Chapter 23
River
Iknow she's waking up before she does.
The change in her breathing. The way her scent shifts from satisfied contentment back to that desperate, honeyed need. Her body starting to move restlessly against mine even before her eyes open.
Heat's coming back for round three.
I tighten my arms around her carefully, feeling Grayson shift on her other side. He's awake too, always alert to changes in her state. Seth's asleep in the nest nearby, but he'll wake up soon enough. He needs the rest—he's going to need his energy later.
Bea makes a soft sound in her sleep, and I feel the exact moment consciousness returns. Her whole body goes taut, then starts trembling.
"River?" Her voice is small, uncertain.
"Right here." I press a kiss to her shoulder. "How are you feeling?"
"It's coming back." She shifts against me, and I can feel how wet she is already. Fresh slick coating her thighs. "The emptiness. It's—"
"I know." I run my hand down her side, soothing. "That's normal. Heat cycles in waves. You'll need us several more times before it breaks."
She whimpers, and the sound goes straight to my cock. Can't help it—alpha biology responds to omega distress with overwhelming protectiveness and need to fix it.
"How many times?" she asks.
"Depends. Usually six to eight knottings over two to three days for a first heat with alphas." I keep my voice calm, informative. She needs facts right now, not panic. "You're handling it beautifully."
"Don't feel beautiful." She's starting to squirm now, the need building faster. "Feel like I'm losing my mind."
"You're not." I roll her onto her back so I can see her face. "You're exactly where you're supposed to be. Doing exactly what your body needs to do."
Her eyes are already darkening, pupils dilating. "Need—" She breaks off, frustrated. "Why can't I think straight?"
"Heat brain." I cup her face, making her focus on me. "Your omega hindbrain has taken over. It's going to make you single-minded about getting what you need. That's okay. That's why we're here—to think clearly when you can't."
"What do I need?" she asks, and there's trust in her voice. Trust that I'll know even when she doesn't.
"Right now?" I slide my hand between her legs, feeling how slick and swollen she is. "You need to be filled again. Need another knot to take the edge off."
She nods frantically, already trying to spread her legs wider.
"But first—" I catch her hands before she can reach for me. "—you're going to eat something. And drink more water."
"River, no—" she starts to protest, but I'm already sitting up, pulling her with me.
"Not negotiable." I reach for the supplies Seth organized. Protein bars, fruit, electrolyte drinks. "You haven't eaten in hours, and you're sweating out all your fluids. You want to feel good? You need fuel."
She looks mutinous for about three seconds. Then Grayson sits up behind her, and his hand on her lower back seems to settle something.
"Listen to River," he says quietly. "He knows what he's doing."
The praise makes me feel warm. Good to know my pack trusts me to lead through this.
I unwrap a protein bar and hold it to her lips. "Eat."
She takes a bite, chewing mechanically. Her eyes never leave my face, and I can see the struggle there—heat-brain screaming at her to reject everything that isn't a knot, but rational-brain recognizing I'm right.
"Good girl," I murmur, and she melts slightly at the praise. "Keep going."
Three-quarters of the bar and half a bottle of water later, some of the desperate edge has softened in her scent. Not gone—won't be gone until she's knotted again—but manageable.
"Better?" I ask.
"A little." She's still trembling though. Still fighting the need. "But River, please—"
"I know." I set the supplies aside and guide her to lie back in the nest. "But I'm going to take care of you my way first."
"What—" she starts, but I'm already kissing down her body. Slow. Deliberate. Taking my time even though she's whimpering with need.
"River—"
"Trust me," I murmur against her hip bone. "Let me worship you properly this time."
I settle between her spread thighs, and the sight makes my mouth water. She's glistening with slick, swollen and pink and perfect. The scent of her—honeyed and sweet and desperate—makes my alpha instincts roar.
"You're beautiful like this," I tell her, running my hands up her trembling thighs. "Dripping slick for me. So ready."
Then I lean down and taste her.
The first swipe of my tongue through her folds makes her cry out, hips bucking against my face. The taste of her slick—sweet and addictive—floods my senses. I groan against her, the vibration making her gasp.
"River—oh god—"
I take my time. Licking through her folds, circling her entrance, then dragging my tongue up to her clit. When I close my lips around that sensitive bundle of nerves and suck gently, she nearly comes apart.
"Too much—it's too much—"
"You can take it," I murmur, then do it again. "Your body needs this. Needs to be pleasured. Worshipped."
I work her with my mouth and tongue, learning what makes her writhe, what makes her moan my name. When I push my tongue inside her, tasting her more deeply, feeling her inner walls clench around it, she sobs with pleasure.
"River, please—I'm going to—"
"Then come," I say against her. "Come on my tongue, baby. Let me taste you."
I focus on her clit again, licking and sucking, and within seconds she shatters. Her thighs clamp around my head, whole body going rigid as the orgasm crashes through her. I work her through it, lapping up the fresh flood of slick, savoring every drop.
When she finally goes limp, gasping for breath, I press one more kiss to her inner thigh before moving up her body.
"Better?" I ask, even though I can smell the answer—satisfaction blooming through her scent, that desperate edge softened slightly.
"Yes," she breathes. "But I still need—"
"I know what you need." I move up her body, settling beside her. "But this time, we're all going to take care of you together."
Her eyes widen. "All of you?"
"All of us." Grayson's already moving closer, his hand sliding down her side. "That okay?"
She nods frantically. "Yes. Please. Need—need all of you."
Grayson positions himself on her other side, his hands mapping her body—her breasts, her stomach, her thighs. Seth moves closer too, hesitant but clearly wanting to help.
"Come here," I tell her, guiding her to straddle my hips. "We'll start like this."
She positions herself over me, and I can feel her slick coating my cock as she grinds against me. Desperate. Needy.
"Easy," I soothe, gripping her hips. "Let me—"
I position myself at her entrance and she sinks down immediately, taking me deep in one movement. We both groan at the sensation.
"That's it," I encourage. "Take what you need."
Grayson's hands are on her from behind, steadying her, his fingers trailing up her spine. "So beautiful like this. Look at you taking River's cock."
Seth's moved to her side, and after a moment of hesitation, his hand finds her breast. Gentle. Careful. She gasps at the additional touch.
"Good?" I ask, watching her face.
"Yes—so good—all of you—" She's trying to move but she's overwhelmed by sensation. Three sets of hands on her, my cock inside her, their scents surrounding her.
"Let us help," Grayson murmurs. His hands grip her hips with mine, helping guide her movements. Up and down, finding a rhythm.
Seth's getting bolder, his other hand sliding down to where she and I are joined, feeling where my cock disappears into her. The touch makes her whimper.
"Feel that?" I ask Seth. "Feel how stretched she is around me? How much slick she's making?"
"Yeah," Seth breathes, wonder in his voice. His fingers brush against her clit experimentally and she cries out.
"There," I tell him. "Keep touching her there. Gentle circles."
He does, and Bea's inner walls clench around me. "Oh god—River—Seth—"
"We've got you," Grayson says, his lips against her shoulder. "All three of us. Let go. Let us take care of you."
Between the three of us, we work her higher. Grayson controlling her pace from behind, Seth's fingers on her clit, my cock buried deep inside her. She's shaking, gasping, overwhelmed by all the sensation.
"That's perfect," I groan. "You're taking it so well. Taking all of us. So good for your pack."
"Please—" She's sobbing now. "Please, I need—need your knot—"
"I know." My knot is swelling rapidly, catching at her entrance with each movement. "Seth, keep that pressure on her clit. Grayson, hold her steady."
They do exactly as I ask, and the coordination between us is perfect. Pack working together to take care of our omega.
"Come for us," I tell her. "Come on my cock with your whole pack touching you."
Seth presses harder on her clit, Grayson's hands tighten on her hips, and I thrust up hard. She shatters with a scream, clenching down on me so tight I see stars.
My knot pops inside her, locking us together as I come. But this time, she's not alone with just me—Grayson's arms are around her from behind, Seth's hand is still gentle on her, and I'm holding her close from the front.
Surrounded. Protected. Loved.
"Amazing,” she mumbles, half-conscious against my chest.
"You are,” I tell her, stroking her hair while Grayson and Seth keep their hands on her. Keeping her grounded. "Rest, baby. We've got you."
"All of you," she whispers.
"All of us," I confirm, and feel Seth and Grayson's agreement in the way they hold her steady between us.
This is what pack means. Not just one alpha taking care of their omega, but all of us working together to give her everything she needs.
She collapses forward onto my chest, gasping, and I start purring immediately. Grayson's hand stays on her back, Seth's on her hip. All three of us touching her, surrounding her.
"That was—" She can't finish the sentence.
"Intense?" Grayson offers, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Perfect," she breathes. "All of you. Together. I felt so—"
"Safe," Seth finishes quietly. "You felt safe."
"Yeah." Her voice is small. "Safe. And loved."
The word hangs in the air. No one contradicts it.
"You are," I tell her simply. "Both of those things."
She's quiet for a moment, just breathing. Then: "Thank you."
"Nothing to thank us for."
"There is." She lifts her head slightly to look at all three of us. "You're all taking such good care of me. Making sure I eat and drink. Working together. Not just—" She gestures vaguely. "—this."
"This is part of it," I tell her seriously. "But yeah. The rest matters too. Aftercare is just as important as the sex."
"Aftercare," she repeats, like she's testing the word. "Terrance never—"
"Terrance was an idiot," Grayson cuts in. "You deserve to be taken care of properly."
"All of you keep saying that." There's wonder in her voice. "Like it's obvious."
"It is obvious," I say firmly. "You're our omega. Our pack. Taking care of you isn't just something we do—it's who we are."
She blinks, and tears well up in her eyes. "I love you," she whispers. "All of you. I know we haven't said it yet, but I do. I love you so much it scares me."
My chest goes tight. "We love you too," I tell her, and I've never meant anything more. "All three of us. You're ours, Bea. For keeps."
"For keeps," she echoes, and the smile that spreads across her face is radiant.
My knot deflates slowly, and when I slip free she whimpers at the loss. Grayson's already there with a cloth, cleaning her gently while I hold her steady.
"Sleep now," I murmur. "Seth will wake you when you need him."
She tenses slightly at that. "Seth," she says quietly. "He hasn't—he's never—"
"He'll be fine." I'm certain of it. "We'll help him. And you'll help him too, just by being you."
She nods, but I can see the concern in her eyes. As she whispers only for me to hear. "What if I hurt him? What if heat makes me too rough or demanding or—"
"You won't, Bea. And he wants this. Wants you. Has for weeks." Sh shakes her head and glances to where Seth is fallen asleep.
"Besides," I add, settling her back into the nest between us. "He's got us as backup. If he needs help, we'll be right here."
That seems to reassure her, because she relaxes into our hold. Within minutes, her breathing evens out into sleep.
I look across at Grayson, and he meets my eyes with understanding. We're both thinking the same thing.
Seth's turn is coming and our shy deputy is gonna take care of his omega.
She wakes up four hours later, and this time it's bad.
The whimpering starts before her eyes open. Her body curling in on itself, hands pressed to her lower belly like she can physically hold the emptiness at bay.
"Hurts," she's gasping. "Hurts so much. Please. Please make it stop."
Seth jerks awake at her distress, and I see panic flash across his face. He's never seen her like this—completely overwhelmed by heat, past the point of coherent thought.
"Seth," I say calmly, catching his attention. "You're up."
"I—" He looks terrified. "What if I mess up? What if I can't—"
"You won't mess up." Grayson's already moving, positioning himself where he can guide Seth without interfering. "We're right here."
Bea's scent is desperate now. Peak heat. The point where only a knot will help, and even then the relief will be temporary.
"Seth," she sobs, reaching for him blindly. "Please. Please, I need you. Need your knot. It hurts so bad—"
Something shifts in his expression. The panic gets shoved aside by determination. By alpha instinct recognizing his omega in distress and demanding he fix it.
"I'm here," he says, and his voice is steadier than I expected. "I've got you, Bea. I promise."
He moves into the nest, and Bea latches onto him immediately. Her hands fisting in his shirt, her face pressed to his throat where his scent is strongest.
"Help me," she begs. "Please help me, Seth. Trust you. Need you. Please—"
I watch something break open in his face. The fear giving way to pure protective need.
"Okay," he breathes. “I'm going to take care of you."
Grayson and I exchange a look. Seth's got this. He might not know it yet, but he's going to be exactly what she needs.