Page 27 of Nursing the Alpha

FLYNN

T he bell over the door chimed, and I stepped into a world of sun-dappled shelves, the air heavy with vanilla, parchment, and that particular warmth that only comes from a room full of well-loved stories.

My fingers itched already, eyes scanning the “New Arrivals” table stacked high with glossy covers that promised alien lovers bigger than my imagination could handle.

I trailed my fingertips along the spines of the books, stopping at one with a cover that was positively obscene. Four arms. Horns. A tagline that read: Captured by monsters. Made their perfect little toy.

My cheeks warmed. I picked up the book and skipped to a random page. Oh my. The omega was being fucked by the alpha’s horn.

Gods

Was there a sex toy out there that resembled a horn my alpha and I could try?

The past month had been amazing as we explored our most baser desires.

To be fair eighty percent of them were mine, but Seth didn’t look at me weird at all for having them.

Although he often shook his head and looked at me in disbelief that I wasn’t the innocent omega he’d thought he knew on the train.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I plucked it out, thinking it was Micah cancelling our lunch date. He was already running late. But it was Seth.

I unlocked it to see he’d sent me a photo. A stack of cardboard boxes sitting on the hardwood floor of our living room. Each one had a familiar logo stamped on the side.

Seth:

More alien smut?

I barely had time to tap a reply before the phone vibrated again, this time from his call.

“Hey,” I said, a little breathless.

“Hey yourself.” His voice was warm and teasing, low enough to make my belly flutter. “Standing in a bookshop right now, aren’t you? Surrounded by your fantasies.”

I turned my back on the table instinctively, as if he could see me through the phone. “I—I’m just browsing.”

Seth chuckled, the sound rumbling in my ear. “Haven’t you had enough smut lately? I feel like I’m still trying to catch my breath from last night.”

Heat surged up my neck, pooling in my ears. He wasn’t wrong. Seth had been relentless lately, indulging every one of my fantasies, even the ones that made my face burn when I whispered them into the darkness.

“Maybe I just like… research?” I mumbled.

“Oh, is that what we’re calling it?” His grin was audible. “Tell me, sweetheart, are you not getting enough smut at home? Is your alpha not taking care of his business in the bedroom? ”

“Seth,” I hissed his name, torn between mortification and laughter.

“No, really. If I’m falling short, you only have to say so. I’ll be happy to step up my game. Four-armed aliens, tentacles, whatever you want—just give me the word.”

I pressed a hand to my cheek, hoping no one in the shop could hear his deep, sinful voice in my ear. “You’re ridiculous.”

“And yet, you’re smiling.”

“Maybe,” I admitted softly.

He went quiet for a beat, and I thought I could hear him shifting in his chair back home. “I’m just making fun, baby. Whatever you need, Flynn,” he said, his the teasing gone now. “You know I’d never deny you anything. Ever.”

Something warm and thick curled in my chest. I couldn’t remember the last time anyone had said that to me.

“I know,” I said. “Thank you. I… love you.”

“Love you too,” he murmured, voice low and sincere. “Have fun with your friend, and I’ll see you at home soon.”

“Soon,” I promised. “Just popped in for a minute since Micah is running late.”

“Mm-hmm. ‘Just a minute.’ I know how that goes.”

I laughed, ducking my head. “See you soon.”

When a few minutes later, I walked out of the bookshop into the cool afternoon air, I had a book tucked under my arm.

Not bad. One book. Just one. Seth would be proud.

Okay, maybe not proud—more amused. Because if I was being honest, I could have easily walked out with a dozen. But just because my alpha was loaded didn’t mean I should burn through his credit card like paper.

Not that Seth had ever complained. In fact, I was half-convinced he encouraged it .

“It’s research for us both, baby,” he’d said the last time he caught me smuggling another three alien smut paperbacks into my nightstand.

His smirk still made my face heat when I thought about it.

Hell, he’d even given me my own room and decorated it as a library, shelves packed with every filthy, depraved, galaxy-spanning romance my little heart desired.

I didn’t deserve him.

My phone buzzed and I checked it as I turned toward the crosswalk.

Micah:

Where are you? I grabbed us a table already.

Me:

Just left the bookstore. On my way now!

I slipped my phone back in my coat and picked up my pace, the chill biting pleasantly at my cheeks as I weaved through the early afternoon foot traffic. The streets were alive with the quiet hum of the city.

By the time I reached the bistro, my fingers were tingling from the cold.

It was a small, cozy place tucked between a bakery and a florist, its windows fogged slightly from the warmth inside.

Chalkboard signs on the sidewalk boasted soup of the day and fresh pastries, and through the glass, I caught the flicker of candlelight and the soft glow of pendant lamps hanging low over polished wooden tables.

Inside, the air smelled of butter, herbs, and strong coffee. I spotted Micah easily in a corner booth, waving with one hand while the other kept a chubby-cheeked baby—gummy smile and a mop of red curls—entertained with a teething toy .

The child looked nothing like Micah and was a dead stamp of his alpha daddy.

“Oh my God.” I grinned as I pushed through the door. “You brought Ellie!”

“Surprise,” Micah said with a laugh as I slid into the booth across from him. “That’s why I took so long. I can never be on time once I have the baby with me, but the husband got called into work unexpectedly today.”

I leaned in, cooing at the baby. Ellie stared back at me with wide, curious eyes, a little bubble of drool forming on her chin.

“Hi, sweetheart,” I murmured, wiggling my fingers at her. “You’re even cuter than in the pictures your dad spams me with.”

Ellie let out a delighted squeal, kicking pudgy legs against the seat.

“Micah, she’s perfect,” I said, unable to keep the awe out of my voice.

“Perfect and exhausting,” Micah admitted, but there was no missing the fondness in his tone. “She’s teething like crazy. You’d think she’s growing a second set of molars the way she’s been gnawing on everything.”

Ellie grasped my finger with surprising strength, tugging it toward her mouth.

“Poor baby,” I crooned, gently removing my finger before she could put it into her mouth. “You’re working so hard, huh? It’s tough being this cute.”

Micah snorted. “Careful, or she’ll get used to all this praise and expect it from everyone.”

I laughed, brushing a thumb gently over the baby’s tiny fist. We placed our order, then chatted easily, catching up on work at the library, life, the little things.

“Speaking of life,” Micah said after a while, eyeing me over the rim of his coffee cup. “When am I going to meet this mystery alpha of yours? Seth, right?”

I flushed. “Soon. He’s… been busy with work, too. But I promise I’ll introduce you before you think I’m making him up.”

Micah’s grin was all sharp edges. “You’d better. Although I believe you that he exists. You’re glowing.”

I could feel the glow. “Thanks. He takes really good care of me.”

“Why don’t you come to my alpha’s birthday party? It’s next weekend.”

“Sounds good. I’ll convince Seth to come along.”

“Of course. He’s the one I really want to see, not you.”

I turned to the baby. “You hear that Ellie? Your omega dad is rude.”

Ellie babbled in agreement.

“See, even Ellie agrees with me.”

Micah rolled his eyes.

When our food arrived—steaming plates of pasta and crusty bread—I inhaled deeply, only for my stomach to roil unexpectedly.

I gagged.

I tried to play it off, twirling a forkful of linguine as my throat tightened. But the rich scent of garlic butter hit me again like a punch.

“What’s wrong?” Micah asked.

I barely managed to mumble “Excuse me” before bolting to the restroom.

The nausea came fast and hot, my stomach heaving as I clutched the edge of the sink.

Cold water on my face didn’t help much, but I forced a few deep breaths until the queasiness dulled to a low, sour ache.

I leaned against the cold ceramic tiles, the world spinning mildly around me.

Minutes passed and I finally managed to pull myself together.

The same thing had happened to me starting two days ago. That morning I hadn’t been able to eat the breakfast Seth made for me either.

Feeling slightly better, I gingerly made my way back to the table, Micah's concerned face doing little to quell the embarrassment seeping through me. Micah was bouncing the baby gently, his brow furrowed.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I said too quickly. “Just… upset tummy lately. Must have been something I ate.”

Micah’s expression shifted, something unreadable flickering in his eyes.

“What?” I asked warily.

“Funny, that’s how I knew I was pregnant,” he said quietly.

The words sank like stones in my gut.

“No, that’s—I mean…” My mind spun. The aching soreness in my chest lately. The strange fatigue. All the unprotected sex. Of course Seth would have knocked me up.

“Flynn?” Micah’s voice broke through the noise in my head.

I forced a shaky smile. “I’m sure it’s nothing. Probably a stomach bug.”

He didn’t look convinced.

I picked at my food, avoiding the buttery pasta that had betrayed me earlier, and focused on the baby instead.

“You’re such a good baby,” I cooed, letting her grab my finger again. “So sweet. Just like your daddy.”

Ellie gurgled happily, kicking her tiny feet.

Micah watched me with a faint smile. “You’d be a great dad, you know. ”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

I’d already given birth once, but that was different. If I was pregnant…if I had a baby with Seth, the child would be ours forever.