“Yeah, I guess, the people watching your show are not the same as the ones reading the paper. Although they have similar views, they have opposing ways of expressing it.”
Bailey replies quickly, “That’s just you being a bit sensitive.”
“No, I’m not really.”
“Society isn’t going to change overnight, Lennon, but it will. There’s too many of us now, and our voice gets louder by the day. Imagine how loud it would be if we found a natural born omega.”
Turning the television off, I take my phone out to sit on the back step, suddenly feeling like the world is too small. Some days, I surprise myself at the lack of remorse I feel for not spilling this with Bailey, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t weigh me down.
Eventually, I answer her. “I think it would make it worse if one came forward.”
“Why?”
“Because, Bailey, the past is the greatest precursor for the future. There’s no way I’d say a word if that was me. No way.”
“Then it’s lucky we have someone as brave as you, Lennon, focused on changing our future. Maybe your story will reach the elusive natural born omega, if they’re in fact still around. It might be that your bravery is what gives them the strength to live how they want, which at the end of the day is—free. I have to run, love you. Always have…”
“Always will,” I finish off for her, and then she’s off.
Hanging up, I don’t feel unsettled at all by our phone call. Well, that’s not quite right. I’m worried about the fall out for Lincoln. But I can already hear his deep voice purring in my ear, telling me not to.
It’s not unusual for Bailey and me to cram everything into a three second phone call either. We did it a lot when we were on the run. We’ve gotten in the habit of having dozens of quick conversations instead of a couple of long-winded ones. Which is lucky, I’m sure we have a co-dependent thing going on, although times are changing now we’re both packed. No matter what happens, Bailey will always be a part of my life.
Taking a pillow from one of the outdoor chairs, I end up lying on my Ares seat, rocking away, watching the clouds floating across the sky, thinking how content I am that my secret is still safe.
I get about ten minutes of peace before I hear my pack. No lie, I hear them from down near the creek a few miles away. Sitting up, I watch the dust storm approach as they get closer. Of course, as soon as they see me, they drive the all-terrain buggy right up past where the fence used to be, although they make sure to stay on that side where the lawn is going to be planted.
Gabe takes a flying leap out of the back of the buggy, the four of them laughing when he lands the jump perfectly. He bows like the little neurotic showman he is before turning to face me.
“Dove, don’t listen to him, the flowers are from all of us!” Lincoln yells even before Gabe opens his mouth, then he floors the dune buggy, no doubt going to park it round front.
Waving them off, Gabe moves in front of me, looking impeccably put together without one mark or scratch on him, a pose of hand-picked wildflowers in his hands.
“Don’t listen to Lincoln. I picked them, they smell amazing, but they aren’t a patch on how exquisite you smell.” He batters his eyelashes for extra emphasis on the sweetness.
The flowers are beautiful, all the muted colours of this time of year. The small pale green ones are my favourite, and they usually smell sweet like cotton candy. I lean in but get nothing. Maybe it’s my turn to tease my alphas and see how long it takes them to realise I’m about to go into heat.
Except Gabe’s mouth tips up, his brown eyes glitter playfully through his blue glass frames. He stands there looking like a conceited schmuck, and leans down to whisper in my ear, “We knew you were going into heat, Len. Don’t even try to pretend you’re not.”
“How?” I ask, reaching up for him. He comes close but doesn’t pick me up.
“Fuck, baby, I think our bodies just know. I can’t explain it properly, but it’s like all our naps on the lounge, all the food you’ve been baking, all our clothes you keep stealing are power charging our alpha side so we’re super responsive to you. It’s why we dealt with Fez so swiftly, because now there’s no one to bother us.”
My mouth falls open, and a small spike of heat rushes over my skin. I can feel my scent rising but my lack of smell means I don’t smell it myself. But just because I can’t smell doesn’t mean he can’t, and he closes his eyes for a few minutes, dragging in my scent before his eyes burst open when he thinks of something else.
“Why did you think we dressed up for you today?”
“I thought it was because of Fez,” I whisper, my eyes watching him swallow. My mind getting caught up as I think about the ways I want him to swallow me.
His eyes hood as he leans in to cage me against the back of my chair. “Len, everything we do is for you. Come here, omega, let me kiss those sweet lips of yours, before I knot you in your forever nest.”
“Gabe…” I whimper at his sweet words.
He doesn’t go slow or sweet; he wraps his fingers in my hair and all but fucks my mouth with his tongue.
Gabe runs his nose up the side of my throat, nibbling and biting up to my ear, where he nips my lobe hard enough to make me squeak out in pain before I moan when he sucks the hurt away. He also pulls the pin on the usual lead up to my heat, exploding it in a couple of intentional words.
“Get in your nest, Len.”
