Licking at the marks I’d left on him, I purred contentedly. It was even better when Leighton came up behind me, letting me rest on her chest. She helped Ambrose hold himself up as we snuggled and waited for his knot to free us from each other.
I was in no rush, of course.
He sighed when his soft cock slid out, making more of a mess on the already soaked bed.
“I’m not sorry I bit you,” I said.
I hadn’t apologized to Dash, either. There was no point in lying.
He chuckled, smoothing his hands over the irritated parts of my skin. The beard burn. Hip bruises. My pussy, swollen from experiencing that for the first time. “I was hoping you would claim me,” he said.
“I want to have a bond with everyone who helps me through my heat. It feels right that way.”
More than a weak, temporary bond was what I wanted. It was unrealistic. I knew that. That Leighton didn’t resent me for this dark bond was miracle enough. I shouldn’t test my luck by jumping into having an entire pack.
The bonds I gave would have to do.
“And who is going to help you through your heat, princess?” Ambrose asked.
His eyebrow lifted and he rolled over onto his side, laying beside me and Leighton.
“You, Leighton, Dash, and…”
I trailed off, and I swore a flash of panic went across Ambrose’s face.
Mercury was the one of them I barely knew. He didn’t like me, from what I’d gathered. I didn’t want to lie and say I didn’t want him during my heat, but it wasn’t fair to make him feel… obligated.
“Mercury,” I said quietly. “But he doesn’t have to.”
Smiling, Ambrose pressed his lips to my arm—the nearest part of my body. “Should I tell him you want him, little omega, or are you planning on doing that?”
I huffed. “It isn’t like he likes me. Maybe it’s better if I don’t tell him anything.”
“He likes both of us more than he lets on,” Leighton said with a confidence I didn’t possess. “But you’re right. His pack needs to convince him to make an effort first.”
The comment was pointedly for Ambrose. It was a burden that shouldn’t be put on him, though. They were lovers. We were lovers. We couldn’t use him as a go-between.
I didn’t want to think about terrifying, awkward conversations right now. I’d just woken up but my limbs were heavy and I was about ready for a nap. Curling up between Leighton’s legs, with Ambrose to my side, I purred until sleep dragged me under.
Just a small nap.
I deserved it, with the chaos last night had brought.
FORTY-THREE
MERCURY
Leighton’s phone lit up on the counter before she’d returned from the bedroom. I glared at it, annoyed at the reminder that I wasn’t alone in this condo, no matter how I pretended to be.
I wasn’t jealous.
Not at all.
There was no way I was jealous about how they’d fucked Kiara together. Or about how she’d claimed Ambrose, leaving me as the only one in the pack without a bond. I felt the echo of her through our pack bond, now that she’d sunk her teeth into two of us.
I certainlywas notjealous that her heat was coming, and I wouldn’t be invited because I’d spent so much time being a cunt to her.
The rest of my pack would get to spend it with her. I couldn’t do anything to stop Dash from being where she wanted him, and I’d finally acknowledged he might be able to make his own decisions about what he could handle.
