Even over the distance, her face is flushed, her eyes are dilated, and her lips are pink and puffy; she looks fucking stunning, but she’s not lost in the throes of heat. And her scent is like a siren’s song, impossible to ignore as it promises nothing but ruination.
Her scent on a normal day sends my head spinning in a million directions, but today, the added layering of her impending cycle blinds and deafens me. That’s what’s meant to happen though… she’s the only thing in my world.
ChapterForty-Nine
HEIDI
“Kai,” the instant I see him, his name comes out like a soft exhale. I feel ridiculously feminine for it, but I’m not going to lie about how easily he makes something in me flutter.
Seeing him again is like finding the final piece in a puzzle that’s been distracting my subconscious and quietly feeding my anxiety. Now that we’re all together again, I literally feel myself relax, even my breathing changes.
In a different context but along a similar line, I intrinsically know falling for Kai is going to be full of endless sweetness from the simplest things. Seeing him, scenting his maple scent, being in the same room are going to bring a race of joy-filled butterflies dancing over my senses. Because he’s the softness I’ve shut out and craved after being let down so many times before.
And the way he looks at me, I know I fill a similar space within him too.
“Are my brothers looking after you, rohi?” he asks with a wide grin that reaches his eyes and makes his teeth flash. But before I can go more cross-eyed in my girly admiration of him, he leans in and kisses all sensible response off my lips before showering me in his maple scent.
I crawl into his arms, nothing could stop me from closing the distance between us because this thing between him and me isn’t only an emotional bond, it’s very much physical too.
Ramses brushes his hand over my back. All of a sudden because of my brewing heat there’s a naggy-ness to my needs that makes me whine more than I have. But they’ve read the situation before I’ve understood it and are using their words, endless touches, and rich alpha scents to reassure me over and over again.
It’s a balancing act though. Ramses orange zesty scent that usually levels me out is also like adding kindling to a roaring fire depending on what my genetics are doing. Like now. And even though he’s running inside to check everyone before we leave because I asked him to, it brings an ache to see him go, my body reminding me of how important this Alpha is.
He barely takes a dozen steps, and he returns, his fingers dancing over my face before he leans in to kiss the tip of my nose softly. “My brothers are with you. One final check, for both our sakes, and then we’re off.” He leaves after whipping his scent over my cheek, and this time it doesn’t feel like I’m straddling an anxiety pit, waiting to fall into it.
I get it’s my heat making me irrational and submissively needy, but in the same breath, it’s them. Along the way back to each other I’ve accepted there’s parts of me that are not independent but that doesn’t detract from my inner strength, if anything, it makes me feel even more powerful in who I am. I am over pretending that Pack Alastor are nothing in my world because there’s nothing further from the beautiful truth. They are a necessary part of my life that I want with a desperation that stuns but no longer scares me.
The drive back home was full of orgasms and honesty. Even without Kai’s input, we’ve been making plans about our future, how we will live, how we will hide. And those plans do involve pack bites and bold declarations of devotion because I want that, and I’ll take it. Despite knowing some of our plans are only hours away from happening, there’s a sense of time dragging; each second feels like an hour.
Kai’s arms tighten, and he squishes me to him. Once again I’m reminded we might be soon packed, but each of us are individuals too with our own emotions to resolve and feelings to deal with. And right this second, Kai feels almost remorseful.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, sitting up to look into his eyes.
His eyebrows tip slightly before he stops walking and lets my feet fall to the ground, but he doesn’t step away, he towers over me and cups my face in his hands, dropping his forehead to mine.
“Nothing’s wrong, wrong. I’m overthinking things, making myself believe you’re looking at me different,” he says.
“I am. I’m looking at you like you are mine, Kairo, and that scares me,” I admit truthfully.
He shakes his head slightly, a smile dancing over his lips before he laughs, and it blows his scent all over my face.
“See, I knew my weird mood was just a classic example of me being an overthinking dick.” He chuckles still.
“How so?”
“I was sure you wouldn’t want to be around me after what I just did,” he says, not putting any space between us.
“With Lowly, I assume?” He nods his head before getting serious, but I cut him off. “Kai, all you did was change the timeline. I feel better knowing they won’t come for me, or Allan, now or ever again.”
“I know it would have been better to go into your heat without any interaction or even having to mention them.”
I lean up for a quick kiss. “Thank you for making me safe. Now please take me to your home. I want us to start our tomorrow, today.” I grin. “Are you going to bite me?”
He nods his head slowly, his eyes glittering. “Bites huh?”
“And lots of orgasms, for bonding,” I tease him before I stretch up again on my tippy-toes. “I want your bites on my body, and your claim on my skin.”
“Oh, that is happening, rohi. I assure you that is happening. What else do you want?”
