Chapter 20
TYLER
Greenhouse, afternoon.
Sunlight slants through glass panels, turning everything gold and green. Elowen is repotting lavender that's outgrown its container, fingers deep in soil, when I arrive.
"Need help?"
"Depends. Can you follow directions?"
"Occasionally." I grin, reaching for a trowel. "What are we doing?"
She talks me through winter prep: which plants need deeper pots, adjusted watering schedules, temperature considerations, and we fall into a comfortable working rhythm, overshadowed by her thickening heat.
This is what we’ve all been waiting for. The next step.
"Your heat." I keep my eyes on the seedling I’m transplanting. "It's coming up, isn't it?"
Her hands are still in the soil. "How did you—"
"Your scent's been shifting. It’s sweeter. Warmer." I look at her. "The others have noticed too."
Heat climbs her neck. "I'm tracking it. Two weeks, probably."
"What do you want?" I ask. "From us." We’ll discuss it together, but I’m here now, and I want her to know that I’ll do whatever she wants.
"I don't know yet." She sighs. "Last time I was alone. By choice. This time..."
"Is different." I don’t add for all of us.
She focuses on packing soil around lavender roots. "I’m still scared about…" She inhales deeply. “What if it happens to me?”
I feel nauseous at the thought of losing her, but I try to keep my voice steady. "I wish I could promise that it won’t happen, Elowen. But I can promise that we will do everything in our power to keep you safe. If Gideon is right..."
"Then someone will try to sabotage my heat if you’re present." She meets my gaze. “First heat with newly bonded packs. That’s the pattern.”
I smile. “They haven’t met us yet. We’re a formidable team.”
“Julian will bash them over the head with a textbook.” She laughs and some light comes back into her eyes.
“Calder will…” I puff up my cheeks. “Let’s just say I wouldn’t want to be on the wrong side of Calder.”
“What about you?” She arches an eyebrow.
“I’ll hit them with one of my cheesy jokes. That should do the trick.”
In the evening, I meet Julian and Calder in the library.
"Her scent has shifted," Julian observes, packing away the textbooks open in front of him. "I assume that’s what you wanted to discuss."
"I spoke to her earlier." I sit back in my seat. “I asked her what she wants from us. She’s still figuring it out.”
“How long?” Calder doesn’t meet my eyes.
“Two weeks. I reiterated that we’ll do whatever she wants. Her choice.”
“Is she worried?” Calder’s question catches me off guard.
“She’s… calm.” I watch him, waiting for more.
“I mean… is she worried about me?”
“Why would she be worried about you?” Julian asks, sitting forward.
“My pack…” Calder swallows painfully. “We follow our instincts… and our instincts are to protect our omega.”
“We’re all agreed on that.” Julian narrows his eyes.
I shake my head. “You’re worried that you’ll force her to do something she isn’t ready for.”
Stormy eyes turn my way. “She knows. I’m trying to… be better. But what if—”
“You’re not in this alone, remember? We won’t let that happen. This is about Elowen. Not you. Or me. Or Julian.”
Julian smiles. “Statistically, a beta would be the one to keep an alpha grounded. But we’ll call on our beta knowledge and keep you grounded.”
Calder smiles and his shoulders drop a little. “Thanks. I think.” He sucks in a deep breath and releases it slowly. “Another question. What if she wants us to stay with her this time? All of us.”
This question has been bouncing around inside my head since I first noted the subtle change in Elowen’s scent.
Julian’s eyes are firmly fixed on the textbooks. He has thought about it too.
Calder has found Julian’s pen and is bouncing the lid up and down on the table.
“I’m no expert,” I begin, “but we follow her lead. If she wants one of us, we stay for support. If she wants all three of us…” My mouth is dry.
“We get her through her heat together,” Julian says.
Calder nods. “What if her instincts take over and she begs us to claim her?”
This is an easy one to answer. “We all agree to wait until the time is right, when we know it’s what she really wants, and not what her omega instincts are screaming for.”
“Agreed.” Julian places his hand, palm down, on the table.
I cover it with mine, and Calder places his hand on top.
“Pack.” We all say together.
“She’s worried her heat might be sabotaged.” I wasn’t going to mention it, but it feels wrong to keep it to myself when this is about Elowen.
“Gideon Stockwell.” Calder’s mouth is set into a grim line. “If he’s right, that means someone killed those omegas.” His voice drops to a growl. “I’d like to see them try.”
“I doubt that’s true,” Julian says. “But I’m with you anyway. No one gets near Elowen while we’re around.”
It helps knowing we’re all there for her, but the uneasiness lingers.