He sits up, wincing, and wraps his arms around his abdomen. “I can’t be in heat. It’s Christmas! We have plans. I have so much I need to do today.”
A growl from his other side alerts me that Gabriel isawake. He wraps his arms around our Omega’s waist and kisses down his neck.
“You’re not doing anything, Omega. You’re going into heat.”
Felix’s body melts at Gabriel’s touch, a quiet whine escaping him. “But the dinner.”
“I’ll tell Hazel it’s off,” I say, scrambling to stand. “She’ll understand.”
“What about the casserole? And the prime rib?” Felix has his priorities all wrong, but I get why it might be tough for him to change course from what he planned. I don’t think any of us expected him to go into heat.
“I can get the casserole started while I call Hazel,” I tell him, searching the edge of the nest for my phone. “And I’ll do the prime rib today, too. It’s not like it’s an involved cooking process.”
I can see that he wants to object, that he thinks he needs to push through the heat and take control of Christmas, but neither Gabriel nor I is going to allow it. Before Felix can object, Gabriel tenderly raises our Omega’s chin, his thumb caressing his cheek as he presses their lips together.
“Let me take care of you while our Beta gets everything sorted, yeah?” the Alpha whispers. “Can you be a good boy for me? I owe you a reward.”
This phone call needs to be fast, because I don’t want to miss this.
THIRTY
CHRISTMAS DAY
My Omega smells like heaven.His chocolate and citrus scent is intoxicating, his heat making it sweeter and so thick I can feel it on my tongue.
“My reward?” He whimpers against my lips. “I want it, please, Alpha.”
“Don’t you want to know what it is?”
He shakes his head, his curls slightly frizzed from sleep and bouncing around. “Nope. Don’t need to know. Gimmie.”
I laugh and tap the end of his nose. “Okay, Omega. Take these pajamas off.”
He scrambles and sheds his new pajamas so fast I haven’t had the chance to blink. He kneels in front of me and rests his hands, palms up, on his thighs. When he dips his chin and fixes his eyes on the ground, I recognize the position he’s naturally fallen into as one of submission.
“You’re in the rest position. Have you been in a protocol relationship before?”
When we were together two days ago, I assumed that he was going to be a little bratty, so this isn’t what I expected at all.
Not that I’m complaining.
He catches himself in a half nod before clearing his throat and answering out loud. “Only during my heats. And only a few times. It’s hard to find someone to trust.”
Alpha and Omega pairs often have protocol relationships. High-protocol relationships involve established rules and expectations and are more formal. People typically practice that type all the time, whereas a low protocol relationship can be more informal, with rules selectively enforced.
“Is that what you want, Omega?” I say, squatting in front of him. “You want me to give you rules and boundaries?”
A soft whine accompanies his breathy affirmation. “Only during my heats, though.”
I brush one of his curls from his forehead, tucking it behind his ear. “What are your safe words? Before you go mindless with heat, I need to know what you’re comfortable with.”
“Red, yellow, green.” The stoplight system is my favorite consent structure. I appreciate that there is a middle ground, not just a hard stop. A way to acknowledge that things need to proceed with caution.
“Limits?” His eyes are fixed on the floor, so I tap his chin for attention. “You can look at me, Omega.”
His glazed eyes meet mine, and a soft smile lifts the corners of his mouth.
“Nothing more than spanking. At least not yet. I don’t want my mouth knotted.” The sweet, timid Omega doesn’t waver as he explains what his boundaries are. “I would like to be with you and Clara at the same time. I want to be knotted.”
