Episode 35 No Place Like Home
Piers
“This has been the longest day,” Ren says, nuzzling into me with a yawn.
It's been longer than a day, but I know what she means. Forty-eight hours ago we were getting ready for the ballet, then someone shot at our omega, we bonded, Haven went into labor, and now we’re here, back in America, in Granton, in the hospital, waiting to meet the new little life.
She slept on the plane—between bouts of fucking—but I know her energy is flagging. Bonding takes a lot out of a person, and she bonded five of us at the same time.
Granted, my bite didn’t actually do anything, but we can feel each other through the pack bond, and she’s still navigating my emotions along with everyone else's. I smooth her hair away from her neck, revealing the half-moon wound from my teeth. While the rest of the pack’s bites are nearly healed into pale scars, mine is still red and raw.
My heart swells at the sight of it, even as a trickle of concern filters in.
Maybe we should have someone look at it while we’re here. Make sure it doesn’t get infected. As much as I love seeing my bite on Ren’s skin, I would never forgive myself if she got sick from it.
We didn’t even put any antiseptic cream on it before we rushed here.
“It’s fine,” Ren mutters around a yawn. “I can feel your worry, dimples. And I promise you it’s fine. Stings a little, but I don’t feel feverish or anything.”
I hum and tug her closer. “Let me know if that changes, yeah?”
“I will.” Another yawn cracks her jaw.
“Maybe we should go to the house,” Court suggests, not for the first time.
“No.”
“One of the Calloways will let us know when the baby comes, killer.”
“No.”
“Cor mea-”
Ren’s stubborn determination pulses in my chest as she straightens away from me and glares at our alphas with eyes hung with dark halfmoons.
“No, stop. I promised Haven I would be here. She’s been in labor for thirteen hours, Sythe.
Thirteen freaking hours. I can handle sitting in the waiting room even if I am tired.
It's nothing to what she’s going through right now.
Nothing. When she asks for me, I want to be at her side in seconds. Not minutes. Not hours. Seconds.”
“Shh,” Grieves murmurs from her other side, his purr rumbling out of him as he pulls her into his chest. “No one is going to force you to leave, bubbles. We just want to know you’re comfortable.”
“Well, I am,” she says stubbornly. When all of us just look at her she shifts. “Okay, well, not like super comfortable, but I’m okay.”
Thayer leans forward and presses a bag of chips into her hand.
Not the healthiest option for our omega, but I know the cafeteria’s closed, so pickings are slim, so I can’t really blame him for what’s available in the vending machines.
Still I itch to get Ren somewhere with a bed and a kitchen and real food.
Somewhere where the only seats aren’t hard plastic.
She needs something so much more than this.
But we all know she’s not going to budge.
Not until she’s seen Haven and the baby and verified for herself that they are both thriving.
Thankfully, we don’t have too long to wait.
The doors to the maternity wing finally swing open.
Every one of us goes still. Florence straightens in her chair, eyes focused. She’s on her feet when she sees Atticus step through, smiling but exhausted. He latches his eyes on my omega and holds out a trembling hand. “She’s asking for you, Ren.”
I lurch to my feet, but the alpha shakes his head. “There’s too many people in there already. And there’s no chance in hell any of my pack is making room for yours.”
“Fair,” Court nods, scrubbing a hand down his face.
“Wait here,” Ren says, already moving, her exhaustion forgotten like it never existed. She glances back at us, eyes bright and soft and a little teary. “I’ll-just… give me a minute, okay?”
“Take your time, sunshine,” I murmur, brushing my fingers over her hand as she passes.
She squeezes once and then she’s gone, slipping through the doors and into the maternity ward beyond.
Tic stares at us, his expression--normally inscrutable--is more open than I’ve ever seen it. Earnest, honest, happy. “We’ll keep her safe,” he tells us, like he knows we need to hear it. And of course we do. We’ve only just bonded Ren, it doesn’t feel right to be away from her.
Forsythe gives a jerky nod, and then Tic follows our omega, eager to get back to his family.
We don’t follow.
It’s not our place.
Not this part.
The hallway settles into a quiet kind of stillness after she disappears, like the world has narrowed down to that one room and the new life inside it.
In our bonds Ren is fucking glowing, happiness and love spilling over.
There’s a flash of anxiety, but nothing too worrying and it settles shortly after.
Court blows out a breath, rubbing idly at his chest. “Bloody hell. Thought I’d be more used to this by now.”
“You’re not even used to your own emotions,” Thayer mutters, sounding bored.
“Oi.”
I don’t join in the ribbing, though I’m sure they need the distraction. I can’t stop staring at the door.
My omega is on the other side of it, holding a newborn, probably crying, probably smiling, probably giving away little pieces of herself the way she always does. And I’m stuck out here.
Waiting.
It doesn’t sit right.
Grieves shifts beside me, arms crossed, eyes sharp even now, like he’s still expecting another threat to come barreling down the corridor.
Forsythe stands a little apart, already pulling his phone out, checking messages, the weight of everything waiting for us back in Bravonne pressing in even here.
Bravonne.
What the hell are we going to do about that? About the queen. About the fact that someone tried to kill our omega?
We can’t go back.
Not now. Not anytime soon.
Ren is safer here.
But we also can’t move into her pool house. It's too bloody small for all six of us. It worked temporarily when we were trying to fix things with our omega, but it will not work long term.
The need to provide something more permanent to Ren pushes against me. I’m not even an alpha and I feel it, feel the need to provide somewhere stable and safe for my omega. I can’t even imagine what the alphas of the pack are going through.
I glance down the hall, then back at the others.
“She shouldn’t be living in that shoebox,” I mutter.
Court arches a brow. “Shoebox?”
“The pool house,” I say, sharper than I mean to. “It’s too small. No proper nest. No space for all of us. No…” I gesture vaguely. “Nothing she needs.”
“She likes it,” Thayer points out mildly. “She’s close to Haven.”
“She likes a lot of things that aren’t good enough for her.”
That shuts him up.
Because we all know it’s true. Namely us. But we’re working on it. On being better for her.
Court’s lips twitch, like he’s been waiting for me to say it. He digs his phone out of his pocket and flicks the screen on, turning it toward me, his eagerness singing in the bond.
“Funny you should mention that, love. I also had the same thought.”
I take it, frowning. It’s a listing.
Not far from Haven’s pack house. Large. Private. Gated. Enough space for a full pack, and then some.
My pulse kicks as I flick through the pictures, imagining living there, cooking in the kitchen, cuddling in the media room, watching our kids play tag on the lawn.
The nest room is cozy, but big enough for all of us.
I can see Ren setting up a dance studio in the sunroom off the porch where she could do yoga or practice ballet, and, god, I want that.
I want that vision so badly.
Court slides into the chair Ren vacated and wraps an arm around me, tugging me closer to brush a kiss against my temple. “You like it, baby?”
I nod, feeling weirdly choked up. “I do.”
“Do you think she’ll like it?”
The door opens again before I can say anything else and all of us jerk to our feet, pointing toward her like the needle on the compass.
Ren steps out, softer somehow. Calmer. Like something in her has settled.
“She’s beautiful,” she breathes, eyes shining, fingers clasped together in front of her like she’s trying to contain her joy. She fails though. We can feel it humming in our chests. “Haven’s okay. The baby’s perfect. You should-” She stops, looking between us. “They said only family for now.”
“We’ll meet her soon enough,” I assure her, reaching for her again, needing to feel her.
She melts into me without hesitation, nuzzling into my chest as I rock us gently. I want to take her out of here, want to sweep her into my arms and bundle her away to a soft bed where she can sleep.
But I also know that request needs to come from her.
“How are you doing, killer?” Thayer asks, as the rest of the pack circles us. “You think we can take you home and get you settled?”
Or I guess he could just ask.
She hums her agreement, sagging even more against me. “I think I’m about to fall over.”
Court scoffs as I sweep Ren into my arms, loving the weight of her there. “As if we’d ever let you fall, Pix.”
We make a bed in the living room of the pool house by dragging the mattress from the bedroom out, and the cushions off the couch. It's the best we can do in a pinch, when our omega informs us she needs all of us around her to sleep well.
Grieves glares at the subpar sleeping arrangements, but there’s not anything we can do about it at the moment so when Ren holds up her arms from where she’s bundled in the middle of the ‘bed’ and makes grabby hands at us, we all hurry to comply.
The next morning we’re all blurry eyed, and the pool house is devoid of any sort of food or coffee, seeing as it’s been unlived in for weeks. Ren sleepily leads us into the big house, unlocking the door and pushing inside.
“You’re sure this is okay?” Forsythe asks, likely hating the idea of the Calloways providing anything to our omega. And I can’t say I blame him. It's chafing me, too.