a sound of pleasure and relief, and Ben groans against her neck. They move together like they’ve been doing this for years instead of hours, natural and easy.
Beautiful.
Milo is awake now too. I can feel his eyes on the scene, can sense his readiness to step in when needed. We’ve fallen into a rhythm without discussing it. A rotation that keeps her satisfied and us functional.
Pack.
The word keeps coming back to me. Pack. That’s what we are. That’s what we’re becoming.
When this heat is over, things are going to be complicated. There’s no roadmap for this. Four people, three alphas and one omega, building a life together in a small town where everyone knows everyone’s business.
But right now, watching Ben knot our omega while Milo and I stand ready to take our turns, it doesn’t feel complicated.
It feels like home.
Chapter 18
Ben
Tessa climbs into my lap, and I’m reaching for her before my brain fully comes online.
Not that I’m complaining. After however many hours we’ve been at this, my body has learned to respond to her need automatically. I’m hard before my eyes are open, pulling her closer before I’m even sure what’s happening.
“Hey.” My voice comes out rough, wrecked from sleep and sex and the low-grade growl that’s been living in my chest since her heat started. “Hey, sweetheart, I’m here.”
She doesn’t answer with words. Just straddles me, her thighs bracketing my hips, her hands bracing on my chest. The nest is warm and dark around us, candlelight flickering across her skin, and she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
Also the most desperate. Her scent is thick with need, lavender and citrus sharpened by arousal, but it’s different now. Softer underneath the urgency.
“Tessa.” I cup her face, make her look at me. Her eyes are dark, pupils blown wide, but she’s more present than she’s been in hours. “You with me?”
She nods. “Last one, I think. Feels different.”
I notice it too, now that she’s said it. The frantic edge that’s been driving her is fading, replaced by something gentler. Still need, still want, but not the desperate clawing desperation of before.
“Yeah?” I brush hair from her face, tuck it behind her ear. “How does it feel?”
“Like I want you.” She leans into my touch. “Not like I’ll die without you. Just... want.”
Something shifts in my chest. Cracks open. Because this is different. This isn’t biology driving her into my arms. This is choice.
She’s choosing me.
“Well.” I try for my usual grin, but it comes out softer than intended. “Lucky for you, I’m very wantable.”
She laughs. Actually laughs, and the sound hits me right in the solar plexus. I’ve been cracking jokes for hours, trying to make her smile even when she’s barely conscious, and this is the first real laugh I’ve gotten.
I want to hear it again. Want to spend the rest of my life making her laugh.
