18. Elisabed

18

Elisabed

The fortress was an overwhelming, imposing structure, towering over the smaller buildings that made up the rest of the stronghold. It was so much bigger than anything I’d ever seen, but I barely had a chance to process my surroundings before the alphas ushered me forward.

“Straight to the healer,” August said, his voice tight with barely contained urgency, as if he hadn’t checked me over himself. I didn’t miss the way his hand grazed my back, his touch grounding but also far too possessive, like he was worried I’d slip away if he didn’t keep hold of me. We passed a few small buildings, some with their lights still on, as well as open-air stalls—but I was too tired to process the details in the dark.

Finn walked at my other side, his posture casual, but the look in his eyes was sharp, more focused than it had been in the last several hours. “You look fine to me,” he muttered, though an edge to his tone didn’t match his usual smirk.

Marshall, who was always the most grounded of the three, frowned deeply. “She just came out of a heat. She’s been through hell. I don’t care if she looks fine to us; I want the healer to take a look, too.”

I could feel the tension building between them, but I wasn’t in the mood to indulge it. My body was still aching from everything that had happened—the heat, the fight, the shift. Honestly, I was exhausted. But all I could do was keep moving as they half-guided, half-dragged me through the town, straight toward the healer’s house.

When we arrived at her quarters, the air inside smelled of herbs, some familiar, some foreign, and the sharp bite of something medicinal. The healer was an older woman with sharp eyes that seemed to see everything at once, as though nothing could escape her.

“She needs to be checked over. Now.” August’s tone brooked no argument, and he stepped aside to let her examine me.

She didn’t seem fazed by the demand. “Nice to see you again after so long, Alpha.”

None of them responded to her sarcastic remark, and she sighed. “Are you three going to hover the whole time, or should I do my job?”

Marshall glared at her like she’d just insulted him personally. “She’s been through a lot. I’ll stay.”

Finn raised an eyebrow and leaned against the doorframe. “You always this worried about a little heat?”

Marshall’s jaw tightened. “It’s not just heat, Finn. She just shifted after not seeing her wolf in years. We don’t know what kind of toll this will take on her.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Finn muttered, his hands in his pockets. “I’m not worried.” He wasn’t fooling anyone. His gaze kept flicking to me as he spoke like he was measuring every move I made.

The healer sighed, clearly annoyed, and motioned for me to sit on a nearby stool. “I’ll do the checkup. If there’s anything to be concerned about, you’ll know soon enough.”

I sat, my body still a little stiff, feeling their eyes on me as the healer began her work. She asked me some questions about my heat and shift, and her touch was quick, efficient, and calm as I responded. She didn’t speak much but acknowledged that while I would be sore, a successful shift was positive, especially given my past.

My wolf had disappeared shortly after I’d found out that I would be given to Raol. It had seemed like the cruelest trick of nature, my shift being compromised at just the time when it would have been the most useful. But I also knew, deep down, that it had been my body’s way of protecting me and my wolf as well.

If I had been a “proper” omega and wolf for Raol, there was no telling what he might have done to me—the ways he might have abused me—if he hadn’t been so disgusted with my inability to shift on command for him.

The years that I’d been separated from my wolf had been hard and frustrating. But they’d been a blessing, too, in hindsight. And now, my wolf was back, and a healer was telling me that I was on the mend.

It was an incredible thing to hear, and I felt a moment of relief, but when she pulled away after a moment and gave me a long look, I couldn’t help but feel a flicker of unease.

“There’s something unusual here,” she said, her voice smooth but careful. She took a breath, then added, “Your hormone levels are a little off, higher than expected for a heat cycle that just ended, even with your shift history. I’d like to run a blood test to see what’s going on. It’ll take a few days for results.”

I frowned, feeling a weight settle in my chest. “Is something wrong?” I asked.

“Not necessarily,” answered the healer. “I’d just like to check on something.”

Before I could respond, Marshall was at my side, his hand on my shoulder in a protective gesture. “Are you sure everything is fine?” His voice was a little too demanding, his eyes locked on the healer, but I knew it was for my benefit.

The healer gave him a look. “I’ve been doing this a long time, Alpha. If I thought she wasn’t fine, you’d know it.”

I shot him a pointed look. “I’m fine, Marshall. Really. If I weren’t, I’d tell you. Stop acting like I’m fragile.”

“You are fragile right now,” said Finn drily. “I’m just hoping it’s not permanent.”

I glared at him. “You’re a joy to be around.”

“Just keeping it real, sweetheart,” he said, but there was a slight softening in his tone. He couldn’t fully hide his concern, even if he acted like he could.

The healer nodded and made notes before walking to a small cabinet. “I’ll prepare the test. It won’t take long.”

As she did her work, the three of them surrounded me, as though they couldn’t help themselves. I could see the worry on their faces, but it didn’t match the calm they were trying to project. They were all on edge.

When the healer returned with the blood vial and instructions, the alphas were hovering in the doorway like they were about to rush in if anything went wrong. Marshall especially had that look in his eyes, like he was ready to charge if I so much as flinched.

“Everything looks good, but I’ll want you to rest, Elisabed,” the healer said, her voice low and calm. “No exertion, especially after what you’ve been through.”

“Rest,” I muttered under my breath. “Right. Because I’m just so good at that.”

Marshall shot me a look, but I could see the hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “You’re not going anywhere,” he said firmly, as though that was the most obvious statement in the world.

Finn leaned against the doorframe, looking like he was barely holding back from grinning. “He’s not wrong.”

“Shut up, Finn,” August muttered from my other side. His voice had a softer edge, but there was still an undercurrent of frustration.

They were all acting insane—like they had no idea how to handle a situation where they didn’t have control over me. And yet, as strange as it was, I couldn’t bring myself to mind. Not entirely, anyway.

“Well, then, let’s get her comfortable,” Marshall said, his tone returning to that low growl I was becoming too familiar with.

They led me outside, and we quickly entered the main fortress. My eyes were drifting shut as we walked through the house to a large room tucked far away from the entrance. It was quiet here, private, with a large bed covered in furs and blankets, looking more like something out of a dream than reality. I couldn’t help but be impressed.

Finn was the first to step forward. “She’ll need a proper nest this time, long-term,” he muttered as he began pulling pillows and blankets onto the bed, clearly taking charge. Marshall followed, adding more layers, though he didn’t quite seem to trust Finn’s judgment. August was quieter, standing at the edge of the room, watching.

I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “Are you seriously making me a nest now?”

Marshall shot me a half-smile, though there was something almost tender in it. “Don’t pretend you don’t want one.”

“Whatever. It’s just a bed,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest, pretending I didn’t care that they were clearly fussing over me.

But when they finally finished, and I sank into the pile of soft pillows and blankets they had created, I couldn’t deny how comfortable it felt—warm and safe, with all of them close, surrounding me.

August came to sit beside me, his presence steady and sure. I found myself leaning into him, my body naturally seeking the comfort his touch provided.

“You’re still too hot,” he murmured, his voice a low rasp.

“I’m fine, August,” I said, though my voice was quieter than I’d meant it to be. My body was still on fire, the heat of my wolf not fully gone.

Finn climbed into the nest next, his presence contrasting August’s calm. He leaned against me, his hand brushing over my shoulder, his fingers light but electric. “You need us,” he said, his voice more serious than it had been in days.

I wanted to protest, but the words caught in my throat. Because, deep down, I knew it was true. Their bond, their strength, was what I needed to pull me back from the edge of whatever this heat had thrown me into. And I couldn’t bring myself to deny it.

The moment stretched thick with tension, but eventually, I gave in. “Fine,” I muttered, my voice barely audible. “But you’re all insane.”

“Good,” August said, his voice low and rough against my ear. “You’re ours, Elisabed. Let us take care of you.”

Marshall joined us in the nest, and...it was quiet, softer than the times that we’d been together before.

I lifted my face to Marshall, and he kissed me as Finn and August worked together to remove my clothes. The cool air of the room around us was soothing against my skin—which was still overheated, just like August had said. I didn’t want to fight with them over it, but I couldn’t deny that something was still off about me.

I didn’t want to wait days to find out what it was, but there seemed to be no choice. And in the meantime...

Marshall nipped at my lower lip, and I whimpered softly when Finn’s fingers found their way between my legs. My thighs fell apart, and I sighed into the pleasure as he pushed two fingers inside me, touching me with something close to reverence.

If I were cynical, I would say that they were treating me like I was fragile—like I would break if they took what they wanted from me the way they truly wanted to.

But that wasn’t what this was, and I knew that. They weren’t treating me like I was breakable. They were treating me like I was precious , like I was their omega, and they were going to care for me the way alphas were supposed to. The way I had dreamed about being cared for my entire life.

“August...” I broke the kiss with Marshall, tipping my head back and whimpering when his lips trailed down the column of my throat. He nipped there, making my pussy clench, and August hummed as he pressed closer to me.

“Yes, sweetheart?” he murmured.

I didn’t say anything. I just reached up and wound my fingers through his hair, pressing our lips together and connecting myself to my last alpha.

Blindly, I helped both Finn and Marshall get undressed, the scent of our arousal making the nest warm, spicy, and seductive. August barely released my lips long enough to strip out of his own clothes, and then the four of us were all naked together, my pussy wet and desperate for one of them to fuck me—for all of them to fuck me, so that I could connect with them and have some sense of familiarity in this foreign environment.

Finn was the first to sink inside me, barely waiting for me to nod my head in consent first. The stretch was delicious, and he leaned down to rub his cheek against my neck, gently scent-marking me as he fucked me into my new nest and helped my scent permeate the blankets around us.

“There’s a good girl,” August murmured, brushing my hair back and pressing his lips against my forehead in a sweet kiss. “Let us take care of you.”

“You’re ours. We’re always going to take care of you,” Marshall said, so quietly that I could barely hear him.

I would have responded, would have argued with him that the way they had found me hardly lent to them claiming me forever, but the pleasure of Finn’s cock inside me had melted my brain and made my breath catch. All I could do was ride the waves of pleasure until Finn captured my lips in a kiss, and he thrust home one more time to flood my insides with warmth.

It was different than during my heat, the way that they handled me so carefully. Different even than the first time we were together when they all took turns. Marshall positioned himself next, sliding home and stretching me enough that my eyes rolled back into my head. He fucked me harder than Finn had, his fingers working my clit with expert precision, but it was still... different .

I couldn’t explain what it meant more than that, and it didn’t matter in the end.

All that mattered was that they were taking care of me, these three alphas I had inexplicably connected with. I felt such a strong bond with them. I couldn’t explain it, and I didn’t care to.

Marshall shoved me over the edge into orgasm before he came himself, and the feeling of my second alpha coming inside me was almost enough to drive me into a second orgasm before the first was even done. Finn chuckled at the way I slumped into the bed, and he pressed his lips against mine in a kiss as Marshall pinched my clit one more time and then carefully pulled out, using two fingers to push his cum back inside of me before it could leak from my pussy.

“One of these days, I’ll edge you until you cry, and then I’ll make you come so many times you won’t know which way is up,” Finn murmured, his tongue flicking out along my lower lip.

Marshall leaned down to press a kiss against my cheek before he retreated, letting August take his place between my legs. When I looked up at my third alpha, he was looking down at me with such reverence that it made my breath catch.

He slid his hand up the inside of my thigh before hooking his hand under my knee and pressing it upwards, opening me up more as he positioned the head of his cock at my entrance. The position left me feeling deliciously exposed, and I bit my lip as he cocked his head to the side, looking down at me with that same carefulness and consideration that he approached everything with.

“Yes?” he asked softly. Ever the gentleman, never wanting to take anything from me that wasn’t freely given.

I nodded, whimpering. “Yes, yes, yes,” I gasped. My pussy clenched, and the slick sound of both Finn and Marshall’s cum as it dripped out of me made my cheeks burn hot, but August didn’t care.

No, he just nodded, then pushed home in one smooth thrust.

My head fell back, and I whined softly as I gave over to the sensation. Marshall took his place on my side, opposite Finn, and I allowed myself a moment to bask in the feeling of being surrounded on all sides by my alphas.

We were safe. We were protected. They were taking care of me in the best way they knew how.

“Good girl. Good omega. You’re so fucking perfect, Elisabed,” August murmured, each seductive compliment timed with the thrusts of his hips. He nailed my G-spot every time he bottomed out, and my whimpers were helpless and desperate as he drove me up to another orgasm.

“We should have a little contest to see who could make her come the most before she passes out. What do you think, boys?” Finn murmured, his fingers sliding down over my belly until they found my clit, working the bud light and fast.

I gasped and shook my head. God, they were trying to kill me.

“I think our omega would like that,” Marshall murmured, a hint of wicked amusement in his voice. It nearly drew me up short—it was so different from the way he usually talked that it nearly pulled me out of the filthy, pleasured headspace I was enjoying.

But then Finn pinched my clit, and kept working it hard and fast as August picked up the pace, and god, there was no fighting with them. Not that I wanted to, not when this was what they wanted...

I clamped down around August as Finn shoved me over the edge into yet another orgasm, and my pleasure seemed to be the last straw for my controlled, stoic alpha. August growled low in his chest, and slammed home once, twice, three times more before his fingers dug into my thighs, holding onto me tight as he came, emptying himself into me.

It was filthy and depraved and absolutely perfect, and for a long moment after the pleasure faded away, I basked in the feeling of completeness.

Marshall’s fingers brushed down the inside of my wrist, and when I turned to look at him with a lazy smile on my face, he was looking down at me with an uncharacteristic softness.

“Welcome home, baby,” he said quietly.