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M y little mate is so smart. But seeing all these sexy images is making me think of Cora’s sweet, sweet pussy again. I only got a taste of her exquisite nectar, and I’m desperate for more.

My focus bounces between the erotic images and my mate’s excited face as she flips through the rest of the book. One page makes me pause to take it in. The goddess Lunara touching the forehead of a heavily pregnant omega. My cock hardens as I replace the omega on the page with my mate. I can't wait to see her swollen with my child. Fuck, she’ll be so sexy.

The smell of Cora’s arousal blooms, but before I can try to convince her to let me take care of it for her, she turns back to the group. “We need to find this necklace.”

“What necklace?” The professor growls. I throw a rock at him. Our mate needs him to get his act together. It’s not a big rock. Just a pebble really .

“Ow.” Roman rubs the spot I hit on his chest, and I grin. I’ve always had good aim.

Thankfully, our little mate doesn’t notice the exchange. I don’t think she’d like me hurting the professor, even if it wasn’t by much.

“You don’t think…” The nerdy beta’s eyes go wide when our mate nods.

“I feel like I’m missing something here.” I swing my head between Archer and my mate.

“It could be.” Our beta says, ignoring me. “Do you think it really does what they say?” His attention is completely locked on our girl.

“I, uh, think it will… I hope…” She lowers her voice, continuing to talk to herself as if we can’t hear her. “How the hell do I explain this to them without sounding delusional?”

She’s chewing that plush lower lip of hers, so I reach forward and pull it out gently with my thumb. “Explain.”

“I think this might be Lunara’s Relic. And… I need to find it.”

“Why do you need the necklace, love?” I ask quietly.

“What we need is to find a way out of this hell hole,” Roman growls from the edge of the circle.

Cora turns her head toward him, but I grip her chin and force her face back to me. “Ignore him. Why is this so important to you, little mate? You know I’d do anything for you.”

“You might feel differently after?—”

“Nope. Not possible.”

“Okay, um, yeah, I guess it’s good we talk about this, since it affects all of you.” Her gaze flings toward Roman before looking away. “Well, three of you.”

Interesting. My little mate has secrets. I like that.

“Maybe we should sit down.” She closes the book and picks it up, holding it against her chest like a shield, then walks back toward the fire, leaving the rest of us guessing. And drooling over her ass. Fuck, she looks good. She’s still wearing the shirt I gave her after her bath, and seeing her in my clothes has kept me hard all morning. Pretty sure Lunara should dub me a saint for the control I’ve shown.

She sits cross-legged by the fire. I flop down next to her, grab her waist, and drag her into my lap. She only fights me on it for a second. But even in arms, she curls in on herself. I smooth a hand over her hair. “What is it, love?”

She waits until the other men sit down. Bear and Archer just to the left of us, and Roman on the other side of the fire and a good five feet back. Seems the good professor isn’t ready for her to get a whiff of his juniper and cranberry scent yet. It’s not overpowering—he was probably taking as much scent blocker as she was—but it’s noticeable if you’re close to him.

He crosses his arms, refusing to sit down.

Cora looks at him for a long beat before she blurts out, “I don’t have heats.”

I blink, shaking my head. I must have heard wrong. “Huh?”

“I don’t have heats,” she repeats, as if my hearing is the problem.

“But you’re an omega,” Bear says .

She’s still looking at Roman, and he’s looking back with an entirely neutral expression. For once, I’m grateful for the man’s control. And grateful she’s sitting in my lap and can’t see my face. I don’t know what my face is doing, because I have no fucking clue how to process what she just told us.

“What does that mean, sweetheart?” Archer asks.

Cora takes a deep breath before answering. “I have pre-heat symptoms—like, all the time—but it never turns into a real heat.”

“But you’re an omega,” Bear repeats. Big guy’s in shock. I am, too.

“The doctors think I probably won’t be able to have children. Since… well, you know. And bonding…”

The air sucks out of my lungs like I’ve been punched. The image of my omega with my bite on her neck, round with my child, is ripped from my mind in one instant.

But then I think of her.

I can hear the pain in her voice. Feel the tightness of her muscles as she leans away from me, curling over her knees even while sitting in my lap. How long has she known? How long has she carried this on her own?

“Oh, love.” I pull her against my chest, wrapping her in my arms.

“What does this have to do with the necklace?” Bear asks, coming out of his stupor.

Cora sniffles and keeps her damp face against my chest. “There are stories of…” She sniffles again, and her shoulders shake.

“Lunara’s Relic,” Archer says, like he’s putting together a puzzle and just found a missing piece. “They say it could heal people, and there’s one obscure text that says it can induce heats. You wrote about it in your paper in the National Academies of Omega Sciences Journal.”

Cora nods. Her whimpered cries are quietly breaking my heart.

“We don’t care that you don’t have heats, honey,” Bear says, shifting close enough to touch her knee.

“But I care,” she whispers. “I want a pack. I want kids. I want to stop being on the edge of a heat all the time, stop feeling constantly uncomfortable, and instead feel all the pleasure an omega is meant to. Without it, I’m… I may as well be…”

“A beta,” Archer’s voice is hard.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Cora says, reaching for his hand, but he’s too far for her to touch. “There’s nothing wrong with being a beta. All the designations have their place and purpose. I just feel like… I don’t.” Her last word dissolves into a sob as she buries her head against my chest.

“You do, love. Your place is with us. No matter what. With or without bonds and heats and all that shit.” I brush her hair off her shoulder and pull her closer. “But that being said, I’ll try every magic relic, doctor, temple, witch, and whatever the fuck else you want to try to get my bite on your neck and my seed to take root in your womb. If that’s what you want.” I give her a squeeze, then look around at the group. “So, we find this relic, yeah?”

“I’m in,” Bear says without hesitation. Good man.

“It’s worth looking.” Archer kicks a rock and it skitters across the floor. Seems our beta might need a little lift. Wonder if he’d let me fuck him out of his mood. Orgasms make everything better.

“B-but Roman’s r-right,” Cora says, tears wetting my bare chest. “We should be focusing on a way out.”

“Don’t back out of your own plan now, love.”

Cora looks at each of us in turn and wipes her eyes. There’s that brave hope I know. But when her attention shifts to her professor, her face falls again. Fuck, I want to hurt him for hurting her. If only that wouldn’t hurt her more.

“You don’t have to come with us,” she whispers, looking down, away from Roman’s stare.

A myriad of emotions flash across the professor’s face, his jaw tight with tension. His eyes never leave my little mate as he tries to sort through them. If he doesn’t say something soon, I really might punch him in the face despite knowing Cora wouldn’t approve. Finally, he stands up straighter, a look of determination taking over his features. “I’ll help.”

Roman’s firm tone surprises me. Maybe I won’t have to beat him up after all.

Cora gives him a look of shock tinged with hope.

“We give it three days,” Roman continues, ever the pragmatist. “We have potable water and a food source that seems plentiful, even if snake isn’t the most exciting meal. It won’t hurt to do a little exploring before we try to find a way out in earnest. Who knows, maybe the team will find us and it won’t be an issue. But after three days, we start digging our way out. With or without the necklace.”

There’s no debating his firm tone. He expects us all to follow. Since it seems like a good enough plan, I’ll let him take charge. For now.

His face softens on Cora. “I don’t want you down here too long. It can’t be healthy, and I want—” He stops himself, shifting his weight.

When he doesn’t say anything more, I stand up, pulling Cora with me.

“Okay, then.” I offer a hand to Archer to help him up, but Bear beats me to it. My effort is still rewarded by a shy little smile from Archer. Once we all figure our shit out, I think we’re gonna get along real well.

I rub my hands together, eager to do what I do best. “Let’s get searching.”