Page 186 of Lyric & the Heartbeats

“Can I be the smallest spoon?” Nohen asked.

As they began to argue for sleeping positions, Lyric’s chest swelled so full she thought she might burst.

“Guys! It doesn’t matter who sleeps where, as long as it’s next to me.”

Her outburst paused their argument for exactly three seconds before Nohen turned to Emerson and poked a finger in his chest. “Exactly.”

Then Nohen grabbed her hand and pulled her into the bunk room, down onto the mattresses, and wrapped her in his arms before the others could follow. They grumbled and groaned, but instead of joining them, Henry shut the door to the bunk room with a wink.

Lyric ran her fingers through Nohen’s loose curls as they settled into the mattresses. It had grown quite a bit on tour, and now they almost dangled over his forehead. Nohen caught her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. “I know I’m not an alpha, so I can’t bond with you, but—”

“You’re as much a part of the pack as any of the alphas. Just because they get a fancy mark doesn’t mean you matter any less to me than they do.”

Nohen’s eyes softened, and Lyric pulled him to her for a kiss. Their lips melded together, his clean, bright scent like a balm to wash away everything else. The other alphas, the fear, the adrenaline. It all disappeared.

Nohen leaned his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling in the shared space. And with it, Nohen murmured, “I love you, Lyric. I’m glad you’re okay,” framing her cheek with his hand.

Lyric’s heart stuttered to a halt before it thumped into overdrive. “I love you too,” she admitted. Placing her hand over his own, she gripped it tightly and brushed her lips over his fingers. Then a giggle escaped. It bubbled in her chest until she couldn’t contain it, and she buried her head in Nohen’s chest to muffle the sound.

“Why are you laughing?” he asked. She could hear the smile in his voice despite his worried tone.

“Because I’m happy,” she replied. She wanted to shout it from the rooftops, but sharing the confession with Nohen in the privacy of the bunk area would have to do.

“Good,” he murmured, and stole another kiss before letting her giggle into his chest.

Hours later, she woke up curled into Adra’s chest, with Nohen’s back pressed against hers. Oops.

Her dream faded away before she could remember it clearly, but for some reason Nohen’s voice was echoing in her thoughts.

I know I’m not an alpha, so I can’t bond with you, but—

“Hi,” Adra whispered, voice deep and so low she wondered if she’d imagined it.

“Hi. What time is it?”

“It’s around four. Go back to sleep,” Adra told her.

Lyric tried to do just that, but it didn’t come easily. Doubts crept in under the shadows of night, and despite the strength she found in the comforting, easy breaths of Adra and Nohen and the others, she couldn’t fend them off.

“I can hear you thinking. What’s wrong?” Adra murmured.

Lyric squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in Adra’s chest, marshmallow sweetness filling her lungs. “I want to do something for Nohen. Since we can’t… bond.”

“What did you have in mind?”

Lyric chewed her bottom lip as she rolled the thought over in her mind. She didn’t want Nohen to feel left out. It wouldn’t be the same as a bond mark, but…

“What if we got a tattoo together? Is that laughable?”

Adra chuckled, the sound bouncing his chest against her. “I think Nohen would be over the moon about that.”

Her heart pounded against her chest, and she resisted the urge to lean over, wake Nohen up, and pitch the idea to him in the middle of the night.

Adra tugged her close as if he could sense what she was thinking, and completely wiped all thoughts from her mind by drifting his lips over her collarbone. Over the bond mark. It sent shivers dancing down her spine, awareness tickling across her senses.

“Nohen’s a little spoiled, and you’re only going to feed that side of him.”

Lyric chuckled at the thought. “Good. I want him to feel spoiled. I want you all to.”