Page 34 of Accidentally Forever

And just like that, I know.

I’m in deep.

Chapter twenty-seven

SOFIE

The heat clings to me, my skin damp with sweat, my body restless in the tangled mess of blankets. The discomfort is relentless, pressing into my muscles, into my bones, making every inch of me feel too tight, and too sensitive.

A low groan slips from my lips as I shift, the sheets sticking to my skin, my fingers patting blindly through the nest, searching for something solid. My hand connects with a leg, warm beneath my touch, and for a moment, I breathe easier. The room is dark, the air thick with the familiar mix of the Ashford Alphas’ scents that usually soothes me—summer heat and home, citrus and mint. But something’s missing.

Jasmine. The absence hits hard, a crack through the haze. Violet’s scent isn’t here. A quiet rumble vibrates against my back, Lance shifting closer, his bare chest warm as he curls around me. His breath ghosts over my shoulder as he murmurs, voice rough from sleep. “Hey, sweetheart. You okay?”

I nod, but it’s a lie. Nothing about this feels okay. “Just uncomfortable,” I whisper, shifting again, my skin damp, my body tense, coiled too tight. A shiver rolls through me, more frustration than cold. “Where’s Vi?”

The silence stretches too long and I tense, fingers gripping the sheets, heart pounding a little harder now. I sit up fully, my breath coming too fast. Lance is here. Hawk is here. But they aren’t her. The need claws at me and I know it’s fucking irrational but I need her here with me.

I scramble from the bed, desperate to find her, legs shaky as I push myself upright. The room tilts for a second, the heat making my head swim. I rush out the door, the pounding of my heart drowning out everything else. This feels too much like it did after my first heat spike with the twins—when I couldn’t find Violet, when the panic dug its claws into me and wouldn’t let go. That same fear surges through me now, making it impossible to think.

Barefoot, barely dressed, Hawk’s oversized shirt clinging to my damp skin, I take off down the hallway. The fabric sticks where sweat pools, the heat crawling beneath the surface, burning, pulsing, a slow, unbearable ache that spreads through my limbs, making me weaker with every step. Slick is gathering between my thighs, threatening to render me useless but I won’t give into this heat haze until I find her.

My throat feels raw, my voice wrecked before I even speak, but I force it out anyway. "Vi?" The sound barely registers over the blood rushing in my ears, my vision blurring at the edges. My body aches, too hot, too sensitive, my balance unsteady, but then I see her, a blur of dark hair, soft limbs, the curve of a familiar form tucked between Gray and Puma on the couch.

She’s curled up, her lips parted slightly as she nestles into Puma’s chest like she belongs there, Gray’s hand resting lazily on her thigh, The tension in my shoulders loosens just enough for something else to slip through, something softer, something that tugs at the corners of my lips before I realize I’m smiling. It’s small, barely there, but real. She’s letting herself rest. Finally.

But my body isn’t done reminding me why I came here.

I sway where I stand, my body betraying me, my throat tight as a small broken whimper slips free before I can stop it.

"It’s starting," I manage, my voice barely more than a breath. "I need Vi."

The heat pulses in my belly, an ache that spreads through my limbs, making it impossible to stand still. My weight shifts from foot to foot, fingers clenching and unclenching at my sides, nerves and desperation tangling into something unbearable. Another soft whimper slips past my lips as the pressure beneath my skin mounts.

Gray leans down, pressing a slow kiss to Violet’s lips. She stirs instantly, her body shifting against Puma’s, like she was just waiting for an excuse to wake up. Her eyes flutter open, still heavy with sleep, but the second she sees me standing there, trembling, flushed, barely keeping it together, she’s alert.

"Hey, baby." Her voice is soft, the way it always is when she’s trying to calm me down. "You okay?"

A frantic nod, then a sharp shake of my head, because I don’t know. I don’t know if I’m okay. "It’s time." My voice shakes, hands twitching, body burning. "I think. I’m not sure. I just—" The words fall apart before they can fully form, lost to the need clawing through me. My fingers flex, grasping at nothing, my breath coming out shallow, uneven. "I just need you."

Violet’s expression softens further as she climbs over the back of the couch. She follows as I lead her back toward the bedroom and the second we step inside, the twins are waiting, standing at the edge of the bed like they’ve been expecting this, like they knew the moment was coming before I did. Their attention shifts between me and Violet, watching, waiting, letting me take the lead.

But before this happens, before the heat fully takes over, before I lose myself completely, there’s something I need to say. I stop just past the threshold, turning to Violet, giving her hand a quick, urgent squeeze before shifting my focus to the twins.

I point a finger in their direction, my expression twisted into something fierce despite the heat dragging me under. "No Alpha bullshit." Both of the twins quirk a brow, both fighting a smile. “I mean it. If either of you are mean to Violet, I will kick both of you out. I don’t care if I’m in heat. I don’t care if I’m delirious. I will get up, and I will drag your asses out of this room myself."

I expect some bullshit about pheromones or instincts but Hawk just nods and Lance agrees like it was just that easy—all I had to do was ask. "Understood, sweetheart."

I watch them a second longer, my pulse still too fast, my skin still too hot, but something inside me settles just enough to let me turn back to Violet. The weight of her gaze, the quiet affection, the unwavering warmth—it’s enough to make the tension in my shoulders ease, just a little. Her fingers tighten around mine, her grip sure, even as everything else blurs at the edges.

And just like that, I let go. I stop fighting. I let myself fall.

Chapter twenty-eight

VIOLET

The four of us stripped and climbed back into bed, all of us on edge, ready at a moment’s notice for Sofie’s heat to hit. She’s been irritable for the past several hours, whining and twisting between us. I keep asking her if one of the twins can soothe that ache but she just curls into a ball and shakes her head. No one ever told me about this part of a heat and to be honest, I don’t think it’s normal. I think Sofie, in some part, is fighting her biology. It doesn’t last long, though, Sofie waking up on a whine, grabbing for something to soothe her.

Her scent turns into this thick, molten syrup, the smell of slick filling the room. Hawk doesn’t hesitate as he drags her into his arms, facing her toward me before sliding right in. She sighs in relief, reaching for me even as he nuzzles her neck, his breath hot against her skin, whispering words of reassurance. "It's okay, baby," he murmured, his voice low and soothing. "You're safe with us."

---