31. Ember
Ember
I drove over to my cottage, sending a text to the group chat that I was swinging by for more clothes for me and West. I offered to stop by Alejandro’s apartment for more stuff, but he told me he had a duffel bag in his car.
Rian added in the chat for me to get as much stuff as I wanted, that we could pick out a bedroom to store our stuff in if we wanted to.
It was a casual comment, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
It had been almost two weeks, and West, Alejandro, and I had spent every night with Ben and Rian. I spent time with my family on Galentine’s Day, and West had his boys’ night out, but otherwise we’d spent almost all of our free time together.
We talked about being “fair” and splitting time between our cottage or even Alejandro’s apartment, but it seemed easier to stay at the bigger house.
Ben and Rian had a much bigger bed and nest. After I brought over blankets and Squishmallows, the nest started feeling like ours and not just Rian’s.
Having a heated pool and jacuzzi was spoiling me, and my leg and arm hadn’t been bothering me as much as usual this time of year. Especially since we’d been having the most mind-blowing sex. Usually that was enough to piss off my joints, but West dragged me into the hot tub or pool.
We could basically move in. I turned the idea over in my mind, thinking about how fun it would be to bring a ton of stuff over, pillows, blankets, favorite cups and spoons.
It wasn’t like I had rent or a lease. If something happened and we all broke up, West and I would still be able to go back to our cottage.
The ocean was a blur of blue next to me. It was chilly outside, and I had the window rolled up, but I could almost smell the salt breeze.
I had a favorite playlist going, and I hummed along to the songs. One of Burns’s song came on and I wondered if I could ask Rian where he got the inspiration for it without causing him some grief.
The cottage was paid off. We all helped pay property taxes every year.
We were barely using electricity in the cottage, enough that everything didn’t feel humid and stale.
It was doable, to bring my favorite cups and bowls over without having to do something permanent like move out of an apartment and cancel a lease.
Alejandro was basically living out of the clothes in his duffel bag anyway. Maybe if the three of us did it at once, it wouldn’t be weird.
Rian might still not want to share his nests.
He seemed fine when we were around them, but no one had had a heat yet, so I’d see how he felt after we dealt with that.
West and I wouldn’t go into heat for another month and then Rian said he was due a month after that, so we had time to keep layering in our scents.
I pulled into the driveway and smiled. My little cottage had seen me through some times. Cottages dotted the property, even though we had all lived in a big house to the north when we were growing up. We wanted space, but not too much space.
Sunshine had moved into Pack Kahele’s house, and Luna’s pack bought her a house when they decided to move in together.
I stopped to pick up the mail, an overflow of white envelopes and one big manila envelope with no return address. I unlocked the door and stepped inside.
It smelled weird. That’s what I got for not being home very often. I set the mail on the countertop and opened the big manila envelope.
It was glossy photos of me and Ben walking around San Francisco, multiple angles. Me and Alejandro at the parking lot of Talk of the Town. I blinked, trying to remember when that happened. A couple of days ago? I had made an excuse to go over there for food.
A plain piece of paper was stuck between the photos, printed out from a computer:
You think you love them but they are alphas they just use up omegas until they are done with them and throw them away like trash. They will never love you the way I love you never be able to take care of you the way I can if you would let me
I set the photos down on the countertop, feeling cold and sick. Someone was watching me? I thought about the text message, and the flowers, and my stomach gave a queasy roll.
I had to tell someone. This wasn’t random flowers and a test message; this was someone…following me. I glanced around the room, but it only smelled like me and West, and just a tiny bit like Alejandro, that top note of guanabana hanging in the air like a hug.
I’d grab some clothes, bring the photos, and tell my men. My head hurt, felt like it was filled with bees, and I wasn’t sure what to do next. If I called the police right now, what would they do? Say yeah, that’s creepy about the photos, but what do you want us to do about it?
I’d tell the guys. They could help me plan. Feeling better to have some support, I headed into the bedroom.
It was trashed. I froze, blinking, not processing what I was seeing. The mattress was turned over and leaning against the wall. My clothes were spread all over the room, some of them ripped up. The bedside lamp was knocked over, smashed to pieces, and the door to the nest was open.
My stomach clenched again. Not the nest. Please, no. I hurried over and sank to my knees.
The nest had been destroyed.