Page 123 of How to Lose a Pack in 10 Dates

I have to grit my teeth to stay grounded.

Cam sets the glass down and helps shift the blankets, whispering soothing nonsense as he dampens a towel and gently presses it to the back of her neck. She gasps at the coolness, and I reach for her hand.

“I’m going to touch you now,” I warn her. “Just hold your hand.”

She gives a shaky nod as I take her small hand in mind. Her fingers are ice; but the rest of her body is on fire.

This is what we did. WhatIdid.

We left our omega to burn; and now we’re going to stay with her through every second of the fallout.

“Just breathe, Aims,” Jace says, nuzzling her temple. “We’ve got you.”

“Let go,” Cam adds, his voice low. “Let us help. You don’t have to fight it anymore.”

She looks at me one more time. My breath catches as she hesitates before finally—finally—she whispers the one word I’ve been waiting for.

“Please.”

Chapter Thirty-Four

Aimee

My body still aches when I finally wake again. Every nerve feels like it’s buzzing under my skin, but I’m no longer drowning in it. I’m hot, dizzy, and sore in places I didn’t know could ache; and I think I’ve been crying in my sleep again because my face feels tight and sticky.

But I’m not alone. Someone’s stroking my hair, someone else is whispering, and a third hand is gripping mine.

The nest is a mess around me, blankets kicked halfway off the bed, pillows scattered, clothes tangled and damp. I must have thrashed in my sleep, must have kicked and spun, but they’re still here.

They stayed.

Jace is behind me, his chest warm against my back, his fingers in my hair. Cam’s at the end of the mattress, his hand resting lightly on my shin. I blink blearily, lashes stuck together—

Andhe’sthere. Wes. Crouched beside the bed, his handsome face lit by the low bedside lamp, and those deep blue eyes locked on mine.

“Hi,” I rasp.

He breathes in—sharp, almost shaky—and then lets it out slowly. “Hey.”

He reaches up to brush a strand of sweaty hair away from my cheek. His fingertips graze my temple, then linger at my jaw. It’s the softest he’s been with me in a long time. Maybe ever.

“I thought you wouldn’t come,” I whisper.

“We almost didn’t deserve to.” His thumb traces the curve of my cheekbone, then his hand drops back down to grip mine again, tighter this time.

“I wasn’t ready,” I whisper. “I didn’t think it would hit like this.”

A rustle shifts the sheets behind me.

“I know,” Jace murmurs, his lips brushing the crown of my head. “It blindsided us too.”

“I’ve always been able to manage it,” I go on, voice wobbling. “It wasn’t supposed to happen now. I… thought I could control it.”

“Stop.” That’s Wes—rough and certain. “This isn’t on you.”

I turn my head, blinking up at him.

“This is on us,” he continues. “You went through the worst of it alone, because we didn’t listen. Because I didn’t trust you when I should’ve. Because I pushed you away every time you got close.”

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