Chapter 31
31
brIAR
I drift out of sleep with the low sound of male voices in my ears.
It’s too hard to open my eyes, so I keep them closed and burrow further into the chest of whoever’s holding me.
I’m weightless, my legs dangling free as I’m carried in strong arms.
Slowly, conscious thought comes back to me.
I remember where I am and that the subconscious feeling of safety I have is because I’m surrounded by my mates.
I must have fallen asleep after Ronan helped me back upstairs and tucked me beneath a blanket to finish the movie.
It’s Dash’s voice I hear first, the soft rumble comforting me.
“Are you sure she’ll be okay with sleeping here?”
“Heat spikes are draining. She needs sleep, and I’m okay risking it so long as she gets as much as she needs,” Jasper whispers.
The chest beneath my cheek is firm, the arms steadfast. I know that even if the world shook beneath us, they’d stay banded around me.
From the intensity of the warm leather and whiskey in the fabric of the shirt rubbing against my cheek, it has to be Jasper carrying me.
There’s a beat of silence before Dash speaks again.
“Should we check on Landon too?”
“I already did. He’s asleep in his room.”
“What?” He sounds as shocked as I feel.
“Whatever happened downstairs between them seemed to help him,” Jasper states.
“That’s good, right? We’re good?”
“Maybe. I hope so. We won’t know tonight.”
I wish he did.
Falling asleep knowing that Landon was closer to accepting me would be a dream come true.
Although, after what we did earlier, I’m positive the change has started, even just barely.
I’ve never felt so .
. . cherished as I was spread out between Landon and Ronan.
There wasn’t even anything romantic about what we did.
It was purely a necessary burning of sexual tension and need, but somehow, it felt more beautiful than any other experience I’ve had.
“How do you think he’ll react when he finds out she stayed the night in the nest?” Dash asks.
My ears perk up, sleep fading fast.
Jasper jostles me slightly before we start ascending a set of stairs.
“That depends on if you mean how he truly feels or how he pretends to feel.”
“There’s a difference?”
“Come on, Dash. You don’t actually think he’s truly this against her, right? His mother has put this constant doubt in his mind that makes him act out in fear of reliving what his father went through. It’s not Briar who scares him but the possible future of what could happen to us because of her. If we had met anyone else, it would have been the same. We’d still have been in this exact same situation,” Jasper says, voice harder, stern.
“His mother was a poor excuse for an omega, Jas. He can’t be comparing what happened with her to Briar. It’s not fair.”
Jasper adjusts me and runs a knuckle behind my ear as his steps even out, telling me we’re done with the stairs now.
“It’s not fair. I’ve been saying that the entire time. I’m hoping that the more time he spends with her, the easier it will be for him to see that too.”
Another pause before a door creaks open.
“Do you think she’ll like it in here?”
“I hope so. For now, let’s get her tucked into bed.”
It takes everything in me not to insist they both stay with me once I’m lowered onto a soft mattress.
The sheets feel like silk against my bare toes as I stretch out and grasp at Jasper’s arm.
He drops the fluffy comforter over me and hovers, trapping my hand beneath his.
“What’s wrong, love?” he murmurs.
When I crack my eyes open, he’s the first thing I see.
Even in the low light from the hall, he’s so incredibly handsome.
“You can stay.”
His mouth tips up at the corner.
“Not tonight.”
“Another night?”
“Absolutely.”
I smile through a yawn and rub my face into the silk pillowcase before remembering where I am.
The mention of a nest sears into my brain.
“Am I in the nest?”
The mattress shifts at my feet.
I peer down to find Dash perched beside them, a hand hovering over my calf.
“It’s the nest. We’ve had it for years, but there’s never been anyone in this bed. I didn’t even know we had sheets for it until right now.”
“I put them on earlier. Just in case,” Jasper says sheepishly.
I hum, my chest warming at his honesty and consideration.
“They’re nicer than the ones I have at home.”
“We could get you a pair for your place if you really like them. You deserve good sheets no matter where you sleep.”
Dash nods along with his packmate before his hand finally falls to touch me.
“What’s your favourite colour?”
“My favourite colour is pink. The pastel kind. But you don’t need to buy me fancy sheets. They can just be a special part of staying here. A bonus.”
“I’d hope that you would eventually move out of this bed and into one of ours. If that’s something you ever felt comfortable enough to do,” Jasper murmurs, running steady fingers through my hair.
The repeated motion is almost enough to send me toppling into the exhaustion that’s stinging my eyes.
I let them shut. Just for a minute.
“Do you have silk sheets on your beds?”
“Of course,” Dash guffaws.
“Such spoiled hockey boys,” I tease softly.
Jasper presses his lips to my forehead, lingering.
“We’d love to spoil you.”
“Can I have a first request, then?”
“You can have anything, Briar,” he whispers, lips moving across my skin.
I keep my eyes closed, grateful that I can hide because of my exhaustion instead of revealing my nerves.
“Can both of you leave something of yours in here before you go?”
“You want our scents around you?” Dash asks.
It’s too sterile in this bed.
I’d usually say that’s a good thing because it means they were truthful about me being the only omega who’s been in this nest, but I’m close enough to my heat that I’m getting the itch to start my nesting process.
Obviously, I don’t know if I’ll be spending my heat in this room, but for tonight, my omega needs the reminder that they’re here close by.
“Yes, please.”
Jasper leans away from me and, a second later, sets a ball of fabric beside my head.
I inhale the clean laundry scent and snap a hand up to grab the shirt, holding it close to my chest. Dash shifts by my feet before I get a strong whiff of peanut butter and chocolate.
I clutch at the soft shirt he sets on my chest and sigh.
“Do you want something from Ronan too?” Jasper asks, tucking the sides of the comforter tight against my sides.
It’s such a childish thing to have done, but it makes a difference to my omega.
The snugness of the comforter in addition to their shirts settles me, making room for sleep to sweep me away.
I manage to get a few slurred words out before the world turns black.
“Don’t forget Landon.”
The shrill sound of my phone ringing wakes me up from a dreamless sleep.
Panic sets in when I come to enough to realize it’s Clover’s ringtone.
Not even the strong scents of all four of my guys can soothe me the way they did when I fell asleep.
I search for the lit screen in the dark room, finding my phone plugged into a charger on the nightstand.
My voice is thick with sleep when I answer the call.
“What’s wrong?”
She answers in a frazzled rush.
“Those cursed alphas have been banging on Sadie’s door for the last hour.”
“What?”
I’m already out of bed and crossing the room by the time she replies.
“I told her to call the police, but she doesn’t want to deal with their questions tonight. I’m on my way there right now.”
“What are you going to do against them? Just wait for me. I’m coming.”
“You didn’t even text me when you got home last night! I’m assuming that means you’re still at the packhouse.”
“It was an accident. I fell asleep.”
She huffs, a door slamming nearby.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“What’s the plan for when we get there? These aren’t kind alphas, Clover. Do you really think they’ll care if we show up?”
“I can’t just do nothing.”
I open the door and hesitate, stealing a final glance behind me.
In the dark, it’s hard to pick apart the different aspects of the nest apart from the massive circular bed that looks bigger than it felt when I was asleep and the gauzy curtains draped around it.
“We don’t do noth—” I turn forward and gasp.
Ronan reaches for my arm, steadying me when I rock backward.
He moves closer and pulls me into his chest. I melt into the embrace and take a long, deep breath.
“I’ll be there in a few minutes, Clover. Just wait for me before you go all Superwoman on those guys,” I say.
Clover snorts, and I can imagine her shaking her head.
“We’ll see. Hurry, Bee.”
The dial tone follows her flippant agreement.
It’s not incredibly comforting, but I don’t have time to stand here and contemplate whether she’ll listen.
“I have to go,” I tell Ronan, hating every second of leaving his arms.
“I’ll drive you. Tell me where we’re going.”
I look up at him, surprised.
“What? It’s the middle of the night. You should be asleep.”
“You don’t have your car, Petal. I’ll take you where you need to go while you tell me what’s going on.”
The pet name reminds me of what happened earlier, and I flush, my core tightening.
It’s not the time or place, but I can’t help it.
“I know,” he rasps, reading my mind.
“It kept me up for hours after you went up to bed.”
That tidbit of information doesn’t help calm my hormones one little bit.
It takes every ounce of restraint I have to separate my thoughts and veer around the desire swirling in my belly.
“Sadie, the pregnant omega who was at the game with me and Clover, is in trouble,” I force myself to say instead of begging him to take me back into the nest and stay with me for the rest of the night.
Instead of his shirt, he could cover me with?—
His muscles stiffen, scent sharpening.
“Let’s go.”
“You wouldn’t mind dropping me off? I know it’s got to be late.”
“I’m not going to drop you off, Briar. I’m going to go with you to make sure everything is okay. You’re my omega, and I’m going to take care of you.”
He takes my hand and leads me out of the nest and down the hall.
His legs are longer than mine, his strides larger, but he keeps his pace in time with mine.
It’s something so subtle but thoughtful.
Like Jasper’s constant concern and Dash’s habit of waiting to touch me until I have a chance to tell him not to.
As if that’s ever a possibility in my mind.
Landon can act as nonchalant and unfeeling as he wants to, but I see the lingering, reassuring looks and the new hesitation to walk away.
I let my lips turn up in a small smile.
“Thank you, Ro.”
“I would do anything for you,” he declares without hesitation.
I clutch onto his hand.
“I’m starting to learn that.”
“Learn it, memorize it, believe it, Petal. I’m going to do everything I can to convince you of it sooner rather than later. Starting tonight.”