Chapter 23 Amelia #2
"That's it, sweetheart," Silas breathes, his forehead pressed to mine as his hips continue to move in small, tight circles. "You're doing so good. Taking my knot so perfectly. This is what you were made for. This connection."
The praise combined with the overwhelming fullness pushes me over the edge.
I come apart in his arms, crying out his name while pleasure crashes through me in waves.
He follows moments later, his body going rigid as he finds his own release, his knot pulsing inside me in a way that makes aftershocks ripple through my body.
We stay locked together for long minutes, both of us breathing hard, while Wyatt traces soothing patterns on my skin and whispers how beautiful we look together, how perfect, how right this is.
Eventually Silas's knot recedes enough that he can pull out carefully, both of us wincing at the loss of connection and the sensitivity.
But before I can catch my breath properly, Wyatt is there, helping me shift, positioning himself between my thighs.
His blue eyes are dark with want, pupils blown wide.
"My turn, sunshine. If you're up for it. If you want more."
I nod, already reaching for him, wanting to feel this with him too. Wanting to be connected to both of them in this fundamental way. "Yes. Please."
Wyatt is less gentle than Silas, more demanding, taking what he wants while still being careful not to hurt me.
His pace is faster, more intense, driving me toward another peak before I've fully recovered from the first. The slide of his body against mine, inside mine, is overwhelming in the best way.
When his knot forms and locks us together, I'm already coming again, sobbing his name into his shoulder while he holds me through it, his arms wrapped around me like he's never letting go.
We're all tangled together on the bed afterward, me sandwiched between them, both of them trailing gentle touches over my overheated skin.
I'm boneless and sated and more relaxed than I've been in days.
Wyatt is behind me, his chest pressed to my back, one arm draped over my waist. Silas is facing me, his fingers tracing idle patterns on my shoulder.
That's when I notice it. The way my scent has changed, intensified. Not the full bloom of heat, not yet, but something closer to it. Richer. Sweeter. My skin feels even warmer than before, a restless energy building beneath the surface despite the exhaustion pulling at me.
My body is preparing. Signaling. The heat is coming soon. Very soon.
Both Alphas notice it too. I can tell by the way they both go very still, the way they breathe in deeply, scenting the air.
"Amelia," Silas says carefully, his hand stilling on my shoulder. "Your scent..."
Panic slams into me despite the earlier reassurances, sharp and immediate. "Is it...?"
"Your heat is coming," Wyatt confirms, his hand splaying across my stomach, warm and grounding. "Soon. Maybe a day or two. Your body is getting ready."
The fear must show on my face because they both immediately move closer, surrounding me with their warmth and scents, creating a cocoon of safety.
"Breathe," Silas orders gently, his thumb stroking my cheek. "Just breathe, sweetheart. This is okay. This is natural."
"But the kids," I gasp, my mind already spinning with logistics and panic. "I can't be in heat with the kids in the house. What if they hear something? What if my scent affects them? What if—"
"Dylan and Maddox," Wyatt says immediately, cutting through my spiral. "We'll call them first thing in the morning. They can take Riley and Isaac for a few days."
"A week," Silas corrects. "Maybe longer, depending on how long your heat lasts. First heats with a scent match can be intense and they vary in length. But we'll be here with you through all of it."
"All three of you?" My voice is tiny, uncertain, the question barely more than a whisper.
"All three of us," they confirm together, and the certainty in their voices helps settle something in my chest.
"We need to tell Hunter," I murmur, the thought occurring to me through the haze of exhaustion and lingering pleasure. "He needs to know. He'll want to... he should know what's happening."
"First thing in the morning," Silas promises, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "He'll want to know. Need to know. He'll probably be frustrated he wasn't here tonight, but he'll understand."
"Will he...?" I can't quite finish the question, can't articulate what I'm asking. Will he want to be part of this? Will he want me during my heat? Will he finally let himself have what he's been holding back from?
"Want to be part of this?" Silas finishes for me, reading my thoughts. "Yes. Absolutely yes. He's been holding back because he's terrified of scaring you, of being too much, too intense. But he wants you, Amelia. Desperately. He has since the beginning."
The thought of Hunter, intense and protective and careful, being with me during my heat makes my stomach flip. But it's not fear. It's anticipation. Want. The desire to have all three of them, to be surrounded and protected and cared for by my Alphas.
My Alphas. The thought should terrify me, the possessiveness of it, the permanence it implies. But wrapped in their arms, surrounded by their scents, I can't bring myself to be afraid.
"Okay," I whisper, letting my eyes drift closed as exhaustion finally pulls me under. "Okay."
"Sleep, sunshine," Wyatt murmurs against my hair, his arm tightening around my waist. "You're going to need your rest. When your heat hits properly, you'll need your strength."
"We've got you," Silas adds, his hand still stroking soothing patterns on my skin. "You're safe. You're wanted. And you're not going through this alone. Never alone again."
Wrapped in their arms, surrounded by their scents, I finally let myself believe that maybe this won't be like every other heat I've endured. Maybe this time, I won't wake up in a sterile facility with only the fading memory of sedation and pain. Maybe this time, I'll have them. All of them.
Maybe this time, I'll be exactly where I'm supposed to be.
The thought carries me down into sleep, warm and safe and, for the first time in my life, actually looking forward to what comes next instead of dreading it.