"That's not how that works." Jin-ho's voice rumbled against my back, dry and amused, the sound vibrating through where our bodies pressed together. He shifted, propping himself up on one elbow so he could look down at me, his silver-grey hair falling across his forehead in disheveled waves. His amber eyes were soft, warm in a way they rarely were with anyone else, the ice prince thoroughly melted. "How do you feel?"
"Sore." I admitted, and felt five flickers of guilt pulse through the bonds simultaneously. I sent reassurance back immediately, a warm wave of comfort. "Good sore. Thoroughly claimed sore."
"Thoroughly is one word for it." Min-jun appeared on Jin-ho's other side, his soft brown eyes scanning my face with that nurturing concern I'd come to expect from him, cataloging every detail. His brown hair was mussed, softer than I'd ever seen it, and his hand found mine immediately, fingers intertwining with practiced ease. "Do you need anything? Water? Food? A bath?"
"I need all of you to stop looking at me like I'm going to break." I said, squeezing his hand firmly. "The heat's over. I survived. We all survived."
"We did more than survive." Jae-won's voice was quiet but firm, cutting through the chatter with pack alpha authority.The others stilled, looking at him. "We completed the bond." The words hung in the air, heavy with significance. Five bonds hummed in my chest, as if responding to the acknowledgment, pulsing brighter for just a moment.
"I want to see them." I said suddenly, the need urgent and undeniable. "The marks. I want to see all of them." There was a moment of shuffling as everyone adjusted, making room. Min-jun disappeared briefly, the nest dipping with his absence, and returned with a hand mirror, his expression soft as he handed it to me.
I sat up slowly — wincing at the ache in my muscles — and held the mirror up, angling it to see my collarbone.
My breath caught.
The flowers were beautiful. Five of them, arranged on a branch that curved from behind my ear down toward my heart, each one distinct in color and shape. The crimson one near my ear — Tae-min's — was bold and vibrant, its petals detailed with fine lines that hadn't been there before. Next came the deep indigo — Jae-won's — rich and dark and anchoring. Then the rose-pink — Min-jun's — soft and delicate over my heart. The golden amber — Hwan's — bright and warm at my pulse point. And finally, closest to my heart, the violet — Jin-ho's — deep and beautiful, its petals intricate with detail.
All of them complete. All of them permanent.
"They're beautiful." I breathed, my fingers hovering over the marks without quite touching, afraid to disturb them somehow.
"Show me yours." I looked up at Hwan, lowering the mirror. "I want to see yours."
He grinned, that sunshine smile brightening his whole face, and held out his left wrist. The teal flower there — my mark on him — was complete now too, fine lines tracing every petal, every leaf. I took his wrist gently, cradling it in my palm, and ran mythumb over the mark. Through the bond, I felt his golden thread pulse with warmth.
"It finished when you bit me." Hwan said, his voice soft with wonder, his brown eyes fixed on where my thumb traced his skin. "Watched it happen. Most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
One by one, they showed me their wrists. Jin-ho's flower, complete and perfect, his amber eyes soft as I traced the lines. Tae-min's, vibrant with detail, his dark chocolate eyes bright with pride as I examined it. Min-jun's, soft and intricate, his fingers squeezing mine as I ran my thumb over the petals. Jae-won's — I traced the completed mark with trembling fingers, feeling his indigo thread thrum in response, his dark eyes never leaving my face.
"We're really bonded." I said, the reality of it finally sinking in, settling into my bones. "All of us. For life."
"For life." Jae-won confirmed, his voice rough with emotion, his jaw tight. "You're ours, Keira. And we're yours." I looked around at all of them — these five men who had somehow become my entire world. All of them watching me with such love, such devotion, that it made my chest ache.
"I love you." The words spilled out before I could stop them, surprising even me. I felt five bonds flare with shock, then overwhelming joy, the emotions crashing into me from every direction. "I know it's fast. I know we've only known each other for— god, has it even been two months? But I?—"
I took a shaky breath, tears sliding down my cheeks.
"My mother always said soulmates were a trap. That the bond was a cage. But this doesn't feel like a cage." I looked at each of them in turn — Hwan's shining eyes, his lower lip trembling; Jin-ho's soft smile, tears tracking silently down his cheeks; Tae-min's wobbling chin, his dark eyes bright and wet; Min-jun's tear-streaked face, his hand gripping mine like a lifeline; Jae-won's fierce gaze, his jaw clenched against his ownemotion. "This feels like freedom. Like I finally found where I'm supposed to be. And I love you. All of you. I know it seems fast, but?—"
"It's not fast." Jin-ho interrupted, his voice rough and cracking, his amber eyes intense as they held mine. He reached out to cup my cheek, his thumb brushing away a tear. "Soulmates don't need time to learn how to love. The bond knows. It's always known."
"We've loved you since the moment the bond triggered.." Hwan added, his sunshine smile wobbling with emotion, tears spilling down his golden cheeks. His hand found my hip again, squeezing gently.
I was crying in earnest now, tears streaming down my face, but I was smiling too — so wide it hurt, my cheeks aching with it.
"I love you." I said again, because I could, because it was true, because five bonds were singing with it. "I love you, I love you, I love you." They descended on me then — five bodies pressing close, five pairs of lips pressing kisses to whatever skin they could reach, five voices murmuring "I love you" back until the words blurred together into a chorus. Through the bonds, I felt their love crashing into me from every direction all of it mine, all of it ours, all of it forever.
Pack,my omega sighed, content in a way I'd never felt before.Home. Ours.
Home.
I'd spent my whole life running from the idea of soulmates, of bonds, of belonging to someone. But lying there in the nest, surrounded by five alphas who loved me, marked by them and marking them in return, I finally understood.
I hadn't lost myself in the bonds. I'd found myself, and I was finally, blessedly, home.
Chapter Forty-Three
JAE-WON
