2. Cole
Chapter 2
Cole
“Captain, we have a situation,” Ali, one of the flight attendants, says over the private intercom in the cockpit.
“What’s the issue?” Brock asks over the coms.
He just wants to the get the fuck home, back to his pack. Meanwhile, I have this job because I was bored and needed some separation from mine. We’re listless and flailing, we can't seem to agree on shit. At this point it feels like we’re living separate lives and just see each other casually when we’re all home. I’m not sure if we’re going to make it. I know my brother will stick by my side, but Jonah? I’m not sure how much longer he’ll put up with us dragging our feet.
“Um. You know how there’s a solo Omega on board?” she says, and I glance over at Brock, his jaw tightening.
“Yes.”
“I fear she’s gone into heat and locked herself in the bathroom. A few Alphas on board are getting a little uncomfortable in their seats.”
“For fuck’s sake,” Brock says.
This is the worst case scenario, and why there has been a major push lately for more legislation on un-bonded or solo Omega travel.
“I’ll handle it,” I say, knowing that Brock has an Omega waiting at home, and smelling like this rogue one after a flight is just going to piss her off as soon as we land.
I grab the intercom and speak to the entire plane.
“Everyone is to take their seats immediately. Please buckle your seatbelts and close your tray tables, we’re about to hit some turbulence,” I say, which is a lie. But nothing gets people's asses in their seats quicker than some turbulence.
I give Brock a nod, and he might adjust the plane ever so slightly to give some semblance of a bumpy ride.
The flight attendants voice takes over the cockpit again. “Everyone is seated, sir. Attendant A and D are stationed and prepared for you to leave the cockpit.”
I unbuckle my belt and unlock the cockpit, it shuts behind me as me and the flight attendant switch spots. I flatten down my tie, nodding to the flight attendants guarding the cockpit, and make the trek to the back of the plane. I get a lot of confused looks as I make my way down the aisle. There's a cacophony of Alpha scents, but the further back I get I can scent her clear as day.
Lemon pound cake.
My mouth waters and I shake my head as I reach the back galley right next to the bathroom.
“Seriously, they get everything, at least let us do our job in peace,” one of the women says.
“I swear if we have to do a reroute I’m going to lose my shit. I’m supposed to be meeting Matthew tonight.”
“Ladies,” I say, interrupting their complaining as I glance at the lav door.
They both still and suddenly act professional again.
“She won’t come out, some of the Alphas are ornery. What do we do?” they ask.
We could re-route, stop at another airport and get the poor Omega off the plane and then continue the trip. The situation qualifies as a medical emergency.
I pull the curtain and direct them to place the beverage cart in the aisle before knocking on the door.
“This is Captain Mackardy, can you unlock the door so we can speak?” I ask softly.
There’s some banging around in the lavatory and when I glance at the flight attendant, she’s rolling her eyes in frustration.
I get it. I really do.
In the air is the worst possible time for something like this to happen. But how else is she supposed to get across the country if she isn’t bonded?
“Miss. I’m going to need to speak to you or else I’m going to need to deem this a medical emergency and do an emergency landing.”
“Just you?” the small voice says on the other side of the door.
“Just me,” I reply.
The door crinkles open quickly as she grabs me by the wrist and tugs me into the bathroom.
In here together, we barely fit, I have to place a hand on the ceiling so I don’t fall over her. She slips a hand past my waist and locks the door.
Thanks to her scent, the only thing it smells like in here is lemon pound cake covered in vanilla icing.
She looks like she’s been tugging on her long brown wavy hair as her big brown eyes meet mine.
“Please…please don’t land the plane. I…”
Then tears trickle down her face. It’s pure instinct as I grab her face, her skin is soft and her eyes lock in with mine.
“You don’t have a pack?”
“No…They didn’t want me. That’s…That’s why I’m going back home.”
Fuck. She looks sad, small, and vulnerable.
“Honey, you can’t hide out in the bathroom the entire flight. It isn’t safe.”
It feels like some sort of Alpha demon has taken over my body as I touch her and all these sweet words slip out of my mouth. What the fuck is happening to me?
“Is there anything on board to medically sedate me?” she asks and my mouth gapes as I stare at her.
She’d really do that, put herself through that pain and numbness so that we make it to Philadelphia—it’s that important to her.
Maybe I’m naive, maybe it’s my Alpha need to protect her when it seems like no one else on this flight wants to, maybe I’m actually possessed by some caring kind demon. Whatever it is, I without a doubt want to get her back home and make sure she’s safe.
“What’s your name?” I ask, my thumb involuntarily rubbing the side of her face.
“Shiloh,” she whispers.
Pretty. The thought has me clearing my throat, which just makes me inhale her scent even more. Which in correlation makes me lose more brain cells, apparently.
“I’m Cole. I’m going to get you home. Now, do you have anything you can take to help with your scent? Anything that might stall your heat for the next few hours.”
“My suitcase is in the overhead bin. It’s the pink one with flowers.”
I still haven’t let go of her face, and she hasn’t asked me to stop and I’m not sure how to handle the fact that I don’t want to. Something has definitely taken control of my body.
Hasn’t this been my pack's entire problem? I haven’t connected to any of the Omegas Jonah has tried to set up dates with?
“I’m going to go get your bag. You’re going to take the medication and then you’re coming to the cockpit with me.”
Her eyes widen. “Who’s flying the plane right now?”
“My co-captain.” I smile. “Even though right now it’s practically flying itself.”
“Will…he be okay with that?”
I shrug, Brock will get over it, or he can leave the cockpit if he needs to. But there’s no way I’m going to leave her in this bathroom for nearly five hours. No fucking way.
“Stay right here, I’ll be right back.”
My hands drop from her face and she grabs my white sleeve tight in her fist. Her nails are perfectly manicured, her clothes look high end. I’m trying not to read too far into what’s going on right now, but her not having a pack makes no sense. Maybe she comes from a wealthy family?
She whines and then lets go of my sleeve, balling her fist and wrapping her hands around her waist.
“Sorry.”
“I’ll be right back. Lock the door behind me.”
I have to work hard to turn around and unlock the door and shove myself out before pushing it shut.
The flight attendants look at me with wide eyes.
“You’re taking her to the cockpit?”
“Unless you ladies want to make an emergency landing, who knows how long we’ll be sitting on the tarmac.”
They both pale, hating the idea, knowing they don’t want ground delay pay and they have shit to do.
“Can one of you grab her carry-on?”
“Of course, captain,” the blonde one says, moving the beverage cart and going down the aisle. I’m sure she’s getting glares, but she comes back quickly, shutting the overhead compartment and hands me her bag.
I place it on the ground and I’m immediately hit with the scent of an Alpha. Was she lying to me? And most importantly, why does smelling another Alpha on her stuff piss me off so much?
I grab her bag of medications and ignore all the other products in the suitcase to the best of my ability and zip it back up.
“Put this in our overhead bin when you have a moment please,” I tell the attendants before grabbing a bottle of water from the cart and knocking back on the bathroom door. “Shiloh, it’s Cole.”
She opens the door and I sneak back in, handing her the bag of medication. She places them on the counter and with shaky hands she attempts to read each bottle.
“Your bag smelled like an Alpha,” I tell her, because if she’s lying to me, I’ll redirect this bus right now.
“Dickhead TSA agent,” she says, squinting, trying her best to focus.
“Would it be better if you told me what you needed and I fished them out?”
She nods, dropping the pill bottles and pressing her back against the wall. Shiloh licks her lips as she searches my face.
“The scent blockers and the suppressant, though they won’t work fully. Just hopefully enough before the flight is over,” she says softly.
I dig through the bag, not mentioning the sleeping pills, or the other medications, that’s none of my business.
I open the pill bottles and hand her the water. She takes them both quickly and then drinks even more of the water. Her slender neck shifts with each swallow, before she places it on the counter.
“It’s going to take a little bit to kick in…I can stay in here?—”
“We’ll wait.”
“You don’t?—”
“I’ll do what I want,” I tell her and she bites her lip with a smile. Her nose scrunches and she sighs, resting the back of her head against the wall as we share the small space.
“You smell nice,” she says.
I clear my throat. “So do you.”
“You can’t say shit like that to me right now,” she says, not opening her eyes.
“Drink more water,” I tell her and she doesn’t even question it, just drinks more water.
This is fucked up, Cole.
All the Omegas Jonah tried to set us up with, I wasn’t feeling it, none of them felt right. But as I stand cramped in this small ass bathroom inhaling lemon pound cake, I can’t help but to feel it’s kismet.
I even feel like Mack would even be interested. He’s shy around people, but she seems rather shy too.
I’m getting way ahead of myself.
Her eyes are closed as she rests her head against the wall in the cramped space, waiting for her medication to kick in, not that I think it’s going to do much.
“So, Philly is home?” I ask.
Partially because it’s also where I live, and I’m not sure what else to talk about right now. And maybe, just maybe I’m trying to figure out as much as I can before she’s fully in heat, which hopefully is after we land this fucking plane.
“Yes. I was out in LA for two years, thought I was with the right pack, you know? Turns out that wasn’t the case. I’m probably going into heat because I left them and I’ve been fucking stressed and I have no clue what I’m going to do,” she says, tears running down her face.
She uses the sleeves of her sweater to wipe her eyes.
“Sorry. I don’t mean to trauma dump on you.”
I shake my head, and do my best to not touch her. I know right now that’s the last thing she needs, at least till her meds kick in.
“No, it’s important. We should probably talk about what’s going to happen when we land, what your wishes are.”
She blinks at me, wiping her face again, and smacking the back of her head a little too hard against the wall.
“I lied before,” she says and my heart sinks.
She has a pack, of course she does. But they’re fucking assholes if they let her travel alone. She grimaces at my expression and waves her hand. “About being sedated. I…I don’t really want that. It hurts,” she says, looking away from me. “Then there’s the idea of strangers.”
Shiloh’s tears flow freely at that point and every instinct has me wrapping my arms around her and bringing her in for a hug. My chest purring with an involuntary rumble as her tears stain my crisp white shirt. I’d try to blame the purring on whatever entity took over my body, but I can’t, this feels too nice.
I’m probably going to lose my job for this, but I don’t really care. I don’t need it. It’s all been in an attempt to get out of the house and some separation from the tension within my pack.
Fuck it.
“I have a pack. We could help you,” I say, offering my packmates up to this sweet Omega who has clearly cast a spell or some shit on me.
She pulls back, her big doe eyes blinking at me as a wave of sweet lemon hits me almost as hard as my current erection.