Finally Found

Chapter 15

The silence in the dining room was deafening. Phoebe's words echoed in the stillness. Victoria and Cassandra exchanged a glance, both of them trying to process what Phoebe just said. The request was so abrupt, so unexpected.

Of course they both wanted to mark Phoebe, to claim her, but this sudden request, this urgency in Phoebe's voice, hinted at something deeper, something more troubling.

"Phoebe," Cassandra finally said, her voice soft but filled with concern. "Where is this coming from? Why now?"

Phoebe's mind started racing the moment the question left Cassandra's lips into a flurry of anxious thoughts. Why was she asking why? Was she not clear enough? Is she overreacting? Did they not want her as much as she wanted them?

The panic began to rise in her chest, her breath quickened as her insecurities flair. What if Jack is right? What if they didn't really want her? Were they just being polite, keeping her around just to tolerate the soulmate bond? The thought clawed inside her mind. Everything hurts.

The feel of something warm on her cheeks snaps her back into reality. Cassandra's hands were holding her cheeks. The gentle pressure of her thumbs brushing across Phoebe's cheeks, the softness in her eyes, all of it pulled Phoebe out of her spiraling thoughts, anchoring her back into reality.

"Hey, hey, it's okay sweetheart," Cassandra tried calming her down, her gentle voice soothed Phoebe's inner turmoil. "The reason I asked was because I just want to understand what's going on in that beautiful head of yours. There's more to this, isn't there?"

"Talk to us Phoebe, we just want to understand." Victoria added.

Phoebe pried Cassandra's hand from her face. She then looked away, her gaze dropping to the floor as she struggled with her emotions. The more time passed, she felt the lump in her throat getting bigger and bigger. She wanted to tell them, to just pour out everything that had been weighing her, but it just felt too difficult.

Phoebe hesitated, chewing her bottom lip and picking her nails. Victoria noticed her struggle, the way Phoebe hunched her body to make herself look smaller. Victoria moved closer and put her hand on Phoebe's arm. "Take your time, we're here and we'll listen."

A few minutes passed in silence until Phoebe got the courage to look at her alphas in the eyes. Her gaze first met with Victoria's before moving on to meet Cassandra's. Their stares were so soft and warm, it finally gave Phoebe enough encouragement to continue. Still, the fear gnawing inside her wouldn't let go.

"I- I want it," the omega whispered, "I really do. I want to be completely yours. But..." she trailed off.

Victoria took Phoebe's hand in hers, giving her gentle strokes. "But what, Phoebe?" she asked softly, het voice as gentle as her touch.

Phoebe swallowed hard as she struggled to say what she had been tormenting her. "I'm scared," she croaked. "What if... what if you don't actually want me? What if I'm not enough?"

"Where is this coming from?" Cassandra cut her off.

"Jack said a few things back at the diner, and I think he might have got a point." At this point, Phoebe was starting to shed a few tears. She felt Victoria grip her hand harder, urging her to continue. "He said that I'm an unmarked omega, and listed a couple of reasons why you haven't claimed me," Phoebe paused "and I think he's right"

Tears welled up in Phoebe's eyes, and she blinked repeatedly, trying to stop them from coming out. "You two have been together for so long," her voice trembled. "You're so perfect together. You have these amazing careers and achievements, these incredible lives. And I'm just... I'm just me. What use am I to you? Spending time with both of you, living with you, might be the best days of my life. But what if one day, both of you realize that you don't really want me and that you were better off before I came along."

Cassandra's heart broke listening to Phoebe's words, at the raw vulnerability in her voice. She wanted to reach out, to take Phoebe into her arms, shielding her from all those negative thoughts, but she knew Phoebe needed to get it all out.

Victoria's eyes softened, a rare tenderness in her gaze as she reached out to wipe her omega's tears away. "Oh, Phoebe," she murmured, her voice filled with emotion. "You are more than enough for me and Casey. The reason why we haven't claimed you yet was because we wanted to make sure you're comfortable with us, and most importantly, is that you are ready. We don't want to pressure you"

Cassandra nodded, "We've been together for a long time, yes" she said gently. "But that doesn't mean we don't need you, or that we don't want you. You're not an afterthought, Phoebe. You're not just here because of the bond between us. You're here because we love you, you're our missing piece and after years of waiting, we finally found you."

"But you don't need me," Phoebe's tears flowed more freely now, " You were fine before I came along. You've always had each other. I'm just... You don't need me the way I need you."

Victoria shook her head, leaning closer to Phoebe. "You're wrong," she said firmly. "Now that you're here with us, we can't imagine our lives without you. You complete us in a way we never knew we needed. We love you Phoebe, and that is why we want to make sure that you really want us to mark you, to claim you, because you want it, not just because of fear."

Cassandra pressed a kiss to Phoebe's forehead, her lips lingering as she talked, "I wished we met sooner, but you're here now, and we'll make sure that you're safe and loved. You belong with us, marked or unmarked, and nothing is going to change that"

Phoebe snuggled against Cassandra, her anxiety and panic slowly replaced by a sense of relief. She buried her face in the older woman's chest. Phoebe let out a shaky breath, and she cried. But these were no longer tears of sadness or fear. They were tears of relief.

"I'm sorry," her voice muffled against Cassandra's shoulder. " I just... this has been bugging me for quite some time now, and I kept thinking when will the other shoe drop." She raised her head, looking at both her alphas. "But, I do want this. I'm ready. I want to be yours, completely. If you would have me of course."

"We want you just as much as you want us, maybe even more," Cassandra chuckled.

"Then claim me" Phoebe stood up and took a step back.

Her hands moved to the sash of her bathrobe. Slowly, she untied it, letting the robe fall from her shoulders onto the floor, revealing her bare body to her alphas. Standing before them, vulnerable yet certain, she met her alphas' gaze. "Claim me then," she repeated.

As Phoebe's bathrobe touched the floor, a soft gasp escaped from Cassandra's mouth. Victoria pupils dilated, her eyes widening as she traced the delicate lines of Phoebe's body, taking in every inch of her exposed skin.

In an instant, Victoria and Cassandra moved as one, closing the distance between them and Phoebe with a sudden hungry intensity. They pounced on Phoebe, their hands firm but gentle as they grasped the omega. Cassandra lifted Phoebe, and before Phoebe could catch her breath, she found herself laying on their bed. Her heart raced wildly, matching the heat present in her alphas' eyes.

Victoria and Cassandra shared a knowing glance, and began to shed their clothes, their movements quick and fluid, leaving them as bare as Phoebe.

They were all on the same page now, ready to take this step together.