Chapter 17 #2
Carter’s face lights up anyway. “YES. Feet avoided—” He stops, blinks down at our hands, then groans. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
Kai grins, delighted. “Congratulations, buddy. You get feet.”
Carter glares at him like he’s deciding where to bury the body. “You’re the worst.”
“I’m the best,” Kai corrects, still smiling, then he turns his attention to me with that satisfied, feral little look. “All right, big guy. What’s your pick?”
“I’m behind her. That’s a given.”
Carter exhales, then mutters, “If I get kicked, I’m kicking you both back.”
Kai grins. “If you get kicked, it means she likes you.”
“Settled,” I say. “Everybody shut up and let’s go to sleep.”
Carter gives me one last glare, but it’s already turning into a reluctant smile. “Yes, sir.”
Kai laughs under his breath, pleased. “Damn right.”
We crack open the bathroom door, still bickering in whispers. Slowly, carefully, we approach the bed.
It’s a California king, plenty of room for three large men and one small Omega. The mattress barely dips as I ease onto the right side, settling behind her in the big-spoon position I won. Kai takes the left, facing her, close enough to share breath.
And Carter is at the foot of the bed.
As we settle onto the mattress, Junes makes a small murmuring sound.
“Easy, doll,” Kai murmurs as she stirs. “Just us. Go back to sleep.”
She burrows closer to Kai, her hand finding his chest, palm pressing flat against his heart, and I shift in behind her, pushing closer to her, my chest to her back, my arm firm around her waist. When I lift my head to check on Carter at the end of the bed, I catch her foot sliding against his forearm, toes curling once before he settles his hand over her ankles like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
Something in my chest unknots.
This is what we needed, her touch and closeness. The simple reality of being near her.
June shifts again, a small sound escaping her lips, and we all go still. But she’s just getting comfortable.
“She’s perfect,” Kai whispers, barely audible.
No one disagrees.
My eyes are already closing, my face buried in her hair, engulfed by her scent.
I think about what my father said at the BBQ about leaving when you’re on top and not letting the good things slip away.
He’s not wrong. Much as I hate to admit it, the old man knows something about regret.
He lost my mother in an accident, and it changed everything—twisted his priorities, hardened him in places that used to be soft, left a hole he never figured out how to live with.
And now he’s got Marlene, pretty, young, surface-level Marlene, and I see the way he looks at her sometimes.
Like he’s trying to convince himself it’s enough, like if he keeps it light, he can’t lose it the way he lost Mom.
I don’t want that. I want the messy, complicated, all-consuming real thing.
And she’s right here, sleeping in a bed surrounded by three men who would burn the world down for her. She has no idea how much power she holds.
I let sleep finally pull me under, one hand curved around her like an anchor. And for the first time in years, I don’t dream about the road or the circuit or the endless empty horizon.
I dream about home.
JUNE
Something’s different.
I surface from sleep slowly, awareness seeping in like water through cracks. The room is still dark, that deep, heavy darkness of the hours before dawn, but something has changed. The bed feels different. Warmer. More… crowded.
My eyes flutter open.
And I freeze.
There are men everywhere.
Kai is in front of me, close enough that I feel heat radiate off his bare chest. He’s on his side, one arm stretched out above my head, his face slack and peaceful in sleep.
The moonlight catches the dark lines of his tribal tattoo, the sharp angle of his jaw, the way his hair has come loose and spills across the pillow.
I glance over my shoulder to find Seth pressed along my back. A solid wall of his chest fits against me, the slow rise and fall of his breathing soothing me. His arm is draped over my waist, heavy and possessive even in unconsciousness.
And something is at my feet—I shift slightly to confirm—yes, that’s Carter. He’s curled at the foot of the bed, one hand wrapped around my ankle, his cheek pressed against my calf.
When did this happen?
My heart hammers against my ribs as I try to piece it together. I went to bed alone. I’m certain of that, and I recall falling asleep hugging Kai’s pillow, missing the scent of them, wishing—
Oh.
They snuck in and climbed into bed with me like it was the most natural thing in the world.
I should be upset. I should be furious. But I take a breath, and another.
Then I realize that I’m not upset at all.
The panic I expected to feel isn’t there. Instead, there’s something warm and settled, like a knot in my chest finally loosening after being pulled tight for years.
I feel… safe, calm in a way I can’t remember feeling since my parents moved away and I had to fend for myself. I love my independence, but having that family vibe and support is everything.
The Alphas’ scents surround me, and I grin each time I inhale them deeply. I lie there for a long moment, just letting myself exist in this strange new reality. Three Alphas. All of them wrapped around me.
My bladder, unfortunately, doesn’t care about emotional revelations.
Moving carefully, I start the delicate process of extracting myself from the tangle of limbs. Seth’s arm tightens briefly when I shift, but I pause, holding my breath, and after a moment, he relaxes again with a soft exhale.
Kai doesn’t stir when I ease out from under his outstretched arm. Carter mumbles something and releases my ankle, rolling slightly to one side.
I slip out of the sheets, pulling myself up over the pillows and off the bed, then pad to the bathroom on silent feet, easing the door closed behind me before I dare to turn on the light. The sudden brightness makes me squint.
I use the bathroom quickly in the moonlight from the window, deliberately not flushing to avoid waking them. Then I crack the door open.
They haven’t moved. Three large men sprawled across my bed, taking up most of the mattress, leaving a June-sized gap in the middle where I’d been sleeping.
It looks like a nest.
The images have my heart fluttering in my chest, a distinctly Omega sensation that I’ve spent years suppressing. And now I crave my nest, built from Alpha bodies and warmth and the mingled scents of the men who are apparently mine now.
I climb back into bed because I’m tired and cold, trying to find my spot in the tangle of limbs.
The moment I’m close enough, Kai moves.
His arm shoots out, wrapping around my waist, and suddenly I’m being pulled down to him. My body lies against his chest, hip to hip, and his eyes are still closed, his breathing still deep and even, but his grip is firm and sure.
“Sleep now,” he mumbles, the words barely audible.
My head settles onto his outstretched arm, my face pressing into the warm skin of his bare chest. His scent floods my senses. I breathe him in, and my whole body relaxes.
His leg slides over mine, heavy and possessive, pinning me in place.
Before I can even process that, Seth shifts closer behind me. At my feet, Carter repositions, his hand finding my ankle again. He’s completely unconscious, but even in sleep, he’s reaching for me.
I’m surrounded. Cocooned. Trapped in the best possible way.
Never in my life have I felt so complete, safe, and utterly, perfectly comfortable.
I close my eyes, letting their warmth seep into my bones. The fear and uncertainty are still there, waiting at the edges, but right now, they feel far away.
Sleep comes quickly, pulling me under like a gentle tide.