My whole body goes taut.
I let out a growl, sharp and wild, a warning before I can stop myself. The beta freezes, palms lifting in surrender, like he’s facing a wounded animal that might bite.
“Sorry,” he murmurs. “I just want to help. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Upset doesn’t even begin to fucking cover it.
My nerves are shredded; my body’s one long ache. Every inch of me hurts, and the pain twists with something hotter with each passing second.
And Tadeo’s at fucking work.
How dare he.
“Strip,” Knox whispers to Dakota. “Show her what she needs.”
Dakota’s gaze flickers to Knox, like he’s unsure. Then he moves slowly, tugging his boxers down his legs. The sound of fabric sliding against skin feels too loud in the room. When he straightens, all I can see is his perfect beta cockpointing at me. Swift hunger cuts through the pain. I lick my lips without meaning to, breath catching as the air thickens with his scent.
I want him—want all of them. The urge claws at me from the inside, equal parts fury and craving. I don’t want anyone touching my nest, but I want them in it. I want to be wrapped up, held down, surrounded until the shaking stops.
“Omega.” Knox takes half a step forward, letting his shins bump against the side of the bed. “Let us in, sweetheart. Let us tend to you. Your whole pack will be here soon.” His voice rolls through me, calm and steady, but I can’t make myself move.
I know he’s right—my bodyknowshe’s right—but everything inside me rebels. It feels wrong. The nest isn’t ready. Tadeo isn’t here.
I shake my head hard, clutching a fistful of blankets like I can somehow keep myself from breaking open. “No,” I whisper, the word cracking apart on my tongue. My throat burns. “Not, not yet.”
My breath stutters, uneven and shallow. Every muscle trembles with effort as pain tightens in my chest and belly until it’s all I can do to stay upright. “I need—” I swallow hard, forcing the words out even as my voice splinters. “I need Tadeo too.” Hot tears prick my eyes. “Ineedmy whole pack.”
Then it hits.
A cramp so sharp it knocks the air out of my lungs. My knees buckle and I collapse forward, catching myself on trembling hands. Fire races through my stomach, and slick pourseverywhere. It pools beneath me, covering my thighs, ass, and soaking the nest.
It’s too much. Too fast. I can’t breathe.
My mouth opens to scream, but all that comes out is astrangled sound, half gasp, half sob. The room blurs around the edges, twisting and spinning until all I can feel is pain, followed by emptiness.
The sensation hits so suddenly it feels like a switch being flipped — one moment, my body is strung tight and shaking; the next, my pussy is wide open, aching for a big, thick alpha cock.
A tremor racks my body as I shift onto my knees, the sound of my own breathing loud and unsteady in my ears. Leaning forward, I press my cheek to the blankets with my ass in the air. Someone growls in approval behind me, but I don’t look. I’m too busy pushing my fingers between my slippery folds.
My pussy radiates so much heat as I pump in and out, rubbing slick circles around my swollen clit, then dip back in again. My nipples tighten and rub against the blanket beneath me.
My first orgasm builds slowly, painfully, like something stuck behind glass. When it hits, it’s shallow at best—a flash of heat, then nothing but emptiness clawing through me. It leaves me trembling, hollow, wrecked.
The release does nothing to help. It just makes things worse.
My muscles spasm, my skin burns, my pulse pounds everywhere all at once.
I can’t stop shaking.
A sob rips out of me, raw and broken. “I can’t—” The words crumble in my throat. “It won’t stop. Puh, please.” I curl tighter, begging anyone to just stop the pain. “Help.”
“Baby.” Knox’s voice is so close. “Tadeo’s almost here,” he murmurs, low and soft. “Let us in, omega. Let your mates give you what you need.”
I turn my face toward him, trying to focus through thefog of pain and heat. Knox’s dark green eyes locked onto mine—steady, calm, grounding.
I manage a small, jerky nod and whisper, “Okay.”
Dakota’s the first to move. He scrambles into the nest, his movements clumsy with panic, but his touch gentle. His hands find my lower back, rubbing me, trying to soothe the tremors that rack through me. His palms are cool against my burning skin, the contrast so sharp it makes me hiss through my teeth.
