Chapter Text
Rumi woke up that morning feeling slightly off-kilter. It was a feeling akin to if someone moved all of the furniture in your house by one inch. She couldn’t quite put a finger on what was off.
As she sat up in her bed, Rumi stretched and absent-mindedly scratched at her neck. Oh well, there was no point in spending her morning dwelling on this weird feeling.
The smell of eggs and meat being cooked motivated her enough to roll out of bed and onto her feet. As Rumi padded towards the kitchen, she heard the tell-tale signs of Zoey and Mira bickering. Zoey’s voice pitched up slightly—retorting whatever Mira had said to her. Rumi couldn’t make out what Mira’s response was, just her smooth, deep voice egging Zoey on.
As Rumi rounded the corner, she saw Zoey sitting on the kitchen island. The younger alpha sat up straighter, passionate about her response, and hands wildly gesticulating as she spoke. It was cute how animated Zoey became as she spoke.
Mira was standing at the stove cooking… something—Rumi wasn’t exactly sure. Most of her attention was focused on the food, and occasionally she would slightly turn her head to respond to Zoey. Neither one of the girls had noticed Rumi entering the kitchen. As a beta, her scent was never loud. She had been told that it’s something vaguely floral, quiet and barely there. Which was fine by Rumi. She never liked drawing too much attention to herself.
Rumi sidled beside Zoey before speaking, “So…what are you making?”
Zoey let out an undignified yelp at Rumi’s sudden presence and nearly fell off the counter. Even Mira jumped ever so slightly. Zoey clutched her chest.
“Jeez you nearly gave me a heart attack! We need to put a bell on you or something.” Zoey took a deep breath, hand falling to her lap. “I’m making Mira cook breakfast, but American style!”
“She won’t even help me! She even had me peel and shred the potatoes all by myself for– what are they called again?”
“Hash browns,” Zoey supplied.
“Hash browns!” Mira threw up her hands and grumbled, “Which is a stupid name by the way.”
“Whomp whomp, you’ll live.” Zoey rolled her eyes as she kicked her feet back and forth where she sat on the counter. Rumi saw the mischievous glint in Zoey’s eyes, and she immediately knew what the younger alpha was doing.
The kitchen went silent, save for the sizzling of eggs and bacon in the background. Mira’s hand stilled where it had been about to flip over a slice of bacon. Mira slowly turned to face Zoey, her eyes narrowed. Her scent sharpened enough to where even Rumi could smell the subtle spiciness that made up Mira’s scent. If Rumi focused hard enough, she could almost make out undertones of cinnamon laced with something woodsy.
Rumi slightly opened her mouth in an attempt to chase the smell—picking it apart.
Weird. That was new. She’d have to ask Mira if she had changed her shampoo or lotion.
She scratched at her neck again, the itchiness increasing.
“‘Whomp whomp?’” The taller alpha growled, pointing the spatula she was holding at Zoey, and began stomping towards her. “I’ll show you whomp whomp!”
Rumi watched in slight horror because she knew how alphas get when their pride or ego is even the slightest bit insulted. While Zoey and Mira weren’t the type of alphas to tear out others’ throats at every inconsequential spat, they were still competitive at heart.
Rumi noticed how Zoey’s subtle citrus scent spiked as Mira stepped closer to her until she was slotted between Zoey’s legs. Even while seated on the kitchen island, Zoey still had to crane her neck upwards to meet Mira’s challenging gaze.
Zoey’s teasing grin slowly widened as she leaned in. “Ohhh, you want to kiss me so bad right now.”
Mira, affronted, huffed and walked back to the stove. “Unbelivable. If you wanted a kiss, all you had to do was ask instead of being a brat.”
Zoey let out a dramatic gasp as she put the back of her hand against her forehead and leaned back as if she were fainting. “How dare. Rumi, do you see this? The hostility. The neglect. I’m wounded.”
From her position on the island, Zoey placed a hand on Rumi’s shoulder, grip tightening, before hopping off and swinging around to hug Rumi from the front. Her arms wrapped around Rumi’s neck while her legs wrapped around her waist—hugging her like a koala.
The momentum of the surprise hug attack had Rumi stumbling before readjusting her footing—both arms wrapping around Zoey to support her.
“Rumi,” Zoey whined, dragging out her name. She buried her face into Rumi’s neck and nuzzled closer. “Mira is being mean to me!”
“Me?!” Mira’s voice came out indignantly. “You’re the one who started it!”
“Aww poor thing,” Rumi cooed as she bought a hand up to cradle the back of Zoey’s head. “Mira, how could you?”
Mira groaned, “Oh great, now there are two of you.”
Zoey giggled and nuzzled impossibly closer. Rumi could feel her rub her cheek against the side of her neck—where her scent gland would be—and sniff the area. The action tickled the sensitive skin and sent a pleasant shudder down her spine. In the back of her mind, Rumi vaguely registered how the need to itch the area lessened.
Zoey paused and leaned back to look at Rumi. A curious look crossed her face, and Rumi raised one eyebrow in question.
“You kinda smell different,” Zoey simply stated. There were no teasing undertones in that sentence, just a factual finality.
Before Rumi could ask what Zoey meant, Mira placed three plates loaded with food next to them on the island.
“Alright cuddle bugs, let’s eat this incredibly unbalanced breakfast.”
Zoey let go of Rumi and whooped as she hurried to her seat. Rumi just smiled and shook her head in amusement.
Throughout breakfast, Rumi would occasionally find herself scratching at her neck. The slight itch from that morning became more persistent.
Halfway through breakfast, Mira finally called her out, “You okay, Rumi? You keep scratching at your neck.”
Rumi’s hand stilled where it was before she lowered it to the table. She spoke slowly while avoiding eye contact, “I’m not sure. It’s been a little itchy since I woke up this morning.”
Mira eyed the spot for a moment before speaking, “If it gets any worse, let us know.”
Rumi just nodded before returning to her food. Hopefully it would stop soon.
It, in fact, did not stop.
If anything, the itching became worse as the day went on. Rumi tried to ignore it. Truly, she did, but the itchy feeling became a constant. She tried keeping her hands busy: jotting down song lyric ideas, playing her guitar, or tending to her plants. Even then, she would find herself unconsciously rubbing her shoulder against her neck in a vain attempt to relieve the itch.
Rumi let out an annoyed huff as she flopped onto her bed. Fighting the urge to scratch the raw patches of skin, she squeezed her hands into tight fists. She felt her nails dig into her palms and reluctantly relaxed her hands. She huffed again before standing up, mind made up.
As Rumi walked to her door, she felt this subconscious pull to seek out her bandmates. It wasn’t the familiar pull of the Honmoon that Rumi was accustomed to. It felt deeper, more instinctual. So for the first time in a long time, she let her instincts lead her.
She found herself making her way towards the living room where Mira and Zoey were situated on the couch. Zoey was lying on her stomach while scrolling through her phone, and Mira was leaning against the armrest reading a book.
Mira was the first to notice Rumi enter the room. She peered at Rumi from over the golden frames of her glasses. She pushed her glasses up with the back of her knuckle and lowered her book to her lap. Noticing the apprehensive look on Rumi’s face she asked, “Everything okay?”
Rumi shambled her way over to the couch and stopped in front of Mira. Rumi raised her arms out as if making a T and said, “Do this.”
Mira hesitated for a second before slowly copying Rumi. Without warning, Rumi flopped on top of Mira and let her body sag against her.
Mira let out a soft ‘oof’ as Rumi’s weight crashed into her. Mira glanced at Zoey who was wearing a look of barely contained amusement. After a brief moment, Mira wrapped her arms around Rumi and used her thumb to rub circles on her back.
Rumi sighed as she rested her chin against Mira’s shoulder.
“It’s my neck. The itchiness has gotten worse, and now it’s starting to kinda hurt,” Rumi reluctantly confessed with a mumble.
Rumi felt Mira start to sit up and had to bite back an uncharacteristic whine that grew at the back of her throat.
That was weird. She had felt off all day, and suddenly an itchy neck had her acting like a whiny, needy omega.
Mira inspected the left side of her neck and then the right side before letting out a displeased sound. “It looks like your scent glands are irritated and slightly swollen. Did you use any new skin products recently?”
Rumi shook her head. She hadn’t changed anything, and all of her products are the same ones she had been using for years.
Mira gently ran a single finger down one of Rumi’s scent glands, and the action caused her to shiver. A small sound left Rumi’s mouth before she could catch it, so she opted to bury her face in the crook of Mira’s neck in embarrassment.
Being this close to Mira gave Rumi the opportunity to parse through Mira’s scent. She had been thinking about the subtle changes she had smelled that morning, and she needed to know if her mind was playing tricks on her. Rumi nosed along Mira’s shoulder and neck and deeply inhaled.
There.
The scent was stronger now. The sharp bite of cinnamon softened by undertones of sandalwood was undeniable now. The smell scratched at an unknown part of her brain and landed somewhere in her chest.
Without pulling away, Rumi spoke softly against Mira’s skin, “Are you wearing a new perfume? You smell like cinnamon and sandalwood. I really like it.”
“What? No—”
Mira froze when she felt Rumi rub her cheek along her scent gland. Mira’s breath stuttered, and Zoey let out a choked sound from across the couch.
“Rumi, are you— do you know what you’re—” Mira stumbled over her words, and gently pushed Rumi back.
Rumi cocked her head to the side as a questioning look spread across her face. “What?”
Mira took a steadying breath, her voice turning serious, “I need to check something. Can I smell your scent glands?”
Rumi furrowed her eyebrows but nodded in agreement. Mira tilted Rumi’s head up—leaving her neck bare and exposed. Rumi had to suppress a shiver that threatened to spread across her body at the vulnerability and numerous implications of such a simple act.
Mira slowly leaned in, and Rumi could feel as she deeply inhaled. Mira stilled for a moment before switching to the other side and sniffing again. Unless alphas were able to smell sickness or infections, Rumi had no idea what Mira was trying to find by smelling her scent glands. As a beta, she barely had a scent to begin with, so there’s not much there to find.
Mira pulled away with a deliberate slowness—pupils dilated and mouth slightly agape. Mira’s eyes scanned Rumi’s face, searching for something.
After what felt like ages, Mira spoke with caution, “Your scent has changed.”
Zoey jumped up and pointed at the two. “See! I told you she smelled different!”
Rumi looked back and forth between the two. “I don’t understand. What do you mean by ‘changed?’ Am I sick?”
Mira blinked hard and exchanged a look with Zoey. “I think we should go see a doctor as soon as possible. Preferably tomorrow.”
Zoey piped up, “Oh!”
Mira immediately cut her off, “And I will be the one to choose the doctor this time.”
Zoey rolled her eyes. “Okay Ms. I-Almost-Went-To-Med-School. Now quit hogging Rumi. It’s my turn for Rumi cuddles.”
Rumi yelped as two arms wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her backwards. Rumi heard Zoey laugh as she landed on top of her, and Rumi didn’t stop the soft chuckle that left her as she turned around to face Zoey.
A soft pearlescent pink mixed with gold rippled throughout Rumi’s patterns, and she wore a dopey smile as she stared down at the younger alpha. “‘Rumi cuddles’ you say? I think I might just be able to provide that.”
Rumi leaned down and pressed a small kiss on the tip of Zoey’s nose and watched with amusement as pink dusted her face and the tips of her ears. Rumi lowered herself to where she was lying on top of Zoey—head pressed against the crook of her neck.
“Yay,” Zoey barely croaked out as she wrapped slightly trembling arms around Rumi.
“Hey! Where’s my kiss?” Mira asked from behind them.
“You don’t get one because you’re being all mysterious and cryptic about everything.” Rumi lightly shoved her foot in Mira’s face, which Mira promptly swatted away with an offended noise.
“All the things I do for this household, and this is the thanks I get?”
Rumi rested her legs over Mira’s in some semblance of a truce and nuzzled closer to Zoey. Now Rumi was able to make out Zoey’s scent clearer: citrus wrapped in honey.
The itchiness around her scent glands suddenly made itself known, and Rumi unconsciously brought her hand up to scratch it.
Zoey slipped her hand underneath the one that was scratching at her neck and gently tugged it away. Her voice came out soft, “Hey, don’t scratch it. It’s raw enough as it is, and you don’t need to make it worse.”
“But it’s so itchy,” Rumi whined, like a petulant child.
Zoey’s eyes softened. “I know. I’m sorry.”
Out of pure instinct, Zoey brought her face up to Rumi’s neck and rubbed her cheek along the gland—trying to release comforting pheromones to help with Rumi’s discomfort. Zoey froze once she realized what she had done. While Mira and Zoey had been together for a while, their budding relationship with Rumi was still new. Zoey and Mira scented each other all the time, but they weren’t sure how Rumi felt about it.
“Rumi, I—”
“Wait, no. Do that again,” Rumi interrupted.
“Huh?” Zoey said dumbly.
“Do whatever you just did. I think it helps.” Rumi bared her neck in what she hopes is encouragement for Zoey to continue.
Zoey audibly gulps before mutely nodding. She takes her time rubbing her cheeks against Rumi’s neck—throughougly covering Rumi in her scent. The itchiness fades away as Zoey continued her ministrations.
Rumi let out a content hum as she felt her body go lax in Zoey’s embrace, feeling completely and utterly safe.
It wasn’t long before Rumi dozed off, and a faint rumble sounded from her chest.
“Mira,” Zoey squeaked.
“Yeah?” Mira’s voice wobbled.
“We’re so cooked.”
“Oh one hundred percent.”
The air in the examination room was thick with tension and anticipation. What they were anticipating, Rumi wasn't sure. However, she had a suspicion that Mira and Zoey had an inkling of an idea as to what was going on with her, yet neither one were willing to fill her in.
Yesterday, Mira had spent over an hour on the phone with Bobby researching the top doctors that specialized in secondary gender healthcare. She had overheard Mira and Zoey exchanging hushed whispers that night. Rumi attempted to eavesdrop on their conversation using her enhanced hearing—perks of her demon heritage. However, they had somehow managed to sense her hiding around the corner and called her out.
Rumi truly didn't understand why they were turning it into such a big deal.
Rumi fidgeted with her fingers as the silence stretched on. Mira and Zoey sat in two chairs next to the examination table that Rumi was sitting on. Rumi was insistent that she could go to the doctor by herself, but Mira and Zoey were unyielding in their persistence to accompany her.
Mira sat straight in her chair, shoulders stiff, lost in thought. Zoey, on the other hand, was all nerves—eyes flitted around the room and foot tapping incessantly on the floor.
What had them so on edge?
It wasn't long before the door opened and in walked the doctor. All three women sat straight up as she entered the space.
"Hello, I'm Dr. Yoon," she greeted with a polite smile. She turned to Rumi. "What brings you in today?"
Rumi cleared her throat before speaking, "I woke up yesterday morning, and the sides of my throat were itchy. The itchiness only became worse as the day went on, and we think my scent glands are irritated or something."
Dr. Yoon hummed to herself and stepped closer to Rumi. She gestured to Rumi's throat. "May I?"
Rumi nodded and lifted her head up. Dr. Yoon gently ran her fingers over the irritated patches of skin around her throat and applied pressure occasionally on different areas. When she pressed down on a particularly sensitive spot, Rumi winced slightly.
Out of the corner of her eyes, Rumi saw Mira and Zoey stiffen—both looked like they were ready to pounce as soon as Rumi gave the word. Dr. Yoon must have noticed too as she slowly pulled her hand away and lowered it to her side. She walked to the counter to retrieve her clipboard and quickly skimmed over Rumi's medical charts.
"It says here that you're a beta. Is that self-identified, or have you had a blood test to indicate that?"
Rumi paused, eyebrows pinched together. "I've always assumed I was a beta since I never presented as anything else. A blood test never crossed my mind, especially since I'm already twenty-four."
A look Rumi wasn't able to identify crossed Dr. Yoon's face before she continued her questions, "Have you noticed any other changes recently? Changes in scent, smells, or behaviors?"
Rumi risked a glance at Zoey and Mira. They were staring at her with an intensity that was rarely warranted, and she doesn't know why this situation warranted such a reaction. She blinked those thoughts away and bit the inside of her cheek as she thought of her next answer.
"Uh, yeah. I…I think so. Things—people have started to smell different, more intense. And they said my scent is different, too." Rumi nodded towards Mira and Zoey.
Dr. Yoon looked at the two alphas who were becoming more antsy by the second. When neither said anything, she raised a sharp eyebrow in question.
Mira coughed into her hand, and her gaze flitted away. "Yeah, she was able to describe our scents in a greater detail than betas should be capable of, and her scent is more defined, sweeter."
Zoey scratched at the back of her head as she answered, "And she said it helped the inflammation around her scent glands when I scented her."
Rumi's eyes widened. 'Scented her.' That's what she had wanted Zoey to do last night?
"Anything else?" Dr. Yoon pressed.
Mira and Zoey shared a look of barely contained panic. Hushed whispers of "You tell her!" and "No, you tell her!" were thrown back and forth for a solid thirty seconds before Dr. Yoon cleared her throat and gave them a sharp look.
Zoey hastily slapped her fist on her palm to challenge Mira to a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Mira immediately accepted the challenge, and the two engaged in a fierce battle of nonsense.
Rumi groaned and put her head in her hands. Those idiots. What could possibly be so bad that neither of them wanted to say it?
Rumi raised her head just in time to see Mira pump her fist up in victory as Zoey let out a deep groan. Rumi let out an irritated sigh, "Girls, please—"
"Rumi purred in her sleep!" Zoey shouted as she pointed towards Rumi.
Rumi gasped and jumped up from the examination table. "I do not purr!"
"You did," Mira confessed. "Last night after you fell asleep on Zoey, you began purring."
Rumi sputtered, "But only omegas purr! I'm a beta, so that can't be possible."
A blanket of silence fell over the room. To Rumi, it felt suffocating. The continued silence turned maddening. Her mind raced at a speed she wasn't able to keep up with as her gaze darted from Mira to Zoey to Dr. Yoon. She felt her patience waning.
"Can someone please explain what's going on? What's happening to me?" Rumi pleaded, nails beginning to dig into the skin of her palms.
Dr. Yoon's eyes softened. "It seems like you're starting to present as an omega."
Her brain went blank, and her heart dropped. Her mouth was dry when she opened it to attempt to string together a coherent sentence, "But… that can't be. I would've presented already if that was the case, right? I'm too old."
Dr. Yoon folded her hands over her lap and began to explain, "Late presentations are rare, yes. However, there have been cases where constant, extreme levels of stress early in life can block the presentation from occurring because your body doesn't feel safe. Given your past and current occupation, most can assume you have been training to be an idol from a young age. And it's no secret that idol training is rigorous and demanding."
Rumi could feel the intense stares from Mira and Zoey sharpen—scents surging as well. She realized that she could make out the underlying emotions swelling in their scents: concern wrapped in layers of protectiveness.
A lump formed in Rumi's throat, and she found it becoming more difficult to speak, "What… what happens now?"
"It's hard to know exactly how a late presentation will affect you since there haven't been many studies on it. However, it's safe to assume that your hormones will be all over the place as they start to balance out, and it may take a while for your body to fully adjust to these changes." Dr. Yoon lightly tapped her pen on her clipboard. "I don't recommend taking suppressants while your body and hormones are regulating. The most I'm willing to prescribe you are vitamins to help with the process. It’s best to let your first few heats occur naturally to help that process. But I will warn you, your first heat may be more intense than most."
Dr. Yoon continued to explain more changes that may occur during this time, how heats worked, and what to do during this time of vulnerability to help her through it. All Rumi could do was sit there numbly while nodding every so often, pretending to listen. She was distantly aware of how Mira was listening with rapt attention as if her life depended on this newfound information and how Zoey was furiously typing notes into her phone.
How could she have possibly missed this? A presentation as big as this should have been noticeable. She didn't understand.
More importantly: how would this change things? How will this new discovery change their pack dynamic? How will it affect them?
Rumi's body moved automatically as they thanked Dr. Yoon and walked out of the doctor's office. Rumi was silent on the car ride home, and so were Mira and Zoey. They must have been giving her time to sort through her thoughts and emotions about this new information.
Rumi's footsteps felt heavy as she dragged herself out of the elevator. The air surrounding her, Mira, and Zoey felt suffocating. The neurons firing in her brain only transmitted one message on loop: run and hide.
That was all Rumi was good at when everything around her became overwhelming.
As she suddenly turned on her heel and attempted to flee to her bedroom, Zoey's unusually quiet voice called out, "Rumi, wait."
Rumi stopped and looked over her shoulder at the two women. Zoey was twiddling her thumbs, nervous energy radiating off of her in waves. Mira's posture lacked the trademark confidence she always stood with, and worst of all, Rumi wasn't able to read her face.
"We need to talk," Mira's voice was neutral—not betraying what she was feeling.
A sudden cold horror washed over Rumi's body. Did they think she had kept this a secret from them the entire time? Another one of her lies?
She had a track record of hiding things and lying, so it would be fair of them to assume that this was another one. How could she explain that she truly didn't know she was an omega this entire time? She didn't want to lose them after just getting them back.
They had just begun to start trusting her again. Now all of that trust will be thrown away because of her own ignorance.
All she could do now is beg for understanding and forgiveness.
The first tear ran down her face as she turned towards them. She shrunk into herself—hands wrapped around her biceps to make herself smaller. She hardly registered how her patterns turned to a sickly purple and her left eye stung.
"I swear I didn't know. I wasn't keeping this a secret from you two. I wasn't lying this entire time about being a beta. I'm sorry, please don't—" Rumi choked on a sob. It was all too much. The persistent stress that had accumulated throughout the day weighed heavily on her.
Eventually, her body lost its battle with gravity as her legs buckled, knees hitting the floor. Her sobs increased in volume as she couldn’t contain the pressure that had built up in her chest.
Horror and shock washed over Mira and Zoey's faces as they both rushed over to comfort Rumi. Her scent, which they identified as a mixture of lavender and vanilla, turned to rot as her distress increased by the second.
"Rumi, no." Mira placed a hand on her back and rubbed comforting circles into it. "We didn’t think you were lying. You clearly weren't aware."
Zoey slung her arms around Rumi's neck and buried her face into her trembling shoulder. "That's not what we wanted to talk about. With everything that we learned today, we wanted to tell you that we're here for you. Nothing will change that."
Mira gently cupped Rumi's face and brought it up to look at her. "First, we need you to breathe, pretty girl. Can you do that for us?"
Rumi gave a shaky nod as she attempted to take in a trembling breath. The tremors that racked Rumi's body began to subside as she willed her lungs to breathe properly.
After a few minutes, Rumi felt her ability to speak begin to return. In a quiet breath, Rumi asked, "But what if it changes everything? Our relationship? How the public views us? This isn't some trivial thing like changing our hairstyle or releasing a song with a different sound."
Mira's voice softened, and her thumb gently caressed Rumi's cheek. "This changes nothing in our relationship or our pack dynamic. You're still our leader, and we'll follow you to the ends of the Earth. You say 'jump' and we'll ask 'how high.'"
Zoey nodded enthusiastically. "And if anyone has anything nasty to say, they can suck a fat one!"
Mira snorted, "Real elegant, Zoey."
A small laugh escaped Rumi at the silliness and absurdity of it all. Her body had finally relaxed, and she rested her head against Zoey's.
"I guess this was the mood swings the doctor told us about, huh?" Rumi mumbled. "I think I'm gonna be a lot to deal with for a while. Are you sure you two are up for the challenge?"
"Rumi, we've been dealing with your bratty self for many years now." Mira nudged her head. "I think we'll survive a few mood swings."
"Plus," Zoey jumped in, "If it includes you being extra cuddly at times, I think we'll be more than happy to provide cuddles."
Rumi huffed in mild offense, but the small smile making its way onto her face gave away her true feelings. The purple that had taken over her patterns slowly began to drain away as they were replaced with a familiar shimmering iridescent hue.
Rumi attempted to stifle a yawn as a sudden wave of tiredness washed over her. She had just realized that Mira and Zoey amplified their scents in an attempt to comfort Rumi. Wrapped in their scents, Rumi felt her eyelids begin to droop. Another yawn escaped her before she mumbled, "I wanna take a nap."
Zoey's shoulders shook with quiet laughter as Mira let out an amused sound. They helped her onto her unsteady feet. In all honesty, Rumi felt emotionally and physically drained—brain turned to mush and bones made of jelly.
“Let’s get you to your bed,” Zoey said as she bumped Rumi with her hip.
The words came spilling out of her mouth before she could stop them, “No. I want to sleep in one of your beds.”
A horrified noise left Rumi as she slapped her hand over her mouth.
“So bossy.” Mira continued to guide Rumi—this time towards Mira’s room.
“Yes, ma’am.” Zoey saluted.
Words refused to leave Rumi’s mouth, so she settled on grumbling in defeat and embarrassment.
Once underneath the covers of Mira’s bed, Rumi tossed and turned until she found a comfortable position. She buried her nose into the sheets and deeply inhaled. The warm scent of cinnamon laced with sandalwood flooded all of Rumi’s senses in the best way possible. But something was missing.
More like someone(s).
She peeked her head out from underneath the covers and stared at Mira and Zoey. Both of which were standing annoyingly far away from the bed. Zoey’s eyes sparkled in awe while Mira looked like she was about to implode, a bright blush spread across her face.
Rumi’s eyebrows pinched together in confusion as she watched them. They normally didn’t hesitate to join a cuddle pile, especially when it’s initiated by Rumi.
“Are you all not going to lay down too?” Rumi couldn’t help the pang of disappointment that entered her tone. For a second, she wondered if her scent conveyed the same crestfallen feeling.
This seemed to knock the two dazed alphas out of whatever thoughts they had been lost in.
“Yes! Of course!” Zoey squeaked out as she jumped on the bed and immediately burrowed under the covers.
“I mean, yeah sure if you want me to, I can,” Mira mumbled with an air of nonchalance, but the way she nearly tripped over her own feet trying to get into the bed as fast as possible was making her seem very chalant about the entire situation.
A pleased noise made its way past Rumi’s lips as she became sandwiched between her girlfriends. Zoey slung a leg over Rumi’s and latched her arms around her. Mira scooted in closer and tucked Rumi’s head underneath her chin.
Surrounded by the warmth and scents of the two alphas, a quiet rumble began bubbling at the back of Rumi’s throat—vibrations resounding into her chest. The thought of swallowing the sounds didn’t even cross her mind as she turned to tuck her nose into Mira’s throat and tangled her legs with Zoey’s.
A drowsy thought crossed Rumi’s mind as her eyes closed and she began to drift off:
Yeah, I think I can get through this—with them.