AllFreeNovel
Share Us
QUINN
For years, I’ve been struggling to exist in their presence. For years, I’ve tried not to inhale too deep, to not let their scents burrow too far, and all this time, Dylan has come to me to breathe easier.
A little piece of my heart that Brady shattered stitches back together.
Dylan needed me.
He pinches his eyes shut and drops his head to my shoulder, sighing in relief, like that simple act has lifted a thousand-pound weight off his shoulder. I glance at Austin. He’s staring at us with such open longing, it breaks something inside of me.
I had every intention of pushing them away. I was going to revert back to pretending like they were nothing to me, but I can’t deny them. I can’t hold out when Austin looks at me as though I’m everything and Dylan holds me like I’m the only thing keeping him from floating away.
Austin is moving toward us before I can speak. Dylan’s hands wrap around me and pull me against his body, and then Austin is there, draping himself against my back. They cocoon me, freshrain and amber surrounding me, and breath by breath, they put together the parts of me Brady broke.
I don’t know how long we stay like that, but at some point, my stomach growls and we break apart. Austin kisses the top of my head, fingers coasting down my spine, and then heads back to make the food. I begin to draw away, but Dylan spins me around and pulls me into his lap. A soft puff of air passes through my lips as his arms come around me, keeping my back safely secured against his chest.
The two of them fall into conversation, but I can’t find my voice. Neither of them point it out or make me feel awkward. They simply carry me through Austin cooking, bringing me along for the ride. Dylan’s hands run up and down my arms. Austin asks me about my side business and internship search. They carefully skirt around the heavier conversations, and by the time dinner is over, I’m exhausted.
“What do you need, little omega?” Dylan grabs my plate, doing his part and cleaning up, since Austin cooked.
I need...so much. But once I start asking for things, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop, and if I can’t stop, then we’ll end up in an even bigger mess than we’re already in.
Austin eyes me from across the table. “I can see you overthinking it.”
“Things are complicated.”
He nods. “Maybe. But that doesn’t change what you need. Let us help you.”
“I want to,” I admit, spinning my water glass over the smooth surface of the table. “But I’m scared of what happens when our parents get home.”
“We’ll figure it out.” Dylan says this over his shoulder as he finishes rinsing off a few plates. “It’s not like we have any control over it.”
“I don’t want to ruin what they have.” I look between the two of them. “Us being scent matches could destroy them.”
“Have you seen our parents together? It’ll take a lot more than us being a pack to ruin their relationship.” Austin stands and walks toward me. Every step he takes is in time with the beating of my heart. His light blue eyes hold mine, and when he smiles and his dimples appear, I forget how to breathe. Gently, he pulls me from my seat, and I let him, despite knowing it’s wrong.
“What if they hate it?” My mind races, thinking over all the worst-case scenarios. Mom, heartbroken and crying. Me, left with nothing. The guys, leaving. I don’t think I can handle being the reason for everything falling apart.
I don’t think I can stomach losing the guys.
Emotions clog my throat, and the world grows hazy, the weight of it all threatening to pull me under.
Austin gently places one hand around my throat, the pads of his fingers resting over my pulse point. The weight of his hand is a link, a manacle, but instead of making me feel helpless, it grounds me. Keeps me present. “Breathe, pretty girl.”
Holding his sky-blue eyes, I take a shaky breath. Then Dylan is there, pressing into my back and running his fingers down my arms, coiling around me. Their touch. Their scents. Their presence erases everything. How did I live without this for so long?
My body heats, wanting things my mind isn’t ready for. “Can we...snuggle?”
Austin’s fingers gently flex on my neck, his thumb brushing over my pulse. “Whatever you want, it’s yours.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” I whisper, remembering how Brady gave me everything, then ripped it away. It’s not fair to compare Austin and Dylan to their brother.They’ve never been like him. As much as I want to hate Brady for what he did, part of me still craves him.
“How long have you known?” Dylan asks, lips brushing over my neck.
I gasp at the contact.
Austin’s gaze darkens with desire, and one of his hands finds my hips.
But that’s all they give me. They don’t push. They don’t take. They wait. And I love them for that.
