Chapter 49
Bayleigh
My body feels hot, and I can barely move. There’s a heavy weight on my side, wrapping around my stomach, and I can’t move my legs. My head is resting on something firm, not my soft fluffy pillow. My brain feels like mush while I try to remember where I am.
The heavy scent of grapefruit and a lighter sandalwood wrap around me.
Familiar scents. Ones that I long for, crave, and I feel are mine.
My eyes flutter open, and I see Milton first. Well, his body.
My head rests on his shoulder, my hand splayed across his very bare chest. The blanket is bunched at his waist, where a trail of hair disappears underneath.
I lift my head, looking over my shoulder and find Lincoln curled against my back, his hand wrapped around my waist. When did he join us?
Does Milton know? When I fell asleep last night, it was just the two of us.
I should feel uncomfortable being in bed with both of them, but I’m not. It feels right.
Looking down at my feet, I see that my legs are intertwined with theirs. No wonder I can’t move them.
Our scents are mixed together—citrus, mint and sandalwood—something that smells wholly like a pack. I realize instantly that something is shifting within me. I feel too warm, too aware of every point of contact; even my scent is stronger.
It can’t be.
I should still have time. But everything points to it.
Early signs of my heat whisper just beneath my skin, and for a moment I panic—worried that I’m moving too fast, being too needy.
I know an alpha’s instincts are to care for an omega, especially one in heat.
But am I being rash in asking them to help me?
Did they say yes not because they want to, but out of duty?
Stop it. They want me. They’ve proven how much they care for me.
Lincoln and Milton start to stir, their hands immediately seeking me out, touching me, grounding me.
MiIton moves just slightly, so that he can kiss the top of my head, while Lincoln peppers kisses across my back.
Neither of them seems to be phased that there's three of us in bed together. Especially Milton.
Lincoln’s hand moves, cradling my chin and turning it toward him, kissing me on my lips, before letting go of me.
The warmth of his body moves from behind me, and the bed shifts as he changes his position and sits up.
I roll onto my back, my eyes taking in his exposed body.
He stands slowly, stretching his arms above his head, and my eyes drop lower to his firm ass. I can feel my face heating.
Why am I so embarrassed? It’s not like I haven’t seen him nude before.
He heads straight for the bathroom, and Milton takes advantage of our moment of privacy to pull me into him, hugging me tightly. His hand gently rubs the length of my back.
My body hums with contentment.
Lincoln steps back into the bedroom, smiling at us, then lifts his hands and says. “Are you hungry? Come downstairs and I’ll cook us something.”
“I’m starving.”
With that final sign he steps out of the room, leaving Milton and me alone. I turn my head back to him, and he says, “Shower and I’ll meet you downstairs.”
“Okay.”
He lets go of me and gets out of bed, stepping over to his dresser, opening it and taking out a shirt, pulling it over his head. Next, he takes out a pair of sweats. Gray ones at that, and steps into them.
I sit there for a minute after he leaves. Is this even my life right now? I’ve gone from a virgin with no suitors. To having lost it. Three alphas courting me, and two of them have agreed to help me through my heat.
Throwing the blanket off me, I slowly get up and start heading to the bathroom to shower.
I hate that I don’t have any other clothes to put on.
Looking around the room, I sneak over to Milton’s dresser and take out a shirt and pair of boxers, hoping he doesn’t mind.
Maybe they have a load of wash I can throw my clothes in with.
Once I have clothes, I head to the bathroom to shower, brush my teeth the best I can with no toothbrush and utilize Milton’s mouthwash. When I’m done, I head downstairs.
Korbin notices me stepping into the kitchen before Milton and Lincoln, and heads straight for me. He slips an arm around my waist while lifting his other hand to gently tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.
“Good morning,” he tells me before leaning in and kissing me softly.
I expected it to be awkward, but it’s not. When Korbin pulls his lips from mine, he’s smiling. One that’s real and genuine.
“Good morning,” I reply back.
He releases me, taking hold of my hand and guiding me over to the table, easing me down into a chair.
Lincoln steps over just as quickly, setting a cup of coffee down in front of me, with the perfect amount of cream in it.
Thank you.
Next comes Milton, setting down plates with eggs, bacon, toast, and hash browns on the table.
He doesn’t stop; he quickly moves away and returns with a stack of empty plates and silverware before sitting down across from me with his own cup of coffee.
Korbin sits down beside him, and Lincoln takes the vacant chair on my right.
Milton smiles, handing out the plates and silverware. Lincoln starts placing food on my plate as they talk about an upcoming game. My eyes dart between them, catching everything I can.
The ease between the four of us is new, natural, and somehow it feels unmistakably like a pack. I can feel it settle over me like a warm blanket. It’s everything I never knew I wanted.
Lincoln bumps my shoulder, and I turn to face him.
Eat.
I nod my head, smiling, and pick up a piece of crispy bacon and take a bite. Delicious.
He bumps my shoulder again. This time speaking.
“We’re all learning sign language. Some of us know a little more than the others, but we are hoping that you will help us as well.”
“Of course,” I tell him, clearing my throat. Since meeting them, it’s the most I’ve used my voice in I don’t even know how long. At times, it hurts. But I won’t tell them that. I love that they enjoy hearing me talk.
“We also want to do it like your family does. I think it’ll help us all learn faster. When you talk, sign. When we talk, we’ll do our best to sign what we know.” He swallows. “If we do something wrong, then we have our own teacher to correct us and tell us what we need to fix to make it right.”
My hand goes to my mouth, my eyes well with tears. No one I’ve ever dated in the past has wanted to do this. Instead of me adapting to them, they’re the ones doing it. I look over at Milton and Korbin, who are both nodding in agreement with Lincoln.
Lincoln wraps his arms around me, pulling me into his chest, rubbing his hand along my back, as I sob. Not tears of sadness, but of happiness.
When he finally pulls away, he signs.
I love you, Bayleigh.
I love you too, Lincoln. It’s quick, but I can’t deny it.
He kisses me on my forehead and then pulls away, his brows furrowed.
“Are you okay? Do you feel okay?” he asks, sending Korbin and Milton on alert, and rushing around to me.
Korbin checks my forehead with the back of his hand, no possessiveness, just three alphas orbiting their omega like she’s the center of gravity. It overwhelms me in the best way.
“My heat. I think it’s coming sooner than later,” I admit. “When I woke up this morning, I could feel some of the telltale signs. I felt ‘off’, warmer than I should, even with the two of you in bed with me.”
Milton’s scent goes protective-sweet, Lincoln pulls me close, and I look up at Korbin, who stands still, gazing back at me.
“If your heat is coming, you won’t go through it alone. We can make you a nest here since Milton and Lincoln are going to help you,” Korbin tells me. I smile seeing how hard he’s trying to sign. Admittedly, he doesn’t know many words, but what he doesn’t, he tries to spell with the alphabet.
“Then you need to eat. You’re going to need your strength. Not only that, but we need to order supplies. Food. Blankets. All the essentials our omega needs for her heat,” Milton says with a twinkle in his eyes. He heads back over to his seat, picking up his fork and tapping it on my plate.
Yes, Sir. I sign to him, then eat another piece of bacon before picking up my fork.
When we’re done with breakfast, we all take part in helping to clean up, working together as a unit, clearing the table, loading the dishwasher, and wiping down the counters.
Each of the guys takes turns brushing against me on purpose—scent-marking my wrists, shoulders, and neck with a casual intimacy that sends shivers skittering down my spine.
My body reacts embarrassingly fast, slick building in a way they all smell, and the tension in the room thickens—not sexual, just instinctual, the early hum of a forming pack bond vibrating quietly under my skin.
Eventually, once the work is done, we settle onto the couch to watch some highlights from last night’s games.
I curl up between Milton and Lincoln, a blanket covering me as I snuggle into their warmth, while each of them wraps their arms around me.
Korbin is back on the beanbag and has pulled my legs into his lap, his fingers rubbing lazy circles against my skin.
That, along with a full belly and the steady touch of three alphas, has me drifting off to sleep again.
Just before I fully drift away, I feel a faint tug in my chest—something deep and instinctive, an omega-call rising unbidden.
My breath catches. My heat is close. And the way the alphas stiffen around me tells me they felt it too.
The next time I wake, it’s to movement around me; Lincoln brushing my hair out of my face, Milton checking my temperature with the back of his hand, and Korbin leaning against the doorframe pretending he’s not watching my every breath.
My eyes shift to Lincoln.
“We need to prepare. Your heat is close, and I want to make sure we have everything in place before things get out of control.”
He takes hold of my chin, cradling my face in his hands as he looks at me with sincere concern.
“What do you need? We have nothing. So we need to order it now.” He bites his lip. “Milton and I also need to know what your boundaries are while you’re in heat. What you do and don’t want us to do.”
I look between them; all three of them have their undivided attention on me. I can feel the heat rising on my face, but I meet their eyes. They need to know, and it’s not like we haven’t been intimate with each other.
“No choking, no breath play.” I’m not sure about the next, but I know how intense a heat can be. “I’m not opposed to marking if you want to, but I don’t want to be in a total haze. I want to be coherent.”
I can see Milton and Lincoln exchange a look. One that makes me hopeful.
“Okay, but what about anal?” Milton barely has the words out of his mouth before Lincoln reaches past me and smacks him in the back of the head. I can’t see my face, but I’m sure it’s crimson from how hot I am.
“I’ve never done it. Nervous. But not against it. Just be gentle,” I tell them.
Movement catches my eyes and I glance past Lincoln to see Korbin moving back over to the couch, kneeling down in front of me.
“You’re an omega. You were made to take your alphas in every way,” Korbin tells me, placing his hand on my knee.
My whole body reacts to his words—slick rising embarrassingly fast.
Korbin stands to leave the room, and I reach out, taking hold of his hand. My breath trembles as I speak. “Stay. I want you there too. Help me with my heat. I want you too. I know we haven’t… but I want you.”
Korbin freezes. Then something changes. He gets on his knees, leaning into me. His lips crash down on mine, kissing me hard—deep, breathtaking—before moving to my neck. Korbin's teeth nip at my throat before his mouth moves lower, closing around my nipple, sucking it through my shirt.
I can’t help but gasp, my body falling back against the couch, spine arching as my chest presses forward. Right when things start to spiral, he pulls back with a wicked grin. “Not giving them a show yet.” Nodding toward Lincoln and Milton.
I let out a giggle, covering my face with my hand. I should be embarrassed, but I’m not.
“Is that a yes?” I question him, wanting to be sure.
“It’s a hell, yes. Now, we need to plan.” Korbin winks.
Lincoln pulls me onto his lap, while Korbin grabs the tablet and takes the spot I abandoned.
The four of us begin shopping, filling the cart together—my favorite drinks, snacks, electrolytes, soft foods, plus a few treats Milton sneaks in.
Lincoln uses the opportunity to ask more questions about what comforts me during cycles: heat pads, plush blankets, weighted covers, scents, certain textures.
I answer every question as honestly as I can, trying not to feel shy about being so… omega.
The three of them decide that Lincoln’s room is the safest place—closest to the bathroom, biggest space, and the one I feel most comfortable in.
They strip the whole room down, moving the bed frame aside entirely and dropping just the mattress onto the floor so I don’t risk falling off of it during feral spikes.
Milton piles pillows from all of their beds around the edges.
Korbin drags in every blanket they own. Lincoln folds and arranges each item with a precision that makes my chest ache.
My mom even stops by later in the day with a box of my comfort items—soft throws, my favorite pajamas—and the men treat each item like it’s sacred, placing everything gently into the growing nest. When it’s done, the room looks transformed: layered, warm, soft, smelling faintly of all three alphas intertwined with my own scent.
Lincoln kneels in front of me. “I promise that for your next heat that you won’t have to improvise—that you’ll have your own permanent nest, your own room, your own space tailored entirely just for you.”
I shake my head and touch his cheek.
“This is perfect. I’m happy. I’m here with the three of you. I don’t want to be anywhere else.”