36. Declan

I stand there in horror.

Fuck.

I didn't even know she got out of the bed. Or that she took that opportunity to crawl over here to Finn's bed and somehow convinced him to bond with her. I clearly miscalculated what an undertaking it would be to prevent these three fucking idiots from bonding with her.

Finn is supposed to be the most level-headed when it comes to Elena. As far as I was concerned, he didn't want anything to do with her.

God, Elena is going to be pissed, probably the most at me.

I made her a promise, and I've seriously fucked up.

"Shit. Elena, are you okay?" I ask, trying to get closer.

Finn holds her against his chest, giving me his back. He's hoarding her like a fucking dragon would some gold treasure. The worst part is that she doesn't seem to mind.

He's purring like a goddamn house cat, holding Elena like she's the most precious thing he's ever had.

What in the fuck is happening right now?

I rub my hands over my face, wondering how bad the fallout of this is all going to be when she comes to. When I step closer to check on her, Finn actually fucking growls at me like some kind of goddamn animal.

"Fuck this."

I walk over to the bed and smack Cillian's chest.

"What?" he grumbles.

"Finn bonded with Elena," I announce, keeping it short and simple.

"What?" He blinks and rubs his eyes.

"No, you're not fucking dreaming. He's hoarding her in the corner like we're all a threat or some shit, just rocking his knot in her and purring. This is so fucked."

Cillian gets out of bed and grabs a pair of underwear, thank god. I've seen so much cock just hanging around the past few days.

Not that I'm complaining, but being the only one of sound fucking mind in this room is exhausting.

Cillian approaches them cautiously, and I wonder if he and Finn sharing the same scent or if them being twins helps because Finn doesn't give him the same hostility he did me. He flips Elena's hair while Finn continues rocking in and out of her, seeing for himself what Finn has done.

"Elena, are you okay?" he asks her, and she just gives him a beaming smile before nuzzling into Finn's neck.

"What do we do?"

"It's not like he can bond her a second time. We'll just have to deal with everything when her heat's over."

"How are you being so fucking calm about this?" I raise my voice, which wakes up Lorcán.

Cillian throws his hands in the air.

"She knew this was a possibility. We all did. I know she made you promise to make sure no one bonded with her, but that was an impossible ask. Lorc and I will do our best so that she still has some autonomy after this is over. But it's harder than you think, Declan. All I can fucking think about is claiming her."

"Out of all of you, it had to be him?" I complain.

"Maybe it's for the best. Maybe it will help them figure their shit out sooner. They're scent matches, Dec. This was inevitable."

"I feel like I failed her."

"You can't be awake every moment of her heat. Just…" He sighs with exhaustion. "Just let them enjoy this. Finn is going to be harder on himself than any of us could ever be."

We turn to find Lorcán staring at where Finn and Elena are holding one another. I expect a meltdown like when he found out they were scent matches, but he just rubs his neck and sighs.

"It took everything in me not to bond with her that first time I knotted her. I think maybe with how much they've repressed being scent matches, it might have all come to a head."

"You two rationalizing this shit isn't helping."

"It is what it is, Dec. We'll deal with it when they're lucid."

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm dreading.

I really should have put a fucking sensor or some shit on this girl, so I knew when she was awake.

At least she slept for a while after bonding with Finn. But now I'm worried I'll have to peel her off of Cillian. I stand by the sex chair, wishing I wouldn't have agreed to be on bonding patrol.

Me being the responsible one? I hate it.

Cillian is knotted deep inside of her, kissing her neck, and I squirt him with the water gun.

He sputters and glares at me.

"Wasn't going to do anything," he protests; the fucking liar.

The whole lot of these Alphas are impulsive, irrational liars.

"Yeah, and I'm the fucking president."

"You don't understand how hard this is," Cillian complains, and I shoot him with the water gun again. "Stop it, asshole."

"Come on, love, you need a bath," I tell Elena.

I don't know if she can sense my irritation and frustration, but as soon as Cillian's knot releases her, she takes my hand and I help her off the chair. She's unsteady on her feet, so I toss her over my shoulder before we head to the bathroom.

I slam the door behind me, louder than necessary.

I gently set her on the countertop before starting the bath. She points to a basket of bath bombs.

"Which one?"

I hold up two options, and she chooses the purple one. I toss it into the water with a thud as I take off my underwear and take a deep breath.

"At least, I'll be able to relax for two goddamn minutes. You're not allowed to be mad at me when this is over, blondie."

The water fills, and I grab her. She's sticky and smells like all the inconsiderate assholes on the other side of the door.

I gently place her in the water first. I made sure it wasn't too hot, but warm enough to feel comfortable. She hums and wades her hands through the purple hued water.

All of her things are already on the stool next to the tub, so I just gently climb in behind her. Water spills over the lip but trickles to the drain in the floor. Even I can't deny they did a hell of a job designing this bathroom.

"Dip under and get your hair wet," I instruct her.

She turns and glares at me.

"Do you want the rat's nest in your hair to get worse?"

Her hands go up to her messy hair, and she feels around for the clump of hair in the back of her head. She tries to run her fingers through it, but sighs, leaning back to dunk her hair and face in the water.

She sits between my legs as I use conditioner first to try and tame the mess that is her hair.

Elena doesn't complain and just sits in the water as I work.

I push her hair off to one side and see Finn's bond mark on her shoulder; I rub my thumb along the mark and sigh in irritation.

I'm not sure which emotion is at the forefront of my mind right now: frustration or jealousy.

Usually, I'm fine with my status, and honestly, I'm glad that I'm not being controlled by some animalistic part of my brain right now. But I also feel like I'm missing out on something, like I'm going to be left behind because I can't mark her or give her a knot.

I run the conditioner through her hair, getting the tangles out before grabbing the spray handle and washing all the suds out of her hair.

She spins around, straddling me in the giant tub, both of her hands frame my face as she peppers kisses on my forehead, cheeks, and jaw.

"Is this your way of letting me know you're not mad at me?"

She sighs, resting her head on my shoulder.

"Mine," she whispers, and I lick my lips.

Even if I can't give her what the others can, I still give her something, and that has to be enough. I hold her close to my chest as we sit in the warm tub.

"I hope you still feel that way once all this is over," I mumble, and she just rubs her face harder against my chest.

I think she's about to fall asleep, but then she fists my cock under the water. I harden immediately from the touch and groan.

Elena kisses the underside of my jaw before lining me up with her entrance and sliding down. She doesn't grind over my cock, she just sits there with me deep inside of her.

"Is this your way of torturing me?" I ask her.

She just hums in response, leaning against my chest and enjoying the feel of me inside of her. It's somehow both satisfying and frustrating. As much as I want her to move, I also like that she's making me wait, that she's content with me just being in her.

It's an intimacy I didn't expect, and I wonder if she's gifting me with her full attention because she knows I need it.

"Have you realized I'm the needy one, Elena?" I ask her, and she shifts her hips.

Each small movement has my dick twitching inside of her. I hold the nape of her neck and place a kiss against her wet hair.

She sits up, making me groan and grasp her tighter. I'm so deep inside of her that I think one lift of her hips, and I might come. Elena pushes her wet hair to the side, exposing her long, beautiful neck.

"I can't give you what the others can," I complain, and she rolls her eyes at me, grabbing me by my nape to force my lips against the column of her throat.

I kiss her lightly, and she just pushes my head harder against her throat.

Knowing she needs more, I suck her flesh between my lips, and she moans. She finally starts moving her hips, and my breathing stalls as she rides my shaft.

"Fuck," I hiss against her throat.

Clearly, she doesn't want me talking, as she shoves my face back into her neck. I nibble and suck her delicate flesh, knowing I'm leaving a mark and not caring. My marks aren't permanent, but somehow, they feel just as important.

"Mine," she whispers, and I shudder at the words.

Elena doesn't seem to care that I can't be with her that way, so why should I?

I throw away my worries about not being able to bond with her or what she's going to be feeling when she's back to herself.

I grip her ass as I fuck into her. She moans and keens for me as the water splashes over the side of the tub. I bite her neck, not enough to break the skin or leave teeth marks, and she explodes. Her head is thrown back as she grips my shoulders and rides me.

"You make me feel so good. Perfect Omega pussy."

Her cunt milks me as her hips stall, and I take over, gripping her ass and moving her on my cock.

"You want my cum? Hmm? You want me deep inside of you?"

She nods her head, her lips part, and the sweetest sounds leave her lips. Her cheeks are flushed, and her eyes are closed as she falls apart. I follow suit, spilling inside of her.

We're both panting, and she collapses against my chest again. Her body is warm from the tub and heat, which has me worrying about her body temp getting too high. I grab the spray and use cooler water against her back.

She makes noises of contentment, so I keep doing it, until I can't stand being in the tub any longer. She's fallen asleep against my chest, so I unavoidably have to ask for help.

"Lorc?" I call out loud enough for him to hear but not loud enough to wake Elena up.

The door opens quickly as he looks at our state in the tub. He doesn't question anything, just grabs a towel and pulls her from my arms.

He holds her against his chest, not caring that he's getting drenched in the process as he dries her skin and hair.

"You good?" he asks.

"Yeah, I'm grand," I reply honestly as I get out of the tub and turn on the shower. I don't know how she can stand to have that bath bomb shit on her skin, but she doesn't seem to mind as she sleeps in Lorcán's arms.

After I've rinsed off, I grab a towel, tightening it around my waist, and stand next to them at the counter.

Lorc is inspecting her healed bond mark, and he sighs.

"How is Finn handling things?" I ask.

Lorcán winces. "Not well."