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twenty-four

VIC

H enry and I have been trying to figure out when we want to break the news to Josie about bonding.

We’re both in and want to make the formal ask to bond her during her next heat.

I’m not even sure when it’s going to happen, but it’s gotta be soon, right?

I sure hope so, at least. I can’t wait to spend it with her and Henry.

I hope he’s up to the task when it comes to the knotting portion of things.

Maybe I should look up more information on how to keep Omegas satisfied while in heat. Yeah, I’m gonna do that.

I pull up a browser window on my work computer and type a search to learn more about Omega heats.

Frowning, I realize that’s a bit redundant, but what’s typed is typed.

A variety of results come, anything from shopping for supplies to links that look a little untrustworthy.

After skimming the first page of results, I chose to go medical first. Understanding how the biology works is the first step, I think.

Helping an Omega through her heat sounds like a sexy idea, but somehow, medicine has a way of making it sound horrible.

It talks about potential starvation from getting lost in sex, how the Omega will be essentially mindless, the way skin will swell, and potentially turn red from all the blood rushing to the genitals.

I exit out of the browser and remind myself that the Internet isn’t the best place to get information.

When my workday is finished, I swing through the library to see if they have any books on how to help an Omega in heat. I wander through the self-help section, but so far, all I can see are books on general life improvement.

“Improve your life in seven steps,” I read under my breath, “Yeah, right.”

I place the book back and wander some more. Just as I resign myself to asking for help, a librarian saves me from myself.

“You look a little lost. Can I help?” she asks.

She’s an Omega, her scent muted. It doesn’t seem like a chemical suppressant, thankfully, but I do see she has several bitemarks around her neck, showing she’s taken by a Pack. That would explain it. It makes me hope that someday Josie will bear the same marks.

“Uh, yes, actually. I’m looking for a basic overview of heats. Basically, Heats for Alpha Dummies 101.”

Her laugh is light and airy, and she gestures for me to follow her. We walk past quite a few stacks before finally turning down one of them. I was way off in terms of location.

“This is where we keep all the information on Omegas and Packs. Unfortunately, there aren’t many books on Betas and Alphas, but hopefully someone will write those someday. We have a few different books on heats right… here!”

She gestures to the selection of books, and I let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank you so much! This is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for,” I tell her.

“Not a problem, that’s why we’re here to help. If you need anything else, just flag one of us down. We’re all wearing these lanyards, so it should be easy to find us.”

With that, she walks back the way we came, her stride steady but soft so she doesn’t make much noise.

I’m pretty sure I would go crazy if I had to work in an environment that required quiet.

I examine the title of each book before landing on a couple.

One was made for Omegas to help them through a first heat, and the other is a Pack’s guide to heat.

I need to make sure Henry gets copies of these for himself, too.

I check out my books and head home, intent on sitting down and reading through them.

Hopefully, it will give me some information on how Betas can help during the heat.

We can’t knot the Omega, but there’s other stuff I’m sure I can do to help.

I just need to learn. According to my library slip, I have three weeks in which to do that. Shouldn’t be a problem.

I start with the Pack book, figuring that’s going to have the information I need most. Pen and notebook in hand, I scribble down anything listed about the role Betas play in a heat.

We are definitely not left in the dust during a heat.

Josie is going to need to be knotted several times, and the book recommends making her swallow Beta cum and rubbing any excess cum into her skin.

The words on the page aren’t written in a way to be enticing, but now I have the image of Josie spread out for us, dripping with our releases and overwhelmed with pressure.

My pants feel tight, and if I were an Alpha, I’m sure my knot would be swelling. I tilt my head back against the couch I’m sitting on, my eyes on the ceiling.

“Dammit,” I groan, wanting to touch myself but also wanting to learn.

Who knew learning could be torture?

Maybe doing it with Henry will be less of a turn-on. I refuse to think about how gorgeous he is and focus on the fact that there’s no way he’s interested in men, and that definitely helps some of the pressure in my pants. Grabbing my phone, I pull up his information and send a text.

Me

Hey, I found a couple books at the library on heats. Not sure if you want to take a look at them.

Henry

Oh, sweet, that would be awesome. I could ask Ray… but she’s like a little sister to me.

Me

Yeah, no, hard pass on that one.

Henry

Exactly!

Are you free now? I could swing by if you want.

Do I want Henry in my and Simon’s house?

I’m a little self-conscious since it’s not a mansion like his house is.

I mean it, too. He literally has a small mansion for a house.

Simon and I have a rental, but it’s not fancy by any means.

Although maybe Simon seeing Henry here will be helpful.

Maybe he’ll notice that Henry isn’t uptight.

I need to get past my own insecurities. Henry won’t care about the house.

Me

Yeah, swing on by. Si will be home in a few hours, but if you’re still here, he won’t care.

Henry

Cool, see you soon.

So I know I said I need to get past my own insecurities, but I decide to run around our house anyway trying to clean up.

It’s not like the house needs to be scrubbed down, but it does need to be picked up.

There’s mail spread across the counter, old glasses sitting on the coffee table in the living room, basic stuff that you find in a house.

About twenty minutes later, I’ve just finished cleaning the toilet (because men are gross in the bathroom, don’t let us fool you), when the doorbell rings.

“Perfect timing,” I tell myself.

Hurriedly, I put all the cleaning supplies away and get to the front door. I swing it open just as Henry is about to knock, and we stare at each other in surprise, Henry’s fist hanging in the air. Instead of putting it down, he reaches out and lightly knocks against my forehead.

“I’m here,” he announces.

“No, shit, huh?” I say in wonder.

I let him in with a chuckle that he returns as he takes his shoes off inside the door.

A few steps in, and he has a decent view of the house set up.

It’s a pretty open concept on the main floor, but there are a few walls separating the kitchen and dining area from the living room.

Henry takes a few steps in and looks around with a smile on his face.

“This is great, feels nice in here. Welcoming, you know?” he says.

I blush a little, “Thanks.”

“Where should we sit?” he asks.

“Right this way, sir,” I say, mimicking a butler, and lead him to the living room couch.

We settle in, ready to dig into these books. I grab both of them, holding them up for him to see.

“So we have one from an Omega’s perspective, and one from the Pack perspective. Where do you want to start?”

Henry hums for a moment, grabbing both books and looking them over. He chooses the Omega one first.

“I know you and I will need the Pack information more, but I want to understand more about what Josie will go through, I think. Did you look at this one yet?” he asks.

“No, I’ve been worried how Betas contribute during heats, so I started with the Pack one. I know there’s a place for Betas, but I also know we can’t knot like an Alpha.”

Henry’s face relaxes as I talk. When I said I was worried about how to contribute, I could see the panic rising in his eyes.

I’m glad he didn’t interrupt me, that shit annoys me.

In the back of my mind, I’m starting to wonder if I had a bias against Alphas that my brain never caught up with.

The fact that Henry has pleasantly surprised me more than once indicates that maybe I do have one.

I’m happy with Si, so it never occurred to me that on a bigger scale, things might be different for me.

There’s a small smirk on his face now, as if he knows my moment of silence was an internal battle about being biased. When did I grow up and become so introspective?

“Sometimes it feels like all the focus is on the Alpha when you hear about heats, but that’s a certain kind of pressure on its own.

The push to be perfect, make sure you have stamina, hoping that you’re enough to soothe the Omega.

I’m glad you found more information on the Beta role.

I need to make sure we’re all balanced,” Henry replies to me.

“Why does it have to be you?” I ask, not aggressively. I’m actually curious why he’s burdening himself with this.

“I think I’m going to be Lead Alpha. It makes sense based on the other two, and I don’t mind doing it.”

I nod my head in agreement, “I can see that. I don’t have an opinion one way or the other; I’ll let you Alphas sort it out.”

Henry grins good-naturedly before we both pick up a book and start reading. At first, I worry that things are going to be awkward, just reading in silence together. However, I’m surprised at how much time passed while reading. Henry snaps me out of it with a comment.

“So apparently, if you have Matches, meeting all of them can induce an early heat,” he says.

“Oh shit, do you think that’s happening with Josie?”

He hums, “I haven’t seen many symptoms yet. The book says they’ll be needier, moodier, and frantic about where things are in their nest. It mentions a greater need to cuddle or have physical touch, but I’m not sure how that’s going to manifest with our girl.”

“Our girl,” I grin at him, “I like the sound of that.”

He grins in return.

“We should probably discuss group intimacy at some point,” Henry says.

“You mean sex?” I say bluntly, just to see if I get a rise out of him.

“Yes. That.”

“What?”

“Um,” he hesitates for a second before lowering his voice, “sex.”

I lean in close, pitching my voice low, “Why are we almost whispering?”

Henry chuckles softly and leans in toward me, “I have no idea. It just felt weird to say sex when we’re talking about her heat.”

“You’re gonna have to get past it,” I reply.

Henry sits back with a laugh, “Okay, okay, sorry, old habits of being raised by uptight parents. Loving, mostly, but uptight.”

“All good, man. I think we just go with the flow if that’s okay with you? I don’t mind touching or engaging as long as everyone’s comfortable with it.”

Henry nods, “I’m cool with that at least until we bond, then we can reassess if needed.”

“Will you be drawing up the contract?”

“Shut up,” Henry snorts.

Then, we make a plan to officially ask Josie to bond with us.