Chapter 77
Lucy
I had no idea what it was like for a free diver to come back to the surface, but I wouldn’t be shocked if it felt like this.
“Are you back with me, sweetheart?”
The low voice lulled me back to that sweet place that was all sensation and pleasure. My limbs were warm, my body floating. I liked it here.
My nose crinkled when something was pressed to my mouth that wasn’t a cock. I turned my head, trying to get away, but it followed me.
“You need to hydrate. Drink this for me.”
I pressed my lips together.
The earth beneath me shook. “Where’s that sweet, compliant omega who kept presenting her sweet little cunt to me?”
Something gripped my jaw.
“Do you need me to be strict with you? Because I can do that. Open.”
My lips parted and I gulped down the water trickling into my mouth.
“That’s my good girl.”
Slowly, reality trickled in. “I’m in a bathtub.”
“Someone got a bit messy.” Wilder tightened his arms around me and kissed my cheek. He was sitting behind me in the tub, our limbs entwined, his fingers soothing my skin.
“My heat’s over.” A lump rose in my throat at the realization.
“Are you in pain, sweetheart?” The concern in Wilder’s voice was evident. He must have sensed my sadness through the bond.
I shook my head.
His chest rumbled with a purr, and he ran his thumb along his bond mark on my breast. “It can be intense to come down from the rush of hormones. You take as much time as you need.”
My eyes drifted shut. Time lost all meaning, tracked only by the number of times Wilder refilled the tub with hot water.
When I woke again, I was much more lucid. I turned against Wilder’s chest so I could see my alpha. His hair was tied back in two short braids, and I had a vague memory of Leo braiding his hair to keep it from getting tangled.
“Hi.”
A slow smile spread across his face. “Hi, beautiful.”
“How long did my heat last?”
“Eight days.”
I jolted. “What?”
His chest shook with laughter. “I’m pretty sure you fucked King and Leo into a coma. They’re asleep in the nest.”
“No coma for you?” I asked, feeling oddly perturbed at the idea that I hadn’t worn him out.
“Nah, but that’s only because my alpha is as fucking desperate for you as your omega is for me. For us.”
I supposed that was acceptable. I pressed a tender kiss to the bond mark on his neck. “How was it for you?”
“The best fucking week of my life.” His strong hands massaged the knots out of my exhausted limbs. “I was scared I would hurt you, but even in rut, I can’t bear the idea of you being in pain.”
I pressed my smile to his damp skin. “I could have told you that.”
“I shouldn’t have doubted.”
I was a relaxed rag doll as Wilder finished washing my body, got me out of the tub, and wrapped me in a huge towel. He brought me back to the nest, where he fed me a cinnamon roll and fruit smoothie—both courtesy of Summer, who had apparently dropped off heat snacks for all of us.
King and Leo moved closer to me in their sleep until I was curled up among all three of my guys. All those years of waiting and hoping for my pack were worth it.
I drifted off with a smile on my lips.