Salvation (Wild Heat)

Chapter 30 – B R O O K L Y N

I wakeup feeling warm and safe. I’ve got piles of blankets on top of me, comforting smells all around. The only thing that could make this better is one of the Alphas kissing me awake. Normally, I can count on at least one of them to be cuddling me by morning. Today, I’ve only got my own body heat warming me.

Reluctantly, I open my eyes, only to find that I’m the only one in the shelter. I slept in late, again. Memphis says I sleep so much because my body needs the rest. Camden just calls me lazybones whenever he’s out of bed before me.

With Camden’s help, we built a pretty cozy shelter. We would have done just fine staying in the tents, but frankly, Cam and I were too excited about the chance to build something with a fellow wilderness architecture nerd. Memphis and Denver were all too ready to go off and hunt while we scavenged for materials.

The end product isn’t the log cabin I imagined, but we don’t need walls that solid in the summer, anyway. It’s a wooden frame with pine branches tied into long panels. The ceiling is made of a white tarp that lets sunlight filter through during the day, and high enough that even Cam, the tallest, doesn’t have to duck.

We’ve been here for almost a week now. Denver occasionally radios my father, inventing some new reason why I managed to escape them. A grizzly bear got between us, or a mudslide took a path out. The version of me the Alphas can’t catch has survived a series of natural disasters, including a bridge going out from under her and getting caught swimming through some rapids. The last story had Memphis giving Denver a lecture on embellishing his stories too much.

I sprawl out, enjoying a few last lazy minutes in my nest. I put it together from everything soft that I could find, from blankets to sweatshirts to even some fluffy moss I took off a rock. If I were back in civilization, I’d have more sheets and blankets to work with, but I don’t mind. I’ll take any excuse to grab one of Denver’s huge hoodies, and if it’s for my nest, he has trouble saying no.

The scent of sizzling meat makes my nostrils flare, and suddenly I’ve got a reason to get out of bed. Breakfast.

I find Memphis stirring the frying pan over our fire pit. I come up behind him, wrapping my arms around his trim waist and burying my face in his back.

“Morning, sunshine,” he says, his voice low and throaty. “We’ve got wild turkey and berries for breakfast. Maybe some instant coffee if you ask nicely.”

“I always ask nicely. My manners are perfect,” I tease. I give him a final squeeze, then grab my plate and fork. Memphis serves me up some turkey slices, but as soon as he’s given me the last one, I feel the plate tugged from my hands.

“For me?” Camden says, grinning. “Thanks, baby.”

I roll my eyes, but I don’t bother trying to ask for it back. Camden regularly steals my breakfast as revenge for stealing his shirts, according to him. It’s pointless to remind him that he loves seeing me wear them anyway.

Taking Cam’s plate instead, I get more turkey from Memphis and berries from the bowl I filled while gathering yesterday. When I bite into my turkey, I can’t help my groan of satisfaction. It’s so juicy and fresh, seasoned with the salt and pepper Memphis was smart enough to bring.

Immediately, I realize Memphis is staring at me, lust burning in his dark eyes.

“I love that little noise of yours,” he murmurs. I feel my cheeks heating, and I press my thighs together as I feel slick gathering at my center. This man knows how to undo me with words alone. I love his dirty mouth, even though sometimes I wish he’d spend more time using his mouth on my body instead of just talking.

Since I told the Alphas the truth, they’ve kept a respectful distance. Too respectful. There’s cuddling and kissing, stolen moments with each of them. But whenever I’m ready to ask for more, they pull away.

I know they’re waiting for the right time. When they knotted me before, it was to relieve my heat symptoms, nothing more. The next time is going to be different. Now, they know I belong to them. It’s the first time they’ll take me knowing that I’m their Omega. I’m grateful that they want to make it special for me.

I’m also so horny I can barely think half the time.

The tension between us is so high that even a light hand on my back makes my heart pound. Sometimes, Memphis and Camden sneak off by themselves, and I know that Camden’s helping him keep his desire in check. The thought of Cam’s mouth on Memphis’s cock, their two hard bodies intertwined, makes me so wet that I’ve had to make myself come more than once. They’re each so masculine and beautiful. The image of them together is almost too much to take.

I’m constantly on edge. If I don’t get an outlet for my own desire too, one of these days I’m going to spontaneously combust and blow up our shelter.

I’ve just finished eating when Denver jogs back to camp. He works out every morning. It’s a habit he picked up during the military, he told me. Even though we all get plenty of exercise just with our daily routines in the woods, he needs the structure of a dedicated workout time. I can’t complain, especially since he usually does it shirtless.

Now, he’s glistening with sweat, dripping down his chest and back, lingering in the lines separating his pecs and his defined abs. I lick my lips, wishing he’d let me clean him off with my tongue. The space between my legs is throbbing at the thought, and I shift my hips looking for some kind of friction.

Denver’s hazel eyes flicker to my face, and his expression turns predatory. He knows just how turned on I am, either from my body language or the shift in my scent. The smile he flashes me is pure sex, a promise that he’ll attend to my needs…eventually.

He grabs a white towel from the clothesline, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

“Turkey?” Memphis offers.

“No thanks,” Denver says. “I’m craving something else.”

He’s looking at me like a hungry wolf circling his prey, and I can’t tear my eyes away.

“Enough flirting, you two,” Camden says, standing and stretching. “We’ve got more brush to clear today.”

He’s right. Camden has marked the area where the fire will end, and we’re clearing out everything dry that might catch. We’ve made good progress, but there’s more to do. I collect everyone’s plates to wash while Denver finds a shirt to put on.

Once everyone’s dressed and ready, we start the short walk to the place where we found the Omega’s body. On the way, I pick a few wildflowers to leave by her coffin. It’s not much, but until we’ve given her a proper sendoff, I want to make sure she knows I haven’t forgotten about her.

The coffin Camden built is strong and sturdy. It should make me feel morbid to be near it, but I have a strange sense of rightness. Like the Omega is happy that I’ve found her, and she understands how grateful I am that she’s helping me get away from my own evil Alphas.

“Thank you,” I say aloud, like I have every day. “I’ll be back for you, I promise.”

Leaving the flowers on the ground, I join the Alphas clearing away brush nearby. The ground is empty in the places we’ve already worked on. While Camden uses his wilderness knowledge to identify where the fire will be most likely to spread and where we should cut back any plants, Memphis and Denver offer their brute strength to the project. Memphis cuts down any trees we need while Denver yanks out plants and bushes like they’re nothing to him.

My job has largely been clearing away the trash, which I put on a tarp and drag back toward camp. We burn most of it in the fires at night.

The sun is high and hot in the sky by the time I’ve made my third trek from the wildfire area back to camp. My body feels sweaty and heated, while my limbs feel strangely light. I don’t even notice that I’m feeling dizzy until my body collapses under me, the soft dirt cushioning my fall. I can hear the guys calling out to me, but their words blur in my mind. I feel hands pulling me to a sitting position, letting my head fall forward as my breath comes back to me.

“What happened?” Memphis barks.

“She’s probably exhausted, and the heat isn’t helping,” Denver says. I feel cool hands touch my face, and realize that he’s checking my symptoms.

“Maybe you should lie down,” Cam says, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine,” I say. I hate resting while the others are working. It doesn’t seem fair, when there’s so much to do to prepare for the fire.

Denver crosses his arms, stepping close so I feel the full effect of his greater height. “That wasn’t a suggestion,” he growls. “You’re not overexerting yourself and getting sick. If this is heatstroke, the best thing for you to do is get in a shady spot and rest. Don’t bother arguing.”

I feel a rush of heat to my core. It turns me on so fucking much when he orders me around.

“Fine,” I say. Memphis reaches out a hand to help me rise, then scoops me up into his arms.

“You don’t have to carry me,” I object.

Memphis only grunts in response, carrying me back toward camp. I let my face rest against his neck, inhaling the comforting mossy wood and wild mint scent. I trust him to take care of me.

I must doze off, because the next thing I know, I’m lying down in my nest while Memphis holds a cold cloth to my forehead.

“You’re going to be fine, Brooklyn,” he murmurs. His hand strokes my back, steady and comforting. With him beside me, I curl onto my side and fully fall into unconsciousness.

—-------

My body feels like it’s burning. I wake up tangled in piles of blankets, which are suffocatingly hot and rough against my skin. I writhe against them, trying to throw them off. They’re too twisted up around my limbs, though, and my muscles feel heavy and weak trying to twist my way out. Memphis is gone, and it’s just me in the shelter now. I cry out in frustration, the sound broken and strange.

I smell sea salt and sweet clover, and Camden’s coming through the shelter door, eyes wide with concern. Seeing me struggling, he kneels to pull the blankets off.

“Don’t worry. I got you,” he murmurs, and something in my chest loosens. He’s here. My Alpha can help me.

Finally, he throws off the last blanket, baring my body, which is dressed in Denver’s shirt and Memphis’s boxers. My thighs glisten in the faint light, covered in my slick. I press my knees together, embarrassed at the mess I’ve made.

“I think your heat has started,” Cam says roughly.

“How can it be here already?” I gasp. “It’s only been a week.”

Camden’s pupils are blown, the dark blue gone almost black. His jaw clenches before he speaks, and I can tell it’s an effort for him to put his thoughts in order. I don’t blame him—my heart is thudding Alpha, please, Alpha, and I just want Cam on top of me. Now.

“You’ve been away from people for so long,” he says finally. “Being near us again probably jump-started it. That and…do you think your bond is faded?”

I close my eyes and reach out with my mind, trying to see if I can sense Grayson on the other side. And I feel—nothing. Just the empty horizon of my own mind. For the first time in so long, the only emotions in my head are my own. Grayson’s poison has drained away.

I’m myself again.

My face is wet with tears, and before I realize it, Camden has taken me into his arms.

“Is it the pain?” he asks, gently running his hand up and down my back.

“No.” Through the tears, I’m smiling. “He’s gone. The bond faded.”

Roughly, I press my lips against Cam’s. His lips open eagerly for me and our tongues tangle in each other. My legs shift so that I’m straddling him, arms wrapped around his shoulders, my core pressed against his rapidly hardening cock. I rock against him, the thin fabric of the boxers I’m wearing the only thing between me and his rough jeans.

That’s how Memphis and Denver find us, me grinding on Camden, slick spilling from my core.

“Her heat started,” Camden says roughly. “It’s time.”

The other Alphas quickly take their clothes off while I keep moving my hips. Memphis is naked first, his long cock hard and bobbing against his stomach. He kneels behind Camden and leans over his shoulder to kiss me, one hand tangled roughly in my hair, the other set on Cam’s ribs.

Camden lifts me, passing me to Memphis so he can undress. Memphis lays me out beneath him, moving the fabric of his boxers to the side so my glistening folds are bare and exposed to him.

“So beautiful,” he growls, pressing the heel of his palm against my swollen clit. Already, my orgasm feels close, coiling in my stomach. The tension’s been building for so long that I shouldn’t be surprised that the slightest touch has me ready to go.

“Wait,” I say, realizing something. Immediately, Memphis pulls off of me, giving me space.

“What’s wrong?” he says, his voice tight.

“I just realized that I don’t know your names.” I look to each of their faces. “Your real names. I’m guessing it’s not a coincidence you’re all named for the places you came from?”

Denver lets out a low chuckle. “You’re not wrong. The city names were easier to remember and since your name is Brooklyn and all my past comrades knew me as Denver, I figured it made sense. And actually, I like you calling me Denver, but it’s Derek. Derek Briggs.”

The name suits him and even though I love it, I also really liked that their names matched mine. I look at Memphis next.

“Liam Wilder,” he growls. “But your voice sounds so perfect saying Memphis. I want to keep it.”

I press my lips quickly against him, a promise to keep using that name as long as he wants me to. Finally, we all look over at Camden.

He gives us a lopsided grin. “Would you believe that my name really is Cam?”

“You’re kidding,” I say, unable to hold back my giggle.

Camden’s eyes glow with humor. “Cameron Reed. Call me Cam, call me Camden. I just want to make you cry my name out.”

“That’s up to you.” My voice sounds low and throaty. “How about you make me say it?”

Hands close around my ribcage, and Memphis pulls me so my back is against his chest. He positions my legs on either side of his, spreading me open for the other Alphas to see.

Cam kneels in front of me, eyes glued to my slick-covered core. “I think I can make you scream my name,” he growls.

Spreading my folds between his fingers, he licks me with the flat of his tongue, from the bottom of my entrance up to my clit. I whimper, and he does it again.

“How does she taste, Cam?” Memphis asks, his voice vibrating against my back.

“Like fucking honey.” Cam lowers his face and devours me, exploring me with his tongue while Memphis plays with my breasts. He draws little circles around my nipples before pinching them, making me whine and press myself even harder against Cam’s tongue.

“Put a finger in her, Camden,” Denver orders. He stands in front of us, pumping his hard length in his hand while he watches me. “Give her something to clench onto.”

Camden obeys, sliding one long finger inside me up to his knuckle. My walls clench around him—it’s so good, but not enough. I need to be filled by something bigger, stretched out around a cock.

“More, please,” I beg. “I need more.”

Denver lets out a low chuckle. “How much does that greedy pussy want?” he says. “Two?”

I shake my head, and his brows raise.

“Three? Well then, give the lady what she wants,” Denver commands.

I jump as Memphis lowers his mouth to my neck and sucks hard at the same time that Camden stretches me open with three fingers. The whole time, Cam’s tongue doesn’t stop laving my clit. My senses are overwhelmed by their touch. Every muscle tightens, the hot coil in my stomach growing tighter and tighter.

My vision goes white, and I’m shuddering around Camden’s fingers in one of the most intense orgasms I’ve ever had.

It’s perfect.

Two pairs of hands stroke my body, guiding me back to earth. Memphis, touching my ribs and breasts, and Camden stroking my legs. I open my eyes to see Camden’s face, shiny with my slick. It makes him look dirty and ravenous and so fucking sexy.

“Nothing has ever tasted better,” he says darkly.

“You need a knot now, don’t you?” Denver’s still stroking his cock, eyes hard on me.

I nod desperately. Now that Cam’s fingers are gone, I feel so desperately empty.

Denver’s eyes flash with satisfaction. “Good. I hope you mean that, princess, because I won’t take it easy on you.”

My heart pounds rapidly in my chest, blood rushing in my ears so loudly that all I can hear is that roar. My vision gets hazy at the edges until all I can focus on is my aching, empty cunt. I need to be filled so badly.

Strong arms lower me to the soft pile of my nest. I’m surrounded by the scents of my Alphas. It’s perfect, and I built it. Here, I can take whatever they give me.

Denver’s face enters my vision, taking up my attention. He holds himself up on his elbows, his body hovering over mine. I raise my hand to trace his features—the sharp jaw covered by his trim beard, the strong nose, the dirty blond hair falling over his forehead. Automatically, I push the loose lock back. His hair is shockingly soft.

“I’ve been waiting so long for this, princess,” he says softly.

I bite my lip, feeling warm inside at his open affection. Denver can be so brusque, pushing affection aside while he takes control. But here, in my nest, his discipline-built walls finally come down and I can see the desperate desire in his hazel eyes.

He lowers his hand to position the head of his cock at my opening. Moving it up and down, he gathers my slick, preparing himself to enter me. I bite my lip, suddenly nervous. Denver is the largest of the Alphas, not quite as long as Camden but so, so thick. My body was barely able to accommodate him the first time.

At the same time, it hurts not to have him. My heat-ravaged senses only care about being filled. I want Denver locked inside me, connected so completely that our bodies feel fused together. I shift my hips, trying to make him fuck me faster.

“Please,” I whimper. “I’m ready. I need you.”

He raises a brow, and for a second I think he’s about to deny me. Then, he sinks another inch of his cock inside me. My pussy stretches to take him, pain giving way to pleasure.

“I’m all yours,” he says.

Denver takes his time, pressing himself into me deeper and deeper until he’s fully seated, my clit pressed against his hipbone. He freezes, and I see the defined muscles of his arms tremble as he holds himself back.

“You feel so fucking good,” he groans, and I feel my pussy pulse around him.

He braces himself on one arm so he can use his hand to rub small circles on my clit. Slick streams from me, coating him as he rocks in and out of me. I wrap my legs around his waist, holding on as my pleasure moves higher and higher. I can feel his knot hardening at his base, ready to fill me.

Denver increases the pace of his finger and cock, driving us both closer. Instinctively, my head lolls back, baring the column of my neck to him. His mouth goes there immediately, peppering the sensitive skin with hot, open-mouthed kisses. When his teeth brush against the place where my neck meets my shoulder, we both stiffen.

He’s so close to biting me.

He could bond with me right now, sink his teeth into the skin and connect us forever.

I want him to do it. I want him to claim me in the most permanent, primal way. It’s on the tip of my tongue to beg him to do it, but I hold it back. If he said no, if he rejected me when I’m so vulnerable and needy, I don’t know if I’d be able to keep my heart from shattering.

Instead, I pull back and press my lips to his. The kiss is hot, possessive, and claiming.

“Mine,” Denver growls against my mouth, and electricity pounds through me as I come. He’s right behind me, roaring as his knot stretches me open, connecting us while he fills me up with hot spurts of his seed.

He collapses on top of me, the weight of him heavy and hard. I’m distantly aware of the other Alphas, watching us. My eyelids are heavy, but I force them open so I can see Memphis and Camden. They’re lying down now, all of us reclining in my nest. I try to move—I love being filled with Denver’s knot, surrounded by his scent, but he’s not the only one who was hard for me. I can’t leave the others wanting.

“Shhh, don’t worry,” Camden says quietly. He reaches out to brush loose strands of my hair behind my ears. “We’ll have our time. Sleep, beautiful.”

I can’t help but obey him, drifting to a heavy, inevitable sleep.