4. Apollo
I’d never actually been through a heat with an omega before. I was completely unequipped for this. But the moment our alpha had her satisfied and passed out, I jumped into the shower, grabbed my keys, and headed out.
We needed supplies, and we needed them fast.
We’d taken care of her all night, but now that it was early morning, it was time to make sure we were taking care of her the way she needed.
Our pack had to do right by this omega. She deserved it and so much more.
My head was a mess. I couldn’t believe we’d ended up with a scent-match. Her buttery-warm caramel scent mixed with toasted almonds was still clinging to me, and even the faintest trace of it was driving me insane.
Shopping with a hard-on was not ideal… but what choice did I have?
The only thing I really knew about heat was that they couldn’t eat much, but electrolytes were a must. So, that’s where I started, loading up my cart with enough drinks to last us a week.
My eyes landed on an older omega further down the aisle, and relief washed through me.
I made enough noise pushing my cart toward her that she turned around, clutching her purse in her hand like she was ready to swing it, eyes narrowed.
“You rush a lady like that and you’ll end up knocked on your ass,” Dolly warned. “Did you take care of my girl?”
“Actually… she went into heat. She asked us to help her through it.” I ran a hand through my hair. “I don’t have contact info for anyone important to her. I know she works in town, but she was vague about everything.”
“Oh, I can let them know,” she said immediately before she froze, eyes narrowing. “Wait. You’re telling me she specifically asked you boys to help her through this?”
“Actually, it took some convincing. She was reluctant at first, but it was too late for the heat clinic. She was coherent when she agreed.”
“Sounds like my girl,” she said proudly.
She eyed the items in my cart and raised her brows as if to ask me if that was all I was buying.
“Look, I’m doing the best I can,” I admitted. “I’m not sure what to buy her. We have no clue what she likes outside of her drink order. What if she’s allergic to something? Hell, I don’t even know her favorite flavor of anything.”
I was panicking now but Dolly just rolled her eyes and smacked me once with her purse to shake me out of it.
“Ouch,” I protested, but she was already moving.
“Oh, hold on,” she said with a huff. She dug in her purse and pulled out her phone, putting it on speaker without hesitation. I had a feeling she was usually one of those unapologetically loud grandmas that didn’t care who she bothered.
The phone rang a few times before a woman picked up.
“Oh hey, Dolly,” a female voice greeted.
“Taryn, I might’ve sent Bea into some firemens’ arms last night. Apparently, she went into heat. She’s agreed to do her heat with them, but this poor beta is in the grocery store not knowing if she’s allergic to anything or what she likes. He is a hot mess.”
There was no denying it. I absolutely was.
“Hold on. She agreed to let them help her through the heat?” Taryn asked, her voice conflicted between worry and excitement.
“That’s what he says. Talk, boy,” Dolly ordered when I was quiet for a little too long.
“She wasn’t thrilled about going into heat, but it was already too far gone by the time we realized. She asked us to help, or rather, we asked if she wanted our help, and it took her a while to say yes. It was fully consensual, she was just reluctant.”
“Sounds like her,” Dolly laughed. “She’s a tough nut to crack. But worth it.”
Apparently, that was enough reassurance for both Taryn and Dolly.
“Oh, I’m so never letting her live this down,” Taryn giggled. “I’ll be there in five to help.”
“You can find us in the drink aisle,” Dolly said before hanging up.
“Thank you,” I said, honestly grateful that she was stepping in to help.
“I always take care of my girls,” she replied firmly.
True to her word, five minutes later a blonde omega rushed in with an alpha beside her. He was tall and covered in tattoos, with dark hair, a leather jacket, and a grin wide enough to make him look harmless.
“Alright, fireman. What’s your name?” Taryn demanded.
“Apollo.”
“Great. Apollo, this is Ash, my alpha. Let’s get started. You need to get back to my bestie.”
And just like that, she hijacked my cart, barking orders like a drill sergeant. Ash was sent to frozen foods while I was told to grab ready-made meals.
Dolly and Taryn unloaded everything I’d picked out and replaced it with what Bea would actually want.
I was stunned. Overwhelmed. Ridiculously relieved. And most of all, grateful. This was the sense of community that I loved about Willow Lake.
There was so much riding on this heat. She depended on us to keep her safe and comfortable, and thanks to her friends, we could actually do that.
It might earn us a point in our favor. Something to convince her to give us a chance when it was over.
When we regrouped, the cart was overflowing. I didn’t care. I’d buy everything twice over if it meant taking care of her properly.
“That should be everything she needs,” Taryn said. She dug in her bag, scribbled on a piece of paper, and handed it over. “This is my number, and the store where we work. Call if she needs anything.”
“I definitely will. Thank you. This means the world. We just want to do right by her.”
Taryn’s expression softened. “She could use a good pack in her life. Just go easy on her, okay? She’s not going to give in quietly.”
“We will,” I promised.
I started to walk away, but she stopped me.
“Oh, and Apollo?” She waited until I turned to face her again to continue. “If you hurt her, I will castrate you with a dull, rusty knife.”
“What is with everyone in her life threatening us with bodily harm?” I muttered. “We’re good guys. I promise.”
Ash snorted. “Most guys who say they’re ‘good guys’ aren’t. Let’s hope you really are.”
I had no idea how to respond to that, so I just nodded and hurried off to the register.
Thankfully, the cashier was fast. I was out in ten minutes. My mind was strangely calm now as I loaded up the car and headed back to the pack house.
Outside, everything seemed peaceful. The moment I parked in the garage and opened the door, I was slammed with a wall of caramel and toasted almonds. Her scent was so strong even out here that I knew the second I stepped inside, I’d drown in it.
“Keep your head, Apollo. You’ve got this,” I muttered, giving myself a pep talk before opening the trunk.
It only took a few minutes to get everything inside and put away. The sounds of my pack making our girl feel good echoed through the house. It was pure fucking torture.
Ezra stumbled out a few minutes later, hair sticking up, skin pale, but wearing the dopiest smile imaginable.
“Thanks for doing this,” he said, immediately making a drink and a snack. “Here, why don’t you take this to her.”
He set the plate on the island.
“I’ll start breakfast so she has something warm soon. Even if she barely eats, something is better than nothing.”
“How’s she doing? And how’s our alpha holding up?”
Corvin had always told us that one alpha could handle heat. He’d prepared for it, insisted he’d manage whatever he had to. Corvin had integrity, but I worried he’d burn himself out.
If she let us stay in her life, let us share her heats in the future, we’d have to get toys for Ezra and I to help keep her sated.
But I couldn’t think that far ahead. Not when she was adamant this entire encounter was no-strings-attached.
We’d agreed… because she wasn’t a scent-match then.
Now that I’d breathed her scent and tasted her, there was no universe where I could just walk away.
Still… it wasn’t my choice.
It was hers.
I had a feeling she was the kind of girl who stuck to her guns.
“He’s doing fine, but we need to keep her occupied in between. You’re up,” he said, pushing the plate closer.
“Thanks, Ezra,” I said, picking up the electrolyte drink and fruit platter that he prepared for her before heading into the room.
Corvin and Bea were both sitting up. The omega was on his lap, locked with his knot, rocking her hips slowly, but neither one of them seemed in much of a hurry.
Her body was slumped over him, head resting on his chest. She was exhausted. I had to get her energy up. The need to take care of her was so strong it pushed me forward.
“Hey, omega, how are we feeling?” I asked, as I sat down next to them. Her eyes fluttered open and a soft smile curled her lips. “Can you take a drink for me?”
I put the straw to her lips and she obediently opened and closed around it. She took a small swallow, then another, finally drinking it down until it was empty.
“Good job,” I praised, her smile brightening even as she barely moved.
I sat the drink aside and picked up a piece of fruit, offering it to her.
Even in her heat, she eyed it for a second before opening her mouth.
“Don’t worry, your friends made sure I got only things you like,” I promised her as I popped a strawberry past her lips.
She closed them around my fingers, her tongue swirling over me to get every drop of strawberry juice before pulling back.
From the satisfied smirk on her face, the omega was being playful now, and she did that on purpose.
“Oh, our omega likes to play,” I teased. She hummed happily, opening her mouth again for another bite.
I picked up a grape this time and she did the same thing, teasing my fingers and making my cock ache for her.
I was so focused on filling her stomach that I didn’t notice that Corvin’s knot had let her go. Not until the omega was scrambling towards me. I barely had time to set aside the fruit before catching her in my arms.
She nuzzled into me, scent marking my cheek and neck, her fingers roaming over the muscles on my abdomen that she seemed to like so much.
It made every grueling hour of training worth it to see her reaction last night.
She continued to nuzzle her way down my body, her cheek running over my abs, and then down until she found what she was looking for.
Her tongue darted out, licking up and down my aching cock before finally wrapping her lips around it.
Her mouth was searing hot, but I didn’t complain, watching breathlessly as she swallowed me down over and over again. She was feral right now, as hungry for me as I was for her.
I let her have her fill for a moment, but I was not about to come down her throat again.
Both Ezra and Corvin at this point had gotten to feel her wrapped around their cocks, and I wanted the same.
The moment heat started to pool low in my stomach, I gently stopped her, pulling her off of me. Bea fought against me for a moment, so lost that she was ready to fight me for it, but I wasn’t going to let her win this time.
Putting my muscles to good use, I spread her out on the mattress. That was enough to have the fight draining away.
Then I was sinking into a glorious, wet heat. I had never felt anything so incredible in my life. She was burning hot and so fucking tight, her scent bursting in the air as I filled her.
I might only be a beta, but my instincts were riding me so hard that I barely had the ability to think.
My hands were roaming over her in soothing circles, working my way up until I found her breasts.
They were full and soft in my palms, and I couldn’t help but taste them, dipping my head down and sucking one peaked nipple into my mouth. Her scent was so strong here that my body reacted, nose pressing against her soft skin and breathing in deep.
Fuck, she smelled like mine. I wanted to breathe this in every day for the rest of my fucking life.
Bea’s moans were so loud now that it was all I could hear. She was consuming every sense I had and I was happy to drown in her.
This heat was just getting started, but I was already so gone for this girl it wasn’t even funny.
When she came, I was forced to follow her. She was milking my cock so perfectly that I couldn’t resist her pull.
There was a deep primal satisfaction in filling her with my cum during a heat. Even though I, logically, knew that she had birth control, a part of me reveled in the idea of putting a baby in her.
Holy fuck. That was not the kind of thought I should be having a day after meeting her.
This heat was making us all lose our minds.
All the energy drained out of Bea as her orgasm subsided. She pulled me down, and I rolled us over, the omega immediately tucking herself into my chest and breathing in deep. The sweet, soft sigh that fell from her lips afterwards had me pressing a kiss to her forehead.
I wanted to show our omega all the soft things in life I had a feeling she had yet to experience. I’d love to spend every day making her feel precious and cared for and loved.
I had a feeling that wouldn’t happen without a fight.
Good thing firefighters were built for battle.