36. Calder
Calder
"They look almost identical to the flowers at The Honeybee Haven, don't they?
" I look around to each of my pack brothers as they watch our little omega light up from the inside at finally finding what she was waiting for.
Various nods and murmured agreements are shared between us as we stand in a half circle around the center of our pack.
"Look at that, sweet girl. They're perfect." Ever's voice is soft and soothing in her ear as he leans down, hand on her back, over that gorgeous dark hair.
She grins and looks back at him and then me, nodding. "That's what I thought, too. I like that they'd have a secret meaning for all of us." She pauses nervously, looking at the price tag on the shelf. "Can we get them?"
Before I can so much as lift my chin, Adrian has four huge boxes of them stacked in the cart, filling it. "Done."
"Adrian! We don't need that many of them!"
Scratching his scruff on his chin, he shrugs. "We have backups then if they break."
"Adrian! Those are three hundred dollars, each!" she hisses, looking around to make sure no-one's around.
"Hmm…she's got a point, yeah?" Sage chimes in, arms crossed. "Another?"
"Another." Adrian reaches for a fifth box, Opaline nearly tackling him, pulling the box out of his hands and back onto the shelf.
"Point made! We are not getting five boxes, though.
" She sneaks past Adrian, leaving a light pinch on his tattooed elbow before trying to bury herself inside my shirt, seeking comfort.
Any further words are cute muffled nonsense.
Keeping the peace, I happily lift her into my arms and rub her back, hiding the fact that another huge box had in fact found its way into the massive cart.
We make our way out of lighting and down to the main floor, towards pampering and omega care.
Only, the chuffs of hot air against my neck feel a little too rhythmic, her body a little too loose.
Toeing out the end of my boot, I tap the side of Adrian's calf to get his attention.
"She asleep?" I mouth, quietly. Before he answers, I know she is, based simply on the dopey smile suddenly on his face as he watches her.
I whisper for the others to do a little shopping for more gifts from the section of the store she missed and to wrap up check out.
Walking outside towards the SUV, I keep my steps light.
Opaline's scent hits me more deeply the further we get from the large doors and the scent neutralizers just beyond.
I can't help but admire the complexity and creaminess of it.
It's predominantly sweet, wild honey right now, indicating how content she is.
There's always a near-burnt twist to her brown sugar when she's upset.
By the time we get home, we'll have spent a decent portion of the day shopping. Hopefully, if she gets a quick sleep in now on the drive home, she'll be more inclined to spend some time actually decorating and getting everything settled.
Fuck, she picked a beautiful nest as inspiration.
I'd probably love anything she'd pick. But, there's something about the beautiful earth and clay tones, with touches of wood and green, that's comforting, soothing, and pleasing to the eye.
More than that, though, it feels so much like her.
I can't wait to see it all come together. I'm so incredibly proud of her.
An omega's nesting is substantially important to their overall emotional and even physical well-being.
It's their safe space to run to and hide, to recharge, and even surround themselves with the scents of their mates; that's all true.
But, more than that… It's their safety during their Heats, in their most vulnerable moments.
Just thinking of our omega alone and scared behind Rem's bar, trying to prepare for a Heat, makes me want to hold her that much tighter to me.
Fuck, it makes me sick just at the thought.
Without us and without a proper nest, I have no idea what would have happened after running out of her suppressants.
The image of her in pain, in a haze and out of it, crawling to find a Heat clinic to check into plays out clear as day behind my eyes.
Or hell, worse…what if she never found a clinic and ended up vulnerable or in a Drop from the pain, found by a piece of shit alpha all too happy to take advantage.
The thought of her unconscious and in danger has a growl I have to tamp down, pushing to the surface.
No. No, absolutely not. I have to believe that somehow fate, the universe, the stars would have put my dad on her path then, too, so he could take her somewhere safe to ride it out. I can't stomach the thought of anything else.
Holding her close, I sway a little back and forth letting the sunlight warm her before having to let go when we head home.
Home.
Together.