20. Hailey
Chapter 20
Hailey
T he heat isn’t done with me yet.
It simmers low in my belly, and my body remembers .
It remembers the feel of Finn’s cock deep in my throat, the taste of him, the way he’d gripped my hair, holding me steady as I took him all in. It remembers the hard press of Ren’s knot inside me, stretching me, filling me, claiming me as his. And the cum…so much cum…staining the nest, a tangible reminder of their possession. I vaguely remember my fingers, slick and sticky, rubbing it into the fibers of the blankets, the musky and intoxicating scent of it filling my senses as I drifted back to sleep.
But it’s not just the heat.
It’s the way Finn watched me as he left the nest for refreshments, his gaze heavy with unspoken want. The way Ren’s hands shook when he handed me the water. The way Jax’s scent changed when I asked for more.
Mine , something primal whispers. All of them, mine.
Now, I lie in the nest, adrift in the aftermath, listening to the sounds of the cabin. Someone is sleeping beside me. Finn on one side, his sage-and-rain a balm against my skin. Ren on the other. His sandalwood and musk cling to the blankets where he’d been resting earlier, though when I reach across the empty space, my fingers find warm skin instead of fabric.
Ren’s breath hitches. He hadn’t been as asleep as I thought.
I trace the line of his jaw, feeling the tension coiled beneath his skin. His eyes open slowly, dark with something between hunger and hesitation. For a heartbeat, he lets me touch him—leans into it even—before catching my wrist with careful fingers.
“Hailey.” My name sounds like a warning on his lips.
His fingers close around my wrist. Not tight enough to hurt, but firm enough that I feel the slight tremor running through him. His thumb presses against my racing pulse, holding me there, suspended between his restraint and the need humming through my veins. The distance he maintains even now makes my chest ache. He’s right here…but part of him still feels miles away.
Why?
The constant yearning within me does not understand.
And then there’s?—
Alpha.
Jax’s cedar-and-spice cuts through the haze, richer, deeper than before. My thighs press together instinctively, slick already gathering.
The bedroom door creaks open.
I don’t have to look up to know it’s him.
The air shifts, thickening with the weight of his presence. Behind him, Stone walks in.
“Awake?” Jax’s voice is low, rough from sleep or something else.
I turn my head, meeting his gaze.
Jax stands in the doorway, shirtless, sweatpants slung low on his hips. His dark hair is tousled, his jaw shadowed with stubble. And his eyes— fuck , his eyes—are already locked onto me with that look.
The one that says mine .
“Mm.” I stretch, letting the sheet slip lower. “Barely.”
A muscle flexes in his jaw.
He steps inside, with Stone following behind and closing the door behind them. “Are you ready to eat?”
“Later.” My fingers curl into the blankets. “Right now, I need…” My cheeks warm. I can’t believe I still want more.
Jax’s nostrils flare.
I see the moment his control snaps. Or, probably there was no control there in the first place at all.
One second, he’s across the room. The next, he’s in the nest, his hands gripping my thighs, dragging me toward him.
“Fuck,” he growls, his breath hot against my neck. “You smell too good .”
His mouth crashes onto mine, claiming, demanding. I moan into the kiss, arching into him, nails scraping down his back.
Each one of these alphas has been so different in the way they love me.
Jax doesn’t play. Doesn’t tease.
He takes .
His fingers dig into my hips as he flips me onto my stomach, dragging me up onto my knees. I gasp as his chest presses against my back, his cock already hard against my ass.
“Tell me what you need, darling,” he murmurs against my ear, teeth grazing the sensitive skin.
I shiver. “You.”
“How?” His hand slides between my thighs, fingers slipping through slick. “Like this?”
He presses two fingers inside, curling them just so . My back bows, a whimper tearing from my throat.
“Or like this ?” His other hand fists in my hair, tilting my head to the side, exposing my neck.
My pulse jumps beneath his lips.
“Jax—”
“Say it.” His teeth scrape over my neck, and a growl rumbles in his chest. “Tell me what you want…and I’ll give it to you.”
I’m panting now, my body trembling. “Knot me,” I beg. “ Mark me .”
He freezes, his body going completely still against mine. Even his breath stops for a moment.
When he speaks, his voice has lost its commanding edge, replaced by something almost…vulnerable.
“Hailey.” He turns me in his arms until I’m facing him, his eyes searching mine. In my peripheral vision, I watch as Stone comes closer to lie on the bed, curling himself around Finn, who whimpers and presses himself into our alpha. Ours.
“Do you know what you’re asking for?” Jax leans closer.
I nod, reaching up to touch his face. “I do.”
“A bonding mark—” He swallows, his control visibly fraying. “You’d be tied to us. To me . Forever.”
“I know.”
He studies me, looking for any sign of doubt, any heat-induced haze that might be clouding my judgment. “This isn’t just the heat talking? Or the drugs?”
I shake my head. My thoughts are clearer than they’ve been in days. “The heat’s still there, but it’s…quieter now. I can think. And this is what I want.”
His hand cradles my face, thumb brushing over my cheekbone. “You’re our scent match. But that doesn’t mean you have to bond with us. With everything that’s happened—Caldwell, Heath—I wouldn’t blame you for wanting time. For being sure.”
I smile at his concern, at his willingness to hold back despite how clearly his body is straining for mine. “I am sure, Jax. I was sure before Heath drugged me. Before Caldwell took me.”
“How can you be so certain?” he whispers, the question sounding almost like it’s directed at himself rather than me.
I take his hand, pressing it to my chest where my heart beats steady and strong. “Because we’re already tied together, bonding marks or not. I knew it the moment I walked into that house and caught all your scents. The rest was just…catching up to what my heart already knew.”
Something shifts in his expression—a softening around his eyes, a tension releasing from his jaw. “Hailey?—”
“I want this,” I tell him, voice firm despite the heat building inside me again. “I want you. All of you. Not just for now, but for always.”
A rumble builds in his chest—pure alpha satisfaction. His eyes darken, pupils dilating until only a thin ring of color remains.
“Good girl.”
His mouth crashes back onto mine, the kiss deeper now, more possessive. His hands roam my body, relearning every curve, every sensitive spot. When he pulls back, we’re both breathless.
“Turn around,” he orders, voice rough with need. “On your knees.”
I comply, my body thrumming with anticipation as he positions himself behind me. His hands grip my hips, holding me steady as the thick head of his cock presses against my entrance.
“Mine,” he growls, pushing in slowly. “Say it.”
“Yours,” I gasp as he fills me, stretching me in the most delicious way. “All yours, alpha.”
“Say my name, darling. Call it out.”
“Jax!” I pant. “All yours, Jax.”
He groans, his hips flush against mine, buried to the hilt. “And the others?”
“Theirs too. Finn, Stone, and Ren.” I push back against him, needing him to move. “Pack. All of you.”
His hand strokes down my spine, a soothing gesture at odds with the tension in his body. “That’s right, darling. Pack .”
Then he begins to move, and all coherent thought dissolves.
Jax sets a merciless pace, each thrust deep and powerful, hitting places inside me that make stars burst behind my eyelids. His hand fists in my hair again, gently but firmly pulling my head to the side, exposing my neck.
“Going to mark you,” he promises, his breath hot against my skin. “Going to make sure everyone knows who you belong to.”
I whimper, the words sending fresh slick gushing between my thighs. “Please, Jax. Please.”
His teeth graze my neck, sending electric shivers down my spine. I feel his knot beginning to swell, catching on my entrance with each thrust.
“Come for me,” he demands, his hand sliding between my legs to circle my clit. “Now, Hailey. Come on my knot.”
The dual sensation of his fingers and his rapidly swelling knot pushes me over the edge. I cry out, my body clamping down around him as pleasure crashes through me in waves.
With a growl that’s almost feral, Jax pushes his knot fully inside, locking us together as his teeth sink into my neck.
The pain is sharp, bright—then dissolves into molten pleasure. I feel the bond snap into place, a golden thread connecting us, twining through my very being.
Jax’s release pulses inside me, hot and abundant, as he continues to hold the bite, deepening the bond with each passing second. When he finally releases my neck, his tongue laves gently over the mark, soothing the sting.
“Mine,” he murmurs against my skin, his voice reverent. “My omega.”
We collapse together onto the nest, his arms wrapped tightly around me, his knot keeping us joined. I feel dazed, floating on a cloud of endorphins and the new bond humming beneath my skin.
“How do you feel?” he asks after a few moments, his hand stroking my hair.
I smile, turning my head to meet his gaze. “Complete. At least…part of me.”
He understands immediately, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “The others?”
“Yes.” I lean back into his embrace, content to wait out his knot in his arms. “If they want me too.”
His laugh is a warm rumble against my back. “Trust me, they do. Look at them, burning in their own skin just waiting their turn.”
When I glance up, my gaze lands on Stone first. His amber eyes zero in on the fresh mark on my neck. His nostrils flare.
His gaze shifts to mine. “You’re sure about this?”
I nod, feeling Jax’s knot begin to subside. “More sure than I’ve been about anything.”
There are resulting growls in the nest, and I realize Finn and Ren are awake, too. My gaze shifts from one to the other. Their expressions range from hunger (Stone), to cautious hope (Ren), to bright-eyed joy (Finn).
“She wants us all,” Jax tells them, pride evident in his voice. “A complete pack bond.”
Finn leans closer, his scent wrapping around me. “How does it feel?” he asks, curious fingers hovering over the mark on my neck.
“Different from what I expected,” I admit. “Like…like I can feel him, somehow. In my head, in my heart.”
“That’s the bond,” he explains, smiling. “It’ll strengthen over time. Especially once the others mark you, too.”
As Jax’s knot finally releases, he eases out of me with a care that contrasts sharply with his earlier dominance. He presses a kiss to my shoulder, then to the fresh mark on my neck.
“Rest a minute,” he murmurs. “No rush.”
But the heat is building again, fueled by the new bond and the presence of the others. I shift restlessly in the nest, my body already aching to be filled again.
Stone notices, his pupils dilating as he catches my renewed scent. “I don’t think waiting is going to work, Jax.”
His gaze travels over my body, lingering on the slick glistening between my thighs and the mark on my neck. A muscle ticks in his jaw.
“Stone,” I reach for him, needing his touch, his scent, his claim. “Please.”
He moves across the bed, his large frame dwarfing mine. Unlike Jax’s immediate dominance, Stone takes his time, his calloused hands exploring my body with reverent attention.
“Beautiful,” he murmurs, pressing kisses down my throat, careful to avoid Jax’s fresh mark. “So beautiful, Hailey.”
I arch into his touch, whimpering as his mouth finds my breast, teasing the sensitive peak. “Stone, please. I need you.”
He raises his head, amber eyes locking with mine. “Tell me what you need, sweetheart.”
“You,” I breathe. “Inside me. Your mark. Your bond.”
A growl rumbles in his chest, his control visibly slipping. “Turn over,” he orders, his voice rough. “Hands and knees.”
I comply eagerly, positioning myself as he directs. Behind me, I hear the rustle of clothing as he removes his sweatpants, then feel the bed dip as he kneels behind me.
His hands grip my hips, steadying me as the thick head of his cock nudges against my entrance. “Ready?”
“Yes,” I gasp, pressing back against him. “Please, Stone. Mark me.”
With one powerful thrust, he enters me, filling me so completely I see stars again. He’s stretching me to my limits, and the combination of slight pain and intense pleasure draws a keening moan from my throat.
“That’s it,” he encourages, beginning to move with long, deep strokes. “Take me, sweetheart. Take all of me.”
His pace is slower than Jax’s, each thrust punctuated by a grunt of pleasure that sends shivers down my spine. His hands roam my body, squeezing my breasts, sliding down to where we’re joined to feel his cock disappearing inside me.
“Stone,” I pant, feeling the pressure building inside me again. “Oh god, Stone.”
His rhythm falters briefly at the sound of his name on my lips. “Say it again,” he demands, one hand sliding around to circle my clit.
“Stone!” I cry out as his fingers work their magic, bringing me closer to the edge. “Please, Stone. I need?—”
“I know what you need,” he growls, his free hand gently tilting my head to expose the marked side of my neck. “And I’m going to give it to you.”
His thrusts become more purposeful, his knot beginning to swell at the base of his cock. The added pressure against my entrance sends waves of pleasure radiating through me.
“Come for me, Hailey,” he commands, his fingers moving faster against my clit. “Come on my knot.”
The orgasm crashes over me without warning, more intense than the last, tearing a scream from my throat as my body clamps down on his rapidly swelling knot. Stone groans, a deep, primal sound, as his knot locks us together.
In the same moment, his teeth sink into my neck, claiming, marking, bonding .
The second bond snaps into place alongside the first, a complementary thread weaving through me, connecting me to Stone as surely as I’m connected to Jax. His release pulses inside me, hot and so, so much, his knot ensuring that not a drop is wasted.
When he finally releases my neck, licking gently at the mark, I’m trembling, overwhelmed by the dual bonds now thrumming beneath my skin.
“Mine,” Stone murmurs, his voice gentler than I’ve ever heard it. “My omega.”
He carefully maneuvers us onto our sides, his knot keeping us joined, his arms wrapped securely around me. I feel his heart pounding against my back, his breath warm against my marked neck.
“Two down,” he says with a hint of satisfaction. “How do you feel?”
I laugh softly, feeling slightly delirious with pleasure and the buzz of two new bonds. “Like I’m flying. And falling. Both at once.”
His arms tighten around me. “I’ve got you. We all do.”
From across the nest, I meet Ren’s ice-blue gaze. He’s watching us intently, his arousal evident, but there’s hesitation in his expression, too. Doubt. Uncertainty.
I reach a hand toward him. “Ren.”
He approaches slowly, still wincing slightly from his injuries. “Hailey.”
“Stay,” I ask softly. “While we wait for Stone’s knot?”
He nods, settling between me and Finn, his hand finding mine. When I tug on his arm, he leans in, lips finding mine as Stone’s knot gradually subsides.
When Stone finally eases out of me, pressing a kiss to his mark, I feel momentarily bereft despite the bonds humming beneath my skin. Two alphas claimed, one to go.
But Ren makes no move to take Stone’s place. Instead, he sits beside me, his expression troubled.
“Ren?” I reach for him.
His gaze drops to my marked neck, then back to my face. “I’m not…I’m not like them, Hailey. I’m damaged. Broken. There are things you don’t know about my past. About the people that held you in that Academy. About how I’m linked to them…”
The raw vulnerability in his voice makes my heart ache. I sit up, ignoring the pleasant soreness between my thighs, and cradle his face between my hands.
“You’re not broken, Ren. You’re healing. There’s a difference.”
His expression remains troubled. “I almost got you killed. I failed to protect you?—”
“You saved me,” I interrupt firmly. “You came for me when I needed you most. You fought for me. Bled for me. You almost…” Just the thought of it brings tears to my eyes. “You almost died for me.”
He swallows hard. “I should have prevented it. Should have seen it coming.”
“None of us saw it coming,” I tell him gently. “Not even Jax or Stone or Finn. It wasn’t your fault.”
His ice-blue eyes search mine, looking for…what? Blame? Accusation? He’ll find neither.
“I want your mark, Ren,” I say, my voice soft but certain. “Your bond. Just as much as I wanted theirs. Maybe even more, because I know how hard you’ve fought to be here. How much it costs you.”
Something shifts in his expression—hope, fragile but unmistakable.
“Hailey—”
I silence him with a kiss, pulling on all the confidence I’ve been learning and pouring everything I can’t say into it—my certainty, my desire, my acceptance of all that he is, broken pieces and all.
When we part, his breathing is ragged, his pupils dilated with need. “Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything,” I tell him. “I want you, Ren. All of you.”
The last of his resistance crumbles. With a groan that sounds like surrender, he gathers me into his arms, his mouth finding mine in a kiss that’s desperate and tender all at once.
Ren takes his time, his hands gentle as they explore my body, his lips following, tasting, learning. By the time he finally positions himself between my thighs, I’m a writhing, begging mess.
“Please, Ren,” I whimper, arching into his touch. “I need you inside me.”
His gaze locks with mine as he slowly pushes inside, both of us gasping at the sensation. He feels different than the others. Longer. Filling me completely.
“Hailey,” he breathes, his forehead resting against mine as he begins to move. “My Hailey.”
His pace is different too—neither Jax’s dominating rhythm nor Stone’s deliberate thrusts, but something uniquely Ren. He rocks into me with steady, fluid motions that send waves of pleasure cascading through my body.
“Ren,” I gasp, my hands clutching at his shoulders as the pleasure builds. “Oh god, Ren.”
His mouth finds my pulse, teeth grazing the sensitive skin as his pace increases. “You’re sure?” he asks one final time, his voice strained with the effort of holding back.
“Yes,” I moan, tilting my head to expose the marks. “Mark me, Ren. Make me yours.”
With a sound that’s half growl, half sob, he sinks into me fully, his knot beginning to swell as his teeth find my neck.
For a terrifying second, I think he won’t bite—won’t claim me properly—until finally, finally his teeth sink into my neck. The hesitation lingers like a shadow even as the pain of the bite stings. Pain that’s immediately washed away as his knot swells, the third bond snapping into place alongside the others.
I cry out, another orgasm crashing through me as the bond forms, connecting me to Ren as surely as I’m connected to Jax and Stone. His release pulses inside me, his knot locking us together as he continues to hold the bite, deepening our connection.
When he finally releases my neck, licking gently at the mark, there are tears in his eyes. Tears he manages to hold back.
He’s open to me right now.
Completely vulnerable. Completely open.
“Mine,” he whispers, the word sounding like a prayer. “My omega.”
I reach up to touch his face. “Yours,” I confirm. “Always yours.”
We lie together as his knot binds us, his arms wrapped around me as Stone leans in to Finn, sinking deep inside him as Finn’s lips lock with Jax’s. I watch them make love, every second making me feel more like home when Ren buries his face in my neck where his mark now sits proudly beside the others. The cabin grows quiet, peaceful, the only sounds the soft moans and grunts from Finn, Stone and Jax, our gradually slowing breaths, and the distant calls of birds outside.
I feel the bond, three distinct threads, each with its own flavor, its own resonance, all humming together as one beneath my skin. Jax’s is strong and steady, a foundation. Stone’s is deep and solid, a shield. Ren’s is bright and fierce, a beacon.
Together, they make me feel whole in a way I’ve never experienced before.
As Stone shudders against Finn, they both lie panting in the nest. Stone turns Finn on their sides so Finn is facing me, as Jax slides down between us, one hand caressing my thigh as he takes Finn into his mouth. Finn’s eyes flutter closed before they open, lust-filled and possessive, on me again.
“Room for one more?” he asks, his scent already reaching out to soothe and comfort.
I smile, reaching a hand toward him. “Always.”
As Ren’s knot finally subsides and he eases out of me, Jax releases Finn with a wet slop that makes my insides flutter. With a devilish grin, Finn takes his place at my side, his gentle hands stroking over the three marks now adorning my neck.
“Beautiful,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to each bite. “So beautiful, Hailey.”
I lean into his touch, craving the comfort only another omega can provide. “What about you?” I ask. “Don’t you want…?”
Before I can finish, he’s on top of me, his body warm and heavy and perfect against mine. His lips find mine in a kiss that’s both tender and demanding.
His fingers find my core and he slides a finger inside, stretching me, filling me. I moan, my hips bucking against his hand. He adds another finger, his rhythm slow and controlled, building the pleasure, teasing me, driving me wild.
“You feel so good, Hailey,” he murmurs against my ear, his breath hot on my skin. “So fucking perfect.”
He continues to stroke me, his fingers expertly finding the sensitive spots that make me cry out, my body arching beneath his touch. He leans down, his lips finding mine again, his kiss deep and passionate, his tongue tangling with mine.
Then, he pulls back, and our gazes lock. “I want to be inside you, sunshine,” he whispers. “Can I? Tell me you want me inside you.”
“Yes,” I gasp, my body aching for him. “Please, Finn. Now.”
He positions himself between my legs, his hardness pressing against my entrance. He pushes forward, slowly, carefully, and I cry out as he fills me completely. He might not have a knot, but he’s still big enough to make me stretch around him. Big enough to make me feel full. Big enough to make me feel his.
He begins to move, his rhythm slow and steady, his hips rocking against mine, creating a delicious friction that sends waves of pleasure through me. I moan, hands clutching at his back as he increases the pace, his thrusts becoming deeper, more forceful. The sound of our bodies slapping together fills the room, a primal rhythm that echoes the frantic beat of my heart.
“Finn,” I cry out, my voice ragged. “Oh, god, Finn…”
He groans, his body tensing as he reaches his climax. He spills inside me, his release hot and thick, filling me, marking me as his. He collapses on top of me, his breath coming in ragged gasps, his heart pounding against mine as his teeth sink into my neck.
And in that moment, I feel the fourth bond snap into place, connecting me to Finn. To all of them.
And for the first time in my life…
I’m complete.