Chapter Twelve
I was stalling.
I knew it. The men on the other side of the door waiting on me knew it. too. Not that they rushed me.
Since it was my first time spending the night with Pack Wilder, I wanted it to be perfect.
Or more accurately, I wanted to be perfect.
I showered with a special body rub to make my skin clean, shaved my legs and underarms, then plucked my lower hair until it was a contained bush, not a wild one.
Moisture went on my face and body. I did my hair in two braids, then brushed my teeth and tongue until I’d accidentally gagged myself with my enthusiasm.
All of this as I pretended it was my nightly routine and not me actually freaking out. I ignored the scent of bitter chocolate perfuming from me.
It wasn’t that I thought the pack would pressure me into sex. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure if we were going to do anything tonight. I just ... was anxious.
Fucking random men is one thing. I never fell asleep at their place because that would have been weird and potentially dangerous. No, I’d fuck them, and leave. Betas’ sexual refractory period was longer than an alphas or omegas, so once a night with sex was perfect for me.
Sleeping with a man, with three men, this was new. I had no idea how I slept. Did I snore? Did I drool? I’d never really paid attention to the way I fell asleep. Did I sprawl out my limbs or tuck into a ball? Why didn’t I know any of this?
A knock on the bathroom door had my eyes widening dramatically in the mirror.
“Eve, pet? I was thinking of some dessert before bed. Anything you want. Just come out of the bathroom, yeah?” A gentle thud landed on the door.
” You’re starting to make me anxious that something is truly wrong. I need to set my eyes on you.”
Considering the door wasn’t locked, it spoke volumes to the restraint that Atlas had. For some crazy reason, though, I wasn’t ready to leave the bathroom. So instead, I said, “You can come in.”
There was no hesitation. His hand was turning the door handle before I’d even finished the sentence.
He came in and immediately shut the door behind him.
His chest was completely exposed, the two bonding marks from the others on his heart.
His brown skin was slightly darker around his torso, stomach, and shoulders than his forearms, showing off how much time he spent in the sun.
He had a slight smattering of dark hair on his chest that mostly trailed down the middle of his abdominals and continued until it disappeared under the hem of his shorts.
It might have been a pair of sweats before.
Now, the fabric was cut a few inches above the knees, showing off his legs and the swell of his cock behind the fabric.
I was about to ask if he was feeling all right. With the way he was half naked, and already hard, it made me wonder if his heat was about to start. I didn’t manage to get out any words because Atlas groaned. The sound was nearly musical as he continued to stare at me with heat in his gaze.
“I never knew pajamas could be so sexy,” he said.
I couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled out of me.
I was only wearing a cami pajama set. Sure, it was cute in the fact that it matched.
The pink color had little white strawberries on it which was the closest I could get to apples.
While standing, the shorts easily covered my ass, but I knew the moment I laid down in bed and even slightly raised a leg, the shorts would show off more skin.
As for the top, the straps were thinner than my pinky and the torso was semi-tight against my body, so I didn’t have to worry about trying to roll over and pulling on the fabric.
Convenient and cute. It was basically my motto.
His hands came to my hips, his thumbs finding their way under the hem of my top to draw little circles on my skin. He pressed the front of his body against mine, the heat radiating from him almost burning my own skin.
I hissed, “Atlas.”
He groaned again, his lips pressing messy kisses against my collarbone and shoulder.
“Atlas, are you going into heat?” I tried to step back so I could pull his attention, but he just followed me. “Atlas?” If he was already so far gone that he wouldn’t answer me, I needed to get the others. “Do you want to go to your nest?”
He nodded and then he was picking me up, his hands under my butt as he kept me close.
He struggled with the door handle before I managed to reach behind me and open it.
The moment we stepped into the bedroom, the slightly cooler air—since the bathroom still had the heat from my shower—hit us like a cold front.
Both Oaks and Everett were on the large bed, just sort of haphazardly lying on top of the covers.
Oaks was in a slim tank, but Everett was shirtless, the two of them looking like opposites that I was equally attracted to.
They were already watching the door, waiting for us to come out, and the moment we did, they jumped to their feet.
Atlas turned around so quickly, I felt the force of wind rush around us. He let me go just enough to set me on the ground and then he backed up until I was pressed between him and the wall, just not in a sexy way. No, this was him looking at the alphas like he was about to go feral on them .
My panic started to rise as I stared wide-eyed at Everett and Oaks. Neither looked too worried as they raised their hands, palms up to show they didn’t mean any threat.
“She’s safe with us, Atlas,” Everett said. “You know that.”
Atlas’s omega instincts had him snarling at his alpha. At his bonded alpha. I would have never believed it if I hadn’t literally witnessed it.
“Why don’t you try to touch him, darlin?” Oaks said. “He’ll calm down if you distract him.”
Touch him? I didn’t want to set Atlas off and make it worse. He was obviously feeling territorial, what if I touched him and it triggered him somehow?
“It’s all right, he won’t hurt you.”
I knew that, although it was surprising.
I had sort of assumed that this would have gone the opposite way.
That Atlas’s instincts would have seen me as a threat to his bonded alphas.
I had been mentally preparing myself to not even be involved in the heat, if I was honest. I had been planning to take meals to the pack, to help replace covers when they became drenched in cum.
Atlas had told me that he didn’t think that was true. He’d told me that he thought he would keep me in his nest the entire time and not let me up. He’d told me that he’d want to ... breed me.
I licked my suddenly dry lips. My heart was beating so hard that I felt my pulse in my neck.
Reaching out to Atlas, I pressed my hand on his back, the heat from his skin feeling so hot, it was a miracle he wasn’t sweating or begging for something to cool him down.
His head whipped around so fast, and then he was on me. His kisses were messy and desperate as he pressed his whole body against me, his hips already thrusting into mine as he groaned. The sound was a mix of arousal and frustration. He already needed relief.
I had to tear my lips away from his in order to suck down some air, but Atlas just followed me, his lips finding mine again like I was the air he needed.
“Take her to your nest, Atlas.” The command in Everett’s voice had a shiver going down Atlas’s back that I felt under my touch. His muscles tensed and released like he’d wanted to obey but he didn’t want to move.
Pulling away, I quickly begged, “Please, Atlas. Take me to your nest.”
That did the trick. He picked me up again and almost sprinted into his nest. The room was connected to the bedroom, extending all the way to the back of the house.
In comparison to other nests I’d seen, it was actually fairly small.
Atlas never preferred to spend any time in here unless he was in heat, and it showed.
There were no decorations or string lights or pillows to make the space seem cozy.
Nothing beyond the floor sized mattress and a few pillows piled off into a corner.
Along the back wall was a shelf of sex toys from handcuffs to plugs, dildos, pocket pussies, and even a ball gag.
I had ensured that the tray of foods and the mini fridge were stocked and charged.
It had little snacks like gummies and water.
Maybe once Atlas slept I could go back out and cook something.
My stomach dipped as I fell, Atlas essentially dropping me onto the mattress as he followed. He was back to kissing me without hesitation, grinding against me as he shoved my legs apart until he could press the outline of his cock into my core.
The heat hormones coming off Atlas were making me dizzy with euphoria. Betas weren’t affected by omega hormones like alphas were, but that didn’t mean it didn’t affect me at all. It was a mix of sex and Atlas’s personal firewood scent. Together, it was a torrent of heat and flames.
When his lips moved away from my own, starting to travel down my neck, I could finally breathe again. My eyes opened to find Oaks in the nest with us. He was already naked, leaning against a wall, his legs spread and his cock hard as he watched us.
Atlas continued lower on my body, his lips finding my nipples through the fabric as he sucked the nub into his mouth. Hard. My back arched off the mattress, my hands coming to the back of his head like that would somehow ease his touch.
“Gentle, Atlas,” Oaks rumbled from the side. “You need to be careful with your pet.”
Atlas didn’t respond, although he did lesson the pull. When he moved to the other breast, he gave it a reverent sort of kiss as his hands moved up and down my sides, caressing me.