Page 83 of Mating With My Grumpy Alphas
"Easy, sweetheart," Elias murmured, his healer's training evident in the calm authority of his tone. "You're safe. We're all here."
I turned toward his voice, my vision slightly hazy with the intensity of what was happening to my body. He was propped up on one elbow beside me, fully dressed despite the early hour, his green eyes alert and focused on my face.
"How long have you been awake?" I managed, my voice coming out rougher than expected.
"A while," he admitted. "Your scent started changing around three AM. We've been taking shifts, making sure someone was monitoring."
The idea that they'd been watching over me, protecting me even in sleep, made my chest tight with emotion. This was what safety felt like. What being treasured meant.
"Where are the others?" I asked, suddenly aware that we were alone in the bedroom.
"Kitchen," Elias said gently. "Giving you space to see how you felt when you woke up. But they're close if you need them."
How I felt? Right. Because this wasn't just about sex or physical release. This was about bonding, about claiming, about establishing permanent connections that would change all of us forever.
"How do you feel?" he asked, his hand moving to rest lightly on my forehead. Checking for fever, I realized, though his touch sent sparks of electricity through my overheated skin.
"Like I'm burning from the inside out," I said honestly. "But good burning. Want burning."
"That's normal," he assured me, though I could see the way his pupils dilated at my words. "Your body's preparing for bonding. Everything's exactly as it should be."
I shifted restlessly against the sheets, hyperaware of every point where fabric touched skin. The need building in my core was unlike anything I'd experienced before. Not just physical desire, but something deeper. A biological imperative that demanded completion. This wasn’t heat like I’d ever experienced it before.
"Elias," I said, his name coming out like a prayer. "I need..."
"What do you need?" he asked gently, though the careful control in his voice suggested he was fighting his own instincts.
"You," I said simply. "I need you. First. Now."
Something shifted in his expression, the gentle healer giving way to something more primal. His scent deepened, taking on the rich, complex notes that meant an alpha was responding to an omega in heat.
"Are you sure?" he asked, even as his hand moved to cup my face. "Once we start, once I claim you, there's no going back."
"I don't want to go back," I said firmly, turning my face into his palm. "I want to go forward. With you. With all of you."
The smile that spread across his face was brilliant and tender and full of promise. "Then let me take care of you, sweetheart. Let me give you what you need."
He leaned down to kiss me, and the contact was like touching a live wire. Every cell in my body responded to him, the heat in my core flaring to almost unbearable intensity. I made a desperate sound against his lips, my hands fisting in his shirt.
"Easy," he murmured, pulling back just enough to speak. "We have time. All the time you need."
But I didn't feel like I had time. I felt like I was drowning in sensation, like every second without his skin against mine was torture. The logical part of my brain understood that this was heat talking, biology overriding rational thought. But the omega part of me didn't care about logic. She only cared about need and completion and the alpha whose scent was calling to every instinct I possessed.
"Please," I whispered, and the word came out broken with want.
Elias made a sound low in his throat, something between a growl and a groan. "Let me get the others," he said. "Let them know we're starting."
"No," I said quickly, grabbing his wrist. "Not yet. Just us first. Please. I want to start with just us."
He studied my face for a long moment, reading something there that made him nod slowly. "Just us first," he agreed. "But they stay close. In case you change your mind or need support."
I nodded, grateful for his understanding. I loved Wes and Rhett deeply, but the idea of trying to navigate three different alpha energies while my body was just beginning to surrender to heat felt overwhelming. Starting with Elias, who understood omega physiology better than anyone, felt right.
He stood up, moving to the bedroom door. I could hear him speaking quietly to the others, explaining the plan. Their voices carried back to me, low and reassuring, but I was too focused on the fire building in my veins to process words.
When Elias returned, he'd removed his shirt, and the sight of his lean chest and strong shoulders made my mouth go dry. He wasn't built like Rhett, who was all heavy muscle and raw power, or like Wes, who carried the lean strength of someone who spent his days outdoors. Elias was elegant in his strength, every line of him designed for precision and care.
"Better?" he asked, settling back on the bed beside me.
