Page 74 of Nesting With My Three Alphas
"Food first," Micah said firmly, already moving toward the door. "And hydration. You've been through a lot."
"I'll help," Reed said as his hand gently stroked down my side. He leaned in and kissed my forehead gently before he moved away, leaving me feeling momentarily empty before Jonah's presence reminded me that completion was still coming.
Jonah stayed close, his hand never leaving mine. It was pack coordination at its finest. Three alphas working together to ensure their omega was properly cared for.
When Micah returned with a tray of carefully selected foods and Reed came back with fresh water and damp cloths for cleaning up, I felt so cherished I could barely breathe.
"Better?" Micah asked after I'd eaten some fruit and drained a full glass of water.
"Much," I said, already feeling my strength returning. "Thank you for taking such good care of me."
"Always," Reed said immediately, settling back in the nest beside me. "That's what pack does."
I could feel my heat beginning to build again, my body recovering from the intensity of the first two claimings andpreparing for the third. The urge to rush ahead, to demand immediate satisfaction, was almost overwhelming.
"I'm ready," I said, reaching toward Jonah with desperate hands. "I need you now, I need..."
"No." Jonah's voice was calm but carried an authority that cut through my heat-addled desperation immediately. "You're not ready yet."
I blinked at him in surprise, my hands faltering. "But I..."
"You're overheated, exhausted, and running on instinct instead of actual need," Jonah said gently but firmly. "Look at yourself, sweetheart."
I followed his gaze down to my own body and realized he was right. I was panting, my skin flushed and damp with perspiration, my hands shaking slightly from the intensity of what I'd already experienced. My heat was telling me to rush ahead, but my body was telling a different story.
"But my heat..."
"Your heat will still be there in an hour," Jonah said, his voice carrying the kind of quiet authority that made both Reed and Micah nod in agreement. "But if we push too hard too fast, you could hurt yourself. And I won't let that happen."
The calm certainty in his voice, the way he was willing to deny both my heat and his own obvious arousal in service of my wellbeing, sent a different kind of warmth through me. This was what a real alpha looked like. Someone who could see past immediate desires to what was actually best for his omega.
"What do I need?" I asked quietly, trusting his judgment over my heat-clouded instincts.
"You need to cool down, clean up, and rest for a bit," Jonah said, already moving toward the en-suite bathroom. "You need your alpha to take care of you properly."
Your alpha. Not just any alpha, but specifically him. The possessive claim in those words was different from Reed'sdemanding dominance or Micah's gentle worship. This was the deep, bedrock certainty of a pack leader who knew exactly what his omega needed.
"Can you walk?" Jonah asked, returning with several fluffy towels.
"I think so," I said, though my legs felt shakier than I wanted to admit.
"No thinking necessary," Jonah said, scooping me up in his arms with effortless strength. "I've got you."
When he said "I've got you," I didn't flinch or brace. I believed him.
Being carried felt like the most natural thing in the world. I nestled against his chest, breathing in his cedar-and-comfort scent while he transported me to the bathroom with the kind of steady confidence that made my omega purr with satisfaction.
The bathroom had been prepared. Candles lit, water temperature perfect, soft music playing from a speaker I hadn't noticed before. Someone had thought ahead, had planned for this moment of care between the intensity of claiming.
"Reed, Micah?" Jonah asked over his shoulder as he settled me carefully on the edge of the large bathtub.
"We'll keep an eye on things out here," Reed's voice came from the bedroom, warm with understanding. "Take care of our girl."
Our girl. Even in their devotion to me, they deferred to Jonah's authority when it came to my wellbeing.
"This might be warm," Jonah warned, testing the water temperature against his wrist before using a soft cloth to begin gently cleaning my overheated skin.
The cool cloth felt incredible against my flushed skin, immediately beginning to bring down my body temperature and clear some of the desperate haze from my mind. Jonah worked methodically, cleaning away the evidence of my previous claimings with a care that was both practical and reverent.
