Landon hesitates, then Carson reaches out without even looking and hooks two fingers in the belt loop of his jeans, tugging him in. “Couch tax,” he says. “Payment is proximity.”
Hunter leans back to make space, and suddenly Landon is between me and Carson, the heat of him pressed along my legs. Carson’s foot hooks around his ankle, grounding him there, and Finn shifts just enough to rest a shoulder against him in silent welcome.
It takes maybe two seconds for the tension to bleed out of him. He exhales, long and slow, and his hand finds mine, fingers tangling as if he’s afraid I might let go.
“See?” I murmur, grinning up at him. “You fit.”
He gives me that boyish grin that used to undo me, only now it’s gentler. “Yeah,” he whispers, almost to himself. “I do.”
The six of us become one warm, tangled sprawl. Graham’s chest is my pillow. Carson keeps massaging my calves. Landon’s hand rests on my knee, thumb tracing slow, unconscious circles. Hunter’s fingers thread lazily through my damp hair. Finn lets out a long, soft sigh and drops his head against Carson’s shoulder.
The quiet stretches. The TV is on low, some random cooking show no one is watching. The only sounds are steady breaths and the occasional clink of Carson stealing a piece of leftover bread from the coffee table.
“This feels…” I start, but my voice wobbles.
“Right?” Landon finishes softly.
I nod, swallowing past the lump in my throat. “Right. Like… like home.”
Graham presses a kiss to the top of my head. Hunter hums in agreement. Landon’s hand slides a little higher on my leg, gentle but possessive.
“Get used to it,” he says, and there’s a smile in his voice.
I sink back into the cushions completely surrounded.
Graham’s solid heat at my right, his arm draped behind me, a wall I can lean on. Landon to my left, thumb tracing lazy circles on my thigh, still memorizing that I’m real. Carson is pressed in beside him, his knee touching Landon’s, grin crooked and full of mischief. Finn is next to Carson, sketchbook abandoned somewhere on the coffee table, his fingers tapping restlessly against his thigh. Hunter’s on the end, closest to the armrest, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, watching me with soft, predatory eyes.
All five of them. My world. My pack.
My chest swells until I can’t keep it in anymore. I shift, tucking my feet under me and turning so I can see all of themat once. My pulse thrums with certainty and want. “I don’t want to wait anymore,” I say softly.
Graham tilts his head. “Wait for what, baby girl?”
“For this to feel official,” I whisper. My gaze drifts to Landon first. “I want everyone to know you’re mine.” Then to Finn. “That you’re mine too. Not just in our hearts, but in a way no one else can ever touch. I want you to bite me.”
Finn’s breath hitches, and Landon swallows hard.
“I already have claim marks from Graham, Carson, and Hunter,” I say, heart pounding. “But tonight…I want to mark all five of you. If you’ll let me.”
The room goes still.
Carson exhales as if he’s been holding it in for days, grin widening. “Peaches, you have no idea how long I’ve wanted to hear you say that.”
Hunter’s voice is low and rough. “Are you sure?”
“Completely,” I say, voice trembling with excitement. “I want you—all of you—to be mine.”
Landon leans in first, his lips brushing my ear, his voice a low growl that slides down my spine. “Wherever you want me,” he murmurs. “I’m yours.”
My chest tightens, heat curling low in my belly. I kiss him first, tasting warmth and home, and his musk wraps around me, curling into my lungs. My pheromones spill free, sweet and sharp, telling all of them exactly what I want.
“Let’s go to my nest,” I whisper against his mouth. Then I pull back and spring to my feet, a giddy laugh spilling out of me as I bolt down the hall.
Behind me, there’s a tangle of footsteps and muffled curses as they scramble after me. I throw my door open, heart hammering, and step into the safe cocoon of my nest. My fingers are clumsy, desperate, as I strip every scrap of clothing away. By the time they fill the doorway, I’m already flushed and trembling, bare skin prickling in anticipation.
“I’m ready.”
The words barely leave my lips before Landon growls—deep, raw, pure alpha—and stalks toward me. His eyes are molten, hungry, the look of a man who’s been starved for me and can’t wait another second. I shiver under the weight of his attention, my breath coming fast.
