“Okay?” he rumbled, even though she was soaking the pads of his fingers and clutching his shirt so tightly she was almost tearing it off his wide chest.
It gave her a moment to level out the emotions raging through her, the furnace burning beneath her skin. She swallowed, tears burning behind her eyes, her nerves frayed.
Everything was frayed.
Her heart felt like it was in a tattered mess, unravelling all over the place and Theodore was letting her use him to overwhelm her senses, to ignore the clutter and fill her mind and body with a heat so scorching it barely mattered if she was unravelling or whole … but he wouldn’t let her escape entirely. He was bringing her back just far enough that she was still there, still with him.
He nuzzled her cheek, inhaling her scent, and she nodded.
“Fuck. My perfect girl,” he praised, low and rumbling, his wet fingers drifting back up to where she needed them, massaging her swollen bud until she was lost again, teetering on that same edge. “You’ve never looked so beautiful, Illy.”
The drop on the other side wasn’t so scary, this time.
Which was a good thing because he didn’t give her a chance to catch her breath again. As soon as she reached the precipice, he pushed her right off the edge without a warning, sending her into a dizzying, delicious wave of stuttered heartbeats, unsteady fluttering, and the pain-pleasure of her whole body clenching.
She wanted to scream, or cry, or pull him as close to her body as she could get him, but she didn’t have the strength. His whole body was vibrating when she blinked the black spots from her eyes, her throat hoarse even though she was sure that she hadn’t uttered a single word. He pulled his hand out of her shorts and gently adjusted them again on her hips, letting her oversized sweatshirt fall. She was limp against the door, a gentle hum taking up residence beneath her skin.
“How do you feel now?” he rasped, his hand disappearing beneath the waistband of his pants. He adjusted himself, his jaw clenching, his eyes flashing. When he dragged his fingers out, they were no longer glistening with her dampness.
For some reason, her body clenched again, really liking the fact that he had smeared her essence over his cock; it made a sharp, possessive feeling spear through her chest. It was just right. She was almost panicked at the thought that he could have walked away without doing that.
“I feel …” She swallowed, trying to stand straight again and trying to shove away her strange and intrusive thoughts. “Steadier and unsteadier.” She laughed softly. “More grounded and more freaked out.”
“Don’t be embarrassed.” The words seemed to slip out in accidental Alpha voice, and he winced, quickly amending, “Shit. I mean … please, don’t be embarrassed. You suffered a soul infraction. You need a little extra soothing. It’s natural.”
She nodded, chewing on her lip. It felt puffy and tender. “And you’re … I mean … you’re okay with—”
“Seriously. Don’t.” He grinned at her, his smile stretching wide and disarming, his perfect teeth flashing brilliantly. “I offered to be a surrogate. I knew you would need me to touch you.”
“I didn’t know.”
He scoffed. “Give me the signal and I’ll make sure you only have to suffer through one of us.” He narrowed his eyes on her. “I’m talking about me, by the way.”
“And have the rest of you accuse me of tearing the group apart and picking favourites?” She frowned at him, the pleasant buzz inside her not abating in the slightest. “You saw what happened when I asked Cian to continue surrogating for me.”
“Mhm. A conversation for another time, I think.” He carefully arranged his expression. “Ready to go inside? They can’t fuck with the cameras this time. It would be too suspicious.”
“So how are we going to talk?” she asked, confused. “Why would Kalen call for a group meeting?”
“Because five of his Alphas are actively stepping in to nurture your bond while the officials scour the countryside for your true mate, and because you’re about to be moved into Dorm A, which makes you one of his charges. A little Sigma-Alpha.”
She scoffed, the laugh leaving her unwillingly. “Right. I thought we were going to talk about …” She swallowed, unable to continue.
“We’ll talk about the attack.” He brushed her cheek lightly. “Just remember to be careful with what you say, that’s all.”
It should have been weird and humiliating to continue a normal conversation after what he had just done, but instead, it felt natural. Theodore made her feel comfortable, easily side-stepping between the role of “surrogate,” and friend.
They entered the common room quietly, glancing around the empty space before Theodore took her hand and tugged her toward the stairs. The Alphas had dragged two of the seating areas together on the rooftop, forming one long table with enough chairs for all of them. Moses was in the kitchen, holding a glass pitcher of water when they reached the top of the stairs.
His nostrils flared, flicking between Theodore and Isobel, and then his grip loosened on the pitcher, leaving it to shatter against the floor. Theodore ignored him, steering her toward one of the free chairs. The rest of the Alphas seemed confused by Moses—who stood as still as a statue—until she reached the table, and then they all reacted at once.
Easton pounced to his feet, backing away from the table and swearing under his breath. Kalen was gripping the edge of the table so hard she heard the groan of stone cracking. Reed and Spade both twitched, their eyes slamming into her, their nostrils flaring. Niko shoved his chair back, muttering about the broken glass as he escaped to the kitchen. Sato, who sat at the far end of the table, arched a dark brow at her, a heavy question in his onyx eyes. Cian rubbed his mouth like he was swallowing back a laugh.
Kilian was the only one who didn’t do anything weird.
He strode over to her and captured her into a tight hug that pulled her feet from the ground. When he set her down again, he suddenly whirled on Theodore, snatching his wrist and pulling Theodore’s hand up between them.
“Wash your hands before you eat,” he said silkily, his tone hiding an undercurrent of sharpness.
Isobel went white, finally realising what everyone was reacting to, but as mortified as she was, the comfortable feeling of her blood singing happily through her veins pushed her to shrug off their stares and sit down. Kilian immediately claimed the seat beside her, tucking her beneath his arm, his nose brushing her hair.
“You smell happy to see us,” he said.
“Shut the hell up.” She elbowed him.
He chuckled, dragging her closer. The others stared at the two of them like they were speaking a foreign language.
“Well.” Easton cleared his throat, glaring at Theodore for several awkward and prolonged seconds before pulling out a seat opposite Isobel. “It’s good to see you awake.”
“So awake,” Cian drawled, flashing her a wry grin. “Super switched on.”