Page 104 of Tangled In Tinsel & Knots
“Whoa, slow down.” Lily dusts her hands and comes closer to me. “What’s wrong with having amazing Alphas who support you and make you happy?”
“Nothing, in theory. But can I pursue my career when I have scent matches, when my body falls apart around them and forgets everything else? Yet, at the same time, I’m terrified I’m going to mess it up somehow. Or that they’ll realize I’m not worth the trouble and… Gosh, I don’t know. My head is pulling me in several directions.”
“Stop.” Lily draws me into a hug, and it calms me down. “You’re spiraling.”
I take a shaky breath and pull back. “I just feel so overwhelmed.”
And that’s not even touching the other issue. The one I haven’t admitted to anyone. My pre-heat is out of control. Notthe usual restless buzz in my veins. This is deeper. Lower. Heavier. My body is shifting in ways I can’t logic my way out of anymore.
I keep catching myself thinking of the Omega room in their house like it’s calling me when I’m not there. The bed. The blankets. The ridiculous soft lighting. Crawling onto it, curling into the center, and letting them—any of them, all of them—stand guard around me. My instincts practically purr at the thought.
God. What is wrong with me?
My temperature spikes at random. One second I’m fine. The next I’m flushed and trembling, thighs clenching, pulse racing so fast it feels like I’m about to combust. There’s this deep, molten ache between my legs, a steady throb that won’t let me think straight. Every instinct sharpened, every nerve exposed.
And it only gets better, easier, when I’m near them.
Except it’s not going to pass. Not this time.
My body is choosing for me.
And I am not ready.
This shouldn’t be happening yet. But living with three Alphas who are my scent matches is clearly accelerating everything. And I’m trying so hard to control it, to push through it, to stay focused on work. But it’s getting harder every single day.
“How are things really going with the guys?” Lily asks gently, studying my face. “And don’t give me the surface answer. I want the real answer.”
I blow out a long breath. “They’re… incredible. Supportive, protective, funny, sexy as hell. They help with my events, they make me dinner, they make me laugh until I cry. Living with them feels natural in this scary way.”
“Scary how?”
“It’s working so well that I’m hesitant to trust it.” I finally meet her eyes. “What if I let myself fully fall and then it all ripsapart? My career is already crumbling. I can’t keep losing things. What if they realize I’m too much work or too damaged or too?—”
“Hannah, stop.” Lily squeezes my hand. “Those men are obsessed with you. Anyone with working eyeballs can see it.”
“I know, but?—”
“But nothing. You’re scared. That’s normal.” Lily pauses.
“And I think my heat is coming early,” I finally admit quietly. “Being around them is accelerating it. The ache is constant now, and it only stops when they’re touching me. Which is a problem because I have work to do and I can’t just spend all day draped over them like some needy?—”
“Why not?” Lily interrupts.
I blink.
“Why can’t you let them take care of you during your pre-heat? Why are you fighting it so hard?”
“Because I have a business to build! You have the bakery, and I really wanted to make event planning work, but it’s just not going to plan. I’m trying to prove I can do this on my own, that I’m not some helpless Omega who needs to be coddled. Scot already tried to make me feel incompetent and dependent. I won’t let anyone else?—”
“Your Alphas aren’t Scot,” Lily says firmly. “Not even close. And accepting help and support during your heat cycle doesn’t make you weak or dependent. It makes you smart enough to recognize when you need your pack.”
I want to argue, but the words stick in my throat.
“How did you do it?” I ask instead. “With your guys? I know you told me about getting snowed in at that cabin, but… how did you finally let them in? How did you trust them enough to be vulnerable during your heat?”
Lily smiles, and there’s something soft and nostalgic in her expression. “Oh, those were some crazy times. Being trapped in that cabin with three Alphas I barely knew while a blizzard ragedoutside and my heat hit unexpectedly?Terrifyingdoesn’t begin to cover it.”
“But you got through it.”
