Page 113 of Written in Scent

He moves to me at once, no hesitation. His tall frame slides into the nest and wraps around both Adrian and me in one smooth motion, cocooning me completely between them.

Adrian’s knot stays locked deep inside me, pulsing gently with every breath, while Alex’s broad chest presses to my back. I cozy into him instantly, turning to bury my face against the thump of his heart, inhaling that commanding scent like it is oxygen.

“You left,” I whisper against his collarbone, voice cracking with the heat haze and something deeper. “Don’t leave me again.”

His arms tighten around me, one large hand sliding up my back to cradle the nape of my neck. “I’m right here,” he murmurs, lips brushing my temple. “I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart. I just needed to step out for a few minutes to make some calls.”

The words pull a flicker of lucidity through the fever. I tilt my face up to meet his eyes, the storm of need easing just enough for me to think clearly. “Is everything OK?” I ask.

Alex’s hand strokes slowly down my side, careful of the way I’m still joined with Adrian. His voice stays even, the apex calm I have come to crave.

“Everything is more than OK, love. I spoke with my father first. He’s definitely going to want to meet you soon. He already sounded proud, Elodie. Really proud.” A true, boyish smile touches his mouth. “Then I called your parents. They were a little annoyed they haven’t met the pack yet, but I promised them all a Thanksgiving get together. They calmed down fast after that. Everyone is happy for us.”

The last knot of worry inside my chest unravels completely. I relax fully against him, melting into the solid wall of his chest while Adrian’s knot keeps me full and grounded.

For the first time since the heat took hold I feel it deep in my bones… my apex truly has the capacity to look after me and the whole pack. He handled the outside world so I could stay safe in here, lost in them, and he did it without me even having to ask.

Tears prick at the corners of my eyes, but they are grateful this time.

I press a kiss to the center of his chest, right over his heart, and let myself sink deeper into the safety of his arms. Adrian’s knot throbs inside me in answer. Jamie’s hand finds mine and squeezes gently. Chase still sleeps peacefully nearby, his protective presence a promise even in rest.

I am theirs. They are mine. And my apex just proved he will always make sure the rest of the world stays outside while we take care of what matters most in here.

The heat stirs again, low and hungry, but this time it feels like coming home instead of something I have to fight. I close my eyes and breathe them in, completely at peace in the center of my pack.

Time is moving at a pace I can’t truly comprehend. I’ve already knotted with Jamie and then Chase again in the last wave, yet the heat keeps climbing higher.

Nothing fills the aching emptiness inside me anymore.

My body screams for more, restless and greedy, refusing to settle even though I’m surrounded by my pack. Slick coats my thighs in a cool, slippery sheen. My skin feels too tight, stretched thin over the fire burning beneath it. Every breath drags the thick blend of their scents across my tongue, exactly what I am craving. But it’s not enough. The one scent I want more than air is missing, that dark cedarwood and heat-warmed skin that commands every part of me.

A whine slips from my throat as I shift again, hips rolling uselessly against the nest. Chase lies spent beside me, chest rising and falling in deep, even breaths. Jamie curls against my back, one arm draped loosely over my waist, his playful warmth still lingering on my skin. Adrian watches me with focused eyes from a few feet away. They have all given me everything I asked for and more, yet the heat only sharpens, narrowing down to a single, desperate need.

My apex.

I crawl across the nest on trembling hands and knees, the blankets bunching beneath my palms. Slick trails down the inside of my thigh with every movement. Broken little pleas fall from my lips without permission. “Alex… please… I need you.” My voice cracks, hoarse and needy. “Apex.”

He is already moving toward me.

The moment his dark cedarwood scent floods my senses my entire body lights up like a struck match. Alex pulls me into his arms with effortless strength, one large hand cradling the back of my head while the other bands around my waist. His eyes are dark with love and heat, pupils blown wide as he looks down at me. The rest of the pack watches with proud smiles.

I press my face into the center of his chest and breathe him in like I have been drowning. “Please,” I whisper against his skin. “I need you inside me. I need all of you.”

Alex pulls me closer until there is no space left between us. His scent floods my lungs, rich and commanding, and every inch of my overheated skin sings at the contact. He lays me back against the blankets with reverent care, his large hands sliding down my sides as if he’s mapping sacred ground. I arch into him, desperate for more, but he takes his time.

His mouth finds my throat, my collarbone, the curve of my breast. He worships every inch with open mouthed kisses and gentle scrapes of teeth that make me tremble.

I need him inside me. Now.

I push at his shoulders until he rolls onto his back. Straddling his hips, I reach between us and guide the thick head of his cock to my entrance. Slick coats him instantly and I sink down in one long, smooth motion, taking every inch until he is buried to the hilt. The stretch is perfect, full and deep, and a broken moan tears from my throat.

Alex groans beneath me, his hands gripping my hips as I start to move. At first I ride him slowly, savoring the drag of him against every sensitive place inside me. His eyes stay locked on mine, dark with love and heat. Then the heat surges higher and I can’t hold back.

I brace my hands on his chest and ride him harder, faster, chasing the edge that feels just out of reach. The wet sounds of our bodies fill the nest. My breasts bounce with every downward stroke. Alex meets me thrust for thrust, powerful and controlled, hitting that perfect spot inside me until stars burst behind my eyelids.

His knot begins to swell at the base of his cock. I feel it pressing against my entrance on every downstroke, thick and insistent, promising the fullness I crave. My walls flutter around him. The words spill out of me before I can think.

“Bond me, Alex,” I beg, voice hoarse with desperation. “Please. Make me yours forever.”