Ambrose laid a hand down on my shoulder, his chest rumbling in a purr behind me.
I shrugged him off, shying away and hiding against the wall.
The purr stuttered to a stop, and he wasn’t good at hiding his reaction through our fading bond. He was hurt.
But I couldn’t do that right now. I couldn’t be touched. If they touched me, I’d lose myself again. I almost was already, with their scents swirling around me. My stomach clenched in pain, similar to the cramps I’d experienced before the heat hit, except worse.
So much worse.
As they increased in intensity, I wanted to curl up in a ball on this cool concrete.
The elevator arrived and I scurried into it instead.
“Kiara…” Ambrose said softly. “We’ll find her. They had her in the van by the time we realized, but we’re going to find her. Mercury called Liberty, and if Dash hacks the right traffic cameras… she’ll be back in no time. Let me help you, princess. I don’t want you to hurt.”
Mercury and Dash were in the elevator too, but stayed silent. Dash looked lost—maybe feeling the same about our intimate moment as I had. That it had been ruined even though it was so fucking perfect. Mercury was tapping at the screen of his phone.
“No help,” I said, swallowing a lump in my throat. “I’m fine.”
“You’re in heat. I know you must hurt—”
“Leighton isn’t here,” I snapped. My cheeks were wet with tears, but a bit of fury rolled through me like a wave, too. All my emotions were out of whack. Omegas weren’t meant to deal with this type of stress while they were in heat. “If she’s hurting, I can hurt.”
I grasped desperately at my bond with her. It was the only thing keeping me sane. I wished I’d left my mark on her like she’d left hers on me—it wasn’t necessary, when her bite formed a permanent bond. But my bite would be a reminder to her that I loved her.
She might need the reminder while she was with my brother.
It was a small consolation she wasn’t panicked yet, as far as I could tell. She was trying to keep me out of her emotions, but the bond wasn’t locked down. I’d know if she completely shut me out.
The elevator opened on our floor and I left it first, reaching the apartment door and tugging on the handle.
Locked.
I sobbed and Ambrose moved me out of the way, shoving his key in the hole and letting me into the apartment that had quickly become my home.
I made a beeline for my nest, ripping off all the clothing I wore. Only the dress, now. Dash had removed my panties when he knotted me. The dress landed on the floor, ruined from my frantic need to get it off, and I tentatively climbed into my nest.
Leighton’s scent was all over it.
But so was everyone else’s.
I bit my lip hard enough it bled, looking toward the door of the bedroom. Ambrose was crowding the doorway, silently offering his help once again. I was tempted.So tempted.
A cramp wrung my stomach and I cried out, but when he made a move toward me I waved him off.
“I don’t want you to fuck me through my heat.”
It was a fucking lie.
The biggest lie I’d ever told.
I wanted him desperately. I loved all of them, and this heat was supposed to include them. I’d entertained fantasies of how it would feel to have them all with me in my nest. Curiosity had sparked over whether or not anyone would fuck Leighton—and whether I would be jealous.
That didn’t matter now, because it wasn’t right to have any help if Leighton wasn’t here.
Digging my teeth harder into my lip, I tentatively reached out for one of Ambrose’s shirts. What I was about to do… I knew how it would look. And I hoped they understood. I could explain, but I got the sense that wouldn’t make it any better right now, not while the wound was fresh.
I clutched Ambrose’s shirt in my fist and tossed it from the nest.
