Page 33 of Building My Pack

From this angle, it's an awkward urge to wrap my arms around him and find that I can't. I settle for palms against his stomach, loving the way they move as he drives himself inside of me. I can feel myself getting close to falling over that edge, and I try to meet his strokes, but the best I can do from this position is find something to grab ahold of and hang on. Which is what I do. When my body tightens and starts to pulse around him, I cry out loud enough that I'd worry if I had neighbors close. He follows within several seconds and the feel of him tensing before starting to pulse within me sends me over again.

Falling to his elbows above me, he presses soft, breathless kisses all over my face. "That was...wow. You're so amazing."

I laugh softly. "Pretty sure you did all the work, so you're not so bad yourself."

He chuckles and it sends another aftershock through my body. We both tremble as he pulls out and lays on his side facing me. Using one arm as a pillow, he's slowly catching his breath as his other hand rubs lazy circles across my belly. "I guess you can throw me in the ring with your crazy alphas now."

Understanding what he's saying, I get ready to argue, "But, I thought you said you weren't—"

That's all I manage to get out when his finger comes to cover my mouth before he replaces it with his own.

Chapter 16

Bryce

A sharp pain in my abdomen pulls me out of one of the deepest sleeps I've had in awhile. The sun is streaming brightly through my bedroom windows, forcing my eyelids to close or risk going blind. What would normally have me stretching and enjoying the warm pools it's creating on my bed, has me curling up into a fetal ball instead. Especially as another stabbing pain hits me in the lower belly. I groan, clutching it tight in the middle.

Last night, Kit and I had raced from the deck to upstairs where we'd fallen right back into each other’s arms. We didn't actually fall asleep until the early hours of the morning long after the storm had passed us by. Now, I reach out to find his spot of the bed cold like he hasn't been here for hours. A whimper glides up my throat as tears form behind my lids. He left after all. Even after everything he said and us being together. He'd still ducked out in the middle of the night. I don't know why it hurts so bad, but it does. Now for whatever reason, I feel like my insides are being ripped out and shoved back in at the same time adding to the pain.

Fat, alligator tears roll out from beneath my lids to leave sideways tracks on my face before splashing on the sheets. In a break between the spasms that seems to have overtaken my womb, I grab the blanket and toss it over my head before curling back into the ball that does absolutely nothing to numb the pain. It merely alleviates one aggravation to start another one. I'd thought having the sun out of my eyes would be a relief, and it is, but I don't know if it's worth the scratchiness of the blanket against my skin. As another pain racks my body, I decide to leave it as it is because it's not worth the trouble of trying to fix it.

When the next wave hits, I have to clench my thighs as tight as I can and hold my breath to keep from crying out. I've had stomach bugs before, but it's never felt like this. I know I should probably get up and find my phone but I think I left it downstairs somewhere and that's just going to take too much effort. Who would I call, anyway? Kit would be at the top of my list, even though he's helped me so much already that I likely wouldn't call him. Wouldn't really matter at this point, though. There's no telling which way he's heading and I don't want to be the reason he turns around. I'm not putting myself as a burden on people. Turning my face into the mattress I sob until I'm hiccuping for breath. My body and heart just hurt so bad.

I could call my mom or Santiago. Neither of which are very appealing either for different reasons. Thinking his name has the memory of his scent flooding my brain and my core clenches again. This time, I feel a small bit of liquid trickle out and run down my leg. The realization of what's happening hits me almost as hard as the pain does. Something that shouldn't be happening due to my suppressants is most certainly happening. I think I'm in heat.

The thought is almost as terrifying as the throbs that sent slick leaking out. I've never experienced a heat before but I've read enough over the past several weeks to grasp the concept that this is going to be undeniable agony without an alpha to see me through it. Not to even mention the heartache from Kit leaving.

Another sob rips from my throat along with a fresh wave of torment that works its way down the bottom of my spine to bloom between my thighs. Somehow, there's a rational part of my brain that isn't hurting that suggests calling Santiago. He'd come. I know he would, but what would he find? The woman he thought was a beta clearly in the midst of her first ever omega heat. That's such a terribly awful idea, but it has given me a better one. Just because I can't have them here with me physically doesn't mean I can't still cover myself in their alpha scents.

Forcing myself to standing, I make it all the way to the door before having to lean against the wall for support while holding my lower belly. By some miracle, I don't fall down the two flights of stairs I have to take in order to get to my nest. I'd caught sight of Wasabi swimming happily in his tank on the way down, and it reminded me so much of Kit the night before that I whine with the ache in my chest.

I'd thought to grab my phone but didn't want to risk losing my senses and doing something stupid like calling Santiago. Instead, I close the basement door behind me, locking all the bright sunshine and ocean breeze beta scent on the other side, except what still clings to my skin. I'll deal with that after this. One thing at a time.

The cool dimness of the room hits me as soon as I get to the bottom and there's a part of me that's grateful. The part still sending wave after wave of cramps isn't satisfied, and I fear there's not going to be anything I can do about that. My best option is smothering myself into the pillows and quilt that are heavy with summer rainstorms and coffee.

I cry until it doesn't feel like there's any liquid left in my body, but of course, the slick that keeps dripping between my inner thighs with every spasm of my core says otherwise. The pain is relentless and borderline unbearable. One thing the books and articles failed to mention is how helpless and impossible this would feel. I know omegas need alphas during their heat and understand all of the logistics. I just wasn't prepared forthis.

Laying for hours, maybe even days, without moving unless it's to rub my thighs together to ease some of the friction that's seemingly getting worse as time progresses, I don't bother fighting consciousness every time it drags me under. The only drawback is that every time I do, I wake with rising levels of pain. What had started in my stomach and parts of my back has now solely focused its attention on my womb and the channel between my legs. I'm breaking out into cold sweats and trembling into the mattress.

I'm half in a daze when I start hearing footsteps on the floor above my head before they stop. Someone could be breaking into my house and stealing everything I own, and I wouldn't care less. As long as they leave me in my misery down here, they can have whatever they want.

"Bryce?" a voice calls out. I don't recognize it since it's so far away, probably upstairs, but another muscle spasm steals my breath, anyway.

Quicker footsteps above my head now and the voice gets closer, "Bryce?'

The loudest whine yet leaves me at the sound of the voice I now recognize as one I thought I wouldn't hear again. "Kit?"

I hear the door to the basement jerking open before he's flying down the stairs almost two at a time. "Bryce?" The mattress dips and rolls me onto my back, startling a yelp out of me right before another spasm hits.

"I think I'm in heat," I whine through pain-filled tears.

He uncovers my head and I get my first look at his pupils blown wide and nostrils flaring. "You're definitely in heat, baby girl." Fussing over my body, he confesses, "I don't have what you're needing right now, but I can try to help. Why didn't you call me?"

"I thought you left," I admit, still crying.

"I did," he says, slowly trying to unwrap my body from the quilt burrito. Realization dawns on his face about the same time the cold air hits my hot naked skin. "I had to go to work today. I left you a note on the counter because I didn't want to wake you up." He palms my cheeks and presses a soft kiss against my lips. "I'm not leaving you, but you've got to tell me what I can do to help."

There's only one thing my body wants and I think he already knows since he's reaching over his shoulders to rip the shirt over his head. He’s on his knees, exposed, and completely vulnerable. I move to my knees, too, and bury my face into his stomach, licking the soft skin around his belly button.

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