Page 63

Chapter

Forty

LEXIE

T he second day of Darren's heat settles over the house like a thick blanket, heavy but somehow more comfortable than yesterday's frantic energy.

I stretch in the nest, surrounded by the mingled scents of pack and sex and satisfaction.

My body aches in all the best ways, muscles I didn't know I had protesting from the marathon of the past thirty-six hours.

Darren lies beside me, his breathing finally even and calm instead of the desperate pants that marked most of yesterday. The flush of heat still colors his skin, but it's fading now, like watching a sunset in reverse. His hand finds mine under the blankets, fingers interlacing.

"How are you feeling?" I ask softly, not wanting to disturb the peaceful atmosphere that's descended over the bedroom.

"Like I got hit by a truck," he admits with a rough chuckle. "But a really good truck. The kind that leaves you satisfied instead of dead."

"That's quite the metaphor."

“My brain's still scrambled from how many times I came,” he says, turning to face me properly. His blue eyes are clearer now, less glazed with heat-induced desperation. "But I'm good. Better than good, actually."

The alphas are scattered around the room in various states of undress and exhaustion.

Jax has dozed off in the armchair, his head tilted back at what looks like an uncomfortable angle.

Zayn's sprawled on the floor with a pillow, looking utterly spent.

Dmitri sits by the window with another one of his classic novels, though I've caught him watching us more than reading. And Aidan...

Aidan's pacing.

He's trying to be subtle about it, moving from the dresser to the door and back again, but there's a restless energy that's impossible to miss. His green eyes keep darting to the nest, to Darren and me tangled together, then away like he's been caught doing something he shouldn't.

"Aidan," Darren calls out, voice still rough from overuse. "You're going to wear a hole in the floor."

"Sorry," Aidan says immediately, freezing mid-step. "I'm just... I can't seem to..." He runs a hand through his already disheveled hair. "Fuck, I don't know what's wrong with me."

But I do. I can see it in the way his bulge is hard and prominent in his shorts, the way his pupils are blown wide despite the afternoon light streaming through the windows.

While the rest of the alphas found their release multiple times throughout Darren's heat, Aidan's been holding back.

Always making sure everyone else was satisfied first, always putting others' needs before his own.

"Come here," Darren says, patting the space beside him in the nest. It's an invitation that would have been unthinkable two days ago. Darren voluntarily inviting an alpha into his space during heat.

But everything's different now. We're different now. The walls that existed around and between us have come down, leaving only the protective ones that surround us all as a pack.

Aidan approaches cautiously, like Darren might change his mind. "You sure? Your heat's winding down, you probably want space?—"

"I want my pack," Darren interrupts firmly. "All of you. In here. Now."

The command in his voice is surprising, but the alphas respond immediately. Jax jerks awake in his chair, Zayn rolls to his feet with more grace than someone who's been horizontal for an hour should possess, and Dmitri marks his page before setting his book aside.

"Darren," Jax starts, concern evident in his voice. "You don't have to?—"

"I know I don't have to," Darren says. "I want to. My heat's almost over, but I want..." He pauses, vulnerability flickering across his face. "I want us all together. Properly. In the nest."

My heart swells at his words, at this omega who fought so hard against his designation now embracing not just what he is, but who he wants to be with. The alphas exchange glances, a silent communication passing between them before they start moving toward the bed.

The nest expands to accommodate them, blankets and pillows rearranging as five large bodies find their places.

Aidan ends up on my other side, his skin fever-hot where it brushes against mine.

Jax settles behind Darren, one arm draped protectively over his waist. Zayn claims the foot of the bed because of course he does, while Dmitri stretches out behind Aidan, creating a wall of muscle and warmth.

"Better?" I ask Darren, who's practically glowing with contentment.

"Perfect," he murmurs, then his eyes sharpen as he notices Aidan's persistent... situation. "Though someone's still wound up."

Aidan flushes, trying to shift to hide his obvious arousal. "It's fine. I'm fine. This is about you?—"

"This is about being a pack," Darren corrects. "And pack takes care of each other." His gaze travels over Aidan's tense form, then to me. "All of us."

The intensity of his look makes me shiver. There's suggestion there, and my body responds with embarrassing enthusiasm despite the thorough workout it's had.

"What are you thinking?" I ask, though I have a pretty good idea.

Darren's smile is wicked. "I'm thinking our rookie needs attention. And I'm thinking you've been training for something specific."

Oh. Oh.

My pussy clenches at the implication, already wet despite how many times I've come in the last day and a half. And before that, while I was staying at the mansion. And on our solo dates.

The toys, the gradual stretching, Zayn's patient coaching—it's all been leading to this moment. To taking an alpha's knot for real.

"I..." I look at Aidan, whose eyes have gone impossibly wide. "I want to try."

"Lexie," Aidan breathes, his whole body going rigid. "You don't have to. I can take care of myself…"

I turn to face him properly. “I want you, Aidan. I want to feel what it's like to take your knot.”

He makes a sound that's almost pained, his cock visibly twitching in his shorts. "Fuck, the mouth on you."

"You haven't seen anything yet," I promise, then look around at the others. "Is this... okay? I know Darren's heat isn't completely over?—"

"My heat's winding down," Darren assures me. "And watching Dmitri knot me while you take Aidan's knot? Fuck, that's better than any heat fever dream I could come up with."

Dmitri rumbles his agreement. The visual of what Darren's suggesting, of being knotted while watching him take Dmitri, has me questioning just how many times a girl can come before she blacks out.

I think I'm going to find out, and I'm strangely okay with that.

"Well then," Zayn says with his trademark smirk, "looks like the rookie's getting lucky."

"Shut up," Aidan mutters, but there's no real heat in it. His attention is entirely focused on me, green eyes dark with want and something that looks like awe. "Are you really sure?"

Instead of answering with words, I pull him down for a kiss. It starts gentle, reassuring, but quickly deepens as his control starts to slip. His tongue sweeps into my mouth, claiming and exploring, and I can taste his desperation, his need.

"Okay," he gasps when we break apart. "Okay. But we go slow. So fucking slow. And if it's too much?—"

"I'll tell you," I promise. "Trust me?"

"Always," he says immediately, then looks around at the others. "I'm gonna need help. Making sure she's ready."

"We've got you," Jax assures him, already reaching for the lube.

What follows is the most thorough, careful preparation of my life. Aidan starts with his fingers, one then two then three, stretching me gradually while the others offer advice and encouragement. Darren stays close, pressing kisses to my shoulder, my neck, wherever he can reach.

Damn, they make a good team. I guess that figures.

"You're doing so good," he murmurs as Aidan works a fourth finger in, the stretch intense but not painful. "Taking it so well. I'm so fucking proud of you."

"Listen to the expert," Zayn quips. "Man's taken more knots in the last two days than?—"

“Shut up, Zayn, I’m not a fucking knot expert, ” Darren groans, then turns back to me with a sheepish grin. “Guess he's not wrong, though.”

I laugh, the sound breaking into a moan as Aidan's fingers find that perfect spot inside me. "Good. Then you can coach me through it."

"I can do that," Darren agrees, his hand finding mine again. "First rule? Breathe. When you tense up, it's harder. Stay relaxed, let your body do what it knows how to do."

"My body doesn't know how to take a knot," I point out. "That's why we've been training."

"Your body knows more than you think," he insists. "Trust it. Trust us."

Dmitri moves then, positioning himself behind Darren. The sight of him pressing inside Darren, of Darren's face going slack with pleasure, makes me clench around Aidan's fingers.

“Fuck, you’re so wet. So ready,” Aidan mutters to me. “I think... I think we can try.”

My heart pounds as he withdraws his fingers, leaving me empty and aching. This is it. The moment I've been building toward, training for. Aidan positions himself between my spread thighs, the head of his cock pressing against my entrance.

"Remember," Darren says, his voice slightly breathless as Dmitri starts to move inside him. "Breathe. Relax. Let him in."

Aidan pushes forward slowly, so slowly I want to scream. The stretch is immediate and intense, my body working to accommodate his size. He's bigger than any of the toys we've used, thicker, and for a moment I wonder if this was a mistake.

"That's it," Darren encourages, squeezing my hand. "You're doing perfect. Just breathe through it."

I focus on my breathing, on staying relaxed as Aidan works himself deeper. The others are watching, I can feel their eyes on us, and it turns me on so fucking much.

"So fucking tight," Aidan grits out, sweat beading on his forehead from the effort of going slow. "Lexie, baby, you feel incredible."