I don’t blame them. None of us got much sleep last night after Cade brought Gabrielle home, bruised and sprained and hurt. Axel nearly charged back out to get to the piece of shit that attacked her, but our omega wanted us all close.
So here we are, tucked up in her nest. Lying back, I try to calm the swirling emotions in my chest before they wake the rest of my pack up.
Fuck. If anything had happened to her, we wouldn’t have known. Without a bitemark, we can’t pick up on her emotions the way the rest of us can.
Axel stirs. “Nate,” he mumbles, “I can hear you thinking.”
I turn to him, relieved to have someone awake to spill my thoughts to. “We need to make this official, Ax. I want my bitemark on her. I want to wear hers. I don’t want to panic like we did last night ever again.”
Hazy green eyes start to focus as I talk, and he nods. “Agreed.”
The barest bones of a plan start to form in my head, and I grin at Axel as he squints at me suspiciously.
“It’s too early for scheming, Nathaniel,” he mutters.
I’m about to spill the beans when a hand sneaks its way across my stomach, closely followed by a warm bundle nestling into my side. Shelving my plan for later, I give my full attention to the sleepy omega blinking tired blue eyes at me. Deep bruises sit underneath, highlighting her restless night, and I frown as I gently rub my thumb across her cheek.
“Kitten,” I murmur. “How are you feeling?”
She buries her face into my side without responding, and I stroke my hand through her hair, waiting for her to gather her thoughts.
“I’ve felt better,” she admits. I’m glad she’s opening up to us. The Gabrielle of a few weeks ago would have told us she was fine and carried on.
I trace careful fingers over the dressings covering her shoulder and she covers my hand with hers.
“I’m sore. And I didn’t sleep well. But I’m here, with you, so I’m happy, Nate.”
I frown at her. “You don’t need to hide things from us.”
She shakes her head. “I’m not. Actually – there’s something I want to do today. Will you come with me?”
“Always.” The word flies out with no hesitation.
Wherever she goes, I’ll follow.
* * *
As we stand outside the entrance, I glance down at Gabrielle where she’s tucked securely under my arm. There’s a nervous look on her pale face as she looks up at the sign above our heads, declaring our location.
The Omega Center.
I hold her more firmly against me as she chews on her lip. “We don’t have to go in.” My voice is gentle. “There’ll be other days, kitten.”
“No.” Despite her nerves, our omega is determined as she looks up at me. “I want to do this today. I don’t want to hide anymore, Nate.”
Her bravery makes my throat tighten. “All right. I’ll follow your lead.”
It takes a few minutes, but she takes a careful, hesitant step towards the entrance, her hand reaching back for mine. I squeeze her hand as I follow her up the steps and she rings the bell, showing our faces to the security cameras outside.
There’s a buzz, and I push open the door, letting Gabrielle slip past me before closing it behind me. I’ve been here before, when we first started thinking about an omega. We came to a few sessions held especially for alpha packs to help us learn more about group dynamics.
I nudge her towards the luxurious reception desk, offering a casual smile to the omega manning it. Gabrielle shrinks into my side, but she clears her throat.
“Hello. I was hoping to speak to someone about… um. Well, everything omega-related, really.”
She stumbles over her words, but the omega smiles, her fingers tapping at a keyboard. “Of course. Take a seat, and someone will be right out. Can I get you a coffee?”
Gabrielle perks up immediately. Caffeine is absolutely the way to her heart.
