Page 37 of A Pack of Mistletoe
Finally, my eyes adjust.
Kai is kneeling in front of me, one hand lightly gripping my arm, the other stroking through my hair, slow and soothing against the back of my scalp. Harlan is beside him, one big hand braced on my thigh like he’s trying to keepme grounded. His eyes are fierce with concern. Evander is at my left, arms wrapped around my waist, nuzzling into my hair, scent-marking me in slow, steady sweeps that settle my omega further. Logan is just behind him, rubbing lazy, comforting lines along Evander’s spine. As though Evander was in need of comfort. Had he been upset over me?
Wyatt crouches on the opposite side from Evander, whispering something I can’t make out at first. But as the panic fades, his words sharpen into focus.
“It’s okay, Sugarplum. We’re here. You’re safe. Shhh. It’s okay.” His charming Southern drawl wraps around me, warm breath brushing my cheek like a promise.
I try to say I’m fine. That it was just a dream. That my omega’s just waking up and a little overwhelmed. But what comes out is another high-pitched sound. A needy, helpless omega whine. The kind I’d never made until last night. Until her.
Kai’s eyes widen. Harlan moves instinctively, reaching across Evander and Wyatt to pull me tighter into the middle of this strange, comforting, unbreakable knot we’re forming.
“Starlight, what’s wrong?” Harlan’s voice is low and rough, sinking straight into my chest. His beautiful chestnut eyes lock on mine. I can feel his alpha reaching for my omega like it’s instinct, like heneedsto steady me.
I swallow once, then again.
“My omega,” I croak. “Awake.”
That’s all I can manage before she takes over again, rising like a tide, trying to drown me in her crashing need. It’s not heat, not yet. But she’s surging with want, with longing.
I reach for anchors. Kai’s eyes. Wyatt’s thick arm. Evander’s tense shoulder. I need something solid. Something real.
“Omega, please.” Evander’s voice is right at my ear. “Give her back.” He’s trying to reason with her. I’d laugh if it wasn’t so terrifying. His eyes meet mine and they're full of fear. For me.
This alpha who makes me laugh when I’m spinning out… who’s becoming so much more than I expected.
Then I catch the flicker of blue eyes just beyond him.
Logan.
His platinum hair is tousled for once instead of slicked back. He looks… beautiful. Wild. A whine slips out between my teeth before I can stop it.
My omega isn’t satisfied—not until every alpha is close. Everyone is touching me except him. She’s greedy. And I hate that I agree.
Logan’s eyes widen. The others still. For a moment, it feels like my heart might break right out of my chest.
I think we’ve made a mistake. Wyatt, Kai, Evander, and Harlan have all made their attraction clear. But Logan… maybe he doesn’t feel it.
I try to speak, to tell him it’s okay. That I’m sorry. But he looks so fragile, for just a moment. Solost.
Then his expression softens.
He moves. Slowly at first. He half-stands on the bed, makes his way around Evander, then swings a leg over me. He removes the pillows behind my back and replaces them with his own body. I lean back into the heat of his bare chest, and his arms wrap around my waist, firm and sure.
“It’s okay, Jingles,” he murmurs against my hair. “I’ve got you. I have you.”
My omega settles at last. She's still needy—still insistent, but not spiraling. Little whines slip from my throat, but I’m anchored now. Held.
Evander leans into me and Logan. Kai rests his head on my stomach, curling around my right thigh like I’m the one protectinghim.Harlan spoons in from the left, one big hand stroking between my cheek and Evander’s hair. Wyatt anchors my right, his lips brushing my ear as he murmurs comfort, fingers threading gently through Kai’s locks.
His body presses along mine, steady and warm. A tether. I’ve never been with a pack before. I didn’t know what I expected. But it wasn’t this.
This safety and comfort. Thiscloseness.I’m surrounded, wrapped in the kind of affection that makes the whole world fade away. And somehow, even with all this closeness, all this contact, I don’t feel smothered.
I feel seen.
And I fall asleep to the sound of alphas breathing.
Harlan
