Chapter Thirty-Three

Thorn

When I ask Eve how everything went with Marcus, her response is oddly vague.

"He said he was sorry." She shrugs. "I forgave him."

If I were Red, or even Riley, I'd probably ask for more details. But whatever else there is to tell, Eve and Marcus might not even understand it themselves.

Marcus is a moron for thinking we wouldn't find out about the importance of sexual intimacy during Eve's pregnancy, but I can't fault his motivations. Eve was a runt. Her body is never going to be the exact same as a healthy omega.

What I can fault is how much he scared her.

All that stress had to go somewhere. The nightmares. The anxiety attacks. He's a nurse—he should've realized it long before Eve ended up in hospital, scared out of her mind.

It'll blow over eventually—especially as Eve gets bigger, finally starting to look pregnant, providing the most gorgeous distraction to every single one of us. I know Baxter has been snagging my camera every other day, but even still, it's hard to fathom just how quickly she's growing.

In fact, just seeing her like this, round and vibrant, makes a lot of things hard .

I roll my eyes at myself.

***

Our nest formation is all but set in stone. Eve struggles enough to fall asleep at night at is—anything we know works for her, we do.

Even though it pisses Red and Riley off to no end.

Behind me, Marcus rolls over, pretending to be asleep. Behind Baxter, Red and Riley shuffle against each other, trying to get as close to our omega as possible.

Too bad for them, she's sandwiched between me and Bax; her face in my chest, her ass perched on his lap. It's the second time in as many months I've been tempted to swap positions, if only to relieve a bit of pressure from my pulsing member.

She just had to wear her nightgown to bed. That thin, silky bit of fabric has never fit her so well.

And by well , I mean badly.

It hugs up around her stomach, her milky thighs exposed above the blanket. She's been overheating … and, well, perfuming, almost every night in her sleep.

"Can't sleep?" I murmur.

She stills, like she's been caught out.

Lightly, I kiss the top of her head. "Thinking about tomorrow?" We're scheduled to leave the den a little after sunrise—another not-so-fun road trip to the city for her next appointment.

"Mm …" she exhales. "Sorry for keeping you up."

"Don't be," Riley chimes in, making her jump.

"I sleep when you sleep," Red proudly declares. I fight the urge to scoff.

"Shh," Eve whispers. "You'll wake up—"

Baxter's eye creaks open. "Still awake, little one."

It's only Marcus who anxiously refuses to stir, like he's afraid of intruding.

Maybe this'll get his attention … I think to myself, maybe a little cruelly, as I trail my hand down Eve's waist. "I seem to remember …" I speak lowly, " something that helped get you to sleep last time."

Eve's breath catches. Goose bumps rise to my touch, her body absurdly sensitive.

"Last time?" Red hisses. "When are you—"

He is silenced with a short, choked gasp. Best guess, either Baxter or Riley had the sense to grab his cock. Nothing turns him into a good, obedient little alpha quicker than that.

"Hear that, omega?" Baxter says. "Just from your scent, he's hard as a rock."

She bites her lip. "So are you, alpha."

He'd be crazy not to be. Even Marcus shifts behind me, turning into the mattress, no doubt flattening his hard-on against the sheets. Not just Eve's slick, but Riley's, too, fills the air with a hot pheromone fog.

Our omega needs to be knotted.

And our alphas have waited so, so long.

Suddenly Marcus sits up, feigning a yawn. "I'm, uh, gonna get some water," he says, breathless, before making a hasty exit.

Eve's scent turns sourer with every step he takes. I almost snap at him to get his ass back here, but Baxter meets my eye. He shakes his head almost imperceptibly. I guess it wouldn't be right to force sex on the guy—or to even force him to witness it.

My eyes flick between Eve and Baxter as we help her out of her underwear. Baxter rolls two fingers around her clit, spreading her slick around, making her nice and open and ready for me as I line myself up at her entrance.

I look at Baxter one final time. His amber glare reads, Careful.

I push my hips into Eve's, inserting just the tip. She gasps and bucks for more.

"Ah—" I growl. " Slow ."

Baxter grasps her waist. "Or not at all."

Whimpering, she nods. "Yes, alphas."

Fuck. Me.

I push in another couple inches, then a couple more. My hips start moving on their own, rocking into her nice and easy.

"Ohhhh god," Eve cries. She puts her hands on my shoulders, her nails digging into my back.

Riley coos. "That the spot, pretty girl? God, those noises—I can't get enough."

"My turn next," Red begs.

Riley laughs. "Assuming you don't finish before Thorn."

He groans, forcibly releasing his cock from its chokehold. "I … can hold it."

I'm not sure I can, I almost confess. Already, I feel my blood racing like there's nothing but white light in my veins. Eve's pussy is ethereal. Her breath is magnetic, drawing me further in with every pretty gasp.

"You can come in her," Baxter says, "but don't knot."

Eve whines, making my teeth come out. Omega needs to be knotted. I'm done depriving her—of penetration, orgasms, knots, or whatever else it is her pregnant body is craving.

Oh, fuck. My omega. So full of me. Always so ready to take more .

She's coming, or I'm coming—one of us follows after the other. I feel Baxter's hand grab my waist, pinning me against her until I stop twitching. The instinct to keep pumping, or better yet, to knot her right here, is almost overwhelming.

"There you go," Baxter purrs, soothing us both. "That's it."

Once we've caught our breath, he gently pulls Eve off my cock. My come doesn't even get a chance to drip out of her before Red has plugged it up. He all but howls with relief, spluttering incoherently.

"So—good—so long—so—so—inside you— fuck, omega , holy shit— can I—?"

"Yes, Red." Baxter smirks. "Let her have it."

He bursts within a couple minutes of lifting Eve up and down on his cock, howling some more. Thankfully Eve is right there with him, aided by Riley's skillful pressure on her clit.

"Oh," Eve pants, fused to Red's knot. "I … I'm …"

Riley frowns, gently turning her chin to face her. "Feeling okay, gorgeous?"

"Feeling …" our omega smiles dreamily. "Sleepy."

It's that simple. Pregnant omega gets stressed, her pussy starts slicking up—telling her exactly what she needs—and her alphas deliver. We all go to bed happy.

Except for the vacant space behind me where Marcus is supposed to be.

I see Eve fighting sleep, watching the door in case he comes slinking back in. But then Red starts purring, and it might as well be a damn lullaby for how quickly her eyes fall closed.

As for Marcus … he's gone so long, even I don't wait up.