Page 137 of Tides of Fate

“I’ll be home in twenty.”

There’s the slamming of a car door, the beep of the alarm, and then the phone disconnects.

Is he running home? That’s the stuff of dramas and romance novels.

His alpha is on his way, and soon his whole pack will be safe where he can see them.

Gideon holds his breath for a moment to give his brain that extra few seconds of clarity before pushing the door open all the way.

Luca is sitting on Rowan’s lap, leaning back against his chest, while the enigma rests his eyes.

Grayson is lying on top of Nix, who is on his belly—almost completely covered by the enigma on his back.

Follows his slender arm over, Gideon sees it’s still wrapped around Luca’s dick.

They all look asleep, so Gideon fetches the clothing hamper, dragging the clothes toward the nest and upending it, causing a cascade of fabric to spill onto the mattress.

He finally lets his breath out. The scents of sex and heat are easier to manage when he holds a laundry-fresh face cloth in front of his nose, and even if he must look like a fool, it’s keeping him in the frame of mind wherehe can care for his mates.

Nix and the enigmas haven’t eaten anything yet today, so Gideon gently wakes Rowan with a touch to his cheek and a protein bar under his nose.

He just opens his mouth and not his eyes, like he’s expecting Gideon to feed it to him.

If Gideon could be sure he wouldn’t get it bitten off before Rowan figured out it wasn’t food, he’d have stuck his dick in there instead.

The audacity.

“Hold your food, Ro. I am not your mother.”

Rowan puts his hand out, and there is a cloud of vanilla musk Gideon can smell even through the cloth. He slaps the bar into it and grabs three more, plus two bottles of water.

“Honey,” he whispers and kisses his soulmate’s soft lips. “Water. Open up.”

It feels like déjà vu when Luca opens his mouth so Gideon can pour a small stream of ice-cold water in and be rewarded with a smile.

“Thank you. You take such good care of me,” he says as he wiggles his hips and uses his other hand to hold Nix’s limp one firmer around his dick.

His face falls. “I came. Are you mad? Nixie’s heat makes it impossible. For real, this time.”

He believes it, so Gideon shakes his head. Breaking a piece of protein bar off, he slides it into Luca’s mouth.

“Mmmm. It’s okay. I’m not mad.”

He feeds Luca another piece just as Rowan stops chewing.

“Hey, why do you feed him pieces like that? Why does he get to be a cute baby bird, and I have to do it myself? Am I not cute?” Rowan whines and punctuates the last question with little thrusts of his hips.

“I think you’re cute, Ro.”

The deep, gravelly voice rumbles out from under the sleeping Grayson.

Rowan sticks his tongue out at Gideon and then bites into Luca’s shoulder, encouraging him to swivel his hips. They’re so incendiary that Gideon is momentarily distracted by his soulmate thrusting into Nix’s tight grip.

Gideon bends down to see Nix’s gray eyes under Grayson’s long curtainof hair.

“Hey, how are you feeling now? Has it stopped for a minute?” Gideon asks.

Nix hums and then murmurs, “Hungry. But…not for that.” He gestures to the half-eaten protein bar with his adorable, wrinkled nose.

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