Page 145 of Lavender and Honey

"Good girl," he says again, drawing me closer. "Like that, do you?" I hear Elias, falling into step beside us.

My heart drums its answer. I am new to myself, undone and remade, and it scares me. "I don't know what you're talking about," I tell him, the lie too fragile to hold. They both know. Their laughter cuts through the air around me.

We move inside, the world opening into warmth and scent and safety. I am aware, more aware than I want to be. Of Lucian's hands on me. Of Elias, so close. I want to hide. I want to be seen.

I want them to never let go.

"You're alright, Lydia," Elias says, his voice gentle, coaxing. I don't know if I believe him, but the way he says my name keeps me from falling. I look at Lucian, hoping for something I can't name. His gaze is hot, steady. I can't look away.

He reads me, knows me, and that terrifies me. It excites me.

"Let's get you settled," he says, as if settling me is the easiest thing in the world.They carry me up the stairs, and I wonder if I will ever have this moment again. This one, pure, where nothing else intrudes.

A door opens, and I could see the nest. It was inviting and the scents of everyone combined made me whine softly. I open mymouth again, but my body betrays me, makes its own reckless decisions.

"I forgot to take them," I whisper to Lucian as he lowers me into the nest. "Everything... I forgot to take them."

He shakes his head, his hands still on me. "Lydia. Going into heat is normal." He says it like a promise, not a fact. His eyes hold me, deep and full. "It may just move up our marking."

The words hit me, all at once. My body comes alive under them, every nerve awake. The fear slips away, quicksilver and bright, and something more primal takes its place.

Heat spreads through me. I can't stop it. I don't want to. Lucian senses it, the change in me, the flood of it. He doesn't move. His gaze doesn't leave mine, not even for a second.

Another wave crashes over me, a fierce, wild release. I feel slick starting to pool between my legs, wet and urgent. He must smell it, all of them must, but he stays where he is.

Dark eyes, hot and waiting.

I am the first to look away as another wave hits me, hard, and I moan, clutching at the bedding. I can't hide this. Can't hide anything.

I can feel them all around me. Elias. I knew he'd be the first to speak. "We can let you ride it out alone, or we can help."

I hear the smile in his voice, and it stokes the heat into something new. "We can still do the marking. Or wait, if you'd rather."

They make it sound so simple, as if my world isn't spinning apart. "It's your choice, Lydia." Lucian is right there, dark eyes never leaving me.

They will wait, I know they will wait if I ask. But I don't want to wait. I've been waiting too long.

I look around the room. Elias, Lucian. Finn. Soren. Their presence sets every nerve alight. They are all waiting. I want mypack. I want my Alpha and Omega. It's a bold move to make, but I am past caution.

"I want my pack," I say my thoughts out loud for them to hear, words fierce and urgent."My Alphas and Omega."

Chapter Eighty-Two

The words hung in the air, charged with meaning that was both terrifying and thrilling. Lucian's eyes darkened at my declaration, a low rumble building in his chest that wasn't quite a growl. Beside him, Finn stood motionless, only the subtle flare of his nostrils betraying his reaction. Soren leaned against the doorframe, his usual smirk softened into something more vulnerable, while Elias knelt beside the nest, his warm hazel eyes never leaving mine.

"Are you sure?" Lucian asked, his voice deeper than I'd ever heard it. "We can wait till after your heat if you don’t want this right now.”

Another wave of heat crashed through me, making me gasp. My skin felt too tight, my clothes unbearably restrictive. Everything was heightened—scents, sounds, the brush of fabric against my fevered skin.

“Yes,Alpha.”

The word "Alpha" slipped from my lips before I could catch it, hanging in the air like a confession. Lucian's eyes darkened further, that rumble in his chest growing louder.. Finn straightened, his steady presence suddenly charged with anticipation. Soren pushed away from the doorframe, his movements fluid and predatory, I watched as something primal and possessive flashed across his face, his restraint visibly thinning,

"Say it again," Lucian commanded softly, stepping closer to the nest. As my attention went back to him.

My breath caught in my throat as another wave of heat rolled through me, more intense than the last. My body responded to his proximity, to his scent, to the authority in his voice. I was slick with need, trembling with it.

"Alpha," I repeated, the word both surrender and claim.

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