The Omega Knotting a Stranger

18

LILY

M y vision swims, the edges blurry and distorted like I’m underwater. The door to the room opens, flooding the space with light that hurts my eyes. Three tall silhouettes appear. For a moment, I wonder if I’m hallucinating—if the fever burning through my veins has finally pushed me over the edge into delirium.

I blink slowly, struggling to focus. My mind feels wrapped in cotton, thoughts sticky and disconnected. I clutch Hunter’s discarded Henley tighter to my chest, burying my nose in the fabric. The scent grounds me and provides comfort that eases the burning under my skin. I’ve been huddled in this laundry nest for hours to ease the ache, fully aware of what I’m doing, but it’s as though something in my mind clicked and I just needed to be surrounded by the Alphas scents. I couldn’t stop if I tried.