Tessa
Iwake up burning.
Not the manageable warmth from before. This is different. This is my skin on fire, my blood too hot, every nerve ending screaming for something I can’t name. The ache between my thighs has become a hollow emptiness that makes me want to cry.
Ben’s arms are still around me. His scent, leather and musk, wraps around me like a blanket, and for a moment I just breathe him in, trying to ground myself. But even that’s not enough anymore. Even his scent, as good as it is, isn’t enough.
I need more.
“Hey.” His voice is rough with sleep. “You okay?”
I shake my head against his chest. Words feel impossible.
He’s awake instantly, his hand coming up to feel my forehead. “Shit. You’re burning up.” He pulls back enough to look at my face, his brow furrowed with concern. “It’s getting worse, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” The word comes out broken. “Everything hurts. I feel so empty.”
“Okay.” He presses a kiss to my forehead. “I’m going to get the others. We need to talk. Figure out how to help you.”
I grab his arm before he can move. “Ben. I’m scared.”
His expression softens. “Of what?”
“This is my first heat. With alphas, I mean. I’ve always suppressed them and I don’t know what I’m like when I lose control.” I force myself to meet his eyes. “What if I beg you to bond me?”
He’s quiet for a moment. Then he cups my face in his hands.
“We’re not going to bond you, Tessa. Not during your heat.”
“But what if I beg?—”
“Then we say no.” His voice is firm but gentle. “You’re not ready for that. We know you’re not ready. So it’s off the table. No matter what you say, no matter how much you ask for it. Okay?”
“I have feelings for you.” It comes out before I can stop it. “For all of you. But I’m not—this is all so fast and I haven’t figured out what I want yet and people always leave and I just?—”
“Hey.” He brushes his thumb across my cheek. “We’re not going anywhere. But we don’t have to figure any of that out right now. Right now we just need to get you through this heat. The rest can wait.” He leans his forehead against mine. “Let us take care of you, Tessa. That’s all. Just let us help.”
I’m crying. I don’t know when I started.
“Okay,” I whisper.
He kisses my forehead. “Let me get the others.”
He slips out of the nest, and the loss of his warmth makes me whimper before I can stop myself.
This is my body finally getting what it’s been denied for years, and it’s not being gentle about it.
The door opens. Three scents hit me at once. Leather and musk, cedarwood and honey, dark chocolate and amber. I moan before I can stop myself. My thighs clench together, slick pooling between them, and I watch all three alphas go rigid in the doorway.
“Fuck,” Milo breathes. His pupils are blown wide. “She smells incredible.”
Elijah makes a low sound in his throat, his jaw tight.
“What? She does.” But Milo’s expression is serious beneath the flippancy. “Tessa. Sweetheart. You’re hurting.”
“I need—” Another wave rolls through me and I have to grip the blanket, riding it out. “I need you to promise me. No bonding. No matter what I say or how much I beg. I haven’t decided what I want yet and I need to figure that out after, with a clear head. Not like this.”
The three of them exchange a look.
