"Where would you like to be?" Kade asks.
"I don't want to be alone, wherever that is." Her answer comes faster this time, a little more confident now that she's been praised instead of punished for expressing a preference.
"Would you like to see our room?" Kade phrases it as a question, but his body language is already moving toward the door, inviting her to follow him out of this space that doesn't feel right to her.
Solana perks up immediately, her whole posture changing. "I'm allowed to—" She cuts herself off mid-sentence, probably remembering what Kade just said about asking for things and being allowed to want. "That's okay?"
Kade nods and silently leads her down the hall to the last room at the end, the main bedroom that's been ours for years. He opens the door and steps aside to let her enter first, giving her the choice to go in or stay in the hallway. She walks in slowly, her eyes taking in the large bed that dominates the space, the sparse furniture, and the window that looks out over the back fields where the horses graze. Our scents are heavy in here, months and years of living saturating every surface until the whole room smells like home and safety.
She moves directly toward the bed like she's being pulled by a magnet, her hand reaching out before she seems to consciously decide to touch it. "Here. Yes please. Right here."
She tenses immediately after saying it, her shoulders drawing up toward her ears like she's bracing for correction. Kade offers a soft purr, the sound rumbling from his chest in that way that makes even me want to relax and submit. "It's okay to feel whatever it is you're feeling. I want you to feel it. Good Omegas allow their instincts to speak for them."
Solana beams at the praise, her whole face lighting up in a way I haven't seen before. The fear melts away and is replaced by something that looks almost like joy. I step forward and cup her face in my hands, tilting her head up so she's looking at me instead of the floor. Her eyes are starting to glaze over slightly, that look Omegas get when their instincts are taking over and their rational mind is stepping back to let biology do what it does best.
"I'm going to go get the pillows and things. You stay right here with Kade, okay?" I keep my voice soft as I can, pushing down the excitement of watching her finally relax.
She nods and I press a quick kiss to her forehead before heading back down the hall. It takes several trips, as I pile everything near the corner of our room.
Solana’s still standing by the bed when I return with the first load, seemingly mesmerized by the scents and the space itself. I join Kade by the entrance after depositing the last of the items as we both watch Solana in a small trance, our Omega unearthing the pillows from their packaging with careful hands.
She starts building something in the far corner, her movements becoming more purposeful and instinctive with each passing moment. Kade tugs me into his side to keep me from interfering or offering suggestions, his arm wrapping around my waist in a firm hold that communicates without words that we need to let her do this her way.
Solana twists her head to look at us, a tender smile on her face. Her pupils are fully dilated, our beautiful Omega completely lost to instincts, as if she's finally found some peace, enough to let go. Her hands move with confidence despite this being her first nest, arranging and rearranging until something satisfies whatever internal rationale she's following.
That's when I hear the humming. It's so soft at first that I almost miss it under the rustling of fabric and plastic packaging. But then I catch actual words mixed in with the melodic sound, barely audible. "I'm safe here. I'm safe here. I'm safe here."
She's saying it over and over again like a mantra or a prayer or a promise to herself, each repetition making my throat tight with emotion I wasn't expecting to feel. The same way she did in the car when she grabbed Kade’s hand.
This isn't just about building a nest. This is about her finally believing on some level that she's actually safe, that we're not going to hurt her or send her back or punish her for existing. I lean back against Kade, his chest solid behind me, grounding me when I feel like I might actually start crying watching this.God, she’s so beautiful.
The way she pats everything two times before moving to grab something else suggests some kind of ritual or checking mechanism, making sure each piece is exactly where it needs to be before adding the next layer. It's chaotic and messy, not at all the perfectly arranged nests I’ve seen in magazines or Omega lifestyle blogs, where everything is color coordinated and geometrically precise. But it's hers and that makes it absolutely perfect in every way that matters.
The nest takes shape slowly over the next twenty minutes, a cozy corner created from pillows and blankets in the colors she chose. She arranges the larger pillows as a back wall, creating a barrier between the nest and the rest of the room. The softer blankets get layered in the center, the throws a more chaotic but seemingly strategic addition if her little nods are anything to go by.
Her scent sweetens a little, throwing a light layer of vanilla over everything in this room. It’s the perfect addition to our life here, Solana patting the last pillow into place before heading toward us. She frowns slightly, studying us where we stand in the doorway like we're a problem she needs to solve. Then she drops to her knees in front of us, her hands reaching for my feet.
“Solana, sunshine, what are you—”
Kade wraps a firm hand around my mouth to shut me up. Frowning, I look down to see Solana moving to hold up my leg and rip my boot from foot before doing the same with the other. It’s rough in contrast with everything else she’s done, almost as if the frustration of our shoes garners more anger than it should.
Then she does the same for Kade, taking more care with his shoes before placing them in the same pile as mine. I swallow nervously, still slightly confused on what Solana wants until she pushes back to her feet and grabs my hand.
Oh.
Solana tugs me toward her nest, placing me inside the space she's created, arranging me just so with my back against the pillow wall and my legs stretched out in front of me. Then she moves back to Kade who goes willingly, following her silent instructions without question. She positions him next to me, close enough that we’re inches away, and then climbs in between us, starting up that phrase again. "I'm safe here. I'm safe here. I'm safe here."
She closes her eyes and settles between us, her body finally relaxing completely for what might be the first time since we met her, even more so than the first evening we slept outside. One hand reaches out to rest on my chest, the other on Kade's, like she needs the physical contact to confirm we're real and actually here with her.
I'm not sure I've ever seen something so heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. Heartbreaking because of what it took to get here, all the years she spent being denied this basic need that every Omega should have access to. Beautiful because she's finally allowing herself to have it, finally letting her instincts take over and create something that's entirely hers.
"I've never seen an Omega lose themselves to their instincts like that," I whisper, afraid to break whatever spell has settled over the room and over her.
Kade's response is full of emotion, his voice rumbling through his chest where Solana's hand rests. "That's what happens when you deny yourself your own biology for too long. Her body must know she's ours but logically, she's not sure if she can let go completely. We just have to help her understand that she can one day at a time ."
Chapter sixteen
Solana
