Page 99 of Claimed By the Band

She'll be writhing and desperate again soon, and time will tell whether she's ready for the rest of the pack to join us, or if she still needs more space. "Rest while you can. This is just the beginning."

She hums contentedly, nuzzling into my neck. "Stay with me?"

"Always," I promise, holding her tighter. "I'm not going anywhere."

The thought of leaving the nest while she's still in heat is unthinkable. It's always been my safe place, and now, it's ours.

35

DANTE

Ipace the length of the bus's narrow hallway, trying not to focus on the sounds and scents coming from the bedroom. The mingled honey and roses and rain is driving me crazy, making my alpha instincts scream to join them. But I know we need to give the omegas space right now.

Omegas.

Alexis an omega.

A single fact has never at once fucked with my head and made perfect sense to my heart as much as this one has.

"Will you sit down?" Silas growls from his spot on the couch. "You're making me dizzy."

"How are you so calm?" I demand, running my hands through my hair. "Our omega is in there with our beta—who turned out to be another omega—after that shit Trakiss put in the vents backfired on us."

Knox makes a low sound in his throat at the mention of Trakiss. He hasn't said much since we got back, but the tension coming from him is as loud as one of Damon's drum solos.

"I'm not calm," Silas says, his voice tight. "But wearing a hole in the floor isn't going to help."

He's right, but I can't seem to make myself sit still. Not when everything I thought I knew has been turned upside down in the span of an hour.

The more I think about it, the more things make sense looking back on them. The way he always flinched from touch. How affected he was by pheromones. The walls he always kept up, even as he clearly yearned for connection.

"It makes sense," I say aloud, finally dropping onto the couch beside Silas. "Looking back, there were signs."

Knox shifts in his chair, guilt flashing across his features. I know he's beating himself up for how cold he was at first, even though he and Alex seem to be getting along better lately. Especially after that morning Asher caught them cooking together.

"None of us saw it," Silas says gently, clearly picking up on Knox's mood. "He went to incredible lengths to hide it."

"But why?" Knox asks, his voice rough. "We would never?—"

A particularly loud moan cuts through the air, making all of us tense. The scent of arousal and heat grows stronger, and I have to grip the edge of the couch to keep from moving toward the bedroom.

"Fuck," Knox mutters, shifting uncomfortably.

I know exactly how he feels. The combination of Asher and Alex's scents is intoxicating, calling to something primal inside me. Inside all of us.

I can barely breathe when Asher emerges from the bedroom, his honey-sweet scent mingled with Alex's in a way that makes my mouth water. His violet eyes are bright with satisfaction, his golden hair a mess, and there are fresh red marks blooming across his throat that make my alpha instincts purr. Especially when I imagine how they got there.

The image of Alex pressed against him, sucking desperate marks into Asher's skin is enough to make my jeans even more painfully tight than they already are from all these omega pheromones filling the bus.

"Where's Damon?" Asher asks, looking around our little gathering.

"Supply run," Knox mutters from his spot in the corner.

Asher nods, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "Good thinking. We're going to need... things." His cheeks flush slightly, but his voice stays steady. "Now that the edge is off, and Echo's had time to rest and build a proper nest, I could use an alpha or two to tag in. More than that might be overwhelming right now."

It strikes me as odd that he's still using Echo's code name, but I'm too distracted by the invitation to dwell on it. "I volunteer my services," I say, earning a soft laugh from him.

"Of course you do," Silas drawls beside me, but I can smell his interest spiking. "I'm in too, if that's what you both want."

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