"For keeps," she echoes, and the smile that spreads across her face is radiant.
My knot deflates slowly, and when I slip free she whimpers at the loss. Grayson's already there with a cloth, cleaning her gently while I hold her steady.
"Sleep now," I murmur. "Seth will wake you when you need him."
She tenses slightly at that. "Seth," she says quietly. "He hasn't—he's never?—"
"He'll be fine." I'm certain of it. "We'll help him. And you'll help him too, just by being you."
She nods, but I can see the concern in her eyes. As she whispers only for me to hear. "What if I hurt him? What if heat makes me too rough or demanding or?—"
"You won't, Bea. And he wants this. Wants you. Has for weeks." Sh shakes her head and glances to where Seth is fallen asleep.
"Besides," I add, settling her back into the nest between us. "He's got us as backup. If he needs help, we'll be right here."
That seems to reassure her, because she relaxes into our hold. Within minutes, her breathing evens out into sleep.
I look across at Grayson, and he meets my eyes with understanding. We're both thinking the same thing.
Seth's turn is coming and our shy deputy is gonna take care of his omega.
She wakesup four hours later, and this time it's bad.
The whimpering starts before her eyes open. Her body curling in on itself, hands pressed to her lower belly like she can physically hold the emptiness at bay.
"Hurts," she's gasping. "Hurts so much. Please. Please make it stop."
Seth jerks awake at her distress, and I see panic flash across his face. He's never seen her like this—completely overwhelmed by heat, past the point of coherent thought.
"Seth," I say calmly, catching his attention. "You're up."
"I—" He looks terrified. "What if I mess up? What if I can't?—"
"You won't mess up." Grayson's already moving, positioning himself where he can guide Seth without interfering. "We're right here."
Bea's scent is desperate now. Peak heat. The point where only a knot will help, and even then the relief will be temporary.
"Seth," she sobs, reaching for him blindly. "Please. Please, I need you. Need your knot. It hurts so bad?—"
Something shifts in his expression. The panic gets shoved aside by determination. By alpha instinct recognizing his omega in distress and demanding he fix it.
"I'm here," he says, and his voice is steadier than I expected. "I've got you, Bea. I promise."
He moves into the nest, and Bea latches onto him immediately. Her hands fisting in his shirt, her face pressed to his throat where his scent is strongest.
"Help me," she begs. "Please help me, Seth. Trust you. Need you. Please?—"
I watch something break open in his face. The fear giving way to pure protective need.
"Okay," he breathes. “I'm going to take care of you."
Grayson and I exchange a look. Seth's got this. He might not know it yet, but he's going to be exactly what she needs.
Chapter 24
Seth
I've never been more terrified in my life.
