Page 26 of For All My Effort
Remembering everything that happened in a heat was nearly impossible when it took so many days. No one ate or drank anything during that time, which was technically fine since our bodies had gone into a sexual hibernation of sorts.
As soon as that cloud cleared our minds and bodies, I remembered everything before that—not my actual memories, just the way the delivery woman flirted with my mates. And more importantly, the way they didn’t tell her to fuck off.
The physical part of my heat might be over, but my hormones were still going crazy. Logically, I knew it would only take an extra day or two for all the emotional demands to finally seep from my system … until then, I was screwed feeling wildly extreme.
I had a sarape wrapped around me, my fingers playing with the tasseled ends.
A part of me wanted to yell at them for letting her touch them and the other part wanted to cry because they hadn’t stopped her. Somewhere, in the furthest part of my conscious thoughts, there was a tiny logical voice that said they hadn’t actually done anything. That voice wasn’t loud enough to drown out the shouting of my worries.
Was it because I was no longer the same Hannah they’d bonded with? Were they happy with this new, potentially permanent, version of myself that meant starting over? Would they rather just start over with someone else?
Fingers grabbed my chin, pulling my face alarmingly close to Jackson’s. His natural features already looked stern, but it was amazing how dangerous he appeared when he was actually glaring at me, anger radiating from him.
“Knock it off. You’re our mate, Hannah. You. It doesn’t matter that your memories are lost because you’re still the same little rebel omega.”
“What if I’m not?” My question was whispered so quietly, I was actually surprised that he could hear it, let alone anyone else.
Zeke came up next to me, rubbing his cheek against mine in a soothing gesture. “Then we’ll love this new version of you.”
“Why don’t you come out of the nest, and we’ll talk about everything that’s concerning you?” Sebastian recommended.
I glared at the male for his suggestion.
“You need food, Hannah,” Han said. “And the sooner you get out of the nest, the quicker this need to stay in here will leave, too.
I grumbled under my breath as I made my way to the nest door. I moved as slowly as possible. Mostly out of spite, but also because I barely felt strong enough to crawl to the door.
Jackson reached over me, opening the door that led to the hallway on the third floor. Despite the typically soft orange glow, it felt too bright against my eyes. I tried turning back into the nest, content that I’d failed in leaving when I ran directly into my alpha. He lifted me up, letting me hide my face against his chest as he carried me away from my nest.
I was already shaking my head, complaining that this was an absolutely terrible idea. The stairs were even brighter than the hallway and when we reached the bottom floor, I had a headache from how bright the lights were—or maybe it was about how strongly I was scrunching my face to block out the bright lights.
The sound of the front door opening and then quickly shutting did make me feel better. No delivery person this time.
Jackson sat down, keeping me in his lap as the others moved around. Zeke was getting drinks, Han was separating the food, and Sebastian was updating the outside world that my heat was officially over.
My mouth watered at the smells. When Han lifted the lid off the cheesy pasta in front of me, I groaned at the delicious tendrils of heat rising from the food.
Before Zeke had managed to come back with all the drinks, Han was handing Jackson a fork. I watched my mate’s hand spear a few cheesy shells before lifting them up to my mouth.
The feeling of being fed probably would be weird any other time except in my post-heat phase, so I didn’t even hesitate in enjoying the food.
“It’s the start of the weekend,” Sebastian said once everyone was sitting in the dining space. “We’ll have the next few days to rest before we have to go back to work.”
A growl curled out from my throat at the idea of my mates leaving anytime soon.
“Not until you’re ready,” Sebastian agreed.
Jackson continued to feed me food, the heavy meal settling in my stomach with each bite. The need to return to my nest was still buzzing through my body, like an itch I tried to ignore. When Jackson’s chest vibrated with a purr, my body finally settled.
We mostly ate in silence, the alphas needing all the energy they could get. When we finished, I could barely keep my eyes open any longer.
“Nest?” I asked through a yawn.
“Not yet, rebel. We need to rinse you off.”
If I had more energy, I would have argued against removing their scents from my body. As it was, I couldn’t even keep my eyes open, let alone muster up the strength to speak.
I felt my body shifted from one set of arms to another. Pumpkin and spice and cinnamon had me pressing my nose harder against Han’s throat for more of his scent. He smelled so relaxing, making me want to wrap myself up in a blanket as I cuddled against his chest.