Page 25 of Pack Scratch Fever

PIPER

Time blurs.

One minute I’m being knotted by Maddox, the next, Poe is spoon feeding me. Or Avery is helping me dress into a clean set of clothes fresh from their dryer.

Best. Heat. Ever.

I never knew they could be like this. I was always left to care for myself after the knotting was over. I would shower alone and shamefully wash the fluid off my thighs.

After that horrible hookup in the hotel room, I ended up snuggling against a cold, flat pillow, tears streaming down my cheeks.

Not this time, though.

My hazy brain forgets about everything except for the Alphas that take care of me.

When my Heat starts to wane, I jolt awake in the middle of the night in the cozy nest. Sweat beads down my back, my hair sticks to my forehead, and the room smells of sex.

I kick off the blankets and scramble for my phone, which I vaguely remember placing on the nightstand.

I check the time and date and almost throw up.

I spent the entire weekend here.

“Shit,” I hiss, scrambling for whatever items of clothing I can find in the room.

My duffel bag sits on the dresser, and I’m grateful to whoever brought it in from my car.

Once dressed, I barrel out the door of the bedroom and crash straight into a half-naked Maddox, who is dressed only in black sweatpants.

He grabs me in his arms, and I bury my face in his chest, deeply inhaling his ginger scent.

My Heat symptoms are still present, but I can’t stay here any longer.

“And where are you going?” he murmurs in my ear, amused. His arms are wrapped around my waist, and I struggle to get out of his hold while he chuckles.

“Cats,” I blurt.

I need to get back to the rescue. Blair is probably furious with me.

“Baby,” Maddox sighs. “Everything is fine.”

“I’ve been here the whole weekend,” I say, and he hums in approval. “I haven’t even checked in with Blair, and I was supposed to take care of the cats this weekend. They need to eat, they need their boxes changed, medications given?—”

“It’s all been taken care of,” he says.

I step out of his hold. “No, it hasn’t.” I wrinkle my nose.

“Check your phone. When your Heat started, Avery contacted Blair, and she made arrangements for the rescue.”

I shift on the balls of my feet. I should have done that, not Avery.

But instead, I got so lost in my Heat that I forgot everything else that mattered.

“Babe. Check your phone,” Maddox says softly. “It’s all taken care of.”

That’s not the point. I don’t like having to rely on other people to do things for me.

Stomach churning, I pull my phone out of the pocket of my sweatpants and read Blair’s latest messages.

Have fun and take care of yourself . You better not show up any earlier than a week from now, or I’m shipping you right back to them.

I bite my lip and read the final one she sent me.

Me, Gary, Heidi, Mari, and the others have it handled. We’ll have more volunteers this week as well. Enjoy your time off.

I shoot her a quick text expressing my thanks, then look up to see Maddox watching me with a smirk.

“Told you, babe. You’re stuck with us.”

I smile.

“You’ve got nothing to worry about for the next week,” he continues. “Just let yourself relax .”

“I’ve been relaxing for two days,” I argue.

“I wouldn’t call what we’ve been doing relaxing ,” Maddox chuckles. “But there’s no way in hell any of us are letting you leave when you smell like that .”

He presses a quick peck to the corner of my mouth.

I’m still sweaty and a little dizzy, and I’m glad I don’t have to rush to the rescue or make ten thousand calls about the cats right now.

“Is she awake?” A hesitant voice asks, and Maddox leads me out into the hallway where Avery lingers, dressed in grey sweatpants and a white shirt, his brow furrowed. “How are you feeling? You shouldn’t be up yet, Piper.”

“Good luck telling her what to do,” Maddox huffs. I roll my eyes and hurry into Avery’s embrace, hugging him.

“Thank you,” I whisper to him, “for everything.”

He trembles slightly at my touch. “Thank you for trusting me to take care of you,” he murmurs.

The scent of sweet tea and chamomile calms my rapidly beating heart, and Avery gently kisses my mating gland.

All of their scents are on me—the mixture intoxicating and more potent than I could have imagined.

This is the best Heat I’ve ever had.

“Are you hungry?” Maddox asks behind me. “You haven’t eaten in over twelve hours.”

At the mention of food, my stomach gurgles, and I nod.

“I’m starving,” I admit. “But where’s Poe?”

Poe surprised me more than anyone else.

I saw a side of him I didn’t know he possessed, and now I want to see more of it.

“In the front room,” Avery says. “We’ve been waiting for you to wake up, but we wanted to give you space.”

We head past the living room and into the kitchen, Avery and Maddox on either side of me.

“Oh, what the hell,” Maddox murmurs, and I follow his gaze to the sliding glass door.

Two cats illuminated by the patio light paw eagerly at the door, creating smudges on the glass.

“The house smells like a giant cat toy,” Avery says delightedly. “I guess our scents combined bring them out.”

“I have to see them.” I grin eagerly, recognizing the felines from the night we trapped them. “If they’re this friendly, there’s a possibility we could adopt them out.”

“Do what you have to do, babe,” Maddox says. “We’ll get you some food in the meantime.”

I’m surprised Maddox and Avery are giving me this much freedom, too. I can sense both of them watching me as I slide open the door to the patio, but they don’t force me to cuddle with them or keep a possessive arm around me at all times.

They’re respecting my autonomy, even during my Heat.

That’s how it’s supposed to be, my inner Omega says. It’s on our terms, and they adapt to our preferences.

The two cats back up hesitantly but don’t run away when I sit on the bench that Poe and I fooled around on earlier.

I’m rewarded with slow blinks from the felines, and soon, they grow tired of me and start to chase each other across the backyard.

I watch them while breathing in the night air and wiping at the sweat on my brow.

My Heat symptoms are still there, and I’m not na?ve enough to think this is the end of it.

According to my doctor, the Heat effects will be intense for a considerable amount of time.

But thankfully, I’m with three Alphas who approach me with tenderness and patience, not selfishness.

My attention is so focused on the cats pawing at the chicken wire around Poe’s herbs that I don’t even notice Avery’s presence until he’s on the bench next to me, sweet chamomile filling my nostrils.

Instinctively, I lean into him, and he wraps an arm around my waist. His chest rumbles with a deep purr, and I close my eyes in bliss.

“I couldn’t stay away,” he admits. “I hope this is alright with you.”

I hum. “Of course it is.”

We sit in silence until a yowl interrupts the peace. I open my eyes to see the grey tabby cat lift his head and make a graceful leap off the chicken wire then sprint through the backyard.

“They can’t stay away from those plants,” Avery chuckles.

“Poe basically built a paradise for the neighborhood cats, and he didn’t even realize it,” I say, smiling.

“He’ll turn into a cat person in no time with you around,” Avery replies, and my smile grows.

He shifts next to me, and I realize he’s brought his camera out with him.

“What’s that for?” I ask, motioning to it.

He shrugs. “For the cats,” he admits. “I’ve always enjoyed photographing animals, and cats are so expressive. It’ll be good examples to show my class, too.”

I gasp. “Wait. You should be sleeping; don’t you have to teach tomorrow?”

Avery chuckles. “Are you serious? We’re not leaving your side this week. None of us are.”

My mouth falls open n shock. “What about Poe?”

“He’s not going into the office, that’s for sure.” Avery turns to me, his warm amber eyes fond. “Did you think we would leave you here alone during all of this? That you wouldn’t be our highest priority?”

I almost nod, but he looks so bewildered that I don’t.

I fully expected them to go to work when they needed to, my Heat be damned.

I’ve never been anyone’s first priority, but I have a feeling that telling Avery that would devastate him.

Instead, I shrug.

Frowning, he takes my bandaged hand and runs his thumb gently over the strip. “What’s this?” he asks.

“Ugh. Mister Whiskers was angry at me,” I murmur. “Gave me a gnarly scratch. It won’t be the first or last time I have battle scars.”

He lifts my hand and brings it to his lips gently, and my heart skips a beat.

He’s so kind and compassionate.

He’s everything I’ve never had in an Alpha.

“Thank you,” he whispers, “for spending your Heat with me.”

His purr grows louder while I snuggle against him, basking in the soothing vibrations. Avery spends a few minutes with his camera, snapping pictures of the animal nightlife. A possum creeps along the top of the fence, startling the grey tabby, and I chuckle while Avery documents it.

“I could get used to this,” he admits. “Photographing your shelter cats with you.”

“You’ve done more than enough for the rescue,” I assure him, snuggling closer. “More than enough for me. I’m grateful for it all.”

“I want to do more for you,” he mumbles. “I always want to do more for you.” He pauses, then chuckles awkwardly. “I sound ridiculous, don’t I?”

The insecurity in his voice makes me pause. “I’m just not used to it,” I reassure him. “But I appreciate the gesture. You love photography; it makes sense you would want to share it with others. I’d talk about cats all day if I could.”

“It’s not just that,” he whispers. “I want to make you happy, Piper. You specifically.”

A lump forms in my throat. “You do, Avery,” I croak.

He kisses the top of my head, and all is right in the world.

I enjoy every moment of being in Avery’s hold, safe and content.

Maddox joins us a few minutes later, and I cuddle in between them, breathing in their delicious, comforting scents.

I hold on to that feeling of safety and security as long as I can.

I find Poe in the front room, hunched over his laptop on the couch. I tiptoe in, wrapped in a nesting blanket and itching to head back to my nest.

But I haven’t seen him since being lost in the throes of my Heat, and I long for his attention.

The minute he sees me, he sits upright and slams his laptop shut. “Are you alright?” he asks hurriedly.

So concerned and caring, the opposite of the man that entered my rescue the first time we met.

Scent match, my inner Omega supplies. He’s so good to us.

“I am,” I reply, smiling and making my way to the couch. He immediately pulls me into his arms with a low growl. I snuggle against him, cocooned and comfortable in the blanket.

“Is your nest okay?” he asks softly. “Do you need anything?”

I sigh as his scent swirls around me, earthy and potent.

“I can’t remember the last time I was this content,” I admit. “Thank you.”

He holds me tighter. “You deserve it.”

I don’t argue with him for once.

The little voice in the back of my head that always has something negative to say is silenced, at least for now.

“How’s work?” I mumble.

He scoffs. “I’m not going to talk about work right now. It’s unimportant compared to you.”

My lip quirks. “You mean compared to my Heat,” I say.

“No, compared to you. ”

We sit in comfortable silence on the couch, Poe holding me close as he purrs deeply. I eventually close my eyes and am half asleep when he speaks again.

“You can stay as long as you want,” he says softly. “You don’t…you don’t have to leave after your Heat, if you don’t want to.”

My eyes snap open in surprise.

Going back to my lonely, empty apartment isn’t appealing at all. It’s nothing like this packhouse that’s so full of life and filled with mouthwatering scents of the most attractive Alphas I’ve ever been with.

My inner Omega is screaming to say yes .

Of course, I want to stay here. I would have a beautiful furnished room all to myself with a real bed, not just a mattress on the floor. Poe, Maddox, and Avery would never be far.

I could be happy.

Until that old, evil voice breaks its silence in my head, loud enough that it cuts through my delight at Poe’s offer.

What have you done to earn this? Do you think you’ve worked hard enough to have these nice things?

My stomach sours.

No, I’m just here for my Heat.

My scent is more inviting to Poe than ever before—of course he would say things that he doesn’t truly believe.

I don’t give him a response.

It isn’t until sweat clings to my brow and I’m squirming in his hold that he speaks again.

“What do you need, baby?”

His voice is impossibly low and ridiculously sexy. Pleasure shoots through my pussy, making my womb clench, and I let out a pathetic whine.

My hormones are in full swing again.

“Nest,” I moan. “I need to get back to my nest.”

Another scent wafts through the room, so spicy it tickles my nostrils.

“We’ve got you, Omega,” Maddox says. His gaze is dark and hungry as he licks his lips, keeping his icy eyes on me while Poe lifts me into his arms. He carries me out of the front room and back toward my bedroom.

Avery joins them in the hallway, and when all three of their scents combine, I beg to be knotted again.

They’re more than happy to do it.