Chapter 1
One
Jarek
Asoft pulse here, a warm caress there, and even a little hum of contentment.
I feel Vivian existing in the bond more so than I actually experience the subspace as she does. She's like an appreciative caress that pulls me in and tugs on my alpha instincts to hold and shield her.
Most days, Vivie retreats into the subconscious to enjoy our comfort and remind herself that we're here. We always will be. Sometimes her anxiety demands to make sure we're happy and not reluctant.
"You're growling," Silas points out.
Snapping my focus away from Vivian nesting in the living room, I turn my attention to Silas. He, on the other hand, hasn't looked away from our omega. With a soft smile on his handsome face, I wonder if he too is feeling her tinker with his tether.
Clearing my throat, I cut the deep rumble off. "Sorry. Shit, I was just thinking about her parents." I keep my voice low because hearing about them is the last thing Vivie needs.
"Jarek," Kade warns, flipping a pancake. He doesn't need to say anything else. His warning is as clear as his pulse of dominance in the kitchen.
Sighing, I slump against the counter, my elbows resting on the cool marble. "I know."
I know all too well the damage Vivian's family has caused. Years and years of ensuring she knew she wasn't normal. They spent her entire childhood convincing her that her differences would keep her from finding a pack. According to them, depression, quietness, and anxiety make someone unlovable.
I remember the day Vivie introduced us to her family, and I'll never forget the widening of their eyes. The immediate relief in their demeanor intrigued me, but it was soon squashed when they ditched us to go pack her belongings.
An entire childhood of feeling like she was a burden and high maintenance has left our omega uncertain. Detached some might call it. Maybe to outside eyes she does seem disconnected, but I can feel her in my soul and chest, fluttering around with happiness and awe every damn day.
She might seem unfeeling on the outside, with eyes that glaze over frequently and a scent that mutes itself when in distress rather than blooming like a normal omega.
That's so far from the truth, though.
I'm ripped from my mind at the sound of Silas chuckling and jumping from his stool.
Humming as he goes so as not to startle Vivie, he approaches her small nest beneath the living room window.
He crouches and drops into a relaxed position with his legs crossed and his arms propping him up from behind.
My alpha hearing picks up his quiet words easily. "Hi, princess," he murmurs.
Holding my breath, I watch as Vivie notices him just outside the boundary of her mound of pillows and blankets. She smiles and her eyes clear at the same time I feel the fluttering in the bond fade.
The breath I was holding whooshes out of me as my tiny omega yanks Silas onto the small mattress and arranges him so he's the perfect snuggle partner. His soft chuckles and sweet words draw a smile to my lips. Vivie's bright blush and subtle scent of salty rain make my dick twitch.
She's close to her heat. The signs are different for my girl.
Where omegas in general have headier, thicker scents as their hormones go haywire with need, Vivian's mellow.
Because a heat is the most vulnerable state for an omega, Vivie's response is to hide and hope her pack will help her through it.
It's something we've talked about but haven't actively tried to change. Vivian has many worries that revolve around being too much, and an omega in heat means she's at her most demanding state. Not wanting to pressure us, her pheromones inadvertently dull themselves.
Therefore, diminished scent equals incoming heat. Well, that is until we prove we can make her feel good and show her how much we enjoy the way her slick coats her little pulsing clit and allows us easy entry.
Yeah, I'm fucking ready to be balls deep in my pack mates for a few days. It's as if my body hovers around rut during her heat too. Maybe it's the distress before the pleasure that sets my hindbrain on edge. The need to claim and fuck my mates is right at the surface.
"After breakfast," Kade growls, pressing himself into my back. "I'll take care of this."
We not only take care of each other’s needs, our alphas sometimes need a rougher kind of play. The sex between the four of us is shared, as is our love and tenderness. We're a family through and through.
The heat of his large hand gripping my growing erection makes me curse. It's my turn to warn him from starting something that's not important right now.
"Kade. Vivie needs to eat."
A chilly sweat breaks loose on the back of my neck in response to his hot tongue swiping along the collar of my shirt. He leaves me with a teasing nip near his scarred bond mark.
"Of course," Kade says, returning to the stove. "That's why I said after breakfast."
He winks over his broad as hell shoulder, knowing exactly what he does to me. As our pack lead, Kade's presence feels larger than life. He's an intoxicating sort of alpha. Others fear him and hope he'll glance at them just once.
With a strong jaw layered in dark scruff and short black curly hair with one chunk flopped onto his forehead, he's a wet fucking dream.
His energy and six-foot-six build give him all the tall, dark, and handsome vibes, but his eyes?
Fuck. The sheer blue dimension and feeling in them sparkle like a shocking purple.
Not to mention his prominent Adam's apple and permascowl, it's no wonder I'm always readjusting myself. When he turns on the charm, I'm done for. And that wink with those killer eyes, that was strategic.
Kade wants me on my knees begging to suck his cock and knows just how to fucking get what he wants.
"Don't worry, Jay," Kade teases, licking his lips. "Feed our omega first, then I'll feed you."
I fucking knew it.
"Give me the fucking plate," I snap and steal the plate of yummy pancakes, blueberries, and bacon. Ignoring his dark chuckle, I make my way through our open concept first floor.
The front door opens between the dining room on the left and living room on the right. The far left corner contains our ridiculously large kitchen. That's not an exaggeration. We have two fridges for shit’s sake.
The large ceiling fan overhead cools me off as I round our large sectional. I can't help but admire our stunning fireplace beneath the TV, but what always catches my eye and heart is the wall of family photos.
When designing our home, I created a space for our scents to filter freely through our living spaces, but Vivie made it a home.
The large wall opposite the front door, living room nest, and huge window blocks off the staircases, mud room, back patio door, and our home office.
Our pantry is also closed off behind the kitchen to keep the scents of the copious amounts of food contained too.
As the founders and managers of Pack Safe Construction, we know what works structurally as well as technically to ensure each pack and omega feels safe, comforted, and connected to their bond mates in their home. Ours was never going to be the exception.
"Alright, Butterfly," I coo, dropping to my knees at the edge of her nest. "I have blueberries, which are nonnegotiable, pancakes, and bacon."
Blinking her sleepy eyes open, she quickly narrows them on the plate of food.
This is another thing we haven't been able to cure for our sweet omega.
The chemical imbalance in her brain, affecting her neurotransmitters and causing low serotonin, has a major impact on her appetite.
I'm convinced she's so small because her parents never cared to make sure she ate or got out of bed in the mornings while she was growing.
It's been a lifelong diagnosis that we've learned how to navigate.
Right now, the best way to get my girl to eat is to smile and let her come to me. I may or may not take a small bite out of her bacon to edge her along before her food gets cold.
She huffs and sits up, keeping her ass tucked in Silas' big spoon. I chuckle when she steals the slice of bacon from me. Watching Vivie wiggle with happiness from a bite of meat gives me so much joy it's probably blaring down the bond.
Round and round our feelings travel, guiding and encouraging Vivian to munch and fill her belly.
As she eats, Silas and I chat, providing opportunities for Vivie to join our conversation if she chooses.
When asked a question, she responds with her body—head shakes, nods, shrugs, hand gestures, whatever she's feeling.
It's common for her heat to alter how much she speaks or when.
We've been with her since we were all in a designation university, so we know our omega and we know each other.
Just about nine years of getting to know one another and our needs has brought us a long way in honing our patience and understanding.
"Few more bites?" I push, lifting the plate toward my omega.
I keep my face from twitching when she frowns at the half-full plate. If she can't stomach it, then she simply won't. We try not to force her to eat unless her depression is really taking its toll.
Silas, bless him, tickles her bare thigh and licks the syrup from her fingers. A smile and shiver pulls her from her thoughts. When a blueberry rolls, it catches her eye and appetite.
Maybe I'll be sucking both my men off today. One because he'll probably make me beg and the other, my beta, in appreciation for helping our omega eat a full breakfast.