I blink, trying to catch my breath, then Raff collapses against my chest, his face buried in my neck as his body trembles with aftershocks.
I can feel his heart hammering against mine, our slick skin pressed together. Cliff wraps his arms around both of us, holding us close as we float back down to earth.
"God," Raff mumbles against my skin. "I think I died."
Cliff chuckles, the vibration rumbling through his chest and into mine. “How about you, baby?” He looks down at me, and I tip my head up so I can see him. "You okay?" he asks.
It's such a simple question. The same one everyone has been asking me all day, and I've been saying yes to all of them with varying degrees of honesty.
But this time I don't have to think about it.
"I’ve never been better." I smile. It’s weak, but completely genuine.
Something in Cliff’s expression shifts, just slightly, and he leans down and kisses my temple. Then his hand comes up and strokes slowly through my hair.
Raff hums softly as I drag my nails across his back. The alpha doesn’t say anything. He simply lays across me, savoring the feeling of his cock buried deep inside me right beside our pack alpha.
Lying there between them in the dim light, I listen totheir soft breathing, I think about how quickly my life has changed in such a short amount of time.
I’m no longer alone.
No longer scared.
I finally get to simply exist.
Loved and safe.
I finally belong to a family again.
Seven AM
Elowen
The coffee makercomes to life, gurgling and hissing on the counter. I stand in front of it with both hands wrapped around an empty mug, watching the dark liquid drip into the pot.
I wish like hell it would brew faster. I’m in desperate need of caffeine.
I shift my weight from one foot to the other and bite down on a smile like an idiot.
I can't remember the last time I woke up feeling like this.
Not only the physical part, though that is considerable. Every muscle below my waist is making its presence known. My thighs are so sore that walking down the stairs this morning felt like a challenge. And the deep, satisfied ache between my legs didn’t help either…not that I’m complaining.
But it’s what I feel beneath it. The warm, loose feelingof someone who slept deeply and without fear, sandwiched between two big alphas that didn't let go of me all night.
The machine gives one last hiss then goes quiet, and I immediately reach for the pot.
"Good morning!"
I spin around so fast, I nearly take the coffee pot with me.
Perrin is at the bottom of the stairs, his honey-blond curls flattened on one side and his eyes bright despite the early hour. He's wearing a faded grey shirt and a pair of navy sweatpants. He looks so genuinely delighted to find me standing in his kitchen that something in my chest does a small, involuntary somersault.
"Morning." I smile, pressing a hand to my sternum. "You scared me half to death."
"Sorry," he grimaces slightly as he crosses to the cabinet and pulls down a mug. "You're up early."
"I'm an early bird," I say as I pour myself a steaming cup.
