He wants this.
He wants her.
Alex lets out a low whistle, blinking between us. “Tonight? Are you sure?” His brow furrows. “Isn’t that a little fast? Going from you toall of us?”
“If this was about moving fast because one of us got impatient, I’d wait,” I tell him. “But it’s not about us. It’s aboutherand her health.”
“Is the doctor that worried?” The corners of Alex’s mouth pull down.
“Yes.” I push through the tightness in my chest. “Skyla has lost her pack bonds. She’s been living in silence where there should be voices. That’s gotta be so isolating for her. And every day without a bond chips away at her, making her weaker. Losing a mate can kill an omega, and being rejected makes it that much more painful.” I push a long breath out, sure in my decision. “It would be cruel to drag that out.”
Alex’s frown eases, his eyes going softer. Tadeo’s jaw isstill locked, but I catch the way his throat works, like he’s swallowing hard. While he’s young and still struggling with all kinds of urges, I know him too well—he’s more controlled than any other alpha I’ve ever met of his age. He’s strong and tender, and I know for a fact he’d never hurt Skyla.
“She needs to feel all of us,” I go on, quieter now. “She needs to know she’s safe, claimed, and surrounded by love and affection from her whole pack. If we wait too long, that hole inside her will only get deeper.” I shake my head, breathing out. “So no, I don’t think it’s too soon. I think this is what’ll keep her alive.”
“How…” Tadeo clears his throat roughly. “How do we do this?”
“Has it been so long, you’ve already forgotten how to fuck a woman?” Alex immediately jumps in with a joke, clearly too uncomfortable with the weight of the conversation.
“Shut up,” Tadeo snaps at the red-haired alpha, before turning back to me. “With Dakota, we all went slow. Each of us was with him one by one before inviting him to be with all of us at the same time. Alex and I don’t know her body. What she likes, doesn’t like. How fast, slow, hard or soft.”
“It’s okay,” I say. “Don’t touch her until I give you permission. Then go slow. Skyla is fragile—but she’s strong too. And she’s ours. We need to show her that.” I nod firmly, like I’ve never been more confident in my life, but my chest feels like it’s caving in.
Because the truth is, I’m praying to every damn deity there might be, that this isn’t the wrong call—that showing her all of us at once won’t traumatize her.
The last thing I want is to carve scars deeper than the ones she’s already carrying.
The Bathroom
Skyla
Dakota’s fingerscomb through my hair, slick with suds. His blunt nails brush against my scalp, making my toes curl against the porcelain. He’s mid-story, grinning so wide his face must hurt.
“So there’s Alex,” he says, all drama in his voice, “showing off like he always does. And he gets this brilliant idea to flip the damn tractor tire—really laying it on, flexing those big boy muscles.”
I giggle, tipping my head back into his hands as he scrubs.
“And what happens?” he goes on, eyes flashing with mischief. “He flips it way too hard, and the damn thing goes rogue. It landsrighton Knox’s foot.”
My mouth drops open. “No!”
Dakota barks out a laugh as he dips a plastic cup into the tub, then begins rinsing away the shampoo. “Broke two of Knox’s toes. You should’ve heard the cussing. I thought he was gonna take Alex’s head off.”
I feel awful for laughing, but I can't help myself. “Poor Knox,” I say, covering my smile with a soapy hand.
Dakota cuts me a look. “He’s an alpha, Sky. By the next day, those piggies were good as new. Healed like it never happened.”
I tilt my head toward him, leaning toward his lovely lilac scent. He’s so close I can see the flecks of gold in his honey-colored eyes and the smattering of freckles scattered across the bridge of his nose. He’s handsome in a way that feels young and boyish, almost disarming.
And I can’t help but wonder just how soft those lips are.
“Do you want to know a secret?” Dakota’s voice dips lower as he glances toward the doorway. Then he leans right against my ear, clearly not wanting the alphas to hear. “Knox’s pinky toe is still a little crooked—and he gets real pissed at Alex when people point it out. So if Alex is ever annoying you, just bring up Knox’s funky toe and watch our pack alpha tear into him.”
“I’ll remember that.” I laugh, but it’s more nerves than anything else.
How can a beta smell so good?
Dakota shifts as he sits back up, his tiny footstool scraping against the tile. I stare at his bare chest as he leans back. The soft grooves in his abs and broad shoulders catch the light from the tiny bathroom window. I can’t help watching the way his arms flex as he drags the washcloth slowly over my arms, then across my chest.
