Time fractures.
I don't know how long I'm there—minutes, hours. The cramps come and go in vicious waves, leaving me shaking, sobbing, gasping.
My voice goes hoarse from screaming.
My throat burns.
My mind floats in and out.
I'm dimly aware of a light flicking on next door. A door opening. Footsteps pounding across grass.
Then arms are under me, lifting me.
"Vee—hey, hey. I've got you."
Finn's voice is frantic. His arms are strong and warm, wrapping me up carefully. "Oh gods—Vee. I'm sorry. We didn't know. We should've—"
I try to speak but the words dissolve into a sob.
Finn cradles me closer, murmuring soothing nonsense as he carries me. "You're okay. You're safe. I've got you."
I slip in and out as he crosses the lawn and brings me inside his house. The warmth hits my wet skin, and my body shudders.
A cramp seizes me again and I cry out.
Finn swears under his breath.
"Malcolm!" he calls. "Alex!"
Footsteps rush in.
Malcolm appearsfirst, face tight with alarm, shirt half-on. Alex is right behind him, eyes sharp.
"What happened?" Malcolm demands.
Finn doesn't answer.
Because the moment Malcolm and Alex get close enough, their noses flare.
They scent it.
Heat.
Their faces change—alarm deepening into something taut and instinctive.
"Fuck," Alex mutters, voice low and controlled.
Malcolm's jaw tightens. "She's in heat."
I gasp as another cramp hits. My body curls inward instinctively, and I inhale sharply—
And the world changes.
The scents run me over like a freight train.
Not muted. Not blurred. Not blocked.
Full.
