Page 6 of Scent of Sanctuary

The door creaks open and my expression softens as Seraphina slips out, the hair framing her face damp. She kneels at the edge of the coffee table, hands fisted on her knees, terror rushing through her expression in waves. Knowing she’s ours makes me want to drag her into my lap and make it all go away. But that’d terrify her and I’m not an asshole.

She clears her throat, her voice shaky as she speaks. “I’m so happy you came for Callum’s birthday,” she mumbles, eyes darting between us. “But this… this is our last night together.”

My heart stumbles. She’s holding back tears, her body starting to tremble. Lyle shifts, starting to stand, but she whimpers, a small, terrified sound that freezes us all. I almost lean forward but think better of it, fighting against my instincts. “Angel, what’s going on?”

She stares at me, and fuck, her eyes nearly break me. There’s so much pain there that my breath catches. She shifts uncomfortably on her knees, hands fisting a little tighter before she speaks again. “I can do it on my own,” she whispers. “I know I can. You guys need to find families. Omegas of your own. They wouldn’t like you here with me.”

A small growl cuts through the tension before Callum cuts it off. “Sweetheart, is there a reason you’re pushing us away? I thought we were doing all right. Is something wrong?”

Tears spill down her cheeks now, full-on sobs racking her small frame. “It’s just unfair,” she chokes out, hands covering her face.

Callum steps closer, his voice softer. “Life’s unfair, Fi, but that doesn’t mean we don’t want to be here. Talk to me. What’s going on in that head of yours?”

Lyle moves this time, ignoring our silent warnings. He rounds the couch, his big frame looming as he plops down beside her on the floor. Before she can flinch, he drags her into his lap, arms wrapping tightly around her back. She presses her hands against his chest, mumbling something about how ‘she can’t’ but her protests are over just as fast as she collapses against him, sobbing into his shirt.

His purr rattles through his chest, filling the room, Lyle rocking her back and forth as one hand strokes through her hair. My brows shoot up as I mouth “what the fuck” to Callum. He just sighs, leaning against the wall, looking as lost as I feel.

Lyle’s voice is gentle, barely above a whisper. “Baby, talk to me. What happened?”

Silence meets his words, broken only by the occasional hiccup as she buries her face deeper into his chest. She’s torn between need and whatever the fuck she was trying to tell us about finding our own families. Her instincts are pushing through, that wild berry scent meeting my nose again. My guess is her heat’s close, making it harder to deal with whatever is plaguing her.

I resist the urge to groan, my leg bouncing as I fight the need pooling in my gut. I don’t know what’s wrong and it’s driving me up the wall.

She calms slowly, her sobs fading to shaky breaths. “I’m just selfish,” she finally mumbles into Lyle’s chest. “And crazy. Nothing’s wrong. You should go. Maybe the club.” Seraphina pulls back, smacking away at her tears, leaving little red prints on her pale cheeks. “That’s what you’d do, right? Find a nice Omega, have cute little children.” Her voice cracks as she climbs from his lap, her cheeks puffy from crying. “Maybe one day you could bring them over.”

There’s no fucking way she’s serious. We’ve never talked about wanting kids—not that we don’t, it’s just never been a topic and as far as I know, none of us have ever mentioned families. I think we were all secretly hoping Seraphina would be ours in some way, at some point in the future.

She sniffles, smacking away at her cheeks again, trying to smile and failing. “It’s fine. I’ll clean up. You go have fun.”

We’re sitting around the coffee table, confused as fuck, Seraphina leaving us to head for her bedroom. It’s only when she freezes as the door swings open that I realize the gravity of her emotions, of what she’s feeling, of what she thinks she had to tell us. Her scent thickens, a sour acidic edge to it that draws me in like a moth to a flame as she lets out a horrified, broken whimper.

I rush over to her just as she sags back against my chest, the destruction of her nest coming into full view. It’s a fucking disaster. Like someone took a knife to her safe place. My chest caves and for the first time, I feel her—reallyfeel her. Anguish, despair, fear, all crashing through me like a wave. But there’s something else, faint but real. Love. For us. It’s there, buried under the mess, and it nearly takes me to my knees.

“Angel, what happened?”

Seraphina

Idon’twanttobreak down. I just want them to leave. Not because I want them gone, but because if my emotions keep spiraling, they’ll smell me. They’ll catch my scent and then they’ll attack. My knees buckle as I sag deeper into Ambrose’s arms, his rum spice warmth enveloping me. My failure as an Omega is laid bare for them to see. What kind of Omega destroys their nest over paranoia?

My instincts war with my brain, screaming to lean into Ambrose’s embrace, to let his strength hold me up. Even as I crumple to the floor, he’s right there with me, pulling me into his chest and protecting me from my own little world.

Callum and Lyle step closer, the distance between us too much and not enough at the same time. With all the descenters in my place and the fact that I used to push them away closer to my heats, I never truly reacted to their scents. But right now, I’m suffering because my Omega only wants them. Onlyneedsthem to take this emotional pain away.

And yet, I think I might die if they attack like that one Alpha did.

I just can’t… but Ambrose’s arms are too safe and leaving them would mean having to face that I just asked them to leave to go make babies with someone else. Jesus Christ, I am a disaster.

“Settle,” he murmurs in my ear, the honey tone of his voice soothing my panic. I bury my nose farther into his chest, drinking in big gulps of his scent until I sag fully against him. His purr responds to my distress, steadying my racing heart until my lids start to close, my body trying to give in completely.

“Angel baby. Talk to me. What happened?”

He caresses the side of my face, thumb running along my tear-stained check. I can’t help but nestle into it, my nose dragging along his palm, fear spiking in my chest when he tightens his hold around my waist. My entire body locks up, Ambrose relaxing his arms even as I chase his hand and then pull back, forcing myself to behave.

“I got you angel,” he purrs, resituating me until my back is against his chest and I’m facing Callum and Lyle a few feet away. It’s like he just knows as I fully settle again, his chin resting on top of my head. I can feel his heartbeat against my back, the rhythmic beat lulling me into that safe haze again. This time when he threads his arms around my waist, it’s much looser and I can breathe.

Callum crouches down so that we’re at eye level, his eyes searching mine for several seconds before he speaks. “Sweetheart, we all know something is wrong but we don’t want to push if you’re not ready. However, I can see that you’re hurting. Just one question, do you want us to leave?”

The tension thickens as I drag in a breath, catching all of their scents until I’m suffocating in them, a low whine falling from my lips in response. Slick coats my panties, horror bleeding through me that they’re going to pounce at any minute. I should have never invited them over tonight. This is the worst present to give Callum for his birthday.

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