The word conjures images I've been trying not to think about for six years. Her body flushed and needy. Her scent thick with pheromones. Those soft sounds she'd make if someone touched her right. The way her hands would grip sheets, grip skin, grip me while I helped her through it.
I grab my beer and finish it in one long pull because apparently I need multiple drinks too.
"How long?" Sergio asks, voice steady even though I can smell the spike in his scent. Cedarwood and ice, sharper than usual.
"Two weeks. Maybe less." Pedro pours himself more whiskey. "I gave her medication for the symptoms, but there's nothing that can stop the heat itself. She needs to ride it out."
"Alone?" The word bursts out of me, too loud, too desperate. "She can't go through that alone. First heat is brutal. She'll be scared and confused and hurting and—"
"That's her choice," Pedro cuts me off. "I told her it's not the best thing to do, especially for a first heat. But I can't exactly write her a prescription for alphas."
"What about Callum?" Nacho asks, and his voice has gone quiet. Dangerous. "Does he know?"
"She didn't tell him. Said she was scared of how he'd react."
Silence. Heavy. Dark.
I think about Callum. My best friend since we were kids. The guy who taught me to ride a bike and helped me build my first birdhouse in shop class and stood next to me at graduation with that huge smile.
At times he looked at Jessica as if she was his possession. The way he'd squeeze her arm too tight when she talked to other guys. The way she started getting quieter around him. Smaller. Like she was trying to take up less space so he wouldn't notice her.
I think about the kiss. The way she melted into me. The way her hands fisted in my shirt like she needed to hold on. The way she whispered "finally" like she'd been waiting years for someone to see her.
The way I saw her.
"Callum doesn't get anywhere near her," I say, and there's no joke in my voice now. Nothing sweet or soft. "Not while she's vulnerable. Not ever."
Sergio nods. "Agreed."
"He's still technically our friend," Pedro points out, but there's no conviction in it.
"Is he?" Nacho's voice is flat. "Friends don't control their partners. Friends don't make them so scared they run from their own wedding. Friends don't treat someone like property."
"We don't know for sure what happened between them," Pedro argues.
"We know enough." Nacho starts pouring whiskey into the glasses Sergio has set out. Four glasses. Four alphas. Zero omega. Story of our pack. "I've been sheriff for five years. I know what abuse looks like. And that woman is running from something bad."
The word hits me in the chest. Abuse. I knew things weren't right between them. Knew Jessica wasn't happy. But I told myself it was none of my business. Told myself I was biased because I wanted her for myself.
I should have done something. Should have built her a goddamn escape hatch if that's what she needed. Should have told Callum to back off or told Jessica she deserved better or done literally anything besides watch from the sidelines while she disappeared.
"What do we do?" I ask, and my voice cracks again. I don't try to hide it. Can't. "She's back and she's scared and she's going into heat and I don't know how to help her."
Sergio sets down his glass and moves toward me. His hand cups the back of my neck, warm and grounding. "Hey. Look at me."
I do. His brown eyes are steady. Calm. The pack leader who always knows what to do.
"We protect her," he says quietly. "We give her space to figure out what she needs. And we let her come to us when she's ready."
"What if she's never ready? What if I scared her so bad she can't..." I stop. Swallow hard. "What if she doesn't want me? Want us?"
"Then we let her go." Sergio's thumb strokes along my jaw. "Even if it kills us. Because that's what you do when you love someone. You put them first."
"I never stopped wanting her." The confession tears out of me. "Six years, Serg. Six years of trying to move on. Dating other omegas who didn't laugh at my bad jokes." I meet his eyes. "None of them were her."
Silence. Then Sergio does something unexpected.
He kisses me.
