Page 88 of The Bright Omega

I feel him follow. He goes rigid beneath me, arms locking tight, a low broken sound tearing out of his chest as he spills into me. His knot swells and catches and seals us together, and I feel the fresh pulse of it, the stretch of it, the overwhelming fullness, and I shudder through another wave just from that, clenching helplessly around him while he groans into my hair.

We stay like that. Locked together, my chest against his, his heartbeat slamming under my cheek and then slowing, both of us breathing hard in the quiet. His hand moves up and down my spine in unhurried strokes.

I lift my head to look at him. His eyes are soft. Softer than I've ever seen them, open in a way this fortress of a man never lets himself be. "I love you."

His lips curve at the edges. "I can feel it." His thumb traces my lips. "It's the most precious gift you could ever give me. Thank you."

I kiss his thumb, then the raven tattoo. "Then stop guarding yourself," I tell him. "You've got me now. And Finn. You're allowed to want that."

His arms tighten around me, and through the bond I feel the last of it let go, that braced, careful thing he's held onto since the morning he walked out of my apartment. He doesn't say anything. He doesn't have to.

I put my head back on his chest and close my eyes, breathing in his deep, smoky scent.

I turn the corner into the kitchen and pause at the warm scene in front of me. Leith is standing at the counter talking with Belinda. I can’t hear what he’s saying but it’s important to him, because his hands are moving while he speaks, which for Leith is the ultimate display of excitement. Belinda looks up at him with a fond expression, then reaches up and pats his cheek affectionately. A pleased look lights Leith’s face. It’s soft and boyish in a way I’ve never seen.

He’s wearing what I’ve come to know as his security uniform. Black cargos that strain against the thick muscles of his thighs, a fitted black V-neck tee stretched across his broad chest and powerful arms, and sturdy black boots. The sight of him like this is heart-stopping.

As if he feels my eyes on him, he looks up. The pleased expression he gave Belinda melts into something more intense. Raw, unfiltered love moves through the bond so suddenly I have to stop walking. If seeing him like this meant I had to wait, then the wait was worth it.

When Belinda looks up and sees me, I step fully into the kitchen and move straight into Leith. He wraps one strong arm around my waist without hesitation and pulls me against his side.

“Congratulations,” Belinda says with a bright smile. “Leith was telling me that the pack bonded.”

“Thank you,” I reply, unable to stop the grin that spreads across my face. I tilt my head up and accept a soft, lingering kiss from Leith before turning back to her. “What were you two talking about?”

Leith looks a little embarrassed to have been caught. I nudge his shoulder playfully with mine.

“I thought we might have a celebration tonight,” he says, voice low. “Belinda’s going to cook. Finn asked Graham. Lark and her pack will be here.”

My eyes go wide with delight. “Our first dinner party!” I throw my arms around Leith and squeeze him tight. “Thank you.” I pull back, already buzzing with ideas.

He grunts, that low, satisfied sound I’ve learned means he’s happy. “Finn’s coming home early. We’ll get it all together for you.”

I gasp. Appalled. “Absolutely not. This is the most fun thing I’ve done in ages.”

“Cammie, this was supposed to be Finn and my gift to you.”

I place my palm against his cheek. “That you offered is enough. Please let me plan it. I can’t take another day of toilet paper conversation.”

He chuckles, pleased by my enthusiasm. “I’ll let you help.”

“It’s nice out. Should we have it outside? No, wait, we should do something nicer. We should host it in the dining room since no one ever uses that space anyway.” I can feel my eyes go wide. “A theme party!”

Leith kisses my cheek. “You’ll figure it out. Just tell me what you want me to do.”

I’m already gravitating toward Belinda. “Can we serve something with strawberries? Lark’s been having major cravings for them.”

Belinda nods and reaches for a notepad on the counter. “Of course we can. I have a strawberry bruschetta recipe that would be perfect.”

Leith pours me a cup of coffee and pushes a breakfast sandwich across the granite countertop as I huddle with Belinda planning the pack’s first dinner party.

We end up going full strawberry theme for the night, starting with cocktail hour in the formal living room. It’s never actually been used for anything, as far as I can tell, but tonight it looks like it was always meant for exactly this.

I’m sitting next to Lark, who has basically parked herself in front of the plate of strawberries and is munching away with pregnancy-level commitment. “So,” she says, turning to me with a soft smile, lips stained red from the berries. “How are you feeling? For real. Healing okay after everything?”

I nod, letting out a long breath. “I’m good. Still a little sore sometimes, but mostly happy. It’s different than I expected. Better.”

Lark rubs her belly absently.