14. Teddy
Chapter 14
W hy does everything hurt?
It’s too hot. Is nobody else feeling this?
What’s up with spring in this place? Seriously, this is fucking miserable.
I just want to curl up in my nest and sleep…I need my blankets, and my pillows.
And my nest is back at the omega center…FUCK!
Why am I so fucking needy?
SHIT!!!
“Hey, um, Sam…we might have a little problem.” Sam’s head swings to me, concern written in every line of his body. “Yeah, um…I’m hoping it’s just a spike…but this feels an awful lot like the start of a heat to me. I don’t know if it’s because my hormones are crazy from meeting my pack, or stress…or what. But you mentioned having a nest at the house, how much work would that take to finish?” The last bit comes out as a groan when my stomach cramps and I clamp my lips together to stop the whine that tries to escape.
A loud, “Well fuck!” erupts from the other side of the truck. That reaction’s not a good sign. The whine I was holding back slips free at the upset alpha. His hand snaps over to cover mine, and his thumb traces along the back of my knuckles as his purr starts up. “No, no, it’s ok. It’ll be ok. We can figure this out.” He tries to reassure me, but the hand holding mine is shaking as well.
“I…I can’t have them pack up my stuff, I can’t have anybody else in my nest, it would cause more problems than it solves…I can order some new nesting stuff. But it’ll take a few days to get here. You have enough bedrooms in the house, maybe I can just borrow blankets from those? Just in case. I need a backup plan for now.” I don’t like the slight edge of panic in my voice.
We pull into the lot in front of Sam’s house, and he turns to me, his hand coming up to cup my jaw. “If you're worried, we have a Nest-n-Stuff over in Springfield. We can order some stuff tonight and I can go pick it up tomorrow? Until then, you can have every scrap of fabric in this house if you need it, ok?” His purr ratchets higher as he unclips my seatbelt and pulls me across the bench towards himself. His lips come down on mine, stealing my thoughts and reassuring me that everything will be ok, I have my alpha here, my beta will be home soon. We can do this.
I sigh when he pulls back, breaking contact and staring into my eyes. “I’ve never been through an omega’s heat before, but I’ve seen the aftereffects on Joseph’s pack after Brice. It’s…intense. But we’ll take care of it. Maybe we can get Kelly some toys so she can be a stand-in alpha for you.” My own purr starts up at the thought of Kelly with a strap-on knotted dildo, because: Yes, please!
I didn’t think about it before, but that's hot as hell. Also, with only one alpha in the pack, Sam might need the help. But damn, the image is in my head now, and I have to deal with the erection from hell as well as this damned fever and nausea.
I just wanted snuggles!
Sam gets out of the truck and comes to open my door, offering his hand to help me down and chiding Jake not to jump up since I’m wobbly. He leads me back inside—followed by a bouncing Jake—and sits me on the couch, before depositing Kelly’s bag at the bottom of the stairs. I want her to join us up in the master bedroom tonight, but neither of us wants to pressure her. Sam goes into the kitchen and brings me a glass of ice water and a can of soda, then sits close to me on the couch and pulls me against his side. His hand runs up and down my arm, fingers tracing the edge of one of my cuffs. The subject will come up eventually about why I don’t take them off, but I don’t want to deal with that now, my mind's scrambled enough as it is.
I’m still hard from what he said a little while ago, and I want to lean over and unzip his pants, to see if I can get him into the same state with my mouth. But my stomach gives a sharp cramp, and any thoughts I have of teasing the alpha fly out of my head. I don’t get it. If this is a heat spike or pre-heat, why aren’t I dragging Sam up the stairs to the bedroom and demanding he fuck me until I feel better?
Part of me wants to call my mom back and ask her for advice. I could call Candice, she’s an omega, but it is her wedding night, so she might be busy. Shit. Another tiny frantic whine builds in my throat, my mind panicking that I don’t know anyone here who might have any idea. What about Sarah? I know she’s on break too, but maybe she knows. I don’t have anybody else to call. I pull out my cell and scroll through my contacts until I find her number. It’s not late, but I don’t want to bother her. So, I just text.
Teddy:
Hey, Shorty, I have a pack/heat question for you, I might need help from your sisters. Can you message me when you get time?
Three little dots pop up almost immediately. Thank fuck.
Sarah
Sup, X-Thicc. Sis both right here. Whatcha need?
Teddy:
Great. Well, good news/bad news. I'm visiting my cousin, but I started feeling fucked up.
Teddy:
I have a fever and feel nauseous, and really uncomfortable. It almost feels like my heat is trying to start, but don’t want to jump an alpha, I just want snuggles. I can’t really ask him about it, since it started after I met his pack lead’s brother…awkward family bullshit.
Sarah:
Freaky. Yeah, lemme ask my sisters if they have any experience with this kinda thing. They’re here for dinner with their packs, so it might take a bit to get some answers. I’ll get back soon.
I put away my phone, hopefully one of them will have some idea of what’s going on. Sam pulls me into his arms, holding my body against his chest as he rumbles out a purr and all my muscles go limp. I feel like a pile of omega mush…and much better actually. Still hot, but not as ill. We sit like that on the couch for a bit longer until Jake jumps up and wags his way sideways to the door just before someone knocks. Sam grumbles a bit but goes to answer it, scowl already firmly in place.
Kelly steps through as soon as it’s open, and he frowns. “You know, if you live here now, you don’t have to knock.” She blushes and looks at the floor, mumbling out an apology. She’s loaded down with bags, and Sam and I swoop in and take them all from her and head towards the kitchen. She steps back outside followed by Jake—tail still wagging—before returning with another haul of bags, and her bathroom stuff.
“Jeeze, Sugar, did you buy out the whole store?” Sam laughs as he takes the bags from her hands again and puts them on the kitchen counter.
She blushes harder this time and shuffles her feet. “No, but…we need to be ready, for…anything. And I just wanted to make sure.”
I’m watching her and her adorable blush, so I don’t realize anything’s up until I hear a loud whistle from the dining area. “Just how many of these things you think we’ll need, Kelly Girl?” My eyes pan over to Sam, and he’s stacked seven small boxes on the table, I have to squint to make out what they are.
Condoms, different sizes and colors by the look.
Oh, and one says ‘alpha’ in big bold letters.
Guess we know who those are for.
Kelly's currently the color of a tomato, and staring intently at her feet, her fingers twisting together in front of her. “Well, even if I can talk to Doc on Monday, any birth control has a delay where you still have to use an alternative. And…well...what happened earlier. I…I want to do that again, with you. Both of you.” Her eyes come up and flick between Sam and me before dropping back to the ground.
Well, at least this erection’s good for something now.
“Mr. Wells was restocking at the store when I was trying to figure out what kind we might need…and I panicked and just grabbed a bunch. I don’t even know.” Her hands are over her face, and her voice is muffled. When I hear a chuckle from Sam.
“You can say that again, Sugar.” He’s holding another bag with even more small boxes in it. “Hey, some of these are flavored. I thought you liked Teddy’s snickerdoodle.”
Kelly looks like she’s ready to melt through the floor if it would help her escape, so I step forward and wrap my arms around her. Pulling her still body against mine, I whisper to her, “I’d rather be prepared than have to stop midway. So, thank you, I’m sure we’ll use them all...eventually. Besides, Sam and I were talking while you were gone, and I need to ask…What are your thoughts on pegging?”
Sam lets out a low growly chuckle as he continues to unpack groceries, but Kelly just looks up at me, her brows furrowed. “What’s pegging?”
Sam’s guffaw from the kitchen startles Jake enough that he scrambles up from where he was lying under the dining table, bonking his head in the process, and knocking over several of the small boxes that were stacked there.