The loss of control creeping in.
Silas noticed the frantic, panicked shift in me immediately. His expression changed, focusing urgently, as he reached for a pair of wire cutters and snapped the restraints from my wrists.
“Knox!” he shouted. “I need you—now!”
Footsteps thundered from upstairs, fast and heavy, followed by the basement door swinging open. He descended, worry already threading his scent.
“Hey—look at me, Lena,” Silas said, his voice dropping, trying to ground me with a low purr. “You’re okay. You’re safe. I’ve got you.”
But another contraction hit, stronger this time, pulling a broken sound from me as I folded in on myself. My hands gripped my knees, dragging them to my chest as I tried to focus on his voice, on anything that would anchor me.
Then Knox was there.
Both of them closed in, their presence immediate, overwhelming in a different way now, as two low, steady purrs filled the space, soothing and constant.
Tears slipped down my face, and before I could completely fall apart, Knox pulled me into his arms, pressing me firmly against his chest.
“You’re alright,” he murmured. “We’ve got you.”
“She’s going into heat,” Knox said, his tone turned accusatory as he looked at Silas. “What did you do?”
Silas ran a hand through his pale hair, tension lacing hisposture.
“I was just teasing her a bit,” he said, an edge of defensiveness in his voice.
Knox shot him a look.
“Notthe time.”
“Exactlythe time,” Silas shot back. “She’s due, Knox! Her suppressants, which I didn't even want her taking in the first place, are long gone. She needs this. Dr. Hampton’s been preparing her, so she’s ready."
Then he added with conviction, "Lena's not fragile anymore.She never was.”
Knox didn’t respond right away.
Focus shifted back to me, his hand gently wiping the tears from my cheeks. Every touch was comforting, nothing like the chaos swirling inside me.
“Lena,” he said softly.
I forced myself to meet his eyes.
“Are you ready for your heat?” he asked. “With us?”
His question cut through my panic just enough to reach me.
Choice.Mychoice.
Knox and Silas had bought every kind of heat assist on the market. Large silicone dildos, each designed with faux knots at their base. They both agreed that if I wasn’t ready when the time came, I had other options.
But the last thing I wanted was to endure another heat alone, even with tools meant to help. No. Heat wasn’t just arousal or pleasure. It was something deeper than that.
Connection.
And I had been disconnected for so long, starving for the kind of closeness heat was meant to bring.
So I nodded, even as my body trembled.
I was ready.I had to be.
