Page 124 of Daisy
The cabin smells amazing. Eggs and bacon and something sweet that might be pancakes. But underneath all that, their scents surround me, thick and warm in the air. Dante's honey. Cassian's dark amber. August's cedarwood. Hawk's caramel and leather. All of them mixing together, wrapping around me.
And they're all responding to me. Their scents deepen, more possessive. More alpha.
My hands are starting to shake slightly as I reach for the mug August offers me. Something's building under my skin. And they can all sense it. Dante's ice-blue eyes track the tremor. Cassian's jaw clenches when he catches my scent shifting.
This is our new normal now. Me bonded to Gunner, my heat approaching, all of us figuring out what comes next. Everything's moving so fast, but somehow it feels right. Like I really do belong here with them.
Cassian glances over from the stove, catches my eye, and gives me the smallest nod. Like he's checking that I'm really okay. That no one hurt me yesterday.
It's such a Cassian thing to do. Quiet but protective.
"How are you feeling, sunshine?" August asks quietly, pressing a mug of perfectly prepared tea into my hands.
"Happy," I say, and mean it completely. "Really, really happy."
But that happiness comes with something else now. My pulse quickens. The need to be closer to them grows stronger.
We eat breakfast together, and I try to focus on the food. Fluffy pancakes drizzled with syrup, crispy bacon, scrambled eggs that August makes just how I like them. But I keep catching myself watching the way Gunner's jaw moves when he chews, or how Hawk's fingers wrap around his coffee mug. Everything feels heightened, more intense.
"I'm going to shower," I announce when I finish eating, needing a moment to collect myself.
The hot water feels amazing against my skin, but it doesn't calm the restless energy building inside me. If anything, it makes it worse. Every drop feels like a caress, and I find myself thinking about their hands instead of the water. When I step out, I catch my reflection in the mirror. My cheeks are flushed, my eyes bright. Even I can smell the change in my scent.
I dress in clean clothes—one of Gunner's soft t-shirts and my own leggings—and return to the living room where they're all scattered around, pretending to read or clean up from breakfast.
The morning passes, but pressure builds inside me. Getting stronger every minute I'm surrounded by all their scents.
I keep wanting to touch them. All of them. My hand reaches out without thinking to brush August's wrist when he passes by, and the simple contact makes him inhale sharply. I lean into Hawk when he makes a joke, breathing in his caramel and leather scent, and he goes very still beside me. When Gunner's thumb traces across my knuckles, I have to bite my lip to keep from making a sound, and the small noise I make has his pupils going wider.
They're trying to be normal. Trying to act casual about the way my scent is affecting them. But their hands clench. Their breathing changes. Their scents grow deeper, more intense.
"So we'll have advance warning if anyone comes up the access road," Dante explains, but his voice sounds far away."Should give us plenty of time to grab our things and disappear if needed."
"Hopefully we won't need to," August says.
"It is safe," I say, but my voice comes out breathier than I meant. "It feels like home."
But as we talk, something starts to change. Gets stronger.
The dull ache in my belly starts to sharpen. Become more insistent. I shift in my chair, trying to find a comfortable position, but there isn't one. Gunner's soft t-shirt that felt perfect an hour ago suddenly feels too warm. Too heavy. And there's this emptiness inside me, this need to be filled that I don't understand.
The Omega House taught me flower arranging and proper posture. Not how badly I'd want to be knotted by my alphas. This confusion, this desperate ache... none of it makes sense, but somehow I know they're perfect for me. That they're exactly what I need.
And then the cramp hits. Sharp and sudden, radiating from deep in my core outward until my whole body tenses. I gasp, gripping the edge of the table.
"You okay, sunshine?" August notices immediately.
"Just cramping," I manage, but even as I say it, slick pools between my thighs. My body responding to their scents, their closeness. "But it's different now. Stronger."
"Different how?" Gunner asks. His hand finds my back, rubbing gentle circles. I can feel his concern through our bond, warm and steady.
"More regular. And... oh." Another cramp hits, and this time I can't hide the way it makes me double over slightly. Can't hide the rush of slick that follows. "And I feel really warm."
But it's more than warm. I feel... restless. Anxious. Like every instinct is screaming at me to move, to gather things, tofind a safe space. Tremors run through my hands. My breathing quickens.
That's when my scent explodes.
The honeysuckle and vanilla pour off me, but richer now. Deeper. Sweeter. So thick and potent it fills the air around me like a cloud. Heat pheromones flooding the room whether I want them to or not.
