Page 8 of The Honor of Being Hers (Terms of Devotion #1)
“I need you to teach me things I should have learned years ago. I need you to show me what it feels like to be wanted by someone who actually cares about me.”
That’s when she finally whispered the truth that had been building inside her: “Because even knowing what you did, remembering how you made me feel… The biological pull is still there. My body still thinks you’re mine. And I’m tired of fighting it.”
Ryan’s breath hitched. “Lauren.”
“I want you,” she said simply. “I want all of this. But I need to know it’s real.”
“It’s real,” he said, his voice rough with emotion and desire. “It’s the most real thing I’ve ever felt.”
And then, finally, she reached for him. Her hands found the lapels of his jacket first, felt the expensive wool soft under her palms, before sliding up to cup his face. His skin was warm, slightly rough with afternoon stubble that scraped gently against her fingers.
When their lips met, it was like coming home and catching fire at the same time.
His mouth was warm and firm, tasting faintly of coffee and something uniquely his.
Ryan kissed her with years of longing and regret and desperate gratitude, and she kissed him back with all the want she’d been suppressing for so long.
Her perfume bloomed around them, wild honey and night-blooming jasmine, Ryan groaned against her mouth as if the scent alone might undo him.
“God, you smell incredible,” he murmured against her lips. “I’ve dreamed about this scent, about you, for years.”
Heat was building low in her belly, a desperate need she’d never allowed herself to feel. When Ryan’s hands settled on her waist, pulling her closer, she couldn’t suppress the whimper that escaped.
That’s when the conservatory door opened.
She didn’t hear them approach, but she felt the shift in the air and caught the comforting scent of moss and caramel that meant Tyler had arrived. William’s heavier presence followed closely behind, musk, vanilla, and protective strength that made something in her chest loosen with relief.
Their combined scents began to weave together in the air around her, creating something richer and more complex than any individual fragrance.
It was like listening to a symphony instead of single notes, and her Omega biology responded with a deep sense of rightness that made her breathing slow down and her muscles relax.
“How are we doing?” Tyler asked gently, but his eyes were dark as he took in Lauren’s flushed face, her swollen lips, the way she was pressed against Ryan like she belonged there.
“Much better,” Lauren said breathlessly, surprised to find she didn’t feel embarrassed. “We worked things out.”
William’s gaze swept over them both, cataloging the change in their dynamic, the way the air itself felt different. “Good,” he said simply. “We were hoping you would.”
Tyler moved closer, drawn by her scent and the invitation in her eyes. “May I?” he asked, and when she nodded, he cupped her face much as Ryan had, but his touch was different. Gentler, more coaxing.
His kiss was deeper than Ryan’s, more confident. He kissed her like he had all the time in the world to learn her mouth, to memorize the way she responded. When she moaned softly, he smiled against her lips.
“You taste like honey,” he murmured. She felt fresh heat flood through her at the intimacy in his voice.
William waited until Tyler stepped back before approaching. His presence was different again, more commanding, more intense. When he kissed her, it was with a possession that made her toes curl, a claim that said you’re ours now, and we’re not letting you go.
By the time he pulled back, Lauren was trembling with want, her scent so thick in the air it was almost visible. All three Alphas were breathing hard, their own scents mingling with hers in a way that felt like a promise.
Then came gentle touches: Tyler’s fingers threading carefully through her hair, William’s broad hand running soothingly along her spine. Without a word, they settled on the bench beside her, and William lifted her effortlessly into his lap, positioning her so she was cradled against Tyler’s chest.
No words were exchanged, but she heard their silent communication anyway through the pack bond that had been forming over the past few days: You are not alone. You are safe here with us. We want you too.
Ryan moved closer and knelt beside the bench, his movement careful and unassuming.
“Lauren,” he said softly, his voice carrying absolute conviction. “You are not broken. You’re not weak for needing us. You’re incredibly strong for working through this, for giving us a chance.”
His hand settled on her thigh, warm, careful, and it sent electricity shooting through her nervous system.
“You’re not alone in feeling this way. I promise you that as much as you want me, I want you with exactly the same intensity. All of us do.”
His thumb traced a small circle on her leg, the touch gentle and grounding. She could feel the restraint it was taking him not to do more, not to pull her closer, not to bury his face in her neck and breathe in her scent.
“I want this,” she said, looking at each of them in turn. “I want all of this. I want to learn what I’ve been missing.”
“Then let us teach you,” Tyler murmured behind her, his arms tightening protectively around her waist. “We’ll show you everything, how to please us and how to please yourself. How to be an Omega in a bonded pack.”
William’s voice rumbled against her side, where she was pressed against him. “And if you need to stop at any point, for any reason, we’ll stop immediately. Pack bonds only work when everyone feels safe and cherished.”
“I can speak for all of us when I say that nothing you could do would displease us,” Ryan added, his eyes dark with want. “And we can’t wait to see you let go, to watch you embrace what you need.”
Lauren’s throat trembled with emotion, and heat traveled through her body in waves until arousal pooled between her legs, making her shift restlessly in William’s lap as need throbbed through her.
The scent of their combined desire was intoxicating, feeding her own hunger until she felt drunk on possibility.
“I need,” she started, then stopped, gathering courage. “I need to be touched. Though I don’t want it to mean we’re permanently bonded. Not yet.”
Ryan nodded immediately. “Then it won’t. Whatever happens here stays within the boundaries you set.”
She found herself leaning toward him as if drawn by invisible threads.
“I really don’t know what I’m supposed to do,” she whispered when her forehead came to rest against his, their breath mingling in the small space between them.
“I know,” he whispered back, with a slightly smug smile playing at the corners of his mouth, that hint of arrogance that had once infuriated her but now made her stomach flutter.
“And I might be a possessive bastard for admitting this,” he continued, “but I’m glad we’ll be the only ones to see this side of you.
I’m glad we’ll be the ones to introduce you to all of this and teach you everything you need to know. ”
“You’re not wrong, it does make you sound like a possessive Neanderthal,” she found herself saying, surprised by her own ability to tease him back while staying relaxed in his proximity.
It was as if part of her had finally realized that she truly did have him wrapped around her finger, that he would never hurt her again.
“Good for you, sweetheart,” Tyler told her approvingly, his arms still wrapped securely around her waist to keep her steady.
“What do you want to do, love?” Ryan asked, his voice dropping to a husky whisper that sent shivers down her spine.
She blushed, wondering if he could already tell from the way she was unconsciously leaning into him, from the subtle changes in her scent that were broadcasting her arousal to all three of them.
“Tell your Alpha what you need, pretty Omega,” William encouraged from her other side. She hadn’t noticed when he’d moved, but now they surrounded her completely, anywhere she looked, she could see one of them watching her with warm, patient desire.
Gentle fingers traced lazy circles on her arms, her back, her legs. Touches that soothed and aroused in equal measure. She could feel their restraint, the way they were holding back their instincts in deference to her comfort and consent.
“Tell me, love,” Ryan insisted softly, his voice carrying just enough Alpha authority to make her Omega nature respond with a flutter of submission.
“I want to kiss you again,” she said, her voice husky, shaking slightly with nervousness and anticipation.
“Good,” was the only thing she heard before Ryan’s lips descended on hers.
At first, they moved slowly, carefully, letting her get accustomed to the feel of his mouth against hers. Shortly after he pulled her closer and guided her arms up around his neck, deepening the contact. When she felt his tongue brush against her lips, she opened for him without hesitation.
All conscious thought dissolved. She grew aware of nothing but the pair of lips playing expertly with hers, the hands stroking and petting along her body with reverent care.
Heat started to spread in waves through her system, making her nipples tighten against her bra and causing a heavy fullness to settle low in her belly.
His scent enveloped her completely now, mixing with her own until she couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began. Her Omega biology was singing with joy, finally getting what it had craved for so long: the taste and touch and scent of her Alpha.
When Ryan finally pulled back, a needy whine escaped her throat before she could stop it.
However, before she had the chance to feel ashamed of her desperate response, she felt their emotions and need for her flow through the still developing pack bond, a connection that suddenly became much clearer and stronger the moment their lips met.