36. Mara
Mara
Iwake up slowly, drifting up through layers of warmth and a deep, dreamless sleep.
For a moment, I don't know where I am. The world is a soft, golden haze, the air smelling of woodsmoke, clean male bodies, and the sweet scent of my own skin.
I'm wrapped in a cocoon of blankets, and there's an arm wrapped over my waist, holding me close.
I blink my eyes open. The room is dim, lit by a single lantern on the nightstand.
And then I see them.
Daniel is behind me, his chest pressed against my back, his arm a band around me.
Leo is on my other side, lying on his stomach, his face turned toward me, his breathing soft and even.
Gray is in a chair pulled up close to the bed, his head tipped back, asleep with his body angled toward me, like a guard even in slumber.
They stayed.
They stayed with me.
The realization hits me with the force of a physical blow.
A bittersweet pain blooms in my chest, so sharp and intense it steals my breath.
My throat tightens, and a stinging pressure builds behind my eyes.
I've spent so long being alone, so long taking care of myself, so long being the one person I could count on.
But last night, when I was at my most vulnerable, my most broken, they didn't run.
I showed them my need, and it didn't scare them off.
They didn't leave.
They stayed.
They wrapped me up in their arms and their scent and let me sleep.
A little cry escapes my lips, a choked, involuntary sound I can't hold back.
Instantly, the world shifts. Daniel is awake, his body tensing against mine. He pulls me into his lap in one smooth motion, my back against his chest, his arms wrapping around me like a shield.
"Shh, I'm here," he murmurs against my ear. "It's okay. I've got you."
The movement wakes the others. Leo sits up, his eyes wide with concern. Gray is on his feet in an instant.
"Mara? What is it? Are you hurt? Was it too much?"
I shake my head, spinning around and burrowing my face into Daniel's neck, breathing in his cedar-and-sage scent. I can feel the tears coming, hot and unstoppable. "No," I manage to say, my voice thick with the anguish of a thousand lonely nights. "That's not why."
"Then what, sweetheart?" Gray asks.
I take a shaky breath, the words tasting like acid and old wounds. "They never stayed."
The room goes silent. Leo and Gray exchange a confused look.
"What do you mean, baby?" Leo asks, his hand coming to rest on my knee.
I lift my head, my vision blurred by tears. I look at their faces, at their concern, at their complete and utter lack of understanding. And the dam breaks. All the secrets I've kept, all the shame I've carried, it all comes pouring out.
"During my heats," I say, my voice cracking, "they would…
they would use me. But it was never about me.
It was about them. About their pleasure.
If I was in pain, if I was begging them to stop because it was too much, they would just laugh.
They called it edging. They said it made the final release better. For them."
Daniel's arms tighten around me, his body going rigid with a fury so palpable I can feel it rolling off him in waves.
"They would force me to fuck even after my heat was done," I continue, the words getting easier now, the shame being washed away by their quiet, horrified attention.
"Even when I was sore, when I was exhausted and just wanted to rest. They didn't care.
They said I was there to service them, that it was my duty.
That's what the Academy taught them I was good for. "
"They assaulted you," Daniel says, a low, dangerous growl that vibrates through my entire body. "Those fucking bastards."
I nod, a fresh wave of tears streaming down my cheeks. Gray reaches out, his thumb gently wiping a tear from my cheek. "Hey." His voice, soft but firm, commands my attention. "Look at me. Look at us."
I force my eyes open, looking from his serious, kind face to Leo's, whose expression is a mixture of horror and heartbreak.
"We would never do that to you," Gray says, his voice leaving no room for doubt. "We would never do that to any Omega, let alone you. Your pleasure is our pleasure. Your comfort is our command. Your pain is our failure."
"Never," Leo chimes in, his voice thick with emotion. He leans in, pressing a soft kiss to my shoulder. "I swear to you, Mara. I will never let anyone hurt you again."
"You promise?" I whisper, the word a fragile, hopeful thing.
"I don't know if you've noticed," a wry smile touches Gray's lips, "but we're at your beck and call, honey. Anything you want, you get. Anything you need, we provide. You own us. Body and soul."
Daniel nods, his gaze intense and burning.
"And about your past pack," he drops his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "I found something out about the Academy.
I'm working on it, trying to find a legal loophole.
I'm going to nullify your placement. It would dissolve their contract with you. Completely."
My heart stutters. "You did that for me?"
"I would do anything for you," he says, and the absolute conviction in his voice is the most beautiful thing I've ever heard. He tugs my chin gently, turning my face toward his, and he kisses me. It's not a kiss of passion, but a vow. A promise.
When he pulls back, I turn my head, seeking out Leo. He meets me halfway, his kiss tender and full of love. Then I turn to Gray, his kiss deep, sealing the promise between us all.
They help me sit up, and Leo disappears for a moment, returning with a small plate. "I made you a snack," he says, holding it out. It's a piece of toast with honey and a few slices of apple. "You're going to need the strength in a little bit."
He's been out to the lodge, too, at some point in the night. There's a box on the nightstand that wasn't there before, and my cheeks warm when I realize what it is.
A wave of affection washes over me. He's already thinking ahead, already taking care of me.
I let them feed me, Leo holding the plate, Daniel bringing the glass of water to my lips, Gray's hand resting on my back.
They kiss my forehead, my temples, my hands.
It's a shower of affection, a gentle, overwhelming display of care that makes me feel cherished, protected, truly loved.
When I'm finished, I'm feeling warm and drowsy, and a new kind of ache is starting to build—a throbbing pulse between my legs.
I lie back down, this time with my head in Leo's lap.
He starts stroking my hair, his fingers gentle and soothing.
Gray kneels at the foot of the bed, his hands on my ankles, his thumbs rubbing slow circles into my skin.
And then he leans down, parting my legs with a gentleness that takes my breath away.
He presses a soft kiss to my inner thigh, then another, his mouth moving higher and higher until he's exactly where I need him to be.
His tongue is warm, wet magic that sends sparks of pleasure shooting through my veins.
I close my eyes, my body arching, a soft moan escaping my lips.
Daniel and Leo are there, their hands on me, their voices murmuring words of encouragement and praise.
I'm surrounded by them, held by them, loved by them.
And as another orgasm builds, a gentle, rolling wave of pleasure this time, I drift back to sleep in Leo's arms, completely and utterly safe.
I wake up on fire.
It's not a metaphor. It's a physical, undeniable fact.
A deep, blistering heat has taken up residence under my skin, and a feverish ache is pulsing between my thighs, an insistent, demanding throb.
My body is not my own; it's a live wire, humming with a need so profound it scares me.
The room is dim, the only light coming from a few candles left burning on the nightstand, but I don't need light to see. I can feel them.
They are still here.
I try to ride it out, but the ache intensifies, a hollow emptiness that cries out to be filled. A soft whimper escapes my lips, a pathetic, needy sound that I can't swallow.
Daniel wakes first, the way he did before, his body going taut against mine. "Shh, I've got you," he murmurs against my ear. His hand slides down my stomach, his fingers tracing the waistband of my pajama pants.
I was so out of it that I didn't even realize they dressed me. And is my hair in a braid? I want to say something, but another wave of desire slides down my spine.
"Daniel," I whimper.
He brushes his thumb over my belly button. "You're okay, babe. Breathe for me."
The movement wakes the others. Leo sits up, his eyes blinking in the dim light, a sleepy smile quickly replaced by a look of raw understanding. Gray is on his feet in an instant.
"Her scent is potent now," he says. "The heat's hit."
There's no discussion, no hesitation. It's as if they've been preparing for this their whole lives.
Daniel gently rolls me onto my back, his hands framing my face.
"We're going to take care of you, Mara," he says, his eyes burning with an intensity that both thrills and terrifies me.
"We're going to give you everything you need. "
Leo leans down and captures my mouth in a possessive kiss, his tongue delving inside, tasting me, claiming me.
At the same time, Gray's hands are on my legs, his strong fingers massaging my thighs, his touch sending jolts of electricity straight to my core.
He hooks his fingers in the waistband of my pants and pulls them down, the cool air a brief shock against my overheated skin.