AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sliding out of bed as quietly as possible, I made my way to the bathroom for a quick shower and my morning routine. By the time I finished, they were all awake, or at least trying to be. A glance at the clock told me it was just now nine.
“Breakfast is still going. Is anyone hungry?” I asked. Kane groaned in response, flopping back and covering his face.
“Why are you so awake right now?”
I laughed. “I’m used to five a.m. This was a rare luxury. Weren’t you guys early risers before this?”
“Unfortunately.” Niko stood up and came over, tucking my wet hair behind my ear. “You didn’t go into full heat?”
I shrugged. “It happens sometimes. I’m guessing we fully bonded last night, and it triggered a remnant of heat, but I’m not due for another two months.” With fated mates, there were two ways to connect: bonding and claiming. We’d bonded last night, solidifying that we were choosing each other. But when they claimed me as theirs, it would be a permanent mark. For shifters and vampires, that meant a bite, and for witches and dragons, it was a magical brand that permanently melded our hearts, souls, and scents together, letting the world know that we were tied together for life. I briefly wondered if Levi and Niko had a brand, or if they’d waited for me. Was I okay with it if they hadn’t waited? It took all of two seconds to know I was, that their relationship wasn’t hinging on ours.
“That happens?” Levi asked. It was funny how different omega men and women were, but it was totally unsurprising that he didn’t know this. Since male omegas couldn’t get pregnant, they missed out on the heat aspect. It was kind of a nice tradeoff in some ways. They still got the pampering and protection, if they wanted it, but they didn’t have to become a hormonal, pleading mess. Now that I had my mates, I felt like I would enjoy future heats, but in the past, I would have given just about anything to avoid the pain and loneliness of an unfulfilled heat cycle.
“You guys get lucky since you miss out on the heat and babies aspects, but yeah. Sometimes when a mate bond forms, it can be a full heat or just a peek at it, like this. I’m not complaining about it stopping so quickly. I want to eat and have a normal day. Plus, I need to stock up the cabin,” I said, pulling on my shoes. My nest was good, but it wasn’t quite… complete.Then again, it didn’t have their scents in it yet.Time to steal some clothes.
“It certainly made for a fun night,” Kane said, giving me a wink. My cheeks flamed, but I didn't say anything back. It had been the best night of my damn existence, that was for certain. Just the reminder of it had me turned on all over again, which was made all the more obvious by the guys sniffing the air and narrowing their eyes.
“It did, but we are leaving,” I said firmly, laughing at their defeated sighs.
The guys managed to pull themselves together enough for breakfast in a few minutes, then we headed down. Of course, West was still working the desk, and his face morphed into a grin the moment he spotted us.
“Oh, they emerge!” he called out with a cackle. “Didn’t figure I’d see you surface for a solid week.”
“No,” I told him, eyes wide in horror, but he was on a roll.
“You boys might need to up your game. If there’s four of you and you all look this well rested, someone needs to build their stamina,” he joked. Thankfully, we were saved by the guests, a group of sorority girls needing to check out.
“Do you want help after this?” I asked, eyeing the stairs then him. If they were checking out, there’d be a steady flow for a few hours minimum.
He turned serious and shook his head. “No, you enjoy your day. I’ll take tomorrow off.” I nodded and mouthed ‘thank you.’ It was sweet that he was giving me a chance to spend the day with them. With our schedules, it might not be so easy in the future.
“Shut up! There’s french toast?!” Kane asked, finally awake now. He rushed ahead and grabbed a tray without waiting for any of us.
“See? Not a dick all the time,” Niko said, handing trays to me and Levi before taking one for himself. Avi was too far back, so he grabbed his own and followed. I was starving after last night, so I piled my plate with french toast and bacon before hitting the coffee bar. I was awake, but it still felt like an espresso kind of day.
“So, what’s the plan?” Levi asked around a bite of food. We’d all sat down and chewed in silence for a few minutes, but the omega didn’t seem to be a fan of quiet.
“Kylan and his group are settled in, and I want to check in with them,” Niko answered. “If everyone wants to come, maybe we can check out the town a bit more? We could brainstorm ideas for our own real estate.” That had me pausing. Every single time I’d considered my future, it included Mountainview. Could I leave West? This hotel and life? I wasn’t sure that was possible.
“I think we have a few things to discuss before then,” Avi said darkly. My radar went off as tension spread around them like a second skin. All thoughts of buying houses faded, and I studied them, worried what those ‘few things to discuss’ could be to elicit this reaction.
“You’re right,” Kane sighed. “Today would be a good day for that.”
“I’m a little scared now,” I half-joked. But really, the way they were talking was ominous. Zehra popped into my mind, present now that my hackles were rising.
‘And we thought dragons would be the biggest secret,’she said.‘Don’t worry, it won’t be bad.’
‘I hope not,’I agreed.‘Is it weird that I almost don’t care what it is? I doubt there’s anything these men could tell me that would have me running for the mountains. I’ve seen their character.’
“What’s Zehra saying?” Avi asked. As he said it, they all stared intently at me, the air scenting with their worry.
“The same thing I am—that it doesn’t really matter what it is. It won’t change my opinion of you,” I said with a shrug to show my indifference. “I care what you have to say, and I’m glad there won’t be any more secrets between us, but it’s not going to shift my view.”
Niko reached over and squeezed my hand, the look in his eyes unreadable. Judging by the softness there, it was a good thing. “We are lucky witches, Farren.”
“You are,” I agreed, spearing a bite of french toast and popping it into my mouth. He openly laughed at my snark before taking his hand back and downing half of his coffee. “So who are your friends?”
“Kylan is a witch, someone I know from university,” Niko explained. “He’s an alpha, and he apparently found a mate… who’s also fate-bonded to an alpha wolf, an alpha vampire,anda beta wolf.” My eyes widened. Having more than one alpha was not that common for most groupings, but mixing species of alphas? That was usually a recipe for disaster. No part of me wanted to walk in on some territorial alphas fighting for dominance.
