Page 76 of Stream Heat
Reid didn’t add anything for a while. Then, even quieter than the others: "You make us better, period. Not just as streamers, as people."
It would have been easier if they were lying. But they weren’t. I could smell it.
"So what now?" I asked, voice rougher than before. "If I try this, what happens next? Is there, like, a checklist?"
Malik smiled a little. "No rituals. Just let what’s already happening keep happening. Shared spaces, scenting, routine pack stuff. Only as much as you want."
"Nothing sexual unless you want it," Reid said plainly. "Pack bond doesn’t mean dating. That’s a separate conversation."
"But the offer is open," Theo winked.
I snorted in spite of myself. "One crisis at a time."
Reid leaned forward. "We go at your pace. That’s all. No pressure."
I scanned the room. Five alphas. Every single one of them had seen me at my worst and hadn’t run. Not even close. The part of me that wasn’t terrified was… almost hopeful.
My stomach fluttered. "So. First step?"
Reid shook his head, amused. "Nothing formal. For most people, it’s just scent exchange. That’s where recognition starts."
Jace added, quietly, "If you’re comfortable."
My heart was trying to climb out through my ribs. Scenting was personal. Physical. The kind of thing I’d spent years engineering my life to avoid.
"Now?" My voice actually wobbled.
Theo was already up, grinning like an idiot. "No time like the present. Unless you need to wait?"
Did I? I considered for about half a second. "No. Let’s just get it over with. Before I change my mind."
Malik asked, gently, "Who do you want to start with?"
Five sets of eyes landed on me. I could have picked anyone. But in the end, it was no contest.
"Reid," I said, barely louder than a whisper.
His reaction was instant, a flash of satisfaction, then he shifted beside me on the sofa, carefully close. The rest clustered around, quietly intense but not crowding out the space.
"You don’t have to do anything," Reid said, easing the words out. "Just breathe."
He leaned in, slow and deliberate, giving me the chance to flinch or object. I didn’t. I held still, let his face dip to the side of my neck. His breath ghosted over my skin, and the first contact, a brush of his nose, just under my jaw, nearly short-circuited me.
His scent bloomed, real and raw, thunder and warmth, something dangerous and protective at once. He inhaled, slow, and the tension in his body eased.
"Your turn," he murmured. Bared his own neck in offering.
My hands shook, but I leaned in anyway. Up close, his scent was more complicated, layered with things I didn’t have words for. My body reacted before I could think about it: I inhaled, deep, and felt something shift under my skin. Something biological. Primal.
Pack.
Alpha.
Mine.
Instead of fear, the thought brought relief. Almost a feeling of rightness pulsing through me.
When I pulled back, the room felt different. I felt different. Some internal balance had recalibrated, fighting against months of spiraling chaos and finally winning a round.
