Chapter 44
Chapter forty-four
Ashton
I wake slowly, my body aching in ways that feel both foreign and strangely satisfying.
Every muscle protests as I shift slightly, reminding me of activities my body still isn't accustomed to.
But underneath the soreness is something else, something warm and full of happiness that makes me want to burrow deeper into wherever I am and never leave.
The smells hit me next, cutting through the fog of sleep and making my brain struggle to process.
Vanilla and orchid, so sweet and overwhelming it makes my mouth water.
Hay and honey, familiar and comforting in ways I don't fully understand.
Cedar and leather and woodsmoke, grounding scents that make something in my chest settle.
And underneath it all, my own faded lavender mixing with everything else to create something that shouldn't work but does.
My eyes flutter open slowly, adjusting to the dim light filtering through curtains I don't recognize.
The room is unfamiliar, decorated in warm neutrals with furniture that's too nice to belong to any place I've ever stayed.
Confusion swirls through my mind as I try to piece together where I am and how I got here.
Then the memories start flooding back in fragments.
Stefan carrying me somewhere. The overwhelming scent of Solana's heat permeating everything.
A soft and warm nest and smelling like safety.
Hands on my body, lips against mine, pleasure so intense it bordered on painful.
Stefan's knot locking us together, his purr rumbling through my chest. And then.
.. Solana. Wrapped around me, her heat-addled body seeking comfort, the two of us tangled together while our Alphas cared for both of us.
Oh fuck. I'm in Kade and Dustin's nest. With their Omega. After participating in her heat in ways that should probably get me killed or at least thrown out on my ass. The panic starts to build, my heart rate picking up as I catalog all the ways this situation could go catastrophically wrong.
I feel movement beside me and realize Solana is pressed against my side, her body warm and soft and completely unconscious of personal boundaries.
Her head is pillowed on my shoulder, one arm thrown across my chest, her legs tangled with mine under the blankets.
She's still deeply asleep, her breathing even.
For a moment, I just lie there and take in the situation.
Solana's skin is darker than mine, that beautiful medium brown that seems to glow even in the dim light.
Her braids are slightly mussed from days in the nest, a few strands escaping to frame her face.
Her features are relaxed in sleep, making her look younger and more vulnerable than when she's awake.
I can see the evidence of her heat clearly marked on her body.
Love bites dot her neck and shoulders, dark purple bruises in the shape of mouths claiming her.
Scratches run down her sides where someone gripped her too hard in the throes of passion.
And there's bruising on her hips, finger-shaped marks that speak to being held in place while being thoroughly fucked.
My eyes drift lower and I feel heat flood my face. There's dried spend on her stomach, white streaks that have flaked and cracked against her skin. Mine. That's mine. I came on her stomach last night while watching Dustin knot her, too overwhelmed by the scene before me to control myself.
The evidence of what we did, what I participated in, is undeniable. And instead of feeling guilty or ashamed, all I feel is a bone-deep satisfaction that I was included. That I was welcomed into this intimate space and allowed to be part of something so sacred as another Omega's heat.
Solana stirs beside me, her body shifting as consciousness starts to return.
I feel the exact moment awareness hits her because she goes completely rigid, her breathing changing from the deep rhythm of sleep to shallow puffs of air.
Then she shoots up so fast I don't have time to move out of the way.
The top of her head connects with my forehead with a sickening crack that makes my vision white out for a second.
Pain explodes across my skull, making me let out an involuntary groan.
I roll over onto my side, my hand coming up to press against my forehead where I'm sure a massive bruise is already forming.
"I... fuck, sorry," Solana gasps, her voice rough from sleep and overuse. She's scrambling backward in the nest, the blanket clutched to her chest as she stares at me with wide eyes.
I manage a chuckle despite the throbbing in my head, the sound coming out slightly pained. "I didn't think I'd be waking up to sunshine."
The nickname slips out without thought, something I've heard Dustin call her a dozen times over the past few days.
Solana's eyes dart around the nest, taking in the evidence of the past few days.
The thoroughly rumpled blankets, the pillows scattered everywhere, the scent of sex and sweat and multiple bodies permeating everything.
Her hand comes up to touch her neck, fingers ghosting over the love bites marking her skin.
Then she looks down at herself, at the dried spend still coating her stomach, and her face flushes an even deeper shade.
"That moment together was fucking amazing," I say quietly, needing her to know I don't regret anything that happened. "But it also begs even more questions."
I can't help but take her in properly now that we're both awake.
She's absolutely beautiful, even disheveled and marked up from her heat.
There's a reddish tone to her medium brown skin, a flush that speaks to lingering arousal or embarrassment or both.
Her scent has sweetened further, that vanilla and orchid intensifying to almost unbearable levels.
It makes my mouth water and my body respond with interest despite how thoroughly wrung out I should be.
The light bruises and love marks scattered across her body tell a story of passion and claiming. Some are darker than others, clear impressions of teeth and fingers that will fade over the next week. They're beautiful in their own way, evidence of how thoroughly her Alphas worship her.
Solana blushes even deeper, if that's possible, her whole face going dark as she registers what I'm looking at. She grabs for a blanket, pulling it up to cover herself with fumbling fingers. "I need to shower. I think. I don't..."
Her voice trails off, uncertainty clear in every line of her body.
She tries to stand, her legs shaking as she attempts to support her own weight.
But her muscles aren't cooperating, too exhausted from days of use to function properly.
She wobbles dangerously, her hand shooting out to grab the edge of the bed for support.
I push to my feet quickly, ignoring the protest of my own sore muscles. My body aches but it's manageable, years of training making me more resilient to physical exhaustion than most Omegas. I move to her side and help her stand properly, my hands gentle as they steady her.
But even with my support, Solana is too unsteady.
Her legs threaten to give out completely, trembling with the effort of just staying upright.
Before she can fall, I scoop her up into my arms, one arm under her knees and the other supporting her back.
She lets out a surprised squeak, her arms automatically wrapping around my neck for stability.
"How are you so comfortable with this?" Solana asks as I carry her toward what I assume is the bathroom. Her voice carries genuine curiosity mixed with confusion.
I navigate carefully through the bedroom, my bare feet silent on the hardwood floor. The bathroom is attached, the door partially open and revealing gleaming tile and modern fixtures. I carry her inside and set her down gently on the closed toilet lid, making sure she's stable before letting go.
"I've had my share of heats," I explain, moving to the shower and fiddling with the knobs. The water starts flowing, cold at first before warming up. I adjust the temperature carefully, testing it with my hand until it's perfect. "And I've helped an Omega or two after them. It can be disorienting."
The admission feels strange to voice. My heats have never been comfortable experiences, managed under my father's watchful eye with Alphas he deemed appropriate for potential business alliances.
Clinical encounters designed to satisfy biological necessity while serving Charles' political purposes.
Nothing like what I witnessed happening between Solana and her Alphas over the past few days.
"It doesn't feel like it's over," Solana says quietly, her hand pressing against her lower abdomen like she can feel something I can't see.
I glance back at her, taking in the flush still present on her skin and the way her scent continues to sweeten. The deepest parts of her heat has passed but it isn’t finished, a spike probably in our near future based on the intensity of her scent.
"It's probably not," I agree, moving back to help her stand. "But that scare from earlier probably rearranged the timeline a bit. Sometimes emotional distress can cause heat cycles to pause temporarily before resuming."
I support her weight as we move toward the shower, her body leaning heavily against mine.
She almost crumples again, her legs giving out completely.
I catch her easily, taking her full weight without complaint.
My arms wrap around her securely, holding her up while the steam from the shower starts to fill the bathroom.
I know I should probably grab her Alphas. Kade or Dustin or both of them together, let them handle this because she's theirs and I'm just... what? A guest? An intruder? Someone who got caught up in something far bigger than they understand?