54. Easton
54
EASTON
I carried a whimpering Olive off the boat. Thankfully, Finn’s car was in the lot from where we’d parked it this morning. I clutched my omega tight to my chest as we piled in and drove the few minutes back to the lighthouse.
“We’re almost there, sunshine,” I murmured. “Almost to your nest, and then we’ll take such good care of you.”
She was soaking wet, but she was a little furnace in my arms.
“Easton,” she whimpered.
“I’m here, baby.”
“Please don’t hate me. I can’t stand it if you leave.”
I held her tighter as Finn slammed on the brakes and threw the car in park outside the lighthouse.
“Never. Never ever, baby,” I said fiercely.
Lars opened the car door for me, and we ran inside.
“Should we shower first?” Finn asked, eyes looking a little wild. “Olive, sweet girl, what do you need?”
She blinked and looked around as if only just now realizing we were in her living room.
“Put me down,” she mumbled.
I wanted to argue, wanted to hold her longer, but she was already pushing out of my hold .
She stood in the middle of the living room with the three of us around her, looking devastatingly unsure of herself.
“I need to tell you something. And I know I should have told you earlier. I was going to yesterday, but then I was so tired and scared, so I pushed it to today. Obviously, that didn’t go according to plan, and I’m just really sorry.”
Her eyes welled up, and my chest felt like it was splitting apart watching her.
“Sweetheart, whatever this is, it can wait. You’re in pain and—” Lars started, but Olive cut him off.
“No, please, we have to do it now.”
Lars looked like he wanted to argue, but instead, he picked Olive up and settled her on his lap on the couch. Finn and I quickly joined him, sitting on either side. I stroked my hand down her back.
“What’s going on, sunshine?”
Olive looked miserable and her lower lip trembled. Fucking trembled .
“I’m not on suppressants,” she blurted out. “I went on them before my first heat, but that’s when I developed the blood clot. The doctors said it’s not safe for me to ever take them again.”
My hand froze on Olive’s back. She wasn’t on suppressants? That meant this wasn’t a breakthrough heat caused by being around our scents. This was a real heat. Fuck, she must be in so much pain right now.
“But… what have you done for your heats?” Lars spluttered. Of all of us, he was the most familiar with omegas since he grew up in a pack.
“I signed up for a heat service.”
I scowled. Unbonded omegas used services where screened alphas would take care of them just for their heats. The thought of other hands on Olive, other alphas even having their eyes on her… no, I didn’t fucking like that at all.
“The first time didn’t go so well.” Her voice was a hoarse whisper now, and I didn’t miss how she flinched with pain at what I was assuming was another cramp. I resisted the urge to steal her onto my lap and do whatever I could to take the pain away .
“What happened?” Finn asked. His tone was even, but the look in his eyes was deadly.
“There were two alphas, and afterward, they said I was just… a lot.”
“A lot?” Lars asked.
Olive’s eyes were fixed on her hands. “My omega was too much for them. They said I was demanding and whiny and that I made the heat really difficult for them.”
“Difficult for them ?” Finn gritted out.
Olive nodded. “And then the second time, they could only find one alpha on short notice, which was my fault. I’d been nervous to call the agency and tell them I was going into heat after my first experience, so I left it too long. That alpha said the same thing about my omega… when he left halfway through.”
No. No. No.
He left Olive? My Olive? All alone? I was going to end him.
Finn was clearly on the same wavelength because he was off the couch and pacing, hands formed into tight fists. “The bastard fucking left?” he shouted. “I’m going to fucking kill him!”
Something clicked in my mind. “The alpha at the apple orchard? Is he the one who left you?”
Olive nodded miserably. “He’s an asshole for sure, but it’s not really his fault. I think there’s something wrong with my omega. When I go into heat, I just turn kind of”—She waved her hands around like she was trying to catch the right word in the air—“ feral . It’s too much for anyone to handle. So after that second failed attempt with the heat services, the doctor there gave me sedatives to take during my future heats.”
“Sedatives?” Finn hissed. “They gave you fucking sedatives so you can, what, be unconscious for days ?”
Olive whimpered and tilted her head to show Finn her neck. His face immediately softened and he crashed back onto the couch, pulling Olive onto his lap. “Shit, I’m sorry, sweet girl. I’m not mad at you.”
“Baby, please, we can help—” I started, but Olive cut me off.
“I’m not totally unconscious. The sedatives keep the edge off when the pain gets to be too much.” She chewed on her lip, and I leaned over to free it with my thumb. “But I lied about it when I took this job.”
Now her tears were falling steadily, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Finn cursed and tightened his hold on her, a purr starting up in his chest.
“I said I didn’t have any issues that would prevent me from being on call for storms and stuff, but that’s not true. I thought I could maybe make a nest in the watch room and take less medication than usual so I’d be more alert. But that’s so irresponsible. Although, I’m sure I’m going to be fired anyway because I left the lighthouse unmanned during this storm. And I have no savings and can’t afford to live here without having this housing, so I’ll have to move away and then we’ll never see each other again.”
“Oh, darling.” Finn arranged her so she was pressed to his chest, her head resting on his shoulder. “We’ll make sure you don’t lose your job. It was our fault, anyway.” When Olive opened her mouth to argue, I placed my finger over her lips.
“No,” I said, my voice low and stern. “Listen to us. You are not moving away. You are ours .”
“But I lied to you,” she sobbed. “How can you still want me?”
I looked at my brothers, and they wore bewildered expressions that met my own. I understood intellectually why she’d be scared to tell us about her heats, but how could she think we would be anything but fucking thrilled to see her through them?
Before I could figure out what to say, Olive continued.
“You shouldn’t have to deal with me during this heat. I have my medications with me and then once it’s over, I’ll talk to Stanley and tell him I’m not fit to be the lighthouse keeper.”
I saw the moment Finn snapped. A growl ripped through his chest, and he gripped Olive’s chin. “The only reason you’re not over my lap right now getting spanked is because I know you’re not thinking clearly with your heat starting. We are your fucking pack and it’s our responsibility to see you through heats.” He tightened his grip on Olive’s jaw when she tried to respond. “You are not too much. Those alphas were wimpy motherfuckers who probably signed up for that service because they wanted to fuck an omega and had no idea how to actually alpha-up and take care of you the way you deserve. You are not drugging yourself with sedatives. I’m not sure that’s even legal for a doctor to prescribe. We’re going to stick with you for however many days this lasts and fucking take care of you. Because you’re ours and we want to.”
Olive blinked, looking stunned.
“How could you think we would leave you, baby?” I asked. “We also had plans to talk to you today.” I glanced over at my brothers and they nodded. This wasn’t how we’d planned to tell her, but she needed to know. “We wanted to give you the boat to show you how serious we are about you. We’d do anything for you. And we were planning to tell you we want to bond you.”
At that, Olive burst into fresh tears. Finn’s purr intensified as he rocked her back and forth. “We don’t have to bond!” he almost shouted. “There is no pressure.”
“I want to,” Olive sobbed, and then she clutched at her stomach, her mouth open in a soundless scream.
“Alright, enough,” Lars said, his voice gentle as he rubbed Olive’s lower back. “Let’s get in the shower, sweetheart. The water will feel good. We’ll make some calls to make sure the lighthouse is taken care of, and then we’re going to take care of you .”
Lars gestured for me to take Olive. “I’ll call my moms so they can organize shifts for the lighthouse,” he said in a low voice.
I nodded and picked her up bridal style. She curled into my chest, arms tight around my neck like she was afraid I would let go.
“Are we really going to do this?” she asked, eyes wide.
“You mean, are we going to fuck you and take care of you through your entire heat and bond each other? Hell yeah.”
Her hesitant smile was everything, but by the time we were in the bathroom, she was back to chewing her lip. I carefully set her down and rubbed my thumb along it. It was all red and sore. She reached up and grasped my wrist, holding hard.
“Are you really sure about me? If we’re bonded, you’ll feel all my bad moods and dark days. I’ll make you miserable and you’ll finally realize what a horrible person I am.”
My chest ached for my Olive. I cradled her face with both hands. I wanted her eyes on me, to see that she was really going to absorb what I was about to say.
“I know what it’s like to feel like you’re dragging people down. I hid what was going on at home from Lars and Finn for so long because I didn’t want to burden them. But eventually, it all came out, and it turned out they weren’t burdened by my suffering—they were strong enough to lift it off me. Their families became my family, and suddenly, a dozen people were shouldering my pain. Let us be that for you, baby. Let us help you carry it, because even if you can’t see it, you bring sunshine into our lives every moment of every day.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks, but she nodded. “I want that.”
The bathroom door opened. Finn walked in carrying a large basket, followed by Lars, who shut the door behind him.
Finn quickly put the basket on the floor—it looked like it was filled with bath oils and lotion—and came to Olive’s side.
“What’s wrong? Are you in pain?”
“Easton’s just making me cry.” She held her hand out to him and Lars. “I just… are you sure about this? About me? You can’t take your bond marks back and I don’t want you to regret?—”
Finn quieted her with a growl and a kiss. “Yes, we’re sure.”
I moved out of the way so Lars could get closer. We needed a much bigger bathroom.
He ran his hand through her hair. “So fucking sure, sweetheart. Are you sure about us?”
She nodded quickly.
“Glad we’re in agreement.” Lars kissed her forehead and then we squeezed into the shower, taking turns being in there with Olive.
By the time the shower was over, she was having a hard time staying upright and was begging for our knots, her heat fully taking over.