Instinct had me stripping off my jersey, shirt, and jeans. “Pack huddle,” I suggested, and the others followed suit by stripping off.
The bed in here was huge, which meant we had more than enough room. Hunter placed Emme in the center, and I slid up behind her. My bear rose to join as we wrapped her in our arms, silently begging her beast to come out and play with mine.
Kellan helped Hunter haul the two massive dragons into the bed, and as their scents rose around us, all I could smell was pack and sex. It calmed my beast in a way I didn’t expect, and somehow felt right.
Hunter slid in behind Slade, which was the safest option with our touch-shy pack mate. The dragon would flip if he woke up to anyone else touching him.
We were all naked, but hey… what was a little naked cuddling between pack mates to save our lives. Focusing on the omega in my arms, I thanked the fucking universe when her pulse finally started to settle. “It’s working,” I murmured, and Kellan let out a huff, like he could finally breathe.
“They’re sharing the magical energy. Their beasts are starting to move in the bond,” Hunter confirmed.
Heat spread through all of us, and the contented rumble of my bear grew louder. There was no way this situation should encourage sleep, which was difficult for me at the best of times, but the longer we lay there in a pack huddle, the more relaxed I grew until eventually I drifted off.
CHAPTER 12
EMME
For my entire life I’ve felt my wolf in my soul. Our essences have always been connected in such a complex way that you could never truly separate one from the other. Sure, there were years she was no more than a whisper, but from the first moment we shifted together, she was a strong, connected entity inside of me.
Two parts of the same soul.
And only ever us.
When our quintet sealed, those final strands from Talon securing our power in a way that felt unbreakable, a new energy had raced through my veins and shattered everything I had ever known.
It was no longer just us.
The icy bite of magic rushed through the quintet, and instinct told me that it had been there inside me the whole time, hidden behind the majestic strength of my wolf.
The completion of our bond had unlocked my magic, and now it was a wild, untapped source of power inside me. All of my pack was there as well, their individual strengths joining my new power. Dragons, wolves, and a bear ebbed and flowed with the force of the magic in our essence.
It was a current I couldn’t fight against. I had no idea how to control such power, though it had clearly always been contained within me.
As I battled the surges of magic, warmth wrapped around me,warmth filled with mocha, vanilla, cherry, cinnamon and caramel scents.
Our pack had come for us.
As the six of our beasts huddled together, the magical shitstorm started to calm, and we found a new normal within our quintet. Consciousness returned in slow increments, and with it, my magic continued to settle. While it was a wild, untamed energy, it also held hints of curiosity as it poked at me and my wolf, finding us a solid team. The magic didn’t know where it fit, and to be honest, I had no idea myself.
It felt new and out of place—only it wasn’t. It had been with me since birth too, just caged and hidden behind my beast. Constantine was responsible for that, I didn’t even have to ask to know.
Darlin?
The grumbly whisper in the mental connection had my wolf turning toward her bear, who towered over us protectively. Our bonds shimmered in a beautiful golden-pink shade, and when I stroked the link to the bear, I felt his energy. Gruff but soft. Finley held a strength that would withstand the ages, as ancient and solid as the earth itself.
Kellan prowled closer, his tan coat glistening with golden strands as I felt his unwavering warmth surround me. Always sunshine in shifter form.
Are you okay, little omega?The hugest of the wolves, black as night, stepped forward and into my circle of power. As was his right as entitled alpha.
I was the center of them and controlled the quintet, but Hunter stood a close second.
I’m okay.I felt strangely at peace in this new normal.
On either side of us two dragon sentinels guarded their treasures, near identical except for a slight variation in color. We stood as a pack in our essence, all of our beasts and bonds visible, and it was the most spectacular thing I’d ever experienced.
Can you feel the magic?I asked, sending the question to all of them. My wolf tilted her head back to nose against the magic, which continued to try to find its place.
There was a rumble from Slade, which would have shaken the ground if this entire conversation wasn’t happening in our minds.We feel it. It is ours, just as you are ours.
