Page 38

Dean

T he first thing I notice when I wake up is the change in Lila's scent.

Not gone, never gone, I don't think her green apple and white musk could ever fully disappear from this room…

but different. Calmer. The desperate, molten sweetness that's been driving us all half-crazy for the past few days has mellowed into something softer, more like her normal scent but richer somehow. More settled.

Like maybe, if we're lucky, she might want us to stay.

I'm still wrapped around her from behind, my arm heavy across her waist, and for a moment I just breathe her in. My knot went down hours ago, but neither of us moved. She'd made this small, happy sound when I'd started to pull away, so I'd stayed right where I was, holding her while she slept.

Best feeling in the world. Waking up with Lila in my arms feels like every good thing that's ever happened to me rolled into one perfect moment.

The light filtering through the blue room's windows is different now. Soft Sunday afternoon light. Time moves weird during heat, all urgent need and desperate relief and the kind of exhaustion that comes from pouring everything you have into taking care of someone you love.

Love.

The word hits me like a truck. Yeah. Love. I'm completely gone on the omega currently making soft, sleepy sounds against my chest.

"Dean?" Her voice is rough from sleep and everything else, but the way she says my name, like I'm something good she's happy to find makes my heart do stupid things in my chest.

"Right here, sweetheart," I murmur against her hair. "How you feeling?"

Before she can answer, there's a soft knock at the doorframe. Julian appears first, his dark eyes immediately scanning her face with that careful attention he brings to everything. Behind him, Callum fills the doorway, arms crossed but his expression soft with concern.

"We heard voices," Julian says quietly, stepping into the room. "Wanted to make sure you were alright, love."

Callum nods, his gruff voice gentler than usual. "Been worried."

Lila's face lights up at seeing them both, and Julian moves closer to press a tender kiss to her forehead. "Sleep well?" he asks, his hand briefly stroking her hair.

"Better now that I can see you're all okay," she admits, reaching out to touch Callum's hand where it rests on the edge of the nest.

"Course we are," Callum says, his fingers intertwining with hers. "You're the one we were worried about."

She's quiet for a long moment, taking inventory of her body the way people do when they're not sure what they're going to find. Then she shifts slightly, testing, and I feel the exact moment she realizes what we already know.

"It's over," she whispers, wonder in her voice. "My heat. It's actually over."

"Broke about a couple of hours ago," I confirm, pressing a soft kiss to her temple. "You've been sleeping hard since then." I tighten my arm around her, not wanting to let go just yet. "Julian and Callum have been taking turns checking on you every twenty minutes."

"Had to," Callum says with a slight shrug, but there's worry in his eyes. "Make sure you were okay."

"The bath should help with any residual aches," Julian adds, his analytical mind already moving to practical care. "I've prepared everything you might need."

She tries to sit up, but I tighten my arm around her waist, keeping her close. Not possessive—well, maybe a little possessive—but more because I can smell the exhaustion still clinging to her. Heat takes everything out of an omega, and she needs more rest.

"Easy," I say gently. "You don't have to go anywhere. Julian and Callum are handling everything else."

Julian steps back slightly after the forehead kiss, giving us space but staying close. "Everything's ready when you are, love. Callum helped me prepare it."

"Wasn't gonna let him do it alone," Callum mutters, but there's affection in his voice.

"We'll go finish getting everything perfect," Julian says, already moving toward the door with that quiet efficiency of his. "Take your time."

Callum follows with a gentle squeeze to Lila's hand before letting go. "Call out if you need anything."

The thought of them taking care of everything, making sure she has what she needs, makes something warm and protective settle deeper in my chest.

"They're okay?" she asks once they've left, and I can hear the worry in her voice. "I didn't... I mean, did I do anything wrong? Say anything?—"

"Hey." I turn her in my arms so she's facing me, so she can see the truth in my eyes. "You were perfect. Everything you did, everything you said was perfect. We're all good, sweetheart. Better than good."

Relief floods her face, followed quickly by something that looks like amazement. Like she can't quite believe this is real, that we're all still here, that nothing's broken or ruined.

"I wanted you," she says quietly, her green eyes wide and wondering. "All of you. Even through the heat, it wasn't just biology. I actually wanted this."

"We wanted you too," I confirm, my voice probably rougher than it should be. "Still do."

The smile that spreads across her face is like sunrise after the longest night of your life. Bright and warm and full of possibilities I'm not sure either of us is ready to name yet.

But then she shifts again, and I watch reality start to set in.

The way her nose wrinkles slightly as she becomes aware of how she must smell, how we all smell after three days of the most intense physical and emotional experience of our lives.

The slight grimace that suggests various parts of her body are reminding her exactly what they've been through.

"I feel..." she starts, then stops, looking embarrassed.

"Gross?" I suggest with a grin. "Sticky? Like you've been through a marathon you didn't train for?"

Her laugh is surprised and genuine. "All of the above. God, I must smell terrible."

"You smell perfect to me," I correct, because it's true. Her scent is layered with traces of all three of us now, mixed in ways that make my alpha instincts purr with satisfaction. "But you probably want a bath."

The way her whole body perks up at the suggestion tells me I've hit on exactly what she needs.

"A bath sounds like heaven," she admits. "But I don't think I can actually make it down the hall to the bathroom. My legs feel like jello."

"Who said anything about you walking?" I ask, already sliding my arms under her knees and shoulders. "I've got you, sweetheart."

She squeaks in surprise as I lift her, her arms coming around my neck automatically. The simple trust in the gesture, the way she lets me take care of her like this, makes my chest tight with something I don't have words for.

"Dean, you don't have to?—"

"I want to," I interrupt, heading toward the door. "Taking care of you isn't a chore, Lila. It's a privilege."

The words are out before I can stop them, more honest than I intended, but I don't take them back. She deserves to know how we feel about her, how grateful we are that she chose us.

I carry her down the hallway to the main bathroom, and I can hear her breath catch when she sees what's waiting.

The old clawfoot tub is filled with steaming water that smells like lavender and chamomile.

Fluffy towels are stacked on the counter next to what looks like half the contents of a spa.

Gentle soaps, shampoo that promises to be sulfate-free and omega-safe, bath salts, even a few candles that cast everything in warm, golden light.

"How did you—" she starts.

"Julian," I say simply, setting her down carefully on the closed toilet seat. "He's been planning this since your heat started to break. Wanted everything ready for when you woke up."

Of course he did. Julian thinks three steps ahead of everyone else, anticipates needs before they're even expressed.

While Callum and I were focused on the immediate physical care, Julian was already thinking about aftercare, about what Lila would need when the heat-haze cleared and she was herself again.

"He had Callum calling around and sending Levi out to get all the things on his list," I continue, testing the water temperature with my elbow. "This is the good stuff, everything designed for omega skin after heat. Nothing that'll irritate or overwhelm."

Lila's eyes are suspiciously bright as she takes in the care that's gone into this preparation. "He really did all this for me?"

"We all did," I correct gently. "Julian planned it, Maeve and Levi brought the supplies, Callum helped me get everything set up, and I get to help you enjoy it. Team effort."

The water is perfect, hot enough to soothe aching muscles, but not so hot it'll overwhelm her sensitized skin. I add a careful measure of the bath salts Julian selected, watching them dissolve into silky softness.

"Okay, sweetheart," I say, turning back to her. "Let's get you cleaned up."

I help her stand, my hands steady on her waist as she finds her balance. The vulnerability in letting me see her like this, help her with something so basic, makes something protective and tender settle deeper in my chest.

"I've got you," I murmur as I help her step into the tub. "Easy does it."

The sigh that escapes her when the warm water surrounds her is pure bliss. She sinks down until the water covers her shoulders, her whole body melting into relaxation for the first time in days.

"Oh my God," she breathes, her eyes falling closed. "This is incredible."

"Good," I say, settling on the bathroom stool Julian thoughtfully positioned beside the tub. "You just relax. Let me do the work."

I start with her hair, using a cup to wet it carefully, making sure no soap gets in her eyes. The shampoo Julian picked smells like honey and chamomile.

"Lean back," I instruct, my fingers working gently through her scalp. "There you go."