Page 83 of Pack Plus One

LEAH

The house is dark when they carry me inside, every curtain drawn, every light dimmed to a soft amber glow. The air is thick with their combined scents. Dark chocolate and espresso on my tongue. Citrus and woodsmoke in my nose. Old books and rain like a soothing blanket over my brain. And sandalwood and crisp autumn air along my skin. They’re layered so deep I can only soak them in.

My body thrums with heat, my nerves electric, my skin hypersensitive to every brush of fabric, every whisper of air. Slick pools between my thighs, the scent of my arousal mingling with their pheromones in a heady, intoxicating blend that makes my head spin.

Caleb doesn’t set me down. He carries me past the living room, past the kitchen, up the stairs and down a hallway I don’t recognize, his arms like steel bands around me. Each step jostles me against his hard chest, sending ripples of sensation through my oversensitive body.

“Where—?” My voice is hoarse, the word catching in my throat as another wave of heat pulses through me.

Jude grins, trailing a finger up my bare calf where my sweatpants have ridden up. Even that light touch sends electricity arcing through my system. “You’ll see.”

Mason moves ahead to open a door at the end of the hallway, Liam following close behind. The door swings open, and my breath catches.

It’s a nest.

A real one. Not the haphazard pile of blankets I’d started in my apartment.This is theirs.

The room is large, dominated by what appears to be a custom-built bed—wider than a king, sunken slightly into the floor, and piled high with blankets, pillows, and clothing that unmistakably belongs to each of them.

The walls are a soft pink, the carpet thick beneath Caleb’s feet. The blackout curtains are drawn, but subtle recessed lighting casts everything in a warm glow. In one corner, I spot a mini-fridge and what looks like a carefully organized supply station—water bottles, protein bars, and first aid supplies.

I stiffen in Caleb’s arms, suddenly aware of what I’m seeing. “Whose?—?”

“No one else,” Caleb growls, his arms tightening around me. “Just you.”

I want to preen at his words. My body arches toward the nest before my brain can catch up. A fresh wave of slick slides down my thighs, and I know they can smell it by the way they grunt in unison.

But my stubborn pride rebels, one last gasp of the independent omega who’s survived alone for so long.

“I—I can still go to a center?—”

Caleb lifts me higher, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. The brush of his breath sends a shiver down my spine, my nipples tightening to painful points against my shirt. “Try.”

The word holds no threat, just absolute certainty. He knows I won’t leave—can’t leave, now that my body has recognized what it needs. What it’s always needed.

This. Them.

A whimper escapes me, half resistance, half surrender. My heat scent spikes, filling the room with vanilla and cinnamon, turning sweeter, richer with every passing second. The alphas—all three of them—respond instantly, their own scents deepening, growing more potent, more possessive.

Even Mason, beta though he is, emanates a protective musk that wraps around me like a shield.

“Leah,” Liam says softly, stepping closer. His eyes are dark, his usual gentle demeanor cracking around the edges. “We won’t do anything you don’t want. If you truly wish to leave?—”

“She doesn’t,” Jude interrupts, his usual playfulness tempered by something heavier, more primal. “Look at her. Smell her. She’s ours.”

“Jude,” Mason warns, but there’s no real reprimand in his tone.

Caleb says nothing, but his arms tighten around me, his heartbeat thundering against my side. The thick outline of his erection presses against my hip, a promise of what’s to come.

My head falls back against his shoulder, my body surrendering even as my mind makes one last stand.

“I’ve never... with a pack,” I manage, the words thick in my throat.

“We know,” Caleb rumbles, the vibration of his chest against my back sending another pulse of heat through my core.

Jude’s smile turns wicked. “Don’t worry, little omega. We’ll take very good care of you.”

Liam steps forward, his hand brushing a damp strand of hair from my forehead. The simple touch makes me gasp, my skin so sensitive that even this gentle contact feels like being branded.“Your temperature is rising,” he notes. “We should get you more comfortable.”