Page 13 of Scent of Sanctuary
“Is there ice cream?” The ability these men have to draw me out of a panic is on another level. I’m still scared, a little shaky, but the idea of curling up with them on the couch has me settling.
Ambrose perks up, pointing to one of the bags I didn’t see before. “Fuck yeah, there is,” he grins. “I got strawberry and caramel.”
“One scoop of each, please,” I manage, forcing myself to stay present in the moment. We can discuss the dynamics of my heat tomorrow after my appointment with my doctor. The fantasy of spending it with these men is almost too good to be true but I’m not sure it’ll happen this time. Maybe next time? I’m not sure.
Callum guides me over to the couch, sitting me in the middle as Lyle plops onto my other side. I can see his nostrils flared, the muscles in his jaw tensing but he’s not acting on his need. And maybe that’s all I needed to see—that these men had control in a way those Alphas didn’t all those years ago. Ambrose plops down on my other side as Lyle starts flipping through channels, a bowl with two scoops of ice cream placed in my hands.
“One of each, as ordered, angel.” He presses a kiss to the side of my head before throwing an arm along the back of the couch behind me. I curl up between them, desperately wanting to lean over but telling myself I can’t. It’s almost as if Ambrose can sense it. “You don’t have to be anything but you, angel. We’re here for all of it. However, that looks. Even the messy parts.”
I don’t know what to say, so I just shove a spoonful of ice cream into my mouth.
Ambrose
Somecheesyassflickis playing on the screen, something with music and comedy that isn’t anything I’d pick out to watch on my own. Hell, I’m not even sure Seraphina would have chosen it, which means the loveable monster beside me is the one who’s enjoying it. God, I love that man more than he knows and he’s stupidly adorable in the strangest ways.
My attention falls to Seraphina, asleep in Lyle’s lap, her scent so strong it’s almost like berry syrup on my tongue. She’s curled against his chest, her dark hair spilling over his arm, her sundress bunched at her thighs. She’s been attached to him for the last hour, no doubt still reeling from his knot earlier, her instincts clinging to him even as she fights them.
It’s gonna take a while—weeks, maybe—before she gives in completely, before she believes we won’t hurt her like that bastard did. Ignoring the movie, I pull out my phone, my thumb swiping through old posts on socials as I scroll back three, four years, looking for anything that might click.
A report, a rumor, something that would explain Seraphina’s need to stay inside and protect herself from the outside world. My anger spikes as I imagine finding the Alpha who tried to ruin our Omega, making him pay for what he did to her. I want a name, a face, anything to give her justice, to give her peace. I make a mental note to reach out to a few contacts at the station, buddies that still talk to me after I switched professions.
Callum glares at me from the other side of Lyle and I snarl at him, baring my teeth, before shoving the phone back in my pocket. He’s right. This isn’t the time. We’ll have it out later, when we’re home, when Seraphina’s not curled up between us. For now, I force my hands to relax, my lip ring catching between my teeth as I chew on it, trying to burn off the rage.
A small noise draws my attention back to Seraphina. Her deep blue eyes are on me, her gaze dipping to my hoodie, then back to my face. I chew my lip ring harder, not sure what she wants so I reach up to brush her cheek. When she flinches, I pull back, confused as she slowly crawls from Lyle’s lap to mine. She curls against my chest, her cheek pressed against my hoodie, a soft sigh falling from her lips.
I never knew how perfectly we fit until now, her wild berry scent sinking into me, braiding with my rum spice. I’ve always wanted her, since the first time she laughed at one of my dumb jokes, but this completes the puzzle, like a piece I didn’t know was missing. My purr starts off a little shaky and then settles, a steady hum rumbling through my chest as she nuzzles closer.
I have to fight the urge to hold her as she whines, frustration bleeding through her scent. Seraphina tries to snuggle closer, her eyes squeezed shut.
“Angel, what do you need? I literally can’t help you if you don’t tell me what you need.”
She lets out a quiet sigh, her fingers twisting the hem of my hoodie. “It’s too much,” she whispers, her voice almost lost in the movie’s background noise.
Our Omega sits up a little, her deep blue eyes darting around the room. Her breaths quicken as she digs her fingers into the hem of my sweatshirt a little deeper. It takes me way too fucking long to figure out what’s going. An Omega in distress like this would burrow into a nest, curling up in blankets and pillows to feel safe. But her nest is gone and the pillows I bought are still piled at the edge of the living room.
She glanced at them earlier, when she was eating her ice cream, but she hasn’t touched them since. And now, with the movie’s cheesy credits rolling and the open space of the couch surrounding her, I can only imagine how exposed she feels.
A small, broken whimper escapes her as Callum shuts off the TV, the room enveloping in darkness with only the dim light from the kitchen to illuminate the living room. I open my mouth to ask her what she needs again but before I can, she tugs at the hem of my hoodie, pulling it away from my chest.Does she want it off?I almost sit up to pull it off of me when she stretches it out further and then slips her head beneath it. Slowly, she slides up my chest beneath my hoodie, not stopping until the top of her head is peeking out of the top.
I just stare, my hands frozen at my side as she then curls against my chest, her entire body relaxing with the new position. A few minutes later, I catch her soft snores, my heart melting for the bundle in my lap. She’s asleep again, safe in her makeshift burrow, the honor of having my hoodie as her nest is something she’ll never understand.
Lyle snorts, massaging his chin. Callum sits forward too, smiling at the strange sight.
I glance at Lyle, raising a brow. “I always joke about you stretching out my shit,” I muse, “but I take it back. This is the only way I’m allowing it.”
Lyle’s grin widens as he leans back, tossing a popcorn kernel in his mouth. “Noted.”
I bend my head, careful not to jostle her, and press a kiss to the top of her head. She lets out a little purr, before settling again.
Callum breaks the silence as he pushes to his feet, going over to check the camera in the kitchen. “Security’s all set up. Cameras, sensors, deadbolts. But I’m worried about what happens next.”
Lyle hums his agreement as he throws an arm behind my shoulder, his fingers grazing over his bite just before my collarbone. “She was adamant about the doctor. Even with what we said earlier, to be honest, persuading her to change that before the heat starts might be impossible.”
I nod, my lip ring catching between my teeth. “It’s gonna be fucking torture watching that shit happen again. I fucking hate seeing it.”
“We don’t have a choice,” Callum says, “not if we’re gonna prove to her that we’re all in. We’ll be here when she wakes up, and maybe one day she’ll give us the honor to love her the way she deserves.”
We’re all nodding, staying quiet to keep from waking Seraphina but the mess of her apartment looms and for once, I’m the one that doesn’t have to do anything. “I’ve got precious cargo,” I tease, “so you guys get to clean up.”
