Memories from last night replayed in my mind and I let out a contented sigh. It was sad that it took a night out of drinks and their bodies pressed mine to realize that my decision was made. Sure I’d admitted it in less words, but they were mine. And the more I thought about the city waiting for me, the less enticing it was. That life felt like eons ago.
I’d worked so hard to build a life here in Holiday Hollow, and for once in way too long I’d finally slowed down enough to let myself open up to more.
Not just the pack either. I had friends now, real ones. Between Lindsay, Claire, Riley, and hell, half the town, I finally felt like I really belonged somewhere. Then again, in a way, Holiday Hollow had always been home to me.
Seeing Peter last night was unexpected and I felt a twinge of guilt for how I had to dash his hopes, but the way the guys were there, ready to defend me, had a smile forming.
“You look happy,” Boone noted gruffly as he pulled me from my recap. “How do you feel?”
“Hot,” I admitted. “I’m going to go shower I think.”
“No hangover?” he asked, surprised. I shrugged.
“My head hurts a bit and I feel achy but I don’t feel nauseous or anything like I usually do if I drink too much,” I explained.
Someone's nose ghosted over my neck before Hunter let out a low groan. “That’s because it’s not a hangover. You’re going into heat, Autumn.”
I gasped, taking a quick stock of my body only to realize there was a dull ache between my legs and it wasn’t from the guys. They were gentlemen and refused anything more than cuddles before bed since I’d been drinking. Outside of that, the aches and feverish feeling were right in line with what I felt right before my heat hit.
“Shit,” I cursed. “My nest isn’t done.”
Before I realized what I was doing I was jumping up and climbing over them to gather their clothes from last night. I was on a one track mind now as I walked around, gathering up random things that stood out to me, a shirt here, another blanket, even a scarf that smelled just like my beta.
“Autumn, what are you doing, pumpkin?” Jack asked as he trailed behind me. I glanced down at the pile of stuff in my hand and the scarf I’d wound around my neck. I looked like a mess but I just shrugged.
“I have to get it ready, Jack,” I said in a tone that was harsher than I intended. He held up his hands in defense.
“I’m not stopping you, love,” he promised. “Is there anything I can do? Have you made your decision?”
My brain felt like it was already full of fog. It took a few beats for me to process what he was asking and I realized I hadn’t come out and said I wanted their help. But how they could doubt it was beyond me. Hell, they’d went shopping with me, gave me space, and our relationship had gone to several new levels since we’d first spoken about it.
“I want you guys to help me if you can,” I said, suddenly worried they’d deny it.
Footsteps filled the air before I was staring down at Boone’s feet. He tucked a finger under my chin and forced my eyes up to his.
“All you had to do was ask us, Autumn. There’s nowhere else we’d rather be,” he said gently. “We have stuff to prepare but we won’t let you be alone since it’s on the fringe right now. What can we do to help?”
“I never want to eat during heat, so I don’t care about that stuff,” I said. He let out a short chuckle.
“Oh, you’ll be hydrated and fed, you aren’t doing this alone,” he said firmly. There was no room to argue and I didn’t bother. I wouldn’t care about much but their knots very soon and having all three of their scents with me.
“I strung up your canopy and lights already. Why don’t you go up there with Jack and prepare while Boone and I make sure we have what we need for the week here?” Hunter said. His voice was low and rough and I knew my scent was already driving them mad.
Good.
“Okay,” I said as I finished my search through the house, stopping in their rooms for last minute things before heading upstairs. Jack tried to help but I ignored him, my mind was stuck on one thing and letting go of my collection wasn’t happening.
The attic looked amazing. The frame the guys mentioned ended up being a large platform bed with the biggest mattress I’d ever seen, not to mention it also felt like the best fluffy cloud ever. True to Hunter’s word, there was the sheer gray canopy the guys had bought on our shopping date hanging over the fluffy gray blankets. String lights lined the top of the canopy and around the windows.
The things I’d been collecting were now on top of the bed and I dropped to my knees on the mattress and arranged my new assortment of shirts, pillows, blankets, and the scarf around the bed until I was surrounded by all of their scents, so strong that a slight surge of slick ran down my thighs.
A low groan had me glancing back at Jack who was biting his fist, the bulge in his pants showing that he’d scented my arousal easily.
“Whoops?” I said, but my focus was quickly back on the room. They’d set up a small mini fridge and snack shelf to the side and I saw my favorite cookies, chips, and drinks on it already. Someone had even placed a small orange pumpkin on top and wrapped lights around it all to match the rest of the room. “This is my new favorite place.”
“Good, we want you to be comfortable,” he said with a gentle smile. “You look good in here.”
“So do you,” I practically purred but he held up his hands.