Chapter 21
Hudson
Day four and I feel…good.
I’m draped over Mason’s chest as he runs his fingers through my hair. When I opened my eyes, I didn’t feel as though I’d been partying for a week straight.
I think my cycle has officially ended. Four days is a little short, but I’m sure it’s simply the fact my body got what it needed by alphas who truly took care of me.
There’s also the chance I got pregnant on the first try.
Nuzzling my face against his chest, I sigh when a warm, contented feeling spreads from my chest.
That warm, fuzzy feeling turns to panic. Except…I’m not panicking.
Mason tenses below me, his fingers stop running through my hair only to push it off my shoulder.
“Oh shit,” he breathes out.
I raise my head and frown down at him in confusion.
Wait…that sense of panic is still coursing through me, but I’m not panicking.
Or at least I wasn’t.
“Oh no,” I mutter, and stumble out of the nest, making a beeline for the bathroom.
I stand naked in front of the large mirror and search my body with my eyes, turning this way and that until I spot two red angry crescents on my shoulder right where it meets my neck.
“You fucking bit me?!” I yell as I stare at the mark.
Mason bit me. It had to be Mason.
He fucking marked me, bonded me to his pack.
They all three promised to keep their teeth to themselves. Oh, I’m sure I begged for all kinds of things, but I also warned them to ignore those pleas. It’s not exactly uncommon for an omega to beg for an alpha’s bite during our cycle.
Have I, though? I mean, have I ever begged another alpha for their bite? None of the others ever mentioned it, but I also gave them the same warning from the get-go to stave off any future confusion.
Alex passes by the bathroom, a phone to his ear as he speaks in low tones. Mason enters the bathroom, his reflection joining mine.
“I’m sorry. Please…please accept my apology. Alex is on the phone now with a doctor. He’s going to see if it’s safe to dissolve the bond now that you might be pregnant or if we should wait until after.”
I whirl around, craning my neck to look into his face. “What were you thinking?”
“He wasn’t,” Desmond says, moving to lean against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest. “You were both lost to the fog. You kept begging and he went into rut. It just ended.”
“What?”
“I’m pretty sure his rut literally ended around the time you both realized what happened. He hasn’t let either of us anywhere near you since last night.”
I frown back up at Mason. Why the hell would he go into rut? Even more confusing – why the hell would he forbid his mates from being with me? I’m no one to them.
Not completely true. I’m the future surrogate for their child. That means I’m of some importance to them.
But that’s nothing compared to what I feel coming from Mason as he turns to look at Desmond with nothing short of despair, pain, and remorse in his pretty blue eyes.
My brain is slow to catch up and the memories of last night are hazy at best. I was fine. I woke before the alphas, ate a little bit, drank some water, and took a shower.
The alphas were still asleep when I reentered the nest. Mason woke and checked on me, then held me.
My perfume. I remember my need rising along with my perfume as I ran my eyes over their naked bodies, as I studied the way they affectionately held each other, even in their sleep.
Memories of Mason’s hands on me sneak in, the way his fist felt stroking my cock.
And that’s where everything gets fuzzy around the edges.
I must have had another heat spike. I’d started to think I was done, but guess I was wrong.
Now, I feel clear headed. I also feel super confused and a little angry.
Just a little, though.
I can absolutely have the bond dissolved.
Mason lost himself to rut and marked me.
I want to be pissed at Mason. But it sounds as though he was as lost to his biology as I was and simply reacted.
Alex enters the room beside Des and sighs.
“The doctor said to wait until we know for sure whether he’s pregnant.” His eyes drop to mine. “I’m sorry, omega. We tried to stop him. It just happened so fucking fast.”
Tears blur my vision as I nod. I might be at the tail end of my cycle, but that simply means my emotions will be nearly as erratic as during my preheat.
This should be a time for us to be soaking in a hot bath together, for them to be tending to me and massaging my sore muscles.
Not talking bond dissolution and pregnancy timelines.
I knew this was temporary.
Yet, as I lay my hand over the mark on my shoulder, there’s this tightness in my chest at the prospect of having it removed and the bond dissolved permanently.
I have no right to be upset, but my omega feels as though these alphas are rejecting me.
No matter how hard I swallow, I can’t hold back the whimper that leaves my chest.
Desmond darts forward, nudging Mason out of the way so he can wrap me in his arms. He nuzzles his cheek to the top of my head as he holds me tightly against his chest, rubbing one hand gently up and down my spine.
“We’ll fix it. As soon as it’s safe, we’ll fix it. I’m so sorry this happened,” he coos as he begins to sway like he’s rocking me.
He thinks the sound of despair was because Mason marked me.
I wish that were true. I feel stupid even contemplating asking them to let me keep it. I have no right. I refuse to admit it’s anything more than biology and a hormonal reaction affecting my emotions.
Wrapping my arms around his back, I fist my hands in his shirt and bury my face against his chest. I’m sucking in his pheromones, swimming in them, letting them settle me.
For now.
“Let’s get you cleaned up. Amy made us a big breakfast. Lunch. Technically it’s lunchtime, but she said you like pancakes and made you a heap of them,” Desmond says, pulling away only enough to guide me to the shower stall and reach in to turn on the spray.
It’s so odd. Moments ago, I was irate when my eyes landed on the red, bloody crescents on my shoulder. I even yelled.
Now? Now I find myself hoping I’m already pregnant so I can maintain the bond just a little longer.