Chapter 37
Madi
Friday
Drowning in pleasure, the luminous lust I have for these alphas might just blind me. Three bonds flow with love and safety like a caress to my soul.
Someone fucks into me, making me see stars as I fade in and out of my heat haze. My pulsating center locks around a cock, his knot inflating after the sweet warmth of his orgasm. Two others are on my side, lavishing my breasts with kiss after kiss between desperate sucks on each nipple.
Someone’s soaked fingers swirl around my clit until I come again, reduced to nothing but a beloved whimpering mess as the heat takes me under once more.
My world returns to me in hazy pieces. Memories I can barely remember.
The stroke of a hand on my hip.
Lips on mine.
The slide of slick across my core.
I hate that omegas experience memory loss in their heats. I want to recall every phantom touch and lingering kiss.
My room is dark, rich with the smell of sex and bergamot, caramel and coffee, all wrapped up in juicy blackberries and apples.
The AC is blasting but I’m still hot, sticky, and desperate for a shower.
When I finally open my eyes, the clock reads 7:22, although with the light so dim and the curtains drawn, it’s impossible to tell if it’s night or day.
I’m surrounded by warmth and a serenity I’ve never known before, one I couldn’t even have fathomed prior to this very moment.
My alphas are asleep around me. Hunter lies between my legs, using my stomach as a pillow.
Zachary and Alric cling to me on each side, but they’re even closer than our bodies touching.
They’re inside of me, wrapped up in my heart and my mind, as if three radiant strings of light connect us to each other.
We are exhausted but satisfied.
There’s a gratefulness within us that brings tears to my eyes.
They’re all happier than I thought possible.
To have me, for this heat, for our bond.
Even in their sleep, pride is nearly bursting within them, layered with hope and love.
It’s beyond overwhelming. What they feel for me is as vast as an ocean.
They said a lot of words this month that I didn’t—couldn’t—believe were truly real, but now that we are connected, I can see how wrong I was to take their truth as pretty lies.
I try to keep my emotions in check, but I’m too tired and full of affection.
I let out a small sniffle, covering my mouth to muffle the next one, hoping to let them sleep.
We deserve all the rest we can get after the past week, but I should’ve known that was impossible.
My emotion wakes them all up instantly and I’m flooded with the cutest panic that my soft crying is from distress, until I start laughing, tears of joy streaming down my face.
They’re perfect.
A tiny purr starts up inside of me and I grab at my chest. I’ve never purred before!
I’d never given it much thought, but omegas only purr when they’re truly happy, and I hadn’t ever felt such intense contentment like I do right now.
It grows louder, letting them all know exactly how blissful I am at this moment.
“Awww, babycakes, you’re awake! And purring, it’s so cute!” Hunter’s joy is infectious in our bond, his boundless cheer everything I needed. How could I ever feel a moment of sadness again, now that we’re connected?
“How are you feeling?” Alric demands with such earnest intensity I want to melt.
It might come across as grumpy to an outside observer, but in the bond, there’s only obsessive concern for my well-being and endless love.
He searches my gaze, a hint of anxiety buzzing in him, like he’s worried something has gone wrong that he can’t sense, even though he can feel how happy I am.
“Everything is perfect. You’re all perfect.” My voice is a little rough, and he immediately brings a bottle of cool water to my lips.
“You were exquisite. Any regrets?” Zachary asks when I’m done drinking.
“Only that I don’t remember enough of it. I’m going to need a repeat of all the best parts very soon.”
They all nod with such enthusiasm, I can’t help but giggle.
Zach’s warmth and care is as sweet as sugar. His confidence in me is teeming through his bond. An unwavering assurance that he and our pack are going to be everything that I’ve ever needed.
“I love you guys, so fucking much. I’m sorry it took me so long to figure it out.” Alric is closest to me, so I kiss him first. “I love you.”
He responds in that gravelly tone I adore. “I love you, too, honey. I have since the night we met.”
“Thank you for being patient with me.”
“Always.”
I turn to Zachary. “I love you.”
His kiss is tender, and when we break apart, he cups my cheek. “Oh, sweetheart, I love you, too. I would say more than you know, but I think you have a clear idea now that we’re bonded. This past month had a few challenges, but loving you has always been as easy as breathing.”
That’s exactly what I needed to hear, and a tightness loosens in my chest.
“Thank you,” I whisper into his lips before stealing one more kiss.
I sit up, Zachary and Alric helping me reach Hunter, who is rising from his spot resting between my legs.
“Hunter, I love you.”
“Obviously, I love you, too, but do you know what else you love?”
“Oh? What’s that?”
“My knot,” he says with earned confidence.
“Do I now?” I tease.
He nods slowly, like a wise old man. “Oh yes, but I’m available for another demonstration, just so you can be sure. Here at Pack Hayes, we strive for 100 percent satisfaction guaranteed.”
It’s only after I stop laughing that I’m able to kiss him, too. “Pack Hayes, huh?”
“We were playing around with the idea. If you don’t want to keep it, you have three other names to choose from.”
“It’s perfect. I like you all sharing my name, reminding everyone you are mine.”
I take an assessment of my body. I’m sore, but in a way that tells me I enjoyed my heat far more than I ever thought I could. More importantly, there are no bruises on me, and no pain that tells me my body was used instead of treasured. I run my fingers over my lips. They’re swollen, but not dry.
They kept all their promises.
“Are you ready for some food?” Zachary asks. “All we need to do is press the red button for them to bring us breakfast.”
That’s when I realize I’m starving, but also that my bladder is incredibly full. I scramble out of the nest, rushing to the bathroom. “Yes, please!”
I wash my hands when I finish up, and a flicker of red catches my attention in the mirror. There’s dried blood smeared across a shower tile. The events from before my heat come back to me in a rush, my alphas calling out with a chorus of concern, asking if I’m okay.
Jensen kidnapped me, and he’s dead.
Alric killed him. Violently.
I walk back over, kneeling before him on the bed. Alric gathers me up so I can sit on his lap, facing him. He already knows what I’m about to say, can feel my gratitude for him. He pushes my hair behind my ears, his worry for me ringing down his bond.
“You killed him,” I whisper.
“I did,” he says coolly.
“You didn’t have to do that. He would’ve been arrested and jailed for the rest of his life.”
“That wouldn’t have been enough punishment.
Men like him deserve death. He was never going to give you mercy, so why would I grant him something he would deny you?
If you’re worried about legal consequences, there won’t be any.
I’m pretty sure the Omega Protection Services gives out awards for these sorts of things. Maybe I’ll get a shiny medal.”
It takes me a second to realize he’s kidding.
“Did you just make a joke?” I ask, delighted.
“Having a psychic connection with Hunter is having unexpected consequences.” He winks at me.
Damn, that was hot.
“I know he deserved it, but I don’t want you to regret taking a man’s life.”
Alric cocks an eyebrow at me. “Does it feel like I’m regretting anything?”
For a second, I search through our connection. There’s not an ounce of remorse to be found. In fact, there’s actually a very strong sense of pride coming off him that he defended his mate. Whatever alpha instinct had taken over in that moment is exceedingly pleased with itself.
I take his right hand, forming it into a fist—if there had been any injuries, the heat healed them—and kiss his knuckles over and over again. “You could’ve gotten hurt too, you know.”
He barks a laugh. “Only weak men hurt women. It’s why they never pick on someone their own size.”
I kiss my proud alpha, his hands tight on my hips, and I know he can feel my gratitude on my lips and in our bond. It’s only after a short knock startles me that we break apart.
The door opens to a soft, unfamiliar voice. “Miss Madeline? Are you awake?”
“I am, finally.”
“Glad to have you back with us. Breakfast is here, let me know if you need anything else. Press the button on the wall again when you’re ready for a nurse to come in and check you over, alright? There are robes in the closet as well.”
Once the door shuts, Hunter and Zachary bring over the trays of food, and lift the covers to reveal an after-heat feast.
Everything is high calorie and delicious to make up for this week of barely eating: mounds of steaming bacon and sausage, thick buttery waffles with swirls of whipped cream and dusted with powdered sugar, crispy seasoned potatoes and fluffy eggs.
All accompanied by a gallon of orange juice and a pot of coffee to wash it all down with.
I don’t bother with silverware. I shove a waffle into my mouth, taking large bites. Hunter licks some lingering whipped cream from my lips when I swallow. We take our time, enjoying the food, and they tell me stories of my behavior during the heat.