Chapter 22
Bea
Iwake up drowning in sensation.
Heat everywhere. My skin feels like it's burning from the inside out, and the emptiness—god, the emptiness is back and it's worse this time. Like my body remembers being filled, being knotted, and now it's demanding more with a desperation that steals my breath.
I'm whimpering before I'm fully awake. Hands fisting in blankets that smell like pack. Like Grayson's leather and ink, Seth's rain and cedar, River's pine and sawdust.
"Hey there, beautiful."
River's voice. Warm and gentle, with that hint of amusement he always has. Like even now, with me falling apart, he's not worried. He knows how to fix this.
I roll toward him, and he catches me easily. Pulls me against his chest so I'm half-draped over him. The contact helps—his warmth, his solid presence—but it's not enough.
"River—" His name comes out as a broken sob. "Please, I need—"
"I know what you need." His hand runs through my hair, soothing. "But first, how are you feeling? Besides the obvious."
Is he seriously asking me questions right now? "Empty. So empty. Please—"
"Okay, okay." There's laughter in his voice, but it's not mean. Just... River. "Just wanted to make sure you're still with me. Heat brain hasn't completely taken over yet."
"It has," I whimper, pressing closer. "Can't think. Just need."
"Then let's take care of that." He shifts, rolling so I'm on top of him, straddling his hips. The change in position makes me gasp—I can feel his cock hard beneath me through his sweatpants, and I instinctively grind down against it.
"Fuck," he breathes. "Yeah, like that. Take what you need, Bea."
Take what I need? My heat-fogged brain struggles with the concept. Grayson took charge, directed everything. But River's looking up at me like he's perfectly happy to let me drive.
"I don't—I can't think—" My hands are shaking as I grab at his shirt, trying to get it off him.
"Here." He sits up enough to yank his shirt over his head, then lies back down with that easy smile. "Better?"
So much better. I run my hands over his chest, feeling the solid muscle, the warmth of his skin. He's not as built as Grayson, more lean, but there's strength in every line of him.
"You're staring," he says, and I can hear the smile in his voice.
"You're pretty," I manage, and he laughs—actually laughs.
"Pretty? I'm rugged. Manly. I fix things for a living."
Despite the desperation clawing at me, I almost smile. "Pretty."
"Okay, I'll allow it." His hands settle on my hips, grounding me. "Now, what do you need? Tell me and I'll help you get it."
"You." The word comes out desperate. "Inside me. Now. Please, River, I can't—the emptiness—"
"Alright, we can do that." His hands slide to the waistband of his sweatpants. "You gonna help me out here, or just sit there looking gorgeous?"
I fumble with his sweatpants, clumsy with need, and he helps me shove them down. His cock springs free—thick and hard, knot already starting to swell at the base—and the sight makes more slick flood out of me.
"That's what you need?" he asks, wrapping one hand around himself and stroking slowly. "This cock? This knot?"
"Yes." I'm practically sobbing. "Please, River, please—"
"Then take it." His hands go back to my hips, steadying me. "Go on, Bea. I'm right here. Take what you need."
It takes my heat-fogged brain a moment to understand. He wants me to—
"You want me on top?" I've never—Terrance never let me—
"Why not?" River's thumbs rub soothing circles on my hip bones. "You know what you need better than I do. Your body knows. Let it lead."
I shift forward, rising up on my knees, and he helps guide his cock to my entrance. The first touch makes us both gasp—he's hot and hard and right there—
"That's it," he encourages. "Whenever you're ready. Take it slow if you need to."
Slow? I don't have slow in me right now. I sink down in one movement, taking him deep, and the sensation steals my breath.
"Fuck," River gasps, his fingers digging into my hips. "Okay—okay—give me a second—"
I can't give him a second. Can't wait. The emptiness is finally being filled and I need more. I start to move, rising and falling, finding a rhythm that makes stars burst behind my eyelids.
"Yeah," River breathes. "Yeah, just like that. Look at you. Taking what you need. So fucking beautiful."
His encouragement makes me bolder. I brace my hands on his chest and move faster, chasing the feeling, chasing relief from this burning need.
"That's perfect," he groans. "You feel so good, Bea. So tight around me. Can you feel how deep I am? How full you are?"
I can. Oh god, I can. He's hitting spots inside me that make me whimper with every movement, and the friction against my clit is perfect, and—
"River—" His name comes out as a moan. "So good. You feel so good."
"Yeah?" His hands slide up from my hips, cupping my breasts, thumbs brushing over my nipples. "Tell me what you need. Want it harder? Faster?"
"Both," I sob. "Everything. Please."
He sits up suddenly, wrapping one arm around my waist to keep me steady, and starts thrusting up into me. The new angle makes me cry out—he's impossibly deeper now, hitting that perfect spot with every thrust, and I'm not going to last.
"That's it," he encourages, his lips against my ear. "Take it. Take everything. You're doing so good, beautiful. So perfect."
The praise mixed with the pleasure is overwhelming. I'm shaking, gasping, my inner walls starting to flutter around him.
"Gonna come for me?" River asks, and there's still that warmth in his voice even as his breath comes ragged. "Yeah, I can feel it. Feel your pussy getting tighter. Come on my cock, Bea. Let me feel it."
His hand slides between us, finding my clit and pressing just right, and I shatter. The orgasm crashes through me, stealing my breath, making me clench down on him so hard he groans.
"Fuck—yes—" He's still thrusting up into me, working me through it. "Good girl. That's so good. But you need more, don't you? Need my knot?"
"Please." I'm crying now, overwhelmed by sensation, by need. "Please, River, need your knot. Need you to knot me."
"I've got you." His rhythm changes, becomes more purposeful. His knot is swelling rapidly now, catching at my entrance with each thrust. "Gonna give you exactly what you need."
One more thrust and his knot pops inside me, stretching me wide, and we both cry out. The sensation is overwhelming—fullness beyond anything I've felt before—and then he's coming, his release flooding into me hot and thick.
"Yes—" I'm gasping, grinding down on him, taking him as deep as possible. "Yes, River.”
"Fuck, you're perfect," he groans, his arms tight around me. "Feel that? That's my knot. We're locked together now. You're not going anywhere."
The possessiveness in his voice, mixed with that underlying warmth, makes me shiver. I try to move and realize I can't—we're completely tied together, his knot keeping him locked deep inside me.
"Easy," he soothes, one hand coming up to cup the back of my head. "Don't fight it. Just feel it. Feel how full you are. Feel how much I'm giving you."
I can feel it. Feel his release still pulsing into me. Feel the stretch of his knot. Feel the emptiness finally, finally satisfied.
"Better?" he asks softly.
"Yes." The word comes out as a sob of relief. "So much better."
"Good." He presses a kiss to my temple, then my cheek, then finds my mouth for a proper kiss. This one is soft, gentle, nothing like the desperate fucking we just did. "You did so good, Bea. Took everything I gave you. You're incredible."
The praise makes warmth bloom in my chest. Different from the heat. Something deeper.
I slump against him, exhausted, overwhelmed, satisfied. His arms wrap around me, holding me close while we're locked together. His scent surrounds me—pine and sawdust and contentment—mixing with mine until I can't tell where he ends and I begin.
"I just wanna sleep here.” I mumble against his shoulder.
His hand strokes down my back, soothing. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."
"Can't anyway," I point out, and feel him laugh.
"True. Guess you're stuck with me."
"Guess so."
We stay like that, wrapped around each other, his knot keeping us joined. It should be uncomfortable—I'm half-collapsed on top of him, his cock still buried deep inside me—but it's not. It's perfect.
Seth appears with water, and River helps me drink while we're still tied. I'm shaking a little, overwhelmed by the intensity, but the desperate edge has faded. Replaced by bone-deep satisfaction.
"You okay?" River asks, brushing damp hair back from my forehead.
"Yeah." I nod against his chest. "Really okay."
Grayson settles beside us, his hand finding my back. "You did great."
"River made it easy," I mumble, and feel River's chest shake with quiet laughter.
"You made it easy," he corrects. "Trusting me like that. Letting yourself take what you needed."
I'd never been allowed to do that before. Terrance always wanted control, wanted to dictate everything. But River just... let me lead. Let me take. Let me be in charge of my own pleasure.
The thought makes my throat tight.
"Thank you," I whisper.
"Hey." River's hand tilts my chin up so I'm looking at him. "Nothing to thank me for. This is what pack does. We take care of each other."
Through the post-orgasm haze, I can feel my heat starting to build again. Not desperate yet, but it's there. Waiting.
"I'll need you again soon," I whisper.
"We know," Seth says softly from somewhere nearby. "We're ready."
"All of us," Grayson confirms.
River's knot starts to deflate, and the feeling of him slipping free makes me whimper. The emptiness is back immediately—not as overwhelming as before, but noticeable.
"Easy," River soothes. Seth's already there with a warm cloth, cleaning me gently while River shifts us so I'm lying down instead of on top of him.
"Sleep," River murmurs, settling beside me. "Rest while you can."
I want to argue. Want to stay awake and soak in every moment of this—being surrounded by my pack, being cared for, being safe. But exhaustion pulls at me, and River's purring lulls me under.
The last thing I register before sleep claims me is the feeling of being held. Protected. Loved.
Pack.