57. Jordan
Chapter fifty-seven
I've never been a marathon runner.
I never got a runner's high, so I never saw the appeal of pushing my body like that.
Since I've never run a marathon before, I can't confirm it, but I would put money on my body hurting more now than it would if I had.
Peeling myself out of the middle of an Alpha sandwich, ignoring their grunts and groans of protest, I drag myself to the bathroom.
Looking into the mirror is like a jump scare video.
My hair is a wreck, knotted and haphazardly thrown in a topknot that screams Cyrus Stargazer. Dark purple half-moons are under my bloodshot eyes, and I am pretty sure I'd need a chisel to get this layer of sticky ick off of me.
But what really catches my attention are the two new bite marks I can see. Just under my ear, Rafe's bite and Simon's, opposite of Icarus's, are still red and fresh and like beacons in my reflection. I can feel the tightness of healing skin from Cyrus's bite on the back of my neck, and I reach behind me to rub it gently.
Claimed.
My knees go weak, and I slip to the floor, a sob wrenching out of my throat.
They're mine.
Forever.
Tears stream down my face for just a few moments before the door slams open, and four Alphas wedge into the bathroom, all harried and worried sick.
"Peaches, what's going on?"
"Jordy, baby, are you okay?"
"Sunshine, what happened?"
"Are you okay, Jay?"
"Guys," I say, laughing through the tears. "I'm fine. Dial back the Alpha energy, damn."
Simon slumps next to me while Cyrus and Icarus lean against the wall, and Rafe squats in front of me. "Why are you crying?"
His elbows are resting on his knees, his hands dangling, and my eyes hone in on the still-healing bite he has there. He tracks my gaze, and I feel a burst of affection that has to be him in my chest.
"You're mine," I whisper, grabbing his hand and turning it over. "You're really mine."
"Always was, Jordy," he says quietly, leaning forward and giving me a sweet kiss.
A few months ago, I would've immediately corrected him with a snarky retort, but I know better now. Sure, the guys made a stupid decision as teenagers that messed up all of our lives in some way. But knowing what I know now, I cannot deny the truth of his statement.
"Well, sunshine, how do you feel?" Icarus asks with a knowing smile. His arms are crossed over his chest, and the light dusting of hair brings back memories of rubbing my face against him over the past few days. He's wearing a pair of low-slung gray sweats, and it is unfair how delicious he looks right now.
"How long was I out of it?" I have flashes of memories, mainly around the bondings, but for the most part, it's all buried under a layer of haze.
"Today is day four," he says with a smug smile. "We overloaded you with pheromones last night."
Simon grumbles something about his cock that I don't catch, and I turn my attention back to Icarus. "That's good, right? Much less than last time?"
"It's perfect. I wasn't sure, what with what the doctor said could happen because of the drop, but you weren't much different than last time. I just had loads of helping hands."
At that, Simon throws his hands up, groaning in frustration. "You're one to talk about helping hands!"
Rafe stumbles and falls onto his ass as he breaks out into peals of laughter. I look between my Alphas in confusion. "What am I missing?"
"Russ jerked Simon off," Cyrus grunts. He looks frustrated, but there is humor bubbling through our new bond.
"I did it for the extra pheromone production, and I will stand by that decision," Icarus replies, fisting his hips.
I try to picture it, my doctor Alpha clinically running his hand up and down Simon's pierced cock for the sole purpose of pheromone production, and I can't help it when I, too, fall over in a fit of laughter. "Vick," I gasp. I try to say more, but my laughter overtakes me again, and I slump against Simon, unable to stop the tears that leak.
Eventually, we are all a puddle of sticky, messy laughter on the bathroom floor.
Fuck, I'm so lucky.
"What're you doing?" Vick purrs in my ear, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind.
"Making tea!" I nuzzle my head back against him before using my ass to push him away. "Go away. I'll bring you a cup in a moment."
He holds his hands up and backs away, but confusion flickers across his handsome face. I need to do this on my own, and if he's hovering over my shoulder, I'm going to second-guess myself.
I hear the guys talking over a news story about the rising crime rate in Lunarcrest as I spoon the tea blend into a strainer and place it in the kettle.
It had better be good because I'm not trying it myself first. I'm going to go in blind here.
After five minutes, I pour five mugs, grab the sugar dish, and load it up on a tray that Icarus insisted on buying. I protested it at first, saying we'd never use it, but now I'm very glad he managed to convince me.
Placing the tray in front of the Alphas, I point at the mismatched mugs. "It's tea," I say, grabbing a mug myself.
My men stare at me as if I have two heads, and I know I must be acting strangely, but honestly, I'm nervous. Once they all have their mugs, I take a sip, letting the flavors explode on my tongue.
"Holy shit," Simon says, pulling the mug away from his mouth. "This is really good."
"What blend is this?" Icarus asks, taking a slow sip.
"I uh, I made it myself," I mutter, looking anywhere but at him. He hums quietly and takes another sip, not revealing anything about how he feels.
Cyrus clinks his mug as he sets it roughly on the table. "I don't even like tea, but it's terrific. I think I may like it even more iced."
"Ooh, yeah," Simon says, taking another sip. "Iced on a hot day, sitting in the sun? Perfection."
I turn to Rafe, who's watching me intently. He slowly lowers the mug, narrowing his eyes. "Why do I feel like what I say is really important?"
"Because she's blended the pack tea," Icarus says with a grin. He leans back and crosses his ankle over his knee. "Without me."
I flush and chew my lip. "It wasn't without you."
"Oh?"
"No. I had been thinking about it and realized that the reason we could never find a good blend, me and you, was because we weren't the whole pack. It was missing them, too." I prop myself against the wall next to the TV, staring into my mug. "I started with a base of white tea. Then I added chamomile," I meet Icarus's gaze, and his eyes crinkle at the corner with a smile, "dried peaches," Simon straightens up, his massive smile taking over his face, "dried mangos," Rafe's soft, quiet smile joins the love he radiates through our bond. I turn to Cyrus, my big, gruff, stubborn Alpha, and look him straight in the eye. "And blackberry leaf. I don't think wisteria is used in tea."
His shoulders relax, and I didn't realize he had been holding his breath, waiting to hear if I included him.
"Pack scents," Icarus says, looking into the mug. "Brilliant. I adore it." He sets his mug down and reaches for my hands, guiding me around the coffee table to sit on his lap. "Clever thing."
I snuggle into him, the others squeezing us together until we are piled up on the couch, and I end up stretched across their laps. The news drones on about a new drug that is flooding the streets, and I groan.
"Can we turn the news off?"
"Let's watch a movie!" Simon says, tickling the bottoms of my feet. "I vote comedy."
"Seconded!" I say, raising my hand. "Do we have a third?"
"Aye!" Rafe responds, flicking his chin towards me.
"The motion passes!" Simon says as he claps his hands together loudly.
Icarus and Cyrus exchange glances, and Icarus scratches his head. "I don't know what just happened."
"You just got ganged up on," Cyrus grumbles. "Get used to it. They're always like this."