47. Chapter Forty-Seven
I wake slowly on Chase’s broad chest, my cheek pressed to warm skin and the beautiful black ink that covers him. His knot has softened and slipped free while we slept, leaving me achingly empty.
The sudden realization of the absence makes my core throb with fresh need.
Slick and come coats my thighs, cool and slippery against my overheated skin, and every tiny shift sends a pulse of hunger straight to my clit.
My body is already demanding more, greedy and relentless now that the first wave has broken.
Chase is still fast asleep beneath me, his breathing deep and even.
One heavy, muscled arm drapes protectively across my back, holding me close even in unconsciousness.
The pine forest and clean musk of him clings to my skin, grounding and masculine, but it isn’t enough anymore.
The heat inside me surges again, sharper and hungrier than before, licking up my spine and pooling low in my belly until I can’t stay still.
I shift restlessly against him, hips rolling on instinct. A needy whine slips from my throat before I can catch it. The sound is desperate, almost embarrassing, but it only makes more slick rush between my legs.
My gaze drifts across the nest until it lands on Adrian. He lies on his side just an arm’s length away, sweater still on, glasses folded neatly beside him. Instinct pulls me toward him at once.
I reach for him, fingers brushing the wool of his sweater, and his rain on stone scent hits me like a cool breeze across fevered skin. It soothes the burn and excites it at the same time, making my nipples tighten and my pussy clench around nothing.
Adrian’s green eyes open instantly, clear and focused even through the haze of sleep. A knowing smile curves his mouth as he takes in the flush on my cheeks and the way my thighs press together.
I don’t wait for words. I crawl out from under Chase’s arm and into Adrian’s waiting embrace, my bare breasts brushing the rough wool on his chest as I press my mouth to his in a hungry kiss.
I moan into him, already rocking against the growing hardness I feel beneath his slacks, desperate for him to fill the aching emptiness Chase left behind.
Adrian’s mouth is sure against mine. His kiss starts slow, almost reverent, his tongue sliding against mine at a pace that makes my pulse throb between my legs.
His hands move over my skin with careful worship, palms gliding down my sides, thumbs brushing the undersides of my breasts until my nipples tighten into aching peaks.
Every touch sends sparks racing straight to my core.
I moan into his mouth, already rocking against the hard length I feel pressing against my thigh through his slacks.
He pulls back just enough to look at me, green eyes dark behind the faint haze of sleep. “You are so beautiful like this,” he whispers, voice low. “So needy for us. Let me take care of you, Elodie.”
I don’t have time to answer. Jamie stirs on my other side, drawn instantly by the fresh bloom of my scent.
His golden amber warmth hits me like sunlight breaking through clouds.
I reach for him without thinking, fingers tangling in his floppy blond hair and pulling him close.
He comes willingly, his light blue eyes sparkling with that familiar mischievous heat.
“Need you too,” I breathe against his lips before I kiss him hard. My hands move fast, tugging at his white t-shirt until he helps me peel it off. I run my palms over his lean, muscled chest and down the flat plane of his stomach, appreciating every inch of sun kissed skin.
Jamie groans when I palm the thick bulge in his jeans. I pop the button and slide the zipper down, freeing him. He’s already hard and leaking, the head flushed and glistening. I wrap my fingers around his length and stroke once, twice, loving the way he hisses my name.
Adrian is just as quick. He sheds his sweater and slacks, revealing the lean, strong lines of his body. I push him onto his back in the nest and straddle him in one smooth motion. The head of his cock nudges my entrance, slick and ready.
I sink down slowly, taking every inch until he is buried to his knot. The stretch is perfect, filling the emptiness Chase left behind and making my eyes flutter shut. I rock my hips once, twice, finding the angle that makes stars burst behind my eyelids.
Jamie kneels beside us, his cock level with my mouth. I lean forward and take him between my lips.
The taste of him explodes on my tongue, warm vanilla and subtle citrus mixed with pure male salt.
I moan around his length, the vibration pulling a deep groan from his chest. Adrian’s hands grip my hips and guide me as I start to ride him in earnest, rising and falling in a rhythm that matches the way I suck Jamie deeper.
The three of us move together like we were made for this.
Adrian thrusts up into me with controlled power, hitting that perfect spot inside every time.
Jamie’s fingers thread gently through my hair, not pushing, just holding as I take him to the back of my throat and swallow around him.
Their scents meld together thickly around me, golden amber and warm vanilla tangling with cool rain on stone, paper, and ink, all of it layered over my own bright strawberry peach sweetness until the nest smells like pure pack and heat.
“You feel incredible,” Adrian pants, voice breaking on a moan. “So tight and wet for me. Taking us both so perfectly.”
Jamie’s praise is rougher, breathier. “Look at you, Elodie. Sucking me so good while you ride him. Fuck, the sounds you make. I’m not going to last.”
Every word sinks into me like honey. I feel safe. Wanted. Cherished in the middle of this storm of need.
My body responds to every sound they make, every twitch of their muscles, every pulse of their cocks.
I ride Adrian harder, grinding my clit against his pelvis on every downstroke while I hollow my cheeks around Jamie.
Slick coats Adrian’s thighs and drips down my own.
The wet sounds of skin on skin and my mouth working Jamie fill the nest, filthy and perfect.
The pressure builds fast, coiling tighter and tighter low in my belly. Adrian’s knot starts to swell at the base of his cock, pressing against my entrance with every thrust. I whimper around Jamie’s length, the sound desperate and needy. Adrian’s grip on my hips tightens.
“That’s it, sweetheart,” he murmurs, voice strained. “Come for us. Let me knot you.”
The words tip me over the edge. Pleasure crashes through me in a bright, shattering wave. I cry out around Jamie as my walls clamp down hard around Adrian. His knot locks into place with one final, powerful thrust.
The fullness is overwhelming in the best way, a deep emotional release that makes fresh tears slip from the corners of my eyes. This knot feels like safety and belonging all at once.
Jamie follows seconds later, groaning my name as he spills across my tongue. I swallow every drop, savoring the taste of him while Adrian’s knot pulses inside me, milking wave after wave of pleasure from both of us.
When it’s over, I collapse forward, still locked tight around Adrian’s knot.
Jamie slides down beside us, pressing kisses to my shoulder and murmuring praise against my skin.
I curl between them, Adrian’s arms banded around my waist, Jamie’s hand stroking my hair.
For this moment the heat eases into a sated glow.
I feel full, claimed, and utterly adored.
My eyes drift across the nest. Chase is still deeply asleep a few feet away, chest rising and falling in slow, even breaths. But the space where Alex should be is empty.
The absence hits me like a physical ache, sharper than the heat itself. My chest tightens with sudden, irrational need. A needy whine slips from my throat before I can stop it, desperate and vibrating straight through my core.
Jamie lifts his head instantly, blue eyes soft with understanding.
His hand moves to my hair, stroking it back from my damp forehead in long, soothing passes.
“Shh, sweetheart,” he murmurs, voice soothing against my ear.
“He’s not gone for long. Alex stepped out just to make some calls.
He’s making sure everyone important knows we’re safe and that you are being taken care of.
Your parents, his father, the university.
He will be right back. Our apex is handling the outside world so we can focus on taking care of you. ”
His words make perfect sense, but the heat haze twists everything until the empty spot beside me feels impossibly large.
My body craves its apex, craves that dark cedarwood and commanding presence to ground the storm inside me.
Another whine escapes, higher and needier this time.
I press closer to Adrian, burying my face against his neck and inhaling his crisp paper scent, trying to chase away the ache.
Adrian’s knot pulses gently inside me in answer, sending sparks of pleasure through my oversensitive walls, but it’s not enough.
Jamie shifts closer, pressing tender kisses along my shoulder and up the side of my neck.
“You’re doing so well, Elodie,” he whispers between each kiss, lips brushing my heated skin.
“So perfect for us. Taking everything we give you and still wanting more. You have no idea how incredible you are right now, all flushed and needy and ours.”
His hand slides down to cup my breast, thumb circling my nipple until I moan. The praise sinks into me, easing the restlessness even as fresh heat coils low in my belly.
The door to the nest creaks open.
Alex steps back inside, and the moment his dark cedarwood and heat warmed skin scent fills the air my whole body lights up with desperate need.
“Apex,” I call out, the word hoarse and raw from my throat.
He moves to me at once, no hesitation. His tall frame slides into the nest and wraps around both Adrian and me in one smooth motion, cocooning me completely between them.
Adrian’s knot stays locked deep inside me, pulsing gently with every breath, while Alex’s broad chest presses to my back. I cozy into him instantly, turning to bury my face against the thump of his heart, inhaling that commanding scent like it is oxygen.
“You left,” I whisper against his collarbone, voice cracking with the heat haze and something deeper. “Don’t leave me again.”
His arms tighten around me, one large hand sliding up my back to cradle the nape of my neck. “I’m right here,” he murmurs, lips brushing my temple. “I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart. I just needed to step out for a few minutes to make some calls.”
The words pull a flicker of lucidity through the fever. I tilt my face up to meet his eyes, the storm of need easing just enough for me to think clearly. “Is everything OK?” I ask.
Alex’s hand strokes slowly down my side, careful of the way I’m still joined with Adrian. His voice stays even, the apex calm I have come to crave.
“Everything is more than OK, love. I spoke with my father first. He’s definitely going to want to meet you soon.
He already sounded proud, Elodie. Really proud.
” A true, boyish smile touches his mouth.
“Then I called your parents. They were a little annoyed they haven’t met the pack yet, but I promised them all a Thanksgiving get together.
They calmed down fast after that. Everyone is happy for us. ”
The last knot of worry inside my chest unravels completely. I relax fully against him, melting into the solid wall of his chest while Adrian’s knot keeps me full and grounded.
For the first time since the heat took hold I feel it deep in my bones… my apex truly has the capacity to look after me and the whole pack. He handled the outside world so I could stay safe in here, lost in them, and he did it without me even having to ask.
Tears prick at the corners of my eyes, but they are grateful this time.
I press a kiss to the center of his chest, right over his heart, and let myself sink deeper into the safety of his arms. Adrian’s knot throbs inside me in answer. Jamie’s hand finds mine and squeezes gently. Chase still sleeps peacefully nearby, his protective presence a promise even in rest.
I am theirs. They are mine. And my apex just proved he will always make sure the rest of the world stays outside while we take care of what matters most in here.
The heat stirs again, low and hungry, but this time it feels like coming home instead of something I have to fight. I close my eyes and breathe them in, completely at peace in the center of my pack.