“Come here.” I opened my arm and Alve slid into the empty space next to me. Maybe Nathan wasn’t so far off. Some members of our pack could definitely benefit from a bit of a gentling. My purr had both of them settling, and Poppy made herself at home on Alve’s lap to complete his mandatory relaxation.
Nathan and Jude took up the task of making sure the three of us ate.
“These are fucking awesome,” Nathan told me. “Props to the chef.”
He fist bumped me, navigating my hold on Alve.
Pepper sat on Madison’s lap, trying to swat each bite out of the air before it could make it to her mom’s mouth. Nathan grabbed the naughty paw, feeding Madison between her giggles. The weight of reality slowly fell off her shoulders, my sweet omega absorbing the safety her pack offered. My instincts sang. That was how an omega was meant to feel around their alphas.
The others took the entire situation astonishingly in stride. If they were jealous, they certainly didn’t make it known.
“I’m choosing to believe laser tag kept you from going feral on us,” Nathan said as he spooned a bite into my mouth. “Team building for the win.”
“Laser tag?” Madison laughed and turned immediately to Alve. “That sounds like the opposite of your style.”
“It was fun once I stopped being nervous.”
“He did great,” I assured both of them. “Saved our asses a few times.”
Madison leaned hard against me. “Do you think it was a heat flare?”
“Well, you’re not in a full heat right now,” said Nathan, “and the bond took, so that seems like the most likely explanation.”
A bolt of panic shot through me and Madison startled.
“What?” she asked.
“You’re knotted after a heat flare. Should we go to a clinic?”
“Oh.” She relaxed against me once more, oddly peaceful in the bond. “I had birth control for all my heats because Tyler hates kids, so I took steps to make sure I’d never have one with him.”
“Do you want them, though?” Nathan asked. “I don’t give a fuck what Tyler wants right now.”
“I…” She fidgeted, stroking both of the cats. “I made peace with never being a mom.”
“Maddie, that’s still not really an answer.” Jude took one of her hands and kissed the back of it. “What do you want the future to look like?”
“What doyouguys wan?—”
Nathan cut her off with two fingertips on her lips. “Worry about whatyouwant first. We’ll have a discussion regardless, but this is too important for you to make decisions based on what everyone else wants.”
A cavernous well of agony opened up in the bond a moment before salt tainted the air. “I don’t know how to do that! My whole life has been nothing but worrying about what everyone else wants and no one caring about whatIwant. How am I supposed to know when no one has ever asked before?”
I gently shushed her, kissing her damp cheek. “It’s okay if you don’t have the answers right now, treasure. We’re asking now, though, and we need to know what sort of future will make you happy.”
Madison hiccuped and leaned into Jude when he cradled her cheek, wiping some of the tears away. “Treasure?”
“An omega soulmate is the greatest treasure I could imagine.” I held her tighter, breathing in her scent. “And even more valuable that it’s you.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Alve hadn’t moved from where he was cuddled next to me, and got even more comfortable, resting his head against mine. “I quite like that title for her.”
Madison shifted, passing Pepper to Jude, then pulling off my cock only to turn in my embrace and sink down so we were plastered chest to chest. “I like being a treasure.”
Having her even closer soothed any building worries. My omega was right where she was supposed to be.
Alve traced his fingertips down Madison’s back. “However long it takes you to come to terms with what you want is fine with me. I’d rather you know for certain than make any rash decisions.”
She tilted to kiss him, and when she drew away she claimed my mouth, then Jude’s, then Nathan’s. “I’ll figure it out. I need some time to sit with it for a bit.”
