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A sense of urgency grips me as I realize there’s a breach of security. They must be having a meeting. That explains the unsettling feeling I have. Hastily, I drop the phone onto the mattress and grab a sheet, wrapping it around my body. My hair is a tangled mess, and when I stand, I feel... well, let’s just say it’s clear what I’ve been doing for the past two days.
Screw it.
My legs tremble as I cross the mattress. There’s no way I’m staying up here if something serious is happening. My whole body aches from two days of relentless knotting and sex. I should feel elated by that fact, but I don’t. Instead, I’m irritated with them and whoever dared to interrupt our perfect week. Biting my cheek, I open the door to the rest of the attic, finding it deserted. I step out, and a chill wraps around my bare legs. The only heated part of this place is the nest.
I pad across the attic to the spiral staircase, descending the steps cautiously, straining my ears for any sound. Following the same path as the other day, I enter the hall. At this end, there’s a window with a seat beneath it. Peering outside, I see nothing but a blanket of endless white. The storm must be at its peak.
Who would venture out in this?
Frowning, I head toward the railing that overlooks the living room. My hand rests on the cool wooden banister as I peer over. The television is off, and the entire room is empty and unwelcoming.
Then, the lights flicker once, twice, followed by a strange electrical sound, and everything plunges into darkness. I hear one of the guys curse, a door slam, then muted murmurs. We just lost electricity in the middle of a blizzard. That can’t be good.
Creeping down the steps,I’m extra cautious not to step on any squeaky slats. An overpowering instinct tells me to stay silent and remain unnoticed. It’s so strong, so overwhelming, that I don’t even consider fighting it. It’s a primal, caveman-like reaction people talk about, the knowing that staying quiet is crucial for survival.
From what?
I can’t stand the confusion and tension building inside me as I move past the living room toward the kitchen, drawn by the low, indistinct murmurs. The door is slightly ajar, swinging gently from someone recently passing through it.
Instead of entering, I press myself against the wall by the hinges. I reek of sex and our combined scents. Ashton once joked that we smell like gingerbread cookies, and he’s not wrong. Unless the guys showered, they’ll carry the same scent and hopefully won’t detect mine.
Straining to listen, I slow my breathing and heart rate, quieting the pounding in my ears.
“We can’t leave her outside. She will die.” Max’s voice, tinged with an alpha growl, seeps under the door, hitting me squarely in the chest.
Who are they talking about?
“You need to use your common sense, Max,” Ashton counters, his voice strained with tension.
The sound of footsteps pacing back and forth suggests Avery is also in the room. Known for his restlessness, even in calm times, his compulsion to move becomes almost unbearable during emergencies. It’s as if I can feel the breeze his movements create slipping under the door.
“Using common sense is exactly what I’m doing,” Max retorts. “At my core, I’m a doctor. My oath is to heal those in need, not to abandon them to die.”
“You swore an oath to see Seraphina through her heat, remember?” Avery’s anger is palpable, reverberating against the door.
Desperately pressing my fingers to my mouth, I try to remain silent. What in the world is happening?
“Fuck you. Don’t you dare throw Seraphina in my face like that. You know how I feel. Don’t make me choose between her and another innocent who needs me,” Max retorts, his alpha authority threading through his words.
“Max,” Ashton interjects, “if you go out there in the snow right now, you’ll have the scent of another woman on you. Seraphina is in the middle of her heat. She won’t be in her right mind to understand.”
Another woman? My emotions churn like a turbulent sea. Ashton is right. Even the thought of another woman anywhere near this house ignites furious jealousy within me.
Breathing through clenched teeth, I nearly hiss as I struggle to regain control. I try to reason with myself. If someone is in danger or dying, Max, as a doctor, needs to help. This isn’t about me, it’s about doing what’s right.
Despite understanding the logic in my own words, my heat threatens to obliterate all reason. There’s a reason why, during an omega’s heat, the entire pack goes into lockdown. We’rereduced to primal instincts. Instinctively, any omega or person outside the pack, no matter how innocent, is perceived as a threat.
This woman, whoever she is, poses a threat to my nest—a nest that, logically, isn’t even truly mine.
Grinding my teeth, I try to focus on the conversation, but my heart thunders too loudly in my ears. I do catch the sound of a door slamming and Ashton’s exasperated voice.
“Fuck, what do we do?” Ashton’s voice is laced with frustration.
There’s a lengthy pause before Avery responds. “I don’t know. We need to hide her so Seraphina never finds out.”
“That’s illogical, and you know it,” Ashton counters.
The idea of them keeping secrets from me is infuriating. I bite down on my cheek, hard enough to taste the sharp tang of iron on my tongue.
