"Your choice matters, always."
She turned her face up to look at me, her eyes swimming with tears. "Thank you. For understanding."
I knew who she meant. The Alpha who'd killed her mother.
"Always, sweetheart." I said fiercely. "You don’t have to run, though. All you have to say is that this isn’t what you want."
She nodded, then settled against my chest as my knot slowly deflated. And as I held her, I thought about the conversation we'd need to have when this heat was over. The one where we told her everything. But not yet. For now, I'd just hold her. And pray that when the truth finally came out, she wouldn't hate us.
NAOMI
Iwoke to silence. Not the desperate, heat-driven whimpers and moans. Not the exhausted silence between waves. Normal silence.
My body felt different. Heavy. Sore in ways that made me wince when I shifted. But the burning was gone. The clawing need that had consumed me for days had finally released its grip. The heat had broken.
I opened my eyes and found myself alone in the nest. The room was bright with afternoon sunlight streaming through the windows. How long had I been asleep? The door opened and Kira appeared, carrying an armload of linens.
"Oh thank god," she said, relief flooding her face. "You're awake. And lucid. How do you feel?"
"Like I got hit by a truck." I tried to sit up and immediately regretted it. "Ow. Fuck. Everything hurts."
"That's normal after a breakthrough heat." She set down the linens and moved to help me. "Especially one that lasted nine days."
“Nine days?"
“Nine. You've been in and out of consciousness most of that time." She pressed a hand to my forehead. "No fever. Your scent's different too. Back to normal. Well," She paused. "Normal with some Alpha mixed in."
I looked down at myself, wearing one of their shirts again, my skin marked with hickeys and bite marks that told the story of our time together.
"Where are they?" I asked.
"Downstairs. Preparing a bath for you. Kellan got some kind of special healing soak from a healer, supposed to help with the soreness." She started gathering the sweat-stained sheets from around me. "I'm taking all of this to be cleaned. And then I'm making a real dinner. You need to eat something besides protein bars, yogurt, and fruit."
"You've been here this whole time?"
"Of course I have. You're my best friend. Where else would I be?" She paused, her expression softening. "Besides, those two Alphas kept their word. They took care of you. Respected you. I wasn't going to leave until I was sure you were okay."
"Kira—"
We’d never discussed the bond that we have, and it was clear to me from the way that she was fussing, that it was cemented. I didn’t know what to do about that since she wasn’t male. There wasn’t sexual attraction, but nobody was more in tune to my everyday needs than she was.
She held up a hand. "Don't apologize for needing help. Don't thank me for staying. Let's get you cleaned up and fed, okay?"
I nodded, my throat tight. She helped me out of the nest. My legs were shaky, barely able to support my weight, and still she was able to guide me to the second floor.
"They're waiting for you in the bathroom. Third door on the left." She squeezed my shoulder. She helped me to the door and opened it before helping me inside. "I'll be downstairs if you need me."
KELLAN
The bath was ready.
I'd followed the healer's instructions exactly. Water temperature at 101 degrees, the entire contents of theOmega Post-Heat Recovery Simmer Bathpacket dissolved completely. The water had turned a milky lavender color, and the scent of chamomile, lavender, and something earthier filled the steam.
"This is supposed to help?" Rowan asked, skeptical.
"That's what she said. Reduces inflammation, soothes sore muscles, helps the Omega's body recover faster." I had three more packets for the days following, different blends for different stages of recovery. "We follow the instructions, we give her body what it needs to heal."
"And then we tell her."
