What is even more significant is how they’ve peeled back all of my layers and love each one. I don’t have to hide who I am or pretend that certain pieces of me aren’t lovable. I couldn’t hide even if I tried—now that I have two bonds—I feel them through the new connection. I do my best to not wake them, even though I’m not really sure how to hold back just how happy I feel. I seek them through the bond anyway.
Both of them are content and tired. I’ve no doubt run them ragged during my heat. Even though some parts of my heat are fuzzy, the part where we bonded is crystal clear. Unfortunately, so is the part about my heat being forced and exactly how much danger I was in.
The weight on my chest stiffens, and Mikael talks to me in a soft voice. “Charlotte?”
“Hey,” I reply.
“What’s wrong? Your scent.”
I clear my throat. Everything is on the table with my Alphas, even if Mikael didn’t with bond me during my heat, which hurts more than I’d like to admit. I open my mouth to speak, and I shut it. Mikael’s hands grip my face, and he’s close enough that I can see his face.
“I was just thinking about how I ended up in heat.”
“I’m so fucking sorry, Charlotte.”
I clear my throat. Thinking back to everything, I remember barricading myself into the room and Alphas I didn’t know banging on the door and how helpless I felt. Someone the guys trusted had put me in such a dangerous position.
“It was Jake,” I say, remembering that I mentioned his name, but not knowing if he had been dealt with.
“It’s been taken care of. Never again, Charlotte. I wanted to fucking kill him. I’m never letting you be in a dangerous position like that.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
Mikael scoffs. “Trusting Jake was our fault. You’re too precious to me—to us. You’re everything, Charlotte. You’ve been through too much bad shit, and all I want to do is make it better.”
I blink and squint at him.
“Why didn’t you bond with me then?”
He shakes his head and stands up. “Come with me.”
I grab his hand and shiver when the morning air hits my skin. He grabs a hoodie from the corner and puts it on me. The hem hits my knees, and I have to roll up the sleeves. When I sniff at the collar, I immediately scent it as Eli’s.
Mikael rifles through another bag, grabbing my glasses case before taking them out and putting them on my face. I smile when I see his face clearly for the first time. He smiles back and kisses the corner of my mouth. With my hand in his, he walks me down to the kitchen. I’ve seen the guy’s place before, but seeing it now feels different. They built me a nest. They had me in mind when they built this house. It’s not massive, but it’s big enough for all of us, plus some. The thought makes me smile, and I shake it out of my head.
Once we’re in the kitchen, Mikael grabs me by the hips and puts me on the counter.
“Hungry?” I nod my head, and he digs in the fridge and pulls out some fruit and croissants. He tosses those in the microwave while he puts the fruit next to me. I’m hungrier than I realize as I start shoveling grapes in my mouth like a squirrel going into hibernation.
“How many days has it been?”
“Only four,” he says. I nod and sigh.
“You guys missed a game?”
His hands are on my thighs under the hoodie, kneading my flesh as he kisses my cheek. “It was one game, Charlotte.”
I furrow my brows. “I told you I would never make you choose.”
He shakes his head. “I was an idiot. The choice is always you,mon sucre d’érable.”
I clear my throat. The emotion of what he is saying to me is heavy and comforting at the same time. All I have ever wanted was for Mikael to fully commit to me, to not be on the fence, and to be one hundred percent sure about what we have.
“Why didn’t you bond with me then?”
He nods his head. “I wanted to say a few things first and, well, I selfishly wanted to make sure you remembered it.”
“I remember bonding with Eli and Anders,” I assure him. I need to make sure they know that too. I might have been in heat, but that life-changing of an event made my mind clear.
