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She couldn’t seem to finish what she wanted to say, but she didn’t need to. I’d been preparing for this since we’d agreed to her bargain of paying me back with her time.
“Give me just a minute. I can fix it.”
It was hard to turn away from her, but I managed, walking into my closet. I didn’t even need to turn on the light to get what I needed, and I went straight to the pile, gathering up all I could hold.
Cadence was still staring at the bed when I came back into the room, but she looked up at my approach, her eyes going wide as her mouth popped open. She might have thought I hadn’t paid attention when I took her shopping, but I knew she preferred pastel colors, especially pink and teal, and loved soft, fluffy fabrics. She’d fingered a cashmere scarf so long I’d almost insisted she take it, but she wouldn’t have been willing to accept what she saw as something unnecessary. It was in the top of my closet, waiting for when I could shower her with gifts without her feeling beholden to me for them.
“Here you go, omega. Use these to nest.”
I was ignored in favor of the bedding, but it was only natural. Alphas and omegas were already driven by instinct, and during an omega’s heat, it completely took over. There were sects of betas who called us animals, and it was true, but it wasn’t a bad thing. This was how we were made.
I went back for another load of pillows and blankets, dropping them atop the pile I’d already brought. I received a soft snarl for my efforts, and the sound made my lips tick up. The Cadence who had come to my father’s office so many months ago never would have snarled at anyone, especially not an alpha, and she’d have been mortified to think she’d do it over me giving her more nesting materials.
Slipping into my bathroom while she was distracted, I reached into the top of the medicine cabinet, pulling out the little orange bottle with no label and only a single pill inside. I’d been hoping Cadence’s heat would come since our first night together, but after I’d spent more time with her, I’d realized she’d never forgive me for bonding her without her permission, even if I did it when I could claim I was under the influence of her pheromones.
So, I’d gotten something to be sure I could keep control while she was in heat.
The little brown oblong was bitter on my tongue, and I leaned down to cup handfuls of water from the sink to rinse away the taste. Suppressants weren’t widely available and were generally frowned upon, but with enough money it was possible to get them. The ones for omegas were harsh and could do a lot of damage to their systems, but there were some created for alphas too, alphas just didn’t want them.
Once I couldn’t taste the bitterness anymore, I moved to the doorway. Cadence’s soft purr was barely audible as she stroked blankets and fluffed pillows, but it was enough to help hold the lust at bay while I waited for the pill to kick in. If I took hold of those lush hips and sank into her now, I was still liable to bury my teeth in her too.
I wanted her too much.
The old me wouldn’t have hesitated. I’d have thrown her on the bed and rutted her until my mark was on her neck before I’d even allowed her to nest, but Cadence didn’t deserve that. She had trusted me, and I needed to prove I was worthy of it.
And not just to her. I needed to prove it to myself as well. If I couldn’t convince her to accept my claim, then I didn’t deserve to have her.
I stayed focused on Cadence as she crawled around the bed, folding and tucking and adjusting layers of pastel fluff. I’d kept the bedding tucked away behind my clothes hamper, and it had been in there long enough to pick up traces of my scent. The sight of her putting pillows to her nose to breathe it in before rubbing it on herself to mark it with her own honeysuckle sweetness was enough to have me leaking in my pants.
My jacket had gotten left behind on the chair when I’d followed her from the dining room, and as she started to slow, I pulled off my cuff links and set them on the dresser. Cadence had turned over to lie in the middle of her creation when my hands moved to the buttons of my shirt, and her eyes flashed toward me when I pulled the tail from my slacks and let the fabric fall off my shoulders.
Her sweet scent had already filled the room, and the potent smell of slick spiked as she watched me. Her purr trailed away, a low whine taking its place as I pulled my belt from the loops and tossed it aside before moving closer as I opened my slacks.
“Are you ready for me now, my Blossom?”
Trepidation entered her expression. With the need for a nest met and her instincts temporarily soothed, she could focus enough to remember her fear that I’d bond her, but I’d meant what I said. I would be keeping my teeth to myself.
Mostly.
Her hands drifted down to her bare belly, cupping the soft swell between her hips as the crease between her brows deepened. My mother hadn’t let me grow up ignorant of what the fairer dynamic went through during their cycle, and I knew her cramps and desire would begin ramping up now that she felt safe in her nest.
Cadence rolled back up onto her knees, biting her bottom lip as she looked at me through lowered lashes. She was stubborn, but nothing could overpower the drive of her instincts. Her brain might be telling her this was a bad idea, but her body didn’t care.
I had what she needed.
Chapter Three
Cadence
Everything was fuzzy and muddled.
My belly hurt, and I was hungry in a way I’d never felt before. My alpha was standing there, tormenting me with the sight of him while he denied me his touch, yet there was a voice whispering to keep away from him.
That I wasn’t safe, despite the lavish nest around me.
The fuzzy powder pink blanket beneath me was the softest thing I’d ever had against my skin and I wanted to stretch out on it again, but Leo’s eyes burned into me, keeping me upright, kneeling in submission. I couldn’t lift my chin even if my life had depended on it.
Run.
