I suck in a sharp breath and release him. "It's her. I know her. Doc, I know where she is."
Chapter 31: Mona
There must have been a sedative in that tea. I groan and stretch, feeling almost dizzy. I'm going to kill that old bastard, I think.
When we got back to the house after Kellen and Doc pried me from Lily's mother's hands as she begged and pleaded for answers, thinking I had anything useful to share because I stupidly said I knew where Lily was—surprise, Idon't—they rushed me back here, after calling my mates who met us at the cabin.
I was frantic throughout my explanation, and Grayson tried to help explain to the others the dreams I told him about, and through it all, they kept asking questions I didn't have answers to, and I just fucking lost it.
Kellen, Eli, and a handful of other shifters were in a frenzy around me. Orion held me, Doc shoved tea under my nose, and Grayson—well, he was texting furiously, and I felt so foolish, wanting to tell them I have no idea what I really saw, and who knows if it was real, and I don't know where that prison cell is. Only that it's dark and dungeon-like.
That could be anywhere.
And I got that poor woman's hopes up, and that's what really fucked me up. Right on the heels of helping that couple, letting them think holding my hand could get them pregnant—what the hell is wrong with me?
I'm a lunatic.
I'm an idiot and an imposter, and I have nothing—absolutelynothing—to offer these people, and they look at me like I'm their fucking salvation.
It's too much. I feel like I can't breathe.
You're spiraling again, Beep says calmly.
"I know. I know." I scratch my scalp, dropping my forehead in my hands and curse. "Fuck, what am I going to do?"
Beep doesn't respond, but I don't expect her to. If anything, I feel her urgent comfort, like an aggressively tight hug, settling my unsteady nerves. I suck in a breath, and it aches. An intense need to scent my mates, to have them close, their bodies and warmth, is overwhelming. I want to nestle into them, bury my head in layers of soft blankets.
I need them.
Something draws my attention toward the end of the hall. To the strange, empty room with the giant bed.
An odd, keening sound spills from my chest. A whimper. I don't understand what's happening.
As if I called them, the door swings open. It slams against the wall, and then they're there. Both of them. I nearly collapse in relief, and Orion wraps me up in his arms.
I fall into their embrace, letting them overpower me, stealing every free inch of my skin with their roaming hands. Limbs tangle, and I get it again, an aggressively tight hug, from them this time. Beep is there, too.
And my alphas begin… purring.
I've heard it before, from Orion mostly. I feel like Grayson has done it too, though I can't recall when. But it vibrates from their chests, echoing into the chambers of my heart, rattling my insides, forcing the rhythm of my heartbeat to match their own.
We breathe like this, hearts beating together, until I feel stable again. Strong. Ish.
Their scents fill a place inside me I didn't know was empty. It's so thick I can taste it. Chocolate and hazelnut. And a warm, sugary cinnamon bun toasted over a campfire. Intentionally mouthwatering, like nature chose the perfect scents to tempt me, making me clench with need.
I wonder what my scent does to them. Because if it's anything like this…
"How did you know I needed you?" I ask.
"We heard your omega cry."
That must have been the sound in my chest. "Thank you for coming. I didn't know… I don't know what I need. Or what's happening. I feel like such a disaster. I'm so sorry." I sniff, holding back the tears.
"Don't say that," Orion chastises, pulling away enough to meet my gaze. He brushes a strand of hair from my face. "Never apologize for needing us. And you aren't a disaster. Honestly, a lot of this is new for us, too. We were talking with Doc. He's going to find an omega who might help you through all of these changes. Gray and I… we're the ones who owe you an apology, firefly."
"For what? You guys have given me so much already," I cry, trying to sit up so I can look at them properly. And the image is almost too much. Both slightly disheveled, as if it's been days since they slept, leaning against my headboard. Strands of Grayson's dark hair have fallen out of the leather strap he often keeps his hair half-tied back in. What is tied up isn't perfect, which makes him look even sexier. He barely fits on this bed,his big, hard body so incongruent with the fluffy pillows and mounds of blankets.
Orion's dirty blond hair is messy, expression weary but loving. Like he's had a trying day, but he can rest now that he's home with me. I think about the couple from the cafe. And I think of that relaxed state I felt then, something akin to domestic bliss. Ease in daily life. That's what this feels like.
