41. Nolan
41
Nolan
I swear Blaine is going to kill us.
I have never seen driving like he is doing right now in the SUV to get back to the pack house. I am eternally grateful to whoever invented seatbelts.
After it became clear that Nora's heat was imminent, we called Alicia and got the go-ahead to return home, thanked the MC club for all their help, offered them plenty of free meals at Bea's, and loaded up in the car.
It's amazing how fast you can move when the scent of your mate is permeating every square inch around you thanks to her heated, sweaty skin.
Now we're rushing back to our house, hoping no one comes to arrest us while we're in there.
"Nolan, get your Omega home. I have a good feeling about tomorrow's hearing. There are protests for Omega rights outside the courthouse. Greene is trying to do damage control, but no one is giving him air time. You guys can go home, take care of your Omega, and we'll figure it out afterward," Alicia says through the speakerphone. " Interrupting an Omega in heat is a massive human rights violation, so once you are in that house, you are protected from arrest. I'll clean it up from there."
"Thanks, Alicia, we appreciate it. I'll put my phone in the nest, but -"
"Try not to call. I get it, Nolan."
Nora groans in the backseat, wrapping her arms around her gut and doubling over. Levi pulls her into his lap, nuzzling his face in the crook of her neck. "I'll never get over how you smell like apple cider," he whispers, kissing up the side of her neck. It's amazing how well the two of them fit together. They're so similar, and seeing them wrapped in each other's arms makes my heart fuzzy.
I've known Levi a long time, and he's always struggled with his place in the world, but seeing him curled protectively around Nora, who is groaning uncomfortably as her heat bears down on us, I know he's found it.
Chase's phone dings, and he grins. "You're famous, princess," he says to Nora, holding his phone up to show her a website. He reads the title of a news article out loud. "The Perfect Omega and the Price of Perfection." His voice is thick with pride for our Omega.
I search the title on my phone and pull it up to read. Underneath the headline is a photo from the interview of Nora standing between all of us and speaking directly to the camera. In the moment, I am sure she didn't notice it, but it's clear in this picture by the look on my pack's faces just how much we care for this woman. I scroll through the article, which is mostly just a rehashing of what we revealed, but a line at the bottom gives me pause, and I read it to the group.
"With the revelation of The Perfect Omega's rampant abuse, the controversy surrounding the Plain Jane lawsuits is bound to pick back up, leaving us all to wonder – is this the true downside to design?"
"What's the Plain Jane lawsuit?" Nora asks, her voice breathy as she focuses through the pain.
I crane myself around the seat to answer her and see Joey pulling her feet onto his lap and rubbing them. "Plain Jane is a woman that was specifically designed to have as many Beta markers as possible – the opposite of you, really. She presented Omega, and her parents sued the Design Clinic."
"That's awful!" Nora says. "Why would they do that?"
"They did not want an Omega in the family, I guess. They never revealed the identity of the Omega, but can you imagine how much that must have hurt to have her parents argue in court that she's basically defunct?" Joey continues his massage of her feet as he answers her, and she melts into his touch.
Blaine screeches into the driveway of our home and jumps out of the car. We're all in a rush to get her into the safety of our pack house. When he rips open the door and leans over Chase to get eyes on Nora in the backseat, his face is practically feral with need. "Chase, buddy, move, or I'm about to crawl over you," Blaine says in a low growl. Chase rolls his eyes but slides out of the car, and Blaine yanks her into his arms and throws her over his shoulder.
"Let's go, quick, before they come to arrest us," Chase says, grabbing our bags from the back of the car.
Nora straightens up from her position over Blaine's shoulder. "They can do that?"
"Probably not," I assure her. "The court hasn't signed off on warrants yet. But let's not tempt it, yeah?"
"Maybe this is just a spike," she says, trying to wiggle out of Blaine's grasp as they cross the threshold. "I feel okay now."
Her words say one thing, but her scent tells another story. She is not deep into heat haze, but she'll be there soon. Joey must be thinking the same thing I am because once he closes and locks the door behind all of us, he leans against the kitchen counter. "You're going into heat, birdie, but you're not fully there yet. It gives us time to talk about limits."
"Limits?" she asks softly.
"Yeah, limits. What you're comfortable with during the heat. Are you okay to talk through that?"
Blaine sits her down on a stool and then grabs her water while the rest of the pack settles in around her. "I am," she answers the burly Beta. "But I'm afraid I have no suggestions. I'm happy to answer questions."
"First thing is, are you ready to take our bites?" I ask softly. My chest tightens as soon as the words come out. What if she decides she doesn't want us?
My fears are unfounded, though, because she smiles prettily and nods. "I very much am."
Somewhere, Levi found a notepad and pen, and he scribbles something on it as she speaks. "Are you taking notes?" Chase asks incredulously.
"She may be too out of it to answer questions. I wanted us to have something to reference," he mutters.
"Don't hassle him," Blaine says, swatting Chase on the back of the head. "It's a good idea." The hacker looks at Nora. "And are you okay with having sex with all of us?"
"Of… of course." Her face flushes so prettily, and she struggles to make eye contact with any of us.
"And our knots?"
"Absolutely."
Joey shuffles uncomfortably from foot to foot. I know he wants to ask if he's included in this. Some Omegas don't want Betas around at all during their heats. But he'd never ask. He would never want her to feel forced or uncomfortable. The problem is, I don't think she'd think he's being excluded from the question, and I know he'll need explicit and enthusiastic consent before he engages in anything with her.
Levi beats me to the question, though, always looking out for the man who draws him out of his head. "What about Joey? Do you want him involved?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
"I'm not an Alpha, little bird," Joey mutters, ruffling the back of his hair. "I want to be there to support you during your heat, but I don't have a knot. I'm not going to be able to meet that need, so I understand if you don't want me in that part of it."
"Just Joey," she murmurs, standing up from her stool and crossing around the island to wrap her arms around his chest. "Sir. Respectfully, that's the stupidest thing you've ever said."
Chase barks out a laugh, the tension of Levi's question disappearing as we chuckle at our Omega's humor. "Okay, that's the basics," Chase continues. "Are you comfortable being with two of us at once? Three?"
"I would like you all there the whole time, if possible," Nora replies.
"I don't think that's what he meant, birdie," Joey whispers in her ear. "He means two of us taking your sweet body at once."
Her eyes widen, and it's like I can taste her desire as a long, low whine escapes from her throat. Joey pulls her back to his chest and rests a large hand on her abdomen, fingers kneading the soft flesh.
For a moment, I don't think Nora is going to answer us. It's possible we broke her brain because I doubt this was covered in the books she's read. But my Omega continuously surprises me with the way she adapts to new situations. "Yes. I am okay with that. But can I make a request?"
"Of course, honey, this is your heat," Blaine says.
"I would like my safe word to be in play," she looks at all of us individually. "And then I would like to allow all of you to help me experience what you like. I'm starting to realize I don't know enough to answer these types of questions, but I can and will use my safe word if I feel uncomfortable."
"That's pretty risky, princess, giving a bunch of horny men carte blanche."
She looks at Chase, her reluctant Alpha, the one who made her work the hardest for his affection because he was bound and determined to be an asshole, and smiles. "I trust you all to keep each other in line and listen to me when and if I use my word. Can you all commit to that?"
Words of affirmation float around the room as Pack Sloane reassures our Omega that we will take care of her during her heat.
"Excellent, thank you. Because, unfortunately for this conversation, I believe our time outside of the nest is up." She doubles over, a keening whine filling the room and eliciting excited growls from the Alphas.
Let the heat begin.