35. Arden
Arden
“ I think our omega is going into heat,” I said as I walked into the kitchen. She was passed out on the bed upstairs while the guys prepared dinner.
Ford looked up and nodded. “We were just saying we thought the same thing. I’m not sure how she’s going to handle it, though. It doesn’t seem like heats are an easy topic. Especially right after that interview.”
“That’s likely what caused it,” Mason said. “She’s had stress after stress this week between interviews, her meeting with the mayor, and everything happening with Glenn.”
“That’s alright. We’ll help her through it, no matter what she needs,” I said, trying to ease their minds. We could handle this.
As her pack, we had to.
Mason nodded. “We’re officially a pack now. We’ve got her.”
“She won’t nest,” Cohen said with a sigh, “but I feel awful not having a specific space for this heat.”
“So, we make one,” Ford said as if it was that easy.
Maybe it was.
A nest didn’t have to be a small space, it could be whatever she needed. It was hers after all. I could even light a few of the candles Cohen had made of our blended scents for her.
“What about the family room?” I suggested. “We empty it out, push the couches into one corner, cozy it up, put somebody’s bed in there—or a couple beds—so we have a place to get her through it. Maybe a few of us can run to the store. We can also order some cozy rugs, extra blankets, extra pillows, the works. We’ll throw our stuff in there, too. Cozy, comfortable, but it’s a wide open space, right?”
“You know, when I first interviewed her, she talked about how she was worried that no pack would want her because she doesn’t nest. I don’t think we’re going to miss a thing,” I said.
Mason nodded in agreement. “Let’s do it. Our omega deserves her version of a nest,” he said. He was already dressed, so he put on his shoes and grabbed the keys. “Anybody coming with me?”
“Actually, I will,” Cohen said. “I think I’ve got a pretty good grip on her style, and she can always make it into something more later.”
Even if I didn’t admit it to them, I was still worried that she would freak out. We were essentially building her a nest, even if it was wide open. From what Hailey said, at the clinic she could barely sit on the cozy couches we had. I didn’t think my omega was averse to comfort, but I also didn’t want to trigger any trauma during a heat. She was already going to be vulnerable.
“Do we wake her up to eat?” Ford asked as he took over the rest of dinner prep.
“No,” I said. “Normally, we would during her heat, but right now I think she could use the rest to recover. We’ll feed her as soon as she’s up.”
“Okay, I’ll leave it in the oven to keep warm,” he said, turning it on low and sliding the skillet of fajitas and tortillas in. “We just went easy so it won’t ruin anything.”
“Good. I’m going to go ahead and put an order in for basic supplies.” I already had my phone out, tapping a grocery order and adding things in. “Any ideas?”
“Chocolate,” Cohen said. “I feel like chocolate is always necessary during heat. I would add some protein shakes in, because if we can’t get food down her, at least we can try those. They make some heat-specific protein shakes, too, that aren’t too bad.”
“That’s smart,” I praised, adding some to the cart. I hadn’t even thought of that. It was kind of nice having her other mates with different perspectives around. We balanced each other well.
Ford wasn’t all smiles and jokes. He had a caring side to him as well. I watched him with Cohen. He was a quiet dominant, allowing the beta to let go a bit. With her, he was sweet. I was curious to see how things continued to grow between them.
The sound of something hitting the floor had us both freezing. We shared a glance before racing up the stairs.
I didn’t expect to find Avery standing in the middle of the room, shaking, staring down at her phone like it had caught fire. But it was the voices coming out of the phone that sent icy fury through my veins.
“How dare you try to ruin our reputation with these drastic lies? You know damn well we never did any of this shit they’re accusing us of. You wanted everything we did to you. Fuck, you begged for it. How could you do this to us, Avery? Ruining our lives just because we cheated on you? Maybe if you were omega enough, that never would have happened.”
Ford grabbed the phone, stopping the voicemail before it could keep repeating. I pulled Avery into my arms, holding her tight.
“Avery, don’t you dare listen to that bullshit,” I said. “Those are desperate men facing the consequences of their actions. This is the first time in their pathetic lives that they’re going to face reality, and it’s going to be swift and harsh.”
“I… I…” she stuttered, trying to form words, her hand still shaking violently. Ford didn’t hesitate to crush her between us, both of us trying to rein in her fear and reassure her that she had nothing to worry about.
The mixed emotions in the bond had us desperate to calm the rising tide of worry and disgust.
“I’m blocking the number that they’ve tried to call you on. In fact, we’re going to get you a new number very soon.”
“That’s go-” Her words cut off as Avery gasped in pain, curling in on herself. “I think you’re right, Arden. I think I’m going into heat.”
If she wasn’t before, the stress of the phone call was enough to fully kick it in. “I’m so fucking scared. I don’t want to black out.”
“I promise you, you’re not going to black out. I’ve done plenty of classes on this. That’s not something that happens naturally,” I reassured her. “Just like yesterday when your mind was a little foggy and you kind of got lost in the moment, that’s what it’s like. There will be moments of lucidity and moments of just pure pleasure, and that’s fine. We’re going to take care of you through it all.”
“I don’t want to nest,” she said, clutching me in a tight grip. Her eyes were wide and desperate, almost feral.
I didn’t protest, just rubbed soothing circles over her back while Ford smoothed back her hair.
“And you don’t have to,” Ford said. “We’re going to set up a comfortable spot in the den. It’ll be wide open, plenty of space—not a nest, just a place for us all to ride this out, okay?”
“Not a nest?” she repeated back, her voice still quivering in a way that broke my heart.
Fuck them for taking away something so instinctual to an omega.
They never deserved her, and I couldn’t wait to see Lance humble them. In fact, the first moment I had, I’d be forwarding that voicemail right to him. Yet another thing to add to her case.
“Come on, Avery, let’s go get something to eat,” I urged.
She nodded numbly and followed us downstairs. Ford fixed her a plate before sitting down and pulling her into his lap. He fed her bites and continued to whisper reassurance at her, trying to convince her everything would be fine.
I just wish she could believe us.
While she was distracted, I slipped away to send a message to Lance. He needed to know she’d be out of touch for a few days and I wanted to give him a warning about the voicemail.
His response was immediate.
Lance: Thank you. Sending this venom on to the other lawyers. Take care of her.
Arden: We already are. She’s safe with us.
Lance: Good.
With that, I tossed my phone aside, knowing there was nothing else I’d need. All I wanted was to be with my omega.
As I stepped into the room, I was hit with a strong scent of cranberries, fig, and warm spices. It was so strong that I could practically drink it out of the air. My cock hardened and I had to take a breath to steady myself.
Avery was no longer in pre-heat, she was in heat. She shoved the plate away and turned clumsily in Ford’s arms, devouring his mouth. Her eyes were unfocused, pure instinct driving her now.
Knowing what she needed, I didn’t hesitate to help her out of her sleep shorts. She was so wet that slick was dripping down her thighs.
The scent of her slick was so fucking sweet that I had to hold my breath so I didn’t go into a rut myself. My alpha wanted her again already, needed to feel her wet heat wrapped around our knot.
Ford shoved his own sweatpants down and she sank right onto him. My eyes were locked on her ass as she rode him, not even realizing that I’d shoved my own pants down until I was pumping my cock.
She glanced behind her as if she could sense it, her mouth opening in a silent demand. Fuck, she was perfect.
I moved around the table, not caring about boundaries as I half-stood on the bench seat and lined myself up with her waiting lips.
The feel of her mouth on me nearly broke me. I could feel her raw desire in our bond, mixing with my own. I’d never been so turned on, so focused on one person in my life. I knew heats affected alphas, but this was intense.
Avery was needy for us, whimpering as she swallowed me down. I tried to be gentle and not rut her throat, but I couldn’t hold back completely. I fucked my omega’s mouth in desperation, coming down her throat embarrassingly quickly.
The door slammed closed and the other two walked in just as I pulled away. Ford was still fucking her, making eye contact with Cohen as his fingers pressed into her sensitive clit, sending her into a screaming orgasm.
Our omega was vocal and I fucking loved it.
“Shit, I guess it hit,” Cohen said, voice husky but slightly panicked. “We have to get this stuff set up still.”
“She’ll pass out soon,” I reassured him. “Go set up the couches so she can rest.”
They both nodded and rushed off as Ford cursed, holding her close as he came, tongue running over the claiming mark on her neck. It was fresh enough that I felt the quiver of white-hot pleasure rush through the bond.
This was about to be a long, amazing week.
Avery
I woke from my nap but the fog didn’t quite lift. My body ached, my pussy was dripping and desperate for a knot, but something was off.
The guys were talking across the room but it wasn’t them I needed just yet, it was their scents.
Forcing myself up, I stumbled over to them, gripping their shirts and pulling them off one by one.
“It’s okay, you can have them,” Arden reassured me.
“We’ve got a stack of our stuff waiting for you already, just in case, baby,” Mason reassured me, pulling me over to a basket full of their mixed things. I wanted to dive into it head first, breathe it in, but I wanted it with me the entire heat.
Grabbing the whole basket, I walked over to the bed they’d moved in here and dumped it on top. I took care arranging them into a layer, the items covering every inch of the blanket until I was satisfied.
“Better?” Cohen asked as he walked up, massaging my shoulders.
“Yes,” I agreed, before I froze again. He didn’t stop trying to relax me.
“Don’t freak out. Look around, Avery. Not a nest, just home.”
“Home,” I repeated the word, testing it out as I glanced at the changes in the room. The couch I was sleeping on was covered in blankets and pillows. Almost too cozy but my omega was in heaven.
The walls were not closing in on me here, the room was big and airy, the large windows adding sunshine to the mix, brightening everything through the sheer curtains that they’d added.
My pack thought of everything.
“We need a big bean bag in here, one of those enormous ones we can cuddle on,” I said, testing out how much I liked the room. No panic took over again, I just felt… happy.
They loved me and were making sure that I had what I needed, even when I wasn’t sure how to give it to myself.
The voicemail was the furthest thing from my mind now. My mates were here, I was safe, and I couldn’t even freak out about a heat when I had them watching over me.