Chapter 44 – BELLA
CHAPTER 44
BELLA
T he heat builds beneath my skin like a slow-burning wildfire. First, just warmth—pleasant, even—but gradually intensifying until it feels like my blood is turning to lava in my veins. I shift against Liam's chest, his strong arms providing an anchor even as the fever rises within me.
"It's starting," I say, fighting to keep my voice steady despite the nervous fluttering in my chest. "I feel it."
Roman's golden-hazel eyes meet mine, serious and intense. "Before you go further into heat, we need to establish some boundaries."
"I'm still thinking clearly," I assure them, sitting up straighter in my nest—my beautiful nest that I built with all of them. "Now's the perfect time."
I'm proud of how calm I sound, how composed I appear, even as another cramp twists through my lower abdomen. Liam's arms tighten around me, his tattooed skin warm against mine.
"First," Savva says, his cultured voice soothing despite the tension I can see in his shoulders, "we need a system to communicate if you're uncomfortable or need to stop. Heat can make verbal communication difficult."
A sharp cramp hits me, and I wince, trying to focus on his words. "A safe word?" My mind jumps to the earlier conversation. "I liked Troy's suggestion of green, yellow, and red."
"For non-verbal," Roman adds, leaning forward slightly, "tap three times on any part of us you can reach if you need a complete stop."
Liam demonstrates behind me, tapping my forearm three times in quick succession. The gesture is firm, deliberate. "Like this, lass. We'll all be watching for it."
I practice the motion, feeling the hard muscle of Liam's forearm beneath my fingertips. "Got it."
"What about specific acts?" Savva asks delicately, his sharp green eyes assessing me. "Are there things you know you don't want, even during heat?"
Heat rushes to my cheeks that has nothing to do with my approaching heat. "I don't think so? I mean, I haven't experienced this before, so I'm not sure what I'll want or not want. But..." I hesitate, trying to organize my thoughts as another wave of warmth courses through me. "I'd like to try... everything. With all of you. Just maybe not all at once at first?"
The admission makes my core clench and heat up. I'm hyperaware of each alpha's scent—Troy's summer fireworks, Roman's cedar and rain, Savva's old books and spice, Liam's coffee and leather, and Cole's stone and steel. They surround me, filling my lungs, my head, my very being.
"We'll take it slow," Roman assures me, his deep voice vibrating through me. "Start with one alpha at a time until you're comfortable with more."
"And no one enters the room without your explicit consent," Troy adds, his usual playfulness gone. In its place is an intensity that makes my stomach flip. "We rotate based on what you need, not what we want."
Cole clears his throat, the sound rough and hesitant. "What about after? When you're lucid between waves? You might want space."
My heart swells at his consideration. Even now, as my scent must be driving him crazy, he's thinking about my comfort. "Good point," I say, looking at him with appreciation. "Maybe... if I say I need rest, everyone gives me fifteen minutes alone?"
"We'll keep someone just outside the door," Roman says. "In case you need anything. But we'll respect your need for space."
"Thank you."
"What about food and hydration?" Liam asks from behind me, his chest rumbling against my back. "Heat burns energy fast. You'll need regular sustenance."
"We should schedule breaks," Savva suggests. "Regardless of whether you feel hungry. At least every few hours, you take water and something with protein."
"I made some protein bites," Troy cuts in.
The thought of stopping for food seems ridiculous right now, but I know they're right. "Even if I say I don't want to stop," I tell them firmly, "make me take those breaks. I know it's important."
Roman nods, approval evident in his expression. "Good. And you can change your mind about anything at any time."
"The most important thing," Cole says, his gaze finding mine, "is that you never feel pressured. We're here for you. All of us. However you need us. But your comfort comes first."
The earnestness in his voice makes my throat tighten up with emotion. I look around at these five alphas who have become the center of my world in such a short time. "I trust you. All of you. That's why I chose this." I take a deep breath, feeling another wave of heat building. "And now that we have that settled, I think we should?—"
The words die in my throat as something changes deep inside me. A hot, liquid rush between my thighs makes me gasp, my body arching involuntarily as a cramp stronger than any before seizes me. But this one is different—pain and pleasure twisted together in a knot that makes it hard to breathe.
"Oh," I whisper, my eyes widening.
Everything intensifies in an instant. The alphas' scents sharpen, becoming almost visible in the air around me. My skin feels too tight, too hot, every nerve ending raw and screaming for touch. The soft fabrics of the nest feel like sandpaper against my oversensitized skin, yet I crave more friction, more pressure, more everything.
"It hurts," I whimper, unable to articulate the desperate emptiness pulsing through me. "I need—I need?—"
What do I need? Everything is too much and not enough. I need hands on me, in me, need to be filled and held and claimed.
Need to be fucked.
"Bella," Roman's voice cuts through the haze, steady and commanding. "Who do you want first?"
My eyes find Cole instantly, as if drawn by a magnet. The alpha whose knot got me through the first wave when I was the most vulnerable. "Cole," I say without a moment's hesitation. "I need Cole."
I watch as he moves toward me, only to be stopped by Roman's hand on his shoulder. They're talking about something—about whether all of them should stay or some should leave—but their words seem distant and unimportant. All I can focus on is the burning need consuming me from the inside out.
My hands move of their own accord, sliding over my heated skin, seeking relief that remains frustratingly out of reach. "Please," I gasp, as another wave of cramps hits me. "I can't—it's too much?—"
"Shh, we've got you," Liam murmurs against my hair, his tattooed arms still supporting me from behind.
I hear Cole's gravelly voice, though the words are hard to make out through the roaring in my ears. Whatever he says makes Roman nod.
"We'll be right outside," Roman says, rising from the nest with visible reluctance. "You just call when you need us."
No, I want to protest. I don't want them to leave. I need all of them, need their scents, their strength, their protection.
"Wait," Troy says suddenly, his blue eyes meeting Cole's in a moment of silent communication. "I should stay too."
The others pause, looking between Troy and Cole with understanding in their eyes. I've noticed the bond between these two before—how Troy seems to be the only one who can consistently make Cole smile, how Cole's tension eases whenever Troy's nearby. They balance each other perfectly. Troy's sunshine to Cole's shadow.
Having both Troy and Cole with me feels right somehow. The perfect combination for my first experience.
"Yes," I say immediately, reaching for Troy's hand and pulling him down beside me. He lets me, even though he's three times my size at the very least. "Please stay."
Savva approaches, pressing a cool hand to my forehead. "Remember the signals," he says, his voice tight with restraint. "And know we're here the moment you need us."
"It'll be your turn soon," I say hoarsely, barely comprehending as he moves away. Liam reluctantly releases me, brushing his lips against my temple before rising.
"Take care of our girl," he says to Troy and Cole, his voice rough.
As Roman and the others file out of the room, Troy moves to join Cole and me in the center of the nest. Stone, steel, and summer fireworks mingle in a delicious bouquet that has my skin prickling all over again.
"What do you need?" Cole asks, his voice rougher than usual.
"You," I manage to gasp. "Both of you. Please."
"We've got you, princess," Troy murmurs, his large hand gentle as it cups my cheek.
Cole seems hesitant, uncertain, despite the obvious hardness straining against his pants. I press myself against him shamelessly, my bare breasts against his chest, my hips seeking friction.
"Are you sure?" he asks, always asking, always checking even as my heat scent fills the room.
"Yes," I plead, tugging at his shirt. "Please. It hurts, Cole. I need you. Both of you."
The last of his hesitation vanishes at my words. He pulls his shirt over his head, revealing the scarred expanse of his chest and torso. The scars that mark his skin only make him more beautiful to me—proof of his survival, his strength.
Troy follows suit, stripping off his own shirt to reveal his broad, muscular chest. Where Cole is all hard angles and battle scars, Troy is smooth golden skin and brawn. The contrast between them is breathtaking.
I run my hands over both of them reverently, tracing the path of scar tissue across Cole's chest and the thickness of Troy's torso. Even through the fever of my heat, I'm struck by how perfectly we fit together. How right this feels.
"Take these off," I urge, tugging at their pants with clumsy fingers. "Need to feel you."
They comply, stripping efficiently until they're as naked as I am. The sight of them—both massive and hard—sends another pulse of desperate need through my core.
"Alpha," I whisper, the word slipping out unbidden as I reach for them both.
Something flashes in Cole's eye at the title—possession, need, want—and he growls low in his throat. Troy echoes the sound, deeper and just as aggressive. Their sounds vibrate through me, and I moan in response, my body reacting instinctively to these two incredible alphas.
"Ours," Cole rumbles, pulling me against him.
"Yours," I agree breathlessly.
And in this moment, I am completely, utterly theirs.