Chapter 4
This week has been the best week I can remember us having in years.
We've been crashing in Clarke's parents' poolhouse again, and even though it means we've had to put on our calm faces and pretend his mum—sorry, his mom—isn't terrifying, it's still been the best week we've had in forever.
Zeke's finally letting James work on his back again.
I got to hang out with Zeke's baby brother and his tiny nephew, who thinks the peak of comedy is when I call him 'our little nibling' and blow raspberries on his belly while I pretend to nibble him.
And Allen almost seems like the alpha I met that day in the ER, all those years ago.
Like he doesn't have the weight of the world sitting in the middle of his chest.
It's nice to have pack time that's just for us as well, even though heat support was my dream job.
Our dream job. Well, it used to be, anyway.
On paper, it fulfils every alpha instinct—you combine getting to care for someone when they are well but vulnerable with sex that is, frankly, often mind-blowing—but I guess I didn't realise just how draining it is to have to do it on demand, all the time, for months and months and months without a break.
Even though some bookings end up being more about cleaning and general care (and, once, talking a panicked omega down off the top of the wardrobe) than sex, it's mentally draining having to constantly gear yourself up for it.
I'd be lying if I said the years weren't starting to add up.
It's nice to have sex just to have sex. Not to meet someone else's needs, and not to have to be constantly checking their temperature or trying to get them to remember to drink.
Zeke likes to joke about my 'dick-mometer' but he isn't wrong.
Half the time when supporting heats, I'm checking temperatures however I can.
I guess it comes with the territory of the nursing degree, and it's part of the reason our pack is so highly regarded—but it's nice to not have to think about it for once.
It's easy to forget how it feels to have sex with someone just because you want to, not because it will hurt them if you don't.
And even though Clarke pretends he's fine, after too many bookings in a row, I can feel in the bond how much he starts to miss being looked after by his alphas—a lot of omegas get a bit…
y'know, thingy, when they're in heat and the beta next to them is monopolizing the knots they themselves need.
If I don't think about it too much, I can kind of understand it, but it always breaks my heart when their heat is so strong they can't hide their disdain.
Occasionally, though, when I let myself sit still for too long, I think about it more than I should, and I think how I would feel if I were in Clarke's shoes and I just get so fucking angry—
We've needed a break from heat support work for a while.
And we can't let ourselves wallow. Or go down rabbit holes or let ourselves get distracted by… unhelpful thoughts.
James' blond hair sparkles in the late afternoon sun as he lies on a dusty sunlounger in his short red swim trunks.
Allen has claimed the one next to it, his tanned face shadowed by the umbrella, his hair so dark it almost looks black.
Zeke's in his gym clothes like usual, lying on a beach towel spread on the concrete, stretching out his muscular form.
He still looks like the Olympic athlete he once was, his body firm and strong, his chestnut hair dark against his fair skin.
Clarke leans against the pool fence, still damp from swimming, staring off into the distance.
Our bond is quiet, but I can feel a distant hum that seems almost like… loneliness.
Gotta keep us all moving. The trick is to make sure none of us dwell.
I grin as I wrap my arms around Clarke's shoulders. My smile fades a bit as I notice their pink tips from his afternoon in the sun.
Gotta dig out that bottle of aloe vera—and make sure he uses it.
I rest my head on a non-pink spot, and feel a wave of gratitude and affection pulse through the bond. I ruffle his wet curls, feeling the bond throb with self-conscious embarrassment as we're both showered with chlorinated droplets.
"So, we have three more days before we meet our goddess," I murmur in his ear.
"And we have all been very good boys and hit the gym religiously.
We've even all remembered to take our Phero-block, even though you know how much I hate using that nasal spray shit.
Whaddya say I take my best men out on the town tonight? "
Clarke glances at Allen, who shrugs. I spin him around to face me. His face is relaxed into a smile. I stroke the line of his perfect obliques with one finger, and flick one eyebrow up.
"Hmmm. If we go out tonight, we have two days to recover. I think we can make that work—but only if we head off with Cinderella."
I give an enthusiastic nod.
He raises his neat eyebrow. "I mean it, Seb. Hard stop at midnight. No begging Allen for just ten more minutes. And—bearing in mind we need to be at our fucking peak on Tuesday—if there is someone who you absolutely cannot resist, then for the love of god, you have to be careful."
"'Course I will. No oversharing. Cross my heart.
" I try to keep my face relaxed. I know how our—well, let's be honest, usually my—random hookups get when they find out what we do for a living.
I don't want to think about how many of them ask us to support their heats for free afterwards.
I definitely don't want to think about the ones who've never had a professionally supported heat and who think we're glorified escorts, and treat us like something they scraped off the bottom of their shoe.
So we don't usually say anything about our jobs any more. A one-night stand doesn't need to know what we do.
"Seriously, Seb. You have to swear that you will actually check her test papers and use protection, yeah? We don't have time for you to need a course of antibiotics before our client needs you in peak shape."
I shrug and grin. To be fair to Clarke, given my background as an ER nurse, I really should know better.
My alpha, however, has a few, uh, priors for not giving a shit about such trivial things as common sense when I let loose.
I guess when you have so much steam to blow off, it's easy to get a bit overheated.
"Hey, I was a good boy. I used that disgusting nasal spray. No getting led astray by my nose. And I'm not drinking tonight. Well… no more than one or two. I just want to get out a bit as a pack while we're here, before the booking starts."
James slides his sunglasses down his nose and looks at me, faint disbelief etched on his pink, overheated face. His broad, freckled chest is glistening with sweat. "I'm holding you to that, Sebbie."
He hasn't had much of a sense of humour for a while.
I bristle. "Hey, I can totally have a great time at the lounge without getting completely shitfaced."
"Uh huh. Totally." Allen sounds almost bored in his disbelief.
He picks up the well-thumbed novel, not even bothering to hide the minotaur embracing the woman on the cover, and flicks aimlessly through the pages.
Dunno why someone would want to milk a minotaur, but apparently Allen wants to find out.
I huff, storm over to Allen, and push the book into his chest as I straddle him.
"Oh! Ye of little faith. I'm wounded." I rest my weight on his hips, smirking as I feel his cock begin to thicken under me.
"I'll tell you what. I will make sure we all have a fucking sublime evening.
No booze required. Well, no more than one or two, anyway.
And I'll even have us home by pumpkin o'clock.
And then, oh pack alpha, I expect you to eat your words.
" I dismount him and saunter off, letting my hips sashay a little as I stalk towards the pool gate.
"Oh? And if you can't follow through?"
I turn and throw him a deliberately sassy glare over my shoulder, then raise my sunglasses as I grin at him. "Then I guess it isn't just my words I'll be eating."
There's a soft cough from behind me as I flounce away. "You don't have to perform tonight, Seb." Zeke's voice is soft against the gentle whirring of the pool pump and sloshing of the water.
The scoff that slips out is more theatrical than I intended. I bite down on the irritation, and keep my stride even as I rip off my sunglasses and throw him a wink. "Damn. And I was about to go and polish my tap shoes and everything."
I don't even slam the pool gate behind me.