Chapter Thirty-Three – Raeka
Colter is sitting in his painting studio, a paintbrush in hand, diligently working, seemingly unbothered that I took an extra-long detour on my way to grab us drinks from downstairs.
When I enter the room, he sets his brush down and turns to face me, a small grin on his face.
He lifts his eyebrows, a twinkle in those amber eyes that tells me he can smell my previous activities.
Of course he can. I’m still wearing the slick-covered panties I was wearing earlier, and I’m certain I smell like both Pax and Gideon.
I hand him the water bottle and take a sip from my own, but all Colter does is set the water bottle down and keep grinning at me.
I roll my eyes. “What?” I don’t know why I ask. I already know the answer.
He does ASL for his response before typing it out—something I asked him to do so I can start putting in more learning time. Right now, I’m only able to pick up certain words, and I’m pretty sure he does the word smell or maybe scent .
He types out, You smell like them. He signs something, then adds, You took a pretty long detour.
“I can go shower if you want—”
With a shake of his head, he waits until I set my bottle down before he stands and places the tablet on his stool.
He comes over to me and wraps his arms around me, burying his nose into my sweaty hair and breathing in deeply.
The beta practically hums as he holds me, as he inhales me, and I wonder if he’s into the mix of scents.
He lets me go, grabs his tablet, and types something out, forgoing the ASL: I like it.
“Colter Chase,” I tease him, “you’re kinkier than I thought you’d be.
Any other secret kinks you’re hiding in there you want to tell me about?
” A part of me used to be worried he’d be offended or something when I admitted what happened between Pax and me, and then between Gideon and me.
With how he reacted, I shouldn’t be surprised he likes it when I’m around him, wearing the alphas’ scents.
His gaze drops as he takes me in, and I’d give anything to read his thoughts.
The expression the beta wears while he studies me makes me think he’s really debating whether or not he has any kinks.
After a moment, he signs something and then types out, Not that I know of, but I’m sure you’ll bring something out of me.
“Awe, I’m flattered.” Before he can put his tablet down, I lean into him and kiss him.
His lips are pliant, opening up to me, wordlessly telling me I can take whatever I want from him. Anything, everything; Colter won’t stop me. It’s a far cry from where we were in the beginning, when he was slightly insulted that Gideon would bring me into the house for him.
Heck, it’s a far cry for me, too.
And what’s worse, I think the shots are starting to wear off.
I’m starting to smell things again. The alphas’ musk lured me in like nothing else, and right now, all I can smell is the faint whiff of Colter’s calming beta scent—but that scent is twinged with a spicy heat that tells me he’s desperate for me.
You see, this is exactly what I was trying to avoid: me being caught by their scents, me giving in and letting my inner omega take over. A part of me still didn’t want to. The resistance is built in deep within me, but with every passing day, I can feel my resolve weakening.
I like these guys. I like them so much. It’s a scary thing for someone like me to admit.
When the kiss is finished, I ask Colter in the sweetest voice I can muster, “Can I sleep in your bed tonight?”
He nods once, without a hint of hesitation, not like I thought there would be.
Colter keeps me calm. He grounds me. He’s a perfect foil to Pax and Gideon in that way. If I had no one but the alphas, I’d be losing my mind constantly, and what kind of life would that be?
Later that night, as we lay together in his bed, I cuddle up against the beta.
He’s shirtless for once; though he showed me his scars, he’s still not quite comfortable bearing them all the time.
I get it, and I won’t push him. My head lays upon his arm, and that same arm is curled around, his hand on my back, tracing shapes absentmindedly.
“I need to ask you a favor,” I say softly. “Now that we know for sure these shots are starting to wear off, it means…” He already knows what that means, so I change tactics. “If I have a heat, I want you in there with me, not Pax. Not Gideon. You.”
He reaches for his tablet with his other arm. The brightness turned all the way down, its screen still blinds me as he types with one hand—and being his left hand, it takes him a little while. Are you sure you want me?
“Yes,” I say, breathless. “I’m sure.” Funny how I can be so sure of Colter and still so cautious when it comes to the others.
“You’re a beta. You’ll be able to keep a level head.
Pax and Gideon will lose their shit almost as much as I will, and I…
I just don’t know if I’m ready for that. For them. Not yet.”
Whatever you want… I don’t think they’ll be too happy about it, though, but I’m sure they’ll respect your decision.
“Thank you,” I whisper, nuzzling against him. He sets his tablet aside once again, and with that hammered out, I fall into a nice, easy sleep.
Two days later, I’m in the kitchen, trying to find something to satisfy my sweet tooth, when Gideon appears. My sense of smell has returned in full force now, and I can smell him long before he approaches me and asks, “Looking for something in particular?”
“As a matter of fact,” I state, sounding a bit bitchier than I intend to, “yes. I’m looking for something sweet.
Like chocolate. Or those powdered mini-donuts.
” I search through the cabinets for the second time, one after another.
“Why the fuck don’t we have any chocolate in this house? What kind of house is this?”
Gideon is calm, although he can’t stop himself from smelling the air like I’m the most delicious thing he’s ever smelled in his life. “I don’t eat sweets, and Colter’s a vanilla person. I can send Pax out to the store, if you really want—”
I interrupt him, whirling around and glaring up at him, “It’s not a want .
It’s a damn need . A girl needs some fucking chocolate every now and then.
Is that really so hard to understand?” I’m almost yelling at him now, and I don’t know why.
I’m too focused on the lack of freaking chocolate to pay much attention to why I’m so outraged at not having it at my disposal.
“I had no idea you felt this strongly about chocolate,” he remarks dryly, giving me a quizzical look.
“Chocolate. Pastries. Hell, I’d even take those premade cookies with that thick icing from the store—you know the kind. I just want something sweet.”
Pax strolls into the kitchen after that, hearing the butt end of my list. “Sounds like you’re having cravings, Raeka.”
“Cravings?” I echo. “I’m not—” And then I stop myself. Shit. I am having cravings. I devoured all the chocolate in my parents’ house before my last heat. Oh, God. So it’s happening, then. My body is going to go through a heat to fully wash the slate clean.
The alphas exchange looks. Colter already told them that I wanted him with me, not them.
They didn’t exactly take it with a smile, but they understood.
For alphas, they were definitely more understanding than I thought they’d be, but only time will tell if my plan to spend my heat with Colter will work.
Pax says, “I’ll make a run to the store. I’ll get you chocolate and anything else you want. Is there anything you want from your parents’ house? I can stop by—”
“No,” I say. “Just the chocolate. Jeez.”
To Gideon, he says, “Maybe you should take her to her room and help her nest?”
“Maybe you should go fuck yourself,” I mumble, and then I give the über alpha a smile that’s only a tad apologetic. “Sorry. I just… I really want that chocolate. I don’t even care about a stupid nest.”
Pax and Gideon share another look before the former leaves for a grocery run. Gideon, still calm, takes me by the hand and brings me up the stairs, where he leaves me in my room while he fetches Colter.
I stand in the center of my room, gazing at the space with my arms folded over my chest. If I only had some freaking chocolate, I could think straight.
Seriously, I can’t remember wanting chocolate this bad before. Then again, the last time, I had chocolate freely available to me. God. I run my hands through my hair and tug on its lengths. My mind races, whirling, not thinking of anything in particular.
This room… no. This room just won’t do.
I don’t know what makes me do it, but I spin around and march out of my room. I head up the stairs, and I come upon the third floor the exact same moment Gideon and Colter come out of his studio.
The beta’s eyes are full of nothing but concern, while Gideon voices his, “Raeka. We were coming down to you—”
“Why?” I ask, marching right past them. “I’m right here.” They watch as I make a right into Colter’s room, where I’m greeted with the scent of mine mixing with the beta’s. It’s a sweet scent, and it settles my sweet tooth a bit.
Not like a full bar of chocolate would, but enough.
Gideon and Colter join me. It’s the former who asks, “Is this where you want to nest?”
I’m not used to questions like that, and I barely manage to bite back the snippy response that threatens to escape.
It takes me a hot second, but eventually I mutter, “Yes.” Admitting this room is where I want to nest feels like a betrayal to the old me, but at this point, I think it’s clear the old me is dead and buried.
And the new me? The new me is stuck in a house with two alphas and a beta who are all willing to put their dicks on the line for me.
Mmm. Their dicks.