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“No buts, Biscuit. Jade will take you down to our room and you’re going to sleep. Your heat is too close to fuck around and potentially trigger it early by not taking care of yourself. Trev and I will work out a plan with Cole and then we’ll get some rest too.”
Ethan’s eyes bounced between all the Alphas around him, looking like he wanted to continue arguing, before he nodded and turned to shut down his computers. I moved to my two bondmates and they kissed me on the cheek, one either side, before Trevor tugged me into a hug, whispering in my ear as Theo moved to reassure his grumpy Omega.
“You don’t need to be worried: he loves you as much as you do him. Just tell him. Talk to him and it will all be fine.”
“Love you, Trev.”
“Love you, too.”
Ethan came over and kind of hovered near us, nibbling on that fucking plush bottom lip and looking too anxious. I pulled away from Trevor and held my hand out to him. Once he had his hand in mine, his shoulders dropped as they lost tension, and he released his abused lip.
We walked out of the BullPen and to the bank of elevators that would take us to the floor where the barracks were. With each step we took away from the BullPen, I could see the signs of exhaustion in my Omega. Designations meant fuck-all when it came to an individual’s capabilities or what they could achieve, but an Omega nearing their heat needed more sleep, more food, more care. During the heat, their bodies would force them to stay awake and crave their mates for days at a time. Though Ethan wanted to push through, and could have at any other time, in the lead-up to his heat, he needed to rest.
Once we were in the elevator, he leaned into me, putting his head on my shoulder and wrapping an arm around my stomach. I pressed my lips to his temple and tucked an arm around his back. We stayed like that for the short ride down, but I wanted it to last longer. Moments like these—those perfect moments of quiet, breathing my mates in, and knowing that they were safe and with me—were what kept me going in a world full of shit and evil. The elevator pinged for our floor and I reluctantly pulled away from him, though I slid my hand into his, linking our fingers as we moved into the hall.
“I have a little surprise for you, Ethan.”
His tiredness lifted for a minute and excitement danced in his eyes before he turned bashful at his response.
“At home?”
“No, it’s in our room.”
I tried not to let my nerves take over as I opened the door to our pack’s space at Drake. Ethan stepped in and tightened his grip on my hand at the same time as he halted his steps. It happened so quickly that I nearly stumbled and had a moment of panic when I saw the tears lining his eyes. Then he smiled at me.
“You got me everything for a nest?”
“I know the lighting is harsh, but I couldn’t fix that fast enough, I will though. The blankets and sheets and pillows are the same ones we have at home, and we can paint too if?—”
My flood of words was cut off when he dropped my hand and brought both of his up to hold my face, then crushed his lips to mine. I fisted his shirt at his sides and pulled him against me until we were flush. He was devouring me, and I was lost in the way his cinnamon roll scent filled the small room, driving my instincts wild. Eventually, he drew back from the kiss but kept his hands on my face, eyes moving back and forth between my own.
“It’s absolutely perfect, Jade. I love it. And I love you.”
“Go make your nest, sweet Omega.”
Ethan’s cheeks darkened and he looked to the pile of nesting materials before he bit his lip again. I gently tugged it free with my thumb and pulled at his chin so he would look at me.
“What is it?”
“I just—will you, maybe, scentmarktheblanketsforme.”
I grinned, fully understanding what he was mumbling but wanting him to own up to his instinctual needs. We wouldn’t deny him anything that was in our power to give him, and I didn’t want him to be ashamed of what he needed.
“Couldn’t quite catch that.”
He huffed and leveled a brattish look at me that told me he knew I’d heard exactly what he’d said.
“I love it. It’s amazing and thoughtful and having a nest-away-from-home is more than I could have asked for. But none of those blankets smell right. I can sort of catch Theo and Trevor in here, but I need it to smell like you all. I know it’s crazy.”
Walking a few steps away, I picked up the duffle that I’d packed for him and lifted it up so that I was holding it from the bottom, then tilted my head indicating for him to open the top. He gave me a quizzical look but drew closer and carefully unzipped the bag. I knew I’d done well when the combined scents of our pack became clear, and Ethan’s face broke into a wide grin.
“Go on and make it yours, Ethan. It’ll smell like our pack soon enough, but these will help until then.”
He snatched the duffle from me and hugged it to his middle, like it was more precious than some pieces of emotional support laundry, then he carefully set it down, and his face took on a considering look. He toed off his shoes as his eyes flicked rapidly between the various options, apparently working on a system of organization that would only be obvious to an Omega. He started by grabbing the bag of sheets, dumping them out on the bed to choose the perfect set. Once he had the sheets in place, he shook out several of the blankets and climbed on top of them to arrange the others, and the pillows, then started rifling through the duffle bag, making happy noises as he chose where he wanted each piece of clothing to go. A smile spread across my face as I watched our Omega claiming his space, and the feeling of rightness cancelled out my earlier uncertainty about his reaction. I slid my heels off, enjoying the relief that came from not having my feet trapped, then bent down to move the shoes out of the way. As I straightened, a pillow hit me in the stomach. Looking back at Ethan, I saw him grinning and, though a hint of a blush was still there, this time he didn’t mumble or try to hide what he needed.
“Make it smell like you, Alpha.”
My purr broke free and his eyes took on a glazed quality as his hands fisted in the blanket he held and his perfume intensified. I held the pillow in my left hand and untucked my shirt from my pants as I walked toward him. He swallowed hard as I set the pillow on the bed and crossed my arms over my stomach, taking the hem of my shirt in both hands to lift it over my head. I’d put on a lacy, emerald-green balconette bra that, I thought, lifted my tits perfectly. Based on his sharp intake of breath, my Omega agreed.
