Page 114 of Follow the Rhythm
But there was still something I needed. Even in my deliriously happy state, I knew there was a missing piece.
Kieran pulled me into his arms. He was warm against my cooling skin.
“Hi,” I said softly after a tender kiss. Every part of my body felt oversensitive, including my swollen lips.
“Hi,” he answered, those pretty hazel eyes shining.
I placed his hand over my heart. “There’s room for one more,” I whispered, still a little unsure, but then he kissed me again and I knew I had nothing to worry about.
Kieran’s lips traveled from my lips, across my jaw, to my ear. “You’re mine, love,” he murmured.
“Yes,” I breathed. “And you’re mine.”
He kissed down the side of my neck, to my collarbone, and then arched my back in his hands. I let my head fall, and he cradled it in his huge palm. His teeth scraped once, twice over the skin of my chest before he bit, right above where my heart was pounding.
It hurt, just as it had with Charlie and Ellis, until it didn’t anymore.
Kieran’s bond was faint at first, almost hidden beneath the intensity of the others, but then it flared to life. It was hope, the beam of light that pierces through to illuminate the darkness of a cave, or shines down into the depths of the ocean. I knew that, no matter what, his light would guide me home.
Kieran pulled me closer. “Oh, love. I can feel you.” I clutched him tightly, letting the new tether settle inside me. I was crying or laughing or both.
Why had I been so scared of this? I’d spent so long fighting my inner Omega, resenting a huge part of who I was, when this wonderful gift of love and connection had been there all along. But I couldn’t regret anything, not when it had led me here.
Maybe all the shitty parts of being an Omega were worth it for this, the feeling of my pack surrounding me, filling me from within. Wasn’t that true of anything worth having? You had to go through the darkness to find the light.
As my Alphas curled around me, I felt our hearts pulsing in time, a new rhythm we would all build together, until I sank into a deep and dreamless sleep.
Epilogue - Jess
“Don’t tell me the great Ellis Fox is nervous,” I said, bending forward until I could see Ellis’s face. He’d been growing out his hair, and I loved playing with the silky black strands. Kieran never let me braid his, but Ellis had infinite patience for my hair experiments.
Who knew I’d be so into pretty Alphas with long hair? Now I just had to convince Charlie to grow his hair out, too.
“Of course I’m nervous,” Ellis said, playfully nipping at my nose, but apprehension shaded his eyes.
We were in the green room of the same club I’d first seen them perform all those months ago. But this time, their name was on the marquee, and tickets had sold out almost immediately after they announced the show. A camera crew was filming for a livestream, too. All the proceeds were going to charity.
It was Velvet Howl’s last show. They’d be playingRewardlive for the first and last time, as a final send-off in honor of Michael.
“It’ll be hard,” I whispered. “But it’ll be great.”
Ellis nodded, and I felt gratitude flow down our bond. He gave me a swift kiss and a smile.
I climbed off my perch behind him on the couch and wandered out into the hallway, following the tug of my other bonds.
Charlie grabbed me suddenly from behind, and I suppressed a yelp. I relaxed into his arms, though, especially when he teased our bond mark with his tongue. “How do you keep sneaking up on me?” I asked with faux annoyance.
“I’m an apex predator, remember,” he joked. “Have you eaten anything?”
I rolled my eyes and smiled. “I am capable of feeding myself.”
“I know, I know,” he laughed. “Sorry.”
He was going to be insufferable when he found out I was pregnant. They all were, to be honest, just in different ways.
But I was going to wait to tell them until after the show; a new beginning after an ending. I was completely terrified, of course, but after a day of blind panic, I’d found a strange sense of calm. Whoever this little baby was, they’d be so, so loved. We’d figure out the rest.
Grace and Austin knew, because I had to tellsomeone, but they’d been sworn to secrecy. I was worried that Grace would spill the beans, though.
