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He looked into the box, then back at the picture, and a smile spread across his face. I’d been looking forward to this reaction all morning. My mate loved puzzles, and from the happiness coming through our bond, I’d chosen well.

“You had this made for me?”

“Yes.” I leaned closer and touched the picture. “I wanted you to have one of all of us.”

His fingers brushed over the girls’ faces before he carefully set the box aside and drew me onto his lap.

“Thank you, sweet Omega.” He kissed me, keeping his arm around me when I pulled back. “Will you help me with it?”

“I was hoping you’d ask.”

I settled against his chest while he looked at our picture again, still smiling.

By late morning, wrapping paper was everywhere, along with open boxes, cushions, and the girls’ new toys. Darius had put the puzzle safely out of their reach before joining the others at the dartboard.

Caius had fixed it to a section of wall, and Leon had measured the distance and marked a line on the floor. Caius’s first dart landed almost exactly in the centre, while Leon’s landed near the edge.

Leon studied the board. “I’ll try again.”

“Adjust your grip,” Caius said.

Leon’s next dart landed no closer to the centre. Darius went next and missed the board completely. He looked down at the remaining dart in his hand, adjusted his grip and took another throw.

Alaric sat beside me on the rug with Vaela in his lap. Seren turned her wooden star over in her hands, occasionally looking up to see what everyone was doing. I watched my mates discuss their scores and take their turns, playing far longer than I’d expected.

By evening, the girls were asleep in their cots, worn out by their presents and a whole day of having their fathers’ attention. I kissed their soft cheeks and tucked their blankets around them. Once Eira had settled in to watch them, I took Alaric’s hand and walked with him from the nursery to my bedroom.

The rest of my mates were already in my nest, lounging against the cushions and talking quietly, their hair still damp from their showers. I’d never get tired of finding them all in here, looking so comfortable and waiting for me.

Lucien looked up and held out his hand. “Come here, my darling.” He moved over to make room beside him, and I smiled, let go of Alaric’s hand, and climbed in.

I’d barely reached him when a strange warmth started low in my belly. It spread so quickly that I bent forward and clutched the blankets.

“My heart?”

I tried to answer, but a small whine escaped me instead. Lucien took my wrist and checked my pulse.

“Something’s wrong.” A cramp made my whole body tremble, and slick ran down my legs, soaking my trousers. “I think I’m dying.”

Alaric took my hand, and I looked up at my mates, realising they were changing too. Their shoulders looked broader, their muscles so tense that their clothes pulled tight across them. Sweat shone at their temples, and veins stood out along their necks and across their hands. Caius let out a low growl, answered by another beside me, and I glanced between them, suddenly aware of how much space they filled.

Alaric still held my hand gently, but his voice sounded deeper.

“No, my heart. You are not dying. Your first Heat has begun.”

I caught his sleeve with both hands as another cramp made me cry out.

“Help me. Please, it hurts!”

He lifted me into the centre of the nest. I pulled him down to kiss me, wriggling beneath him until I felt the hard line of him through his clothes.

“I have you, my heart.”

He tore my clothes off and freed himself, then entered me so quickly that my breath caught. I arched beneath him, pressing my head back into the pillow. I’d been bracing for more pain, but the relief was so sudden that I could only cling to him.

“More,” I begged, clutching his back. “Harder. Please, Alpha, I need it harder.”

Alaric moved hard and deep, one hand braced beside my head and the other gripping my hip. Each time he pulled back, I followed him without thinking, desperate to keep the relief he’d given me.