Page 98 of Pack Scratch Fever
Ever.
19
PIPER
Time blurs.
One minute I’m being knotted by Maddox, the next, Poe is spoon feeding me. Or Avery is helping me dress into a clean set of clothes fresh from their dryer.
Best. Heat. Ever.
I never knew they could be like this. I was always left to care for myself after the knotting was over. I would shower alone and shamefully wash the fluid off my thighs.
After that horrible hookup in the hotel room, I ended up snuggling against a cold, flat pillow, tears streaming down my cheeks.
Not this time, though.
My hazy brain forgets about everything except for the Alphas that take care of me.
When my Heat starts to wane, I jolt awake in the middle of the night in the cozy nest. Sweat beads down my back, my hair sticks to my forehead, and the room smells of sex.
I kick off the blankets and scramble for my phone, which I vaguely remember placing on the nightstand.
I check the time and date and almost throw up.
I spent the entire weekend here.
“Shit,” I hiss, scrambling for whatever items of clothing I can find in the room. My duffel bag sits on the dresser, and I’m grateful to whoever brought it in from my car. Once dressed, I barrel out the door of the bedroom and crash straight into a half-naked Maddox, who is dressed only in black sweatpants. He grabs me in his arms, and I bury my face in his chest, deeply inhaling his ginger scent.
My Heat symptoms are still present, but I can’t stay here any longer.
“And where are you going?” he murmurs in my ear, amused. His arms are wrapped around my waist, and I struggle to get out of his hold while he chuckles.
“Cats,” I blurt.
I need to get back to the rescue. Blair is probably furious with me.
“Baby,” Maddox sighs. “Everything is fine.”
“I’ve been here the whole weekend,” I say, and he hums in approval. “I haven’t even checked in with Blair, and I was supposed to take care of the cats this weekend. They need to eat, they need their boxes changed, medications given?—”
“It’s all been taken care of,” he says.
I step out of his hold. “No, it hasn’t.” I wrinkle my nose.
“Check your phone. When your Heat started, Avery contacted Blair, and she made arrangements for the rescue.”
I shift on the balls of my feet.Ishould have done that, not Avery.
But instead, I got so lost in my Heat that I forgot everything else that mattered.
“Babe. Check your phone,” Maddox says softly. “It’s all taken care of.”
That’s not the point. I don’t like having to rely on other people to do things for me.
Stomach churning, I pull my phone out of the pocket of my sweatpants and read Blair’s latest messages.
Have fun and take care of yourself.You better not show up any earlier than a week from now, or I’m shipping you right back to them.
