Page 64 of Wanted By the Wolves

The sex-haze part of this pre-heat was fun. Let’s get back to that.

Plus, I’m needy and not in a fun way. I want snuggles and another batch of Gage’s muffins for these cramps.

Briggs sent me inside after I milked Milkshake. He could tell that the scents in the barn were making me queasy. The others are out on their evening perimeter check, but they left about an hour ago and it takes at least two.

A draft carries in from the newly open door, and I scramble from the couch, flinging myself into Briggs’s arms. He picks me up, letting me nuzzle into his neck and get a hit of his rich orchid and dark forest.

“I was miserable!” I practically whine, completely giving in to my omega instincts to be a needy-ass bitch.

“You came back in less than an hour ago.” My alpha chuckles, the melodic sound calming the itch under my skin. I rub mycheek along the underside of his scruff, the scratchy bristles making me purr.

“Doesn’t matter. I feel needy,” I admit, wrapping my legs around his waist as he carries me back into the living room.

I’m not even embarrassed by it. They’ve made it clear they like how clingy I can be, and their presence comforts me.Besides, there’s no embarrassment with the pack, not really. We know each other now—our dreams, our nightmares, and the soft places we protect. That’s what makes it so powerful. We see one another, and we love each other, hang-ups and all.

Maybe we haven’t said it in those words yet, but I feel their truth. These men are my family.

“I love it when you’re needy, pretty girl,” Briggs promises. He sets me back down on the couch.“Let me get situated, and I’ll come and keep you company.” He brushes a soft kiss on my lips. “Fifteen minutes, then all the snuggles you need.”

I relent, dropping my arms from his neck and trying to find a comfortable spot in the mound of blankets I’ve amassed on the couch.

Briggs keeps his word. Fifteen minutes later, he’s back, freshly showered, with a plate of snacks in one hand and warm water bottles in the other. He tucks the warm water bottles under the blankets and adds another log to the fire, sending a burst of cozy warmth into the room.

“Scoot over.” Briggs wedges between the back of the couch and me, looping a strong arm around me as he reaches for the snack plate. “You snack, I’ll read. But toss me a stuffed jalapeño first.”

He eats the whole thing in one bite from my hand, pretending to nibble me up like a wolf, planting kisses on my hands and anywhere else he can reach.

I giggle around his teasing, almost dropping the plate. “Cut it out before we lose the snacks!”

“We can’t have that,” he says teasingly.

His playfulness eases some of the tension in my body. It’s hard to be unhappy around Briggs.He's warm and unassuming, silly in the best way. I’ve missed our daily cuddles, just the two of us while he reads or talks with me.

I give him a soft kiss. “You're pretty great at knowing and providing exactly what everyone needs. It's one of the things I love about you.”

The tips of Briggs's ears tinge pink, but his eyes are full of a soft tenderness that shows how much my words mean. He ruins it a moment later by wiggling his eyebrows. "How many things do you love? I mean, it's hundreds, right? Especially how handsome I am?"

"Precisely," I giggle.

The back of his hand brushes across my cheek, that tender look back in his eyes. "Same, beautiful. I love everything about you. Sometimes it's hard to believe you're real. I can’t wait to bond with you, to build a life with you. I know how it all started was awful, but I’ll be forever grateful that we found you.”

My chest warms into a gooey, melted mess, and my wolf purrs for her handsome mate. “You’re pretty perfect. That’s another thing I love about you,” I say with a watery smile.

“Damn right,” he teases. We settle, and Briggs opens the book, pulling me back against his chest. “Naughty Nova. You went ahead.”

I feign innocence. “Is thirty-three not the chapter you stopped on?”

“No, and you know it.” He backs up a few chapters and starts where he left off.

Even though I’ve already read that part of the story, I listen with fascination to the cadence of his voice. His melodic timbre is soothing, and I hum while I nibble on my snacks, content to stay here forever.

When my two missing mates return from their perimeter check a few hours later, I’m feeling a little better.

Dex steals me from his brother’s arms, sets me on his lap, and scent marks my hair. He doesn’t say anything, but even without a bond, I can tell he missed me. I wonder if this overwhelming need will simmer down after my heat when we’ve bonded.

Gage leans down into Dex’s space and kisses me before heading into the kitchen to finish dinner.

When I'm covered in Dex's scent, I plaster myself between the two brothers. Briggs runs his fingers through my hair in the world's best scalp massage while Dex rubs my feet. The guys talk around me about their perimeter check and the daily chores. I add in every once in a while, but I’m mostly content to just be. Beneath the surface, my cramps twinge, and a general air of mopey-ness makes me want to snuggle and hide under the blankets.

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