49. Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Forty-Nine
Leah
I don’t know where that nest is, and in this whiplash moment hurtling through the bruised city night, I realized I never needed a space at all. The only nest I crave is wherever my Alphas are. They are the low, thunderous drum of safety in my chest, the only place that is home.
They are my nest.
My nest isn’t a place. It’s the convergence of their bodies, their hands, their scents, their voices murmuring my name.
I could die from sheer wanting, the relief and the burn braided tightly together.
I’m so wrung out I can’t tell if I’m shivering, crying, laughing, or all three at once.
But I am whole. Bruised and fraying at the edges, but whole.
And held.
I’m cherished. Wanted. And loved .
All I need is them .
I breathe them in, letting the sense of belonging sink into my skin.
I bury my face in Gabriel’s throat, where the sweat and citrus of his skin mingle with sweet-cold vetiver.
Jax is pressed behind me, arms an iron band, his warmth heavy and sugared with the faintest bitter edge.
Ronan’s exhale brings pine and smoke, sharp and clean, the bite of winter wind so crisp it scours you clean.
They fill the air, and my lungs, and smooth the hollowed-out places that were carved with Hardwick’s knives and Hugo’s fists.
Jax’s palm slides up beneath Ronan’s shirt, slipping against the skin of my thigh, careful and slow.
Each brush sets off a wave of goosebumps, and the fine hairs at the back of my neck lift in response.
A gritty, restless ache builds inside me exhausted from crying and fighting but stoked bright and fierce by the pressure of his hand and the presence of my mates blooming around me.
My nipples prickle as the world shrinks to the pulse between my legs, the sharp draw of breath, the way my thighs part.
The fatigue in my bones is still there, but layered under it is a deeper, instinctive drive as my Omega rises, seeks, claims. My chest flushes hot, skin tingling, mouth gone dry with anticipation as I arch into Gabriel’s palm.
He grins, a rakish tilt to his mouth, and thumbs a lazy circle along the curve of my hipbone, deliberately skating just above where I want him most. Jax’s other hand settles over my ribs, the heat of his skin burning straight through, and he noses at my hair, breath shaking, scent thickening as his own arousal spikes.
Ronan’s growl vibrates through the dark space of the car. It’s a warning, a question, something possessive in the way his presence rolls over me. "What the fuck are you two doing to our Omega?"
Gabriel’s eyes flick up to Ronan’s in the rearview. "Loving her, brother. We’re loving her like she wants. Like she needs. "
"Yes." I tip back my head as Jax kisses my jugular, eyes fluttering closed. "I want to love you. I want to love all of you. Please."
Gabriel’s mouth finds mine as his hand cups my breast, squeezing, rolling my nipple between his fingers. Gentle, then greedy, feasting on the little sounds he draws from my throat. I arch for him, chest aching for every stroke, every twist, every hungry sweep of his tongue.
"Gods, Omega." Jax groans as he slips his hand between my thighs, his thumb parting my folds and finding my clit. He strokes around it, slow at first, then firmer, his rhythm matching the wet heat of his tongue as he licks a line along my neck, breathing me in like I’m the only air that matters. "You smell so fucking good, Sunshine."
Gabriel’s laughter breaks against my lips. "Can you feel how you melt for us, Omega? You’ve been through so much," he whispers. "Let us make you come apart."
I barely register the thrum of the city, only the storm inside the car.
Heat rolls off Gabriel and Jax, their scents thick and tangled.
They map every inch of my skin, setting every nerve ablaze.
Gabriel pinches and roll my nipples until my back arches while he deepens our kiss, his groan a right, hungry sound.
Jax circles my clit, stroking me with just enough pressure to make my hips jerk. "So sweet," he murmurs, voice dark and ragged as he noses the hinge of my jaw and then licks the shell of my ear. "Gods, Leah, you’re shaking. Let go for us, Sunshine. Give us everything."
"Please—" The word slips from me, half sob, half plea. My hips rock against his hand, chasing every delicious flick of his thumb, wanting to disappear into the urgency they’re building under my skin.
Gabriel massages my breast at the same time Jax eases two fingers inside me, stretching me wide, hooking just right.
A surge of want echoes through me from where the heel of his hand grinds against my clit.
I spasm, slick gushing around Jax’s fingers. I’m tipping, hurtling over the edge as every muscle in my body clenches. Jax purrs in my ear. "Good girl… so perfect for us…love you so much, Omega. "
My body bows between them, nerves shot through with electricity, every muscle trembling. The orgasm hits hard. My hips jerk as pleasure crashes over me. Everything in the car disappears, time and space peeling back until there is nothing but my Alphas surrounding me in safety and love.
Jax draws out every shiver, each movement deliberate, while Gabriel cups my breast, his thumb teasing slow circles around my nipple.
Ronan pulls us into the shadows of Pinnacle’s underground parking, tires screeching as he hits the brakes, the world reeling to a halt.
The car door yanks open, Ronan pulling me free and trapping me between the SUV and his body.
I cling to him like a lifeline, pressing my face to his throat, grinding my aching, swollen core along the thick ridge in his pants.
Darkness seeps through the fabric caused by my slick. I whimper, lost to my arousal. My Omega and I are a single animal made from arousal, desire and hunger. My hips move on their own, frantic for more.
"Fuck, Kitten," Ronan groans, gripping my ass and hauling me tighter. "You’re soaked."
A garbled noise breaks from my lips as a higher yearning breaks open.
I want more than their bodies. More than their love.
I want their souls to be mine and mine to be theirs.
"Bond with me. Please, I need you. All of you.
I want everything. I want you in me, with me, forever.
Please, please…bond me. Take me. Make me yours, make me home . "
"Are you sure, Omega?” Ronan asks. “You’ve been through enough. Do you want more time—"
"No. No more time." I grab his cheeks and kiss him to stop him talking. When I’m through with the kiss, his lips are swollen and his eyes only half open, his breath ragged as his chest expands and contracts. "Bond me. No more doubts."
Gabriel is at my right, his gaze bright and hungry. He strokes his thumb along my jaw line, his touch so light and reverent. "You want me, Omega? You can have all of me. Every single little part of me is yours."
Jax brushes his lips against my shoulder, his breath ghosting over my skin as he looks up at me. "You’re ours, Sunshine. We’ll bond you, love you. Forever. "
Ronan’s breath shivers as he rests his forehead against mine. His eyes burn with longing. Heat. Desire. Possession. "Do you mean it? Really mean it? There’s no return from bonding, Leah. You’ll be ours forever."
I drink in each of them. Jax’s eyes are whiskey-warm, his touch just a little unsteady where he cups my shoulder, need etched in every stark line of his face.
The air around him is rich with vanilla and salt, laced with heat that pools low in my belly.
Safe, fierce, and adoring. Gabriel’s eyes gleam, bright with emotion, his lip curving at the edge of a smile, hunger and longing mingling in every expression he wears so openly for me.
The promise and plea of him fills the space, weaving with the sturdy crispness and smoke that is all Ronan.
Their presence blooms around me. More than lust. More than love. I inhale the threads of their emotions woven through the air. I open to them, drinking in their hope and their devotion. I see longing, yearning, loving. Everything they feel for me is mirrored in my own bones.
There is no fear. Only certainty. My voice barely makes it past the ache in my chest. "There is no greater honor than being bonded to you." My voice shakes with how much I mean it. "I want to be yours. Forever."
Ronan’s gaze burns and his grip tightens around me. He’s not going to let me go and it’s exactly what I want. "Then we’ll give you the world, Kitten. You’re our Omega. Ours ."
He kisses me like I’m the air he’s been dying to breathe.
His mouth claims mine with ravenous hunger.
His lips crash over mine, rough and hot, his tongue sweeping in to taste the whimpering center of me.
There’s nothing tender about it. This kiss is untamed, desperate, a vow carved into flesh and breath.
His teeth catch at my lower lip, a warning and a worship, and then he devours the mewling sound that escapes me.
He tastes of salt and want and the smoke of all the nights I thought I’d never get to have.
His kiss is rough, claiming, his body crowding mine and starving for every inch, every gasp, every shiver I’ll give.
I open to him, falling, dizzy, present only in the fierce, endless drag of his lips and the way he kisses me like he means to make the world disappear.
His heat is everywhere, taking up all the space inside my chest, inside my mouth, and when he finally breaks the kiss, I’m breathless and aching, lips swollen, heart pounding with the honest violence of being wanted so completely.
Ronan’s growl vibrates around me as he pushes from the car and carries me to the waiting elevator.
The doors hush closed behind us. He holds me against his chest, one broad palm splayed hot over my ribs, grounding me, while Jax presses in against my side, his scent wrapping around me like a worn blanket, and Gabriel’s arm bands around my waist.
"Kiss me, Jax. Please," I groan. I fist Jax’s shirt and pull him to me, brushing my lips against his. So soft at first that he melts and hums into my mouth. I taste his hope, his adoration, salt-sharp and sweet and all too soon the kiss ends.
Gabriel wastes no time. He threads his fingers behind my neck pinning me in place. The kiss he gives me is messier, his lips and tongue hungry and grateful at once. Each touch, each brush of his mouth to mine blurs out the world.
Ronan carries me through the corridor, his stride relentless and sure.
He doesn’t pause until he reaches the door at the end, pushing it open and bringing me inside.
He lets me down gently, his hands tracing down my arms, steadying me as he turns me in place.
We’re back in our room. The thick plastic sheet that once split the space is gone, leaving the massive nest as the anchor.
In the corner, a neat stack of garments waits on a chair, untouched, as if nothing here dares to move without us.
Gabriel clicks the lock and turns a smirk in my direction. "Nobody’s coming in. It’s as private as it gets, Sweetheart."
Jax takes me hand in his and squeezes. "Go and build your nest for your Alphas, Omega."
I take one step toward the bed. Then two.
Reality blurs, colors going a little hazy and dreamy at the edges.
The world narrows to the pile of mismatched throw rugs folded on a chair, a heap of soft towels and oversized couch cushions.
And, stolen t-shirts and hoodies left behind by each of my Alphas, their presence lingering in layers of hope and terror, arousal and longing soaked into the fabric after weeks apart .
I take off the top throw and rub the texture against my cheek.
It’s impossibly soft, the weave thick but yielding, a balm against my skin, still faint with the echo of all of us.
It’s perfect for the base. Thick enough to cushion.
Plush enough to cradle. I smooth it over the mattress, corners taut, then pat it into the shape that feels right.
Next, I select Ronan’s navy-blue hoodie infused with his pine-salt-musk.
I lay it open, weaving it with another throw.
I grab a thick towel, imbued with Gabriel’s bright citrus and lay it on the other side, weaving it with Jax’s pants.
I layer. Blend. Shape and plump. My Omega leads, the haze and softness blend with my movements.
My Alphas watch me, their scents growing thicker as each moment passes. Ronan’s jaw tightens, his fists clench at his sides, eyes burning as he studies my every move.
Jax’s lips part, his gaze stormy with need and worship. He strokes his hard shaft over his pants. Gabriel’s expression is a wide-eyed hunger. They're enthralled, locked in place.
My skin prickles under their gazes. My mouth waters as I take in the heavy bulges between their thighs. The heat in the room shifts. Thickens. I shrug off Ronan’s shirt and let it fall, baring myself to their gazes, knees sinking into the heart of my nest.
Jax’s purr bursts out of his chest as a vein ticks at Ronan’s temple. Gabriel groans and whispers. "So beautiful."
They are. Beautiful. Powerful. Perfect. Mine.
And wearing far too much clothing.