Chapter 38 Calder
THIRTY-EIGHT
Calder
I vault down the stairs, catching myself before I fall. Why can’t my legs move as fast as my fingers can fly over a keyboard? I race across the hallway, skidding across the shiny, wooden floor before stumbling outside.
“Code red!” I wave my arms in the air like I’m trying to land a plane. “Code RED!”
“What is it this time?” Leaning casually against Janice like he doesn’t have a care in the world, Ezra looks up from his phone. “Another story broke that you didn’t get the scoop on first? I haven’t seen you this riled up since Kady stole your car.”
“Hale!” I roar, pretending I didn’t hear him.
There’s no time for Ezra’s bullshit right now. Every second we’re out here is time we’re away from our omega when she needs us. My alpha instincts have kicked into high gear.
An unsuspecting Hale sits behind the wheel, fiddling around with Janice’s radio, trying to tune into a clear channel. He rolls down the window and pokes his head out to peer at me. “What’s up, man?”
“This is a code red!” I repeat.
“It would help if you told us what ‘code red’ actually stood for,” Ezra chimes in.
“This isn’t a joke, smart ass.” I’m practically vibrating with impatience. “Kady’s gone into heat!”
That makes the smug smirk fall off his face. If this wasn’t a serious situation, I’d enjoy it a whole lot more.
“W-w-what?” Ezra stares back at the house with a slack mouth. “Now?”
“Yes, now!” I motion to the cabin. “Why else do you think I’m out here?”
Hale’s already out of the car, slamming the door behind him. “Where’s Riven?”
“He’s with her now.” I tunnel a hand through my hair while I rock back-and-forth on my heels, wishing they’d all hurry the fuck up. “He helped her.”
“Riven helped her?” Ezra’s already rushing for the door. “You mean, he lost his V-card to an omega during heat?”
“Is he okay?” Hale turns and grips my bicep. “Is she okay?”
“They’re both fine,” I reply as he loosens his grip. “More than fine actually, judging by the look on Riven’s face when I walked into his room. But Kady needs to move to the nest. Somehow, I don’t think being surrounded by algebra books is going to cut it.”
Now inside, Hale comes to an abrupt stop and scrubs his hand over his stubbled chin. “We need to make sure everything’s ready.”
At least someone seems to understand the seriousness of this situation!
“And we need more food.” I blow out the heavy-feeling air from my lungs. Lots of food. We don’t even know what kind of food Kady prefers. I know she enjoyed donuts at the fair, and if she’s like most omegas, she’s likely to have a sweet tooth. But Kady isn’t like most omegas. Goddammit!
Hale’s steady hand on my shoulder provides me with a wave of temporary calm, stopping my mind from spiraling further. “It’ll be fine, Cal. We’ll get through it.”
Beneath his words, I detect a hint of nerves in his voice, like he’s also trying to reassure himself. Being with an omega during heat is intense, and this will be our first time supporting Kady as a pack. We can’t fuck this up.
I nod like a sergeant and repeat, “We’ll get through it.”
Hale turns his attention to Ezra. “Can you drive to the store to pick up what we may need?”
“Me?” Ezra gasps. “Why me? I don’t want to leave her.”
“She’ll be fine with all of us here. Besides,” Hale casts a nervous look at me, “I don’t know if Calder is fit to be driving right now.”
Usually, I’d argue when someone questions my capabilities, but he makes a good point.
“Fine.” Ezra holds out his palm, curling his fingers around the keys as soon as Hale gives them to him. “But I’ll be quick.”
From the ground, a yowl sounds from inside the cat carrier. In all the commotion, we’d completely forgotten about Larry, who was waiting to be set on someone’s lap for the journey. He pushes his little paw through the bar as if he wants to remind us of his existence.
“You’ll need to get him some cat food too,” I call after Ezra as he jumps into the driver’s seat. “The expensive stuff.”
Only the best for our Larry. Hale scoops up the carrier as Janice’s wheels rattle away.
As soon as we step over the threshold, it’s as if Kady’s scent has infiltrated every square inch of the cabin, wafting down from upstairs.
My chest constricts, and I nearly drool in response.
She always smells delicious, but her sweet scent has intensified, the vanilla notes amplified.
An omega during heat is supposed to smell divine, but Kady smells like home.
A concoction that’s perfectly blended and made for us.
“Looks like you’re staying here for a few more days, little buddy.” Hale frees Larry from his carrier prison. He scampers off, retreating to his favorite corner of the sofa to ogle passing birds from the window.
I clear my throat. “What now?”
“We should get the nest ready.” Judging by the erection straining against his pants, he’s also struggling to contain his arousal caused by her smell alone. “We need to make sure she’s comfortable.”
Although we’ve never had group sex as a pack before, it comes with the territory of being an alpha and it’s how our designation has evolved over time.
Historically, the main reason alphas even form packs is because the ratio of omegas to alphas is so low.
The packs of our ancestors stopped wars and fights that used to break out, making society a much more civil place.
“Yes, of course.” I’m struggling to think straight. I don’t think I’ve ever been so horny in all my life. “The nest.”
I hear Kady and Riven’s faint voices above us.
Are they still locked together? How soon will she need another knot?
Will it be mine? My balls tighten, ready to go as soon as she needs me.
As much as I want to rip her out of Riven’s arms and rut into her right now, I have to gather myself.
I take a steadying breath and silently count back from ten.
Control is usually my specialty, but it seems that being near my scent match during heat is the key to making me unravel.
Once upstairs, instead of heading straight to the nest, Hale heads into Ezra’s room.
“What’re you doing?” I ask.
“Finding something with each of our scents on it.” He wrinkles his nose after picking up and sniffing a rogue sock lying on the floor. “Mom told me it’s important for omegas to feel safe, and our scents should help.”
“Good idea.”
Why didn’t I think of that?
“Maybe dirty socks are too much, though.” Hale opts for one of Ezra’s scarves instead. He brings it to his nose, inhaling. “Much better.”
“I can’t believe this is really happening.” I grab one of my T-shirts and Hale turns toward his room to grab something that smells like him. “Do you think we’re ready for this?”
I rarely voice any insecurity, but Hale’s a good listener and doesn’t judge. Last night when I slept with Kady, it was different. Then, I was in control. However, heat is a completely different ball game. What if we’re not enough for her?
Being as young as we are, finding an omega was never on our immediate to-do list. Naturally, we made sure we had a nest, like any self-respecting pack would do, but it was more of a backup measure.
“We have to be,” Hale says with a quiet confidence, grabbing his pillow. “She needs us.”
I follow him down the hall, stopping when he pauses at the nest entrance. “We’ll wait here until she’s ready. This is her space now.”
I clutch onto my dirty T-shirt and wait, shifting my weight from foot to foot. Not being with her right now is driving me crazy.
“Do you think Riven is okay?” Hale eventually breaks the silence. “It must be a lot for him to process.”
“If you saw his face, you wouldn’t be asking that question.” I smirk. “He looked happier than Larry when he got hold of the last of your mom’s muffins.”
“Hale? Calder?” My head snaps around at the sound of Kady’s voice. “Is that you?”
Fuck. Just hearing her voice is enough to make my cock twitch with longing. I glance down the hall as Riven’s door is pushed open, and she emerges like some ethereal spirit with Riven’s blanket wrapped around her. Behind her, Riven hovers, wearing only a pair of boxers and a blissful smile.
“How’re you feeling, beautiful?” Hale asks.
“Better.” She grins up at Riven, whose cheeks flush in response. “Much better.” She plays with the blanket. “But I can already feel another wave approaching. This is definitely not a spike.”
“Don’t worry, we’ve got you.” Hale rubs her back . “Do you want to move to your nest and get it ready?”
Her eyes light up before she nods solemnly. An omega’s nest is serious business. “Yes.” She looks down at the clothes in my hands. “Are those yours?”
“Hale thought you may like having our scents in the nest.” I hold up my shirt. “If you don’t want them, I’ll—”
“No.” She snatches the T-shirt from me so quickly that it moves in a quick blur. “I mean, that’d be nice.”
The grin that spreads over my face must look ridiculous, but I can’t help it. Kady Sinclair, the sassy ice queen, just admitted that it’d be nice to be snuggled up among my dirty laundry. I don’t think I’ve ever felt prouder.
“This is your nest now.” Hale motions through the doorway. “Your sacred place. You should go inside first. Make sure it’s all to your liking.”
She shuffles in, turning back when none of us follow her. “What are you waiting for?”
“We need your permission to come inside,” Hale replies. “This is your nest now, Kady.”
“Well, you have my official permission,” she declares, waving her hand casually.
I take a deep breath and nervously glance at Hale. The look in his eyes tells me I’ve got this. Coming into this room wasn’t a big deal before, but knowing it’s now Kady’s—our omega’s—nest changes everything.
I watch her every move as her blue eyes flit over the room.
“Would you like me to change the lighting?” I point to the panel on the wall.
“Can you make it a little warmer in tone and dimmer?”