Page 25 of Trick or Heat

DJ nervously says, “But we’re your⁠—”

“No,” I warn. “We can’t talk about this now. Whatever we are to each other doesn’t matter, we have to focus on her. She is what matters here, not whatever we just discovered seconds ago.” When I don’t immediately hear them agree, I add sternly, “Do you understand?”

They all stand a little bit straighter, nodding their heads. Raivat steps forward first. “She is the priority,” he agrees, and the tension in my shoulders dissipates. “We will take care of her, we promise.”

I nod, hearing the honesty laced in his tone. My eyes meet with each alpha, seeing the sincerity in their gazes. “Good,” I finally say, before looking back at Elsie. Her eyes are distant, like she’s here but not really. I know that daze, how scary it is; I’m glad I am finally here to help her through it.

Her stomach rumbles, the sound a soft growl rather than a twist of pain. I look at the bowl on the end table, left and abandoned.

“Will someone warm that up?” I ask, and Elsie nuzzles her face into the crook of my neck. “I think our omega is hungry.”

Raivat rubs his neck. “Actually, I wanted to make her a sandwich. Do you know where she keeps her knives?”

I barely contain a snort. “She only has limited-edition knives that she’s collected over the years, she keeps them in a special place. I’ll show you.”

He huffs out a breath. “Cool, I thought I was going insane while looking for them.” He flattens his lips. “Do you also happen to know how to contact her professors?”

For some reason, that brings a smile to my face. Maybe these alphas are alright. “I’ve got it. Let’s get these loose ends tied up. The cramps should be coming back soon.”

I look back at Elsie, her hand idle on her stomach as she watches me with glossy eyes. My hand comes to her cheek. When she leans further into my touch, I let out a sigh.

For her sake, I hope this all goes as smoothly as she deserves.

THIRTEEN

Casey is incredible.

He may be an omega, but he brought so much power to our dynamic the second he joined Elsie’s heat. He was confident but gentle; demure but firm. The second he started calling the shots, we all just bent to his will and everything flew so much more naturally.

Now we’re sitting here while he brushes Elsie’s hair, humming in a way that causes her heavy eyes to close and her breathing to even. He catches us watching them, all three of us completely in awe, and sneers at us.

“She’s particular about her hair,” he defends, but I think we all know it’s more than that. We may not be voicing it directly, but these two have a special relationship that’s clear to see. It’s obvious they are close, but how close is probably the question on all our minds.

I mean, it’s not usual for an omega to ask for another omega mid-heat, the territorial designation they are. And the fact that she did while we’re her scent matches—that means something.

She trusts him, and now all three of us are starting to as well.

Despite that, conversation has been limited. Every time we get a little time to relax, we’re either taking care of Elsie’s other needs, or getting some shut eye. There’s a million questions I want to ask Casey, like what he wants to do after graduation, what’s his favorite breakfast food, and what kind of traditions does he want to make in his pack?

Even now, when I’m trying to muster up the courage to speak to him, Elsie’s face pinches.

I’m not disappointed though, because my alpha immediately stirs inside my chest, ready to give his scent match any kind of attention that she needs.

She groans in pain, her head falling back onto Casey’s shoulder.

“Who’s geared up?” Casey asks.

“I’m good to go,” I tell him.

Raivat nods. “Me too.”

Brodie is still sleeping on the floor, his head lolling and his tongue hanging out the side.

“I’m guessing he’s not,” I joke, which actually earns me a short laugh from Casey.

“Looks like it’ll just be us,” he says. “Did she say you guys could do double penetration?”

My eyes go wide. “What?”