We’re trying desperately to meet her needs whilst still giving her the space to make a choice.
On whether or not she stays.
My agitation jumps, and Hudson glowers at me as she stirs. “Nate.”
“Sorry.” My fingers tap restlessly on the arm of the chair. “Hud… if she doesn’t stay—,”
“I don’t want to think about that,” he interrupts. His hand strokes some hair away from her face, his own more serious than I’ve ever seen it. “We won’t lose her, Nate.”
“But her heat—,”
We’ve talked about it as a group, all of us facing the fact that we’re a pack of alphas with an omega who is definitely coming into heat. Cade insisted that we address it, so we could understand what she wanted from us.
She wants us there for her heat. But no biting. No marking.
Nothing permanent. Not yet.
I just hope we can keep the promise we’ve made.
None of us have been through a heat, Gabrielle included. The literature Ava sent over from the Center gave us some idea, but ultimately, every heat goes a little differently.
One thing is clear though. Our hormones will be the ones in charge.
Sighing, I stand up. I can’t sit still any longer. “Want a beer?”
I’ve barely made it through the living room door when Hudson growls, and a shot of pure, melted butterscotch hits my nose. My back snaps ramrod straight as I spin, my feet tripping as I cross the room to Gabrielle. Her eyelashes flutter, eyes still closed as I feel the heat beneath her forehead.
The fever is unmistakable.
“This is it.” Hudson swallows, his eyes meeting mine.
I stroke her hair back, my fingers shaking as her scent floods the room. “Kitten?”
It takes her a few seconds to rouse, sweat already starting to bead on her forehead as her core temperature ratchets up. A door bangs in the distance, footsteps flying down the hall before Cade appears next to me.
“It’s here?” His voice is hoarse, the sweet scent of her only growing the longer we stand around.
I nod. We planned for this, but now that it’s actually here, I’m more than a little petrified that we’re going to completely fuck it up.
Cade squeezes my shoulder. “Okay. We’ve got this. We planned for it.”
He bends down, scooping Gabrielle into his arms as her eyes flicker open. There’s very little blue to be seen, her pupils blown as she arches her back. A deep sugary burst of pure omega slick hits all of us, and my cock stiffens behind my sweatpants.
“Where’s Axel?” Cade barks.
I move ahead as we decamp towards Gabrielle’s room. Her nest should be all set up in the exact way she wants, seeing as she’s been rearranging pillows and various items of clothing for days now, but it wouldn’t hurt to check first. I want her to feel completely comfortable in her space, nothing to detract from her first heat experience.
I raise my hand to bang on Axel’s door as we move past, but the door yanks open. He has a towel wrapped around his waist, his hair soaking wet as he stares around wildly.
“Fuuck.” His nose lifts, his pupils darkening. Wordlessly, he tugs the door shut behind him, falling in line next to Hudson.
I didn’t know what to expect. But the slow haze of her perfume grows into a knowing, pulsing need in my stomach – to comfort, to protect, totake. And it’s far, far stronger than I expected it to be. I slam the lid down on my own wants, but I don’t know how long I can hold out before I fall headfirst into a rut.
Gabrielle starts to struggle as Cade shoulders his way through the doors, her legs drawing up as she doubles over in his arms.
“Hurts,” she gasps. Cade places her down and she immediately curls up into a ball, visibly shaking. My knees hit the floor next to her. “Kitten. Tell us what you need.”
She turns desperate eyes to mine as she shudders, a low, drawn out whine pulling from her throat that pulls on my own instincts. “Ithurts, Nate.”
