Like good Santa’s helpers, we went to work opening the trash bags and putting the presents under the trees. Jason peeked in the bags and marveled at all the stuff that was in them. “There’s so much! Does Eloise pay for this all herself?”
“No, a lot of it is donated. She might buy a few things to make sure every girl has enough, but things like the hats and mittens, she and I made most of them this year. We tried to teach Emberlee and Mariska how to knit, but they’re hopeless when it comes to such things.” I missed my friends. Neither of them had answered most of my texts, and we hadn’t had a group chat since Emberlee went home for the holidays and Mariska got involved with the Silver Tree Farm pack. My eyes went blurry astears burned in the corners. The last thing I needed to do was start crying.
“Eloise will be okay.” Ozzi placed a hand on my shoulder. Just a simple and innocent gesture, but the warmth from his touch went right to my pussy. I clutched my thighs together as a wanton ache wracked my body.
Oh no. The last thing I needed was to be begging to be knotted in the Big Sisters’ building.
I smiled at him and nodded. “Of course she will.” I hopped away from him and headed toward the bathroom. “I’m just going to take a potty break and then we can head over to the post office.”
Chipper and casual, and then once the door to the bathroom closed, I leaned against it, panting with my heart racing. Oh fuck, I wasn’t going to make it back home.
Unzipping my snowsuit, I yanked my arms out and plucked my sweater, trying to get some air under all four layers. I swallowed a whimper as another heat pang clutched me and had me sinking to the floor.
While girls who were Betas and Omegas belonged to the club, this wasn’t a place for Omegas in heat. I didn’t want to be the person who ruined this safe space. Not that I’d tell anyone, but I would know. And I was terrible at keeping secrets.
I was so screwed.
My body temperature was rising, making me forget I’d ever been freezing in the snow not fifteen minutes ago. I swiped perspiration from my face and tried to practice some meditative breathing. If I didn’t think about Alphas, then maybe I wouldn’t get worse.
Not imagining Jason’s ripped abs or sinful mouth. No way were Ozzi’s predatory dark eyes and sharp jawline on my mind. Four hands on me, kisses to end worlds, thick knots throbbing…
I pressed a hand to my mouth to muffle a cry as I shuddered from another bolt of pain. What the hell was I going to do? Tell Jason to eat me out in the snow? It was starting to seem like a reasonable plan.
A knock at the door made me jump.
“Lyla? Are you all right?” Jason. I whined at the sound of his voice. “Lyla!” The knob rattled as he attempted to open the door. “I’m going to bust down the door!”
“Jason!” Ozzi called from somewhere farther back.
“Don’t!” I squeaked, and before he could break anything, I opened the door and leaned against the frame. Tears dripped off my cheeks as I attempted to stand, but my legs shook too much. “I need you to get me back home. It hurts so much!”
Jason didn’t pause. He scooped me up like I was a lanky cat and rushed to the kitchen area. “Oz, clear off the table. We’ll lay her out there—”
“No!” Oh God! Not on the table where so many girls ate food and played games. “I will not desecrate the surface with my heat!”
“What?” Jason stopped and blinked, his chest heaving. I could hear his heart thumping as loud as mine.
“She said no to the table.” Ozzi was marching toward the sitting area. “I’m going to gather the cushions and make a mattress.”
“No.” My cry was dampened as I pressed my face against Jason’s chest. Mm, he smelled so good. Fresh and woodsy and so deliciously Alpha. I had to wait before I could taste him again, though. “Bring me home. It’s wrong to do anything here.”
Jason kissed the top of my head. “Baby, you aren’t going to make it home.”
Ozzi came over and brushed my hair back from my face, tenderly touching my forehead and cheeks. “You’re feverish. Jason’s right. You need to be relieved right now.” His eyesdarkened further, and his earthy scent mingled with Jason’s. They smelled of the coziest of dens, of warmth, of home. “What’s upstairs?”
Did he just ask me something? God, both these Alphas were so gorgeous. How lucky would I be if I could convince both of them—
“Lyla,” Ozzi said my name with tender urgency. “Stay with us. What’s upstairs?”
“Offices, storage.” I didn’t know what else. I rarely spent any time up there.
“None of the girls go up there?” Ozzi asked.
“No.” Why did he ask that? Couldn’t he do something better with that sexy mouth of his? I reached for him but he was trotting toward the stairs.
“Follow me.” Ozzi disappeared from sight and lights turned on upstairs.
Jason swiftly followed, jiggling me a little on the stairs. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you. We’ll make it all better.”
