Chapter 46
FORTY-SIX
It’s been nine long days, and I’m suddenly glad that the universe has graced me with such a large pack, because I can’t imagine how exhausted we would all be if there were only a couple of us to satisfy Josie during her cycle.
I pump my hips again, coordinating with Remi, who is above her.
When he moves in, I pull out and vice versa.
It’s like muscle memory now that we’ve done this countless times over the past week.
Lennon and Malaki lie on either side of her, one kissing and messing with her nipple, the other kissing her neck and whispering encouraging words.
She mewls with every movement, the sounds still music to my ears despite the exhaustion in my bones.
“Just one more, baby,” I tell her, out of breath. “Just one more and I’ll give you my knot, I promise.”
She lets out a frustrated groan, her skin hot to the touch.
Her nails dig into my chest and her cheek rests over my racing heart.
She pulses around us, and Remi groans. I can feel his pace falter, his cock twitching where we’re pushed together, just a thin layer separating us.
His hand goes to her arm where his bond mark sits, almost on instinct, and she cries out from the contact.
As soon as Remi pulls out of her, I push my knot in, securing us together. Pleasure overrides every one of my senses as spots spark behind my eyelids. The combination of her squeezing my knot and her beautiful moans does me in completely, sucking me dry without another ounce of energy to expend.
She drops onto my chest, her breathing heavy. It takes me a few moments to realize she is trembling as she clutches me.
“Josie?” I ask, moving to look at her. Her forehead is covered in sweat, but her eyes are no longer dilated. She looks at me, awareness coming back to her.
“Cyrus,” she whines, her lip wobbling.
The guys all move closer, trying to touch her and comfort her any way they can.
“Welcome back, my flower,” Jamie says, bent over at our heads so he can kiss her gently before backing away again.
“Oh my god,” she says, exasperated. “Oh my god, is it over?”
“Yes, baby.” Remi moves some of her hair out of her face and touches her gently. “It’s over. Everything will be back to normal now.”
Tears spill over in Josie’s eyes; I realize she must be feeling a rush of hormones and emotions, and my arms move around her protectively. Anxiety bleeds into the bond, the loss of control during the heat wracking her nervous system.
“I’m going to go get the—”
“No, you’re not,” I warn Malaki, a bark in my tone. “We’re all going to sit here with our omega. We can worry about clean up later.”
Josie’s cries are heartbreaking, but she calms the longer we’re all touching her, surrounding her. Lennon practically crawls on top of her to help ground her, his own eyes becoming damp.
“I’m so glad you’re back to us, little vicious,” he says.
She whimpers, but then her hand reaches out and wipes Lennon’s tears away. “I missed you. Oh my god.”
“The first one is always the most intense, I’ve heard,” I whisper in her ear. “We’re all here. You’re safe.”
She nods in response, and I feel that reassurance alleviate some of her anxiousness through the bond. She wraps her arms around me and rests her cheek on my chest as she catches her breath.
“That was so… wild,” she settles with, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “I was here, but I wasn’t. And you were all so connected. It was like my omega and I switched places. Like I was the one lying dormant.” She shakes her head again. “Oh my god.”
To hear it put that way is astonishing to me. “Did you feel everything?”
“Yes,” she says. “But it was like being drunk. Well, that’s not a good enough comparison, but that’s the best way to put it.”
“I’m sure we will all recognize that feeling when we have ruts,” Remi says supportively. “I mean, wrangling that control back when you’re on the brink of it is hard, and now I see why. It’s just our alphas taking over.”
“Do you feel okay?” Jamie asks her. “Do you need anything?”
Josie’s body turns more and more languid, her exhaustion showing itself as she lies lax in our arms. “I think I need a good bath. And a hefty snack.”
Lennon raises his hand. “I volunteer as tribute. Anything in particular?”
She smiles weakly at him. “I trust you.”
I feel that trust through the bond, not just for Lennon but for all of us.
We all lean in again, feeling the powerful emotion, basking in it.
I’m not sure if it’s in response to Josie’s distress, but all of our chests begin to vibrate, a chorus of steady purrs echoing in the nest. Even Jamie looks lulled by it, closing his eyes and sighing happily.
“I love you,” Josie says so quietly, and to no one in particular. It’s a hushed sentiment against my skin that I want to bottle up and keep with me forever.
The comfortable silence, besides all of our harmonizing purrs, edges on for what feels like forever.
I’m positive we each take a tiny cat nap while we wait for the bliss to run out, but it never does.
I could sit in this nest with the five of them for the rest of our lives and be completely content, but my alpha instincts stir me, prompting me to get things going.
“It’s time for us to get up, I think,” I say regrettably, but they all hum in agreement. “We don’t have to go out into society just yet, but we should at least try to venture back into the other part of our house.”
Josie smiles. “Our house.”
“Yes, Omega. Ours.” I kiss her forehead and look to my pack mates. “Remi, you prepare the bath. Lennon, get a snack ready. Jamie is going to make sure there are clean towels, and Malaki—”
“The thermometer,” he says proudly. They all get up to exit the nest, looking over their shoulders cautiously just in case Josie calls back out to them. We must have all read up on how sensitive omegas can be after their heats are over, but Josie just sighs in my arms.
“Why a thermometer?” Josie asks when the others step out of the room.
“Your fever may be broken, but I want to keep an eye on it just in case. You had a long heat.”
Her brows furrow. “I thought it felt like a long time. How long?”
“Nine days.”
She jolts. “Holy shit.”
I chuckle. “It’s okay, baby. That’s still very normal.”
“I didn’t—” She pauses, biting her lip. “I didn’t exhaust Lennon, did I? He was okay?”
My heart skips a beat when I process what she’s asking. She just had the most terrifying experience an omega can have, and she is worried about her alpha and his health. I hold her closer to me.
“He is wonderful. I promise you that we were mindful of him exerting himself just as much as we were of you and your needs.”
She huffs out a breath of relief. “Good.”
This omega is everything I needed and more. She’s attentive, mindful, and has the biggest heart. I’ve needed this energy beside me for a long time, and I’m so glad she is finally here, helping me with my rowdy friends, and loving them the same way I do.
“Get some rest. We’ll get everything sorted soon.”
Soon, we’ll have to hop back up, exit our bubble of privacy, and deal with the aftermath of the canceled tour.
There’s more bullshit to come, of course.
I’m starting to realize that no matter what capacity you’re in the public eye for, there will be complications and hurdles to jump through in order to feel peace, but now I’m ready for it.
Now, with my pack by my side and our fans knowing the truth about all of us, there’s nothing I can’t do to ensure my pack has the smoothest recovery possible.
The future of our career is uncertain, but that doesn’t matter to me right now. What matters is how much I love my pack mates, how much I love my beta and omega, and how unbelievably blessed I am that the universe has gifted me this life with them.