“What do you mean, my nest was destroyed?” I shouted, turning to Bear. The anxiety that had been easing while eating the grilled cheese sandwiches with the gentle giant was coming back stronger than ever. It gripped my chest in a death hold.
My nest was my safe place. The one thing that was trulymine.
Without it, I would be lost. My breathing quickened, and my vision blurred as tears filled my eyes.
The smile dropped from her face. “Oh no, I should not have said that,” she whispered, shaking her head, strawberry-blonde hair swaying as she did so. “Has Spencer not called you?”
“He hasn’t,” Bear replied, crossing his arms. I automatically took a step toward him, seeking comfort.
He didn’t disappoint. After uncrossing his arms, he placed one gently on my lower back. It was grounding and just the right amount of touch. Any more in front of this unknown omega would have sent me over the edge.
“Oh. Well… maybe you should talk to him. I’m just going to leave these here.” She placed the bags on the floor.
I turned to Bear, wanting answers. Thankfully, he was already pulling out his phone and, I assumed, dialing Spencer.
“You wanna tell me why Mable just turned up with a bunch of extra nesting supplies?” he asked when Spencer answered the phone.
I couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation, but Bear went quiet for a moment as Spencer spoke.
“Well, a heads-up would have been nice,” he grumbled.
They exchanged a few more words before Bear hung up unceremoniously. Mable was still hovering in the kitchen doorway, chewing on her thumbnail, clearly stressed by the situation.
Bear sighed, placing his phone on the counter as he turned to me. “I’m so sorry, little omega. Spencer went to your apartment to grab some of your nesting supplies. The place has been totally trashed.”
My vision blurred as I swayed on the spot. “What do you mean bytrashed?” I asked dumbly. I didn’t want to believe it. Maybe they had gotten it wrong. “M-maybe Spencer just mistook my clutter for being ransacked. You know what he’s like…” I trailed off, my vision swimming.
Bear lunged forward, grabbing both of my elbows and holding me steady.
“Oh no,” the omega behind me whispered.
“He’s salvaged what he can, but it looks like ninety-five percent of your stuff has been destroyed,” Bear admitted. “My guess is, whoever was following you is pissed that they failed tonight. They broke into your apartment. When you weren’t there, they took their anger out on your belongings.”
“So, it’s not enough to try to kidnap me at knifepoint—they’ve also got to destroy my home?” I asked shrilly, tears rolling down my face. My breath hitched as I blubbered.
It was all too much for me to deal with. Between the lack of sleep, the stress plaguing me, and now the few items I had to my name being destroyed, I was at the end of my tether. All I wanted was to crawl into my nest and block out the rest of the world; only I couldn’t, because my nest had been destroyed.
“We will replace everything,” Bear insisted, pulling me into a hug.
Mable jerked her head in agreement. “Spencer just couldn’t get to the nest store until tomorrow, so he asked me to bring anything you could use tonight. I’m so sorry—I thought he would’ve told you. I just got so excited to come down here and meet you. I’ve been in a baby bubble for the last few weeks, and seeing someone who isn’t one of my pack mates was really exciting.”
“Don’t apologize. This is really sweet of you,” I admitted, looking at the bags.
Mable waved it off. “This is nothing, honestly. My guys love to overspend. When they found out I was pregnant, they bought so much stuff. This has literally been sitting in our closet for weeks because one of them was supposed to take it to the donation center. They just never got around to it.”
“Well, you do have a new baby keeping you busy,” Bear pointed out.
“I do,” Mable said wistfully. “Actually, you know what? As amazing as it is to meet you, and we definitely need to see each other again soon, I should probably go back upstairs. It’s been a few hours since she was fed. I’m fairly sure my boobs will burst if I don’t breastfeed soon. There are also cookies from a fancy bakery in there… I had a feeling you would want a sweet treat.”
She took two steps forward and pulled me into a hug. For an omega so small, she was surprisingly strong. Her scent was maple, and almost overwhelmingly sweet—but I didn’t mind.
“If you need anything at all, let me know. Just get these guys to text me,” she said, looking at Bear.
“I will.” Despite having just met Mable, she exuded warmth and comfort. I could already tell she would be a good friend—if I allowed her to be.
After hugging me one more time, she left, citing her baby. Once she was out of the room, Chase meandered in.
“She was so excited when she realized she could pack up that nesting stuff and get rid of it.” He laughed.
