Page 35

twenty-seven

. . .

Mia

W e’ve been driving for over an hour, leaving the dense forest and Kane’s forest home behind, and my skin won’t stop crawling.

But something feels wrong with me again.

The familiar burning sensation is creeping back, making the leather seats stick to my thighs in a way that has nothing to do with the summer heat outside.

My body temperature is rising, and with it comes that same desperate, clawing need I felt last night when I woke Kane by grabbing his cock in my sleep. Is this what he meant by ‘heat’? Is it happening again so soon?

I squeeze my thighs together, trying to ignore the growing dampness between them. My nipples harden against my t-shirt, and I cross my arms over my chest, hoping none of them notice. But who am I kidding? These are werewolves.

They can probably smell my arousal from a mile away.

“You okay back there, babe?” Jace asks from the passenger seat, twisting around to face me. His eyes dance with mischief, but there’s concern there, too. “You’re looking a little flushed.”

“I’m fine,” I lie, shifting uncomfortably on the seat beside Kane. “Just ready to be out of this car.”

“You sure that’s all it is? Not having flashbacks to last night when you lost it with Kane?” he teases.

“Shut up, Jace,” I mutter, avoiding Kane’s gaze.

“I gotta say,” Jace continues, ignoring my warning, “watching you stand up to our mighty pack leader was something else. You, barefoot in one of his old t-shirts, hair all wild, telling him exactly where he could shove his alpha bullshit.”

“Jace,” Kane growls, but there’s no real heat behind it.

“Our little omega finding her voice, challenging an alpha male three times her size without an ounce of fear? That shit is hot.”

A pulse of desire hits me so hard I have to bite back a moan.

My panties are soaked now underneath my jean shorts, and the ache between my legs intensifies with every word from Jace’s mouth.

I clench my jaw, fighting the urge to climb over the center console and straddle him right there, to feel his cock stretching me open while Kane watches.

“You’re such an ass,” I manage to say, but my voice comes out breathy and weak.

Jace’s nostrils flare, and I know he can smell what he’s doing to me. His grin widens, turning predatory. “You didn’t think so last night when I gave you a massage.”

The memory of his hot hands all over my body sends a sharp stab of need through my core. Heat spreads across my skin like wildfire, and suddenly, my clothes feel like sandpaper, scraping against nerves that have become too sensitive.

A cramp seizes my lower abdomen without warning, and I double over, clutching my belly with a startled cry.

“Shit,” I gasp, the pain mixing with pleasure in a confusing, overwhelming wave. “Something’s wrong.”

In the rearview mirror, Finn’s green eyes find mine, narrowing with concern. “Mia? Are you alright?”

Another cramp hits, stronger this time, and I whimper. The sound isn’t entirely from pain—there’s a desperate, needy quality to it that embarrasses me. My body is betraying me again, turning agony into arousal in a way that can’t be natural.

“It’s her heat,” Kane says, his voice tight with worry. “It’s coming on faster than I expected.” He lays a hand on my thigh, the warmth seeping through the cloth.

Finn’s knuckles whiten on the steering wheel. “How far are we from home?”

“Thirty minutes,” Kane answers, his eyes studying my face. “Drive faster.”

I lean back against the seat, eyes squeezed shut as another wave of pain and pleasure washes over me. It’s worse than last night—much worse. The need isn’t just emotional or mental now; it’s physical, my body demanding satisfaction with their knots.

“What’s happening to me?” I manage to ask between gritted teeth.

Kane’s hand moves from my thigh to my forehead, checking my temperature. “Your body is preparing itself. It’s natural, Mia. You’re going to be okay.”

“This doesn’t feel okay,” I choke out as another cramp twists my insides. “It feels like I’m dying.”

“We’re almost home,” Kane soothes, his thumb stroking my cheek. “Just hold on a little longer.”

Jace has turned fully in his seat now, his playful demeanor replaced with genuine concern. “Breathe, little omega. Deep breaths.”

He reaches back to rub circles on my shoulder, and even that innocent touch sends sparks skittering across my skin. I lean into his hand without thinking, desperate for more contact.

“Jace,” I whisper, my voice breaking. “I need—I need?— ”

“What do you need, baby?” he asks, his voice dropping an octave. “Tell me.”

“I need your cock inside me. Need you to fuck me so hard I can’t remember my name. Need you to fill me up and knot me until I’m screaming,” I say, the words tearing themselves from my throat, and skipping my brain entirely.

Shocked silence fills the car.

I clap my hand over my mouth, horrified at what I’ve just said, but it’s too late. Jace’s eyes have darkened, his pupils blown wide with lust. In the tight confines of the car, I can smell his arousal, musky and wild- and it makes my mouth water.

My eyes drift down to the prominent bulge straining against his jeans.

I lick my lips, imagining how he’d taste on my tongue, how he’d feel, stretching my throat as he fucks my mouth.

The images are so vivid, so explicit, that I have to squeeze my thighs together again to relieve some of the pressure building there.

“Fuck,” Finn mutters from the driver’s seat, and I realize he’s watching me in the mirror and can see exactly what I’m thinking reflected on my face.

“I’m sorry,” I say, my cheeks flaming. “I didn’t mean to say that. I need to get myself under control. I’ll be fine once this passes.”

Kane’s hand closes over mine, squeezing gently. “It’s not going to pass, Mia. Not on its own.”

I turn to look at him, dread pooling in my stomach. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that once an omega is in heat, there’s only one way to ease the pain,” he says slowly. “You need to be knotted. Repeatedly. Until your body is satisfied that it’s been bred.”

What the hell? If I give in to these urges and let them fuck me through this heat, there’s no way I won’t end up pregnant.

“There has to be another way,” I insist, even as another cramp doubles me over. “Birth control or something.”

“Human birth control doesn’t work on werewolves,” Kane explains quietly. “And the herbs that can prevent conception for our kind need to be taken before the heat begins. It’s too late now.”

The car falls silent except for the sound of the engine and my labored breathing. No one speaks as the minutes tick by, the tension so thick it could be cut with a knife. My mind races, trying to find a solution, an escape, but my body knows what it wants—what it needs.

I need to be impregnated.

When Finn finally pulls into the driveway of their home, I’m the first one out of the car, stumbling toward the entrance on shaky legs.

“Let me carry you,” says Kane.

“No, I’m fine,” I say, my skin tight and my clothes an unbearable layer against my hypersensitive flesh.

I need relief. Need something—anything—to make this burning agony stop.

I practically run into the house once Finn unlocks it, heading straight for the kitchen.

The cool tile floor beneath my bare feet offers momentary relief as I grab a glass and fill it with ice water.

I gulp it down, then immediately refill it, desperate for anything that might lower my body temperature.

As I desperately gulp it down, I can still feel the clenching heat in my belly.

Face hot, I splash cold water on my face, letting it drip down my neck and soak the collar of my t-shirt. It helps for about three seconds before the heat returns, worse than before.

“Fuck,” I gasp, bracing myself against the counter as another cramp seizes me. “This isn’t working.”

The three alphas hover in the kitchen doorway, watching me with varying degrees of concern, while their pants are tented with arousal. I can feel their eyes on me, can almost taste their need to claim me, to ease my suffering in the only way they know how.

“Mia,” Kane steps forward, his voice gentle but firm. “You’re fighting your biology. It’s only going to get worse.”

“He’s right,” Finn adds, his usual stoicism cracking slightly as he watches me struggle. “Your body needs what it needs. There’s no shame in that.”

“I’ve heard stories about omegas who try to wait out a heat,” Jace says. “It’s not pretty. It becomes dangerous.”

“Dangerous, how?” I ask, gripping the edge of the counter so hard my knuckles turn white.

“You’ll become feverish,” Kane explains. “Delirious. Your temperature will continue to rise until your body begins to shut down. An omega needs her alpha’s knot during heat. It’s not optional, Mia. It’s survival.”

Another wave of pain hits me. This one is so severe that my knees buckle. I slide to the floor, pressing my cheek against the blessed coolness of the tile, tears streaming down my face.

“I can’t,” I sob, curling into a ball as my insides twist with need. “I can’t do this. I’m not ready to be a mother. I’m not ready for any of this!”

The pain is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced—primal, overwhelming, animalistic. It’s not just physical; it’s etched into my very DNA, a biological imperative screaming at me to submit, to open my legs and take what my body so desperately craves.

Through my tears, I see Kane dropping to his knees beside me. His hand, when it touches my face, is blessedly cool against my burning skin.

“Listen to me,” he says, his voice low and calming. “I know you’re scared. I know this isn’t what you wanted or expected. But you are stronger than you think, Mia. You’ve survived things that would break most people. You can survive this, too.”

I look up at him, at the unexpected tenderness in his blue eyes, and something in my chest cracks open .

“It’s not about surviving,” I whisper. “It’s about choice. About having control over my own body.”

Kane nods, understanding in his gaze. “I know. And I’m sorry that choice has been taken from you.

If there were another way, I would give it to you.

But there isn’t.” His thumb traces my lower lip, a touch so gentle it makes fresh tears spring to my eyes.

“All I can offer you is my promise that you won’t be alone.

That we will all be there every step of the way. ”

Another cramp seizes me, and I curl tighter, a whimper escaping my lips.

“It’s time, Mia,” Kane murmurs. “It’s time for you to bear our children.”