My phone buzzes on the nightstand. So does Killian's, somewhere across the room. I reach for my phone because I'm curious.
KNOTHEAD
CUDDLE PILE IN PROGRESS. REGINA'S ROOM. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.
"Dumbass," Killian mutters.
Within minutes, footsteps thunder down the hall. Rowan appears first, raising an eyebrow at the scene before him. Micah is right behind him, and I notice he still has twigs caught in his hair, clearly having shifted recently.
"How did you even check your phone in wolf form?" Killian asks.
Micah shrugs. "Carried it in my mouth."
Rowan's face twists in disgust. "That explainssofucking much about the state of your phone screen. At least get a lanyard."
"Uh. No thanks."
"You're addicted, bro," Sean announces solemnly. "We need to stage an intervention."
Micah is already climbing onto the bed, wedging himself between Sean and the headboard. "I don't want to miss a text from Regina."
"Adorable and pathetic," Sean says approvingly.
Rowan hesitates in the doorway for approximately two seconds before giving in and joining the pile. The bed really isn't designed for five adults, but somehow they make it work. It's a tangle of limbs and warmth and growling, but it works.
"This bed is too small," Rowan mumbles.
"We'll get a bigger one for this room, too," Killian says immediately. "But maybe the nest would be a better idea."
"You mean the weird pit in the den you guys won't let me look at?" I ask.
"It has to be perfect!" Sean says immediately. "You'll be judging our worthiness as mates based on the nest. We can't have a fucked up pillow-to-snack storage ratio."
"I can absolutely promise you I'm not judging your worthiness as mates by that," I say flatly. "I'm not a shifter, remember?"
They all seem to consider this for about three seconds.
"More pillows?" Sean asks, looking over at Micah.
"More pillows," Micah agrees with a solemn nod.
I sigh half-heartedly and roll my eyes, flopping my head back onto the pillow. But it's admittedly kind of tough to be grumpy when I'm surrounded by four human furnaces who happen to give excellent cuddles.
Too bad the university doesn't offer that as a concentration, or they'd all be passing with flying colors.
"You're hopeless," I say, a grin tugging at my lips. The side that can grin normally, at least. The dream's still fucking with my head enough that I turn my head so the bad side is against the pillow.
Luckily, the pack of himbo wolves doesn't seem to notice. Or if they do, they don't comment on it.
Their bickering fades into pleasant background noise as warmth seeps into my bones, insomnia be damned. The weight of warm bodies and the rumble of masculine voices debating nesting materials makes it difficult to even remember what the nightmare was about.
I don't think I'll have any more nightmares tonight.
Chapter 2
REGINA
I've been backat this shit for hours, and my eyes are starting to cross.
