Chapter 31 Mona
There must have been a sedative in that tea. I groan and stretch, feeling almost dizzy. I'm going to kill that old bastard, I think.
When we got back to the house after Kellen and Doc pried me from Lily's mother's hands as she begged and pleaded for answers, thinking I had anything useful to share because I stupidly said I knew where Lily was—surprise, I don't—they rushed me back here, after calling my mates who met us at the cabin.
I was frantic throughout my explanation, and Grayson tried to help explain to the others the dreams I told him about, and through it all, they kept asking questions I didn't have answers to, and I just fucking lost it.
Kellen, Eli, and a handful of other shifters were in a frenzy around me.
Orion held me, Doc shoved tea under my nose, and Grayson—well, he was texting furiously, and I felt so foolish, wanting to tell them I have no idea what I really saw, and who knows if it was real, and I don't know where that prison cell is. Only that it's dark and dungeon-like.
That could be anywhere.
And I got that poor woman's hopes up, and that's what really fucked me up. Right on the heels of helping that couple, letting them think holding my hand could get them pregnant—what the hell is wrong with me?
I'm a lunatic.
I'm an idiot and an imposter, and I have nothing—absolutely nothing—to offer these people, and they look at me like I'm their fucking salvation.
It's too much. I feel like I can't breathe.
You're spiraling again, Beep says calmly.
"I know. I know." I scratch my scalp, dropping my forehead in my hands and curse. "Fuck, what am I going to do?"
Beep doesn't respond, but I don't expect her to.
If anything, I feel her urgent comfort, like an aggressively tight hug, settling my unsteady nerves.
I suck in a breath, and it aches. An intense need to scent my mates, to have them close, their bodies and warmth, is overwhelming.
I want to nestle into them, bury my head in layers of soft blankets.
I need them.
Something draws my attention toward the end of the hall. To the strange, empty room with the giant bed.
An odd, keening sound spills from my chest. A whimper. I don't understand what's happening.
As if I called them, the door swings open. It slams against the wall, and then they're there. Both of them. I nearly collapse in relief, and Orion wraps me up in his arms.
I fall into their embrace, letting them overpower me, stealing every free inch of my skin with their roaming hands. Limbs tangle, and I get it again, an aggressively tight hug, from them this time. Beep is there, too.
And my alphas begin… purring.
I've heard it before, from Orion mostly. I feel like Grayson has done it too, though I can't recall when. But it vibrates from their chests, echoing into the chambers of my heart, rattling my insides, forcing the rhythm of my heartbeat to match their own.
We breathe like this, hearts beating together, until I feel stable again. Strong. Ish.
Their scents fill a place inside me I didn't know was empty. It's so thick I can taste it. Chocolate and hazelnut. And a warm, sugary cinnamon bun toasted over a campfire. Intentionally mouthwatering, like nature chose the perfect scents to tempt me, making me clench with need.
I wonder what my scent does to them. Because if it's anything like this…
"How did you know I needed you?" I ask.
"We heard your omega cry."
That must have been the sound in my chest. "Thank you for coming. I didn't know… I don't know what I need. Or what's happening. I feel like such a disaster. I'm so sorry." I sniff, holding back the tears.
"Don't say that," Orion chastises, pulling away enough to meet my gaze.
He brushes a strand of hair from my face.
"Never apologize for needing us. And you aren't a disaster.
Honestly, a lot of this is new for us, too.
We were talking with Doc. He's going to find an omega who might help you through all of these changes.
Gray and I… we're the ones who owe you an apology, firefly. "
"For what? You guys have given me so much already," I cry, trying to sit up so I can look at them properly.
And the image is almost too much. Both slightly disheveled, as if it's been days since they slept, leaning against my headboard.
Strands of Grayson's dark hair have fallen out of the leather strap he often keeps his hair half-tied back in.
What is tied up isn't perfect, which makes him look even sexier.
He barely fits on this bed, his big, hard body so incongruent with the fluffy pillows and mounds of blankets.
Orion's dirty blond hair is messy, expression weary but loving.
Like he's had a trying day, but he can rest now that he's home with me.
I think about the couple from the cafe. And I think of that relaxed state I felt then, something akin to domestic bliss.
Ease in daily life. That's what this feels like.
Orion smiles warmly. It lifts his cheek, squinting his beautiful blue eyes. He's so unassuming. If he were human, I'd think he was just too pretty not to have the ego of an underwear model.
"We should have anticipated some of this. All of it. Nesting—" he waves his hand toward my bed, as if that's enough explanation. When I scrunch my nose in confusion, he tugs one of his t-shirts out from under my pillow. My cheeks flame.
God, I should have put that back by now.
I just happened to be walking past his room and noticed the shirt didn't make it all the way to the laundry.
I told myself I was just cleaning up. And when I took it back to my room, I told myself it was going into my laundry basket so I could clean it for him.
And when I shoved it under my pillow, I told myself it was because it would be a waste to let his scent fade from the shirt before I washed it.
My omega approved wholeheartedly, which should have told me something.
"That's not—I mean, I can explain—"
Grayson cuts me off. "You tried to tell me the other night about the dreams, and I didn't listen."
"I shouldn't have said what I said," I tell them. "At the cafe. That was stupid. I can't believe I got that woman's hopes up."
"You told me you thought the dream was real. You said you felt like you were really there, like you could smell the place, feel it. Has that changed?"
"Well, no…"
Grayson sits up. He grabs my arm and tugs me forward, and I fall into his lap easily. Orion's hand lands on my knee as I curl into Grayson. My heart beats a little faster.
His voice is rough. "I should have listened to you.
Omega gifts—they're not like other wolves.
And I shouldn't have assumed you knew what was coming when I didn't even know.
You're learning to be an omega and a wolf.
I've taken that for granted, and I'm sorry.
We've failed you, Mona. We've been too slow to teach you.
" His hand runs through my hair, to my shoulder.
I shiver against his touch. Then his hand wraps around the back of my neck and squeezes. "That ends now."
Orion's hand on my leg tightens. Subtly at first. Then it smooths out, fingertips caressing my knee.
Softly. Reverently. Where the heat of his hand connects with my skin, it feels like static electricity.
Zapping and singing. The sensation crawls up my leg, and I tense against it. My heart keeps pounding. Louder, now.
His hand shifts over my knee until it's between my legs. My breath hitches. His hand tightens, this time on the inside of my thigh. Heat blooms where his fingertips press, and our eyes lock for a beat.
Pupils blown wide, nostrils flaring slightly as he inhales my scent, I can't look away, can't move, caught between his touch and Grayson's body beneath mine. An electric current runs between the three of us.
Me and my two mates.
There's nothing else I want. There's no other way this could be.
They are mine. And I am theirs.
Grayson's cock thickens beneath me, pressing against my hip. I feel it stiffen and rise, so hard it pushes against me, nearly sliding me off his lap. But his arms hold me close.
His jaw tightens, scent growing molten, and it collides with Orion's, thickening until I can barely breathe through it. My own perfume is so strong, the room practically feels like we're wading in honey.
"Firefly," Orion purrs. I drag my gaze up with effort—I'm so hot, so needy, it takes nearly all my concentration to hold myself back, to keep from falling into a puddle. His hand slides higher. And Grayson, beneath me, lifts his hips, grinding his length into my hip.
"I don't—" I start, but don't know how to finish. I've never felt like this before.
Dizzy. Hazy with need. My clit is practically aching. I can feel my heartbeat in it. I'm so wet my underwear feels soaked. I should be embarrassed.
"Firefly," he starts again. His voice sounds strangled and raspy. "Will you let us take care of you?"
"I'm—" I shake my head, unsure of what to do, what to say. I'm so nervous. I haven't been with anyone in so long. And I've never been with two people. But this feels so right.
And forever.
And it's terrifying.
"No sex," he promises. "Not yet. But your omega needs relief."
I nod my head vigorously, while my omega whimpers in agreement. Orion chuckles. I look at Grayson, but he's not smiling. His brow is strained and furrowed.
But he's the one who moves first.
In one swift movement, he lifts me like a doll, setting me down in the center of the bed. He tugs off my sleep shorts. I don't even stop him. I don't complain, I don't try to keep them on.
I can't think straight, can't feel anything past need. Want.
My pussy is fucking aching with it. I've never felt so empty, so soaked and dripping wet, primed to take all they can give me.
My omega whimpers again, and his movements become frantic, jerky. He pulls off my socks, then lifts me up and moves me so I'm on all fours.