Chapter 22
TWENTY-TWO
It’s fast, but the feelings developing between all five of us are unmistakable. The last few weeks have been the most amazing of my life, and now that we’re all on the same page, I want to take it a step further.
Especially before Casey’s upcoming heat.
He hasn’t said anything about it, but the alphas have been extra attentive, their instincts making them more alert to Casey’s needs.
My best friend is normally stubbornly independent, which is something I think stems from being a male omega, but he’s been eating the attention up.
I’ve seen him preen and blush more these past few days than I ever have in my life.
Given, I didn’t know he was in love with me that entire time so he could have blushed at times and I just didn’t think anything of it. It’s more likely that I thought he was having heat stroke all the time rather than blushing because of me.
Regardless, I know his heat is coming soon because ever since we designated, he’s had three to four heats a year consistently. Now that I’ve had my first, we’ll be able to see how often my cycle happens, but Casey’s has always been normal for an omega, and it’s been too long since his last one.
Which is why I make the impromptu decision to corner my men and demand they put their teeth into me.
“I think we should bond.”
Raivat and Casey whip their gazes toward me and Brodie chokes on his coffee.
“Dang, baby girl,” DJ chuckles, patting his pack mate on the back to help him. “You have to give an alpha some warning.”
My cheeks redden as I bite my lip to keep from smiling. “Oops. Sorry, Brodie.”
He points his narrowed gaze at me, but it’s full of heat. “It’s okay, Omega,” he croaks out, his throat still hoarse. “Just… a little heads-up would suffice next time.”
“Okay, well I’m going to keep talking about it right now,” I say. “That’s your warning.”
His lip twitches. “Thank you, Elsie.”
I clear my throat and straighten my posture. “I think we should bond right now.”
The feeling in the room turns serious once more, but there’s something else there too. Something frenzied and eager.
“Are you sure, El?” Casey asks. His usual concern shows in his pinched brows, but I can tell even he is tempted by the idea. “We have all the time in the world to figure this out, to take it one day at a time.”
“I’m sure.” I walk closer and drop to my knees in front of him.
His eyes flare with heat and my lips quirk in triumph.
I take his hands in mine and hold that fiery gaze.
“You and I have waited a long time. It feels like it’s been an eternity since I fell in love with you.
I don’t want to wait another second to make it official.
” I look to our alphas, how each of their faces watch us, and how they each are listening on the edge of their seats.
“And I don’t want to wait with any of you, either.
We’re young, sure, but we’re scent matches.
We’re perfect for each other. These past few weeks have proved that time and time again. ”
“Then we should bond,” Raivat agrees. He sniffles, actively trying to hold back emotion, and my heart leaps.
“Really?” I say, clasping my hands together.
He nods. “Really.”
I look to the other two alphas, but their faces are already split into happy grins. “Are you two okay with this too?”
“Of course,” Brodie tells me.
“You know I’ve wanted nothing more than to belong to an omega since I designated,” DJ says, his beautiful brown eyes shining. “I’m so glad I get to belong to two.”
My stomach dips deliciously, my perfume flowing out with my sudden arousal. His nostrils flare as he detects it and he swallows a groan.
I look to my best friend, taking his hand once more. His face is hesitant, introspective. It makes me a little bit nervous.
“So?” I prompt. “What do you say, Case?”
It feels like an eternity, but when he finally meets my gaze, I realize he’s crying. His lower lashes are wet, and he seems to be holding his eyes open to keep them from spilling over.
I stand, pulling him up with me. “Casey?”
“I’m sorry, I—” He shakes his head, embarrassed. “I’m just so happy.”
“Me too,” I say. “And I want you to bite me first.”
His eyes flash. “Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything. You are the first person I’ve ever been in love with. I want you to also be the first one to mark me.”
The emotion in his blue eyes swirls with something else, something dark and promising, and my stomach flips.
“Elsie, I have been waiting years to hear you say that.”
He picks me up and my legs instinctually wrap around his hips as he moves us. The guys’ apartment is spacious, but it feels so small as we quickly get to Brodie’s room and he tosses me on the bed that’s big enough to fit all five of us.
“Thank god Brodie had this shipped in right after your heat,” DJ comments as he crawls up next to us.
“How proactive of you,” I tease, catching Brodie’s eye.
He shrugs, the action both nonchalant and the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. “I wanted my omegas to have somewhere we can all sleep together.”
“And your omegas thank you,” Casey says, the sound muffled in the crook of my neck. I squeal from the way it tickles my skin and then moan when he licks a line up the column of my throat. “Now we can all be together, finally.”
His hand wraps around my wrist, pulling it to his mouth. In the same breath, his wrist appears in front of me, ready for my bite.
“I want us to do it at the same time,” Casey whispers, and I can’t help the whine that climbs up my throat.
“Please,” I say, not wanting to wait another moment. I grab his wrist, keeping it right at my mouth as he kisses mine. One time, two times, and then his teeth sink in and I follow, biting into him as deep as I can.
My entire body lights up from the inside out. Memories of our life together flash through my mind. Leaving elementary school, riding the bus together, school dances, designating as omegas, our first college party. It all flashes in an instant, causing my eyes to sting with both relief and bliss.
He’s mine. I’m his.
It’s the most intense thing I’ve ever felt in my life, but it’s also the most beautiful. Every molecule in my body feels different now, morphed to hold a new light, new information. Everything that Casey embodies now lies inside me, and that makes my eyes water with all the built-up emotion.
Casey’s protectiveness, his sunshine nature, it’s all present as we morph and the bond clicks into place.
I can feel the love he holds for me, overflowing and intense, and I can feel the emotions pouring through him as the same realization falls over him.
His voice cracks as he curses, the emotion almost too much.
“I love you,” he whispers between the kisses he’s planting up my arm. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”
A tear escapes down my cheek. He caresses it away with his thumb, his blue eyes peering into mine.
“I love you,” I mouth to him, my throat so full of emotion that I can’t seem to get any words out.
“Now we need to let the alphas bond us,” he jokes through his tears, causing the guys to laugh around us.
Casey moves over to DJ, and then there’s a handsome alpha in front of me, his nutmeg scent pulling me in like a siren song.
“Pari,” Raivat whispers in my ear, the sound curling in a way that leaves me breathless. “You are the best work of art I’ve ever seen. Through you, the world has taught me once again what real beauty looks like.”
My heart leaps into my throat as he clamps down on the skin in the crook of my neck.
Euphoria shoots through me, every morsel of my flesh taken over by the pleasure of his bite.
When he pulls back, his tongue slides over it, cleaning the mark thoroughly.
I take the opportunity to sink my own bite into the ball of his shoulder.
His answering hiss turns into a low groan as our bond forms beneath our skin.
The calming presence, the voice of reason.
His energy is tranquil and clear, grounding to anyone who has the pleasure of knowing the real him rather than the soccer star he’s known to be.
The sensitive artist underneath the persona is glorious, and I am now tethered to him for the rest of our lives.
I take the time to clean the wound, my body singing from the inside out as we hold each other. It’s intense, but also serene. Being bonded is the best feeling of my entire existence.
No wonder omegas love this, I think. I am addicted.
“I love you, Raivat.”
He smiles, his eyes twinkling as he kisses my brow. “And I love you, my Pari.”
I sneak a peek over to the others to see that they’re already looking back. DJ and Casey are slowly petting each other, their eyes dreamy and satisfied. Brodie is kissing Casey’s shoulder, looking ready to pounce on him the second DJ lets go.
“DJ,” I start. “Why don’t you come over here and claim me too?”
“Anything for you, Omega.”
I can feel a twinkle of something as he smiles. A little hint of arousal that I innately know is from him, and I realize that it must be due to the link we share with Casey. He has bonded with us both, so I can feel him, but only faintly.
But that simply won’t do. I want to feel all of him.
When he gets to me, he doesn’t waste a second.
His body covers mine, holding me down with a delicious heaviness that causes me to pant before he’s even kissed me.
Then, when his lips land on mine, I choke out a surprised moan.
Our tongues tangle, our bodies morphing, until I am at the point of begging.
“DJ,” I whisper against his lips, my limbs shaking. “Please. I need it.”
That same faint shimmer of emotion is there again, but this time it’s a happy softness that I don’t expect as he says, “Me too.”
He trails down my throat, away from the bare spots near Raivat’s, and down to my chest. He pulls the neckline down and commandeers a spot right above the mound of my breast. My heart beats wildly right beneath his lips, which only spurs him on faster as he finally bites down and makes his mark.
I cry out, enjoying the way each hint of emotion from before comes speeding to the forefront. Beautiful joy radiates through me, transferring from his body to mine.
“W-Wrist,” I mutter, and he obliges without protest.
I dig my teeth into the flesh there, ready to cement this feeling, ready to see the explosion of his energy. I’m prepared this time for when the enormous combining of our energies takes over. The feeling makes my eyes burn, tears pooling there as everything comes flooding in.
He feels like all the beautiful things I look forward to every year.
All the beautiful aspects of brisk weather, crunchy leaves, and Christmas cheer all wrapped into one.
His optimism, his determination, his goofiness.
They are all glorious pieces of him, and I can’t wait to learn the rest of what’s buried beneath his jolly frame.
“I love you, Omega,” he whispers, and the sentiment hits me right in the chest. He places his cheek there, and my hand laces through his hair, caressing softly.
“I love you too.”
I hear a frenzied grunt a few seconds later, and I look up to see Brodie and Casey kissing, their bodies mingling as they seek refuge in their newly formed bond. I can not only see but feel just how worked up they are through the link I hold with the others.
“We have to finish the bonds,” Raivat says sternly, but with a hint of amusement. When neither of them look his way, he laces a warning bark into his tone. “Omega. Your last alpha wants to mark you.”
Casey’s gaze darts to his, his pupils dilated. He doesn’t wait another moment before crawling over to our shaggy-haired alpha, their gazes set on each other the entire way over. It’s sexy, glorious. I can feel Raivat’s anticipation build the closer Casey gets to him.
Then I’m being swept away, pulled across the bed as I let out a playful squeak. Brodie is on top of me then, his demeanor playful and his scent feral as he flashes a wild grin. “Elkie,” he whispers.
“Oh god,” I blurt out. “Did Casey tell you that nickname?”
He laughs, but the sound cuts off as his lips find my neck, kissing and licking along the bare skin. I gasp, electricity shooting through me as he teases me, playfully nipping.
“Brodie,” I whisper, goosebumps erupting all over. “Please.”
That’s all it takes. His teeth dig into me, this time hard enough to break the skin.
I hiss at the pain, but it soon turns pleasurable.
A blast of color explodes behind my eyelids, and a moan escapes me without any warning.
I lean over, wanting to finish the bonding, wanting the group to be complete, and sink my teeth into his shoulder.
He cries out, a delectable whimper falling from his lips. The cord pulls taut between us, cementing, and my heart suddenly feels so full that I think I might burst.
Brodie licks his bite, tending to it and releasing all the tension in my body. I slump down into the covers, my eyes fluttering closed as he cleans the wound.
“You’re my light,” he whispers. The soft brush of his lips against my ear sends a shiver down my spine. “And the love of my life.”
“I didn’t know you were a romantic,” I tease, caressing my thumb over the bond mark on his shoulder until he groans.
“I am when it comes to you two.”
The others crawl over then, piling around us and snuggling close.
“I can’t believe we’re a pack,” DJ says as he kisses Casey’s cheek.
“It’s wild,” Raivat agrees, to which I nod. It’s quiet for a few moments, all of us breathing softly as we rest our bodies and indulge in our first cuddle post-bonding.
Then someone’s breathing kicks up a notch, and my eyes instinctually go to Casey. He’s curling into my side, but his chest is moving rapidly.
My brows scrunch. “Casey?”
“El—” Casey starts, his eyes drooping slightly.
My heart drops. “What’s wrong?”
“H-Hot,” is all he can get out before he winces in pain.
Oh no.
I put my hand on his forehead, his skin smoldering to the touch. “Shit, his heat is starting.”
“It’s coming on fast,” Raivat comments, sitting up. “We don’t have time to get everything ready. We’ll have to rely on deliveries.”
“On it,” Brodie comments, moving swiftly. “My phone’s in the living room. I’ll be back in one moment.”
Suddenly, there’s a growl filling the space, the sound rough and deep and—oddly enough—arousing.
DJ’s canines flash, his pupils dilated into two black orbs. “Omega.”
Casey whines, and I can’t process what’s happening until DJ is on top of him. His scent is blown out, covering the room in pumpkin, and I let out a gasp.
He’s in rut.