37. Cillian

My brother pacesin front of me. He's finally lucid. The bond fully formed, and whatever haze was riding him is now gone.

"What the fuck did I do?"

"You're okay, she's fine."

"This is not fine, Cillian. I just fucking tied her to me forever. It's like I wasn't in control of myself."

"It will work itself out."

"She thinks I fucking hate her. That I can't stand her, and I'm the asshole who bonded with her?" he reiterates, going on and on. He can't stop looking at the bathroom door, where she's currently locked away with Declan.

Lorcán just looks irritated over his theatrics more than anything.

"Lorc?" Declan calls from the bathroom, and he goes running in to assist.

There's only a brief glimpse of her resting on Declan's chest in the bathtub, and it makes a rumble spill out of Finn's throat.

"Fuck. I didn't mean for this to happen. I should have left the house. I knew I wouldn't be able to control myself," Finn continues.

I lie down on the bed, feeling exhausted. My leg hurts, but feeding into my pain isn't an option right now. Getting Elena through her heat and making sure my brother doesn't hang himself from the sex swing he put together is my only concern.

Finn rubs the back of his neck and looks at the bathroom door.

"To be honest, it's nice to see you as fucked up over her as we are," I tell him.

He surprisingly doesn't scowl, he just looks back at me.

"I've always been fucked up over her."

"Yeah, the kidnapping and letting her run away really proved that point."

"Shut the fuck up."

My stomach growls, and I groan, getting up off the bed and pulling out the food that Maeve made for us. I'm sure she's enjoying the quiet with all of us locked in here.

"Seriously, you're eating? What are we going to do?" Finn repeats, still pacing.

"We're going to get Elena through her heat and deal with it later. Honestly, I'm fucking tired, and you're being annoying. So either go take a nap or go see if she needs something, because listening to you bitch and moan that you have something the rest of us want is getting old."

His jaw ticks when he looks at me, but he luckily has nothing to say in response. He just goes back to his little bed and sulks.

I heat up the pancakes, add strawberries and whipped cream on top of them, and wait for them to bring Elena out so I can feed her.

Part of me is resentful that Finn bonded with her, mostly because he's the least worthy with everything he's done. But another part of me is relieved. With them bonded together, Elena isn't going anywhere. Those two were the most difficult pieces when putting this pack together, and their baser instincts took over and just made it happen.

Declan opens the door for Lorcán, who is carrying a sleeping Elena.

She stirs in his arms, but he holds tight as he sits against the frame of the bed with her between his legs.

I bring the plate of food to the bed and cut it up into small bites. Fortunately, she just opens her mouth and eats happily. I don't have to coax her into doing so, but drinking is another story. Although, she seems hydrated enough.

"Good. Eat a little bit more. Will you drink some water for me?"

Her teeth scratch against the fork, and she shakes her head.

"Hmm. If you drink some water, we can do whatever you want."

She looks at me like I'm stupid, like she gets whatever she wants, anyway.

My brother comes over with a water bottle, the lid already off, as he cups her chin.

"Drink," he demands in a commanding tone. Not an Alpha bark, but something close enough.

She complies, and again, I'm torn between hating and appreciating my brother's bond with her. Elena pushes the water away, and my brother chugs the rest before he goes back to his section of the room to contemplate his life.

Elena smiles at me but turns around, kissing down Lorcán's chest before taking his cock in her mouth. But her ass is perched in the air, an open invitation if I've ever seen one.

Careful of my leg, I get on my knees behind her, nearly mesmerized by her glistening cunt and the amount of slick dripping down her thighs. My tongue greedily laps up her wetness from the inside of her thigh to her needy entrance.

She moans around Lorcán's cock, and I grab her hips, bringing her closer to my mouth.

Her scent is intoxicating as I eat her out from behind.

All I can think about is how lucky I am to be here, to be hers. My scent match deserves everything, and I plan on giving it to her.

I gather slick on my fingers and easily slide my thumb inside of her tight hole as my tongue slips into her dripping center.

"You look so pretty with my cock in your mouth, princess," Lorcán praises her, and more of her essence coats my tongue.

Her taste will never be enough, nothing will ever be enough.

I shake my head, clearing my thoughts as I make my Omega feel good. Wringing pleasure from her with my tongue is gratifying, especially because she has to stop touching Lorcán when the sensation becomes too much.

She grinds on my face as I finger her ass and lick her clit.

Elena moans and moves her hips against my face as she falls apart. Her release covers my hands and face as I lap up her orgasm.

I withdraw my mouth and fill her pussy with my cock. My leg resists in this position, but I don't care as I push deep inside of her.

She takes it all while continuing to take Lorcán down her throat.

I slide my thumb back into her ass as my hips and knot slap against her body with each thrust.

It would be so easy to lean over her and bite her shoulder. As bad as I want to rut her, let this side driven by pheromones take over, I resist.

"You want my knot?"

She garbles a response around Lorcán's length, and I push my knot deep inside of her. The feeling of it swelling while already in her is euphoric, and as the pressure increases, I slide my finger out of her back entrance.

My grip on her hip is bruising. She's already covered with little purple and green marks, and I try not to feel guilty about it, but I can't control it.

I move her back and forth against my length, making my knot swell to its fullest size. She screams in relief, and I moan as I lean over her body. Wrapping a hand around her waist, I clutch her tight as I ride out my release.

My teeth graze her shoulder, and as much as I want to bite down, I don't. I press my forehead against her skin, taking in her scent as I fill her with my cum.

She pants, and my breathing is haggard as I pull her up against my chest to maneuver us onto our sides.

"Such a good Omega," I murmur in her ear.

Lorcán plays with her damp hair, and I wonder how much more I can hold this beast inside of me back.

We very well all might wind up bonded to her by the end of this if it lasts much longer.

It's been three more days of constant fucking, fluids, and making sure none of us mark Elena.

Finn got over himself and the situation well enough to take care of her.

But when I wake up and hear whimpers coming from the bathroom, concern fills me.

I do my best to avoid waking up Finn and Declan, who are on the bed. Lorcán is passed out on one of the daybeds as I make my way to the bathroom. The shower is running, and Elena is on the floor, her hands wrapped around her legs while she cries.

Her scent isn't thick, and I know she's been nothing but joyous during her heat, so it's clear that reality is crashing down on her. I'm worried she'll push me away, but when I come near her and stroke her back, she grabs me by the wrist and looks up at me with tear-filled eyes.

I wince as I use the wall to help me sit on the floor, and she crawls into my lap.

"It's okay, you're okay," I promise her.

"I trapped him," she sobs.

"You did nothing of the sort. Look at me."

I push her wet hair off of her face, and she wipes her eyes before looking at me.

"All of us wanted to bond with you. Look at all the bruises on your neck. Declan wanted the same thing, too. You didn't trap anybody. We're lucky. Finn knows he's lucky."

"He didn't even want to be here."

I stroke her face and shake my head in disagreement. "I'll let you two talk about things. I don't want to speak for him, but you should know that you don't have all the information. How are you feeling about the bond, otherwise? That matters most to me, that you're okay."

She licks her lips, and I make a mental note to shove as much food and water down her throat as I possibly can once we get out of the shower.

"I don't regret it like I thought I would. It actually feels nice. Comfortable."

I stroke my thumb against her mark, and she shivers.

"I know it's not what you wanted, but it looks beautiful. It suits you."

She smiles at the praise of her bond mark. Her hands come up and cup my face, her eyes boring into mine.

"How in the world did I ever think I could spend my life without you?"

I lean forward and kiss her.

"When you're ready, I want my bond mark on you too. Just you and me, none of the others. However you dreamed it up, I want to make it happen."

She bites her bottom lip and nods. Her tears dry as we sit on the shower floor, the steam floating around us.

"I'd want it to be romantic," she whispers.

"Like what specifically?"

"Promise not to laugh?"

I smile at her, loving that she's back to herself and that she's happy to be with me again.

"I promise."

"I love gambling, like, slot machines are my kryptonite. My dad would hardly ever let me go. He let me do a lot of things, but casinos were crowded and a big liability. I think I'd like to go to a nice casino, gamble, drink, and act like normal people. Then we'd go up to our suite, rose petals lining the floor, champagne, soft music. I'd want my bonding to be soft, sweet, and intimate. I'd want to remember it for a lifetime."

"I think that would be perfect," I tell her honestly.

"You haven't seen how much I can spend at a slot machine," she jokes, and I laugh.

She rubs my chest before kissing the center of it.

"I love spoiling you so that won't be a problem."

Elena's fingertips are exploring my body, not in a sexual way but in a way that lovers want to know every inch of your body in an intimate sense.

"I haven't forgotten about the cat either."

"I'm just waiting for it to be old enough to bring it home."

Her movements still, and she sits up straight, all of the tension and worry leaving her body with the new excitement.

"You better not be fucking with me."

"I'm not. Lev said she worked at the High Roller, her cat's pregnant."

Elena looks back up at me and begins crying again as she leans into my shoulder.

"Lucy? Glade's cat is having babies?" she says in a choked voice.

"I hope those are happy tears."

"They are, I love Lucy."

"You'll have your own in a few weeks. We need to get out of the shower, eat, and drink. Are you tired?"

She nods into my neck.

"It honestly feels like I've been hit by a car."

"Let's get you taken care of."

"But getting out of the shower means facing reality."

I kiss the side of her hair and squeeze her.

"If anyone can work through this, it's you."

She pulls back, stroking my face. "You're a good man, Cillian O'Brien."

As if she didn't own my heart already, it's now in the palm of her hand.