Chapter 31 Claire
Claire
When you’re an Omega, you take classes to get an idea of how your heat will go, but even after attending the best schools in the country nothing could prepare me for the heat hangover that thunders in my temples as I wake up.
It takes me a few minutes of blinking for my vision to become clear. The room looks like an underwater nightmare that has been covered by various white sheets to hide its hideousness but failed. I’m on a mattress on the floor. Forrest is next to me, lying on his back with an arm over his eyes.
Elliot is on the opposite side of me, sleeping on his stomach, his mouth open as he drools on the pillow and I smile to myself. If my head wasn’t throbbing and every inch of my body didn’t ache, I’d truly let myself enjoy how cute they are right now.
I glance around for Wells and find him sleeping, sitting up in the chair in the corner. His neck is in a wonky position and I know he’s going to regret it when he wakes up.
On shaky legs, I stand and head in his direction, moving his head so he doesn’t hurt his neck. His hand grabs my wrist, but his eyes don’t open.
“I don’t think I can get hard again, but I can go down on you,” he mumbles.
I laugh softly and that has him blinking open his eyes. His hands go to my hips immediately.
“Heat’s over?” he asks and I nod. “What do you need? Food, drink, pain reliever?”
“All of the above,” I croak out and he nods.
“Let’s get you in a warm bath and I’ll have the moderator bring us everything,” he says as he leads me into the bathroom, helping me get into the tub. Once I’m in a few inches of warm water, he leaves me for a few minutes to coordinate with the moderator.
When he comes back, he gets in the tub with me, and I relax against his chest. I have a feeling we did something similar during my heat, but I don’t fully remember.
“Do you remember anything from heat?” he asks, like he’s having a flashback himself and I shake my head. “Well, you missed Forrest and Elliot wrestling completely naked, dicks literally swinging while they fought over you.”
I laugh as I imagine the scene he’s describing, and he kisses the side of my head.
“I knew you’d get a kick out of it. If the moderator would have actually kicked them out I don’t think I’d be able to laugh about it. But they both agreed to be very good boys,” Wells says, kissing my head again. “I think they had a breakthrough. It was all really precious.”
I lick my dry lips and make a sound of agreement, doing my best to stay awake.
“You can sleep, but I think you should eat first,” he tells me, and I know he’s right.
A soft knock on the door has me waking up again and Elliot is the one to come in with the food and drink.
“How are you feeling?” he asks, sitting on the side of the tub completely naked.
It seems salacious now that I’m out of heat, but I’m not going to complain, especially not when he hand feeds me crackers and grapes.
“Sore, tired. How do you guys feel?”
“The same,” they both say in unison
“I want to get out of this nest suite,” I complain.
“We will port at Cozumel in two days. I can reach out to your dad to have a plane take us to New York,” Elliot says, and I grab his hand.
“But not to stay in New York?” I confirm.
I need to know that he’s okay with all of this, that my heat didn’t scare the shit out of him and prove every thought that he had about himself and pack life.
He kisses my hand, his sharp jaw devastating as he looks at me.
“No. Not to stay. Wherever you go, this pack goes, I go.”
Great, well now I want to cry, but I’m too dehydrated that I can’t even do that. Elliot seems to have no issue with Wells naked at my back in the tub as his fingers trail a soft pattern against my cheek.
“I was a damn fool to try and outrun fate,” he says.
“You really were.”
That has both of them laughing. I drink and eat as much as my stomach can handle, but there’s no way I’m going to go back to sleep in that room. It did its job and got me through my heat. Even though it smells amazing, now that I’m of sound mind, I can’t stay there for another moment.
“I’ll see if they have any pack suites available and I’ll arrange for our flights out of Cozumel,” Elliot says, kissing my head, striding out of the bathroom.
Wells squeezes me closer to his body and sighs dreamily.
“I don’t think I can stay awake much longer,” I admit, and he rests his chin on top of my head.
“Get some sleep, sweetheart. We’ll take care of everything.”
The words are music to my ears as I fall into a deep sleep.
I wake up to arguing.
“Like hell you’ll be pack lead,” Forrest’s deep voice says.
“What? Because you’re the biggest, it gives you claim over it?” Elliot snaps back.
“Yes,” Forrest says back, like it’s common sense.
“So let me get this straight. I’m changing everything about my life, uprooting everything, just to what? Listen to your orders? I don’t fucking think so,” Elliot complains.
I groan, and the arguing stops.
Both of the Alphas are on the bed, touching me, and glaring at each other. So much for the understanding they came to. When I see Wells standing at the end of the bed, his arms are crossed like he’s totally unamused with their bullshit.
“What time is it?” I croak.
“Seven in the evening. We’ll disembark tomorrow at Cozumel. Your dad got everything squared away, the jet will be waiting for us and we’ll be at your parents’ building before nightfall,” Elliot says.
I turn my face into the pillow and whine. Logistically, I knew this was the progression of things, but knowing my pack is going to meet my family tomorrow while recovering from my heat is a whole ordeal in itself.
A big palm rests between my shoulder blades and lightly massages the sore muscles.
“Assuming that’s still what you want?” Forrest asks. “If you want to stay on the ship, we can.”
I laugh into the pillow because he can’t even disguise how disgusted the idea makes him.
“No, I want to get off. I just need to say goodbye to Andie first and pack all my things.”
“I already took care of your things,” Elliot says, and I sleepily nod.
When I turn to face him, I realize that we’re not in the horrid nest, or in any of our suites. This room is larger with a massive bed and an expansive balcony looking over the back of the ship.
“I’ll message the Marshall pack and see what they’re doing this evening,” Wells says helpfully.
“Come on, let’s get you in the shower,” Elliot says, hauling me off the bed and carrying me to the bathroom. I can tell Forrest is pissed he didn’t say it first, but he thankfully lets it go as Elliot carries me off.
He’s methodical as he cleans me, making sure every inch of my skin is scrubbed clean before he moves on to my hair.
“So, my parents know that you’re…courting me?” I say, though he hasn’t formally used that word.
“Yes, they didn’t seem surprised,” he says, running his deft fingers through my hair.
“And you’re working on getting along with Forrest?” I question, wanting to get his perspective on things.
Elliot sighs behind me. “I like Wells. He’s easy to get along with. Forrest…we’re working on it.”
I hum under my breath and wonder if Wells told them to not make their conflicts my problem. While I might be the center of this pack, the glue that holds everyone together, I know it’s not my job to make sure everyone gets along. Their relationships with each other are separate from mine.
“It makes me really happy to see you trying. You’re not worried about being in a pack?” I ask him, plying him for more information.
Maybe I’m needy, but I just need to know that he’s all in, that he’s not going to break my little Omega heart into a million pieces if he realizes that he can’t handle pack life.
“I’m going to New Hampshire, Claire. I’m not going anywhere if you’re not there, I promise.” His voice is soothing as he wraps his arms around me. “I’m sorry that I ever made you feel like I didn’t want you. I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure you know how deeply I feel about you.”
If I wasn’t so sore, I’d fuck him in this shower right now.
I spin in his arms and rub my hands up the expanse of his muscular chest.
“I’m going to hold you to that,” I tell him and he grins down at me, leaning forward and giving me a rough kiss.
I can’t believe I’m actually leaving this ship with the pack I’ve always wanted. Well, minus the bond marks I’m desperately craving.
“Claire,” Andie’s gentle voice says as I approach her and her pack at the buffet.
I wrap my arms around her, and she squeezes tight. When I pull back, I get a good look at her neck.
Bonded. They bonded her during her heat.
I blink at the marks and then back up at Andie. “Congratulations, Andie,” I say, happy for my friend.
“Thanks. I’m thrilled. What about you, Claire?
Did everything go alright during your heat?
Apparently so many Omegas went into heat they had to use some staterooms, moderators had to sit in the room to watch everything that happened and they bolted the balcony doors so no one jumped to their death,” she says, waving her hands animatedly as she speaks.
“I guess I can’t be too mad about getting the Under the Sea Suite then,” I grumble and Andie winces.
“That might be worse,” she says and we sit down at our own table as the men take their own.
Forrest grabs me food while one of her Alphas does the same for her. “Are you all getting off the ship too?”
“We are. That’s why I wanted to see you. Promise me we’ll keep in touch,” I nearly beg her and she grabs my hand over the table.
“As if we aren’t bonded for life after this cruise,” she jokes. “Plus, I’ll be moving to Massachusetts anyway. We’ll be so close.”
I give her a warm smile and she leans in so that our packs don’t over hear. “No bond marks?”
“I didn’t sign the waiver so that they could, and it’s probably the best for now, anyway,” I tell her, even though there’s a tinge of sadness in the words.
In a perfect world, I’d be leaving this ship bonded to them all.
Part of me realizes what we’re doing is the rational way to go about making a pack, life long plans that will affect every one of our lives.
But my hopeless romantic, needy Omega heart wishes I was leaving here fully bonded.
“Without all the pressure of the ship, and your heat looming over your head, it will make everything easier,” she tells me, and I hope that she’s right, but there’s also a part of me that worries that the second I get off this ship, everything is about to fall apart.