Page 17 of Trick or Heat

His anxiety seems to melt away and a smile lifts in its place. “Then we’ll help her.”

DJ reluctantly lets me take my phone back from his hand, his cheeks reddening by the apparent possessiveness his alpha already feels. I snort and pat his back.

“Do you want to do the honors, D?”

His face lights up as he practically snatches the phone back and hits accept.

We all sit in silence after that, the energy reverberating around us as we wait. Raivat drinks his coffee quietly and DJ completely abandons the lunch on the stove to stare at the blank screen. It takes ten long excruciating minutes, but my phone finally pings that unfamiliar sound.

I let out a breath of relief when I see she’s accepted our request and her address is now sitting in our message chain.

“Can’t go back now,” Rai murmurs.

DJ beams. “Looks like it’s time to go shopping.”

NINE

Another alpha would probably think a trip to the nest store is an omega’s job, but not me. I love our local store; love the colors, the variety, the calmness. I am ecstatic to finally be buying stuff for an omega, even if my pack and I will only be spending one heat with her. My alpha doesn’t care; we’re both exuberant to be a part of this, ready to take everything our omega asked for and more to her place.

I practically skip down every aisle, scouring for anything my instincts tell me to pick up. Which is a lot if I’m honest. A lot more than might be appropriate for an alpha found on Heat Seekers to buy, but I can’t help it. Something is pulling me to pick up everything in Elsie’s favorite colors, even if it’s not something she requested specifically.

Which, to me and my pack’s dismay, wasn’t enough. I have a feeling that she hesitated to send anything at all, but with some light encouragement from Brodie, she finally told us a few things:

- Orange and brown blankets.

- A dimmed lamp or night light (overhead lights are the devil)

- Soups and salads with nuts.

She probably doesn’t need three different types of pillows shaped like a pumpkin, but selfishly I want her to have something that resembles my scent to remember me by. I don’t question why, just accept that my beast is going to make me a simp for a stranger over the next few days.

“I think that’s enough.” Raivat laughs, looking into our cart.

I scoff. “There will never be enough.”

“For right now, it is,” Brodie decides, taking us to the front. “We still need to pick up the catering of soups and salads so she can have some comfort food for the next few days. I also sent an order of other things directly to her place just in case.”

I nod, loving that Brodie and Raivat think that far ahead. From the tiny interaction Brodie had with her, we learned that this heat will be Elsie’s first, which makes each of us even more determined to make her feel as safe and comfortable as possible.

The app might not require matched alphas to provide nest materials to their omegas, but I find it to be a given. There’s nothing that brings me more pride than being able to give an omega exactly what she wants and deserves. And Elsie deserves everything she wants for her first heat, especially since she won’t have a proper nest to spend it in.

Unfortunately, the apartments around campus don’t provide that kind of luxury, and the ones that do are way too expensive. But even without a nest, we’re going to make this heat as smooth sailing as we can for her.

After Brodie pays the—rather extensive—bill, we head off to pick up the food. The restaurant is decked out in Halloween decorations. A fake skeleton stands outside, cobwebs placed strategically along its bones for dramatic effect. Little cartoon vampires and zombies are painted on the windows, their stature more cute than scary. When we walk inside, a bell rings above the door and the teenager behind the counter grins widely.

“Happy Halloween!” he says, then he examines us. “Did you guys get the big order to go?”

Raivat gives a polite smile. “That’s us. How did you know?”

“Well, you’re… you’re all a bit massive, so I assumed.”

A laugh escapes me and Brodie crosses his arms over his large chest. “Who says this is all for us?”

The employee’s face falls. “Oh, I didn’t mean to offend you!”

“No worries,” I say, waving him off. “Our omega is going into heat, so we’re preparing. The meals are for the whole pack.”

Brodie and Raivat both look over at me, their brows furrowed, but the employee lights up just like I wanted.