Page 27 of Knot Enough (Fruity Omegas #1)

L ydia

It was hot. I was hot. Everything felt uncomfortable and warm, which was odd since I was only in my underwear and the socks Sorren gave me.

I grumbled, moving away from Sorren’s arms and blankets.

I was mad and annoyed, but I didn’t know why.

I liked the smell of Sorren’s room, but it was off.

I didn’t like it being off. Where was everyone else?

Why aren’t they here? They should be here.

Why wasn’t Gabriel here to help me with my nest?

He’s always here to help me with my nest. I growled in displeasure.

“Mmmm, Lydia, what’s wrong?” Sorren asked.

His voice was still husky from being woken up.

I growled again, not wanting to use words.

Why doesn’t he understand what I need without me saying it?

I don’t like it. I don’t like it. I don’t like it.

Sorren, sensing my displeasure, moved me into his lap.

I enjoyed the coolness of Sorren’s skin against mine.

Whining, I nuzzled my face in the crook of his neck.

“It’s okay. I can fix this.” He cooed. He picked me up and walked out of his room.

I closed my eyes to focus on the coolness of his body.

I wasn’t sure where he was taking me, but he said he would fix it.

He’s my alpha. He should be able to fix it.

Sorren opened a few different doors before we entered a room that smelled right.

I opened my eyes to find that we were in our nest. It was a large mattress with several shelves encasing it.

The one window we did have was covered by a blank out curtain and the walls were painted a light grey.

The blankets and pillows were different fabrics and colors.

There was no seam of order to the design.

A bunk bed was over top. It was a place Gabriel and I could go if we wanted to be close by, but didn’t want to be near bodies.

The last time I counted there were over thirty blankets, but that was a year ago.

There was no telling how many we had now.

I quickly moved out of Sorren’s grasp to enter the nest completely.

Everything smelled just like it was supposed to.

I moved around the three bodies in the nest to find Gabriel in the middle.

I touched his forehead, and just like I suspected, he was warm too.

In fact, I would say Gabriel was warmer than I was.

Fear surrounded me like a dark cloud. I couldn’t move, and I didn’t want to move.

If the three people in the nest woke up right now, I would be forced to face the fear I’ve had for days.

Gabriel most likely sensed the turmoil through the bond.

Everything in my body wished he’d stay asleep, but he started to wake up.

“Lydia, what’s got you so scared?” Gabriel asked, sitting up.

His hair was everywhere, and his eyes were dark due to his heat.

He goes to reach for me, but I move out of the way.

My feelings right now were unimportant. We didn’t have long before the haze ruled over Gabriel's mind. Graham and Finn, at the sound of Gabriel’s voice, started stirring too.

I needed to make this nest right, perfect, even.

If I wanted this pack to take care of me, I needed to show them I could make a perfect nest. I shooed the three alphas away and let Gabriel remain in the middle while I molded the blankets around him.

I covered the clothes with blankets and pillows so they could absorb the alphas’ scents.

I didn’t like having used clothes in the nest unless I was wearing them, but Gabriel loved them, so they were a must. I fluffed the pillows and smoothed over the blankets, but it didn’t feel like enough.

How could this be perfect? I didn’t know how to make this magical for them.

My nest was perfect last time, but they still left in the end.

Everything was becoming too much. This was too much. I’m not ready for this. I don’t want to be alone again. I felt a thumb wipe along my face. I hadn’t noticed I was crying. My attention refocused on Gabriel.

“Lydia, what’s going on? Why are you crying?” Gabriel questioned. His voice was growing worried. He wiped away the loose tears falling from my face. I brought my hand to my face to swipe the tears Gabriel had missed, but they were quickly replaced with a sob after I processed Gabriel’s words.

“Come here, baby. It’s okay.” Finn cooed at me. He had placed himself on the edge of my nest, so he didn’t ruin it. I crawled to him and he pulled me onto his lap. He traced circles on my shoulder to try to calm me. Sorren handed him a blanket to wrap around me. I snuggled into the soft fabric.

“Lydia, tell me what’s wrong,” Graham asked.

He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him.

His eyes were hard with worry, and his smile was gone.

I didn’t like that. His smile made me feel like things were under control.

I get nervous when he doesn't smile. I glanced behind him to see Sorren comforting Gabriel as they watched me. Graham’s quiet dominance had me confessing.

Omegas were hardwired to do what their alphas wanted, but the instinct worsened during a heat.

“I don’t want to be alone during my heat.” I pleaded. My tears clouded my vision, making it impossible to see Graham's face.

“Why the hell would we be anywhere but your nest for your heat?” Finn asked with a growl.

“We're not going anywhere, cupcake. If we had it our way, you would stay in the nest for the rest of your life with us.” Sorren added .

“What in the world would make you think otherwise?” Graham asked. His hand remained on my chin.

“Because you all will be focused on helping Gabriel. I don’t want Gabriel to suffer because of me.

I figured it would be easier for all of us if I weren’t here.

I want Gabriel to be the focus. I mean, my heats aren’t that bad compared to his.

It’s not like my old pack stayed for mine anyway.

” I gulped down my sobs. My hands moved to wipe the tears from my face.

Graham grabbed my hands and kissed me. It was feather light and gentle.

I felt myself relax the tension I didn’t know was there.

“Next time, if you're worried about something, talk to us. Don’t make decisions for us again without us to object to dumb ideas like that. You're staying in this nest and you aren’t leaving until your heat is over. We are going to take care of both of you. I think I can speak for Gabriel when I say he will need you here.” Graham affirmed.

He gave me a long look before kissing me again.

This time, the kiss was firm and insisting. “Do you understand?”

“Yes.” His dominance had me answering him before I had time to second-guess myself. My face was still wet from my tears, but my body relaxed from the early stress I was carrying.

“Good.” Graham nodded in approval. He moved out of the way so Gabriel could sit in his place. Gabriel looked heartbroken.

“I know, heats can be crazy. So I’m not going to be mad about how you thought I would let something like that happen, but I want you to know, Lydia, I need you here.

Heats aren’t just about sex and knots. You're my comfort. You're my home. I don’t feel safe unless you're here with me. Don’t ever forget that.” Gabriel said.

His voice held a quiet power. I could feel the sincerity of his words hit my heart a thousand times.

I nodded at him, not trusting myself to not cry again.

I don’t know what I did to deserve these men, but I was so thankful.

“Sorren, go get the bags,” Graham said. Gabriel and I looked at each other in curiosity.

Sorren’s face lit up, and he raced out of the room.

Within seconds, the man had returned with several bags.

Two were placed in front of me, and three were placed in front of Gabriel.

Sorren came around and grabbed both our shoulders in excitement.

“Well, go on, open them, " Sorren urged us on. Gabriel beckoned me to go first. I chose to open the orange bag first. I took the wax paper out, finding a small box inside. I lifted the box out of the bag and opened it. Inside was a small bracelet. A little whiff of everyone's scent came from it.

“It has all your scents in it.” I marveled. I immediately unclasped it and put it on my wrist. I lifted my arm up to look at it. The metal and small gems that littered the bracelet sparkled in the light of the nest.

“It’s so pretty,” I commented. A deep chuckle had me looking at Graham.

“I’m glad you like it.” He said. Pride filled his expression .

“You got this for me?” I asked. My heart warmed at the gesture. The Jameson pack didn’t get me a courting gift when I was with them.

“Of course. You deserve it.” He declared. A soft smile came over my face.

“Go on, mine’s next, " Finn urged me. He was at my left side, waiting patiently.

I nodded and started to open the pink bag.

There was another small box inside this bag, this time more rectangular.

I quickly opened it and found a gorgeous bookmark.

My fingers glided over the engravings that had items to represent each guy's scent.

There were little bubblegum images, watermelons, and pumpkins. The bookmark was adorable and perfect.

“I love it,” I said, getting up to replace the bookmark in my current book with my new one. I was about to go back to everyone when I noticed a message on my phone.

They would never bond with you. Come back, Lydia. We’ll give you the bite marks you crave.