Page 17 of An Alpha’s Guide to Finding the One

Lainey is shaking like a leaf. Lawson just hauled ass up the stairs like his feet were on fire and left our omega, his brand new bonded mate, in the dust. I have to believe he has a reason for it, but my instincts do not give a shit what that reason might be. All I know now is our girl is shaking and dealing with this alone.

I place a hand on her back between her shoulder blades, and she gasps quietly. One hand grasps her chin, tilting her face up so I can see her eyes. The brown of her iris is barely visible with how wide her pupils are blown, and her face is bright red. A single breath in confirms my suspicions.

Bonding, even during pregnancy, can often trigger heat spikes if done outside of an actual heat. Since pregnant women can’t have heats, heat spikes are the body’s way of naturally cycling through excess hormones. Bonding Lawson sent Lainey into a heat spike, and the way her syrupy sweet berry pie scent is practically smothering me only confirms it.

“Lainey, do you want to go up to your bed?” I ask softly. We haven’t even started setting up her nest yet, and I’m kicking myself for that now. Lucky and Rhys both make angry sounds of protest behind me, but I glare at them and fan my face, grateful when they seem to understand.

Lainey nods, clutching at her lower abdomen with a sad little whimper. Not wanting to risk her becoming any more uncomfortable, I stand, scooping her up in my arms bridal style as I do. “Alright, up we go beautiful.”

I hear Rhys mutter something about electrolytes while Lucky sighs heavily, but I keep my attention focused solely on the stairs. I know she probably would have had a hard time making it all the way up, but I also didn’t think about how scary carrying her would be. I have my omega cradled in my arms and while that normally wouldn’t phase me, she’s pregnant. If anything happens and I dropped her, I would never forgive myself.

Which is why walking up the single flight of stairs takes several minutes when it would normally only take about thirty seconds. “Wyatt?” Lainey pants.

I pause to I can meet her eyes, not willing to climb without watching my step. “Yeah, honey?”

“Why are you moving like a turtle through clay?”

A snort escapes, and I can’t even cover my mouth when embarrassment heats my face. “I’m holding precious cargo. Don’t want to risk anything happening to you.” My lips land on her forehead in a gentle press.

Her perfume explodes around us, and it’s so strong my head feels foggy. I move up the stairs a little quicker than before, still careful to watch every single step. By the time we reach her room at the top, my heart is beating like a drum in my chest and it sounds a hell of a lot like Lainey’s name.

Her bed is slightly rumpled from her nap earlier, but one of the guys must have brought her bags when we got home, because all of her new clothes and nesting supplies are piled up between the closet and nest doors. “Bed or nest, honey?”

Lainey’s eyes are wide and glassy as they dart around the room. I can tell her omega is at least partially in the driver’s seat, but since she’s not in full blown heat she’s still coherent. “Bed.” She whispers. “Not ready for the nest.”

I file that away to dissect later, because the way she phrased that gave me questions. Striding to the bed, I set her on the edge and squat so we are eye level. The last thing I want is for her to feel like I’m looming over her. Or like I expect anything from her because she’s in a spike. “Do you want some of the toys you got from Nestful?”

Her eyes fill with tears instantly, making me panic. I cup her face, kissing every inch of skin I can reach. I have no idea why I do it, but my instincts demand I fix whatever I did and this was the logical solution. “Hey, hey. Did I upset you? Are you not in a spike? I shouldn’t have assumed, I just…”

Lainey cuts me off by pressing her lips to mine, stunning me silent. It’s just a quick peck and when she pulls back, I gape. “Want you. Your scent, your skin, your weight.”

My head tilts. “My weight?”

She nods shyly. “Can you just, like, lay on me? Like one of those weighted blankets.”

A lightbulb goes off, one of the pages from our textbook coming back with startling clarity.

When omegas are particularly stressed or anxious, they may seek a confined space or choose to lie on/under their chosen alpha to soothe their nervous systems. It is very important these instincts not be ignored, as…

My mental gymnastics trying to remember the full passage are cut off when tiny, cold fingers skirt along the hem of my shirt and tug. I lift wide, startled eyes to my omega, who is still impatiently tugging at my sweater. “Want you naked.” She states plainly.

Not wanting to make her wait any longer, I stand up and grab at the back of my sweater with one hand, tugging it off over my head. Somehow in the seconds my eyes were covered, Lainey has shucked the hospital sweatshirt and sweats and now sits before me buck naked. I choked on my own spit and drag my eyes to the ceiling, but not before I catch a glimpse of dusky pink nipples and a small strip of trimmed blonde hair. “Lainey, I am not expecting anything, but are you clear enough to consent? Even just to me seeing you naked.”

She scoffs, flopping back on the bed with a dramatic sigh that catches on a hint of a whine at the end. “I’m not in heat, Wyatt. My mind is perfectly clear, I just want you to get naked and squish me a little bit.”

I almost laugh because she’s so goddamn cute, but now all I can think of is how being naked will result in me being covered in her incredible scent. Blowing out a breath, I drop my jeans and boxers with one push. I expect Lainey to be adjusting the bed to her liking but when I finally work up the nerve to glance up I find her watching me intently, her gorgeous brown eyes blazing with desire. My own warm chocolatey scent swells, mixing with hers in a way that shouldn’t work but makes my mouth water.

But then she does the thing I least expect. She throws herself backwards until she’s flat on her back, pats her boob, and says “Come on then, get over here and get to squishing.”

I chuckle under my breath, but do as she asks. You would think it would be awkward, getting fully naked with an omega I barely know and just laying on her, but it’s not. I have known Lainey for a total of about 48 hours and she has already embedded herself into my very soul. I already knew she was my scent match from the hospital, but it’s everything else that has really sealed it for me.

Lainey Ryan is funny, smart, kind, and sassy as fuck. My best friend loves the hell out of her already despite barely knowing her, she submits to Rhys’s dominance like it’s second nature, and now she’s bonded to my pack lead. She feels like the piece I didn’t even know was missing, but now that I have it, I feel whole.

Too soon? Maybe. Do I care? Absolutely not. That’s just how things go between scent matches. One day you’re living your life like usual, and the next your soul has rearranged itself to align perfectly with someone else’s.

I try to be gentle as I lay down on top of my omega, but she is not having it. Her hands grip either side of my waist and yank me down so every inch of my body is flush with hers. I can feel the scrape of her peaked nipples against my abs, and my erection, which I’ve been desperately trying to ignore, nestles between her supple thighs. I can feel how slick she is, and it’s damn near impossible to keep down the growl fighting its way up my throat. I manage to turn it into a strangled purr, and Lainey absolutely melts beneath me. If I didn’t know any better I might think she became one with the mattress.

A muffled groan and gust of hot breath caresses the skin of my collarbones, making me shiver. Her scent is all around me, seeping into every pore and mingling with mine in a way that tells me I won’t be the same Wyatt when I leave this room.