Chapter 57
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
FLYNN
Sunlight slants through the sheer curtains, casting golden streaks across the bed, and our skin. I move slowly, not with the groggy confusion of my past mornings, but with a sense of calm that feels almost foreign. Peace. Safety. Warmth. That’s what’s different this morning versus all those before.
Levi’s body presses to mine, his chest flush against my back, one strong arm slung over my waist, his breath a soft rhythm against the back of my neck. His morning wood pushes into me as he pulls me tighter to him. My body aches in the sweetest ways—reminders of the night before. Of how he held me, kissed me, touched me like I was something sacred. Of how he'd been inside me, moving with a tenderness I’d never known I craved until I had it. It was everything.
I shift slightly, a blush rising as the memories replay in my mind—my hands tangled in his hair, his name on my lips, the heat that curled in my stomach with every whispered praise. And then the sounds—hearing Sasha and Stone through the walls, their voices, their moans, tangled together with ours. It had been too much, too intimate, too real. But instead of shrinking away from it, I surrendered to it. Their pleasure had pushed me over the edge, and I came with Levi’s mouth on mine and the sound of our pack surrounding me. I’d never felt so full. So... alive .
For the first time in what felt like forever, I didn’t wake up feeling broken. Or afraid. Or alone.
I felt... loved. Wanted. Cherished.
Looking back at everything I’ve been through, I know without a shadow of a doubt I wouldn’t change a thing. Not the pain. Not the horror. Not the nights I spent curled in the dark, whispering for it all to end. Because if even one thing had gone differently, maybe I wouldn’t have found them . My pack. My family.
That is what I couldn’t live with. Knowing that I could’ve had them, but didn’t. The possibility that if my life had been normal, I could’ve missed the chance of meeting them. Settling for someone else, someone who wasn’t my true bond.
Levi stirs behind me, pressing closer. He nuzzles the back of my neck with a sleepy hum, his hand tightening on my waist. I smile, covering his hand with mine, twining our fingers together, pulling them up, placing them over my heart.
“I love you,” he murmurs, his voice rough and low.
Before I can respond, he gently rolls me onto my back, his weight shifting over me like a blanket of heat and comfort. His eyes search mine, sleepy but sure. Then he kisses me—soft at first, then deeper, hungrier. He moans into my mouth like I’m the only thing that matters. Like he’s starving, and I’m the only thing that can satisfy him.
Lifting my hand, I run my fingers through his hair. “I love you too,” I whisper against his lips.
He rests his forehead against mine, our breaths mingling together as we take each other in, enjoying the moment.
“You’re perfect,” he says, as if I might still doubt it. “We found you. Thank the stars, we found you.”
I blink up at him, the rush of affection flooding my chest, dazing me for a second. My hand lowers, my fingers resting against his shoulder, grounding me. “You saved me,” I whisper. “All of you.”
“I think you saved us, too. You made us complete. Brought us all together.” He kisses me again, slower this time. Reverent.
I don’t know how long we stay like that—kissing, whispering, just breathing each other in—until nature calls and my stomach growls at the same time.
“Someone’s hungry.” Levi laughs, a low rumble that vibrates against me.
“Yep, and needs to eat,” I joke back, knowing the minute I say the words, they were not taken the right way.
Levi’s eyes widen, concern and anger—no regret—takes over. “Fuck, here I am more concerned with kissing you, savoring a few more solitary moments with you than feeding you.”
“Stop.” I take hold of his shoulders, gripping them firmly, making sure his attention is on me and what I’m saying to him. “I wanted those moments, too. Honestly, I just realized I was hungry and that I needed to piss. So don’t go overthinking what I said.”
He nods. A small smile tugging at his lips. “Then let’s get up and put some clothes on so we can feed you.” Levi lifts off of me and I suddenly miss the heat from his body. He bends over, picking up some sweats from the floor and puts them on before tugging on his shirt.
I hurry to the bathroom, take care of business and wash my hands. Looking in the mirror, I smile at the shimmer where Levi’s, Sasha’s, and Stone’s bites glow beneath my skin—like starlight woven into me. My marks. My mates. They gleam like sacred tattoos, radiant beneath my skin, and the sight of them brings nothing but happiness to my soul.
When I step back into the bedroom, Levi has already left. I debate for a moment about taking a shower, but washing their scent off of me doesn’t sit right. Instead, I opt to put on some clean clothes. Opening the dresser drawer, I pull out a pair of shorts and a shirt and hastily get dressed.
I make my way down the hallway into the kitchen. Levi is bent over in the fridge, pulling out bacon and eggs. “Omelets?” he asks, not even looking back at me.
“Sounds good. I can make cinnamon rolls, the kind my sister and I used to make with our grandma,” I offer up, making my way over to the cabinet to make sure we have the ingredients we need and as luck would have it, we do. Even the special ingredient, one that I’ll share with my kids one day.
Sasha steps into the kitchen, barefoot and grinning like a cat who got into the cream, Stone behind her, lips red from hours of kissing. When he slips his hands around her waist, resting his chin on her head, she leans into him easily, as if her body already knows it belongs against his. I raise an eyebrow and smirk.
“Sleep well, lovers?” I tease.
Sasha giggles, and Stone rolls his eyes with a grunt. But neither denies it. And that makes me happy, and slightly jealous, craving both of them now.
“I imagine we slept as well as you and Levi.” Stone winks and I feel the heat rise in my face. He heard us too. Did hearing Levi and me affect them the same way? I’ll have to ask him later.
There is a shift in the air since my heat and our bonding—an unspoken ease. Everyone moves differently. Touches are easier. Smiles linger longer. Levi brushes his fingers along my back as he passes me, and I don’t flinch. I lean into it.
We make breakfast together—clumsy, laughing, and stealing kisses. I sit on the counter as Sasha feeds me bites of eggs off her fork, while Stone and Levi chat about what he plans to do now, like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
Later, I catch Stone and Levi talking quietly on the back porch, coffee in hand. I don’t interrupt, just watch through the screen door, listening in on them.
Stone’s voice is low, serious. “I never thought I’d feel this way... about people. About anyone .”
Levi places a hand on his shoulder. “You’re not alone anymore, Stone. You never have to be again. We’re a pack. Family.”
The words settle in my chest like a promise. No more lonely nights. No more wondering if I am worthy of love.
I turn and look back at Sasha, who’s busy making more coffee, her expression soft as she glances up and catches me watching her. She smiles, warm and bright.
I smile back, heart full.
This is my pack. My home. My forever. And for the first time in my life, I’m not just surviving—I want to live. Every second. Every breath. With them.