Chapter Seventy-One
Saphyra
I wobbled on my feet, exhaustion overwhelming me. “Everyone needs to be questioned. Use the brig for traitors, and anyone involved should be put on one of those Imperatrix ships and sent back where they came from. Can we do that?”
“Yes, my queen. Right away.” Albion bowed and turned to distribute my instructions to the troops that had arrived with Maddox and my mates.
Titus had a screaming Edeth restrained, and he and Dani escorted her toward the exit.
Lex and Ghost vaulted over obstructions, making their way through the room to my side. Huge arms banded around Shadow and me from all sides, wrapping us in their delicious scents. Everything was coated in a coppery film of blood. I was so happy to be back together that I hardly noticed.
Something was missing, though. Where was Grey? I felt agony slice through the bond, and I struggled free of my alpha’s python-like embrace. “Grey?” I mumbled against the constricting appendages. With some effort, I managed to squirm away. “Where’s Grey? Help me look.”
Our connection told me he was close and in pain, but it wasn’t a locator device, just a sensation. An inaccurate sensation that was pulling me in all directions. Nobles huddled in the corners, shaken but in most cases unhurt. The bulk of the fighting had been in the corridor and near the hole that was cut into the wall.
I wove through the milling soldiers as loyal trusted alphas escorted Edeth’s troops to the oversized brig, but there was no sign of Grey anywhere. My mates were scanning the room with concern etched into their features.
“There.” Ghost pointed to a pale arm sticking out from under a downed alpha.
“Help me!” I screamed and scrambled over fallen soldiers to get to him. His hand was cold to the touch.
Lex lifted the unconscious guard off Grey, and my beta groaned. “I think I was shot.”
His leg was a mess of tattered fabric and blood. He was definitely injured and still bleeding.
“Melody!” I called for her and she was at my side in a blink, looking over Grey’s wound.
I clutched my mate’s cold hand with my heart in my throat. “Please be okay. Is he alright? Grey, you really have to stop trying to die all the time. It’s taking a toll on my mental health.” I tried to make a joke, but it ended in a sob. All the warmth leached from my skin. It felt like I was bleeding out right alongside him.
She whipped her belt off and wrapped it around his thigh. “He should be fine. There’s a lot of blood, but it appears that nothing major was hit.” Grey’s dirt-covered medical bag was on the ground next to him, and Melody dug through it until she found what she was looking for.
Her calm demeanor settled me some, but not as much as my mates. They gathered around Grey and me on the floor, cocooning us in their warmth. We stayed out of Melody’s way as she cleaned, stitched, and wrapped the wound.
When she was satisfied with the work, she gave me a stern look. “You all look like shit. You need to rest. Albion and Maddox are taking care of the prisoners. Go get some sleep. You can deal with everything else in the morning.”
Night had fallen over the course of the battle, and a pale moon rose beyond the window. It was late, and our trusted soldiers were supervising the transport of the prisoners to the holding cells. Edeth was long gone, but being watched closely by Elinor and Dani, who were assigned to supervise the prison level. Titus was back, along with the Duke, speaking to the nobles and calming their hysterics. It was a big job figuring out who had ties to Altaira and whose loyalties were questionable, but no one was going anywhere with Jared making sure the city was locked down tonight.
We’d need to keep an eye on Titus. He’d gone through a lot, but he seemed shocked when the truth was presented to him, wanting to only think the best of his wife. But when the reality was laid out, he started connecting the dots and realized what she’d done. I hoped he wanted what was best for the planet and had been led astray. He’d have to be questioned too, but for now, he wasn’t going anywhere.
I was surprised at how efficiently the details were being handled once duties had been delegated and there was nothing left for me to do. My alphas could have stayed to help with the enemy soldiers, but Maddox’s troops had that well underway under the supervision of Albion’s team. So, when Shadow scooped me up off the floor and Lex helped Grey up, I didn’t argue.
We headed to the exit, but before we left, I saw Maddox picking Violet up and carrying her through an open servants’ door. Just as they disappeared, she met my eyes, smiled shyly, and waved, her cheeks pink with some fond emotion. Maybe Lady Baxter would get her way after all.
The corridors were empty—everyone was busy cleaning up or confined to the brig—as we made our way to Ghost’s room. The quiet enveloped me in velvet softness as the door sealed behind us.
Ghost hopped on his workstation and punched in some code I couldn’t follow. “There. No one will bother us until tomorrow.”
Lex helped Grey to the nest, and I rushed over. “Wait.” My cheeks warmed under the coating of blood and dried tears. “I just… one second.” I pushed some pillows around until it felt perfect. “Okay. It’s fixed.”
Shadow leaned his shoulder against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, pretending to look annoyed. But I knew him better than that. There was a slight twist to his lips that I recognized as amusement, even if it was barely noticeable. Ghost was much less subtle with a bloody smile on his face. Smug that I’d adopted his bed to make a nest in, no doubt.
Lex was busy watching over Grey, not turning his attention away until the beta lowered himself gingerly onto the mattress and propped his ankle up on a well-placed pillow. Grey was only a little dusty, having managed to stay out of most of the fighting, only taking a glancing blow from a stray ricochet, according to Melody. But the rest of us were filthy . We all needed a shower.
Ghost had already disappeared into the adjoining bathing room by the time Grey had settled into bed. I grabbed Lex’s soot-stained hand and dragged him over to Shadow, who I steered into the bathroom. “Strip.”
The small space was filled to capacity with the chuckling alphas, but they did as I demanded. There was no way to all fit in the shower, it wasn’t built for that sort of luxury, so after peeling the bloody clothes off myself, I pulled Ghost into the warm running water as the other two waited their turns.
His calloused soapy hands felt like the softest silk as he washed me and our slick skin gilded against one another, but too quickly he was clean and he stepped out, grabbing a towel.
When I started to get out, Shadow moved in front of me, blocking my way. “You aren’t even close to done, little omega.”
The cisterns were full since my return, and the hot water was like heaven on my bare flesh, so I had no intention of arguing with him. His hand fisted around my throat and his lips dropped to mine, licking the warm droplets from my skin. I leaned into his hold. There was something comforting about his strong grip. Being held and controlled, able to let go of responsibility and have someone else take over, if only for a moment.
Lex was done waiting and wedged himself into the tight space behind me. I couldn’t fathom how we all fit, but it was very snug. The heat from their bodies was like a physical thing, rubbing against me, soft as kitten fur. A tiny purr rumbled to life in my chest as they rubbed soap all over me and each other. Slippery hands were everywhere and my heavy lids drifted shut with contentment. I traced dips and valleys blindly, immersing myself in the contrast of hard muscle over the softness of their skin.
Shadow scooped me up and stepped out of the stall, followed by Lex. I blinked my eyes open to find them both descending on me with fluffy towels. Quiet giggles spilled past my lips as I wiggled under their efficient hands. I was dry before I knew it and was being ushered into the bedroom. Grey was laying off to one side of the nest. He was cleaned up and in a pair of soft shorts. Ghost was naked like the animal he was, and nudged his chin, motioning for me to get in.
A weight lifted from my shoulders, seeing them there, content and relaxed. The walls of man meat behind me moved closer, urging me forward, so I slipped into the carefully arranged blankets beside Grey. Shadow and Lex crowded in on my other side. This bed wasn’t made for five, not even close, but I wanted them near me, and the tight fit didn’t bother me at all.
I slung my leg over Grey’s hip and curled up to his side. Shadow wrapped himself around my back, his pulsing length nestled between my thighs, nudging against my slick entrance. Lex was purring somewhere behind Shadow as his arms snaked across the other alpha’s waist to run his hands over my skin. Ghost knelt at the end of the bed and pressed his lips to the curve of my ankle, slowly working his way up. His tongue laved along the inside of my knee and up my thigh, over my hip bone and to my belly.
My breath puffed out in realization. “I’m pregnant.”
That was not how I’d intended to announce it, but it was out now. Were they going to be upset? Did they even want children? I felt the dread of panic seep into my blood as everyone but Shadow froze. All the air in the room evaporated, and every eye fixed on me.
Lex was propped up on an arm, looking down on me from over Shadow’s shoulder. “Say that again.” His voice rumbled with the beginnings of a growl.
I squirmed, afraid of the possible rejection and ignoring the tingles through the bond. “Er… I said that I’m pregnant.”
Lex’s face shifted from his normal serious demeanor to a blinding smile. With no regard for Shadow crammed between us, he leaned over and kissed me, and then he kissed me again, and again. His whole chest vibrated with a deep, resounding purr.
“That’s amazing!” Ghost nipped at my hip bone and peppered kisses all over my belly. “We’re gonna be dads,” he crowed against my skin.
Shadow nibbled the curve of my neck as Lex’s weight pinned him to me. I could hear the huff of his laughter against my ear.
When Lex finally relented, allowing Shadow to breathe, Grey’s soft eyes were trained on my face. “Are you sure?”
I nodded slowly. “I watched them do the test. Do you think we should do it again?”
Shadow placed a kiss over the shimmering red and pewter mark that his bite had left on my neck. “We don’t need to. I can feel the truth of it in the bond.”
The others stilled, brows coming together in concentration. Lex finally spoke. “You smell like spiced honey, but there is a hint of caramel and burnt sugar that’s never been there before.”
Ghost licked my belly button and let out a laugh. “That’s gotta be the baby.”
“Are you happy, little one?”
I blinked back the sting in my eyes when Grey asked me that. Was I? I hadn’t given myself time to think about it, but I already knew the answer. “I’m happy.” My heart felt huge, and I struggled to fill my lungs. “We’re safe now. I have everything I’ve ever wanted. More than I dreamed possible. I’m so very, very happy.”
“Good,” Shadow murmured as he pushed his thickness past my slick entrance, stretching me just right.
I sucked in a shuddering breath and arched my back against him, but he caught my hip in his grip. “Relax, omega. Let me make you feel good.”
Grey’s lips met mine, his tongue sinking in to coax me into a sultry dance. My hand dropped to his belly and snuck beneath his shorts to cradle his length. A slick wet mouth closed over my throbbing nub, sucking gently, and my other hand fell to Ghost’s spiky hair. Big hands cradled my breast, catching the sensitive peak between calloused knuckles with the perfect amount of pressure.
I felt contentment radiating through the bond. A chorus of purrs vibrated to life and mine joined in. Their soft strokes and warm skin lulled me to sleep. I couldn’t imagine anything better.
I was full to the brim, heart and body, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.