Ian stood, walked over, and wrapped his arms around me from behind. He dipped his head and breathed from where my neck and shoulder met. “Probably because it’s also about connecting with a mate,” he murmured. “You’re at your most vulnerable during heat. You need to trust who you’re with;believe that they’ll stay through pregnancy and children. Those little bonding moments matter.”
 
 I sighed and leaned against him. The embrace, the soft tone of voice, the way he breathed like my scent was the thing keeping him alive… it was more comforting than a warm blanket on a cold winter day.
 
 It was also making me extremely horny. My dick was already half-hard, and slick had started to coat my entrance.
 
 Tony growled low, making gooseflesh rise on my arms. “That scent. I don’t think I’ve ever smelled your slick so strongly.”
 
 Ian nodded into my neck. “It smells incredible.”
 
 I whimpered.
 
 “I’m going to put up the food,” Beck announced. “Before I forget.”
 
 My head fell back and my eyes shut as Ian’s hands roamed my stomach and dipped beneath my shirt. He shifted, and I moaned as he pressed his erection against me.
 
 I was about to feel that inside me—his and the others’.
 
 Freddie cleared his throat, and Ian backed off.
 
 I whined at the loss of contact.
 
 “Shhh,” Freddie said in a soft voice. “Come here. We’re going to take care of you, Sweetheart. But we need to talk about limits before your heat gets any stronger.”
 
 I padded over and perched on Freddie’s lap. He immediately pulled me against his chest and kissed my hair.
 
 “You smell so good,” he said. “It’s driving me crazy. That’s why we need to make sure we know when to hold back.”
 
 “I don’t know,” I whispered. My instincts had started to take over, and I wanted everything.
 
 “Ok,” he murmured. “Tell us what you need then, and trust us that we’ll stop if you don’t like something.”
 
 “Ok.”
 
 “There’s one more thing,” he started, fingertips trailing across my stomach.
 
 “Hmm?”
 
 “We… umm… we discussed things while waiting for you to get home. And…” He took a deep breath. “If you don’t have a preference, we think Beck should be first.”
 
 I shifted to face him, noting that his eyes were trippy when I was high on heat hormones. I couldn’t decide if I liked the green or the blue one more. “Beck?” I finally asked.
 
 Freddie smiled and nodded. “That’s right.”
 
 I blinked and hummed as I thought about having Beck inside me. “Ok. But why?”
 
 The couch dipped as Ian sat. “Beck has the best control of his knot. If it’s too much, or you don’t like it, he’ll be able to pull out the fastest. The rest of us would be several minutes more at least before we’d be able to force it down.”
 
 I sniffled. That was the sort of simple consideration that I hadn’t even thought about, but they had.
 
 It was part of what made me love them so much.
 
 “That’s ok, right?” Beck asked as he walked back in. “I’ll understand if you want somebody else first.”
 
 I stood, walked over, and pulled him down for a kiss. “I hadn’t thought about who I wanted first,” I admitted. “I’m hoping to feel all of my alphas. If all my mates think you should be first, then I trust that opinion.”
 
 Beck smiled against my lips, then slid his hands down my back and squeezed my ass.
 
 I let out a shuddering moan. So much desire was conveyed in that simple touch.