Marie drifts to a stack of blankets in muted colors—dusty pinks, soft greys. She touches one tentatively. "This one feels nice. Maybe for the foot of the bed?"
Ragon moves to her side instinctively, scent sliding warmer. "You like it?"
She nods, cheeks pink. "I think so. It's soft. And not too bright."
"Put it in the cart."
She beams.
Jealousy spikes, fast and sour.
I grab a different blanket from my corner, one I know feels like being hugged by a thousand tiny marshmallows. "If you like soft, this one's better. The weave on that one will pull in a week."
"Oh. I didn't—"
"She knows these things," Eli says gently. "Trust her."
Drake takes the blanket from me and rubs it against his face. "She's right. This one wins."
Ragon looks between Marie's choice and mine, jaw working. "Both."
"Both?" Marie echoes.
"Get both. One for the main bed, one for the nest."
The hit is small and surgical.
Main bed. The one I don't have a permanent place in anymore. The one we used to all pile into when my nest felt too small for three giant alphas and an omega. The bed I haven’t visited since she arrived.
I swallow hard. "Sure. Both. Great. More fluff."
I move down the aisle before anyone can look too closely at my face.
Eli follows, staying just behind like a shadow. Jasper doesn't move far from the front; his gaze tracks me when I veer away from Ragon's orbit, notes how my body unconsciously angles toward Eli's warmth.
Marie calls out, "Vee, what about these pillowcases?"
I turn, schooling my expression. "Depends. Do you want breathable or 'I don't sweat, I glow'?"
She hesitates. "Both?"
"Okay, princess, come here. Let's set you up."
We orbit the shelves together. I explain thread counts and the lies of marketing labels. She listens earnestly, asks smart questions, takes notes on her phone. At some point, her arm brushes mine. She doesn't pull away.
For a minute, it almost feels like we're two omegas doing something normal.
Then Drake comes up behind us, draping an arm over Marie's shoulders. "You finding everything okay?" He presses a quick kiss to her temple, easy, unthinking.
She leans into it like it's natural.
The air goes thin.
Drake's hand falls away when he realizes where I'm standing. His smile falters. "You too, Vee," he says quickly, reaching to ruffle my hair.
I duck out of range, half-laughing. "Don't pet me like a consolation prize."
The words land sharper than I intend.
