Page 2

Callum

I push through the front door of our place, the familiar creak of the hinges greeting me as I step inside. Lyle looks up from where he’s sprawled across Ambrose’s lap on the couch, one long leg dangling over the armrest, his book tipped lazily against his chest. The two are inseparable most days, Lyle’s quiet calm weaving into Ambrose’s wild chaos like they were built for it. Ambrose’s arm rests loose around Lyle’s shoulders, tattoos peeking out from his rolled-up sleeves. I wasn’t even sure Ambrose would be here, not with that grocery list Seraphina needs. Chocolate almonds, some decent meat, anything to fill that sad excuse for a fridge we saw last time. A few containers of fruit, little sandwiches she probably slapped together. She’s eating, sure, but thriving? Not even close. Not like she used to.

Lyle shifts, tilting his head my way. “What’s up, boss?”

I shake my head, kicking my boots off by the door. They land in a messy pile next to Ambrose’s sneakers. “No idea,” I mutter, crossing to the fridge. I yank it open, grab a water bottle, and twist the cap off with a little more force than I need to. The cold plastic bites my palm as I lean back against the counter. “Something’s off with Fi. Won’t know what until we get over there.”

Ambrose nudges Lyle off his lap with a playful shove, planting a quick kiss on his cheek before standing. Lyle stumbles upright, grinning despite the red creeping up his neck. Ambrose stretches, all lean muscle and restless energy, then fixes me with a look. “Any guesses?”

I take a swig of water, the chill sliding down my throat but it does nothing to calm my nerves. “No. But I’m starting to hate it more when she’s left alone. She sounded disappointed someone didn’t swing by with ice cream last night.” My gaze slips over to Lyle, pinning him with a glare.

Lyle’s eyes widen, his grin fading fast. “Is that what she told you?” He drags a hand down his face as he approaches the kitchen counter before stuffing his hands into his pockets. “She told me not to come. Said she was tired. I thought it was weird, but I wasn’t gonna push. Her heat’s coming up soon so I just thought it was her needing more rest or something.”

I frown, setting the bottle down with a soft thud. “Did you go over there?” I know these men well enough that we always read into what Seraphina says. Even though her brother asked us to take care of her, we would have done that anyway. At least I would have and these two would have followed. She’s precious in a way I can’t explain and every time she hurts, it hurts me a little too.

Lyle plops onto one of the barstools, managing a tight smile. “Yeah, stood outside her place for a bit. No lights on. She sounded off when I called, kinda shaky but again her heat’s coming up in a few weeks.”

There’s that uncertainty in his voice, that waver he gets when he’s second-guessing himself. Ambrose’s face tightens, concern etching lines around his mouth. He paces a step, then stops, hands on his hips. I lean harder against the counter, the edge digging into my back. Something’s wrong. She was crying before she picked up my call earlier, I’m sure of it now. That hitch in her breath, the way she rushed to cover it.

The worst part is that her heat is due by the end of the month and the three of us are on edge. She’s always managed to get her doctor to agree to sedation, refusing to spend it with anyone else. She’ll build a little nest in the guest bedroom and we’ll check on her, make sure that she’s getting all the right fluids and then we’re there when she wakes up. I fucking hate it. Fucking hate watching her go under, watching her wake up confused and groggy, watching that sad smile on her face as she tells us it’s okay.

Lyle and Ambrose latched onto her quick, like she was theirs from the jump. Me? I’ve been in love with her for years, long before Felix was gone. Back when she’d laugh at his dumb jokes, her wild berry scent filling their old house. I never acted on my desires because she was Felix's younger sister. She was off-limits. Some part of me told myself that it was just my innate need to protect her and not attraction.

And then when I finally mustered up the courage to say something, we lost Felix and Seraphina was terrified of the world.

It’s not even about the scent match—not really. That lavender she drowns her place in, it’s not hers, not the real her. But I can’t imagine a life without Seraphina anyway. None of us can.

“You think she’s okay?” Ambrose mumbles, plopping down beside Lyle. There’s a tick to his jaw, a wild glint in his eyes that tells me he’s going to call dibs on Seraphina when we get there. He deserves it, though, after a particularly stressful week at the station.

I shrug, but it feels forced. “No, I don’t but she wouldn’t tell us if she wasn’t. She doesn’t like burdening us. She asked me about finding a family again.” If we don’t tell her how we feel soon, she’s going to draw further into herself and I’m not sure I can handle her tears, especially when we’d be the cause of them. “I think it’s been a little bit since she’s been herself. The bare fridge is definitely worrisome, but she’s also not cooking like she used to.”

Lyle points to the stack of ramen he picks up every time he swipes by the gas station. It’s a very specific flavor but Seraphina’s favorite. They only ever have a few so he grabs them whenever he can. “Went over there last week and she was a bit frazzled. Those bowls were piled up in her trashcan. Didn’t strike me as strange at the time because she told us that she fixates on foods sometimes, but I don’t know, it doesn’t seem right now.”

So, we all see it. The subtle change in Seraphina, a woman who’s crept into our hearts, an Omega we want to call ours. I let out a heavy sigh, chugging down more water before discarding the bottle in the trash. “We’re supposed to head over at seven, but I think I’m going to go over there now. I can’t sit here without knowing what’s going on.” Ambrose chews on the ring through his bottom lip, obviously fighting a retort but he’s smart enough not to say anything. “Ambrose, you’re on grocery duty. Don’t forget the chocolate almonds. Lyle?”

“Need to stop by the station but I’ll grab a ride over. Don’t want her buried in cars.”

I throw them a nod and trudge back toward the door, slipping on my shoes, a strange weight in my chest. Not having Seraphina close to us, upstairs tucked away in her nest is eating away at me because I never know how she’s truly doing. If she wasn’t working as our dispatcher, I might actually go a bit crazy. I dial her number the moment I get into the car but she’s not answering.

Panic flares in my chest as I call her again and a third time, my thoughts taking a turn for the worst. Nothing has happened since her brother died. It’s been mostly sweet moments with a few off days where she’s curled into herself, feeling her brother’s loss. But she’s never not answered the phone.

“Come on, Fi,” I mumble to myself as I pull into the parking lot, rushing up to her door seconds later. There’s a light coming from the kitchen and maybe also the living room but it doesn’t soothe my worries. My fist hovers at her door, but I choose to punch in the code instead, shoving it open. The mudroom is the only thing that separates the outside from her apartment and as I hurriedly step inside, I catch Seraphina just past the threshold.

She’s frozen, eyes wide with shock, my beautiful Omega clutching a spatula like it’s a damn sword. Wet hair clings to her shoulders, dripping into her baby blue dress that hugs every last one of her curves. Her gaze darts past me and then to my face. “Callum?”

“You didn’t pick up,” I blurt, kicking my boots off fast as they thud against the wall. “I was worried.”

She tilts her head, her brows furrowing with confusion. She has absolutely no idea what she does to me, how she worries me, how she makes me feel. “Oh? I didn’t hear it.” Music spills out from the living room, some bouncy pop track that feels wrong against the tension in her stance.

I grab the descenter spray from the shelf and blast myself with it. The mist stings my eyes, but I keep going until my oakmoss fades to nothing. One Alpha wrecked her years ago, one of many reasons she refused to leave this fortress. It took us a while—Felix included—to figure out what would work. The absence of scents made it easier for her to stomach things from outside. It’s a whole damn process, erasing that piece of us but for her, I’d do anything. I’d bathe in this crap if it meant she’d stop jumping at shadows.

Stepping into the living room, I give the place a onceover. The couch is neat as it always is, a small speaker the culprit of the music. The kitchen is off to the right, a brief hallway just behind the couch. Felix’s room looms deep into the left, a room none of us are allowed to enter. Seraphina hasn’t ventured in there since her brother died, since she found him passed out on the floor. The one and only time she’s left this house since she curled into it for protection.

The guest bedroom is in the middle of the hallway, just a few steps behind the couch and then her bedroom, her nest, her safety. Another room we’re not allowed in. Except for tonight, the door is cracked open just a sliver. Something that never happens. Through the gap, I catch a glimpse of her paradise but it’s nothing like I’d pictured.

I always imagined soft blankets, pillows piled high, maybe some fairy lights she’d string up for comfort. A little haven soaked in her wild berry scent that she hides away. Instead, it looks like a damn bulldozer tore through it. Blankets are shredded, flung across the floor in twisted heaps. Pillows lie gutted, stuffing spilling out like snow.

Seraphina catches where my attention has drifted, tears glistening in her eyes as she bolts over to close the door. “I just forgot. Don’t worry about it.” Her voice wobbles, those gorgeous eyes filled with terror and suddenly I realize what must have had her upset. I just don’t know exactly what caused this.

I step closer, keeping my tone gentle. “Sweetheart, was someone here? Did they destroy your nest?”

“No. None of that. I… I’m just on edge right now. There was something in there and I got mad.”

I’ve never heard of an Omega trashing their own nest. Not like that. Not the way it looked—chaos and ruin where safety’s supposed to live. I reach out, cupping her cheeks in my hands, the warmth of her skin bleeding into mine. If I concentrate hard enough, I catch the faint notes of her scent beneath the descenter, Seraphina leaning into my touch like a part of her craves it. A gentle purr rumbles through my chest, attempting to calm the Omega before me, Seraphina melting just a little bit more.

“Hey,” I murmur, thumbs brushing her jaw. “We don’t have to worry about that. Show me what you’re making. Let me help.”

She hesitates, her lids fluttering closed as she nuzzles into my hands before a grin takes hold of her lips. “Okay. I… can you chop the vegetables?” Seraphina slips from my hold, grabbing my hand in hers and then leads me to the kitchen. She points to the cutting board, shoving a pile of onions and bell peppers my way.

“Yeah, I think I can handle this. It smells good in here, sweetheart.”

That puts a full smile back on her face before she turns back to the counter by the sink, vigorously working on something that smells like a myriad of spices and pork. With her attention turned away from me, I drag out my phone to warn the guys.

Tread carefully when you get here. She destroyed her nest.

Lyle’s reply buzzes fast.

What for?

No fucking clue. She’s not happy about it.

Ambrose chimes in next.

Was someone in there?

Not sure. Maintenance isn’t due ‘til tomorrow.

I type, glancing at her again.

Just be easy with her.

Lyle:. Got it, boss.

Ambrose: Got it. Picking up that strawberry cake tho. Her fave. Fuck your birthday. Respectfully boss.

A chuckle escapes me as I pocket my phone, muttering “Asshole” under my breath before heading to the sink to wash my hands and then starting in on the chopping. The silence in the kitchen is comfortable, Seraphina falling into a little rhythm as she starts humming, her voice bouncing around the wooden panels. I can’t help the smile that falls across my face, the need for more than these late night dinners and sparse cuddles. The problem is getting Seraphina to believe that we can take care of her, that we aren’t the same as that monster that tried to ruin her.

Seraphina breaks the silence as she approaches with a bowl for the vegetables. “You didn’t have to come early,” she muses, stepping up to my side. There’s a bit of a whine to her voice, her Omega creeping in, and I fucking love when she leans into it.

“Wanted to.” I scoop up the peppers and onions into the bowl before turning to her. “Missed you a bit.”

Her nose scrunches up as she tilts her chin higher to meet my gaze. “Liar. You were here two nights ago.”

“Still missed you, Fi,” I purr, reaching forward to tuck a loose strand by her ear. I can’t wait until she’s ready for when I can truly tell her how I feel. That I miss it when she’s not just down the hall or when she’s not curled up against me on the couch during movie nights or when she’s offering me little kisses, her Omega fully taking over.

Maybe it’s not right, this line we tease between friend, mate, and lover. The cuddles are one thing but the kisses and watching her fall apart on our fingers when she truly needs the relief reveal feelings I’m so desperately trying to keep to myself. She’s greedy for our affection and I wish she’d take more, wish she’d tell us that we could stay, that we could be hers—that she could be ours.

For now, though, I’ll take what I can get.

I quirk a brow as she leans up on her toes to press a kiss to the corner of my mouth, a giggle following as she murmurs ‘thank you’ and then steals the bowl to add to her prep.