Page 41 of Follow Your Instincts (Fairview City Omegaverse)

Maggie

T he next day, I spent the morning obsessively practicing what I would say during the hearing.

I went over the bare facts of the encounter with Todd in the locker room over and over, trying to make sure I could repeat what happened without too much emotion.

Judges didn’t tend to respond well to emotion, particularly from officers.

As I recited the events of the attack in my head, I felt a wave of panic and terror wash over me.

I was sitting in the library by myself, and suddenly I felt like I was right back there, fighting for my life against an Alpha with twice my strength.

My throat closed up, as if Todd was choking me again, and I swore I could smell that twisted sweet orange scent.

The door to the library opened, and I scrambled away from the door, convinced it was Todd there to attack me again.

When Lucas saw me gasping and crying, pushing myself backwards across the floor into the far corner, he put his hands up in front of him, palms out to show he wasn’t a threat.

He crouched down to the floor but kept his distance.

“Maggie, you’re okay,” he said softly. “You’re safe. You’re safe.”

I was hyperventilating. Logically, I knew Lucas would never hurt me, but that kernel of Omega in my brain could only see a huge, tall Alpha and wanted to run away .

“Take a deep breath, sugar. Try and exhale all the way, slow,” he said in his deep, calm voice.

I tried to fill my lungs and got a hit of his spiced molasses scent.

I breathed out as slowly as I could, trying to delay the next desperate inhale.

With each breath, I got more of his scent, and he slowly moved across the room in a crouch.

He kept his hands up, looking me right in the eye, and started purring.

Once he was close enough, he held his wrist out to me.

I grabbed his hand and pressed my nose to his wrist. A calming dose of his scent pulled me under like a tide, and I threw myself into his arms, sobbing now.

“Shhhh, you’re okay, Maggie. I’ve got you,” he rumbled, still purring. He gathered me up until I was straddling his lap, my face buried in his neck, still taking huge lungfuls of his scent. It was like laughing gas or something, calming my nervous system until I was no longer in a panic.

“Is she okay?” I heard Lachlan ask from the door. I peered over Lucas’s shoulder at him and nodded.

“M’okay,” I mumbled. “Panic attack, I think.”

Lachlan came slowly into the room and sat beside Lucas.

He ran his hand slowly across my hair and down my back, over and over.

His purr joined Lucas’s, and his whiskey scent made me feel even more relaxed until I felt like I could fall asleep.

I enjoyed the feeling for a few moments until I started to feel guilty for keeping them their days.

“Thank you,” I said. “I’m feeling a lot better.”

“Are you sure?” Lachlan asked.

I turned to meet his intense green eyes and nodded. “Lucas got here really fast once it started.”

“I smelled your stress from the kitchen,” Lucas said. “Your scent got all twisted up, and I knew something was wrong.”

Lachlan nodded. “He beat me here, but I could tell you were terrified.”

“Thank you,” I repeated. “But I’m okay now, I promise. You guys can go back to what you were doing.”

They both looked at me like I had three heads. “We’re not leaving you alone here,” Lachlan growled. “Do you know what caused it?”

I didn’t want to tell him that it was about Todd’s attack since I had been so adamant that the hearing wouldn’t faze me. But I couldn’t think of a convincing lie, and I knew Lachlan wouldn’t let it rest. “I was… rehearsing my testimony for tomorrow.”

Lachlan pressed his lips together. His grip tightened briefly on my shoulder before he took a deep breath. “Next time you’re going to relive a traumatic event, please don’t do it on your own,” he said tightly. “I really can’t handle you being in pain.”

I nodded quickly. “That’s a very easy promise to make.”

“I have an idea,” Lucas said after a moment. “Since you’ve decided you’re spending your heat here, I think we need to make sure your nest is ready.”

My stomach jolted with anticipation and anxiety. “Really? Like, today?”

Lucas nodded. “Today. I want you to make that space your own.”

Lachlan clapped him on the back. “Best idea you’ve ever had,” he said. “I’ll text Ben and Soren.”

Ben and Soren rushed home as soon as Lachlan mentioned my panic attack in the group chat. After hugs and reassurances that I was fully recovered, we all piled into the car.

“Where are we going?” I asked nervously.

“Omega heaven,” Ben teased.

He wasn’t exaggerating. The store was called Haven + Harbor and it was entirely dedicated to the kind of pillows, blankets, and other soft things that my inner Omega desperately wanted.

It was dimly lit, with low ceilings to cater to its Omega clientele, but it went on and on for what seemed like an entire city block.

“Get whatever you want,” Lachlan said.

I shook my head, barely inside the front door. “I don’t need a ton of stuff,” I said.

Soren stepped up, slid his hand into the hair at the nape of my neck, and gently tugged to tilt my head back.

“It’s not about need, baby girl. It’s what you want ,” he said, his eyes dark.

For the second time that day, I was breathless, but this time with lust. His grapefruit scent brought him into sharper focus.

I whimpered a little and clenched my thighs against the rush of wetness between my legs.

“Are you going to do as your Alpha says?”

I nodded weakly, and he kissed me, quick and filthy. “Good girl,” he said simply.

A small woman cleared her throat and I flushed at the thought of her watching the exchange, but she seemed completely unfazed at the scene, or my obviously overexcited scent filling the space.

“Good afternoon,” she said, smiling. She was tiny and had dark hair parted down the middle and pulled into a sleek bun. Her eyes were dark brown and friendly. “You must be the Murray pack.”

“This is Maggie,” Lucas said, pulling me into the center. “Her heat is approaching quickly, and we need to get everything to make sure her nest is perfect.”

The woman smiled at me, genuinely warm. “I’m Letitia,” she said and held her hand out to me to shake. Her grip was firm, and I caught a whiff of her subdued lilac scent. “I can help you get everything to make a perfect nest.”

I nodded. “Thank you. I’m honestly a little overwhelmed,” I said.

“This is where we leave you guys,” Letitia said to the pack. “I’ll bring her back safe and sound.”

I looked around, my eyes wide, feeling a little betrayed. “They’re not coming?” I asked, my voice cracking.

“Trust me, it’s easier this way,” Letitia said, linking her arm with mine and pulling me deeper into the store. “They’ll just get in the way.”

“We’ll meet you back here,” Ben called after us.

“Now, your pack has already sent dimensions of the nest, along with detailed pictures and swatches of the existing fabric, but they’ve made it very clear you can make any changes you want.

” Her eyes flicked to mine, and she grinned.

“They also made it very clear that your budget is unlimited, and I’m not supposed to let you see any price tags. ”

I groaned in frustration and she gave me a sympathetic smile. Our first stop was a small desk and she gestured for me to sit while she pulled out a tablet.

“Where is everyone?” I asked, realizing that there was no one else in the store.

“Your pack booked the space for this afternoon,” she said. “So you would be comfortable.”

Gratitude rushed through me, tempered with a bit of disbelief. “They’re not my pack, though.”

Letitia studied me for a moment. “Hmm, maybe not yet, but they certainly see you as their Omega. So, tell me about you, Maggie,” she said, changing the subject.

“I’m not sure what I’m doing here at all,” I blurted out.

“Okay, not what I asked,” Letitia said gently, with a small smile. “Let’s try again. Tell me about yourself, Maggie. Where are you from? What do you fill your time with?”

“And this is supposed to help me pick out pillows?” I asked.

Letitia laughed. “I tend to find that Omegas lose themselves in their pack as they’re approaching their heat, so this is my reminder that you ARE your own person, even within the pack structure. It’s why I always send the Alphas away.”

Unexpected tears sprang into my eyes. I had felt so much like I’d lost myself since presenting as an Omega. “Stupid hormones,” I said.

“Yeah, they’re a bitch,” she said, handing me a tissue, completely unfazed. “My sister and mom are both Omegas, so I’m very familiar with the pre-heat mood swings.”

“Thanks,” I said. “And I’m a cop, you know, when I’m not crying in front of strangers.”

“Really?” she asked. “I’ve never heard of an Omega police officer before. You’re kind of a badass, then.”

I decided not to run through the whole sordid story. “Yeah, it’s never really been a thing before. I’m hoping to get back to work and become a detective when I’m bonded.”

“That’s awesome. So what else do you do?”

“I love running, working out, and reading,” I said. “I’m a native of the city, too.”

“Oh hell yeah, another native Fairviewer? We’re rare these days,” Letitia said.

We kept chatting, and she subtly brought the conversation around to my favorite colors, what kind of design I liked. After about 15 minutes, she stood up and beckoned me forward. “Now the fun part begins.”

With her help, I picked out pillows and bedding for the nest in shades of dark grey and cool greens.

I touched a million blankets and pillowcases, looking for the right fabric that didn’t make my skin itch.

We finally decided on cool, silky gray sheets that matched the existing fabric on the nest ceiling, sage green down pillows, and a gorgeous forest green duvet.