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Dave seemed to tremble slightly, and I tried to let him go, but he hugged me tighter, cradling me into his arms and pulling one of my legs over his hip. He seemed to need the skin contact right now as much as I did.
My body was limp and the intense heat that had built so quickly, felt banked for the moment, but I could still feel its warmth sliding through me. Waiting to flare to life. For now, I was happy to rest for a moment in my mate’s arms, with the scents of our pack surrounding us.
“Fucking hell, that was intense. Is it always like that?” Dave rubbed his chest, and the movement made me check in with my bonds. The dark patch was gone, replaced by another glowing bright bond linking me to Dave. I sent him love down the bond and his eyes widened as he looked at me in amazement.
I didn’t need to ask him if he was okay with the bonds. Something seemed settled inside him, and I could feel his joy at the connection. We probably should have asked him before we did it, but alphas and omegas were creatures of impulse and instinct. He was going to have to get used to that with all of us.
Although in my defense, he had said to take whatever I needed from him, and I’d needed him to be bonded to all of us. I knew the guys all needed his solid presence as much as I did, too.
“Yeah, pretty much. Although Lex isn’t usually in pain, that was the heat, I think. I’m sure it will settle down now that we’re all bonded,” Dio said, and I realized he’d been right there with me through every claiming. I shot him a sleepy smile, and he reached out to squeeze my hand.
“You all claimed me?” Dave asked, sounding choked up.
“Hell yeah. Lex’s love for you has been clear from the start and you bring a steadiness we all need.” Dio looked Dave straight in the eye as he spoke, daring him to object or deny his words.
“My power is so much calmer now.” Sam sounded thoughtful as he played with strands of my wet hair. He seemed so much more at peace now. I felt the power inside me and he was right. It was almost like a still pond now, with only the gentlest current. Like a warmth pooling in my core.
“You’re right,” Pala said. “I don’t know what would have happened if we hadn’t bonded Dave so quickly. Your power was filtering through us, but it was wild and seeking an anchor. It may have torn our bonds apart if left unchecked.”
“Why didn’t you say something earlier?” Dave demanded, looking aghast that we’d all been in any kind of danger.
“We didn’t know earlier. There’s no manual for this. There haven’t been any known packs in a really long time.” Pala’s use of the word known had me narrowing my eyes at him, but he calmly ignored my stare. He was watching Dave carefully instead.
I looked up at Dave and saw his brow all furrowed. “What’s going on, Dave?”
Dave looked down at me and gave my thigh a slight squeeze before looking around at the guys. “Can I ask a question without you all thinking I’m ungrateful or complaining? Because I’m not, I’m just trying to get my head around this.”
“You can ask us anything you want, Dave,” Sam replied, as he sent Dave one of his rare smiles. Dave blinked rapidly, as if he wasn’t completely unaffected by the haunting beauty of that smile, either.
Dave shifted his gaze up to the skylight, as if the stars held all our secrets. His voice was gruff when he finally spoke. “Only Leif and Maia claimed Max. Why did you all claim me?”
My heart broke a little for him as I sensed his genuine confusion through the bond. I hated that he didn’t see his own value and how much he contributed to our world.
“We all respect you, Dave, and you’ve felt like another brother from the start,” Sam said seriously. “You were Lexie’s pack long before we were. We just needed to make it official.”
“Leif and his mates all had existing relationships that were strong before they met Maia,” Dio added. “Distance had fractured our bond with Pala and you and Lex were denying yours.”
Pala nodded along. “When I met you, Lex was also in danger. Still is. I think we’re all just operating on heightened instincts to build this pack as quickly as we can. We don’t have years to spend building a rapport. It felt right to do it now, so we did it.”
Dave just looked thoughtful. “That sounds logical. It’s just a little strange to me that this doesn’t feel weird, the way you all touch and hug each other constantly. Even feeling all your emotions now. I mean, I know I saw it with Damon and his mates for years, but I always thought it would make me uncomfortable personally. But from the start, I haven’t minded it with you guys. Even when you’re all naked, it seems.”
The guys all laughed, but my mind went in another direction.Bad Lexie, stop picturing them all naked and touching each other.
“You okay there, my heart?” Pala asked with a smirk, as if he knew where my mind had gone. He always seemed to know. I raked my gaze over him where he was sitting casually against the wall of the loft, on the outer edge of the mattress. He was comfortably nude, with one leg bent and his arm resting on it. His long dark locks were still wet, same as mine and there was a bead of water trailing down over his chest toward his hard cock. He looked lickable.
“Yep. Peachy,” I murmured, trying to drag my mind out of the gutter as my nipples pebbled and heat started stroking its fingers down my spine.
I shifted suddenly, feeling uncomfortable, and a sharp burst of pleasure spiked. My next words came out strangled. “Actually,-”
I didn’t need to say more. Pala shifted and crawled towards me. He kissed me as he slid in between Dave and me, while Dave shifted to make room. He fanned the flames the instant his lips grazed mine. I ground back on Sam, still locked on his knot, and a moan slipped from him as his hands wandered from my hair toward my breast.
A pleasure so fierce, I felt more animal than human, slipped me into a rut, and my mates quickly followed as time lost all meaning. There was only the relentless pursuit of heat, hard bodies and a never ending desire I wasn’t sure we could ever satisfy.
thirty-nine
Iheadedtowardsthekitchen two days later, feeling a little sore but sated. Yet also determined. I didn’t regret my heat. It had been fucking magnificent. Emphasis on the fucking. Yet we had lost days we didn’t have. Or the people who were relying on me didn’t have.
I was hoping Isabella & Sirena were in the kitchen, even though it wasn’t meal prep time. I was also hoping I could push my luck and find Maia and Ava there too, so I didn’t have to go hunt them down. Ava had been a gem the last two days, and I needed to thank her for the flow of food, drinks, clean sheets and soft blankets that had arrived during my heat.
