Their energy was a gift I would be returning to them, so they’d once again be at full strength.
By the time the council was finished with us and the street was cleared, I was wrecked enough to fall asleep in Kellan’s lap on the way home. I woke an indeterminate time later to find myself clean and clad in one of Hunter’s shirts, the late afternoon sun filtering through the partly open blinds. The alphas had put me in Slade’s bed, and I wasn’t alone.
Allof my pack was here.
Our combined scents filled the room, and my wolf rolled over like a contented pup. Our pain wouldn’t completely fade until all of theirbeasts stood beside her, but for now, this was more than we’d ever expected to have again.
Lifting my head to take in the scene, I was between Hunter and Talon, with Kellan and Finley cuddling my legs across the bottom of the bed, as if none of them had wanted to let me go even in sleep. The only one missing was Slade, but I knew he’d be nearby.
I found him in a chair watching me. No, watching over all of us. Our protective sentinel.
Needing to pee, I extracted myself from the alphas, patting them all gently until they settled back down. They were exhausted, their normal dominance just a low hum. I assumed they would remain that way until I returned their energy.
When I slipped off the bed, Slade rose and followed me without a word, straight into the bathroom. “I’m not peeing with you in here,” I said with a snort of laughter, attempting to shove him back out the door.
He just smirked. “Actually, you are, and you better get used to it. I’m literally not taking my eyes off you for at least twenty fucking years.”
I bounced from foot to foot, before throwing my hands in the air and yanking down my panties to drop on the warm seat. I had to avert my eyes as stage fright froze my bladder, but in the end, I was far too desperate to hold it in.
True to his word, Slade never took his eyes off me, leaned against the door as if to stop anyone else from entering. When I was finished, I washed my hands and dried them on a towel, before padding over to him.
His palms wrapped around my thighs in his favorite position, and I was lifted until I could wrap my legs around his waist. He walked us back into the bedroom, the soft breaths of my pack soothing my inner wolf. Slade settled into the wide armchair, his arms still around me, warm hands pressed against my spine. I dropped my knees on either side of him to get comfortable, before all but collapsing against his chest.
We remained like that for a long time, the fire of his dragon burning into me. Every now and then he would stroke his hands up and down my spine, and I was calmed by his steady heartbeat. We didn’t speak a word, but it felt healing nonetheless. By the time theothers started to stir, the rumble of my stomach was loud enough for everyone to hear.
Slade reluctantly returned me to the bed, where my pack dragged me into their arms one by one for hugs and kisses. After believing I’d lost everything, to have them all like this was overwhelming. Once again, my eyes were leaking like a damn tap.
Hunter licked my tears right up. “Every part of you belongs to me, little omega,” he said.
The guys bundled me into sweats, and when we reached the kitchen I couldn’t wait to eat until my stomach hurt. Florence had left meals in the fridge, which Finley got heating immediately, while Slade fixed us drinks.
I ended up with a creamy and sweet cocoa. None of them would let me lift a finger as they moved around in the kitchen. “You’re spoiling me,” I said, sitting at the counter and enjoying all the flex of tanned skin and muscle around me. Every alpha except Slade was shirtless.
“You deserve to be spoiled,” Kellan said as he dropped a kiss on my cheek. There was real happiness on his face, the sort that had been missing for too long. “I predict that within the month, your arms and legs will forget how to work.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “That’s not a good thing, Golden. You’re going to have to let me walk eventually. My wolf will bust out in rage if you don’t.”
He shrugged like he wasn’t convinced he had to let me do anything. Even worse, none of the others spoke up to disagree. “Obsessive bastards,” I murmured, but there was nothing but love in my tone for them as I leaned my head on my hand and sipped the delicious cocoa.
“I can’t believe we almost lost this,” I whispered, briefly closing my eyes against the pain.
The bustle and chaos slowed as all five of them faced me. “We didn’t even come close,” Hunter said, holding my gaze. “No matter what happened, we would have crossed dimensions to come after you. There’s no escaping us, Emmeline Anders. Not even death would steal you away.”
My scent grew stronger, and my wolf howled. “We’re going to be unbreakable soon,” I said, making another promise. “We’ll never be parted again.”
Slade’s dragon rumble made me feel stronger than ever, as if I’d just gotten his stamp of approval. His respect meant everything to me, especially when it came from my actions and not the scent match we shared.
When the timer dinged, a steamy plate of paella was placed in front of me. I was too hungry to let it cool, shoving a spoonful into my mouth, burning it in the process. “Ah, hot,” I gasped, waving my hands across my smarting tongue.
It was already healed by the time I took my second bite, and I could really savor the spice, flavor, and perfectly cooked chicken. The alphas didn’t have to worry about burning their mouths, of course, each of them waiting for me to finish before they even started.
“Tell me what happened in Silver City,” I said, scraping up the last grains of rice. “All I know is that you broke your promise not to do more than just scout.” I shot the three culprits what was supposed to be a stern look, but I wasn’t really angry. They made it home to me, and that was all that mattered. Still, I had to add, “We’re even, then, on me breaking the bond, right? No punishment necessary?”
Kellan laughed around a bite of chicken, and just that sound alone lifted my spirits. “You tell them, baby,” he said, nudging into me once more.
“We did break our promise, little omega,” Hunter drawled. “And we’re sorry we did.”
He placed a plate of warm chocolate chip cookies in front of me and topped up my cocoa.
