10. Lila
Lila
“No clinic,” I say, shaking my head. I don’t want to spend my heat alone and drugged up. And the thought of spending it with a pack of strangers when these men are offering, makes me whine. I push it down and hope that none of them heard me.
“Fuck yes, Lila,” Harrison cheers, scooping me into his arms and forcing a giggle out of me. The way that my body presses against him reignites all of those feelings I had with Wes.
And all the ones I tried so hard to control on my birthday.
The suppressants I take are some of the best available. They provide mental clarity while you wait for them to work their way through your system. I don’t love taking them, but they work in emergencies.
“Do we know what happened to the Count?” I ask, glancing around the escape room. At some point, we made our way into the final room. There’s a door open, which makes sense after River went to get my meds.
“We can try finishing the story before we leave, if you want, Lila,” Wes offers, but as the cramping in my lower abdomen flares, I shake my head.
That won’t get too bad until the suppressants wear off, but I'll need relief nonetheless. Something I would rather not go through in an escape room. Again. Hopefully Trix didn’t watch too closely…
“No. Maybe I’ll come back one day,” I shrug.
“We can certainly bring you back to check out all the other rooms this business has to offer,” River chuckles, making me blush.
“That could be fun,” I murmur, too shy to really admit how much I like the idea. My scent might give me away, but then again, they might assume I’m simply experiencing another heat wave.
“Should we stop for food on the way to our apartment?” River asks as I follow him out of the escape room emergency exit and down the hall toward the lockers.
“Yes, please.” I nibble my lip, half expecting him to turn around and scold me for wanting him to spend money on me. But that's just the ghosts of my last relationship haunting me.
“Would it be okay if one of us drives you? That way, you have your car. I am not sure you're up for the drive after that hormone crash,” River says as he looks back at me. He’s not wrong. My body feels wired and sleepy at the same time.
“I volunteer as tribute,” Harrison yells before the others can offer.
“We’ll take care of you, Lila.” Wes pulls me against him, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. “And we’ll love every fucking second of it.”
I’m fidgeting with my purse strap, still standing in the front entrance of their apartment, when I finally start to notice the area surrounding me.
In the late night and the rush of my exit the next morning, I missed the beauty of the modern style of their place.
The leather accents and warm tones blend together in a masculine style that is inviting and more cozy than I would have expected.
The scents of the pack alone make this place feel like home.
Part of me can already picture what some of my things might look like in their space.
Shaking away the presumptive thoughts, I startle when Harrison grabs me around the waist. I let him pull me close and breathe in his scent. My suppressants are working to calm my raging instincts, but they can only do so much. Especially with three sexy as fuck alphas so close.
Watching me, touching me, holding me.
“Relax, gorgeous. You’re in good hands.” Harrison’s voice is huskier than it was earlier.
Deeper. His dominance is out and on full display for any eligible omega that might be interested.
There’s a low rumble in his chest as I lay my hand over his heart.
Is he stifling his purr? Fuck, I want them all to purr for me.
Harrison swallows thickly, before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.
“I think I need some fresh air,” his tone is grumbly, but he presses a soft kiss to my forehead, helping me relax, before stepping away from me and heading for their patio doors.
“I know what you need, Lila,” Wes says with a suggestive smirk as he approaches me, and I have to grip my purse straps tightly in an attempt to keep him from seeing my hands tremble.
He can already sense my anxiety through my scent, I don’t need him watching me shake like a leaf too. “Come on, gorgeous.”
I don’t resist as Wes leads me into the same hall that Harrison’s bedroom was in, but we pass his door and head to the one at the end of the hall.
“Oh,” my voice trembles, and I swallow thickly as he ushers me into what must be his room based on the scent of balsam and cedar, shutting the door behind us.
“Relax, beautiful. I’m not going to strip you naked and ravish you.
Yet.” My eyes go wide, and he heads for a wooden dresser across the room.
His room is styled with a low-sitting king bed, with the teak-toned frame against the dark green of his walls.
The black bedding looks slept in, and the needy part of me wants to crawl into the space and leave my own scent behind.
“Unless you want me to, of course,” the wink Wes sends me over his shoulder makes me giggle despite my nerves.
“I’m just teasing you. Here, so you’re more comfortable.
” He hands me a neatly folded pair of sweatpants, which forces me to release my death grip on my purse.
“Oh, thank you.” Omega instincts can be so annoying. Because why the fuck does his offer of comfy pants make me want to leap into his arms and snuggle against his chest? Or lick it. Either sounds good. Both sounds best.
“Let's go steal you a few more items, hmm?” Wes nods his head toward the door, and I follow close behind him, lifting the pants to my nose and taking a deep breath. They smell like him, and I release a very needy omega whine. “I don’t wash them if I only wore them once,” he says, like he knows I was just sniffing them.
I jerk them away from my face, but smile at the thought that he’s worn these already, and that's why he chose them for me.
“They were folded in your drawer, though?”
“Well, I don’t just leave them lying around if I’m going to wear them again,” he snorts as he pushes through Harrison’s door.
The room is just as I remember from the other night, with white walls and just large enough for a king bed with a side table.
The navy bedding still seems to hold traces of my scent, making the needy part of me that wants to claim these alphas, content.
“Harrison has some nice hoodies that I’m sure you’ll like,” the alpha says as he pulls open his packmate's closet door.
“Let's see, how about this light blue one?”
“Okay,” I agree, taking it from him. When we leave the room, I expect him to take me to River’s room next, but instead, we head into the living room.
I try really hard not to pout. River’s scent is missing from my collection of alpha clothes, and I feel silly for wanting more than they’re offering. I should be grateful for what Wes has just given me. I am. It’s just…incomplete.
“You can change in the bathroom,” Wes nods to the open door across from Harrison’s room, a sly sort of grin on his face that gives me pause. I shake it off and turn to make my way to the bathroom.
“Wait,” River barks, just three steps in, and I turn to face him.
We stare at each other for a moment that feels significant for some reason.
Then I watch as he tugs his shirt off over his head and holds it out for me.
Like the greedy omega I am, I snatch it out of his grasp before he can change his mind.
“Thank you.”
“Knew he’d do that,” Wes chuckles, and River shoots him a glare.
“I’ll be right out,” I murmur and hustle into the bathroom, eager to be covered in their scents. I change out of my clothes and into the guys’ quickly, loving the feel of them against my skin. Once I’m changed, I take a quick picture and send Wendy a text.
Lila: I’ll be staying with Harrison and his pack for a few days.
Wendy: Oh shiiiiit, get it girl!
Lila: They offered to help me through my heat, and I accepted.
Wendy: Aw, I’m like a proud mama.
Lila: Would a mother be proud of this? Riding out a heat with a pack of alphas you barely know?
Wendy: Hmm. Well, my mother would just be happy that I’m happy. She wouldn’t want details though, unlike me.
Lila: Fair. I’ll text you after. Love you.
Wendy: Love you more.
I stuff my phone in my purse after filling out the HR form for emergency heat leave for my job. I almost forgot about that.
When I head into the living room, the guys are sitting on the L-shaped couches, so I take a seat beside Harrison.
“Do you have any board games?” I ask as I take my seat, not loving the silence in the room. Are they uncomfortable being themselves around me?
“Yeah!” Harrison practically lights up as he jumps off the couch, pulling me along with him. He tugs open a large cabinet and reveals their collection.
“We should play strip poker,” Wes teases as he joins us in our search for a game, and I snort.
“I was thinking something more wholesome,” I shrug. Not really, but I have no idea how to play poker, so I imagine I’d be naked very quickly. Something I’m sure I’ll be soon enough. Until then, I’d like to try to get to know the three of them a little better.
“I can turn any game into an excuse to take our clothes off,” Wes says with a wiggle of his brows, and I can’t help but laugh. “Oh, while I’m thinking about it, should we introduce her to the flamingo? She should meet her competition.” This earns Wes a punch to the arm from Harrison.
“Shut the fuck up, Westley,” Harrison grumbles, and I try really hard to hide the fact that I’m laughing too.
“Let's play this,” I shrug as I reach for a box.
Wes groans when he sees my choice. “Now you've done it. River won't let you leave the table until he wins…you better hope your heat wave doesn't hit fully until after the game ends…”
“So you'd let me suffer, just to finish Monopoly?” I ask River over my shoulder, lifting my brow at him.