Our resident healer brings me a steaming mug. “Drink this. It should help.”

Briggs pulls me up against his chest and takes the drink, blowing on it and holding it for me while I take sips. It’s got a little bit of a licorice and vanilla taste underneath a mulled wine. It’s wintery and spiced, spreading warmth through me. After a few minutes, it gives me a bit of a floaty feeling that’s nice.

The guys eat dinner around me, but I decline, lounging in Briggs's lap and demanding pets like a spoiled kitten.

After dinner, I shift from Briggs's lap to Gage’s, watching the brothers play their nightly chess game while he picks up where Briggs left off in the story.

It’s the best moment, even with my pre-heat. The ordinary sweetness of the evening brings tears to my eyes. I hold them back, breathing in Gage’s warm earthy scent. It reminds me ofmy grandmother’s home in my village, and for a moment, I let myself remember my first family.

I think they would be proud of the pack we’ve made. I hope somewhere they are.

Chapter 34

Nova

Gage whimpers in his sleep. I plaster myself to his side, my hands trying to soothe him. He’s been sleeping like shit for the last four nights, troubled by the same nightmare. Each day, my wolves check the wards. They find them intact with no sign of the ferals. Doesn’t seem to matter to Gage’s dreams or my shot nerves.

It’s nothing, yet it feels like something. No matter how many times I try, I can’t shake the feeling that it’s not just a dream. I force myself to push away the thought, focusing on purring for my haunted wolf.

The moment Gage wakes, he sighs, wraps his arms around me, and murmurs into my neck, “I'm sorry I woke you.”

“Nightmare?” I ask.

Gage nods. “Same one.”

“It’s nerves. Your worries are manifesting as dreams,” I reassure him and myself, running my fingers through his thick hair.

“Mmm,” he mumbles into my neck. “The after-nightmare head scratches are top tier though.”

I smile into his hair, loving how his muscles relax and his scent mellows the longer I hold him.

He moans, the sound making my nipples tighten. “Mmm. Right now, you smell like warm apple pie.”

He nuzzles my neck, the scruff on his skin tingling. Those rough passes of his jaw, followed by the soft feel of his lips, make my belly flutter and slick pool between my legs.

“Can’t help it. The moon,” I moan.

The full moon will rise tonight, and my body is primed to take every act of affection and turn it into an orgasm. It’s an art form my omega has mastered in my time with these men.

“Are you aching?” he murmurs, hands sliding along my back to cup my ass.

“I wasn’t,” I grumble, pretending to be put out. “But if you don’t stop scenting me, I will be.”

His teeth graze my skin so close to my pulse point that my insides clench. The thought of his bite makes my temperature rise. I want it, want to feel his knot and his teeth.

“Not helping.” I shiver when he nips along my collarbone.

“Didn’t expect it to. I could use a distraction, and you’re the most distracting creature I’ve ever met.” He kisses those words into my skin, his hands grazing my ass as he lowers himself beneath the blanket.

He doesn’t waste any time, splaying my legs open and licking along my center. He spreads me with his fingers, and for some reason, it’s so hot my hips jump. His chuckle is buried between the blanket and my legs, but I can feel his teasing gaze.

He keeps me there, teasing me with touches and little licks, never giving me back his full mouth.I grab hold of his head in frustration, but he only skirts his thumb through my wetness before blowing teasingly on my clit.

“Gage,” I plead, desperate for his mouth. “Why are you waiting?”

He throws back the blanket and crawls up my chest. His eyes glow, and his fangs glint. My throat tightens at the raw look in his eyes, and the space between us floods with cinnamon.

Gage practically snarls, his wolf in every gesture. “The first time I knot you, I will claim you. And I’m having a hard time convincing my wolf that time shouldn’t be now.”