Page 12

~December 20th~

I wiped sweat from my brow, then stood, crossed my office, and cracked open the window. Frigid air streamed in and provided a bit of relief.

I stood there for a moment—until I started to shiver—then closed the window again. As good as it felt, I didn’t want my hormones to trick me into a higher heating bill. I’d already turned the thermostat down as much as I dared, and had switched from a sweatshirt to a lightweight summer t-shirt.

There was just no easing the side effects of my heat.

I returned to the table where I was packing the final orders of the year. My online shop was in holiday mode until January, and once I sent out what was in front of me, I’d be able to relax…

And figure out how I was going to deal with the most intense heat I’d ever had.

I grabbed a scent-neutralizing spray and held the nozzle down for at least double the amount of time on the instructions. I could still smell myself, but I hoped that it would be enough to keep my customers from getting a whiff when they opened their packages.

What was normally a quick process felt like slogging through mud. I had to triple and quadruple check orders to ensure that I’d included everything because I kept getting distracted.

A neighbor’s loud truck reminded me of the sound before my alphas would arrive every afternoon. I’d shift and my boxers would slide across my semi-erect cock. Every few minutes, the hormones would remind me that I should be getting railed by my mates, making sure they knocked me up good.

I wanted to be pregnant—by both of them. There was no choosing one or the other. We were meant to be a throuple, and I had to wait for them to realize it too.

It was time for me to do something about that—after my heat passed anyway. There had to be a way to convince them that we were all meant for each other.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. It was getting late, I still had several orders to pack, and I was in no shape to drive to a drop box if I wasn’t done by pick-up time.

Everything in front of me was an express order, and if I didn’t get them out that afternoon, they wouldn’t arrive before Christmas.

I was grateful for the busy holiday shipping season, as it gave me an extra few minutes to finish. Still, I was pushing it by the time I applied the label to the final padded envelope.

I carried the packages out to the front and started adding them to the others in the cubbies by the door. Then I remembered that I’d have to talk to my alphas when they picked up.

As much as I wanted to see them… smell them… be fucked into the mattress by them… There just wasn’t enough time to explain that I’d known for months that we were all fated.

Frustration surged through me, but I knew what I had to do. I bit back tears as I grabbed a couple of paper grocery sacks and scrawled ‘Axel’ on one and ‘Tripp’ on the other. Boxes went on the bottom, then each was filled to the top with bubble envelopes. I grabbed the little goodie bags I’d made for them and placed them on top.

My heat was already going to be miserable, and denying myself those few minutes felt overwhelming.

I stood and walked to the door so that I could decide where the best place for the bags was.

I opened it and found myself face-to-face with Axel, his finger poised to ring my doorbell.

Instinct took over. I was in heat, and one of my alphas was right there. There was no denying what was meant to happen.

“Alpha…” I whined.