“Torin!” I scream, fear clawing at my soul.
“River,” he shouts, running down the hallway, a towel wrapped around his waist, as he clutches it closed with his hand. “Are you okay?”
“I…I thought you left.” I sob.
“Never. I told you I’m here until this is over, and I’m going to make sure you’re okay.” He steps into me, pulling me into his arms, as I wrap my hands around his waist. Somewhere in the movement, his towel drops to the floor, and I clear my throat.
“Close your eyes,” he tells me as he lets go of me. “Okay, you can open them now.” When I do, he’s securing the towel around his waist.
“Close call. I almost saw everything.” I try to joke.
“You would’ve gotten a show,” he winks. “But you’re burning up. Are you ready for me to let the pack know?”
I drop my face, not wanting to look him in the face as I nod.
“Okay, I’ll do it now. I'll also let the guys and Storm know it’s time. Go back to the nest. Take a cool bath to relax, and soon this will all be over.”
I nod again. Not able to answer. I turn around and head back to the nest, taking small steps, as pain continues to overtake me.
Shutting the door behind me, I sigh heavily and head to the bathroom. Torin’s right, maybe a bath is just what I need to try and relax. A nice warm one to help with the cramping.
Removing my clothing, dropping each item to the floor, I turn the water on. Looking at the stand by the tub, I pick up the bubbles and pour some in. Torin really thinks of everything.
Stepping into the warm water, letting the heat ease my aches so that I can focus on clearing my mind of all negative thoughts and prepare for what’s about to happen.
***
Torin
I wait until River’s back in the nest before I turn and head to my bedroom. I quickly change then pick up my phone from the dresser and call the guys.
Tav picks up immediately.
“Torin.” The deep rumble of his voice always affects me, but right now I push it to the side. This is about River. I can tell when he switches to the speaker, because my pack’s voices become clearer.
“River’s heat has progressed, and she’s asked for me to call the pack,” I tell them.
“Fuck,” Callux blurts. “I fully expected her to ride it out on her own. Our sister is one strong omega.”
“That she is,” Josh answers.
“We’re almost done here. We just have a few last minute details to handle and the cleanup. Then we’ll be on our way. Maybe two hours. Less if we rush.” Tav tells me, but I can hear the hitch in his voice. He’s concerned about River, but also me being alone with a pack of alphas. Even though he knows I can hold my own, he still worries. God I love that.
“Do the job right. We’ll be okay. I promised Storm I’d keep him updated on everything. So I’m going to send him a message and then call Heatwave.”
“We’ll keep checking in with you. Let us know when they get there.”
“I know you will. Now let me go so I can handle everything.” They all say goodbye and I end the call. I switch over to my message app, and pull up Storm’s thread.
Me: She’s asked me to call the pack from Heatwave.
The response is immediate. I knew she talked to him before we came here and that he’d have his phone attached to him waiting for any updates.
Storm: Is she ok?
Me: Yes. She’s nervous as expected, but she’s strong, Storm.
Storm: I know. I’m just worried. It’s taking everything for me to not jump on a plane and come there. Keep me updated.
