Chapter 20
The silence in the Sunflower Center hangs heavy tonight, but not with the hollow quiet of a ruin. It waits like a lungful of air held right before a scream of joy.
My fingers trace the stitching of a star pattern. Tomorrow morning, forty-two kids will walk through the front doors. They'll drop their bags on these beds and realize they don't have to sleep with one eye open.
My throat tightens. Leaning back against the warm, butter-yellow wall, I breathe it in. Ten months ago, this was a gutted strip mall. Now, it's a sanctuary.
Footsteps cushion against the new wood-looking flooring down the hall. I don't need to turn around. The scent of pine hits first, layered with notes of sandalwood, peppermint, cinnamon, and vanilla.
Reid stops a few feet away, hands in his pockets, silent as he looks at the beds. Moonlight catches the blond of his hair. He looks tired, but the tension usually sitting in his shoulders is gone.
I smile. "'We actually did it.'"
Reid nods, stepping closer and wrapping his arms around my waist. "You did it, Zo. We just carried the lumber."
I shake my head. "I couldn't have done this alone. I tried. I almost broke myself trying to be the hero who didn't need anyone. But you guys picked up the hammer when I couldn't lift it."
Dameon walks up on my other side, resting a large hand on my shoulder. The heat of his palm seeps through my silk blouse. "We built the walls, but you gave it a pulse. This place would just be an empty shell without you."
Micah and Theo join the circle. We stand in the room, five people breathing in the same rhythm.
I study them, no longer seeing the manager, security guard, or ghosts from the shelter.
Just the men who spent nine months sweating in the dust because I asked them to.
Men who let me lead even when they wanted to take over.
Warmth spreads through my chest. It moves out to my fingertips and I know for certain that it’s time to take their marks.
I pull back from them a little. "Come to my office. There's one last thing we need to handle before the doors open tomorrow."
Theo tilts his head, long hair falling over his shoulder. "The fire inspection forms? I thought Reid filed those this morning."
A small laugh escapes me. "It's not paperwork."
I lead the way back down the hall. We pass the cafeteria and the intake rooms.
I open the door to the Director's Office. It holds the only rug in the building, a thick, cream-colored faux-wool for sitting on the floor when the desk feels too formal.
I reach over to the desk and flick on the small lamp. Golden light floods the room, making the space intimate.
The guys file in, looking a little nervous. They stand in a line near the door like they're waiting for a performance review, used to me giving orders in here.
Leaning back against the front of the desk, I cross my arms and look at each of them. They stare back with that intense, hungry look they try to hide when we're working.
I take a deep breath. "I spent a long time running away from you. I thought you were trying to put me in a cage. Thought being a claimed Omega meant losing myself to be with an Alpha."
Micah takes a step forward. "We messed up in the beginning, Zo. We know that."
I hold up a hand. "I know and you fixed it. You showed up every day for nine months and didn't ask for a single thing. Let me be the boss. Let me decide when and how we touched."
Pushing off the desk, I walk toward them, stopping right in front of Reid. Sandalwood under the pine makes my mouth water.
"I don't want to be your boss tonight. I don't want to be the Director. I want to be your Omega."
Reid’s eyes go wide, pupils blowing out until the blue is almost gone. "Zo..."
"I want to be claimed by all of you." I hold his gaze, keeping my voice steady. "Right here. In the place I built. I want to make it permanent."
Theo makes a choked sound. "Claimed? You mean..."
"I mean bond marks." I step closer, needing them to understand. "I want everyone to know I belong to you. And I want to know you belong to me."
Dameon growls low in his throat. He takes a step toward me, but stops, looking at me like he's waiting for permission.
I smile. "You don't have to wait anymore. I'm yours."
Reid closes the distance first, grabbing my face in his hands. Thumbs trace my cheekbones. His hands shake. "Are you sure, Zora? Once we do this, there's no going back. The bond is forever."
I cover his hands with mine. "I've never been more sure of anything. I spent my whole life looking for a home. You four have been my home since we were kids."
Reid crashes his mouth down on mine. Not gentle. A desperate, starving kiss. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him closer. The other three move in around us; their warmth surrounds me.
I break the kiss and look at them. "Take my clothes off. I want to feel every inch of you."
Reid moves first. His fingers brush my waist as he finds the hem of my t-shirt. He lifts it, the soft cotton sliding up my torso, cool air rushing in to replace the warmth of the fabric. He pulls it over my head and drops it.
Dameon is already at my feet. He unbuttons my jeans, his hands hot on my hips as he drags the denim down. He takes my underwear with it. After he tugs off my tennis shoes and socks; my bare feet sink into the cream rug and step out of the pool of my clothes.
They quickly strip. Reid yanks his t-shirt over his head, tossing it aside. Dameon kicks his heavy work boots off, the thud vibrating through the floor. Micah and Theo shed their jeans and shirts in a blur of motion until we're all bare.
I stand in the center of the rug, looking at them. They're beautiful in the dim light, their bodies maps of muscle and fair skin. Reid reaches for me, but I step back, shaking my head. I push him toward the edge of the desk. "Sit. I want to taste all of you first."
Reid sits back against the heavy wood, spreading his legs. Micah leans against the side of the desk next to him.
I drop to my knees; the rug is soft under my skin. I crawl forward, moving between Reid’s thighs. Their alpha musk fills the air, thick and intoxicating. I wrap my hand around Reid’s length. He’s hard, leaking pre-come. I run my thumb over the head, spreading the slickness.
Reid hisses, his hands gripping the edge of the desk. "Zora..."
I take him into my mouth, sliding down as deep as I can. I find a rhythm, swirling my tongue and humming against him. I reach out with my free hand and find Micah’s cock. He’s just as hard. I stroke him in time with the suction I'm giving Reid.
Micah groans, his hips snapping forward. "Yes, that feels so good."
I pull off Reid with a wet pop and turn my attention to Micah, licking a long stripe up the underside of his shaft before taking him in. I switch back and forth, leaving them both slick and gasping.
I turn on my knees to face Dameon and Theo. They tower over me, blocking out the dim light of the lamp. I reach for Dameon, running my palm over the thick vein on the underside of his length. I lean forward and kiss the head, tasting the spice of him before sliding him into my mouth.
Theo crowds my space, his thigh brushing against my cheek. I reach for him, my fingers wrapping around his length. He feels silky smooth. I pull off Dameon and turn to Theo, taking him deep. He groans, his hands tangling in my hair.
Dameon growls, his hand gripping my shoulder. "That’s enough. I can't watch this anymore without someone being inside you."
I look up at them, hunger clawing at my gut. "Then fill me. I want all of you." I glance over at the desk where I dropped my bag earlier. "I've got lube in my purse."
Dameon reaches for the leather bag, his large hand dwarfing the strap as he pulls out the bottle. He hands it to Reid while Micah moves to the center of the rug and lies flat on his back.
I crawl over Micah, straddling his hips so I'm facing him. He guides his cock to my entrance, and I ease down. I gasp, my pussy stretching to accommodate the peppermint-scented heat of him. I take him to his knot.
Reid moves into place behind me, settling between my splayed feet.
I hear the click of the bottle and the wet sound of the lube as he coats his fingers.
He presses his slicked tips against my back entrance.
He pushes one finger in, then two, working me with a steady rhythm that has my hips rolling into his hand as I chase the friction.
He uses his other hand to hold my hip, his thumb digging in as he continues to finger me until I'm loose enough to take him.
"Just breathe, Zo."
I lean forward, resting my hands on Micah’s chest for balance. Reid eases his cock into me. The double pressure is immense, a total fullness that leaves no room for anything but them. I cry out, my head tossing back as I take them both, sandwiched between their bodies.
Micah drives up into me while Reid stretches me from behind. They move like a machine, slick with sweat as they work together. I'm drowning in sensations. Every thrust pushes me higher, the intense friction turning into a white-hot pleasure centering deep in my belly.
Dameon kneels at my right side, his eyes dark and focused. He leans in and takes my right breast into his mouth, his tongue swirling around my nipple. He moves up, his cinnamon scent overwhelming as he licks and kisses a path along my neck.
Theo moves to my left. He follows Dameon's lead, his hands roaming over my skin as he licks the curve of my left breast before moving to the left side of my throat. I'm surrounded by them; their bodies a wall of heat.
Their knots prod more at my openings; they're both close to wanting to lock.
Theo groans against my skin, his teeth scraping my shoulder as he feels the shift. I can't even speak, my breath hitching as they swell more.
The pressure inside builds. It’s immense. My inner muscles clamp down, milking them, trying to get closer. The knots catch, locking into place. I'm completely full, stretched to my absolute limit. I'm climbing the edge of something final.
"I'm close," I sob. "I'm so close."
Their breathing snaps into the same rhythm as mine, a collective surge that has them shifting in one fluid movement. They don't need a signal. Their bodies follow the same frantic pulse, bracing as the air in the room thickens with the weight of what’s coming.
Reid scrapes his teeth against the nape of my neck. Micah sits up from the rug, his teeth dragging along the left side of my throat. Dameon is set on the right side, his teeth grazing my pulse point. Theo grips my left shoulder, his teeth already scraping the skin there.
They find their spots. As the orgasm rips through me, shattering my control, they strike.
Reid bites down on my nape. Micah sinks his teeth into the left side of my neck.
Dameon claims the right. Theo bites down on my left shoulder.
The bond snaps into place as wave after wave of ecstasy runs through my body.
I scream as I come, a full-body convulsion as my walls clamp down on their knots, milking them dry.
Micah’s hips jerk, a thick, hot pulse hits my cervix as he bottoms out.
Right behind him, Reid stiffens, his release slamming into my back wall.
Dameon stays locked onto the right side of my neck, his cum hitting my outer right thigh and.
Theo remains clamped to my shoulder, as he coats my left side.
The bond hums, vibrating with the aftershocks. It feels like golden light knitting my soul to theirs. They let go of me and the bite marks tingle but don’t hurt.
I slump forward onto Micah’s chest, exhausted, the weight of Reid behind me keeping us pinned to the rug. We stay like that for a long time; the knots keeping us locked together. I'm sandwiched between them. The office is silent except for our ragged breathing.
Eventually, the swelling goes down. Reid pulls out first, pressing a kiss to my spine. Micah helps me off him, easing me onto the rug.
Dameon pulls a throw blanket from the couch and drapes it over us. We tangle together on the floor, a mess of limbs and cooling skin.
I look down at my shoulder. The skin is already smooth; the bite mark healed instantly into a permanent, dark claim against my brown skin. I close my eyes and just breathe, feeling the heat coming off them in the quiet. I’m not standing alone anymore.
"Goodnight my Alphas."
"Goodnight our Omega."
This must be what true inner-peace feels like.