I signaled for Ben to let me down. He hesitated for a moment, pressing his face to my hair before reluctantly lowering me to the mossy forest floor. His hands stayed on my hips to ensure I was steady, and I bit my lip to stop myself from moaning. I wanted to press myself back against him, for him to tighten his grip on me and take me right here. But my omega was insistent—I had to make sure my alphas were safe above anything else. She was pushing to the forefront, trying to take control, and I knew she wouldn’t settle until we were all bonded.
Ben moved my hair so he could kiss the back of my neck, his lips soft against my skin. I almost allowed myself to sink into his touch, but forced myself away from him and up the steps to the front porch. Ben let out a grunt of displeasure and followed after me, but Theo got to me first. He tugged on my arm before I could touch the door handle.
“Wait here, love,” Theo said, caressing my face. I looked up into his warm eyes, automatically leaning in to get a hit of his scent. “Let me check the inside first.”
My omega wanted me to be the one to check the cabin so I could make sure it was a good, safe space for my alphas. I met Theo’s gaze in a silent standoff. His eyes were dark and his expression serious, his alpha pushing through to meet my omega. He raised an eyebrow, a rumbling growl starting in his chest. I let out a small huff before breaking eye contact, reluctantly pulled up my jacket sleeve to reveal the six-digit alarm code Amirah’s alpha had written on my skin this morning.
Theo wrapped his hand around my wrist, his skin hot against mine, and repeated the code to himself.
“Good girl,” he murmured, tipping my head up and gently kissing me before disappearing through the door.
The moment he was out of sight, panic seized my chest. I whimpered, taking a step to follow him, but Cam’s arms encircled my waist.
“He’s coming back, baby girl,” he said, pressing his face against my hair and breathing deeply.
I struggled against his hold for a moment. All I wanted was to hold them all close, but I was balancing on the knife’s edge of a complete meltdown. I had to stay strong a while longer to ensure my alphas were taken care of.
“Fuck. I missed you,” Cam murmured, squeezing me tighter.
Ben pressed himself to my front, wrapping his arms around both of us. I focused on their breaths, each one reassuring me they were here.
Inhale.
Alive.
Exhale.
Alive.
“It’s all clear,” Theo said, joining us on the porch. He clasped Cam and Ben on the shoulder as we all breathed a sigh of relief.
“Come on, angel,” he said, taking my hand.
The floorboards creaked as we walked inside the cabin. It was one large room with dark wood paneling on the walls. A small kitchen sat at one end and a large bed at the other.
“There’s wood here so we can build a fire,” Theo said, gesturing at the stove sitting in the middle of the cabin. Ben walked over and started fiddling with it.
There were two doors off the main room. I peeked into the first one and saw the bathroom with a comically small bathtub.
“This is locked,” Theo said, gesturing to the second door off of the kitchen.
“Oh, that must be the supply room,” I said, pulling up my other jacket sleeve. “That’s the code.”
“Shit,” Theo said once he got the door open. “There’s clothes and other supplies, but also a fucking armory.”
I peered around him to take in a small room with shelves filled with guns and other weapons. It was good that they were there, especially since we would need them tomorrow, but I turned away. I didn’t want to see it, didn’t want a reminder of the danger that still faced us.
Ben got the fire going and was now rifling through the kitchen cupboards. He pulled out several cans of soup and packages of crackers.
“Wait,” I said, tugging him away from the food and towards the table. “You three need to sit down.”
Cam scowled. “Youneed to sit down, sweetheart. We need to look at your leg.”
He reached for me, but I slipped out of his grasp. I couldn’t explain what I was feeling, but my omega wouldn’t let me rest until I was fully convinced my alphas were alright.
“No, you need to sit down,” I said, my voice shaking. “Please.”
My alphas must have seen something in my expression because they all reluctantly sat at the kitchen table.
