Chapter Thirty-seven
“Come on, Evangeline. You have to come out of your nest eventually,” Tessa’s voice is riding the line of an alpha bark, even over the intercom, and I instinctively wince and bury myself further under the blankets.
“You’re not helping,” Lillian hisses quietly before raising her voice, clearly speaking to me now. “It’s been three days, Evangeline. You haven’t left your nest at all during that time.”
That’s not exactly true. I just wait until they leave and sneak out to use the bathroom, and there’s enough water and snacks in the mini-fridge in my nest to keep me going. There’s absolutely no reason I need to leave this nest besides to go to the bathroom. I’m too embarrassed to face any of them—even my pack.
“Damn it, babe. We could’ve come in at any time, but we’ve been trying to give you the time you need.” Koda heaves a sigh, and I can imagine him running his hand down his face in frustration. “If you don’t come out, I’ll have no choice but to get Finn.”
“You wouldn’t!” I scream before remembering they can’t hear me if I don’t press the button for the intercom. Damn soundproofing.
I don’t want to open the door, but I also don’t want them dragging Finn in here. Then I’ll have to explain why I’m hiding in my nest, and I definitely don’t want to talk about that. Sure, I could talk to them through the intercom but something tells me that won’t settle them.
Sighing, I press the release button but only allow the door to swing open enough so they’ll be able to hear me. “Leave me alone to die of embarrassment. And leave Finn the fuck out of this.”
Tessa chuckles, putting my back up. Why the fuck is she laughing at me?
“Why are you embarrassed, Evie?” I almost melt at her using the nickname I adore but didn’t share with any of them—it’s the first time anyone has called me that in weeks. “Sweetheart, you have absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about.”
I scoff. “Says you. You’re not the one that told nine people she loved them in a post-orgasmic haze.”
“Well, I, for one, love you, too,” Lillian offers. “So I don’t really see why you’d be embarrassed.
I bite my lip, pushing the door open a little more so I can see the three of them. “You love me?”
Lillian giggles. “Of course I love you. I love all three of you. You’re my pack.”
“If you’re even questioning if I love you, then I’ve been doing something wrong, babe.” Koda’s smile is tight, but I can see the relief in his eyes. He must’ve been going crazy staying outside the nest when he knew I was upset. “Please tell me you know I love you.”
I nod slowly. “Yeah, I guess I do know that.”
“I love you, too, sweetheart,” Tessa assures me. “I’ve been falling for you since day one. Same with these two and the idiots outside this suite who haven’t left us the fuck alone since you disappeared into your nest.”
“Oh.” I push the door the rest of the way open. “I didn’t realize you all felt that way. But still… the others. There’s no way they feel the same. I can’t face any of them ever again.”
Tessa sighs, pulling me into her arms. I immediately try to pull away from her, knowing I’m ripe from not showering for three days, but she just holds me to her. “Sweetheart, I think you might be surprised by just what the five of them feel for you.”
“It sounds to me like you’ve made your decision on who want to be a part of your pack,” Koda says slowly. “And I think they deserve the chance to decide if that’s what they want too.”
I shrug, ducking my head and burying it into Tessa’s neck. When I speak, my voice comes out muffled. “You should’ve left me in my nest. The ceremony isn’t for another three days.”
“Fuck the ceremony.”
My head shoots up in shock at Lillian’s words, not used to her speaking so harshly. Tessa and Koda are staring at her with shock on their faces as well.
She just laughs at the looks on faces. “You act like you’ve never heard me cuss before. But who cares about the ceremony? If you want them, and I know you do, then we go to Bree and tell her that. We convince her that we can’t wait until the ceremony. It’s only a week and a half before you have to make your decision. She didn’t last the whole eight weeks herself.”
“You think?” I glance at each of them, waiting until they all nod before sighing. “I guess I could talk to Bree. Would one of you call her while I take a shower?”
“Sure, Evie.” Tessa presses a kiss to my forehead. “I’ll call her while you shower. Do you want Koda or Lillian to join you? Or both?”
That does sound nice. “Yes, please.”
Tessa helps me to the bathroom, which is nice but completely unnecessary. When she leaves to call Bree, Lillian and Koda help me undress and get into the shower before climbing in with me. Lillian washes and conditions my hair while Koda washes my body, and it’s nice to have someone else taking care of me. We share a few kisses but they never attempt to take things further, something I’m grateful for. I’m just not in the right headspace for sex right now.
Once we’re finished, they bundle me in a fluffy robe before pulling on one themselves. When we step into the bedroom, Bree is already waiting for me.
“I’m glad you’ve come out of your nest,” she says gently. “Would you be more comfortable talking in the sitting room?”
I shake my head. “No. I’ve missed this bed. You can come join us.”
Without waiting for an answer I climb onto the bed and settle in the middle. Tessa sits on one side of me and Lillian the other, while Koda moves behind me and slides down so I’m between his legs and his arms are wrapped around me. Bree just shakes her head and climbs onto the bottom of the bed.
“Most omegas wouldn’t want me in their space while their mates are here,” she says with a soft smile.
“It’s not like you’re just some random omega,” I tell her. “You’re my friend, and you’re my alpha’s best friend. As long as there’s no sex going on, you’re welcome wherever we are.”
She snorts. “Yeah, I don’t want to be in the same room as you while you’re having sex, so we don’t have to worry about that. Tessa wouldn’t tell me what was going on. She just asked that we give you some time until you were ready to come out. I’m not going to lie—the last few days of watching a bunch of alphas, betas, and an omega mope isn’t great television.”
“Yeah, sorry about that.”
She just shakes her head. “There’s no need to apologize, but Tessa said you wanted to talk to me.”
“Right. Yeah, I do.” I glance at my lap, twisting my hands together. “I think I’ve made my decision about who I want to be in my pack. I know we’re still a week and a half until the show is supposed to end, but I don’t want to draw it out that long. I’m ready.”
“I’m not surprised, given the footage I saw from Sunday. And there’s nothing for you to be embarrassed about,” she hurries to tell me when I duck my head, flushing. “I didn’t make it to the eighth week either because my heat decided to make an early appearance. I can’t and won’t tell you what you should do. If you’re sure of your decision, then we can hold a rose ceremony at any time. That was always an option, but there are a few things that we need to go over first.”
“Okay?”
Bree laughs. “It’s nothing bad. I would like you to speak with Finn before the ceremony. He’ll want to make sure you’re really ready for the decision you’re making, and it’s why we have him on staff.” She pauses, waiting until I nod before continuing, “If you bond with four alphas at once, it’s likely going to send you into heat early—Koda as well, even with the suppressants. Not only are you two bonded, but I’m fairly certain you’re an omega pair. Omegas in the same pack tend to sync heats eventually, but something tells me there won’t be an eventually with you two. Are you still experiencing breakthrough symptoms, Koda?”
He shrugs. “A few, but they haven’t been bad.”
“Maybe not, but they will be when she goes into heat. Yours may not hit immediately. It might hit a few days in and you’ll still be in heat when Evie is coming out of it.” She shrugs. “It’s hard to say for sure since there aren’t many accounts of two omegas in a pack anymore. I know Sophia’s and Chase’s heats have synced, but they were the only omega pair in existence until the two of you. There’s just so much we don’t know about any of it. And getting packs to admit to having more than one omega is like pulling teeth.”
“So we don’t know exactly what will happen.” I laugh. “That won’t stop me.”
Now, it’s Bree’s turn to laugh. “I didn’t think it would. Should I let Finn know you’ll be down to see him shortly?”
“Yes, please, and can we set up the ceremony for tonight? Really, for as soon as we can after I talk with Finn.”
Tessa chuckles, glancing at her watch. “Sweetheart, it’s already five o’clock. There aren’t many more hours left in the day.”
“I don’t care. I want to do it tonight. I just won’t have as long to get ready. Who cares what I look like?”
Lillian lifts a hand to my forehead. “Are you running a fever? Because I thought I just heard you say that it doesn’t matter what you look like. You always care what you look like.”
I shrug. “It doesn’t matter as much as claiming my pack as mine. While I’m talking to Finn, the three of you can pick out a dress for me. I’m sure Allison and Vivian can come up with a look that won’t take too much effort to match. I need to do this tonight.”
Tessa leans in, running her nose along my neck. “Shit, you’re going into heat really soon. No wonder you’re so insistent on doing this tonight. Don’t worry, omega, we’ll get it taken care of. You go have your chat with Finn, and we’ll make sure everything is ready for tonight.”
“Thank you.” Letting my eyes fall shut, I smile as I realize I never have to do everything myself ever again. I have a pack now, and they’ll always be there for me. Now I just have to convince Finn that I’m in my right mind so I can claim my pack. I can do that.
Within two hours, I’m standing outside of the ballroom with Koda, Lillian, and Tessa at my side. Reginald, Bree, and Finn stand across from us with smiles on their faces.
Finn had surprised me when I went down to talk to him. He’d only had two questions for me when I told him I was ready to choose my pack—was I sure and did I have any questions. I thought I would’ve had to convince him I was ready, but he just accepted that I knew. We did talk about the embarrassment I felt in the pool after I realized I announced to all of them that I loved them. He helped me understand why I felt that way, and some ways to deal with it if those kinds of feelings came up again.
“Are you ready?” Bree asks, and I nod. “Good. The suitors were very confused about why they had to get dressed up and go to the ballroom on a Wednesday at seven o’clock at night. They’re going a little crazy in there since they have no idea what’s going on. As requested, we took down the stage and the risers. They’re all gathered in the center of the room, just waiting for the four of you. Well, and Reginald, I guess.”
“I do have to do my host thing before you can claim them. Do you have the roses?”
Glancing at Tessa, she nods and holds up the box that she assures me holds five red roses. “Yup. We’re ready.”
Reginald grins, and it’s so different from the smile he uses on the show or in his movies. He’s genuinely happy for me. “Then congratulations, Evie. You’ve done it. You’ve found your pack. Tyler, Lucas, and the rest of the pack send their congratulations as well.”
“Make sure to thank them for me.” I roll my neck, letting the tension fall away. “Let’s do this.”
Finn and Bree open the doors for us, Reginald taking the lead, and the four of us trail behind him. The suitors are speaking quietly, but they fall silent when they notice us. We stop a few feet from them, in front of one of the cameras as Reginald faces it.
“Welcome back, viewers. We have a surprise for you tonight. It’s Wednesday in the seventh week, and Evangeline has requested a special rose ceremony. We’ve gathered the five remaining suitors—Ronan and Natalie from Pack Wells, Alejandro, Conrad, and Jagger. Now, I’ll turn this over to Evangeline.”
“Thank you, Reginald.” I’m smiling as I take his spot, but my eyes are on the suitors and not the camera. “First, I’d like to apologize for disappearing on the five—well, eight of you, really—after Sunday in the pool. I wasn’t embarrassed by what happened, but the truth that slipped from my lips. I wasn’t ready to admit that to myself, let alone the eight of you. With that being said, my pack talked some sense into me, and I didn’t want to wait another three days to do this.
“Natalie, there’s been a connection between the two of us from the beginning. Even when I wasn’t sure if I could trust you, it was still there. I should’ve known better than to ever deny that. Ronan, you’re an amazing alpha to Natalie, and I’ll admit I was envious of what the two of you shared when you first arrived. But now I know that’s just how you are. You love hard and with your whole heart, and I know you’ll love all of us like that if given the chance.
“Alejandro, I wasn’t sure what to expect with you. I watched season two, so I know how you came onto the show, but I also know what you did for Sophia and her pack. You grew while you were on the show, but I didn’t know which guy I’d be getting when you appeared. It turns out the answer is neither. You may have grown on the show, but you’ve grown so much more outside of it. You’re everything an omega could want in an alpha.
“Conrad, the gentle giant—at least when it comes to me and Koda. You’re not a man of many words, but that means I listen to the words you do speak. I heard you, Conrad, and I see you. You’re amazing, and any omega would be lucky to call you theirs. Then there’s Jagger. The man with the swagger. The man I’ve found it very hard not to call daddy on the regular because hot damn, you are certainly a silver fox—and I’ve never had a daddy kink a day in my life.”
Laughter fills the room and my smile only grows. “Every one of you is someone I want to be a part of my pack. That we want to be a part of our pack. I love all of you, and I hope you’ll choose to join us when we give you these roses.”
Tessa appears at my side, offering me two roses, and I smile when I see the other three members of my pack holding one each. Lillian and Koda offer theirs to Natalie and Ronan, while Tessa gives hers to Jagger. I step up to Alejandro and Conrad, my hands brushing theirs as they take their roses.
I step back with the rest of my pack and watch the suitors, waiting for any kind of reaction. Luckily, I don’t have to wait long.
“I told you!” Natalie yells, punching Ronan’s chest before running over to throw her arms around me. “Yes. Yes. A thousand times, yes.”
I laugh as I wrap my arms around her. “Shouldn’t you wait to hear what your alpha has to say?”
“If he’s stupid enough to say no, then fuck him.” She giggles. “But I know him well enough to know he’d never say no.”
“She’s right. Only an idiot would turn you and your pack down, and none of us are idiots.”
I can’t seem to stop smiling as hugs and kisses are shared between me, my bonded mates, and my soon-to-be bonded mates.
“Well, there you have it, viewers. Evangeline has chosen her pack, bringing the third season of Heated to a close. Make sure you tune in next season to watch another lucky omega find his or her pack.”
“Does this mean we can head to the nest now?” Koda asks, popping up beside me.
“Yes, horndog, that’s exactly what it means.” I laugh as he picks me up and starts running toward the door.
“Come on pack!!! It’s time to make this omega yours. Or, I guess, both of these omegas yours, if you’re interested.” Koda glances over his shoulder for just a moment before bolting from the ballroom toward my suite.
I laugh the entire way, especially when I see the alphas sprinting after us. “You’ve done it now, Koda. You’re leading them on a chase.”
“Oh, no,” he says, sarcasm thick in his tone. “What ever shall we do when they catch us?”
All I can do is keep laughing. This right here is exactly how I want to feel before bonding my pack. This love and joy is everything I hoped I would find. Now, I just need to claim what is mine.