Chapter 36
Chapter
Thirty-Six
Lana
Something was off tonight. It felt like everyone was collectively holding their breath. Tension was rising, and my omega seemed to be soaking every bit of that tension in and holding it close to her chest. My entire body was on high alert, and I couldn’t seem to shake it.
The last few days had calmed down on the protesting front. The universe was lulling us into a false sense of security, and I just knew more was coming our way.
The AHA told the public that they were discussing the matter, but somebody also leaked that they were considering kicking deltas and betas from the league. The public outrage was instant and impactful.
That was a good sign among all the bad, at least.
The current game had been going on without incident. It was in the final period, and I could barely watch.
The games between the Narwhals and the Wardens were always brutal. Now, thanks to me, they were even worse.
Conrad was blocking nearly every shot my exes sent his way, and they were skating like they had something to prove. This game wasn’t as violent as the last time they came together, but they were wiping the ice with them all the same.
I already had the usual snacks and drinks ready for the team postgame. My nervous cooking was out of control.
After the last loss and the protests, the Wardens had been losing heart. It seemed the game tonight reinvigorated them in just about every way. The crowd was losing their minds, though; like usual when these local rival games amped up, the crowd was split.
I finally let out a breath as Cade slammed the final puck into the net, earning them a win by a landslide. It seemed my exes were struggling after the confrontation.
The wait until my pack was showered and back to me felt like it lasted forever. The kitchen was hot and uncomfortable, the stress making me jittery.
When my delta walked in the door, I practically launched myself across the room, wrapping myself around Mason and holding on tight. I rubbed my cheek over his neck, marking him as if that would make everything better.
“You’re burning up. Do you have a fever?” Mason asked, feeling my forehead.
I shook my head, but the question made me realize this wasn’t just stress. The need to be close to them, the heat on my skin… there was only one explanation.
It was almost here, and it explained the urge to rush home.
Fuck, it couldn’t have come at a worse time.
I leaned back and looked at them, eyes wide.
“Princess, are you going into heat?”
“I can’t. We’re five days away from the hearing,” I gasped. Panic had my voice rising.
“That doesn’t matter. Conrad and Roxie might have to lead it without us. Your heat is more important than any of that.”
“No,” I argued, shaking my head. “No, it can’t be. This is your career.”
“And you, my omega, are my world.” He said it with so much confidence that it hit me right in the chest.
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I leaned in, running my nose along his neck, nuzzling him. It chased away some of the intensity building inside me until I felt like I could breathe again.
“What is happening here?” Kieran joked as he came in. “Did you miss us that much?”
“She’s heat spiking,” Mason answered before I could deny it.
I made a noise of protest, but he just chuckled. “Denying it isn’t going to make it any better, princess.”
“But the hearing—” I protested again, but they weren’t having it.
“The entire AHA board can fuck right off. They don’t get to tell us how to live our lives.”
“You could lose everything,” I pointed out, hating that it was coming down to this.
“Princess, you’re all that matters,” Wilder said as he joined us. Soon my entire pack was around me. Every scent was like a balm to my spiking emotions, soothing them in a way that only my pack could.
Other voices started to filter in, but Mason was already carrying me down the hall while Kieran turned everyone away for the moment.
“I’ll say something to Coach,” Cade said, falling back. We almost made it to the parking lot when Lennon cursed.
“Fuck, he was the one with the keys.”
They pressed close around me, heading for the back lot to wait. Mason didn’t let me go, but he did shift so the others had a chance to touch me, their hands skimming down my back, offering reassurance.
“Oh look, it’s the biggest puck bunny of them all,” a drunk voice echoed from the parking lot. The words were overly loud and slurring slightly.
The guys let out a collective growl, even the ones who didn’t usually growl. They weren’t having anyone disrespect me, and I loved them for it.
“Why don’t you shut your fucking mouth, buddy?” Lennon bit out.
“Oh look, just another delta getting a little too aggressive, huh?” He had his phone out, recording the whole thing with a look of excitement on his red face.
“Mason, wait,” I whispered, but he was already holding me closer.
“Get the fuck away from there,” Milo’s voice barked from the other side of the fence where their bus was parked. I hadn’t realized they were walking out, but the whole team was approaching the drunken asshole, creating a barrier between him and us.
“Why would you care? She threw you to the curb like laundry.”
“No, we did that to her,” Dean snapped. “She’s just moving on like she should.”
“Shut your fucking mouth and get away from there before I call the police for harassment,” Milo added. “It’ll be all of our word against yours. Do you want to spend the night in jail?”
The lock clicked as Cade jogged up to join us. He must’ve caught the tail end of the confrontation.
“Come on, baby. Let’s get you home. You need time to nest. We’re doing this heat properly.”
“I already have a heat order on standby,” Wilder added. “It’s been in my cart for weeks after you mentioned it was coming. I did the math, and I wanted to be prepared.”
Tears burned my vision as I squeezed my eyes shut, nuzzling further into Mason. He didn’t let me go as he loaded me into the car, helped me settle, and shut the door.
My omega didn’t try to take it any further. She was just happy to be surrounded by a pack that chose her. That and she was ready to go home and steal all their things for her nest.
Thank God they’d hung the fabric days ago so everything was complete. I just needed stronger scents to be comfortable, something I’d fix the moment we stepped inside.
I was so content in my delta’s arms that I stayed there, face buried in his shirt.
Someone opened the door when we got home, pulling me out.
I barely opened my eyes before breathing in Cade’s scent.
The cherry, cinnamon, and cedar had the fire under my skin burning brighter, a small purr echoing out.
“She’s loving that,” Lennon teased as my scent perfumed around us, stronger and sweeter than ever.
“Holy hell, princess,” Mason groaned. “That scent is the best thing I’ve ever breathed in.”
“Let’s get you up to your nest, shall we?” Cade said, his voice soothing. He was my rock right now, and I clung tighter to him.
As he carried me toward the door, I pressed my lips against the column of his throat, teasing over his skin. His scent was strong enough to have me squirming.
“Fuck, you’re killing me, princess,” he growled, holding me just a little tighter as someone unlocked the door.
I wiggled out of Mason’s arms, ready to be on my own feet. “I need my nest to be perfect.”
He let me go, and I immediately gripped his shirt, ripping it off him.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he reminded me. “I’m yours, Lana. You can have anything you need.”
I didn’t even have to ask the others, each stripping out of their shirts and handing them over. My omega gathered her treasures and raced up the stairs.
It was always a mix of our pack’s scents in this hallway, and I darted into their rooms, stealing pillows, blankets, dirty laundry, whatever my omega decided she needed.
I truly had no choice in it. She was in charge now.
At first, they didn’t follow me upstairs, but she didn’t seem to mind. She could hear them, and it gave us a chance to take what we needed. The round room was quickly lined with an array of pillows and blankets that clashed with my color scheme but looked like they belonged.
Mason’s pillows were silky, ensuring his hair stayed healthy, his scent of green apple, fresh air, and rain clinging to them.
Cade’s shirt was tucked under the window along with the blankets from his bed, spreading cherry, cinnamon, and cedar through the nest.
I snagged a stack of books from Wilder’s bedside table, adding them to the corner before tucking his hoodie and shirt into the empty crevices, his calming undertone grounding the stronger scents.
Lennon’s pepper and fresh linen scent radiated from his pile of blankets. It was that same electrified spicy and clean scent with a hint of a bite that I adored.
Together, they smelled like heaven. At least me and my omega thought so.
The heat eased the moment the nest was finished.
I was surrounded by my pack. They smelled like safety, that feeling settling deep into my soul. I’d waited my whole life for a pack to love me like they did.
I’d just gotten a little lost along the way.
I never wanted to waste a single second with them. In fact, I wanted everything with them.
We had a house now, but I wanted more. I wanted to spend this heat with their bites, then file the paperwork to finally make our pack official.
That was something my other pack never did. They never wanted to bother with bonding ceremonies or paperwork, but I wanted it all.
What I needed to do was talk to the pack, see what they were willing to give me. There was no worry as I went into it. I wanted them to have what they needed, as much as I wanted my own needs met. It was a true pack. We all looked out for each other the way it should be.
“Hey, princess, are you up for coming downstairs and having some food?” Wilder asked.
Lennon was right beside him, the smile on his face more gentle than I’d ever seen it.