Chapter 55
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
SASHA
“I need to tell you something before we mark you,” I say, my voice suddenly serious, the weight of what I’m about to reveal making me nervous.
Flynn’s brows furrow, his gaze intense. “What is it?”
I hesitate, a pang of fear gnawing at my insides. Will he be upset? Will this tear us apart? I take a deep breath, gathering every ounce of courage I have. “While we respected your wishes not to be marked during your heat... I was marked. By Stone.”
His eyes widen, a flicker of shock passing over his face, and I tug the collar of my shirt aside, just enough to reveal the glowing Luminary mark now permanently etched into my shoulder. A bold symbol of our bond.
He stares at it for a long moment, his jaw tense. A tremor runs through me, but I stand my ground, waiting for his reaction. Will he be hurt?
But then, without warning, his arms are around me, pulling me close with a force that almost knocks the breath out of me. His lips are on my shoulder, kissing the mark, and the sensation from it shoots straight to my core, igniting a fire. “I’m so happy for you,” he whispers, his voice thick with emotion. “This is good. This is amazing.”
He pulls away and turns to Stone, wrapping him in a quick hug before kissing him, too. “Congrats, alpha,” Flynn says, his grin wide and so full of warmth it makes my heart stutter.
Stone chuckles, his smile proud and satisfied. “You’re next, Sweet Boy.”
Flynn blushes, a deep flush that spreads across his face as he turns to Levi. “You were okay? You are okay?”
Levi pulls him into his chest, kissing him with a tenderness that makes my heart flutter. “Yes. I’m happy the Little Brat has another alpha—lord knows she’ll need more than me to keep her in line.”
Flynn giggles, a genuine laugh that makes my heart swell every time I hear it. Then he grabs my hand, his grip firm but gentle, and pulls me to my feet. “I want to do it in my nest. Where you were marked. It feels right.”
I smile, my heart swelling with affection for him, and nod. “Okay.”
I let him lead me, with the two burly alphas following close behind, to his nest—the place where our bond will finally be sealed in a way that feels like home.
* * *
The nest smells… different.
Not bad. Just different.
Gone is the overwhelming scent of sweat, sex, and lingering heat that had filled the room the last few days. No, this is cleaner. Fresh linens. A hint of citrus and cedarwood—Flynn must’ve gone digging for that scent-erasing spray I keep stashed under the sink. There’s something comforting about it though, like the room’s exhaled after days of panting breaths and desperate moans.
Flynn sits on the edge of the large floor pillow, waiting. Watching me.
I hesitate. I don’t mean to. My body remembers everything we did in here—every feeling and soft sigh, every ache and pulse. I’m still sore as hell but this padsicle is helping immensely. Still, I’m walking with that careful gait, like I rode a horse for the first time in years. But this isn’t about that.
This is about him. And me. Just us. At least for right now, since he wants me to mark him first.
He notices the way I pause and his brows furrow, fingers wringing the edge of the sheet like he thinks I might change my mind. “You don’t have to,” he says softly.
The vulnerability in his voice has me softening. I take a breath—deep, slow—and step closer. The moment my knees hit the floor beside him, the tension leaves his body in a rush.
I crawl onto the pillow next to him, and his whole body seems to relax. He’s already in just a thin shirt and a pair of shorts that hang low on his hips, and he looks… smaller somehow. More vulnerable. But I know better. Flynn isn’t weak. He’s survived things I’ll never understand. And even now, the weight of his eyes on me says he’s giving me all of him—again. Willingly.
“Flynn,” I murmur, my voice soft as I reach up to cup his neck, my thumb grazing the edge of his jaw. He leans into the touch, like he’s been starved for it. His eyes are half-lidded.
“I want to be yours,” he whispers. “Officially. All the way.”
My throat tightens.
“You already are,” I whisper back, because it’s true. Gods, it’s been true since the moment I saw him in that doorway, all wide eyes and trembling lip—and it was solidified when I pulled him off that fucking spanking bench. I would burn the world down for him if it meant he’d stay by my side. I would burn myself, if it meant protecting him.
But this... this is different. This is by choice. This is us, in the quiet of this room, claiming each other in ways we’ve never done before.
I lean in, my teeth sinking gently into the crook of his neck, right where his scent is the strongest. Sweet, delicious, and undeniably him . His body trembles under me, the shiver of his muscles a reflection of the bond between us, a reflection of how deeply he feels this moment, too. The bite is quick, but it hits hard. I hear the soft gasp against my shoulder as he inhales sharply, his fingers digging into my arms like he’s afraid he might drift away.
When I pull back, there’s blood. Not much, but enough that the instinct takes over. I lean in, pressing my tongue to the mark, soothing the sting as his breath hitches. His chest heaves with every inhale, and his fingers tighten around my arms like he’s afraid to let go. But then I see it.
The mark.
It’s not just a bite. It’s not just a claim. It’s something more. It shimmers beneath his skin, opalescent and glowing faintly, a ring of my teeth left in the flesh like a perfect imprint. The Kismet mark.
My breath catches in my throat. This is it. The real thing. I didn’t expect it to feel like this. A part of me thought I might be imagining it—the bond, the pull, the connection—but seeing the mark, the physical proof of our bond, solidifies everything. The truth doesn’t lie.
I swallow hard, trying to clear the lump in my throat. This is real. This is ours. Together, we’ve created something deeper than I ever could have imagined.
Somehow, I’m a beta with two Luminary bonds and a Kismet in the flesh.
I rest my forehead to his and breathe him in, let the shock and awe crash over me in slow, pulsing waves.
He's mine. Not just by choice, not just by pack bond or mutual need. By something greater. Something written in the marrow of our bones before we ever met.
He doesn’t say a word. Just shifts until he’s straddling my lap, knees bracketing my hips. Then, with one firm push, he lays me back against the pillow, following me down without breaking eye contact.
And then he moves.
It’s not desperate, not frantic like the past few days. It’s slow. Intentional. He grinds down against me, his forehead pressed to mine, hands on my shoulders as our mouths find each other in a kiss that starts sweet and turns needy. His hips roll, and the friction between us is maddening, sending sparks through every nerve ending I have.
I grip his waist, steadying him. He’s so soft in my arms, and yet every move he makes undoes me. He whimpers into my mouth, the sound turning into a low, broken moan when he rocks down just right.
“I love you,” he whispers, his voice wrecked, his eyes shiny with unshed tears. The sight of him like this makes my heart shatter, breaks me into a thousand pieces.
From the corner of my eye, I see Levi shift slightly, his gaze locked on us. Stone’s hand flexes on the blanket beside him, jaw tight like he’s holding back.
“I love you too,” I say, the words trembling but true. I mean it. More than I’ve ever meant anything in my life. I love him because when I wasn’t sure I had a place, he carved one out next to him. Because he chose me—not just as a beta, but as Sasha. And I choose him right back.
I feel it when he’s close. The way his body tightens, his rhythm falters. The wet heat between us grows slicker, hotter. My own body responds in kind, clenching, aching with the need for him to fall apart in my arms. And when he does, it’s not loud. It’s not showy.
It’s a soft, broken sound—like relief. Like safety.
A quiet exhale from Levi reaches my ears.
We pull back from the kiss, breaths mingling in the quiet air. His eyes lock with mine, and for a moment, the world feels like it stops. Then, with a soft, breathless exhale, his teeth graze the side of my neck, sending a rush of electric sensation through me.
The pain blooms hot, sharp, but it fades into something beautiful, something perfect. My body trembles with the finality of it, the feeling of belonging I’ve never had before. I hold him tight, pressing my forehead to his, and for the first time, I don’t feel like a side character in this story.
I feel like part of it. Centered in it. Chosen.
We stay like that for a while, tangled and warm, breathing in each other’s presence. Eventually, Flynn tucks himself beside me, his body still trembling slightly. His fingers trace over the bite on my neck, a reverent touch.
“You okay?” he asks, voice low, almost shy.
“Yeah,” I whisper, breathing deep. “Better than okay.”
He smiles. The kind that makes his dimples show and his eyes crinkle at the corners. He reaches up to brush a few strands of hair from my face. “I didn’t clean the whole nest. Just the parts that smelled like alpha knots.”
I choke on a laugh. “I appreciate that.”
He grins wider. “Couldn’t have you thinking I brought you into a den of sin.”
“Oh please, I watched you throw tantrums for orgasms the last few days. There is no illusion left.”
Flynn blushes, which is ridiculous considering the things we’ve done. “It’s different now,” he murmurs, softer. “It’s… ours.”
It is.
I have two alphas who chose me. And my omega. They’ve claimed me, built a pack, a family. Something I never thought I’d have.
Flynn loves me.
I love him.
And in this moment, in this quiet, freshly cleaned nest with only the ghost of heat in the air and the taste of our bond on my tongue—I know that I belong. Really belong. Finally.
The alphas are getting impatient, their eyes flicking between each other, and it feels like a swarm of bees buzzing through our bonds. Stone raises an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Okay, who’s next?"
We both crack up at the same time, the tension breaking like a snapped thread, and Flynn, still blushing but with a glint of mischief in his eyes, picks. “Stone,” he says, as though it’s the most obvious choice.
Stone grins, looking at me like he’s just won something. “About time, Sweet Boy.”