"Just hunger. And a strong desire to sleep for three days." I squeeze his hand. "I'm good, Pedro. Really. Better than good. I'm just very thoroughly ruined in the best possible way."
His whole face does this thing. Softens. Gets all tender and possessive at once.
When he leans down to kiss my forehead, slow and sweet, my chest does a stupid flutter thing that has nothing to do with elevated heart rates and everything to do with being completely, utterly gone for these men.
"Good," he murmurs against my skin. "That's exactly what we were going for."
"Exhausted. Hungry. Slightly delirious." I polish off the last bite of toast. "But also weirdly happy? Like, underneath all the physical chaos, there's this warm fuzzy feeling that won't go away."
"That's the bond settling." Pedro releases my wrist, apparently satisfied with whatever he found. "Pack bonds create neurochemical changes. Elevated oxytocin and serotonin. Your brain is literally rewiring itself to be happy with us."
I set my empty plate on the nightstand and look at them. All four of them. Sergio standing by the door, watching. Carlossprawled beside me, fingers tracing patterns on my thigh. Pedro checking my pulse even though he promised not to. Nacho at the foot of the bed, solid and immovable.
"I can feel all of you," I whisper. "In my head. Through the bond. It's like... I'm never alone anymore."
"You're not," Nacho confirms. "That's what pack means."
"Do you regret it?" Sergio's voice is quiet. Careful.
Grey eyes steady on mine. Strong jaw shadowed with stubble. Broad shoulders carrying the weight of leadership he never asked for but accepted anyway.
"No." The word comes out fierce. Certain. "I don't regret a single second."
Something shifts in his expression. The careful neutrality cracks, and underneath I see relief. Hope. Longing.
"Good." He clears his throat. "Because I want to discuss something important."
The room goes still. Carlos's arms tighten around my waist. Nacho leans forward, dark eyes intent. Pedro moves to stand beside his brother.
My heart starts pounding for reasons that have nothing to do with heat.
"That sounds ominous." I try for levity, but my voice wobbles. "Are you about to tell me this was a limited-time offer? Because if so, I'm going to need more bacon first."
"Not a limited-time offer." Sergio reaches out and takes my hand. His palm is warm, calloused from years of hockey and home repairs. "The opposite."
“Unlimited-time?"
"Forever." His thumb traces across my knuckles. "I'm asking for forever."
The air rushes out of my lungs.
"Sergio..."
"Let me finish." He shifts closer, both hands now cradling mine. "When this heat is over, I want you to bond with us. Officially. Permanently. I want you to be our omega. Our pack. Ours."
Silence stretches through the room. I can hear my own pulse thundering in my ears, the tick of the clock on the nightstand, the distant creak of the old house settling around us.
Four men. Watching me. Waiting.
"You're proposing." My voice comes out strangled. "While I'm naked and covered in bite marks and sitting in a nest that smells like a frat house orgy."
"The setting could be better." Carlos's breath is warm against my ear. "But the sentiment stands."
"I want this too." Nacho's voice is rough. "All of us do. We talked about it last night while you were sleeping."
"You had a secret pack meeting about my future while I was unconscious?"
"We had a conversation about our future." Pedro moves to sit on my other side. "You're part of that future. The most important part."
