“Riven helped her?” Ezra’s already rushing for the door. “You mean, he lost his V-card to an omega during heat?”
“Is he okay?” Hale turns and grips my bicep. “Is she okay?”
“They’re both fine,” I reply as he loosens his grip. “More than fine actually, judging by the look on Riven’s face when I walked into his room. But Kady needs to move to the nest. Somehow, I don’t think being surrounded by algebra books is going to cut it.”
Now inside, Hale comes to an abrupt stop and scrubs his hand over his stubbled chin. “We need to make sure everything’s ready.”
At least someone seems to understand the seriousness of this situation!
“And we need more food.” I blow out the heavy-feeling air from my lungs. Lots of food. We don’t even know what kind of food Kady prefers. I know she enjoyed donuts at the fair, and if she’s like most omegas, she’s likely to have a sweet tooth. But Kady isn’t like most omegas. Goddammit!
Hale’s steady hand on my shoulder provides me with a wave of temporary calm, stopping my mind from spiraling further. “It’ll be fine, Cal. We’ll get through it.”
Beneath his words, I detect a hint of nerves in his voice, like he’s also trying to reassure himself. Being with an omega during heat is intense, and this will be our first time supporting Kady as a pack. We can’t fuck this up.
I nod like a sergeant and repeat, “We’ll get through it.”
Hale turns his attention to Ezra. “Can you drive to the store to pick up what we may need?”
“Me?” Ezra gasps. “Why me? I don’t want to leave her.”
“She’ll be fine with all of us here. Besides,” Hale casts a nervous look at me, “I don’t know if Calder is fit to be driving right now.”
Usually, I’d argue when someone questions my capabilities, but he makes a good point.
“Fine.” Ezra holds out his palm, curling his fingers around the keys as soon as Hale gives them to him. “But I’ll be quick.”
From the ground, a yowl sounds from inside the cat carrier. In all the commotion, we’d completely forgotten about Larry, who was waiting to be set on someone’s lap for the journey. He pushes his little paw through the bar as if he wants to remind us of his existence.
“You’ll need to get him some cat food too,” I call after Ezra as he jumps into the driver’s seat. “The expensive stuff.”
Only the best for our Larry. Hale scoops up the carrier as Janice’s wheels rattle away.
As soon as we step over the threshold, it’s as if Kady’s scent has infiltrated every square inch of the cabin, wafting down from upstairs. My chest constricts, and I nearly drool in response. She always smells delicious, but her sweet scent has intensified, the vanilla notes amplified. An omega during heat is supposed to smell divine, but Kady smells like home. A concoction that’s perfectly blended and made for us.
“Looks like you’re staying here for a few more days, little buddy.” Hale frees Larry from his carrier prison. He scampersoff, retreating to his favorite corner of the sofa to ogle passing birds from the window.
I clear my throat. “What now?”
“We should get the nest ready.” Judging by the erection straining against his pants, he’s also struggling to contain his arousal caused by her smell alone. “We need to make sure she’s comfortable.”
Although we’ve never had group sex as a pack before, it comes with the territory of being an alpha and it’s how our designation has evolved over time. Historically, the main reason alphas even form packs is because the ratio of omegas to alphas is so low. The packs of our ancestors stopped wars and fights that used to break out, making society a much more civil place.
“Yes, of course.” I’m struggling to think straight. I don’t think I’ve ever been so horny in all my life. “The nest.”
I hear Kady and Riven’s faint voices above us. Are they still locked together? How soon will she need another knot? Will it be mine? My balls tighten, ready to go as soon as she needs me. As much as I want to rip her out of Riven’s arms and rut into her right now, I have to gather myself. I take a steadying breath and silently count back from ten. Control is usually my specialty, but it seems that being near my scent match during heat is the key to making me unravel.
Once upstairs, instead of heading straight to the nest, Hale heads into Ezra’s room.
“What’re you doing?” I ask.
“Finding something with each of our scents on it.” He wrinkles his nose after picking up and sniffing a rogue sock lying on the floor. “Mom told me it’s important for omegas to feel safe, and our scents should help.”
“Good idea.”
Why didn’t I think of that?
“Maybe dirty socks are too much, though.” Hale opts for one of Ezra’s scarves instead. He brings it to his nose, inhaling. “Much better.”
