Page 10

10

Blake

It’s the same damn nest I have had for years, the same blankets, the same pillows, the same scent that has always wrapped around me like a second skin. But now, everything feels off, like someone came in and ripped it apart and tried to piece it back together without knowing how it was supposed to fit. I’ve refluffed the blue one in the corner what feels like seventeen times and stolen three shirts from Luther’s hamper.

It doesn’t feel like enough and I already stole both Maceo and Grayson’s shirts before climbing back into my nest and then promptly kicking them out of the room because nothing was working. And now I’m trying to find a comfortable spot and am failing miserably. This isn’t even about them stealing Luca from me, my heart shattering into a billion pieces. This has nothing to do with the fact that Maceo and Grayson promised they wouldn’t let Luca be taken away from me.

The same way they promised they’d bring Luther back.

I’m not really angry with them but my biology is working against my rational mind, every little scent and shift bothering the fuck out of me. Quentin told me this was going to happen, that everything was going to feel disorienting for a little while until my body adjusted. Until it figured out what the fuck was going on. But I didn’t think the change was going to be this sudden. Didn’t think it would fuck me up this bad.

I had to be sedated after Luca was torn from me and while I was out, my system was flushed of all the blockers I had stocked up on over the years. Every last bit of those suppressants were gone the moment I woke up and now it’s like my Omega instincts are front and center, driving this goddamn awful train into a ditch.

Instead of falling into it like an easy comfort, like riding a bike, I’m fumbling around, confused and a little terrified of my own body. Not having all of my mates here to figure this out just makes it worse.

I swallow, rolling onto my back, staring up at the ceiling. My limbs feel heavy, my skin too hot, something beneath the surface simmering, building into something I do not want to acknowledge. Even my cock is responding, twitching in my pants as I try to think about spiders, that awful employee we had to fire a few months ago, or even Starlight Falls failing.

None of that works as sweat beads on my forehead and gathers along my spine, my body telling me that there is no more time.

I should have known it was coming. Quentin had mentioned the possibility, had explained the way my biology would try to fix the imbalance, try to pull my pack back together the only way it knew how. But hearing it and feeling it creep through my bones are two very different things.

I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to breathe through it. It is not a full heat yet, just the warning signs, but it’s enough to make me uncomfortable, enough to make the space around me feel wrong, like something is missing, like something has been stolen.

Because it has. My heart and soul are locked up in a fucking Omega Center. One of my Alphas is sitting in a jail cell. And the other two are trying to hold it together while everything falls apart.

I grimace, pressing my face into the pillows, fingers gripping the fabric too tight. A sharp pain spears through, the horrid feeling of a heat cramp rendering me breathless. My lips part in a gasp as I curl tighter into myself, knowing that only one thing will soothe this and yet, being too stubborn to ask for it.

The strained tension in my bond with Luca is starting to overwhelm me, tears gathering in my eyes as I let out a soundless cry, my lips parted but nothing coming out. I claw at my chest, wanting to rip my heart out, rip out the feelings making me ache and crave the one person I can’t have. And when a tendril of heat mixes with the anguish, I reach for the pills Quentin prescribed. They’re supposed to be taken in moderation to help with the heightened emotions, something to help me come to terms with my heat.

They’re also fantastic at numbing everything else out so I don’t have to feel. I rip open the little bottle before grabbing one pill and swallowing it dry. It’s my third one today but I don’t care. Anything to not feel.

It takes a few moments to kick in, my body going lax, my ability to care fading slightly. The despair clawing at my mind dissipates and I’m able to breathe for just a little while. It won’t last but for a moment, I don’t feel like I’m dying.

Deciding to pick a distraction, ignoring the ache in my lower belly, I fish around for my glasses and then my phone, fingers trembling slightly as I unlock the screen. My notifications are stacked, unread messages piling up, emails waiting, the familiar chaos of my work staring back at me. For the first time in hours, my mind latches onto something solid.

This , I can control.

My fingers move over my phone screen, tapping out a message, deleting it, rewriting it, hesitating before finally hitting send. It has been days since I checked in but the one chat I pull up gives me a window into only a little bit of chaos rather than the entirety of my company.

Just a small group of employees. Secret. Hidden away from my Alphas, from Maceo, from anyone who might raise an eyebrow at what I was doing behind the scenes focused on a breakout game.

A new direction, something to shake the dust off the original Starlight Falls, something to make it fresh, something that could stand on its own without the weight of what came before. It had started as an experiment, a challenge, a quiet rebellion against what everyone expected. And then my entire life imploded.

Now, as I scroll through the chat, there is a flurry of messages waiting for me.

[Miri]: Holy shit, you’re alive.

[Jules]: Is everything okay? You kinda just disappeared.

[Miri]: Yeah, how’s the fam? Everything good?

[Eli]: Bro, we miss your snarky ass at work. It’s been too quiet. Jules is getting away with murder without you around to call him out.

I snort softly, rubbing at my temple. I should have known they would be all over me the second I came back online. They’re really the only group of people that doesn’t treat me like some kind of boss man and they aren’t terrified of Luther which means for a little space in time, this is my peace. I take a second, flexing my fingers, breathing in slow to calm the raging fire coursing through me before finally typing out a response.

[Blake]: I’m fine. Just dealing with some shit.

A ping comes in immediately.

[Miri]: You good-good or Blake good?

I roll my eyes, only mildly hating that they know me so well.

[Blake]: I said I’m fine, didn’t I? What’s the status on the game? You guys making progress or did you burn the whole project down without me?

There is a pause. A brief lull in the conversation before the chat explodes again.

[Eli]: We don’t burn things, we strategically pivot.

[Jules]: You can’t fucking say that to the boss, dumbass.

[Miri]: LMAO, Eli just forgets sometimes.

I smirk, shaking my head as I watch the messages roll in and then a new notification pops up.

[Miri]: BTW, weird thing happened yesterday. Some guy named Hudson came by the front desk asking questions.

My stomach drops and I sit up a little too fast, my head swimming, fingers gripping the phone too tight as I stare at the message. My vision blurs and then corrects before I madly type my response. Hudson shouldn’t be anywhere near that place after he got thrown out the last time.

[Blake]: What did he want?

Another pause.

[Miri]: Didn’t talk to him. Receptionist said he was asking about leadership changes. Something about understanding transitions and preparing for shifts in ownership.

[Jules]: Sounded sus as fuck. She didn’t give him shit tho.

I grit my teeth, shoving a hand through my hair. Hudson is sniffing around, testing the waters, seeing how much damage he can do before making a real move. I exhale sharply, forcing myself to focus. This isn’t something I can deal with right now. I need a real distraction, something to keep me from spiraling and thinking about Hudson or Luca or Luther is going to make everything worse.

[Blake]: Good. Keep everything locked down. Now tell me about the game.

The chat floods with updates, concept art, new worldbuilding details, mechanics they have been tweaking. I scan through it all, letting my mind pull away from everything else, letting myself sink into something I understand.

It isn’t until I tell them I’ll touch base later that I let out the most embarrassing whine, slick gather between my thighs as my body urges me to find relief. Seconds later, my phone is vibrating, the silent addition to that secret chat calling me.

Addie.

I hesitate. I haven’t spoken to her in a while. Not since she needed something signed and Grayson was busy. It wasn’t like I was supposed to be working then, and I sure as hell shouldn’t be working now but I answer anyway. "Didn’t expect to hear from you," I say, rubbing at my temple as I sink deeper into the nest, staring at the ceiling like it might give me some kind of answer.

There’s a pause, then Addie sighs. "How are you really doing?"

I snort, shaking my head. "What happened to keeping personal stuff out of the business?" I rub a hand at my chest, knowing full well she’s going to ask questions or talk about shit that I’m trying to avoid. My jaw clenches as slick gathers around my hole, starting to slip down my thighs. I’m going to be a whining mess in a few moments and I’m both terrified and pissed off that I can’t control it.

“Blake, that doesn’t apply in a situation like this."

I pinch the bridge of my nose, exhaling through my teeth. "What do you want, Addie?"

"I just told you. I want to know how you’re holding up." She pauses, then, softer, "Blake, I’ve worked for you long enough to know how you handle things. And I’ve seen you time and time again push away your Omega instincts in lieu of work."

I frown, shifting slightly, the weight of her words settling in uncomfortably. "That’s not true."

"Blake," Addie says, like she’s trying to drive the truth straight through my thick skull. "You’re currently talking about work when I know your house is in chaos. I never told you this but you probably don’t really remember me from school. We didn’t always run in the same circles, but I knew Grayson. And by proxy, you."

I don’t say anything.

"You’ve always attacked problems head-on," she continues. "That’s why I love working for you. But you can’t do that with this. You will stress yourself out until there’s nothing left."

I grumble, shifting against the pillows, my body too hot, too restless. "What, you’re my therapist now?"

Addie laughs, but there’s something sad in it, something knowing. "I should know, Blake. I did it myself. My Alphas dragged me out of a very dark place and I don’t want that for you."

"What are you asking me to do?" My voice is barely above a whisper, a whine at the edge of my voice as I begin to lose myself to that awful Omega haze.

Addie doesn’t hesitate. "I’m telling you that of all times, this is the time to lean. You’re searching for a distraction, that’s what your mates are for. Seek them out, Blake. A bond only tells so much, but you showing up in their space, demanding attention? You’ll see. It’ll make you feel better."

She doesn’t say anything else, just telling me good luck and then hanging up as I bury my face into the pillows. Another whine tears from my throat as I prop my ass up in the air, rocking back against nothing, seeking friction when there is none. A cramp tears through me as I continue rocking back, more slick pooling between my legs until my pants are fully soaked. My scent sweetens into a thick, syrupy pear and honey aroma until my stomach is twisting with need, my cock already leaking as I struggle to truly come to terms that I’m in heat.

Not an almost heat.

Not just a needy Omega.

No, my body is preparing me for a heat that I’m not ready for and don’t want. And fuck, I can already feel that this one might break me.

I stumble to my feet, blindly heading into the hallway, a whine slipping through my teeth. Grayson and Maceo’s voices are barely a murmur, a sound that abruptly stops once they catch my scent. I’m holding onto the last threads of my sanity, a distressed, strangled sound tearing from my throat. My whole body locks up. I freeze in place, fingers twitching at my sides, a growl spilling from my throat as I hunch in on myself. “Fuck,” I mutter, voice tight, humiliation washing over me in a hot wave. “This is embarrassing.”

It's cute when Luca does it but I don’t know why I hate it so goddamn much. Grayson is in front of me in the next second, gathering me up against his chest. I’m already trying to claw at his pants—his shirt nicely wove into my nest, grumbling through every moment. “I like when you need us, Blake,” he murmurs against the top of my head. “What is it, babe? What do you need?”

It’s a testament to how much Grayson loves me that he doesn’t just try to carry me into my nest and fuck me through it. He’ll make me ask for it and then he’ll make sure it’s what I want. I don’t want to ask for it, though. I want him to take. I want him to give. I need to not think anymore, the effects of that pill are already wearing off. It seems the heat spike is blasting through it.

Words don’t seem to be enough as I drag my tongue across one of his pecks, Grayson shuddering beneath my teeth. A mix of sweat and his earthy scent takes over, more slick gathering in my pants. “Knot, please.” The plea falls from my lips in a mixture of agony and embarrassment as my legs buckle, my Alpha catching me and carrying me back into the room.

He’s already laying me in the middle of my nest, Maceo not even two steps behind. When my Beta stays just outside of the nest, a low growl rumbles up my throat before I can stop it, a deep, needy sound, and I reach out, grabbing at Maceo’s wrist, tugging him in.

He chuckles, but he doesn’t fight me. He lets me pull him closer, lets me dig my fingers into his arm, lets me press against him like I need this to survive. His calming scent wraps around me even as Grayson laughs as he tries to get my shirt off. “Babe, if one of us is going to help, we need to get the clothes off.”

I know that but I can’t seem to stop moving, clawing, whining. This is the part that I hate, the wordless, neediness where I’m just a bunch of sounds and slick. I can’t control anything. I can’t demand what I want. I’m just… here.

“Relax, genius,” Maceo murmurs, his chin resting against the top of my head. “We’ve got you.”

Fuck, I’m trying and even as Grayson finally gets my shirt off, I’m all but panting, burying my face into Maceo’s chest, praying that the painful pleasure goes away sooner than later. Maceo presses a kiss to my forehead as he removes my glasses.

All those emotions I was trying to push away crash in at once, Luca’s fear and that pang of loneliness hovering around him. Luther’s anger. Grayson’s worry. I can even somehow feel Maceo a little bit, confusion and concern. It just makes it hurt all that much worse as Grayson drags down my soaked pants and boxers. In the next second, Grayson is flush against my back, Maceo distracting me with soft kisses.