Chapter 35 #3
I watch her eyelids flutter, the way her mouth goes slack with relief. For a second, I let myself believe we did it—that the storm’s really over. But I know better.
The world tilts back to normal in fits and starts.
My arms are dead weight, Jess’s head is glued to my chest, and Cassian’s got his leg draped over both of us, a living blanket made of muscle and attitude.
I can hear his heart thundering, but he’s grinning at the ceiling, high on endorphins and probably his own ego.
For a few glorious minutes, everything is silent—just the triple metronome of breath, the low drone of the AC, the soft thud of my pulse in my ears.
Then, footsteps in the hall. Rowan.
The door clicks open. He’s holding a laundry basket full of shakes, water bottles, and protein bars, balanced one-handed like it weighs nothing. His hair’s damp at the temples, like he splashed water on his face, and the basket’s so overloaded I know he hit the pantry and the emergency stash.
His gaze skims Jess first, then snags on me, lingering just long enough that my stupid heart does a little stutter-step in my chest.
Cassian snorts. “Look who finally made it.”
Rowan ignores him. He surveys the room, takes in the three of us naked and tangled on the sheets, and sets the basket down on the dresser. For a second, I think he’s going to start handing out snacks like a Little League coach, but instead, he walks straight to us.
Jess must sense him before she sees him, because she sits up fast, hair wild and skin blazing. Her pupils swallow her irises, and she stares at Rowan with something I’ve never seen before—raw, primal, like hunger and need all wrapped up in one.
Rowan doesn’t waste time. He climbs into the nest, kneeling over her with the kind of precision that makes every muscle in his body stand out.
One of his knees bumps my thigh and stays there, solid and warm, as he takes her face in both hands, wiping the tears and sweat from her cheeks before leaning in so close their noses touch.
And he kisses her the way I’ve felt him hold me together—slow, steady, like she’s the only thing in the room that matters. If I didn’t already know his feelings for me, it would make me jealous.
Jess pulls back. “More,” she says, so soft it’s almost a secret.
But Cassian is still knotted in her pussy. He groans as they kiss.
Then she grabs Rowan’s wrists and pulls him closer, moaning into his mouth. The rest of us might as well be invisible.
“Fuck, she’s insatiable.”
“Shut up,” I say, but I’m grinning too. The chemistry is off the charts—Jess is practically vibrating, and Rowan’s doing everything he can to ground her. “It’s her heat.”
He eases around her, to her ass, to the spot I vacated. One hand bracing her head, the other running down her side. I notice he’s shaking, just a little, like he’s barely holding himself together.
“Eli, I need you near me, too.”
“I-I can’t.” My voice cracks. “I’m not an Alpha, I—I need time to recov—”
Jess’s fingers find my shoulder, and over her, Rowan’s hand brushes mine as he steadies her knee. The contact sends a stupid little spark up my arm. I scoot in, bracing her legs apart while Rowan settles behind her between them. Cassian kisses her neck and her breasts.
Rowan slides a hand down, brushing along the inside of her thigh, and Jess whimpers. He lines up, pushes in, slow and careful.
She gasps—sharp, guttural, more animal than human. Her hips arch up, taking all of him at once. Rowan rocks into her, every movement controlled, but Jess is a wild thing, fighting for more.
I move closer to her, kissing her calves, her knees, anywhere I can reach. My hands wrap around her waist, squeezing tight, holding her steady as Rowan starts to move faster.
Jess’s hands claw at the sheets, then at Cassian’s arm. He presses his lips to her ear. “You want it rough, sweetheart?”
She nods, unable to speak.
Rowan obliges, speeding up, thrusts getting deeper and harder. Jess’s cries ramp up, louder with every pass, echoing off the walls. Cassian grabs her jaw, kissing her, and she bites his lip, drawing blood.
The room is a mess of bodies—hands, tongues, sweat everywhere. I slip my hand under Jess, stroking her clit in rhythm with Rowan’s thrusts. She shakes, then starts to sob, the pleasure overwhelming her.
Rowan grits his teeth. “You’re perfect,” he says, voice ragged.
Jess comes apart, convulsing so hard I can feel it through my fingers.
Then Cassian grunts, thrusting into her, and I’m guessing his knot has gone down enough for him to fuck her again. He’s brutal, but Jess craves it, matching him thrust for thrust.
I move higher, kissing her spine, her shoulder blades. She arches into me, never wanting to be empty.
Cassian doesn’t last long. He shudders, knots, and buries his face in the crook of Jess’s neck, muffling a groan. Jess locks her legs around him, pulling him even deeper.
Rowan joins, his hands everywhere—thighs, ass, back, as if he can’t get enough. He leans in, bites down on Jess’s shoulder, marking her, and she cries out again.
The three of us work together, no rivalry, just a shared mission—bring Jess to the edge, and hold her there as long as possible.
She peaks again, then again, until her voice goes hoarse and she’s trembling so hard I think she might black out. I slow down, easing her through the aftershocks, until she’s limp and panting, sweat-drenched and radiant.
Cassian kisses her forehead, then her lips, breathing like he’s run a 10K.
Rowan stays, stroking her cheek, whispering something I can’t hear. Then his body shudders, and he knots her.
And here I am, not able to do the same for her.
She’s still shaking, aftershocks rolling through her in waves, when her mouth finds my shoulder. Not a kiss—something else. Her lips part, teeth grazing skin, and I feel the question in the pressure.
My breath catches. “Jess—”
She pulls back just enough to look at me, heat-glazed, but determined.
“Can I?” Her voice is wrecked, barely a whisper, but I hear everything she’s not saying.
Every Omega who looked through me like I was furniture. Every “I need a real Alpha” that carved pieces out of my chest. Every time I convinced myself that being useful was enough, that I didn’t need to be wanted—not like this.
“You don’t have to—” I start, because I need her to know she owes me nothing.
“I know.” She cups my face, thumb tracing my cheekbone. “That’s why I want to.”
The bite comes slow. She sets her teeth against the curve where my neck meets my shoulder, gentle at first, giving me time to pull away.
I don’t. I sink my fingers into her hair and hold her there, feeling each moment as her jaw tightens—pressure, then the bright sting of breaking skin, then the hot pulse of her tongue soothing what she’s marked.
It’s not an Alpha bite. But she’s locking me to her with biology and scent. This is choice.
When she finally pulls back, there’s blood on her lips and something fierce and possessive in her eyes that makes my chest crack open. She licks the mark once, sealing it, and I feel it like a brand—not on my skin, but somewhere deeper.
“Mine,” she says, and it’s not heat talking. It’s Jess.
I can’t speak. I just pull her against me and hold on, feeling the hot sting on my shoulder pulse in time with my heartbeat, proof that I’m not invisible anymore.
That I never was to her.
Rowan’s fingers brush my arm, a quiet squeeze of approval, and for one dizzy second, it feels like the bond snapped around all three of us at once.
After a few minutes, I grab a towel from the basket, wipe Jess down, and wrap her in a clean sheet.
She looks at me, dazed, and smiles.
“You’re all insane,” she croaks, but her eyes are brighter than ever.
“Yeah,” I say, “but you love us anyway.”
She doesn’t answer, just closes her eyes and lets us take care of her.
For now, that’s all any of us need.