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I crash straight into a solid chest.

Toasted tonka bean. Cashmeran. Cardamom.

Xar.

His hands come up to steady me, warm and careful. “Easy,” he murmurs.

I flinch away, my breath coming too fast. “I–I need to be alone.”

“No, you don’t,” Dane says firmly from the doorway.

Huh? Why isn’t he in the nest? Where did he go? Why did he leave us?

A whimper slips out.

“You don’t have to do this alone, Evie. It will beworsein fact if you do,” Xar insists.

My body betrays me, drawn to their warmth even as my mind screams at me to run.

“Worse?” I press my hands to my temples, trying to block out the way my body aches, the way my head pounds.

Fuck. I’m so conflicted. What do I want right now?

“It hurts more, Evie.”

“I don’t know how to do this,” I whisper.

A beat of silence, then Xar speaks, voice steady and reassuring. “Let us help, little dew drop. We know what to do.”

Blaise chuckles, the sound light despite the tension. “You’re looking at a very experienced team, sweetheart. We’ve got you.”

My omegahatessomething about what he just said and I want to snap at him, but another wave of heat rolls through me, curling low in my stomach, making my legs shake. I grip the nearest blanket and roll onto my side, squeezing my eyes shut.

“I don’t—” My voice breaks. “I’ve always suppressed it. I don’t know what to do. Dane said…he said…”

Xar kneels beside me, his presence grounding. “You don’t have to know. You just have to listen to what you need. Your body and your omega are going to tell you.”

I open my eyes, blinking up at him. His expression is so patient, so certain, that something inside me cracks.

I don’t know how to do this. But maybe…maybe I don’t have to.

I swallow hard and nod. “Okay. I need…something to make the pain stop,” I gasp around strikes of lightning coursing through my body. “Painkillers?” I ask hopefully.

Blaise chuckles and I snarl at him, causing him to put his hands in the air placatingly and mumble a quick apology.

Xar smiles, a slow, reassuring thing. “Let’s start with getting you into your nest properly. Dane will have the real one done soon, sweetheart. He only needs another hour or so, sweetheart. Can you wait? We’ll get you a drink and some snacks. You’re going to need your strength.”

Xar helps me settle on the sofa, tucking pillows around me as my body shudders through another wave of heat. I’m sohotbut I want to burrow under the blankets and bury myself. Is that normal? It can’t be normal. It’sinsane.

I let them guide me, their hands careful, their voices steady. They make sure I feel safe, that I know I’m in control. And for the first time in my life, I let go. I trust them. I know they’ll take care of me.

The room smells like them – it makes my inner omega purr. It should be overwhelming, but it’s not. It’s comforting. Safe. And I can’t help but drift off.

I don’t know how long I stay curled up in the temporary nest before Dane finally speaks.

“Evie,” he says softly. “I have something for you, wildflower.”

I lift my head, bleary-eyed. “What?”