Page 199 of Knot Their Soldier: Part Three

Unlike the cabin, there is more than just a single room with a kitchenette and a leaking bathroom. Here, there are two bedrooms, a main room with a kitchen and an enormous roaring hearth, and a bathroom with an actual clawfoot tub. The walls are thick, so the heat produced by the fireplace and the old brass radiators keeps the rooms toasty no matter how blistering the mountain weather is outside.

I stand in the middle of the main room and turn slowly, imagining what it could become.

We've been sleeping separately on some of the lumpy single cots, or the musty old couch. Okay, so I've been sleeping on top of one of my mates, while they deal with the uncomfortable sleeping arrangements, but I've decided it's time. I won't spend another night without all of my mates sleeping close enough to touch.

We need our nest.

I chew on my lower lip, scanning our new space for the perfect location.

Not in the main room. It's too near the door, and now that Knox is in charge, there are often issues that need solving in the middle of the night. So no, I don't want our nest sitting exposed to every interruption that comes climbing the stairs from Knox’s office.

Not too close to the fireplace either. I learned my lesson after building my nest in front of the fire in the cabin. My mates give off a lot of heat, and combined, they roast me.

I pad over to the second bedroom, farthest from the front door. It's the bigger of the two rooms and has a large arched window that overlooks the crisp mountainside with views of the Blackreach Mountain range stretching into the distance. Soft, filtered light bathes the wooden floorboards. It's beautiful.

"Here," I say at last, pointing to the longest stretch of wall.

Viper glances at the line of sight to the door, gauges that it's hidden from view, then gives a satisfied dip of his chin. Blaise, recently returned from recon, is sprawled in a chair with his boots planted wide. He grins at me with excitement.

No one argues or suggests somewhere better.

Omega knows best, after all.

A low, simmering warmth spreads in my chest and then slides lower. With the final battle fought, and my Omega Command proven to be the ultimate weapon that will keep us safe, my libido has returned with a vengeance.

And now, building our permanent nest, I'm struck by how wildly attracted I am to every single one of my mates in this room.

Unabashedly and without shame.

Viper and Knox work as a team to fix three single wooden cots together into one large bed frame. The sound of hammers striking wood breaks through the silence of our shared space.

I take the time to carefully fold and put away our clothes into the empty dressers and closets in the spare bedroom, methodically separating out each mate's clothing into their own section. I wonder if they've ever had their own drawer in a closet, or if that was too domestic for soldiers always on the move.

If I reserve one or two items of clothing from each mate for the nest, then that's my business.

The hammering stops, and I finish my task, drifting back into the nest room to appreciate their handiwork. It's certainly not aesthetically beautiful. They've used odd bits of wood to brace the frame at the joints of the fastened-together cots.

But to me, it's perfect.

For the first time, our Pack will have a nest that isn't on the floor.

Next, Viper drags in the thickest rug I have ever seen and stretches it out beneath the nest. It muffles the echo in the room and instantly makes it feel cozier. I step onto it, curling my toes into the dense pile. It's soft and decadent.

Knox carries in one of the mattresses from the spare room like it weighs nothing, forearms flexing, shirt riding up enough to show a strip of scarred stomach, and I have to look away before I embarrass myself by producing a thick plume of horny pheromones.

We all have a lot more scars now. Draining so much strength through the bond delayed our healing, giving scar tissue time to form.

I find it sexy as frack.

Proof of how strong my mates are, and how hard they fought for everything we have.

Knox leaves and returns with an armful of thick wool blankets we found in the hall cupboard. I laundered them yesterday, so they still smell clean, ready to be infused with the scent of our Pack. He folds them at the edge of the nest with the same grave focus he uses on battle plans, as if making sure I stay warm is now one of his official duties as General of Blackgate.

After that, he brings up a small wooden side table from downstairs and sets it next to the nest so there is somewhere to keep water, snacks, and whatever else we need within reach.

I watch as he stashes a pistol in the lower drawer, tucked close enough to grab in an emergency, and my Omega goes soft at the sight of it. My mates offer protection, even when they're being sweet.

Shade is kneeling on the floor beside the wall, messing with one of the electrical outlets to get a floor lamp working. It's a sign of our prosperity that Pack Scorch now has access to ambient lighting. He adds a neat stack of books he's selected from Stone's personal collection to the shelf by the window, then arranges a writing pad, spare pencils, and a radio unit on the table beside the wall. They're practical, useful things because running a fortress doesn't stop even for snuggling in the nest.