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Arch is careful. He reaches over very slowly, trying not to nudge me any closer to a rut. I’m already dangling on the edge—any aggression or territorial bullshit, and I might try to snap his hand off.
The urge to protect is every bit as strong as the urge to fuck. I want Meg so much it’s killing me. The thought of anyone harming her or tearing her away is the only thing strong enough to distract me from taking what her body is offering.
There’s also a small, logical part of my brain screaming at me. Reminding me that just because her body is offering doesn’t mean she is. She might not even know what’s going on if she really is in?—
Oh God.
We are so not ready for this shit.
“You’re doing great, Theo,” Arch murmurs. “Keep holding your breath if you’re close to losing control. This might be a real heat or it could just be a hormone spike. We need bloodwork to know for sure.”
Peaches whines into my neck again. This time, the noise sounds distinctly distressed.
And I am not. Fucking. Having. It.
With a deep growl, I rip her away from Archer’s hands. “No!”
And, of fucking course, that’s when Ronan strides in. He’s slipping his phone into his pocket and unbuttoning his collar when he stops short, taking in the scene spiraling out of my control.
His nostrils flare. Gray eyes sharpen. “Omega.”
Archer lets out a growl of his own, more vicious than I’ve ever heard. “Stay right there,” he barks, glaring at our alpha. “Theo is on the precipice of a rut, and none of us have Meg’s consent. If she really is in heat, I need to take her?—”
I hear take her, and that’s it.
I’m gone.
All my thoughts are replaced by the image of them taking her away from me. And I can’t deal. I snarl loud enough to shatter glass. And everything goes white.
chapter
twenty-five
Theo and Meg are completely lost in themselves.
They stand in the entryway of the kitchen, kissing feverishly and breathing in the scents from each other’s throats. She’s whining, the desperate, high-pitched plea making us all wild. Theo responds instinctively, purring and growling to soothe and dominate her the way she needs.
Honestly? If I wasn’t the only mildly-sane man in the room right now, this would be my exact brand of porn.
But I am a doctor, and I want to be this woman’s alpha.
So I can’t exactly take my dick out of my pants while her safety is still in question.
Not that I think Theo would hurt her. I know he never would intentionally. I also know that he’s a very large guy who tends not to know his own strength and has never knotted anyone before. He could easily harm her without ever meaning to—and that doesn’t even take into account the fact that Meg isn’t in her right mind at the moment. She could snap out of this hormone surge any second and be horrified by the whole scene.
During our dinner on the lanai, I got the sense that she was embarrassed about her omega tendencies. I’ve read about designation shame. It’s rare—most omegas are taught very early on how wondrous their bodies and their instincts are. Rightly so. But some people struggle with their needs and their heart’s desires. I sensed that struggle in Meg when she perfumed for one of us or swallowed her whines.
That was the reason I collected clothing from all of us to give to her. I want her to know we love her instincts and all of the omega urges that go into who she is.
Moreover, we will fucking cherish them. They are a gift—the exact softness we need to connect all four of us.
Before last week, I’d started to think I would never get to take care of an omega the way I longed to. Now that I have the opportunity, I certainly don’t want her to feel bad for allowing me the honor.
Which makes this even more complicated.
I wish I knew her better. Just a few more dates, and I would probably have at least a basic sense of what she would want in this moment.
I know she adores Theo. It’s clear by the way she’s drawn to him. They’ve been more physical than the rest of us so far—I think it’s just their individual natures and the dynamic they create together. They’re both loving, upbeat people. I’m sure it feels natural for them to give each other affection.
