Warning: this chapter has 18+ scene. Caution needed.
AT THE SAME TIME
XAVIER'S POINT OF VIEW:
I was burning alive. No, more than that. Every part of me was too hot, too slick, too sensitive. Even breathing felt like sin. My hands shook when I tried to pull the blanket tighter around me, but it didn't help. The heat wasn't on the outside. It was inside, pulsing through me with every heartbeat, a rhythm I couldn't ignore. I thought marking would help, but for some reason it only made things worse.
"Synic level: 97%. Alert: omega body entering final mating phase. Consent recommended before final phase."The system said.
"Final phase." I muttered through clenched teeth. "What the hell does that mean?"
Michael sat down beside me, slow and careful, like I was a skittish animal. Which… wasn't wrong.
"You're close, Xavier." He said softly. "And I know it feels confusing, scary. But this is how it works. You're bonded now. We've marked you. And that helped, but…"
"It's not enough." Jaxon finished from the other side of the bed, eyes dark with restrained tension. "Your heat needs to finish."
"And that means-" I started, but the words caught.
Michael didn't make me say it.
"It means mating."Michael said.
I swallowed hard.
"You mean like… sex."I said.
Jaxon huffed a quiet laugh.
"Not just sex. Not even close."He said.
I glared at him.
"Then explain it. Because everyone keeps acting like I should know, and I don't."I said.
Michael exchanged a look with Jaxon. Then he turned fully toward me, one hand resting on my knee.
"In this system, 'mating' isn't casual. It's biological. It's instinctual. It's the final stage of heat, Xavier. It's what your body's building toward. When an omega goes into full bond heat, it's not just about release or relief. It's about-"Michael started.
"-being claimed." Jaxon interrupted, voice lower now. "Fully, it's how the bond becomes permanent."
"You mean I can't, I can't finish heat unless…"I begun, my voice trembling lightly.
"Unless one of us mates with you." Michael said. "Yes."
"And when that happens?" I asked quietly. "Then what?"
Jaxon's smirk faded into something a little more serious.
We become bonded mates in every way."Jaxon said.
"And…" Michael hesitated, his eyes flicking to my lower belly. "There's the risk of pregnancy."
That word dropped like thunder. Pregnancy. I tried to sit up, my body protesting immediately, but I needed air.
"You mean-"I started.
"It's possible." He confirmed. "You are fertile now. If we mate you while you're this far into heat…"Michael contunied.
"…there's a chance." Jaxon finished, shrugging like it wasn't a bomb he just dropped. "A good one."
My lips parted, but no words came out. I was trembling again, but not from fear. Not entirely. Something else curled inside me. A strange, terrifying flutter of instinct that whispered, yes. That it would make the ache stop. That it would make me theirs, fully. I should've said no. I should've shoved them both away.
"What happens after?"I asked, hesitantly.
Michael leaned in, his hand gentle against my cheek.
"We take care of you." He said simply. "Through the rest of the heat. Through the recovery. Through whatever comes next."
Jaxon's hand slid to the small of my back.
"We protect what's ours."Jaxon said.
I bit my lip. Everything was too much, too loud, too warm, too close, and yet, I didn't move away. I didn't say no.
"I'm still a man." I said, low and sharp like it would make a difference this time.
Michael paused, the back of his hand resting against my flushed cheek. He looked at me like I was a puzzle he'd already solved, lips curved in something far too gentle for how wild I felt inside.
"And?" He murmured, voice like warm silk. "You think that changes how good you smell to us right now?"
Jaxon was behind me, his thigh brushing against mine, his breath grazing my bare shoulder. I felt caged in. Surrounded. Held. Wanted. It was too much.
"You're not listening." I tried again, heat biting at my voice. "This isn't who I was. I didn't ask for this. I didn't-"
"You didn't have to ask." Jaxon said, nipping the edge of my ear, smug as hell. "Your body asked for you."
Michael leaned closer.
"The system just helped you stop fighting what was already there."He whispered.
"I don't want to lose myself." I whispered. "I don't want to forget who I was."
"You won't." Michael said, and his hand slid down my back with maddening patience. "But you're not the same anymore either. That's okay."
"I…" My voice cracked.
"Say it." Jaxon urged. "Say you're ours once more. You let us mark you, Xavier." Jaxon added, and there was something rough in his voice now. "Let us hold you when you were shaking. Let us see everything you tried to hide."
"You're our omega."Michael whispered as he kissed my ear softly again.
That word, spoken like a vow, shattered me.
I gasped, hands clutching the blankets, body arching as a fresh wave of heat pulsed through me.
"System update... Sync progress: 100% Mating protocol active. Instinct integration complete."System said.
"Still want to fight?" Jaxon breathed, lips brushing mine, hovering, waiting.
I swallowed.
"No." I whispered. "Just… just don't let go."
Michael's hand slid over my hip, slow and grounding. "Never."Michael said.
Their kisses deepened, possessive and warm, mapping every inch of my skin like it already belonged to them. And I let them. Let them guide me through it. Let them make me theirs. Not just because of the system. Not just because of the bond. Because part of me had wanted this, needed it.
Few more hours later, the nest was tangled. My body was sore. And I was lying between two very satisfied Alphas who wouldn't stop touching me, even though we were all too exhausted to move. Jaxon had an arm under my neck, his fingers lazily stroking my side. Michael was pressed against my back, lips buried in my hair, his breathing slow and content. I felt ruined. And safe.
"I still hate how smug you both are." I mumbled, barely coherent.
Michael chuckled.
"You love it."He said.
"Do not."I said.
"You were begging."He said.
I turned my face into the pillow.
"I'm never looking either of you in the eye again."I groaned.
Jaxon shifted just enough to kiss my temple.
"That's okay. We'll just keep looking at you."Jaxon smirked.
I groaned. But I didn't move away. Not this time.