Page 137 of The Rogues

“Josie?” I ask, moving to look at her. Her forehead is covered in sweat, but her eyes are no longer dilated. She looks at me, awareness coming back to her.

“Cyrus,” she whines, her lip wobbling.

The guys all move closer, trying to touch her and comfort her any way they can.

“Welcome back, my flower,” Jamie says, bent over at our heads so he can kiss her gently before backing away again.

“Oh my god,” she says, exasperated. “Oh my god, is it over?”

“Yes, baby.” Remi moves some of her hair out of her face and touches her gently. “It’s over. Everything will be back to normal now.”

Tears spill over in Josie’s eyes; I realize she must be feeling a rush of hormones and emotions, and my arms move around her protectively. Anxiety bleeds into the bond, the loss of control during the heat wracking her nervous system.

“I’m going to go get the⁠—”

“No, you’re not,” I warn Malaki, a bark in my tone. “We’re all going to sit here with our omega. We can worry about clean up later.”

Josie’s cries are heartbreaking, but she calms the longer we’re all touching her, surrounding her. Lennon practically crawls on top of her to help ground her, his own eyes becoming damp.

“I’m so glad you’re back to us, little vicious,” he says.

She whimpers, but then her hand reaches out and wipes Lennon’s tears away. “I missed you. Oh my god.”

“The first one is always the most intense, I’ve heard,” I whisper in her ear. “We’re all here. You’re safe.”

She nods in response, and I feel that reassurance alleviate some of her anxiousness through the bond. She wraps her arms around me and rests her cheek on my chest as she catches her breath.

“That was so… wild,” she settles with, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “I was here, but I wasn’t. And you were all so connected. It was like my omega and I switched places. Like I was the one lying dormant.” She shakes her head again. “Oh my god.”

To hear it put that way is astonishing to me. “Did you feel everything?”

“Yes,” she says. “But it was like being drunk. Well, that’s not a good enough comparison, but that’s the best way to put it.”

“I’m sure we will all recognize that feeling when we have ruts,” Remi says supportively. “I mean, wrangling that control back when you’re on the brink of it is hard, and now I see why. It’s just our alphas taking over.”

“Do you feel okay?” Jamie asks her. “Do you need anything?”

Josie’s body turns more and more languid, her exhaustion showing itself as she lies lax in our arms. “I think I need a good bath. And a hefty snack.”

Lennon raises his hand. “I volunteer as tribute. Anything in particular?”

She smiles weakly at him. “I trust you.”

I feel that trust through the bond, not just for Lennon but for all of us. We all lean in again, feeling the powerful emotion, basking in it. I’m not sure if it’s in response to Josie’s distress, but all of our chests begin to vibrate, a chorus of steady purrs echoing in the nest. Even Jamie looks lulled by it, closing his eyes and sighing happily.

“I love you,” Josie says so quietly, and to no one in particular. It’s a hushed sentiment against my skin that I want to bottle up and keep with me forever.

The comfortable silence, besides all of our harmonizing purrs, edges on for what feels like forever. I’m positive we each take a tiny cat nap while we wait for the bliss to run out, but it never does. I could sit in this nest with the five of them for the rest of our lives and be completely content, but my alpha instincts stir me, prompting me to get things going.

“It’s time for us to get up, I think,” I say regrettably, but they all hum in agreement. “We don’t have to go out into society just yet, but we should at least try to venture back into the other part of our house.”

Josie smiles. “Our house.”

“Yes, Omega. Ours.” I kiss her forehead and look to my pack mates. “Remi, you prepare the bath. Lennon, get a snack ready. Jamie is going to make sure there are clean towels, and Malaki⁠—”

“The thermometer,” he says proudly. They all get up to exit the nest, looking over their shoulders cautiously just in case Josie calls back out to them. We must have all read up on how sensitive omegas can be after their heats are over, but Josie just sighs in my arms.

“Why a thermometer?” Josie asks when the others step out of the room.