Chapter 34
THIRTY-FOUR
I have dealt with many hard things in my life.
From the darkness that my pack and I deal with daily, to my familial pack splitting up, which is practically unheard of, and the struggles I had in school with bullies who could not understand that some people think and function differently than they do.
I’ve learned to adapt, to roll with the punches in every aspect of my life.
Nothing has ever come easily to me, and so I’ve had to put in the hard work to make sure I am a valued member of my pack, not taking more than I am giving.
It was a struggle, but mostly, it’s been more than worth the effort.
All of these things I’ve gone through were hard.
And yet none of it was as hard as my fucking cock is right now, listening to my Omegas fuck each other two doors away.
I’m impressed with my restraint. A lesser Alpha would knock that door down to get to the two of them.
But not me.
I deserve a medal. Some recognition for being able to rile my Alpha instincts back enough not to bust into their nest and beg them to be with me, or at least let me watch.
I’m not going to do that. I’m going to be a good Alpha and wait to be invited.
The wait may kill me, though. Honestly, truly, take my life. The sounds they are making are going to be my undoing. How am I supposed to do anything when I can hear them scream in pleasure?
I can do this.
I can do this.
Shit, I don’t think I can do this.
I am going to have to grip my cock so hard, fuck my fist so many times, that I eventually pass out and don’t wake until they’re done, so I don’t lose control of myself.
They can’t go all night, can they?
They can, in fact, go all night.
And into the next morning.
It’s been a solid ten hours of fucking, and I’m going to lose my goddamn mind.
They’re in heat.
They have to be. Even Omegas can’t go on that long when they’re not in heat.
The four of us Alphas have steered clear of the nest, and since it’s the last room in the hallway, we’ve avoided walking by the door, but it’s time we suck it up and figure out what’s going on.
Even if they’re not crying for us, not asking us to come in and help, if they’re in heat, we need to know.
Wyatt looks wrung out, his eyes bloodshot as he stares, unseeing, into his coffee. Harvey has gone through a pack of chewing gum trying to avoid chain-smoking since every time he grabs a cigarette, Charles snaps it in half, and Charles is washing the cabinets.
Do the cabinets need to be washed? How do they get dirty?
“I’m going in,” I say, pushing to my feet. “This clearly is more than just sex. At the very least, it’s a heat spike. We need to know so we can take care of them.”
“I’ll go,” Wyatt responds, pushing himself to his feet. “I’m pack lead.”
“Respectfully,” I interrupt, holding my hand out. “That’s exactly why you shouldn’t. If they aren’t in heat, your pheromones could trigger it. I’m the least dominant of all of us, and I know I can control myself. Are you sure you can?”
He drops back into his seat, running his hands over his face. “No, I’m not. Fine. Go check on them.”
I’m out of the room like my ass is on fire, driven by instinct to be near my Omegas. When I get to their door, the fresh ink and sweet wood scent of newspaper and the mouth-watering aroma of coffee smack me in the face.
Holy fuck, they’re in heat.
I know I should pull myself away and warn the others. I know we should barricade their door and lock ourselves in our rooms to avoid rushing in there, since we haven’t had the conversation with them yet about whether they want us to help them through their heat.
I know that is what I should do.
So I do.
It’s now the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
I stumble back into the living room, and their pheromones must have seeped into my clothes from that short amount of time near their door because all three of my pack mates are on their feet, eyes flashing and fists clenched.
“They’re in heat?” Wyatt nearly snarls. “They need us.”
“They haven’t asked for us,” Harvey reminds him, aggressively chewing a new piece of gum. “And we can’t go in there. That’ll break their trust. Not without an invitation.”
“So we’re supposed to sit here and let them suffer?” Charles says, gesturing wildly toward the nest. I’ve never seen him lose his cool like this before. He looks absolutely wrecked. “I can’t let them be in pain!”
I snort. “They sounded fine to me.”
“But they haven’t stopped!” he continues. “They haven’t slept. That’s not normal. They’re supposed to have down moments where they rest. Moments of lucidity.” He rounds on Wyatt, pointing at him. “Call Will. Figure out if this is normal. Get his opinion on what we should do.”
Wyatt fumbles getting his phone out of his pocket. “Good idea.” He mashes the screen a couple of times and then puts it on speaker, the ringing filling the room.
“What the fuck? It’s five in the morning,” his brother’s voice comes through the phone. “Is everything okay?”
“The Omegas are in heat.” Wyatt’s voice is strangled, and sweat is beading on his brow from the effort it takes to keep himself from bursting into the nest.
I’m not faring much better, honestly, but I bet the direct exposure to their pheromones has somehow chilled me out a little. Not too much, because my cock still feels like it’s going to explode in my PJs, but I don’t seem to have the feral edge that the other guys do.
“Okay, and? I really didn’t need to know that my best friend is about to get dicked down by my brother before I even have my coffee,” Will grumbles, and I hear sheets rustling like he’s sitting up in bed.
“We didn’t talk to them about whether they wanted us to help them before they went into heat,” Charles pipes up. “They’ve been at it for hours, so clearly they’re not getting relief. They need us.”
“Ugh,” Will groans. “Yeah, this is shit. Riding it out on their own when you guys are right there is going to be hard as hell, but I don’t know if they’ll forgive you for running in and taking advantage of their lowered inhibitions.”
Wyatt slams his hand on the table. “Then what the fuck do we do? Throw some knotted dildos in there and run away? They’re our Omegas!”
“That would probably be fine, if uncomfortable, for a natural-born Omega in heat, but I don’t know what heat is going to be like for them. I’m not a doctor.”
“Doctor!” I nearly shout. “Call Athena’s brother!”
Wyatt quickly ends the call, saying goodbye to Will before he can speak. Almost immediately, the line rings again, and Dr. Icarus Knight’s voice fills our living room with a tired greeting.
“Dr. Knight,” Harvey says, his voice rough and low. “Our Omegas are in heat, and we didn’t have time to discuss boundaries and limits, or even if they want us in there, before it happened. It’s been ten hours now, and they’ve, uh… been going at it the whole time.”
“Wow, thank you for that visual of my sister first thing in the morning. Wonderful way to wake up,” he drawls sleepily.
“Give them a break, Vick.” Jordan’s thick voice comes through the tinny speaker, and it’s obvious he had us on speakerphone, too. “They’re worried.”
“We don’t know what to do, Doc,” Harvey continues. “We’re not looking to take advantage, but it’s clear they need us.”
“Yes, I imagine they do. They know you’re there, and that you’re an option, so their heat will probably reach a fever pitch soon. I’m willing to wager that the only reason they haven’t come and got you themselves is because they don’t want to leave the nest.”
“Then what do we do?” Wyatt growls. Charles swats him in the chest with the back of his hand, but our pack lead ignores him. “This is killing all of us.”
“You need to go in there. You do not have to touch or knot them to help give them relief. Pump the room full of your pheromones.”
“Cool, so you want us to go in there and what, jack off?” The guys look at me like I’ve lost my mind, and I shrug. “What? That’s easy pheromones.”
Jordan’s chuckle comes through the speaker. “He’s not wrong.”
“No, he’s not,” Icarus adds. “That will work. I’m not sure what level of lucidity you can expect from them; each Omega is different.
They are going to be out of it at first, but after pheromone exposure, a cold shower, and some food, there is a likelihood that they perk up enough for you to get consent to care for them during the rest of their heat. ”
“Good enough for me,” Wyatt says, pushing to his feet. “Thanks, Icarus, for taking our call.”
“Please take care of my sister.” He sounds almost vulnerable. “Her last pack threw her out during their Omega’s heat. She’s going to be highly sensitive to rejection.”
“She’s safe with us,” I swear. “They both are.”