Chapter 28
IVAN
I knew she was special the moment I met her.
My first week of knowing her, I was in love.
And now, I’m in her nest and part of her pack.
Maybe I should be more possessive of her—my inner Alpha is ready to mate her, after all—but watching her be knotted and claimed, witnessing her pleasure and scenting her in the throes of being fucked satisfies something in me.
She’s mine, but I’m also hers.
She’s ours.
I’m happy to share Maeve with Fang and Logan, because it makes her happy.
Because they’re both good for her and make her better.
And as my packmates, they make me better.
Maybe it’s immature, but I still do think she is saving the best for last.
I was here first, after all.
I’m the only one that can’t fall asleep between the four of us.
Of course, Fang and Logan have both knotted her and had the mating bite, so I’m restless as I slip out of bed and prepare for everything else that will come with her Heat.
Because once they wake up?
I’m having Maeve all to myself.
Slipping on a pair of sweatpants, I pad to the kitchen, opening the fridge and debating on what to prepare for Maeve.
Thankfully, Logan stocked the fridge and pantry with a ridiculous amount of food, including Maeve’s favorite snacks and sweets.
By the time I finish setting up a plate, my patience is finally wavering.
My inner Alpha, once content to wait, has turned greedy.
I may be supportive but I’m not perfect.
The entire packhouse smells like Maeve, and now that she’s bonded with Fang and Logan, there’s an unsettled feeling in my chest.
I’m the odd one out—I’m the only one in this house that isn’t bonded to her.
It’s time to rectify that.
I make sure there are enough food and drinks for everyone set out. There is a fresh set of sheets in the dryer along with a few extra nesting blankets, warm and ready for Maeve’s comfort.
And then there’s…me.
I could go back in there, join the three of them in the pack bed, and just wait. Fang and Logan are both content now—they’re permanently connected to Maeve, forever.
But I’m not, and the urgent need to take, to claim, to consume slowly fills my veins until it’s all I can feel.
Still, I hang out in the kitchen, the only sign I’m unwell is the way I grip the counter.
I breathe in. Out.
I helped Maeve through her Heat first last time—there’s nothing wrong with having to wait.
In. Out.
She’s my best friend first, my scent match second.
In. Out.
Sweat beads at my forehead, and the only way to describe my cock is as an angry, raging hard-on.
She’s saving the best for last. She’s saving me for last, because…
“Ivan?”
Her voice is sweet, lovely, and a little unsure.
“Alpha?”
My body takes over before my brain can catch up, and I’m back in the bedroom, glaring at Logan and Fang. Impatience and irrational jealousy spill out of me in waves, and later, I hope my packmates will forgive me.
Said packmates are dressed and sitting up in bed with a bundled-up Maeve in between them.
She’s only looking at me, though.
Despite the fact that she just bonded with Fang and Logan, she’s only looking at me with a brilliant, blinding smile.
“Out,” I growl at the other Alphas, already forming an apology in my head for later.
If I had more words, if I wasn’t reduced to a feral, primal creature, I would say I want to be alone with my Omega during the mating bite.
And I’m sure if our pheromones, hormones, and every other biological quirk that makes us Alphas weren’t in overdrive, they would do more than just raise an eyebrow when I make my demand.
We’re at a stalemate, for a moment.
Our first fight as a pack, I think deliriously.
But Maeve notices, looking between the three of us. “Just us,” she says, her eyes falling back on me. “Just you, please.”
And with those sweet words, Logan and Fang take their leave, heading toward the living room. I keep the bedroom door open, just in case she requests them back.
Like everything, this is still on her terms.
If she decides she doesn’t want the mating bite from me until I’m ninety-five, I’ll find a way to deal with it.
“You called, beautiful?” I ask. I pounce on the bed and push her back onto the mattress, kissing her fiercely. She squeaks against my lips, smiling and laughing in delirious delight.
“I did it,” she whispers against my lips. “I have a pack. I have scent matches. I’m bonded.”
“You are.” I bring my mouth to her neck and inhale deeply, my breathing ragged. “You smell different now, too.” I suck at the skin right above her mating gland, knowing her neck will be covered in hickeys from the three of us. “You smell like them.”
“Is that a good thing?” she moans. I move the blankets off her slowly, absorbing every whimper she gives at my touch.
“It’s a great thing,” I promise her. “But there’s a scent missing, sweetheart.”
Her eyes are closed and she sighs in bliss. “Your scent is missing, Alpha.”
“Yeah. You really did save the best for last, right baby?” I can’t help it; I want to hear her say it.
“I wanted your mating bite last for a reason,” she admits, eyes still closed with a soft smile on her face. I bring my mouth down to her clavicle, then in between her breasts, licking at the soft skin there, causing her to gasp.
“And what was the reason, baby?” I suck a nipple into my mouth gently, teasing it with my tongue.
Every touch is light, almost too light. I won’t stop until she’s squirming, until she’s pleading with me to pop my knot inside her.
Only then will I give us both the satisfaction.
“I’m not complete without you,” she says quietly. “I wouldn’t be here without you. You’re my best friend. And…” I switch to her other breast, and she cries out. “…I love you.”
I move up to kiss her tenderly, smiling against her lips. “I love you too, Maeve.” I pepper her face with kisses, ignoring my cock that’s leaking in my sweatpants. “I love you so, so much.”
Hey eyes are wet with unshed tears when I pull away from her to breathe. She watches me with her lips slightly parted, her face flushed.
“Look how loved you are,” I murmur. “You have the three of us, happily handing you our souls to keep safe.”
A single tear slides down her cheek in between kisses, and she huffs out a weak, watery laugh. “You’ve been reading too many books,” she argues.
“Look at your nest,” I continue. “Look at the house you’re in. You are so precious, Maeve. I love seeing this for you.”
Her tears flow freely now, and my own eyes are misty.
“You deserve a home as big as your heart,” I whisper. “A family as large as you want.”
“Touch me, Ivan,” she begs. “I’m ready. You’re the missing piece.”
I want to tell her more; I want to take more time with her.
But this ache, this longing to be bonded with her is too intense.
The packhouse is filled with the aromas of the mating bites, and mine is missing.
The air is disjointed without our scents merging together.
“I love you,” I whisper as I remove my sweatpants. I climb on top of her, notching my cock at her entrance, and slide inside her.
It’s even better than last time. We both exhale in unison, and for a moment, I stay still, savoring the tightness of her cunt.
Her body is sacred. It’s a privilege to be inside her like this.
“I love you,” she moans back. I slowly move my hips, my cock sliding in and out of her at a lazy, leisurely pace.
We take our time together.
The room is full of gasps and groans, and I swallow her whines with my mouth, drinking up every sound she makes for me.
I haven’t even knotted yet, but my inner Alpha is already more settled, almost completely satisfied with just being inside her.
“I want to belong to you,” I hiss, increasing my pace. “Maeve, it’s all I’ve wanted for so long. Omega.”
“Yes,” she says, lifting her hips and meeting my thrusts. “Yes, please, Alpha.”
“Come for me, first. Can you do that for me, sweetheart?”
I have to feel her fall apart before I can sink my teeth into that raised patch of skin.
Her pleasure, her happiness, always comes first.
Always.
She nods; her eyes scrunching shut in bliss.
“I knew you were special the day we met,” I confess, increasing my pace. “I knew it before the scent match, that one day we would be right here.” She gasps, and I suck at the delicate mating gland, pink and abused from the other sets of teeth. “That it would be us, forever.”
“Ivan…Alpha…”
I’m drunk from her moans and dizzy with her scent, falling into oblivion.
“Come for me sweetheart,” I lace my voice with an undertone of command, my inner Alpha snarling out the order into her ear.
Her body grows taut, and my beautiful Maeve, the love of my fucking life, falls apart on my cock. She clamps down on me, her pussy walls fluttering around my length, and my own release follows.
I growl into her skin, my cock inflating while I sink my teeth into that delicate patch the skin.
I’m the final one to claim her, the final Alpha to mate her.
She trembles underneath me, whimpering as the mating bond takes hold.
I can physically feel her soul melding with mine.
I’m suddenly a better person as I receive the best parts of her.
Her empathy, kindness, and the excitement she brings to the world.
My partner is crime is my partner for life, now.
My family forever.
She gasps in my hold as I lock my knot inside her cunt, spilling my cum inside her, groaning into her skin.
“I love you,” she whispers, locking her fingers in my hair and keeping me in place, my mouth licking at her mating gland. “I love you so, so much.”
I shiver at her words, purring and nuzzling into her sensitive skin.
I never want to leave her nest.
I want to stay buried inside her forever, marveling at her the feel of her body and the new mating bond.
When we catch our breath and we’re finally able to move onto our sides, I realize her scent has changed.
Now that she’s bonded the three of us, she’s still her mouthwatering chamomile, but there’s a deeper, richer note to it.
She’s happy, loved, and fulfilled.
It’s everything I’ve ever wanted for her.
I hold her close to me, buried in her warmth, and purr for her. She mumbles something unintelligible, and before I can ask her to repeat herself, she’s fast asleep in my hold.
Floating in the haze of our mating bond, relishing in the knowledge that we’re a family, I fall into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Logan, Fang, and I will spend the rest of our lives keeping her happy and fulfilled.
She’ll never be alone again.