Chapter 4 Sharon #2
I swallow hard. My voice comes out a whisper. "I don't want to lose control."
"Then stay close to us," Jett says. “We'll keep you steady."
My whole body trembles. The room smells like smoke and sandalwood and cedar and honey. The scents mix in the air, the kind of mix that sinks into my bones.
Pine shifts beside me. His arm brushes mine. The contact is accidental, but I gasp anyway. My breath stutters, and my scent spikes sharper, sweeter.
Jett notices first. His lips part slightly. He leans in, slow, like he is giving me time to pull away.
He presses a light kiss to my temple.
Soft. Careful.
My body melts toward him before I can think.
Cassian watches, jaw tight. Pine's hand settles on the back of the couch behind my shoulders, protective but not demanding. Their restraint should make me calm. Instead, it makes everything worse. My body burns. My heart stutters. Heat licks up my spine in slow torturous waves.
I turn my head, and Jett is still watching me. His eyes flick to my mouth. He hesitates, waiting for permission I do not even have words for.
I lean toward him first.
The kiss is gentle at the start. His lips are warm and sure, brushing mine with a softness that makes my chest ache. The gentleness does not last. The second I sigh against his mouth, he deepens the kiss. One hand cups my cheek. The other pulls me closer.
The world tilts. The sofa presses firm and real beneath me. Heat curls low in my belly. Pine's breath grazes the back of my neck, which only makes everything worse, because I know he is watching me fall apart.
Cassian stands slowly. He moves closer, steps silent, voice low.
"Easy. She needs space."
“I’m overwhelmed a bit.”
Jett pulls back, but only a little. His forehead rests against mine while I catch my breath in uneven gasps.
Pine places a large hand on the small of my back. The touch is steady and warm. He does not push. He does not rush. He simply gives me something to lean on.
Cassian kneels again in front of me. His thumb brushes gently along my knee. His eyes soften.
I swallow hard. My voice shakes when I speak. "I'm scared."
Jett presses another kiss to the corner of my mouth. His voice is quiet. "Then we stay right here."
Pine's hand slides up my back, fingers spread wide. His warmth sinks beneath my skin.
Cassian's hand covers mine. "We're not going anywhere."
Finally, my body stops fighting.
The heat rises.
The room seems softer around the edges.
I don't know what comes next, only that I'm not facing it alone. And for a moment, that is enough.
My heart is still racing, but the panic is softer now. It melts under the weight of their attention. The room feels different, hazy and warm, like the air has thickened just to hold us in place. I can't tell if it is the heat or the three Alphas watching me like I am the only thing that matters.
Jett stays close, his shoulder pressed lightly to mine.
He watches my breathing, matching each inhale and exhale as if he can guide my body back to calm just by being steady.
Pine's hand remains on my back, firm and reassuring.
He does not speak, but he does not need to.
His presence is weight and comfort and silent promise.
Cassian shifts, stands, and moves toward the small office kitchenette. He returns with a cold bottle of water. He twists the cap open before placing it in my hands.
"Drink," he says. "Slowly."
I take a sip. The water is cold enough to sting, sharp enough to cut through the haze in my head. My throat relaxes, and my breathing settles into something steady. I do not feel normal, but the fear is gone. Only heat remains.
Cassian’s knee brushes mine. He studies my face with careful eyes, calm but focused, the way a firefighter looks at a rising flame he fully expects to control.
Jett watches him from the side, then looks at me. "Tell us what you're feeling."
The question is gentle, not demanding. But honesty sits tight in my chest. My body is full. Every nerve feels awake.
"I'm too warm," I admit. "Like my blood's hot. And it keeps getting stronger."
Pine exhales quietly through his nose. "Your scent's changing again."
I press a hand over my face. "I know. I can feel it leaking out of me. Silly me, forgot to take my suppressants this morning and yesterday too."
Jett shakes his head. "You don't have to apologize for your biology."
Cassian's voice drops. "Especially not to us."
My pulse skips. Something fragile inside me loosens at his tone. I lower my hand, and Cassian reaches out slowly, giving me time to pull away. When I don't, he brushes my hair away from my shoulder. His fingertips skim my neck, light and careful. The touch makes my breath catch.
Pine notices instantly. "Too much?"
"No." My voice is soft. "It feels good. Too good."
Jett smiles slightly, and that alone is dangerous. "That part is normal."
Cassian shifts his hand, letting his fingers rest against the side of my throat, monitoring my pulse. "Your heart's racing."
"I'm being smothered by Alphas," I say weakly. “I’m not scared, just overwhelmed but I do want all three of you.”
Pine’s hand slides up my spine again, slow and grounding. The warmth spreads through me. For a moment I close my eyes. I sink into the couch, into the comfort of their bodies near mine, into the safety I never asked for but desperately need.
Jett moves first. He takes off my blazer and then reaches for the hem of my sweater. His touch pauses there, silent question.
"You are overheating," he says, voice low. "Let us help you cool down."
My sweater clings to my skin. Every inch feels too hot. I nod once.
Jett grips the fabric and gently pulls it upward. The motion is slow, giving me time to change my mind. Cassian helps, lifting the back. Pine raises his arms, guiding the sweater over my head until I am sitting in my tank top, skin exposed to the cool air.
My scent fills the room now. Sweet honey. Warm strawberries. Something softer and deeper beneath it, a scent that comes from the instinctual part of me that I always tried to pretend did not exist.
Jett stares at my bare shoulders, then looks away, jaw tight and respectful.
Cassian's breathing changes. He doesn't touch me again, but he leans closer. "Better?"
"Yes," I whisper, because it is unmistakably better.
Pine sits beside me again. He rests one heavy arm across the back of the couch, an easy loop of protection. His body heat is a distraction and a comfort at once. I lean into it without thinking.
Jett sits back down and places one hand on my thigh. His fingers are warm and steady. The touch is light, not claiming, but it sends a pulse of heat spiraling through my stomach.
"You're doing well," he says quietly. "Your breathing looks better."
I nod. My voice is still trapped somewhere in my chest.
Cassian stands and begins clearing space. He moves the decorative pillows and the sample binders off the couch and places them on the desk. His motions are practical, efficient, like he is preparing to sit with me for hours if necessary.
"You don't have to stay," I say, even though my voice betrays the fact that I want them here. "This is embarrassing."
"No," Pine says, voice low. "Not for us."
Cassian returns and lowers himself to the floor in front of me again, mirroring how he sat earlier. His hand rests palm up on my knee, waiting for me to choose whether to take it. When I place my hand in his, his thumb runs along my knuckles and something inside me melts.
"You're safe," he says. "Nothing is going to happen that you don't want."
"I know," I whisper.
But my body keeps betraying me. Heat builds behind my ribs. My skin feels too tight. My breath hitches. When I shift on the couch, my knee brushes Jett's leg, and he inhales sharply.
My scent changes again. It grows thicker, sweeter. The kind of scent meant to draw Alphas closer. I feel it rising, and I cannot stop it.
Pine leans in slightly, his mouth near my ear. His voice is quiet and rough. "Sharon. You need something. Tell us what it is."
His breath is warm on my skin. I shiver hard enough that Jett's grip on my thigh tightens, holding me steady.
"I do not know," I say, and it is the truth. "I feel everything. Too much. I cannot think."
Cassian squeezes my hand. "Then stop thinking."
Easy for him to say. Harder for me to do when every Alpha in the room is watching my every breath.
Jett kneads my thigh, slow circles, grounding me. "Let your body relax. We're here."
I lean back against the couch. The cushions cradle my spine, but my body seeks Pine instead. I shift closer to him, my shoulder pressing against his solid chest. He wraps an arm around me, gentle and sure. His sandalwood scent settles over me like smoke.
My head tips against his shoulder. He lowers his lips to my hair and breathes me in. The gesture is not possessive. It is reverent.
Jett watches, his eyes dark with something warm and protective. He moves his hand slowly up my thigh to my hip, guiding me to rest more comfortably across the sofa.
Cassian stands again. His movements are quiet and controlled, but I feel the tension under his skin. He removes his leather jacket and drapes it across the arm of the couch. Then he sits beside Jett, close enough that their shoulders touch.
The three of them surround me now. Jett on my right. Pine behind me. Cassian in front of me. A triangle of warmth that feels safe enough to finally let go.
I close my eyes. Heat washes up through my chest. I hear my own heartbeat echo in my ears.
Pine lowers his head and presses his lips to my shoulder. Not a kiss. Just the barest touch. My breath catches. Jett watches him closely, and his jaw tightens before he leans in to kiss the edge of my collarbone.
Soft. Slow. Careful.
My scent floods the room in a thick wave of honey and longing.
Cassian sees the change immediately. He lifts one hand and touches the side of my face. His thumb strokes my cheek. He leans forward and kisses me.
It's not rushed. It is not greedy. It is steady and sure, like he has been waiting years and refuses to scare me.
His mouth is warm. The kiss deepens gently. His hand cups my jaw, and my body melts into it. The world blurs and narrows until there is only the press of his lips and the steady rhythm of his breathing.
When he pulls back, I'm dizzy.
Jett kisses the side of my neck, slow and careful. Pine nuzzles the back of my shoulder.
I feel anchored by three points of warmth, three solid bodies, three different scents merging with mine. Smoke and cedar and sandalwood wrapped in honey.
My voice is barely a whisper. "Is this really happening?"
"Yes," Jett says.
"You can stop any time," Cassian adds.
Pine's voice is quiet. "But do you want to stop?"
My answer comes without hesitation. "No."
Cassian rises from the couch and gently guides me to stand. My legs tremble, but his hand stays at my waist to support me. Jett stands too. Pine stays close behind me, his chest warm against my back.
Cassian takes my hand and leads me to the small office chaise near the window, soft cushions and warm light. He lowers me onto it, slow and gentle, like I am something he refuses to drop.
Jett sits beside me, his hands warm on my thighs. Pine kneels behind, arms encircling my waist. Their bodies form a wall of heat and scent and strength.
My breathing trembles. My body arches into touch that is too soft, too sweet. Cassian sits at my feet and pulls off my shoes, rubbing small circles on my ankles to ease the tension.
Everything feels slow and warm and safe. The heat rises in waves but does not drown me.
Jett tilts my chin toward him and kisses me again. His hand slides along my hip, steadying me. Pine presses his lips to the back of my neck. Cassian rests his forehead against my knee, breathing me in.
My skin tingles everywhere they touch. My body relaxes into their warmth. I am surrounded, supported, and the fear is gone.
"Let go," Jett murmurs against my mouth. "We've got you."
Pine's hand slides lower, finding exactly where I need him. The pressure builds. Not painful anymore. Just need.
"That's it," Pine says quietly. His voice rumbles through my back. "Just feel."
Cassian's hands move up my calves, grounding me. Jett's thumb traces my jaw. Pine's fingers work steady circles that make my breath hitch.
The tension coils tighter. Different from the cramping ache of heat. This is pleasure, pure and simple, building until I can't think anymore.
"Please," I whisper, not sure what I'm asking for.
"We've got you," Jett says again. "Just let it happen."
Pine's rhythm doesn't change. Steady. Patient. Perfect.
The orgasm hits like a wave breaking. My body goes taut, then releases all at once. The pain that's been clawing at me for hours simply disappears, replaced by pure relief that radiates outward from my core.
I gasp. My hands clutch at Jett's shirt. Pine holds me steady as I shake.
The heat doesn't vanish completely, but the sharp edge is gone. What's left feels manageable. Warm instead of burning.
"There you go," Pine murmurs. "Better?"
I can only nod, my forehead pressed against Jett's shoulder as aftershocks ripple through me.
Cassian presses a kiss to my knee. "You're okay. We've got you."
And then the sound of the front door opening breaks through the haze.
Footsteps echo across the floor.
A voice calls out, bright and oblivious. "Sharon? Why is the door unlocked?"
All three Alphas go still.
My blood turns to ice.
The footsteps get louder.
Jessica turns the corner into the office.
She takes in the scene in one long stare. Me on the chaise with three Alphas around me. Jett's hand on my thigh. Pine's arms around my waist. Cassian kneeling at my feet.
Her eyebrows rise, high enough to touch another dimension.
Jessica's silhouette fills the doorway, holding folders and a laptop and whatever she wanted to bring to plan a wedding.
"I thought we were planning a wedding. Not a knotting party."
Jett chokes. Cassian makes the sound of a man spiritually exiting his body. Pine just closes his eyes, like he's praying for lightning.
I cover my face with my hands. "Oh my god."
Thank you, universe. Once again, you have fantastic timing.