“Are you angry?”
He blanched like I’d slapped him. “Of course not, what do you mean?”
“It’s just that I’m with Aspen and Jack, and I don’t need you during the heat the same way, and I’ve complicated things enough?—”
“You arenota complication. Do you hear me?” he said firmly.
“Yes, alpha,” I said automatically, instincts making the words fall from my lips. He shivered, pleased. It wasn’t the same sort she drew out of him, but his alpha liked the authority all the same.
“I have a feeling that you two are going to be trouble and keep us alphas quite busy.”
“Of course, we are,” Aspen said with a snort of laughter. “That’s literally our job.”
“What now?” Jack mused, standing up and helping me and Aspen to our feet. She glanced at me and grinned.
“First things first,” she said. “Our new omega is very much in need of a nest.”
My eyes widened, and I wasn’t really sure what to say to that. It felt so monumental.
She must’ve read something in my reaction because her eyes softened. “Don’t worry. If you don’t feel comfortable, that’s alright. We can take it slow, simply take a look around and shop, and leave if it feels wrong.”
My heart was beating inside my chest, a cold sweat breaking out on my skin. Finding out had been a relief, but this was so final. It was opening the door wide and refusing to let it close again.
I knew it was just a shopping trip. One with no strings attached. I trusted Aspen.
“Okay,” I relented. “I’ll give it a shot.”
Her whole face lit up, and I knew I made the right decision.
“I’m sitting in the back with my omega,” she said, eyeing the alphas as if they would dare disagree.
She hooked her arm in mine and led me outside, her easygoing personality the only reason I was keeping it together at this point. As we settled into the back of Jack’s truck, she snuggled in close, her mandarin and cranberry scent sweet and tart, teasing my nose. I breathed her in, swallowing down the whimper that tried to escape.
My cock was already standing at attention. I needed to get it to calm down.
“Let’s take a peek at nest designs and see how you feel about them,” she offered gently.
I indulged her, looking at the vision boards she’d created on PackVlog.
“I never thought I was a traditional nest kind of omega until I went into one of these stores. They have displays you could crawl into, all sprayed with scent neutralizers. It didn’t feel like a pack had touched them, but it gave you an idea of what you might like. There was one with a huge flowing canopy and fairy lights anda projector that showed the stars blinking against the curtains, and I fell in love. I tried to recreate it, but my apartment didn’t really have a proper nest.”
“Good thing the estate is well equipped to handle two nests,” Cole rumbled.
She rolled her eyes. “Alpha, you’re not even supposed to be listening.”
There was absolutely no heat behind it.
He shot her an indulgent smile. I didn’t think I’d ever seen Cole so soft and sweet with anyone. Honestly, I loved that for him.
Cole focused back on the road, driving us straight out of town toward what I knew would be the next destination. Alpha Heights, Colorado was one of those places people loved to visit for all the theaters and nightclubs and shopping centers, but I would absolutely hate to live in.
It was overcrowded and far too busy for my liking. Pine Ridge had my heart for a reason.
I looked over at Aspen and her nose wrinkled as she looked out the window.
“Is it weird that I’ve only been in Pine Ridge for such a short time and I already miss the quiet?”
“You know… I was kind of feeling the same,” Cole said, shaking his head. “Apparently, I convinced myself that I was a city boy somewhere along the way, and I’m realizing that’s the farthest thing from the truth.”
