Page 131 of Storm

"Storm," he breathes, his voice rougher now. One hand slides up my back to tangle in my wild curls, guiding my lips to his.

The kiss starts gentle, so unlike Jonathan's usual confident demeanor. I press closer, deepening the kiss, drawing a low growl from his chest that vibrates through me. His scent wraps around me, smoky cedar and black pepper intensifying with his desire, and my body responds with a flood of heat that makes me gasp against his mouth.

When we break apart, both breathing harder, his pupils are dilated, leaving only a thin ring of green. "When I have you," he says, his voice a low rumble that I feel as much as I hear it. "It will be in your nest while you're in heat, and I will claim you as mine and bond you for life, Storm."

The declaration should frighten me. This cold, controlled alpha claiming ownership of me, speaking of permanent bonds. Instead, I feel a rush of something dangerously close to joy, to rightness. After years of this push and pull between us, hate masking desire we both denied, something has finally shifted. Despite all the reasons I should run, I've fallen for him completely. What terrifies me isn't his claim—it's how desperately I want it to be true.

"Is that a promise, Alpha?" I ask, my voice huskier than intended.

Jonathan's hands tighten on me, his expression intensely serious despite the desire evident in his eyes. "It's a promise, my Little Storm. One I intend to keep."

I kiss him again, slower this time, savoring the way his control fractures just a little more with each passing second. This powerful alpha who once ran the Omega House with an iron grip, who intimidates everyone he meets—and he's coming undone from my touch, my kiss, my scent.

It's intoxicating, this power I have over him, even as my body surrenders to the heat building within me.

"Then I'll hold you to it," I murmur against his lips, sealing our pact with another kiss.

Whatever comes next—the heat, the claiming, the bonds that will form—I'm choosing it with clear eyes and an open heart.

I lift my gaze to him, my voice steady.

"I don't want birth control," I say. "I want this. I want you. All of it."

This strange, beautiful pack I've found myself part of is nothing I could have imagined when I drew Pack Kingsley's name at the Choosing Day ceremony.

It's so much more.

Chapter37

Storm

Iwake to the sensation of fire in my veins. Everything burns. My skin feels too tight, my body aching with a desire so intense it steals my breath. The sheets beneath me are soaked with sweat, the air heavy with the rich scent of dark chocolate that's pouring off me in waves.

My heat is here.

Not the gentle waves of pre-heat that I've been riding for days, but the real thing—the overwhelming, all-consuming inferno that turns my body into a stranger's, that makes me crave things I've spent years pretending I don't need.

I whimper, curling into myself as another wave of cramping heat pulses through me. The nest I've built surrounds me in soft comfort, the scents of my pack embedded in the blankets and clothing offering some relief. I reach for Reed's hoodie, burying my face in the fabric, inhaling that comforting ocean and cedar scent that momentarily calms the raging desire inside me.

But it's not enough. The fabric isn't him. It doesn't have his strength, his warmth. It can't hold me, can't fill the emptiness that's spreading through me like wildfire.

"Alpha," I whimper, the word tearing from my throat before I can stop it. My pride means nothing now. Nothing matters except relief from this consuming, relentless heat.

The door to my room opens, and Fox slips inside, his honey-chamomile scent mingling with mine. He looks almost as bad as I feel—flushed, eyes dilated, movements slightly unsteady.

"Your scent," he says, his voice rough. "I could practically feel it from across the house."

He approaches the nest cautiously, waiting for my permission. Even in my heat-addled state, I appreciate the gesture.

"Come," I manage, holding out a trembling hand to him. "Please."

He climbs into the nest with me, his body radiating warmth that matches my own. When he settles beside me, I immediately curl into him, seeking the comfort of another omega who understands what I'm going through.

"It hurts," I whisper against his chest. "It's so much worse than I expected."

Fox strokes my wild curls, his touch gentle despite the tremors I can feel running through his own body. "I know," he soothes. "My first heat was terrifying. But you're not alone, Storm. We're all here for you."

I look up at him, seeing the amber flecks in his hazel eyes more pronounced with his own approaching heat.