Chapter 41
forty-one
Bast
How long do you think we have to wait until we go into the nest?
Dair
They’ve been up there for like 12 hours
Fuck it. She needs to eat.
Bringing breakfast.
Bast
Brilliant excuse you glorious bastard
I’ve never been more grateful for a Sunday morning.
Sleeping under the nest? Listening to Asher pleasure our princess all night? Inhaling her perfect perfume and maybe— accidentally —jacking off three or four times?
Torture.
If I had to wake up and run off to accomplish anything, I’d be in misery.
This is better, though.
“Don’t touch that.”
It’s Dair, hissing and glaring at me from across the nest. He’s never whispered at me before, which makes the fact that he’s bent out of shape about me touching a specific blanket even more hilarious.
I pinch the soft silver silk and hold it up. “This?”
“Yes,” he snaps, leaving our breakfast tray on the lip of the recessed mattress so he can snatch the fabric out of my hands. “It’s her favorite.”
My eyes widen. I glance over at Ivy—or, rather, what little I can see of her at the moment. Asher is still knotted, his front pressed to her back, his limbs and a fluffy duvet wrapped around her body. Covering everything apart from the side of her face and her dainty feet.
“When did she tell you that?” I ask, carefully sitting back against the low wall of blankets our omega created. “Did you two sneak back up here at some point?”
Dair glowers at me like that’s some sort of absurd impossibility. As if he didn’t steal her off into the night last week.
That was over a week ago, though, and I haven’t really seen him touch her since. My gaze narrows. “Dair… what did you do?”
Rage flits through his dark eyes. “The fuck are you implying? You think I would hurt our omega?”
He has a point. Of the three of us, he’s proven the most zealous about her safety. I thought he would have a coronary the day I took her for her first riding lesson and she almost fell off Andromeda. He must have laid into me for a full half-hour afterward.
I reach over and snag a grape from our platter, chewing thoughtfully. “So… you won’t sleep in bed with her or, you know, fuck her… but you somehow know which blanket is her favorite? And you’re telling me nothing weird happened?”
Dair grumbles an insult under his breath, but doesn’t give me the death glare I expect. Instead, he keeps his eyes trained on his tattooed hands, flexing his fingers. “Fuck off,” he says without heat.
I keep watching him, waiting for a real answer. When our eyes finally meet, he sighs. “Fine. We went out and talked and… I don’t know. I’m trying to figure out how to make this up to her. The way I treated her. All my other bullshit.”
He shifts, bending his right leg so the erection tenting his joggers is a little less obvious. “It’s not that I don’t want her. Obviously. It’s that I don’t fucking deserve her, and I can’t figure out a way to fix that.”
I can’t exactly argue with him. Looking over at Ivy, it strikes me that no one could ever possibly deserve her. She’s too good and kind and beautiful. I understand why Dair feels particularly unworthy, though, given how he acted in Maytown.
“She’d probably like it if you slept in the bed with us,” I mumble, careful to keep my tone casual. “It’s not like Asher and I are willing to share her, anyway. You can sleep on the other side of me or something.”
A grimace of true pain splits his drawn features. “Not a good idea,” he mutters. “Trust me. I still have—” He cuts himself off with a shake of his head and changes direction. “I wouldn’t be able to control myself. I’m barely doing it now, and our pack leader is still locked inside her .”
Asher looses a low snarl. “Would you two shut up ? Ivy and I didn’t sleep at all.”
I can vouch for that. Still, it’s ironic. Just a month ago, Dair was the one trying to sleep in after a night of non-stop fucking. And Asher was the one dragging his sorry ass out of bed.
“Oh, how the tables have turned,” I chuckle, lightly kicking our alpha’s leg. “Get up and share, Your Highness . Our omega needs to eat something. Regain her strength.”
My jab is ironic. Because, at the moment? I’ve never seen Asher look less like a prince.
He shoots me an irritated glance and sighs, turning to nuzzle at Ivy’s nape. “Good morning, goose.” The arm at her waist tightens. “How do you feel?”
Ivy stretches, moaning quietly before snuggling back into his embrace. “Ash,” she hums sleepily. “Mm. You’re so warm.”
God, the way he smiles . I’ve never seen him so happy . Is that what I look like these days?
It’s how I feel. Even now, watching my angel gaze over her shoulder and kiss Asher… I’ve never been more content.
The harsh lines on Dair’s face soften, too. Without a word, he twists to grab the breakfast tray, setting it on its ornate silver feet in the center of the nest.
For a dickhead with an attitude problem, he definitely knows how to put together a decent spread—omelets, fruit, scones, tea and coffee. I wonder how many times he’s done this in the past.
Ivy seems to have the same thought. Her eyes are shy as they skirt up to Dair’s face and down to the food. The last of his anger dissipates, leaving only exhausted defeat.
His lip quirks up in a bleak half-smile. “Hope it’s up to your standards, little dove. I’ve never done breakfast in bed before.”
That dulls the salty edge of her scent. She swallows, dragging the duvet up to the base of her throat. “It’s great. Thank you.”
She slants a much more spirited look at me. “And you, my lord .”
I grin, lunging forward to steal a kiss. Asher growls low, but Ivy giggles, leaning back to beam at me. “They’re so grumpy,” she stage-whispers.
Laughing, I brush our lips together, relishing her sweetness with a low purr. “Thank God we’re here.”
Asher’s dominance swells, knocking me back to my prior position. I smile crookedly at him. “This is fun. You’re usually impossible to goad.”
The prince pulls our omega straight into his lap, dropping his face to her neck. He clamps his teeth over her shoulder for a long second, inhaling deeply before kissing one of a dozen love bites littering her neck. “Sorry,” he murmurs to her.
With a brief glance in my direction, he adds, “You too, Bast. I’m… ah…”
I shrug, plucking a bowl of berries from our tray. “You’re the pack alpha buried in our omega for the first time. I think you’ve been shockingly polite. The first time I knot her, I’ll probably bite your hand off if you try to touch her.”
Ivy's cheeks flush peachy pink as her perfume sweeps into the air. My canines ache, but I keep smiling as Asher curses, hiding his face in the crook of her neck. Beside me, Dair twitches into utter stillness, his scent sharpening.
The duke’s voice comes out wooden and a little too rough. “Eat,” he demands, nearly barking as he snaps up an omelet and sets the plate in her lap.
Asher and I give him matching glares, but Ivy’s features melt slightly. She picks up a fork, nodding. “Yes, alpha. Thank you; I’m really hungry.”
That knocks the blade off Dair’s essence, but he still seems stiff to me. Instead of pressing him, I grab my own plate of eggs and potatoes, tossing Asher a shit-eating grin. “Want me to feed you, Your Highness?”
He actually laughs that time. “They’re jealous ,” he tells Ivy. “Can’t say I blame them.”
Our omega shakes her head, silently scolding each of us. I notice she’s downed half of her plate in two minutes and bite back another grin. Clearly, going at it all night is a good way to get her to stop eating like a damn bird. We’re going to need to stock up on snacks for her heat.
If she’s staying…
At this moment, with all of us in her nest? It feels impossible that she could ever leave .
She belongs here. With us.
Ours .
How the hell do we show her that?
Dair is mildly appeased by her healthy appetite. Still scowling, he shovels down his breakfast, eyes flickering to the half-moons branded along her bare skin.
Yeah, those are hot.
I’m not wearing any pants, but if I were, they’d be uncomfortable.
Ivy smirks at the bulge pressing into my boxers. “You must really like omelets.”
Asher chokes, and Dair snorts, both sounds every bit as funny as her joke. A loud laugh bubbles out of me. I shake my head in mock disapproval. “Such a naughty princess.”
Asher’s eyes turn adoring as he regards the side of her face. “Mm,” he muses, giving me a wry look. “ My princess is perfectly behaved. You must be a bad influence.”
The conspiratorial wink Ivy sends my way is everything. I grin broadly, knowing I must appear just as lovesick as our prince.
Because I definitely am. Ever since our picnic, it’s been killing me to keep the words in. To avoid giving her any more obligations to us than she already has.
“I don’t know…” I tease, narrowing my gaze. “I think we should show the prince how you usually behave for me. Maybe put him in his place.”
Asher sips from his tea, scoffing. “ Excuse me?”
Ivy catches my eye, her expression pinking. “Bast!”
I shrug. “I told you, angel. The prince should really be the one who explains ‘queening.’”
Dair’s head falls back on a plaintive groan. “Oh my God . Are you guys trying to kill me?”
Our pack alpha’s hazel eyes gleam, examining the mortification staining our omega’s cheeks… and probably taking stock of the way she squirms over him, too.
“If my princess needs a lesson,” he decides, “ I’ll be the one to teach it.”
Dair’s mouth drops open as the prince works Ivy free from his half-full knot. She squeaks as he lifts her onto her knees and abruptly moves to put his face under her leaking pussy, guiding her hands to balance on his abdomen. I hand the breakfast tray to Dair, who turns and sets it outside the nest, his dark eyes never leaving our mate’s thighs, spread over our pack alpha’s face.
“This,” he murmurs darkly, “Is queening. Riding our faces until you get off. Any way you want.”
Sugared perfume blooms into the air as Ivy’s legs tremble. “But I-I’ll—you—Ash, don’t you want me to shower first or?—”
His snarl is just feral enough to silence her doubts. Instead of answering, he grips her hips and tugs her straight down onto his open mouth. The growl morphs into a groan as a mixture of his cum and her slick gushes over his working jaw.
Ivy cries out, her blunt nails scraping at his abs. The scent of bergamot spikes in the air, the bitter citrus a perfect complement to the golden sweetness seeping from her slit. Our omega’s pupils blow when she senses the combination, a whine eeking out of her as her hazy gaze flies to the way my cock has hardened—so stiff it's poking out of the bottom of my boxers.
I scramble to my knees, shucking the tight navy fabric in one shove. Dair starts to protest, likely wanting Ivy to be the center of attention, but her next whimper cuts him off… especially when she reaches one hand toward him, silently begging.
The duke pants, gripping himself through his sweats with white-knuckle force. “Fuck, baby,” he roughs out. “Don’t look at me like that. You know my rule.”
Asher hums, delving his tongue deeper. The stimulation has our girl keening, her eyes flashing with need. “Please, alpha,” she begs. “I want to taste you.”
Oh fuck .
Dair might be a crazy bastard, but even he isn’t insane or masochistic enough to turn that down. His dark eyes trace her desperate expression, softening with tenderness. “Are you sure? You know I don’t deserve one goddamn thing from you.”
Asher’s next moan is quieter and almost pained. As if he’s somehow agreeing while he has his face between her legs.
These fuckers, I swear.
No game.
I stroke my fist over my cock, shooting Ivy a brief conspiratorial look before casting Dair a glower. “Either you take our princess’ generous offer, or I will.”
Ivy licks her lips — Jeeeeesus —and… yep. That does it.
Dair snaps forward, settling his knees on either side of Asher’s left leg, pushing at his black joggers until his cock bobs out. He’s so hard, it carves a slightly curved line all the way past his navel.
Delicious greed lights Ivy’s eyes. He sees it and snaps his hand out, cupping her jaw with his tattooed fingers. Meeting her eyes with the sort of indolent lust that only he can pull off.
“You want to taste my cum, little dove?”
A breathy, beseeching noise catches in her throat just before he fills it, giving her exactly what she wants in one punishing stroke. Her eyes fly wide, and his crease slightly, the expression pained.
“Sorry. I told you I was rough, baby,” he mutters. “But I’ll?—”
And—honest to God—she bites him.
Not hard. Not much . But enough to immediately cut off his apology and leave two little nips at the top of his swelling knot.
If he could hear me, I’d tell him, Insulting a queen while she’s on her throne. Not smart.
Before I can say it out loud, Dair growls. The serrated sound rattles the nest’s glass walls, but feral delight glimmers in his black eyes. Ivy doubles down, working her slick pussy against Asher’s mouth faster while she hollows her cheeks around the duke’s girth, refusing to drop her gaze from his.
Pride swarms my chest. She really does know how to handle each of us perfectly. Effortlessly.
Like she was always meant to be at the center of this.
As if sensing my thought, Ivy puts her left hand back on Asher’s abs, balancing on it so she can reach up with the right and run a teasing finger along the bottom of my shaft.
Fuck. Yes .
My cock jumps toward her, aching for the squeeze of her dainty fingers. When she retreats to dip her hand between her legs, bringing a slick palm back to my member, I almost come right then and there.
That juices Asher’s knot, too. His hips buck as he hardens, coming back to life in a series of hard jerks. Ivy’s eyes snag on the rigid jut of his erection, a whine echoing through her chest.
Goddamn it, she’s so hot. Wanting all of us. Needing to get us off together. Not having enough hands to get all the cock she wants at once.
Desperate need simmers in her irises when she suddenly pulls back far enough to speak around the veins throbbing up Dair’s length. “Please, my lord,” she pants, glancing at Asher’s groin. “ Please .”
Well, fuck.
What did I say about insulting a queen on her throne?
Asher’s ragged groan confirms the prince is down for anything his princess desires. And if she wants to watch one of her alphas jack another off?
It’s a good thing I’m so coordinated.
Spreading my legs slightly for balance, I manage to keep myself inside Ivy’s hot little hand while I wrap mine around her prince. He’s still glossy from spending the night inside her. I use that to my advantage, immediately going hard.
Asher muffles his shout against her pussy, lapping at her clit. Ivy takes Dair back into her mouth, but her eyes never leave mine. Shining with gratitude and affection that put a hoarse lump in my throat.
“So beautiful and good for us,” I praise, my free hand stroking her hair. “So fucking perfect.”
“Yes,” Dair agrees, pumping his cock between her lips faster. His head drops back. “Ivy, God. Yes . Just like that.”
Ivy suddenly wails, her body jolting as Dair fills her mouth. Slick bursts from her pussy as Asher sucks her clit, dousing his face. The sight has my own balls drawing tight, my hand working his knot harder and faster and?—
“Fuuuuuuuuck.”
We both explode in a round of simultaneous volleys, jets of cum covering Ivy’s chest, her hand her arm. My hand, Asher’s stomach, his thighs, the nest around us.
Holyyyy shit.
It smells like a fucking miracle in here. All of us blurred together—golden sugar, dark crisp cranberry, bitter bergamot, and bubbling, melted toffee. Dair takes two breaths and basically collapses, falling onto the nearest pile of cushions with a breathless moan. Asher finishes devouring every last drop of our omega’s sweetness before following suit, sloughing out a satisfied sigh as he relaxes, his eyes falling shut.
I pull Ivy into my arms, kissing her deeply. Tasting Asher and Dair and not caring one bit because it’s her. Us. Our pack. Our mate.
The way she nuzzles her face into my neck speaks of the deepest adoration. I sit back against the edge of her nest, petting her hair and purring for her. The others start their own rumbles, until the whole nest is a muddle of blissed-out vibrations and the best scents imaginable.
If I weren’t already madly in love with her, I would be a second later when Ivy flicks a sly look at her two incapacitated alphas and then smirks at me. “They seem less grumpy now, huh?”