Festive Fates

Chapter 7

DAVINA

As soon as my feet hit the edge of the treeline, I force my shift forward, my wolf side tearing from the confines of my skin within seconds. Bones crack and re-fuse together, falling to the ground on four legs rather than two, leaving a pool of material in my path. I can hear the thundering footsteps behind me, my name being yelled by more than one of them as I weave in and out of the snow-covered pines.

My body has never had that sort of reaction to anyone, ever. Instant sweats, heat building between my thighs—I have been around alphas my whole life, but it has never been like this. Even though my mind is pushing me forward, my instincts are telling me to turn the fuck around, every single part of me at war with the other. It was easier to ignore when it was just the twins, the need thrumming under the surface but not quite breaking through.

The way they looked at me with heat in their eyes took me by surprise. They had always been off-limits being my brothers’ best friends, objects of silly teenage crushes on my end, but never anything beyond that. Just initials in silly little hearts. The way it felt when Kai’s skin touched mine, or how my breaths caught in my chest at Hunter’s undivided attention… That’s far from initials in silly hearts.

Trees and snow become a blur as I push my wolf harder, a sheen of sweat gathering at the base of my pelt. There has never been a space for me to truly stretch my legs like this, and if it wasn’t for the rumble of paws behind me, I would be enjoying the feeling.

Just in time, I storm up the steps of the cabin, shifting quickly to be able to open the door. Lucky for me, it was a swift exit, and I had forgotten to lock it earlier in the afternoon, so my bare ass isn't on display long before I slam the door. My chest heaves, not used to that much physical activity. The gym and I are not friends, my center of gravity way too off for those machines. Every time I have tried, the membership is used for a month max before dipping out, locked into contracts that are never used to their potential.

Voices boom from outside the cabin, my brothers as well as the three alphas among them, all hurling curses and testosterone back and forth. Not only can I hear the three alphas, but I can feel them. Their energy is addictive, willing me closer with each step away from them that I manage. Forcing my feet, I run into the nest and close the door, diving for the soft sheets and throws. Note to self: thank Reyne again, because this is heaven on my skin right now.

The arguing is muffled in here, enough for me to focus for a moment. None of them have keys, and I flicked the lock, so it’s safe in here, at least safe enough to take the biggest breath of my fucking life. What was that?

My skin soaks the blankets around me, now dripping sweat from head to toe. Strands of hair stick to my nape as goosebumps work their way across my feverish skin. I start to move the blankets around in the nest, pushing the pillows to the very edges before I curl myself in. It smells all wrong, but I have no idea how to fix it. This has never happened before.

Words make their way through the sickening pulse thumping in my ears, my vision too blurred to see who’s there. It doesn't feel like any of them, thankfully, but their approach has me scrambling to cover myself with whatever is within arm’s reach of the nest. A whimper falls from my lips when it’s a weighted, fluffy blanket holding me like a warm hug.

“Davina, honey, it’s me and Reyne,” my mother calls from the door, her footsteps approaching slowly. A sob pulls from my chest with relief that it’s her, needing my mom now more than ever.

“Shh, shh. It will be okay, I promise,” Reyne whispers, her hand on my hair making me jump. I try to clear the haze by rubbing at my tear-soaked eyes. “Is this worse than your usual heats?”

Nodding, I hug the blanket tighter to my chin, allowing it to soak up the stray tears rolling down my cheeks. This is much, much worse than usual. Not to mention, my heat isn’t due for another few weeks at least. I planned to be back home when it hit, to ride it out as I usually do: baths, chocolate, and trashy tv in my favorite pajamas. What I didn’t plan for was the Evans brothers to be my mates.

“Honey, do you know what that means?” she asks hesitantly, not wanting to offend. I knew the moment I stepped foot into their vicinity, the second their combined scent hit my nostrils. For the first time in my life, I could feel my arousal start to pool between my thighs simply from being in their presence, despite hating Elias’ existence.

Had I fucked a few alphas in my life? Certainly. None of them have had me dripping through my jeans at their attention, though. None have made my core heat to an unbearable point, leaving me filled with a need only they can fix. My past ventures into alpha territory have been a means to an end, one that lulled me into a false sense of security coming here. I thought everything would be fine, that I would be fine.

“I do,” I manage to whisper, my voice not wanting to cooperate. A sharp pain stabs through my stomach the moment the words fall from my mouth, forcing a scream that doesn’t even sound like it came from me. The primal noise has me shrinking into the blankets further.

Their presence looms in the doorway, somehow soothing the sobs wracking through my trembling body. It doesn’t go away, but the pain starts to slowly dull down a touch, at least enough to breathe.

“Do we have your permission to come in, Davina?”

It sounds like Kai, but they’re still standing in the shadows of the room, all heaving chests and primal rumbles. It shouldn't have me excited like this, but I can’t help the squeak that comes out at the noises they are making. I’m still in control, still completely with it, but my body sure as hell has its own ideas about what it needs, and in this moment, it’s them.

“Her first full heat has been triggered and it’s come on very quick. She can ride this out should she choose to,” Reyne snaps at her sons, her energy more dominant than I have ever witnessed from her. She’s an extremely soft and caring omega, so this is completely out of character for her. She grabs my extremely sweaty hand, holding it in one and tapping the top with her other. “We can keep you as comfortable as possible with pain relief and heat should you want to ride this out on your own. I know you have just come back, and this is all so quick.”

She’s right. It is. Never in a million years did I predict that my first trip home would bring on my first full heat at twenty-two, much less that they would be the cause of it. Do I want to suffer in pain for days when it already feels like my stomach is about to tear itself from my insides, or do I want to spend a few days getting railed by hot alphas?

Kai steps closer to the nest, bending down onto his knees so his eyes are level with my own. His scent is all wrong, his clothes not belonging to him. My nose scrunches with a deep inhale, one I wish never happened. I can smell my brothers’ scents clinging to him, and it has a hurl making its way up my throat. Thankfully, I keep that quiet.

“Or she can let us help her through it and give her what she needs. We haven’t been part of a heat, but between what Hunt and I know, it will be enough. We can be enough.”

Looking between my mother and Reyne, I nod, giving them a soft smile. Mom's eyes are glistening with tears, her empathetic nature showing through. She lifts her hand, cupping my cheek and wiping one of the tears making its way down.

“Look, in an ideal world, we would have all the time in the world to show you that you can trust us, that we are worthy of you. But with the way your scent is shifting, even my ass knows we don’t have that luxury,” Kai says, edging himself closer to me. “If you don’t want us in here with you, at least let us stay outside so we can make sure no neighboring alphas decide to try and force their way in.”

“I will be okay,” I whisper, trying to put both of the worried mothers at ease. Truth is, there’s no guarantee I will be, but at least I’m still with it enough right now to make decisions with a reasonably sound mind. “I know what choices I’m making, trust me.”

Reluctantly, the two women stand, giving me one last, reassuring nod before walking out of the room, closing the door on their way out. I can hear them talking out there, a few curse words echoing through the cabin before silence falls over us.

Kai comes even closer, sitting right where my feet are under the blankets, his hand landing on my thigh. The other two have still not moved a muscle, all harsh jaw lines and worried expressions. My eyes land on Elias last, his presence confusing the daylights out of me. How can someone who held so much of my pain now tempt me to run to him with just a look? Someone who holds such a dark space in my heart shouldn’t have me wanting to cover myself in their scent—a scent that is all wrong at the moment.

“You don’t really smell like you,” I whisper, making my hands busy with the blanket on top of me. Hunter is the first to react, stripping down to just the track pants, which do nothing to hide how turned on he is just being in here with me. It’s not like he can see anything, but he seems just as affected by my scent as I am by his. My weary eyes flit to Elias, who’s still staring me down with an intensity that makes me want to shrink into the blankets and never resurface.

“You have made your opinions incredibly clear, Elias,” I say while holding his gaze, his name coming out shaky. While my instinct is to run to him for some fucked up reason, I don’t want him here if he hates me. All is not forgiven just because the fates decided to play a cruel trick on us.

“He couldn’t be clear with his emotions if he fucking tried. Will it help if we restrain this asshole?” Hunter asks, nodding to his younger brother, who I expect to blow off at the sheer mention of restraints. To my surprise, he nods, pulling one of the plush dressing chairs from the corner of the room and plonking his huge body down onto it. He looks so different from the last time I laid eyes on him, all muscle. He could snap me in half if he wanted to. The thought has my core clenching; apparently, my body likes the idea.

“If that’s what it takes for you to trust me, then do it. Rope me in with no way of me getting out, do what you need to do, but I’m staying here. I need to be here just as much as they do.”

Hunter goes out of the room, the sound of cupboards being opened and closed echoing through the otherwise silent space. It’s a tense few minutes, no one saying a word, just heated glares until he returns with a decent length of rope.

“Come on, let’s get you into a bath. It will help with the tremors,” Kai urges, holding his hand out to me. As I place my palm in his, he pulls me forward a touch before wedging one arm under my knees and the other around my back, hauling me into his hard chest. It’s warm, and I find myself nuzzling into it to get closer to his scent. It feels safe here, despite my body being completely exposed.

My senses seem to be more intense at the moment; I can hear the thud of their heartbeats and the way their breathing is choked when I’m close to them. A low whine escapes my chest when he places me on the cold counter, pushing a shiver down my hunched spine at being separated. My body instantly curls in on itself, bracing for the next series of aches to work their way through my tense muscles.

He maneuvers his way through the room, running a steaming bath and throwing in some sweet, vanilla-scented bubble bath and some salts. I had a look through everything last night, and it’s all the bougie omega-targeted items I can’t really afford on a single person's budget. The salts in particular have essential oils that help with easing your muscles, so it should help with the tremors too. I wonder how he knows?

I shift my ass on the counter, moving to hop down when Kai appears in front of me, his firm grip searing my skin. Not in an unpleasant way by any means; no, it has me leaning in wanting more, the slight tingle under the surface sending a message straight between my thighs.

“Fuck,” he breathes, pulling me even closer as he walks me over to the bath, slipping my body beneath the water. He pours water over my hair before massaging shampoo deep into my scalp, taking complete care of me in a way no one else has. It feels oddly intimate, having someone wash your hair, but it feels so nice. The moment he hits one of the knots in my neck, a moan slips from my lips, eliciting a rumble from the alpha at my back.

“Time to hop out. If your scent is anything to go by, we don’t have much time,” he says as he grabs one of the fluffiest towels from the rack, holding it out for me to step into. I'm shaky on my feet as I climb out of the tub, my muscles throbbing with a dull ache that hasn't really left since I shifted back outside the cabin earlier. It ebbs and flows but doesn't completely leave.

Kai helps, putting my hand on his shoulder to steady my legs while he dries me off, kneeling to pay more attention to between my thighs. The towel moves on either side of my clit, grazing it each time but not putting pressure where it’s needed. I can feel my slick slowly dripping from my core, soaking the towel, and he has hardly even fucking touched me.

“You’re perfect, Davina. So fucking perfect.”