I stare at the screen for a moment longer, that familiar flicker of worry tightening my chest. Then I sigh and slip the phone back into my pocket. Whatever it is, I’ll deal with it tomorrow.
Tadeo’s voice booms from the living room, “What the fuck happened to the recliner?”
Before I can move, Dakota fires back, deadpan: “Alex broke it on purpose.”
“I didnot!”
“He did,” Skyla chimes in, her tone all sunshine and sweetness. “I saw it.”
Alex’s shout echoes down the hall. “The absolute betrayal!”
And like magic, the tension from Robert’s text fades, replaced by something far warmer.
Home.
The Middle of the Night
Skyla
My eyes fly open.
I can’t breathe. My chest heaves, heartbeat slamming against my ribs so hard it hurts. The room is too dark as sweat runs down my sides, sticking the sheets to my skin.
My head snaps up, pulse racing, air scraping at my throat. It takes me a moment to realize where I am.I’m in my nest.
Home.
Safe.
I drag in a shaky breath, trying to slow the rush in my chest. Whatever chased me through that dream is gone now, already slipping through my memories. The edges of it blur, fading into nothing, leaving only the hollow ache and the tremor in my hands.
I scrub both palms over my face, as if I can erase the fear along with the sweat. “It was just a dream,” I whisper to no one, the words shaky but real. “Just a dream.”
The room is dark and quiet, except for the soft, steady sounds of my pack breathing around me. A sliver of moonlight cuts through the tiny window, silvering the floor and catching on the edges of the blankets.
Knox and Dakota are curled together on one side of the bed, tangled in sheets and each other. Knox’s arm is slung over Dakota’s waist, his chest pressed to the beta’s back, both of them snoring softly—one low and rumbling, the other a quiet whistle through his nose.
Tadeo’s practically on top of me, his heavy warmth pinning me down in the best way. One arm lies across my stomach, the other tucked under his head, his breath slow and deep against my shoulder.
And Alex is draped over Tadeo like a second blanket, arm thrown wide, his messy hair tickling the back of Tadeo’s neck.
The bed is a maze of limbs, heat, and sleepy scent—cherries, citrus, lime, and lilac blending into something that smells safe and sweet.
For a long minute, I just lie there, staring at the faint outline of the dark twinkle lights along the wall, trying to slow my racing pulse and fall back asleep, but the pressure in my bladder wins out. I sigh softly and start to wiggle free from Tadeo’s grasp, inch by inch, praying I don’t disturb the warm tangle of bodies.
But Tadeo stirs the second I move. His arm tightens reflexively around my waist, pulling me closer.
“Sky?” he murmurs, voice thick with sleep. “What do you need, omega? I’ll get it.” His breath is hot against the back of my neck, his words slow and slurred.
“I’m just going to the bathroom,” I whisper.
He hums in acknowledgment but still shifts like he’sabout to get up, muscles bunching next to me. I press my hand to his chest, gently pushing him back down. “No. Stay. Go back to sleep.”
For half a second, he resists—some instinct refusing to let me go alone—but then his body eases, heavy and warm against the blankets.
“Okay,” he breathes, already halfway gone again.
I wait until his breathing evens out, then slip free of his hold, the cool air brushing my skin where his heat had been.
