Feels protected
Feels protected
"We were planning on it, unless you don't want us to," Winston said as he began to get comfortable, shifting under the covers with a lazy ease that made it clear he had no intentions of moving anytime soon.
"No no, I want you to," I said quickly, curling into him with a content sigh. I laid my head on his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath my cheek while Xavier slid down beside us. His presence was solid, dependable like gravity. The warmth between the three of us was a cocoon, fragile and sacred in the darkness.
"Goodnight."
And with that, I received a kiss from the both of them, one on each cheek, tender and lingering, before slowly drifting to sleep. My body relaxed, muscles loosening as a heavy wave of drowsiness pulled me under. And of course, they waited until I fell asleep before they allowed themselves to rest too, holding me in the middle like a precious, fragile thing.
\---
I began to regain my consciousness after a few hours of sleep. The air in the room was still and quiet, heavy with the scent of us tangled together. There were no windows here, no moonlight, no stars—just shadows and the dim, golden glow of the sconces that never quite flickered out. I had no clue what time it was, but I was sure it hadn't been a full night yet. My body still felt heavy, but my mind stirred restlessly.
I gently began to rise off of Winston, careful not to wake him. We were still in the same position, but we had shifted around slightly during sleep. His arms had loosened just enough for me to move. I couldn't help but smile when I noticed the two cuddled up to each other in my absence, Xavier's face buried near Winston’s shoulder, their bodies instinctively drawn together in sleep. Despite everything, it was... sweet.
Xavier began to breathe heavier, his chest rising in deeper rhythms. I took this as my chance to lift myself off them completely and head to the bathroom. I tried my best to be quiet, stepping lightly across the floor, but my big build made that difficult. I winced as the wooden floor creaked slightly beneath my feet.
"Where are you going?"
The sudden voice sliced through the silence like a blade, making me jump out of my skin. My breath caught in my throat, and I froze in place, heartbeat hammering against my ribs.
"I–the bathroom," I whispered, clutching my chest as my heart still raced from the scare.
"You should have gotten one of us first," Axl said as he sat up, his tone calm and relaxed as always, like he hadn’t just scared me half to death.
"I didn’t want to wake you..." I mumbled, shrinking slightly under his gaze.
"We were already awake." Xavier sat up as well, his eyes catching the low light with an unreadable expression.
I was about to ask why, but he opened his mouth again, already answering the unspoken question.
"Alphas in this pack don’t need sleep. We take a month out of every year to rest, and that is all we need. Other than that, we sleep as we please."
That made my brows rise slightly. I wish it was like that for us omegas too, I thought, a little envious. Sleep was a necessity for us, not a choice.
"Well, sorry, I didn’t know. But I really gotta use the bathroom sooo..." I turned myself around, eager to go, only to feel a tiny shock around my neck. It wasn’t painful more like a warning zap but enough to startle me.
"Hey, what was that for?" I laughed playfully, trying to lighten the moment.
"You understand you are not to leave anywhere without us, even if it’s just the restroom. Am I correct?" Xavier's voice was firm but not cruel. There was no room for argument.
"You are to let us know first," Winston added, his gaze steady.
I looked over at them both and slowly sighed, shoulders dropping. "I know. Can I go now?"
They both nodded, giving me permission. I turned back around and headed for the door, which shut on its own behind me with a soft click. I felt the tension rise the moment it closed, like the room had exhaled in my absence—and not in a good way. They didn’t like it closed, I could feel it. But the door never reopened until I finished and walked back out.
"Hey, uhm… I was wondering if maybe we could go out again," I asked nervously, padding toward Winston and shoving myself between his legs, needing the closeness. He welcomed me immediately, bringing his hands up to my already messy hair and running his fingers through all the chaotic places. I leaned into the warmth of his neck and rubbed my scent all over him, claiming and clinging at the same time.
During this process, I looked over at Xavier, and his face was slightly red. The sight made my heart flutter a little. I reached my hand out to him, and without hesitation, he took it and began to kiss it softly, reverently.
"Please," I whispered in his ear, the single word wrapped in all my hope and longing.
"I suppose," Xavier answered for him.
A smile broke across my lips, wide and eager, unable to be contained. I practically bounced on the spot with excitement.
I jumped up to grab my leash off the dresser and brought it to them, most likely surprising them both by my speed. I stood in front of them proudly, beginning to hook the leash to my collar, but Winston reached out and took it from my hands before I could finish.
"Let’s get you changed first," he said gently.
With that, they picked out an outfit for me: a loose black shirt and pants, both comfortable but a little too big, like they belonged to one of them. Once I was dressed, I expected Winston to attach my leash to my collar like usual but this time, he didn’t. Instead, he clipped it to a hook on my pants.
That was the end of it. I didn’t question it, too focused on the excitement bubbling inside me. I just wanted to go outside that room, to breathe a different kind of air.
I walked right beside him until we got outside the room, then fell naturally into place between the two of them. It felt right, protected, enclosed, held. But just as we were starting to move forward, a sudden smell hit my nose. Strong, sharp, almost overwhelming.
I slowed slightly. My nostrils flared.
"What’s that smell?"