Eleven
Can I court you, Fable?
Duh.
All my life I’ve been told that if I become the right kind of alpha, everything will be handed to me.
If I form a pack with other alphas that want the same things in life as I do, have the same ambitions, get a proper pack house and proper jobs, then we’d be able to find an omega that would tame us and make all the other bullshit worthwhile.
We fumbled this so hard.
I’ve barely spoken to my pack since we found out about Fable, because I’m so damn torn.
I’m done being bitter about the situation with Winslow, because as much as I want to blame myself for not seeing through her games, the fault lies with her.
She was the one that duped us intentionally and went above and beyond to keep the farce running.
I’m not bad for falling for it, but I will be bad if I hold what she did against this pure, mistreated omega that has quite literally fallen into our laps. I don’t know her full story yet, but it’s pretty easy to guess. She’s been used and abused, and is in need of somewhere safe and warm to land.
If I were to put stock in what I was raised to believe, then this new alpha that Winslow ruined should be at the back of the line for an omega like Fable, and yet, he’s the only one she wants at the moment.
I can’t bring myself to leave the hallway in front of her door because I need to know she’s safe, need to know nothing will touch her while she’s here.
If I could, I’d be on the floor next to her, and maybe I’ll move there later, but I’d be right next to her making sure that no one dared to go near her unless she explicitly asked them to.
So now I have Anderson and Fable’s conversation running on repeat in my head, and I can’t stop hearing how happy she was when she told Anderson to ask her the big question.
I’m going to get left in the dust, and I don’t want that. Don’t we deserve something good after the hell we went through? Could we deserve to have somebody like Fable in our lives, and would she even be open to that?
The rest of the pack has been going back and forth all night since Fable disappeared into her new room, trying to talk sense into Moon who’s being difficult for no reason, trying to talk each other into talking to Fable, trying to decide the best way to go about trying to get her to trust us so we can get to know her, but nobody is doing anything.
Would she be okay if I left for a while? Can I trust my pack to watch over her while I sneak out for an errand I don’t want to put off?
I peek into the room as quietly as can be, which works out pretty well since I oiled the hinges an hour ago. I needed to be sure I could sneak in here to check on her without waking her.
Anderson is still alert and instantly clocks me entering from the darkened hallway, which goes a long way in assuring me she’s safe.
It’s dumb, but I want to cry at the sight of her asleep in bed, because she’s so damn perfect.
So beautiful that I know I’ll never find anyone in this world or the next that can compare to her.
And finally, in sleep, she’s become soft like an omega should feel free to be.
If she’s sleeping hard and she’s relaxed, then we provided good shelter for her and she feels safe.
I know a lot of that has to do with the alpha lying next to her, and I want to rage on him for getting what I want, which is permission to hold her and be hers, but that just means I have to work harder to get the place next to her I want.
“She doing okay?” I ask him as quietly as I can, not taking my eyes from the omega.
“I think so. Thanks for letting me crash here, I know you didn’t have to.”
“We did actually, because she wanted you here. Pretty sure she’s the one in charge now.”
He smiles at that, then presses a kiss to her brow when something in her dream startles her and she grasps his shirt tighter in her fist. “Well, thank you anyway.”
I finally pry my eyes from Fable. “You’re pack now. We’ll make it official soon, don’t worry. I’ll make sure we get the papers started to officially add your name to our pack.”
“You’re serious?” he asks, clear disbelief evident in his tone.
“Of course.” I linger, knowing it’s time to leave, but unwilling to.
He seems eager to prolong this moment that feels important, same as me when he asks me, “You feel the pull, don’t you? I don’t believe for a second you’re all as unaffected by her as you’re trying so hard to make it seem like.”
His voice is so low I’m not worried about waking her, but I check her breathing again, just in case.
Then self-deprecating laughter escapes me.
“Scent matching is no joke. After years of being exposed to it, I thought I knew every nuance there was to wisteria and wild berries mixed together, but I’m finding I know very little.
I hate everything about what she’s had to go through to get here.
It’s cruel the way the world spins sometimes. ”
“Well, what are you going to do about it?” he challenges me.
I tiptoe to the window and pry the blinds apart to make sure our driveway is quiet.
Of course it is, but I’m so fidgety and I know I need to go do what I’m already mentally planning.
“For starters, I’m going to the all-night nesting store so I can stock her up.
I don’t want her to be uncomfortable or cold ever again. ”
“That’s… isn’t that like two hours away? Winslow used to make fun of how far people would drive to shop there. There are closer stores with decent enough selections.”
I shrug. “Doesn’t matter how far it is, it’s what she deserves. I’ll grab an energy drink and I’m sure we have a vehicle that’s got a full tank. I just want Fable to wake up to cozy things that no one else has ever touched before.”
“What are we doing about a nest for her, then? Can we make this room work somehow? I’m pretty new to this alpha thing. I don’t know what my instincts really want me to do other than give her anything she wants.”
“That’s pretty much all there is to it,” I agree with a small smile, even if he can’t see it properly in the dark.
“She was rightfully upset earlier when we talked about the nest, but Winslow never actually used it. We never even showed it to her, because we were waiting for a real commitment before we did that. We know that nests are incredibly personal to omegas and that once you bring one into your home and let them make it theirs, it’s pretty permanent.
“I guess we must have known somehow that Winslow wasn’t really for us because we never got to that point.
We talked about it amongst ourselves a few times, but that’s about it.
Moon brought the nest up earlier with Fable knowing all that, and he was a dick for not saying so immediately, but I think he’s going to have to learn his own lessons with her.
I love that she’s not letting him, or any of us really, get away with anything. ”
“That’s good then. So, you’re going to get her supplies?”
I nod, my feet unmoving. I look up to him anxiously, and somehow, he reads my mind.
“I won’t leave her side. I won’t sleep a bit.”
“I couldn’t ask you to stay up all night just so I’m not paranoid.”
“I couldn’t sleep all night without knowing no one is trying to get to her. I know that door was locked, by the way.”
I shrug, not admitting to shit when it comes to breaking into the room. “Okay. You’ll stay here?”
“I’ll stay here.”
“Will you take my phone number so you can text me if she wakes or needs something?”
He lets out a soft laugh. “I don’t have a phone at the moment. I left it at my friend’s that was housing me while I turned and I haven’t gone back to get it.”
“Where’s he live?”
“Not too far. You ever heard of Sal Domingo? Do most vampires know each other for some reason? Or is that offensive to assume?”
“You’re friends with Sal? No shit?”
“Yeah, met at a party a few years ago and stayed in contact enough that he offered to help me through the transition so my family would be safe.”
“That’s my cousin.”
“That— what? Really?”
“Yeah. We can swing by when it’s daylight and get whatever you need. Is there anything you need me to get you while I’m out? I know they have a small alpha section at the nesting store.”
“I can’t impose on you any more than I already am, but thanks.”
“Pack,” I reply.
“Yeah, yeah. Um, then maybe some basic hygiene stuff? And a change of clothes? Something soft she’ll want to be curled up against.”
“I can do that. Just…I’ll get one of the other guys to hang out in the hallway so you can call for help if you need it.”
“Appreciate it.”
∞∞∞
Okay maybe I didn’t tell the other guys where I was going because of several reasons. I didn’t need anyone trying to tag along, and I didn’t need anyone else trying to give me shit for wanting to do something nice for Fable.
It’s odd to be walking into a store at three a.m., but I’m not the only one here.
I appreciate the fact that the lights aren’t too overwhelming, which is probably to accommodate the omegas most alphas bring with them when shopping here.
Just from the drifting of scents when the doors opened, I could tell there was at least one pack here somewhere, but the store is so damn big that I don’t think I need to worry about being in their way.
The carts are at least twice as big as most stores stock, and I wave off the associate offering help because this is something I need to do for myself.
I let her explain how the store is laid out by function, so getting everything Fable could possibly want for a nest shouldn’t require any back tracking.
I wish I knew more about our stray omega so I could pick the colors and fabrics she prefers, but with Fable, we’re starting from the ground up. She can always return stuff she doesn’t like.
The store starts off with throw blankets, all of which are oversized so they’re better for packs.
I look at all the color options from floor to ceiling but keep coming back to the blacks.
Fable doesn’t strike me as an omega who would want pastels in her nest. She’s tough and defiant, and black feels right.
I grab a few different textures, then a thinner, gray, muslin blanket that’s incredibly soft with some silver stars woven in for sparkle; girls like that shit, right? I get a few in deep red as well, leaning heavily into the cliché vampire theme.
With my cart already looking much less empty, I move into the pillow section and basically just run on instinct.
Luckily these are all vacuum sealed, so they don’t take up too much room in the cart.
I stick with the theme I’m already working on, pulling star shaped pillows in different gray and black hues, then some long body pillows covered in a soft faux-fur-like fabric that almost tickles when it touches my palm.
I don’t think about the money, because our pack won’t even notice the funds missing.
I get lost in the store, imagining everything I want to surround Fable in, not skimping on staple items like waterproof mattress protectors and extra sheets in case she ever wants us to help her through a heat.
I find black lace wall panels to dim the brightness in the room and wall sconces that are battery operated and rechargeable, so I don’t have to worry about wiring them in.
The display makes it look easy to program them to cast different colors on the wall for added ambience.
I get way more of the nesting fabrics than one omega can ever reasonably need, but the compulsion to buy everything for Fable who seems like she’s had nothing won’t let go of me.
I do concede to help when the associate offers an extra cart and to start ringing up my purchases, and it’s nice she doesn’t try and linger or ask me questions about my omega or make me engage in small talk because I’m so focused on what I’m trying to do that I don’t think I’d be very good at it at the moment.
There are bat stuffies and cat stuffies that get added to the collection, fuzzy striped socks and soft loungewear that won’t overstimulate her when she’s nearing a heat. She gets those buttery soft sets in every dark color they have, some in multiples.
I pick up puzzle books so she has quiet activities she can do when she needs to recenter herself, and colorful pens and sketch books to make something fun, and I pick up enough alpha instructional books for the whole pack from a big display, touting years of research and dozens of professional endorsements.
We never bothered with any sort of self help books when we were with Winslow, but this time around, I’m not leaving anything to chance.
I want my pack to become something Fable deserves, instead of something she’s just sidled with. If she laughs in my face and refuses everything, then that’s something I’ll deal with later.
I remember to grab the things Anderson asked for, building him a small wardrobe and then I black out in the bath products department, filling almost an entire new cart again with different bubble baths, bath oils, bath salts, and the like.
Fable gets a few new plush robes and several pairs of slippers so she’ll have them all over the house, never needing to put her bare feet on the cold floors.
I have some doubts about how I’ll transport everything to the car and then into the house when I get back, but the shop has ridiculously oversized totes that everything gets neatly sorted into and then I’m checking out, hoping I didn’t miss anything.
The house is starting to stir for the day by the time I make it back, so I get everybody to carry stuff inside for me, leaving it right outside of the room that will be Fable’s nest when she’s ready.
I pull out a few of my favorites for her, along with the clothing, and I transfer it to a single bag and leave it by the door she’s still sleeping behind, along with a hastily scrawled note telling her where she can find the rest of her gifts, reassuring her the nest is completely unused.
I’m feeling too nervous to peek in on her like I did earlier in the night, adrenaline crashing now that I’ve done all the shopping.
It’s nerve wracking writing my name on the note, because I don’t want her to think I’m chasing the clout of gifting it to her, and I’m hoping she gets that I just want her to be comfortable in her new home.
I racked up enough store reward points with my purchases that they gave me a gift card, so that goes into the note as well so that Fable can plan a future trip to pick out a few other things when she wants to.
I barely make it to my own room, having been up for 24 hours now, lying sideways on my bed with my noise cancelling headphones on and my blackout curtains pulled firmly shut so no one will bother me while I sleep.
Of course, my dreams are plagued with images of Fable laughing at me and the guys ridiculing me, but eventually they fade and I’m left with restful sleep that resets my system.
At least until the sweetest smell sneaks into my room and slides onto my bed, turning my dreams into something a bit dirtier.