She pushed herself up on one elbow, then winced faintly and stilled. I reached out without thinking, squeezing her shoulder.
“Easy,” I said. “You pushed yourself pretty hard these past few days.”
She flicked her gaze over my face, then past me to the others.
“Everyone okay?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said. “Because of you.”
Her expression softened, then tightened like she didn’t quite know how to accept that.
“You did more than you needed to, little mate,” I went on quietly. “And now,” I said gently, “we’re going to take care of you.”
Movement stirred around us.
Griff was awake now, eyes open, watching us with that familiar steady warmth. Bishop turned his head slightly, listening quietly on his cot. Eamon stirred against the wall, blinking himself awake, and Nox cracked one eye open, watching us in silence.
They exchanged looks.
Eamon stood, stretching stiffly. His gaze flicked to her face. “You’ve been carrying everyone else for days. Let us carry you for a bit.”
Tamsin sat up a little more, the blanket falling to her waist. The neckline of the borrowed shirt she wore slipped slightly, revealing the slope of her collarbone, and the faintest flush rising along her chest.
Her eyes moved from Eamon to Griff, to Bishop, to Nox, and finally, back to me.
“I’m fine,” she said too quickly. Her voice was still rough from sleep, but there was a certain strained tightness to it.
Eamon gave a quiet huff. “That’s not what your scent says.”
Griff sat up, rubbing a hand over his face. “You’re burning up, Tam. We can all sense it. I know you can too.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but stopped when she saw my eyes narrow.
I reached out again, brushing my knuckles lightly down her cheek. Her skin was warm—hot, actually—with that telltale flush that came with a wolf’s heat.
“You’ve been so strong,” I murmured. “But you don’t have to be alone in this. Not when you have us.”
The others moved closer now, slowly, giving her space but offering presence. Griff sat beside her on the cot. Eamon moved to kneel beside it, eyes soft, careful. Bishop came around to her other side. Nox stayed near the foot of the cot, lounging in that casual way of his, but even his eyes had lost their usual aloof glint.
Tamsin’s breathing had quickened.
She licked her lips, then looked up at me. “It’s… hard to think.”
“That’s your heat,” I explained, keeping my voice soft and soothing. “It’ll get stronger until we help you through it.”
Her cheeks flushed deeper. “I didn’t know it would feel like this.”
I leaned in, letting my hand settle at the curve of her jaw. “It’s okay. You’re safe. You’re with us.”
She nodded, just a small, shaky motion.
Griff reached out, brushing her hair back. “We’ll go slow, sweetheart.”
Eamon added, “You lead. We follow.”
That flicker of tension in her spine eased enough for me to notice. Then she exhaled. Her voice, when it came, was smaller than usual, but steady. “Actually, I don’t want slow. Not right now.”
That stilled all of us.
