Page 97 of Bound By Song

And this is where Eviana’s going to have her first real heat?

Not like this.

I need to check with Evie first, make sure she’s okay with it, but if she is, I’ll start stripping it down immediately.

The wardrobe – too stiff, too formal – needs to go first. Then the heavy curtains, the dated side tables, the bedspreadthat probably still smells like judgment. I’ll drag everything out, tossing the furniture aside like it personally offended me. Because honestly? Ithas.

With every piece I’m mentally removing, I’m imagining what it could become instead.

Warm. Soft. Safe. Hers.

I’ll bring in new curtains. Paint. A mattress so good she sinks into it and never wants to leave. I’ll make sure the light is gentle, the air clean, the textures soothing. I’ll layer the floor with rugs and scent blankets and every soft thing we can get our hands on.

This space has held enough fear. Enough silence.

Now it’s going to holdher.

The crushed omega who survived without a nest.

And I’m going to give her one that says,You’ll never go without again.

I return to the lounge and find Evie still in her nest, only now she’s curled up between Xar and Blaise, watching as Blaise tunes his guitar. She’s close, closer than usual, her trust growing. Blaise nudges her gently. “Sing with us?”

She hesitates, but then nods. When she sings, it’s raw, pure, something unguarded breaking free in her voice. The rest of us just listen, letting her set the pace.

Xar catches my eye, his gaze knowing. He shifts slightly, leaning closer to me as he speaks. “We need to be ready. But we wait for her to make the first move.”

I nod, then turn to Eviana. “Evie? I need to ask you something.”

She looks at me, wary. “What is it?”

“The only room that’s suitable for your nest is…your Grandmother’s old room.”

She goes still. “You want to strip it?”

“Yes,” I say softly. “Completely. Turn it into something new. Something safe. But it’s your choice.”

She swallows hard, looking away. The silence stretches between us, but finally, she nods. “Okay.”

Relief washes through me, and I squeeze her hand gently. “I’ll make it right for you, Evie. I promise. I’ll start first thing tomorrow.”

She gives me a tentative smile, squeezing my hand in return. “Thank you, Dane.”

“Anytime, Evie. You don’t have to thank me for anything. Ever. I want to do this for you. Now…is there room in this snuggle pile for me? I want to join in the sing-song.”

EVIANA

The fire crackles softly, casting golden shadows that flicker across the lounge walls, and the weather outside has quieted to a steady rhythm of rain. It’s late, but none of us have said anything about sleeping. We just…exist here together, nestled into the calm after the chaos.

I’m curled up in the middle of the makeshift nest we built a few nights ago – blankets, pillows, a couple of Xar’s and Blaise’s shirts layered into something that feels less like a fort and more like a shelter. Not arealnest. Not the kind instinct whispers for, deep in my bones. But it’s enough for now. It smells like them. It holds warmth. It holdsme.

My body is changing. I can feel it. The warmth that pulses in my belly has a slow, rolling weight to it now. Not pain exactly,not yet. But anticipation. My instincts are buzzing beneath my skin like bees in the walls, and every breath I take is tinged with something more.

Blaise is beside me, bare-chested, lounging like a smug tomcat who’s won his spot by the fire. One of his hands is tucked behind his head; the other is close to mine, like he’s waiting for me to reach out but doesn’t want to push.

Dane sits just behind me, his legs on either side of my curled-up frame, a quiet tower of heat and steadiness. One of his hands is pressed to my lower back, moving in slow, grounding strokes. Not demanding. Just present. Blissful.

Xar is the furthest away, perched on the edge of the nest with his guitar balanced in his lap, fingers gliding over the strings in that effortless way he always does when his thoughts get too loud to sit with.

---