56. Jonas
Chapter Fifty-Six
Jonas
She nods against me. Eyes still hazy. Still warm. But focused. Intentional. "Jonas," she breathes my name like a prayer. I move my head a little closer. Careful. Always careful.
"I'm here," I murmur.
She reaches for me, her hand sliding up my chest, over my shoulder.
"I want…" She doesn't finish.
But I know. I always know. "I've got you," I say softly.
Finn appears beside her, grinning, chaotic energy barely contained. "Room for one more?" he asks.
Kaia laughs. Breathless. "Always."
Finn's hand slides across her hip. Playful. Warm.
I meet his eyes. He winks. Of course he does. I lean in and press my lips to Kaia's. Slow. Deliberate. She melts into me, her body soft and pliant. Finn's hand moves higher, tracing her ribs, her waist. She gasps against my mouth and I pull back slightly, just enough to look at her.
"Tell me what you need," I murmur.
Her eyes flutter open. Dark. Wanting. "You," she whispers. "Both of you."
Finn grins wider. "Best answer ever."
I shift, positioning myself carefully. My hands slide down her sides, feeling every curve, every breath. She's already trembling, the heat making her sensitive and responsive.
I press forward. Slow. Steady. She gasps, her hands clutching at my shoulders. "Okay?" I ask softly.
She nods. "Yes, don't stop…"
I don't. I move carefully, reading her body, the way she tenses, the way she relaxes. Every breath. Every sound.
Finn's hand slides into her hair. Gentle. A little playful. His lips find her shoulder, her neck, kissing softly. She whimpers, caught between us.
"You're so beautiful," Finn murmurs against her skin.
She shivers. I shift my angle just slightly. Her breath hitches. Sharp. There—I move again, more focused now. She cries out, soft and desperate. Finn's hand slides down over her hip, her thigh. "That's it," he murmurs. "Let him take care of you."
To my left, I catch movement—Lachlan and Adrian, close together on the other side of the nest. Lachlan's hand slides up Adrian's chest, deliberate and sure. Adrian leans into the touch, his eyes half-closed, one hand curling around Lachlan's hip to pull him closer.
Their kiss is slow. Deep. Confident. Adrian's fingers thread through Lachlan's hair, and Lachlan makes a low sound in his chest—quiet approval, steady heat.
Lachlan's hand moves lower, tracing the line of Adrian's ribs, his waist. Adrian shifts closer, their bodies aligning naturally, comfortably, like they've done this a thousand times before.
Adrian pulls back just enough to glance over at Kaia. His gaze is warm, reassuring. "You're doing so well," he says quietly.
Kaia's eyes flutter toward him, and she smiles—breathless, trusting. Lachlan's hand slides up Adrian's back, grounding him, and Adrian returns his attention to Lachlan with a soft exhale.
I feel Kaia's focus return to me, her body responding as I shift deeper. Finn's lips find hers again, kissing her thoroughly while his hand traces soothing patterns along her side.
I lean down and press my forehead to hers.
"I've got you," I breathe. She nods, her eyes locked on mine.
Trust. Complete. Absolute. Something shifts in my chest. This isn't just heat.
Isn't just need. This is choice. She's choosing me—not tolerating, not accepting, but choosing.
My hands tighten on her hips just slightly. Grounding. Claiming.
Finn shifts beside us, his hand sliding up her side, over her ribs. She arches into the touch, gasping. "Jonas…"
"I know," I murmur. I always know. I shift my rhythm—deeper, steadier.
She whimpers, her nails digging into my shoulders.
Finn's lips find hers, kissing her deeply.
She surrenders between us, her body going pliant and trusting, surrounded and held.
I feel the tension building in her body, the way her muscles tighten, the way her breath catches.
She’s close.
"Let go," I murmur. "We've got you."
Finn pulls back from the kiss, his hand sliding into her hair. "Come on, beautiful," he breathes. "Let him feel it."
She gasps, her body trembling.
I shift again, angling deeper. And she breaks, her body arching, her cry sharp and beautiful. And then her teeth sink into my shoulder. Not hard, but enough. Enough to break skin. Enough to claim. Enough to bond.
I can't mark her back. I'm a Beta. I don't have that ability.
Only Alphas and Omegas can give marks. But she can mark me.
And she's choosing to. She's claiming me even though I can't claim her the same way.
The realization hits me like a wave. She's choosing to bond with me.
To tie herself to me. Even though I can't give her what Lachlan and Adrian can, or even Finn. She's marking me anyway.
The connection snaps into place. Immediate.
Overwhelming. I feel her. Her pleasure. Her trust. Her love.
And underneath it all, relief. She wanted this.
Chose this. Chose me. My chest tightens.
My throat closes. Because this is different.
This is her actively choosing to claim me.
To mark me as hers. To bond with me even though the bond is one-sided in its physical form.
But it doesn't feel one-sided; it feels complete.
My own release follows—sharp, intense. I bury my face in her neck, breathing her in.
Salt. Sweetness. Home. She releases the bite slowly, her tongue soothing the wound.
I shiver as the bond pulses between us. Warm.
Steady. Real. Through the connection, I feel her—her trust, her love, her deliberate claim on me.
She marked me not because she had to, but because she wanted to. Because I matter to her.
And that means everything.
Finn's hand slides across my back. Steadying me. "Damn," he breathes. "That was…" He doesn't finish. Just grins, wide, joyful, proud. I shift slightly, careful not to pull away too quickly.
Kaia's still trembling, her breath coming in soft gasps.
"You okay?" I ask softly.
She nods against my shoulder. "Yeah," she breathes. "I'm perfect."
I press a kiss to her temple. "You are."
Through the bond, I feel the entire pack now—not just Kaia's new connection to me, but all of them.
Finn's fierce, chaotic warmth that's been wrapped around me for years.
Lachlan's steady, grounding presence that's anchored me since the beginning.
Adrian's protective intensity that's held me safe through everything.
They claimed me long ago—marked me, bonded with me, made me theirs.
Their bonds feel like home, familiar and certain, woven so deeply into who I am that I can't remember existing without them.
But now, Kaia's here too. Her thread weaves through ours, bright and new, changing the shape of everything.
She doesn't complete me—Finn, Lachlan, and Adrian did that years ago.
But she adds something I didn't know we were missing.
A softness. A balance. A rightness that makes the pack feel fuller, richer, more whole.
I've spent my whole life being the one who understands everyone else, who reads the room, who adapts.
But I don't have to adapt anymore. I just belong. To all of them.
I shift, rolling to the side and pulling her with me. She curls into my chest—warm, soft, mine. Finn settles beside her, his hand resting on her hip. "You're stuck with us now," he murmurs.
She laughs softly. "Good."
I press another kiss to her hair, my hand sliding down to the mark on my shoulder. Still tender. Still bleeding. But perfect. She marked me. Claimed me. Bonded with me.
I glance over her head, meeting Finn's eyes. He's grinning, proud, happy. "Looks good on you," he says softly.
I huff a quiet laugh. "Yeah?"
"Yeah."
Kaia slides her hand up to touch the mark. Gentle. "I'm sorry if I hurt you," she whispers.
I catch her hand and press a kiss to her palm. "You didn't," I murmur. "You gave me exactly what I needed."
Her eyes meet mine. Soft. Vulnerable. "I wanted to," she says. "I wanted you to be mine."
My chest tightens again. "I am," I say softly. "Completely."
She smiles, and for the first time, there's no calculation behind it. No armor. Just her, unguarded and real. Then she leans up and presses her lips to mine. Soft. Sweet. Claiming. When she pulls back, Finn is still grinning. "My turn next?" he asks.
Kaia laughs. "Greedy."
"Always," Finn says. "But only for you...well, and my pack."
She turns toward him. I stay close, my hand on her back. Because she's ours now. Bonded. Claimed.
Lachlan shifts beside us, his hand sliding down to squeeze her shoulder.
"You want water?" he asks softly. She nods.
He slips out of the nest—quiet, efficient.
Finn's hand comes to rest on Kaia's hip—gentle and present.
Adrian's hand brushes across her shoulder, a silent check-in. She's surrounded. Held. Cherished.
Lachlan returns with water from our pile near the door and holds it to her lips. She drinks gratefully, then settles back against me. Exhausted. Content. His purr starts again—low, steady, soothing her.
"Sleep," I murmur. "We've got you."
She nods, her eyes already closing. Within minutes, her breathing evens out. Deep. Peaceful. I look at Lachlan, then at Finn, then at Adrian. All of us here. All of us a part of this.
Her first heat. With men who love her. Who will never hurt her. Who will always choose her. I press a kiss to the top of her head and breathe her in. She's ours. Completely. Permanently.