“U-uh.” She sniffles, her nose bright pink as she stares up at me, tear tracks on her cheeks. “The grocery store?”
Fuck. And Seth’s gone too.
“Arin?”
She glances at the hallway. “He said he had work.”
No pulling him away from that then — he’s a fucking dog with a bone. He’d work twenty-four hours without eating, sleeping, or going to the bathroom if he could.
“I’m okay.” Her voice is so soft, so sweet, that it breaks a part of me, leaving jagged edges in my chest — tearing at my cold, dead heart. I tip my head down, staring at her as she blinks her glassy eyes at me, determined tobeokay.Strong little omega.
“I’m just going to…” She pauses, her lip trembling as she frowns. “Rest today?”
I nod at her. “Yeah.” That sounds… right. Omegas need lots of sleep, right? And probably blankets and soft things and alphas who aren’t so hot and cold they give you whiplash. Clearing my throat, I take a step back, nodding toward the stairs. “You should do that. Go on.”
She gives me a confused look, then cautiously reaches out, picking up her phone. Easing past me, June glances back one last time before she starts up the stairs.
I grunt, “Don’t answer any more calls from her.”
She freezes on the stairs, looking over her shoulder with wide eyes.
Clenching my hands into fists, I breathe out slowly, realizing what a colossal fucking idiot I’ve been. But I can’tsaythat, so instead I stare at her, hoping it looks genuine. “Please do not answer any more calls from your mother. They just upset youand nothing she said is true. You’re allowed to make your own decisions.”
Her cheeks flush and I watch as she reaches a hand up, scrubbing at her eyes like she’s trying to stop a fresh wave of tears.Already fucking this up, awesome.
She takes a moment, then bites her lip, her shoulders tight. “Thank you, Theo.”
And that’s it.
Those are the words that shatter my heart to fucking pieces, so tiny, so fractured, that there’s no amount of glue that could put me back together.
I would pay to have a bond with her at this very moment, toknowhow she feels. It’s confusing enough for me, but I can’t imagine what it feels like for her — and as quick as the thought comes, so does the realization that I need to fix my shitnowbecause I’m about to watch my future be destroyed by my own ham-fisted inability to confront my own baggage.
I don’t even bother going down the hall to tell Arin that I’m leaving. I just turn on my heel and stalk out the front door, my mind clouded as I shut and lock the townhouse behind me. If anyone asked me, I wouldn’t be able to articulate thewhy, but I need to leave, and I need to do it forher.
Climbing into my car, I choose not to unpack that as I back out of the drive, having to navigate around an unfamiliar car parked directly across from the townhouse in an awkward spot. I growl at it in the rearview, pushing it out of my mind as I focus on my task at hand.
Seth might be out shopping for her — but none of them will beright.Ineed to be the one who gets her shit too.
I jerk my car into a parking spot and find myself outside a row of stores, staring down at my phone in my hand as I search “what do omegas like” and “omega nest essentials.” There arelistsof options, most of them boiling down to the same non-answer, “A good alpha will know what their omega prefers for nesting materials, but be sure to let omegas make their own decisions in organization and nest arrangement because all omegas are different.”
All good in theory, but realistically, Iknowthis heat is going to come on far faster than any of us are prepared for. If nothing happens — if I have to leave the townhouse and go to a hotel for a week — I’ll do it, just so I don’t lose my sanityormake her uncomfortable. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to keep ignoring the soul-burning need to provide and care for her.
I’m so fucked.
As I walk into the first store, I’m painfully aware that the nest at the townhouse is practically fucking empty. I should know — it’s on the top floor with my room, on the opposite end of the house. We’ve never had any reason to use it, I’m not even sure we havesheetsfor the mattress.
And there’s no way I’m letting her sleep on a bare mattress on the floor.
She could refuse every single thing I buy today, but it doesn’t stop me as I walk toward a display of blankets, staring at the litany of options. There’s some kind of… book, hanging off the display, with the different fabrics available, and I reach for it, rubbing my hand over the samples of thickness, fabric quality, and colors. A sign next to the display says not to touch the packaged blankets so scents don’t transfer to them.
It’s all… mind-boggling — an entirely different world that I’m supposed to know about, but I’m oblivious. I tilt my head at the blankets, trying to puzzle out the best one for her, when one of the workers pops up out of nowhere.
“You can’t go wrong with these!” He shoots me a wide smile. “As long as you take it out of the package and rub your scent all over it, your omega willloveit. These are our highest rated blankets, with varying levels of scent-retention and softness.”
I shoot him a look and he swallows, paling slightly.
“What is your price range for your visit today? I’m happy to show you options that —”
