Page 48

Chapter forty-eight

VIOLET

The fight to shower alone is damn near impossible.

Gray is the first obstacle. He clings to me like he’s trying to fuse our bodies together, arms heavy and unrelenting, his lips trailing over my skin with a slow, lazy hunger that makes my pulse stutter. Every shift, every breath, he’s there, pressing himself into me like he can’t stand the thought of even an inch of space between us.

Puma isn’t much better. He curls around me at breakfast, brushing his lips along my jaw, neck, and our fresh bond between bites of food. The weight of his presence alone makes it impossible to think. At one point, he leans in, voice low, amused, telling me I smell too good for my own fucking safety. For a second, I’m convinced one of them is going to bend me over the goddamn kitchen table.

Then there are the twins. Hawk and Lance aren’t as obvious as Gray and Puma, but they don’t need to be. The subtlety of their touches is worse—more insidious. Fingertips skimming the bare skin of my back, a palm spreading wide across my hip when I shift to refill my coffee. Lance leans into my space when he speaks and the way he looks at me makes it clear he’s waiting for the moment I give in to them as well.

Sofie, of course, is fucking thriving.

She soaks up every ounce of attention, giggling as the twins take turns feeding her pieces of what looks like waffles, touching her like she’s made of something delicate and divine. They are completely and utterly hers, wrapped around her finger like they wouldn’t have it any other way. And she knows it. She preens under their hands, enjoying every second.

I’m different. I don’t know how to exist in this the way she does. The attention is overwhelming. The softness in their touches, the way they look at me, like I belong—like I am meant to be here. It makes my skin itch with something I can’t name, something too big to contain. But I’m not fighting it like I had before.

Maybe it’s the way Puma had held me last night, the steadiness of him against my back, the way he exhaled slow and deep, like having me in his arms made him whole. Maybe it’s how Gray had tucked my hair behind my ear this morning, pressing a lingering kiss to the bond mark there, like he was still in awe that it existed. Or maybe it’s the patience in Hawk and Lance, the way they watch me, waiting for me to breathe, waiting for me to accept them the way I’ve already accepted the others.

Still, I need space. Just for a minute. Just to process. The moment I manage to pry myself away, I bolt for the bathroom, slamming the door shut before one of them gets any ideas about joining me.

Steam curls against the mirror as I step under the scalding spray, letting the water pound against my shoulders. My muscles ache in the best way, a lingering reminder of last night, of Gray’s hands on my hips, of Puma’s teeth at my throat. I had thought that being bonded would feel like being trapped or this constant presence in my head. Sure, I wanted it but I didn’t know how it would truly feel.

It’s everything I didn’t know I needed. Safety, love, adoration, need. I want to give in to this, to let them take care of me the way they take care of Sofie, to let myself need them without feeling weak for it. But the outside world hasn’t gone away. The lawsuits, the forgeries, Xavier’s ghost still haunting my every step.

Everything is still waiting for us even if we haven’t talked about it. That feeling when they were carted away this morning still lingers and it’s only a matter of time before the haze wears off and Sofie starts asking questions—the same ones I want answered. I force myself to rinse off before I can spiral too far because I’m trying to be better at knowing that I don’t need to be in control.

This doesn’t all rest on me. Losing myself to my shower, I mindlessly wash the chaos down the drain until I can think clearly again. Only then do I step out onto the rug, wrapping a thick towel around me. My phone vibrates a second later, an annoying rhythm in the mess of the clothes I hastily stripped out of. It takes me a few minutes to find the thing, a smile curling on my lips as I recognize the name.

Camila.

The towel is barely secure around my body as I drop onto the closed toilet lid, fingers gripping my phone a little tighter than necessary. I blow out a deep breath before answering, trying not to laugh as her frustrated face stares back at me. I should have called her days ago and again after Sofie’s heat but everything has been so goddamn complicated that I forgot.

"Mila, I swear, I was going to call," I say, running a damp hand over my face.

A sharp exhale crackles through the line. "I couldn’t get a hold of you for days, Vi. Days. Do you know what that does to me? What the hell is going on?"

"Everything’s changed."

Everything is different now. The way I wake up surrounded by warmth, pressed between bodies that want me there. The way the house feels like more than just four walls and a roof, like something permanent, something solid beneath my feet instead of another place I’m waiting to leave. For the first time, I am not an afterthought, not a convenience. I am not just someone people tolerate until they don’t need me anymore.

Camila scoffs. "No shit. First, you ghost me and then I hear whispers about you being wrapped up with the Ashford pack?"

A dry laugh huffs from my lips. "You heard about that?"

"Vi, everyone’s hearing about it. You know how it works. The moment those rich Alphas start collecting something—or someone—people start talking."

There’s a small creak, the subtle shift of wood against hinges. My eyes flick up, catching the bathroom door cracked open just enough for a familiar face to peek through. Sofie stands there, hair still tangled from the twins being absolute nuisances, her hazel eyes wide, curious, lingering.

I mouth, ‘ Talking to Camila’ .

She hesitates, hovering in the doorway like she’s trying to decide whether or not she should leave. But instead of backing away, she steps closer, small fingers reaching for the edge of my towel where it wraps around my thigh, anchoring herself to me like she always has.

There’s a few seconds that Sofie stays out of frame and then she perches herself on my thigh, Camila’s expression shifting from irritation to outright disbelief as she practically screeches, "Sofie?!"

Sofie winces at the volume, then giggles, ducking her face against my shoulder.

"Oh my god," Camila gushes, leaning forward like she could force herself through the screen by sheer will alone. "Look at you, you look fantastic. Jesus, it’s been forever."

Sofie’s fingers tighten on my towel as she curls up in my lap, her cheeks flushing pink. "I—I’m sorry I didn’t reach out."

Camila softens instantly, the sharpness in her gaze easing into something gentler. "Hey, don’t do that. I wasn’t mad, sweetheart. I was just worried." Sofie peeks up, lips parted like she wants to say something, but she hesitates. Camila narrows her eyes. "What’s on your mind?"

Sofie’s gaze flicks to me, like she’s searching for permission. I squeeze her hand, rubbing my thumb over her knuckles in reassurance. She takes a breath. A steadying inhale before finally murmuring, "I... bonded."

Silence. Then—"You what?!" Camila’s voice is loud enough to rattle through the speaker, and I wheeze, biting back laughter as Sofie pouts beside me. Camila's eyes dart across our faces, dipping to our shoulders, no doubt catching Puma’s fresh bite on my skin.

Sofie mumbles, "I didn’t expect it to happen so soon, but it just... felt right. Something happened yesterday and I just needed it. We needed it."

Camila’s brows shoot up so high I think they might hit her damn hairline. Her mouth opens, then closes, her brain visibly working overtime to process what she just heard. Her eyes flick between us, something unreadable flashing across her face before she huffs, shaking her head like she’s already given up. "Goddamn it, you two."

I smirk. "You love us."

A dry, suffering sigh. "Unfortunately."

Laughter spills into the space between us, warm, familiar, something that makes my chest ache in a way I haven’t let myself feel in a long time. Sofie just starts talking, like we never really parted ways, like all those months we hadn’t suffered a turn of events.

“And then Gray bit Violet here—” her fingers brush over the mark on the shell of my ear, sending a shiver straight down my spine.

Camila whistles low. “Damn.”

Sofie giggles, clearly pleased with herself. “Which I didn’t even know was a thing, but it totally is, and then Hawk bit me here—” she stretches her neck, tilting her head just enough to show the fresh mark blooming against her skin, the claiming still new enough to sting. “And then Lance—”

“Okay, okay,” Camila interrupts, wheezing with laughter. “I get it. You’re claimed and glowing. Jesus.”

Sofie just beams, absolutely unbothered. “You’re just jealous.”

Camila snorts, shifting the phone slightly. “Sweetheart, I have plenty to keep me occupied.”

Something is off. Her voice is light, teasing, but there’s something behind it, something just a little too controlled. Her cheeks are pink, but it’s not from excitement, not from laughter. There’s heat there, something she’s trying not to give away.

Narrowing my eyes, I lean back against the toilet. “Mila.”

She blinks. “What?”

Sofie tilts her head, studying her just as closely. “Are you pregnant?”

Camila’s jaw drops so fast I swear I hear it. “What the fuck, no!” Then, almost immediately, she groans, dragging a hand over her face. “Not for lack of trying.”

Sofie lets out a high-pitched squeal, practically vibrating in place. “Camila!”

Laughter erupts out of me before I can stop it and I have to cover my face with one of my hands. Camila rolls her eyes so hard she almost falls backward. “It’s a good thing I don’t really have a job,” she mutters.

A shout rings out in the background before another voice—deep, rough, unmistakable—joins in, completely unbothered. “Your only job is sittin’ on this dick, mama!”

Sofie wails. Her entire body folds as she collapses into my lap, face buried in my stomach, wheezing so hard I’m worried she might pass out. Camila groans, and the camera flips, giving us a full view of her Omega, Sasha, sprawled shirtless on their ridiculously massive bed, grinning like the goddamn devil himself.

“Sasha!” Camila screeches, launching something at him. A pillow, maybe. A shoe. Hard to tell. “I’m on the fucking phone, you goddamn menace!”

Sasha just smirks, entirely unbothered, stretching like a fucking king. “I know. That’s why I said it.”

Tears burn at the edges of my vision from laughing too hard. Sofie is completely gone, her laughter muffled against my skin, her entire body trembling from how hard she’s shaking. Camila groans again, flipping the camera back to herself, glaring at us. “I hate all of you.”

More laughter spills between us, lightening the air, easing something deep in my chest. The teasing, the jabs, the playful insults—it all feels familiar, grounding in a way I didn’t know I needed. For the first time in a long time, Sofie isn’t curled up in herself, isn’t keeping her distance from the rest of the world. She’s here, with me, laughing until her sides hurt, grinning so wide her face might break. And Camila, despite all the chaos she brings, is still Camila. Still the person who has always been there.

The moment stretches, something unspoken lingering between us, before I finally clear my throat. “Hey, we need a night at Temple soon. It’s been too long.”

Camila smirks, tilting her head. “Name the date and time, Vi.”

Sofie perks up immediately. “Can we bring our Alphas?”

Camila and I exchange a look before her lips curl slow, wicked. “Oh, fuck yes.”

A night out with Camila and our packs? I can’t fucking wait to see that.