Page 39 of The Alpha's Mates

Calder and Soren came back into camp, wearing only their leather pants as they carried meat upon their shoulders. The sight of tanned skin, tattoos, and muscle had all the moisturefleeing my mouth. Calder’s pale blue gaze met mine and he winked as he walked by.

My belly fluttered, reminding me that soon enough my body wasn’t going to give me a choice. I’d be accepting these males into my bed far sooner than my mind would be ready for, but my heart and libido were getting impatient.

I stareddown at one of the two shelters while dismay rose up within me. It hadn’t occurred to me earlier that Griff and Holden had only set up two areas.

We had a delicious meal and my belly was full and happy. I was grateful there was enough left over for breakfast in the morning. It hadn’t taken long before weariness crept in and my eyelids had started drooping.

Soren’s keen eyes missed nothing. “We’re getting an early start, let’s get to bed. This way mate.”

Now we stood there, staring at the bedrolls and blankets that had been opened up to create a comfortable, padded nest. It was one that an omega would be proud to have.

“Um…” I glanced over my shoulder and saw Emma arguing with her males. There was pointing and flailing as she tried to convince them that they could sleep with the other males while we took the second sleeping area.

“Not happening,” Griff muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

Without a word, Holden—he didn’t seem to speak much—plucked Emma off her feet and slung her over his shoulder. They disappeared behind the flap of canvas that blocked our views of each other’s shelter.

That left me bunking with my mates. I swallowed as nerves rose up in my chest, pinging around like they were fireflies trying to escape.

“What are you waiting for, Little One?” The amusement in Soren’s voice told me he knew exactly what was going on.

Lifting my chin, I gave him a haughty look and marched into our shelter. I refused to think of it as a nest. That was far too dangerous and intimate since omegas usually only nested when their heat was coming on. They’d drag blankets, pillows, and their alphas’ clothing into a huge pile until she and all her mates could fit inside comfortably. Then they’d fuck each other senseless until her heat passed.

I kicked off my leather boots at the entrance and sat down on one of the bedrolls. I was so tired that it wouldn’t matter if I was sleeping on rocks, but the others had managed to find plenty of moss and pine needles to soften the ground beneath us. As my mates crowded in, the space around me shrunk. My breathing picked up pace as I watched them begin to strip. “What are you doing?” My voice was a bit higher pitched than I was used to.

“Getting ready for bed,” Calder stated, matter of fact as ever.

“You could leave some clothes on,” I pointed out.

“No.” Soren gave me a look and shoved the leather pants off his hips.

Thanks to shifting, I’d seen them all naked already, but that hadn’t been nearly as intimate as this. My cheeks heated and I flopped backward, rolling onto my side and pulling a blanket over top myself. I wasn’t about to sleep naked with these three. That was a recipe for disaster.

Shifter’s hearing was impeccable and I didn’t want the other five listening to things they had no business hearing. My clothes were my last defense against the urges that were building inside of me.

“Don’t you want to get more comfortable?” Atlas asked me as he laid his huge body down in front of me.

“I’m comfortable.” I rolled so I wasn’t staring at a hairy, brawny chest. My sigh was audible when I realized that Soren had already settled in behind me and there were more lickable muscles just inches away. A large tattoo covered his chest from shoulder to shoulder. My fingers itched to trace the ink across heated skin.

Calder settled in at our heads and I was surrounded by taut, firm bodies. Their breathing filled the space and I found myself matching their rhythm. Their eyes were on me in the dark. It was so overwhelming I did the only thing I could. I shut my eyes and tried to force my body to sleep.

It must have worked because sometime later I woke up, groggy and disoriented. My mates were sleeping, their deep breaths quiet in the darkness. My ears strained, trying to figure out what had woken me.

A branch snapped nearby. My head jerked toward the sound, instincts alert and screaming at me. I’d been living on the run for so long they were finely tuned. I shifted a little, starting to sit up.

Muscular arms tightened around me and pulled me back into Soren’s chest. He grumbled in his sleep.

Another snap.

My elbow rammed into his gut, forcing him awake with a pained grunt.

“What the fu-”

“Shhhh,” I hissed. “There’s something out there.”

“You sure?” Calder asked, sitting up. Atlas was awake now as well.

I’d give my mates props, they were light sleepers. I probably could have woken Soren a bit easier, but he prevented me from slipping from the shelter to check out the noise myself. He deserved what he got.