16. First Heat
First Heat
E verything was on fire. My joints hurt, my head throbbed, but the worst was the twisting in my abdomen, like my insides were trying to get out. Slick poured from me, running down the drain. Useless, just like me.
I was vaguely aware of someone coming into the bathroom and turning off the water that was keeping me going, but I was too tired and sore to do anything about it.
Rich alpha scents swirled around me, making my head even fuzzier.
Smoke, leather, amber, they all combined into the most enticing smell ever and all I wanted to do was rub myself against them, marking them with my scent.
There was enough of my brain still clear that I held back the whines that automatically came to my throat. Closed my eyes against the bright lights and tried not to listen to the seductive rumble of their voices. It was too much. My entire body wanted them.
I started to pant, the waves of heat and painful cramps rendering me nearly mindless. I'd been through this before, I could do it again.
Someone laid me down on the bed and left me alone, my body screaming for contact. There was a shout and I whimpered, curling up into a tighter ball. I couldn't stand anyone angry around me right now, not when I only had a few brain cells left.
The scent of snow suddenly mingled with the other smells and my eyes flew open. I couldn't see clearly, but a man stood by the bed, peeling off his shirt.
"No." I forced out, my voice raspy. "No knotting. No sex."
"Shh, nena , don't worry. No sex, but I'm going to help you feel a little better." Orion's rich voice filled my ears as he stripped out of his pants. He was muscled and so perfect I just wanted to lick him. No. No, I did not. I moaned in frustration.
"What are you doing?" River snapped. "I won't let you get sucked in by her wiles, Orion. The last thing we need is one of us to end up bonding her."
"I won't bond her," Orion assured, his voice soothing after River's anger.
I didn't want River in here. His negativity almost physically hurt. Looking at the angry man, I glared at him. "You can leave."
He laughed. "Oh, no, princess. I'm not leaving a sneaky omega alone with any of my pack members. You're not going to trick us into anything."
A snarl erupted from my throat and I bared my teeth at him. I wasn't after his pack. "I hate alphas, you prick."
"Right, that's why you're practically grinding up into Orion right now."
Dammit. My hips were thrusting on their own, trying to reach Orion where he stood beside the bed, but I only succeeded in hitting his thighs.
Even clouded, my mind realized how dangerous this was. I had to get out of here.
Leaping up, leaving the towel on the bed, I ran for the door. None of them expected it and they reacted too late to catch me. My belly cramped and my legs burned with a fire that reached my head, but I was determined to get away from the alphas who were far too tempting to my stupid body.
Down the stairs and toward the door, I ran, hearing them thundering after me. I threw open the door and headed outside, relishing the cold against my overheated flesh.
"Quinn, you'll freeze to death!" someone yelled.
Not likely. I was melting the snow as I plunged through it, the icy crystals that formed the crust on the snow slicing my skin.
The cold felt amazing and if I wasn't trying to get away, I would just flop down in the snow and let it cool me down to normal again.
But, there were three ferocious alphas after me, and suddenly it seemed imperative I get out of here.
The snow was nearly to my waist after the blizzard. I struggled to get through it once I was past the shallower stuff near the house and it was only a matter of seconds before a rough arm caught me around the waist and pulled me up out of the snow.
River flipped me up over his shoulder and the sight of his tight ass in his jeans made me gush slick that covered his hands. He groaned in frustration, his grip on my legs tightening. "Could you control yourself, please?"
"She literally can't, that's why we're in this position," Orion said as we entered the house again.
"Let me go!" I kicked, but River's grip was too strong to escape. I was stuck.
"The fuck is going on out here?" I heard Kade say, then he swore. "Why does she smell like that? What did you do, River?"
"I did nothing. These shits thought it was a good idea to barge in and get her all riled up."
Their scents were overwhelming indoors, causing my body to cramp and release more and more slick that spilled down my thighs and onto River's arms. I kept twisting in his grasp, but to no avail
"We can't stop the heat, River," Orion said firmly. "We need to do what we can without crossing any of her boundaries."
"Well, I'm not letting her take off, this is literally my job on the line!"
"Everyone can help keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn't do anything silly," Archer spoke up and I wanted to snarl at him.
He'd been the nicest of the alphas so far, and now he wanted to stop me from doing anything?
I dug my nails into River's back, making him hiss and toss me down onto the sofa.
"Fine, what's your grand plan?"
"Omegas need to feel safe, so let's make her feel safe." Orion started pulling the cushions off the sofa and armchairs. "Archer, grab the sheets off our beds. Pillows, too. Normally, an alpha's scent can help calm an omega, but in this case, it may make her more upset."
He was wrong. I hated them, but I also craved their scents. Still, I said nothing, sliding onto the floor as Orion tugged the cushion out from under me.
Kade and River stood by the fireplace, looking confused as Orion began to strategically place cushions against the furniture.
"Are you . . . building a pillow fort?" Kade asked incredulously. "Seriously?"
"It will make her feel safe. We don't have a nest here and this is the next best thing.
" Orion didn't look up as he spoke, arranging things just so.
When Archer brought down the sheets and pillows, he draped the sheets over the top of the cushions and chairs that he'd set up, creating a cozy fort that was just high enough to crawl into.
"Pillows." Orion demanded.
Archer passed him the pillows and the man quickly spread them out on the floor before covering everything with a fuzzy blanket.
"Get in there, princesa . You can stay as long as you need to," Orion told me, lifting a bit of sheet to make an entrance.
I scrambled through the gap, not even caring my bare ass was on show for all to see.
In moments, I was tucked safely in the nest-fort, the heat of the fireplace wafting through one side.
It was comfortable already, but I fussed with it a little, adjusting the pillows so their scents surrounded me instead of appearing in patches.
They weren't watching, so I could allow myself this small comfort.
Part of me wanted to beg them for their shirts, desperate to have a little piece of each alpha near me.
That would be the end of River treating me even half-way decently, though.
The man was already sure I was faking this awful heat to try and seduce his men.
If I asked for their clothes, he'd hate me even more.
I wasn't sure why that bothered me so much and didn't stop to analyze it.
When the scents were spread out evenly and the space was thoroughly mixed up, I wrapped myself in the fuzzy blanket and settled in.
The heat had abated slightly and my cramps lessened for a while.
I drifted into a restless sleep, tossing and turning, the slick still pouring from me.
My body knew what it wanted, but I wasn't about to give in to those needs. I'd rather die.