35. Belle #3
"And after Theo?" I ask, though I think I know the answer.
"After Theo, the heat should settle into something completely manageable. Still present during your natural cycles, but never again the desperate, frightening thing it was before you had us."
The thought of never again experiencing the terror of an unmanaged heat makes me want to cry with relief. "I can't believe this is real," I admit. "Six months ago, I thought I'd spend my entire life managing heats alone, never trusting any alpha enough to let them help. Now..."
"Now you have three alphas who would move mountains to make sure you never suffer through another heat alone," Felix finishes. "Belle, you're stuck with us. Permanently. No matter what happens, no matter how complicated life gets, you'll always have us."
"Good," I murmur, settling more comfortably against his chest. "That's exactly what I want."
As if summoned by our conversation, I hear movement in the kitchen, followed by the sound of footsteps approaching the living room. Marcus appears at the edge of the nest, carrying a tray loaded with what looks like enough food for a small army.
"How are you feeling?" he asks, his eyes immediately going to the fresh mark on my throat. I can smell the satisfaction in his scent when he sees Felix's claiming bite next to his own.
"Perfect," I tell him honestly. "Absolutely perfect."
"Hungry?" Marcus asks, settling the tray on the coffee table where we can reach it without disturbing Felix's knot.
"Starving," I realize suddenly. The bonding process has left me depleted in ways I didn't expect, and my body is demanding fuel to recover.
"That's normal," Theo's quiet voice comes from the other side of the nest. I turn to find him sitting nearby, his dark eyes intense with carefully controlled desire. "Your body is working hard to form these bonds. It needs nutrients to sustain the process."
"Is that why you're keeping your distance?" I ask gently, noting that while Marcus and Felix are comfortable touching me, Theo is maintaining careful space.
"I'm keeping my distance because your scent is driving me insane," Theo admits with characteristic honesty.
"Because watching you bond with Marcus and Felix is the most beautiful and torturous thing I've ever experienced.
Because I want you so badly I can barely think straight, and I'm trying to give you time to recover before I completely lose control. "
The raw need in his voice sends another wave of heat through my body, even as my heart clenches with affection for his restraint. "Theo..."
"I'm fine," he assures me quickly. "Belle, I'm not going anywhere. When you're ready for me, I'll be here."
"But you're suffering," I observe, able to smell the tension and barely controlled want radiating from him.
"It's worth it," Theo says simply. "You're worth any amount of waiting."
The simple honesty of it makes my chest tight with emotion. "Come closer," I request. "Please. I need all of you close."
Theo hesitates for a moment, then moves to settle on the other side of the nest. The moment he's within touching distance, I reach for his hand, needing the physical connection even though I'm still locked with Felix.
"Better?" Theo asks softly.
"Much better," I confirm, squeezing his fingers. "This is what I need. All of you here, all of you close."
"Speaking of which," Marcus says, offering me a plate loaded with scrambled eggs, toast, and fresh fruit, "you need to eat. Your body is working overtime right now."
I'm suddenly ravenous, and I make quick work of the breakfast while the alphas talk quietly around me.
The conversation is domestic and comfortable as plans for the courthouse campaign, Felix's latest architectural project, Theo's thoughts on security improvements for the construction sites.
Normal pack conversation, the kind of easy communication that speaks to years of friendship and partnership.
But underneath the casual chatter, I can sense the undercurrents of anticipation. Marcus and Felix are satisfied and content, their bonds with me fresh and strong. But Theo's carefully controlled need adds a note of tension to the atmosphere that makes my skin prickle with awareness.
"How much longer?" I ask Felix softly, referring to his knot.
"Maybe thirty more minutes," he estimates. "Are you uncomfortable?"
"No," I assure him. "Just... aware that someone else is waiting."
"I can wait as long as necessary," Theo says immediately, but I can smell the lie in his scent. He's holding on to his control by a thread, and the knowledge makes heat pool low in my belly despite the satisfaction of two recent orgasms.
"I don't want you to wait much longer," I tell him honestly. "Theo, I need you too. Just as much as I needed Marcus and Felix."
His scent spikes at my words, and I can see his hands clench into fists as he fights for control. "Belle..."
"Soon," I promise him. "As soon as Felix's knot recedes, I want you to claim me. I want to complete our pack bond."
"Are you sure you'll be ready?" Marcus asks, concern evident in his voice. "Belle, you've already been through two intense bondings. If you need more time to recover..."
"I'm sure," I tell him firmly. "Marcus, I can feel both of you in my mind now, and it's incredible. But it's not complete. I need Theo's connection too. I need all three bonds to feel whole."
"Then you'll have all three," Felix says softly, pressing a kiss to my shoulder. "As soon as I can let you go, you can bond with Theo."
"And then?" I ask, though I think I know the answer.
"And then you'll be completely ours," Marcus says with obvious satisfaction. "And we'll be completely yours. The pack bond will be permanent and unbreakable."
The thought sends a shiver of anticipation through me.
In less than an hour, I'll be bonded to all three alphas, claimed and marked and cherished by the most incredible men I've ever known.
The woman who walked into this heat cycle will be gone forever, replaced by the omega I was always meant to be.
"I can't wait," I admit, and the truth of it surprises me with its intensity.
"Neither can we," Theo says quietly, his eyes dark with promise. "Belle, when I claim you, when our bond forms, you're going to understand what it means to be completely loved. Completely protected. Completely cherished."
"I already understand that," I tell him softly. "You've all been showing me since the night we met. The bonding is just making it official."
"Official and permanent," Felix corrects with a smile. "After today, you're stuck with us forever."
"Good," I say firmly. "That's exactly how I want it."
As Felix's knot finally begins to recede, as my body prepares for the final claiming that will complete our pack bond, I realize that I've never been more ready for anything in my life.
The heat is still there, simmering under my skin and making me acutely aware of Theo's proximity and need.
But it's manageable now, focused, something I can work with rather than something that controls me.
Most importantly, I know without question that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. With the alphas who love me, who see me as I really am and want me anyway, who will spend the rest of their lives making sure I never doubt my worth or my place in their hearts.
The third bonding is coming, and with it, the completion of everything I've been unconsciously seeking my entire adult life.
I can't wait to take that final step.
"Ready?" Felix asks softly as he finally slips free from my body.
"Ready," I confirm, already turning toward Theo with heat and love and desperate need in my eyes.
The final claiming awaits, and I've never been more eager for anything in my life.