Breeding Clinic (Heatverse)

Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

KAT

It takes fourteen weeks in total for the nausea to subside. I still have the occasional bout, but it’s better than it was. My appetite’s rebounded with a vengeance.

So has my appetite for other things. The constant pumping of blood to my pelvis makes me nearly as horny as a preheat. It would be unbearable if I didn’t have two men happy to provide on-demand dick at a moment’s notice.

I spend so much time at their place above the pub. If it wasn’t for Waffles, I’d probably move in out of sheer convenience.

Concerns for the future worry me, though. Their place is too small for four adults and a cat, and a baby and all of a baby’s stuff. And so is mine. My tiny house is perfect for me, Waffles and a baby. But all of us in a thousand square feet… We would be tripping all over each other.

We’re going to need a bigger place, but I’m scared to pull that trigger and bring the topic up. That’s a big commitment. And I’ve seen how quickly commitments can fall apart. Even ones that were supposed to be forever.

Things have been good. Better than good. But nothing is ever guaranteed. A lot could still change in six months.

I decide to hold off on that conversation. I can start looking, see what’s on the market, and bring it up once we’re past the twenty-four-week mark. There might not be anything good in this area right now anyway. I haven’t house hunted in a few years.

But that’s easy to fix. I find a real estate app and wait for it to download.

Liam texts me, breaking me out of my anxious planning for the future with a welcome distraction.

Liam

Good morning kitten

How’d you sleep?

Kat

Good

I have energy again

Probably the first night I’ve slept less than 12 hours

You need the rest

You’re growing a human

Are you coming over today?

I was supposed to meet up with Jen but she canceled

The baby is sick

So I get to see your pretty face today?

You’ve seen my pretty face four times this week

Are you sure you’re not getting sick of me hanging around?

Never

Besides I have something for you

?

Dick? lol

You naughty girl

We got a good deal on eggplants this morning

Eggplant fries are the day’s special side item

How could I possibly say no to that?

And I’ll give you as much dick as you want too

How selfless of you

Right?

I’m practically a saint

And Gabriel says it’s basically doctor’s orders

Gotta keep that uterus happy with daddy’s pheromones

It’s carrying precious cargo

And I love when you say my name as you come

Even more when you scream it

I have a surprise for you too

What is it?

You’ll have to wait to see it

I’ll come by after I get some work done

See you soon

See you soon kitten

Don’t keep daddy waiting too long

It’s hard to focus on my work, but I make myself go through my ARC reader’s feedback. I fix typos they’ve found and make mental notes of what they liked, what they didn’t, and what needs to be adjusted. A few hours later, I set the edited manuscript aside for formatting later.

Standing, I stretch my stiff body, then play with Waffles a bit. “Sorry I’ve been gone so much.” He meows and flips his belly into the sunbeam, blinking lazy eyes at me. It’s too hard to resist the temptation. I pet his fluffy belly until he gets annoyed. Then I scatter some treats around the house for him to find while I’m gone and grab my stuff.

The pub is packed for a Thursday night. I see why once I step inside. There’s a sports game playing on half the TVs mounted around the room.

Liam sees me almost instantly, his face splitting into a big smile. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of him looking at me that way. He’s wiping a beer glass dry. The moment he gets a full look at me, he nearly drops the glass. Fumbling, he catches it before it can shatter on the floor.

I dug a fitted pink dress out of my closet today because it’s tight. It shows off how big my breasts have gotten and the definite roundness of my belly that now looks like something more than bloat. I’m finally showing.

“Move over to a booth, Sal,” he says to an old regular.

“What for?” Sal protests. “I haven’t finished my pretzels.”

“Don’t you know you’re supposed to stand for pregnant women? Here. Take a beer on the house and your pretzels with you. You can watch the game over there.” He pulls a beer and sets it in front of Sal.

“Hmm?” Sal seems more interested in moving now that he has an incentive. He slides off his stool and gives me a onceover. “Oh. Well, aren’t you a pretty little thing? If I were forty years younger…” He smiles wistfully, then takes his beer and pretzels and shuffles off.

I take Sal’s seat and wait for my ginger ale. It’s become our tradition. This time he puts a little cherry syrup and some bright red cherries in it to spice it up.

“Well, my surprise doesn’t seem nearly as cool now,” he says, setting the drink down on a napkin in front of me. He leans on the bar.

I grin and accept the drink. “I don’t know… It sounds really good. I’m starving now no matter how much I eat.”

“That’s good. Means things are going right.” He taps an order into the screen, then gets pulled away by a group of college guys. I think it’s a little crazy that the pub’s owner is acting like a bartender. But he said he misses it and that tending bar was always his favorite job. So he does a few hours here and there and fills in when someone’s out sick.

I watch him work while sipping on my cherry ginger ale. He chats with regulars, clears off dirty glasses, and pours fresh drinks. He’s right. It’s mostly a beer and food place. They have more kegs on tap than bottles of liquor. Although no Irish pub is complete without a proper selection of whiskey.

One of the waitresses brings out my food from the kitchen. “Hey, Amanda.”

“Hey, Kat. Oh my God! You’re finally showing.”

How many people did they tell? I rub my tiny belly and smile. Now that we’re past the worst of the risk, I’m less nervous about people knowing. “I am. My app says the baby’s the size of a kiwi.”

“Congratulations,” she says, moving the plate of eggplant fries and garlic aioli to where I can reach it. “I have one at home. Enjoy this time and sleep as much as you can. It goes by fast.”

“I will.”

She disappears to check on her tables and I eat my food. It’s good. Liam gets me a refill of my drink while he’s making his rounds. By the time I’m done eating, the real bartender—a beta named Eric—shows up.

“Took forever for the tow truck to come. I’m sorry,” he apologizes.

“Don’t worry about it,” Liam says, clapping a hand on Eric’s shoulder. “Accidents happen. That’s why they’re called accidents.” He gives Eric a run down of who has what tab started.

When they’re done and Liam turns to me, my body tightens with anticipation. He leans across the bar again. “If you’re done with your eggplant, I’ve got another one to show you. ”

“Oh, do you? Is it in the back?” I tease him.

He winks at me. “It’s upstairs.”

I slide off my stool and follow him to the back, to the roped-off hidden stairs that lead up to the apartment. He lets me go first. Probably so he can watch my ass.

The minute we’re inside, he pounces on me. The door hits my back as he crowds me against it. His hands wander all over my body. Tracing the flare of my hip. Ghosting over my small baby bump. Grabbing a handful of tits. They’re less sore now than they were.

My nipples tighten, aching, and rub against my bra. And while he’s groping me, he’s kissing me until I’m breathless. We’re both ravenous, but not for food.

We break for air, and he slides his nose down my jaw. My neck. His tongue licks my skin, tasting my pheromones where they’re strongest at my scent gland.

“Sorry for the garlic breath,” I apologize. Maybe I should have gone lighter on that aioli. It was so good, though.

“You’ve got me so hungry for you, kitten. I couldn’t care less.” He grabs my thigh and lifts it, holding me upright as he pins me against the wall. My tight skirt rides up, exposing my panties. His hips flex and his cock rubs my core through our layers of clothing. “You’re so pretty with your baby bump. It makes me want to put another baby in this sweet little pussy.”

My laugh turns into a moan with his grinding. The rub of his cock against my slit makes my brain short circuit. “That makes zero sense.”

“What doesn’t make sense is the fact that you’re not naked right now.”

He lifts me, his hands going under my ass, and my legs wrap around his hips. Liam carries me deeper into the apartment. Lays me down on their bed that smells like them. Like Liam’s evergreens and Matthew’s icy snow woods and Gabriel’s crackling fire. Like safety and pack.

“Am I crushing you?” he asks, trying to keep his weight off me as he keeps me under him.

“I like it.” I slip my hands under his T-shirt and work it up, feeling all of the muscles of his back. He’s so strong. A perfect alpha. I love the sense of safety his large frame gives me. The instinctive need I have to be covered by him. Hidden. Protected.

Liam sits up and grabs the edge of his shirt, pulling it off. He tosses it aside.

I run my hands over his chest and stomach. Trace the lines of his abdominals. The dip and bump of muscles. The breadth of his chest and his hair. A few strands are gray. I love it. It makes him so masculine and the hair traps his pheromones, making his smell stronger.

His hands cup my belly. Squeeze my inner thighs, spreading me wider. He brushes a light touch over my mound before moving higher, to palm my breasts. He’s obsessed with my bigger breasts.

He traces the round shape of my areolas until they’re puffy and pinches my nipples until they’re rock hard and aching. I grind my hips, rubbing my pussy over his cock. Impatient. He strains against his jeans.

“Liam,” I whine.

“Yeah, kitten?”

“I need you to fuck me.”

Liam grins and pulls away, his hands reaching for his belt buckle. “Then get naked, kitten. I want to see that baby bump and those tits in all their glory.”

I twist and try to get the zipper of my dress down. It’s harder to get out of it than it was to get into it. He’s already naked, his ruddy cock jutting into the air. And I haven’t gotten very far at all .

“I think the zipper’s stuck.”

“Let me help.” He puts a knee on the bed and climbs back in, then taps my hip.

I roll over onto my front.

“Let me see.” Liam reaches for the zipper and tugs on it. It proves difficult even for him. He jerks the tab down, but it catches. It won’t unzip.

“Is it stuck?” I ask.

“It’s stuck.” He gropes my ass, massaging it and spreading my cheeks apart.

“That’s not my zipper,” I tell him, glancing over my shoulder.

“It’s not my fault your ass is perfectly spankable.”

“Is it?” I ask, lifting my ass up high. God, it’s been so long since I was spanked. “Are you sure about that? Maybe you should test it and find out.”

He makes a rough sound in the back of his throat and gives my ass a light slap. It’s barely a spank.

“You can do better than that,” I goad him.

“Do you remember your safe word?” he asks, rubbing circles with his thumbs.

“Waffles.”

He slaps me harder, but the blow doesn’t leave a sting behind. His touch is light over my dress. It leaves me aching for more. It’s good. Like my body is my own again. I feel more like myself again.

“I can take more,” I tell him.

“I have another idea. Do you trust me?”

I barely pause before answering. They’ve all been nothing but great to me in this weird situation we’ve found ourselves in. Kind, patient, funny, and sexy as hell. Gabriel makes sure I get enough exercise. Matthew makes sure I’m eating healthier. And Liam makes sure my sex drive stays manageable. In their own way, all of them take care of me.

“I do.”

“How much do you love this dress?” he asks.

I wore it twice before I got pregnant, and in a week or two it probably won’t fit at all. The zipper barely went up today as it is. I doubt I’ll want to wear the tight bodycon dress after giving birth. “I don’t care about it.”

“Stay there. Whatever you do, don’t move.”

His ominous warning makes my pulse race. He leaves the room and comes back a moment later. I look over my shoulder, my breath hitching when I see what he’s holding.

A knife.

The expression on his face is one of eager anticipation. Like a kid in a candy store. Did he get to that scene in my new book? The one where the mob boss cuts her tights and underwear off and fucks her over a table during a meeting while his underbosses watch.

The front door opens and Matthew calls out that he’s home. Is it already after six?

“In here!” Liam yells, grinning. He spins the knife in his hand. “Perfect timing. I need you.”

“What do you need?” Matthew asks, coming closer. He stands in the doorway, head tilted. “Oh. What are we doing with that?”

“I need an audience. Want to watch?” Liam asks.

“I love it when you get creative,” Matthew says. He drags the chair from the corner to the opposite side of the bed. Then he sits, his hands going to the buttons on his collar. He undoes them, loosening his shirt at the throat. His shirt cuffs are next.

The casual, confident way he sits with one ankle resting on his other knee is hot. When Matthew rolls his sleeves up his forearms and stops them halfway, I have to wonder if he’s doing it on purpose. His expression is inscrutable. He’s harder to read than the others.

The cool slide of the knife against my thigh jerks me out of my thoughts. The metal is smooth. Dangerous. Liam runs the flat of the blade across my thigh. Works his way toward the inside. He slaps my inner thigh with it.

“Wider.”

I spread my thighs wider, opening up my core and straining the fabric of my tight dress. His warm hand sneaks under the skirt, stroking me over my panties.

“Is this making your pussy wet?” Liam asks while the blunt edge of the knife drags down my buttock.

“Yes.” My eyes slide shut and I fist the sheets.

His hand rubs over my mound. Checking if it’s true. He strokes me with his hand and the knife until my panties cling to me. To the damp spot sticking them to me. My pussy throbs.

He slips his hands from between my legs, then grabs the hem of the skirt. The sound of his knife puncturing and cutting through the fabric is loud. The tight fabric gives as he cuts a slit in it, then puts the knife down to rip it wide.

Fuck, that’s even hotter than I dreamed it could be.

Liam takes his time with my dress. Making small cuts and ripping them wider. Sticking his fingers through the holes he’s made. Teasing me all over while he slowly carves me out of my dress.

He tugs my panties to the side and slicks his thumb between my lips. Smearing my wetness. Spreading the proof of my arousal. He rubs my slick over me, then presses a finger inside.

“So wet for me. What a good pussy.”

“How wet is she?” Matthew asks.

“Soaking.”

Any sassy comeback I have is lost when he pumps. He adds another finger. They move against my front wall and my pelvis tightens.

When he pulls free, my pending orgasm stuttering out, I moan with annoyance. Liam has the nerve to chuckle.

He finishes off my dress, cutting through the seam at the top and ripping it apart. Once the dress is a tattered mess that’s falling off me, he goes for my panties next. The knife cuts clean through one side before I can protest. They sag, the fabric covering my pussy shifting.

“I liked those,” I pout.

“I’ll buy you more.” He cuts the other side.

“Not my bra.”

He yanks the tattered dress and panties out from under me, then lays the knife down at the edge of the bed.

Matthew reaches over and takes it, setting the point on the chair’s arm and twirling it. His stare is dark and unreadable as he watches us.

Liam unhooks my bra and pulls it out from under me, tossing it to Matthew. The pink bra lands in his lap, but Matthew never lets go of the knife he’s toying with. His eyes never leave us. We’ve been careful not to fuck in front of him before. Is this really okay?

Clothes rustle and the bed dips. Then the blunt head of Liam’s cock probes at my slick entrance. My eyes flutter shut as he seats his dick inside me. All I can do is groan and twist my fingers in the sheets.

He fucks me deep and slow. Until the awful need I have for him is quenched. Pleasure builds as he dicks me down into the mattress. This was exactly what I needed.

“Harder,” I beg him.

Liam pulls back out and slams home. My ass claps against his thighs. I moan and he tugs me up by my hips. Pulls me properly onto my knees, my face still pressed into the bed. It’s not a proper nest, but it smells like them. All three of them. They had sex last night after I left. I wish they’d invited me to watch.

He fucks me from behind, doggy style. Fast. Needy. A hand between my shoulder blades pins my front to the bed. He tugs my hips up higher. Ass up as high as it’ll go. Puts me where he wants me. Until the angle of his rapid thrusts is perfect and my toes curl.

“God, she’s so fucking wet,” he tells Matthew.

“How good is her pussy?” Matthew asks.

“It’s fucking perfect.”

“Pull her hair,” Matthew orders.

Liam does it. He threads his fingers into my hair at the nape and makes a fist.

My breath rushes out of me with a low, throaty moan. I squeeze my eyes shut.

“Harder,” Matthew orders. “She likes it.”

Liam fucks me harder. Pulls my hair with one hand and squeezes my ass cheek with the other. The rapid, deep thrusts overwhelm me. My scalp burns with a dull, delicious ache. And Matthew watches all of it. Our depravity. Directs it.

I don’t know if it’s the audience or the position, but Liam’s wild. It’s like my heat all over again. When the sight of my upturned ass made him nearly feral to mount me.

My thighs tremble with the force of his thrusts and my orgasm swells. It tightens in my core, pulsing. Consuming.

“I’m gonna come,” I moan.

“Come on my dick, kitten.”

He barely gets the pet name out before the tension snaps. As if I were waiting for permission. My body goes still for an agonizingly long second, and then my pussy spasms.

“Oh, fuck,” he groans. “That’s it.”

“Describe it,” Matthew orders .

“She’s milking my cock. I can’t… I can’t hold back any longer. God, I love this pussy. Your pussy’s so damn good, kitten.”

His pace slows, thrusts becoming deep and languid. He comes with a groan. Cock pulsing. Breathing hard. Cum filling me to bursting. His knot swells. Plugging me tight. Stoppering all those healthy pheromones in deep where I need them. Where I crave them. He’s got me addicted to his dick. To his purr and pheromones, and to his kindness. He makes me feel safe again. Desired and cherished. I haven’t felt that way in a long time. Longer than before my old pack split up.

Liam lets go of my hair and strokes me fondly. He uses my aftershocks and flutters to milk his knot. Collapses on top of me, his weight and scent a comforting blanket of alpha. I’m protected.

His thumbs rub circles in my skin and he purrs for me. Slowly our breathing returns to normal. Once we’re somewhat recovered, Liam shifts us so we’re on our sides. He spoons me, his bigger body covering me from head to toe. A purr rattles in my chest too. All we need is a big fluffy blanket and this would be perfect.

Matthew sets the knife aside and drapes a fuzzy blanket over us like he’s some sort of mind reader. It’s pale blue with a delicate floral pattern. I don’t remember this blanket being here. Did they buy this? For me?

Matthew climbs into bed with us, settling on his side too, but facing us.

“Kat, I’d like to ask you something,” Matthew says.

My gut reaction is to ask if something’s wrong. If we went too far with him in the room before he’s ready. “What is it?”

“Can I touch your baby bump?”

The request is so sweet. Tentative, compared to the stern persona he had in that chair. I move my arm to give him access to my stomach and smile. “Of course.”

He pushes the blanket aside, exposing me, and reaches for my belly. His palm is warm and his touch is gentle. It’s also in the wrong spot.

I cup his hand with mine and move it lower. To where our baby is. I push his fingertips down harder. His eyes widen with surprise when he finds it. The firm ball of my full uterus.

“That’s our baby?” he asks, his voice full of wonder.

“Yes.”

“They’re not moving.”

I laugh softly. “It’s too early for that. The baby has to get bigger first.”

He studies me quietly, his attention focused. It’s slightly awkward. He’s the only pack mate I haven’t been with. I’m not quite sure what to expect.

“You were right. Her breasts are a lot bigger,” he says.

His comment takes me completely by surprise. I blush and Liam chuckles. Liam reaches around and cups one, gently squeezing. Pinching my nipple. My pussy throbs around his knot like they’re connected.

“More sensitive too,” Liam says. “But less sore.”

“Can I?” Matthew asks.

Confused, I nod.

Matthew palms my other breast. Testing the weight. Judging the firmness. My nipple’s responsiveness.

“When do they get milk?” he asks.

“Not…” My clit throbs like he’s touching it instead of my nipple. “Not until closer to the end.”

“Do you need to come again, kitten?” Liam asks. “You’re squirming.”

“Y-yes,” I pant. Is this okay with Matthew on the bed? I don’t know what the rules are, and I’m too nervous to ask. Being added into an existing pack is so different from forming one as you go.

“Did I do that to her?” Matthew asks Liam.

Liam nips my earlobe, then licks out the sting. He curls a hand around my hips and finds my clit. “Does your pretty pussy need petting?”

“Yes.” My nipples are so hard they hurt. Matthew touches them, seemingly fascinated, while Liam strokes me between my legs.

Liam groans when I squeeze his knot. Grinding my ass against him, tugging at that swollen base of his cock. He breathes hard in my ear. Thrusts shallowly.

He strums my clit. Rapid circles that make my stuffed pussy clench. I clamp down, squeezing him.

“Oh, fuck,” Liam groans. His cock pulses, spraying my walls with a lash of cum.

“What?” Matthew asks.

“Her pussy sucks the cum right out of me.”

“Really?” Matthew’s interest is piqued. “I want to try. Can I, Kat?”

“O-okay.” I don’t care who makes me come as long as one of them does. Fast.

Matthew takes over and I groan in disappointment as the tension in my pelvis fades while they switch over. It starts again when Matthew strokes me. Gentle, slow movements that are good but won’t make me come.

But he gains confidence as he goes. Exploring my folds. Finding my clit. Pulling the hood back to touch more of it. He rubs light circles over me.

“How is that?” He asks.

“It’s good,” I answer.

Liam says, “Faster.”

Matthew speeds up, going from slow and explorative to rapid strokes that make my eyes want to roll into the back of my head. I grind into his hand, adding pressure. Tugging on the knot stretching my slick-covered hole wide. My moan is strangled into a needy whine.

My breathing hitches. “Oh, God.”

“That’s it, kitten,” Liam says. “Ride my knot. Fuck yourself on Mattie’s hand. Come for us. That’s our good girl.”

I’m not going to last long. Not with Liam’s dirty praise in my ear and Matthew’s beautiful, dexterous fingers. How is he so good at this? We lock eyes and share the moment together.

I come, gasping, and something sparks in Matthew’s eyes. He strokes me through my orgasm, keeping our connection as I clench down tightly on Liam’s knot.

Liam’s cock kicks, earning me another spurt of cum. The pressure in my pelvis is intense. I can’t take anymore. Not another drop.

“Let me clean you,” Liam says to Matthew.

Matthew holds his slick-coated fingers up for Liam to swipe at with his tongue. Liam purrs while he licks the beta clean. And then he turns his attention to me, hugging me against him and covering me with the fuzzy blanket again. Tucking me in so I don’t get cold.

Matthew settles down with his head propped up on one arm. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.” I mean it. Anytime he wants to finger me like that, all he has to do is crook a finger. The guy is blessed with a natural gift.

When Liam’s knot softens, he slips out in a mess of cum and slick. Thank goodness for stain-guarded bedding. We lie there, recovering slowly.

“Can I ask you another question?” Matthew asks.

I nod, too tired for words.

“I noticed it a while ago, but we decided to wait for you to bring it up. But you never did. What happened to your old pack?”

The question is so out of left field that my brain takes a moment to process it. I blink rapidly. “What?”

“You have an old mating bite on your neck,” he says. “That’s what it is, right?”

My teeth clench. It’s a fair question. Something I should have brought up by now, but couldn’t. I still get a lump in my throat when I think about it too much. It’s been three years. I thought I’d be over it by now. But I’m not sure you ever really forget about your first love.

“We were high school sweethearts,” I say. “Josh and me. We thought it was so lucky for us to get into the same college. I studied some of everything. I hadn’t decided what I wanted to do yet, and he was there on a sports scholarship.”

I play with a corner of the blanket and refuse to look at either of them while I tell them the story. “During one of my heats, we slipped up with our birth control. I got pregnant. So we got mated. And then he was recruited. I quit school to follow him and the team. What else was I supposed to do? When I lost that pregnancy, it was sad. But I think both of us were relieved too. We were so young. I wanted kids, but living in a new town, away from my family and my friends, with nothing to do all day while he was busy training… I was depressed. It didn’t seem like the right time.”

Liam hooks me around my ribs, dragging me flush against him. He purrs, a low sound that makes my breathing come more easily. It’s comforting and sweet.

“Josh hit it off with one of his teammates and I became interested in one of the journalists we saw a lot. We met at one of the big social events. Things were better for a bit. He was happier, so that took pressure off me.

“A few years later we tried to get pregnant on purpose. We struggled. I thought I was being punished for being relieved that the first pregnancy didn’t take. I got depressed again. Stopped going to events that weren’t really optional. Barely wanted to leave my nest. Everything was such a chore and I had zero energy for any of it.

“And then he had a great string of games. He got recruited again. Transferred to a better league. He was so happy. But I hated the surge in media coverage. The constant need to be on . Hair done, makeup perfect, squeezed into compression underwear, feet pinched into high heels. Looking effortlessly beautiful. Because someone was always watching. Filming. Taking photos.

“I never really clicked with the other players’ spouses. I had a few I was friendly with but nobody I was really close to. I stopped enjoying the parties and events again.

“I wanted to keep trying after our losses. Thought it was the only thing that would make me happy again. They were ready to give up. After a while, it was clear we wanted different lives. They moved on.”

Without me. I don’t have to say the last part out loud. It hangs in the air unsaid between us.

Matthew takes my hand and squeezes it. “I’m sorry.”

My smile is bittersweet. All of that hurt at the time. So badly that sometimes I thought it might kill me. But it didn’t. And now I’m on the cusp of maybe getting everything I’ve ever wanted. It’s terrifying. Because I want it so badly. My stomach is sick with bouts of anxiety that come and go.

“They abandoned you?” Liam growls.

His anger is validating. I was so angry too, once the heartbreak faded a bit. Now I’m mostly numb after three years.

“It wasn’t their fault. Sometimes bad things happen. And we weren’t a perfect match to begin with. It was young love. Puppy love. If we’d gone to different colleges, our lives probably would have turned out totally different. I doubt we would have stayed together.”

Part of me wishes I’d picked a different school. That we’d lived in another neighborhood and I never met Josh. That I’d listened to my parents and chosen a career over a boy. But I thought I was in love. That we were fated to be together.

“Still,” Liam grumbles.

“I’m sorry you went through that, but I’m glad you’re here,” Matthew says. “You know, I was worried about the co-parenting thing in the beginning.”

“You were?” Liam asks, sitting upright to look over me.

“Giving our baby up to a stranger for half the week? No, I wasn’t thrilled with it. But a lot of omegas like to make their packs instead of joining one that’s already formed. What choice did we have? It was co-parenting, surrogacy, or adoption. Both of those other options are a lot harder and more expensive to do.”

“I wish you’d told me this,” Liam said. “We could have talked about it.”

Matthew shakes his head. “You would have told us to forget about it. You’d have done the alpha thing and put your pack’s needs above yourself. Because that’s who you are. And I love you for that. But I want this baby too.”

I squeeze Matthew’s hand, and he gives me a small smile.

“Gabriel and I weren’t allowed to meet you,” Matthew says to me. “We had to trust this guy’s nose. That’s hard for us betas. We don’t have the sense of smell for pheromone compatibility that alphas and omegas have. So I’m grateful that his nose was right. And that Liam fucked up and didn’t ask questions when they threw him into a heat room with zero instructions.”

“Hey,” Liam says, pretending to be offended.

“He’s an idiot sometimes, but he’s our idiot.” Matthew looks at Liam fondly. “And that was one thing he did right. We like you a lot. I can’t believe we got so lucky.”

I’m speechless and happy and completely overwhelmed. My eyes get damp, and Matthew notices. He plants a kiss on my forehead, then cuddles closer.

Liam wraps a muscular arm around all of us. He kisses my neck over my old scars, and for the first time in three years I don’t mind them being touched.

In the middle of our cuddle pile, I find peace. Talking about my old pack helped. It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be. Sometimes the fears in our head become worse than the reality.

I doze off in the safety and comfort of their arms until Gabriel comes home. He leans against the doorway, a smile on his face. “Did I miss all the fun?”

“Come here, but be good,” Liam says while Gabriel undresses.

“I’m always good.” Gabriel tosses his scrub top onto the floor.

Liam snorts.

Gabriel shoves his scrub pants down. “And you like it when I’m bad.”

“Not tonight,” Liam says.

“Is something wrong?” Gabriel throws his scrubs into the hamper and climbs onto the bed.

“No,” I answer, reaching for him. “It's cuddle time.”

Gabriel smiles and lies down on Matthew’s empty side. “I like cuddles. But if we’re all going to puppy pile, we should consider getting a bigger bed.”

Liam makes swirls along my arm and back while Gabriel and Matthew get comfortable.

I don’t tell them that I’m looking at bigger houses. Not yet. As sweet and lovable as they all are, I’m not ready for that yet.