Page 65 of Stream Heat (Omega Stream #1)

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

Kara

I woke before I was ready, my body humming with a nervous anticipation my mind hadn’t caught up to.

Something was off. I got out of bed, pulling on one of Reid’s hoodies that had found its way into my nest. I didn’t even pretend it was accidental these days.

I was an Omega with a nest. There was no point hiding what I was anymore.

The hoodie still smelled like him. That used to be embarrassing. Now, it just felt safe.

I padded quietly into the hall and immediately heard it, whispers, not-quite-hushed, from the living room. I slowed my steps.

“She’s going to wake up soon,” Theo was saying, just barely keeping a lid on his energy. “Is everything ready?”

“Almost,” Ash answered, deep and even. “Final calibrations are done.”

“She’s awake,” Jace said, perfectly calm. “Standing in the hallway.”

Of course Jace knew. He always knew. He was the only one who ever saw me coming before I wanted to be seen.

Theo’s head popped around the corner, grinning so big I couldn’t help but smile, just a little. “Quinn! Perfect timing! We have a surprise for you!”

Reid appeared behind him, radiating the barely restrained patience of someone who dealt with Theo twenty-four hours a day. “A surprise that was supposed to be ready before she woke up,” he said, which did nothing to dampen Theo’s enthusiasm.

I stepped all the way into the living room, expecting…

what, exactly? Not what I saw. The furniture was shoved aside, opening up the space in the middle of the room.

Where there had been a coffee table, there was now a huge, cushioned platform, a nest, ringed with pillows and blankets, like something out of a pack bonding fantasy.

I stopped dead. For a second, it felt like my heart just gave up and dropped into my stomach. “Is that a nest?” The words came out raspy, like I’d just run a marathon.

Malik stepped out of the group, calm as ever. “A pack nest,” he corrected, his voice gentle. “Specifically designed for group bonding.”

I was almost afraid to get closer, like if I did, it would vanish, or worse, I would wake up and realize this was all just something my brain invented as a cruel joke.

But I did get closer, and the details started to come into focus: pillows arranged just the way I always did, blankets folded in the pattern I’d used for months.

There was even clothing and other stuff from everyone scattered through it, all of it carrying our scents.

This wasn’t thrown together. They had been paying attention.

“You built this for me?” I couldn’t get the words steady, couldn’t keep the emotion out of my voice, so I didn’t bother trying.

Reid shook his head and gave me a look that was softer than I’d ever seen from him. “For us. For the pack. But you’re at the center.”

“We noticed how much your nest regulates you,” Ash said, matter-of-fact, as if we were talking about computer specs. “So we optimized the design for maximum scent retention and comfort, based on your preferences.”

Jace, quiet as always, added, “I took notes on your patterns. Materials, arrangements, the things you collect.”

Theo bounced up and down on his heels. “And I contributed the best snuggling blankets. Tested, top-of-the-line!”

Malik’s hands were folded, his smile small but real. “The idea is for all of us to have a space for bonding. Somewhere the pack can be together without those awkward couches getting in the way.”

I circled the nest, fingers trailing over the edge of a pillow. Every part of this was something I’d needed and never commanded for myself. They had seen it anyway. They hadn’t just seen it, they’d built it.

“This is…” I stopped, because what did you even say? Thank you wasn’t big enough.

“You haven’t even tried it,” Theo said, practically vibrating. “You can’t rate it till you test the snuggle factor!”

“There’s more,” Ash pointed out, gesturing for my attention. “Adaptive controls: lighting, temp, even subtle scent diffusers, all tailored to your sensory needs.”

Jace dropped his voice, gentle but honest. “We noticed your processing issues fluctuate. This way, you can always have the best environment, no matter what’s going on with your recovery.”

I just stood there, overwhelmed, as all the things I used to hate about my body and my designation were translated into features to support me instead of cages to trap me. For a second, I couldn’t breathe around the choking swell of gratitude, the sense of being known.

“Would you like to try it?” Malik asked quietly, not pushing.

I nodded, unable to speak. At the edge of the nest, I hesitated. I didn’t know the rules for this. Did I just climb in? Did I need some kind of invitation?

Reid, as always, read me perfectly. “It’s your call. You arrange us however you want. Omega at the center, Alphas as you see fit.”

There was a shift inside me, subtle but real, like something unspooled that had been wound tight forever. I stepped in, sinking down into softness, letting the blankets and pillows mold around me. I sat for a moment, just breathing, then looked up at the five of them.

“Reid,” I said, pointing to my right. “Here.”

He moved immediately, sitting beside me so his body blocked out the whole world. His scent wrapped around me, sharp and electric.

“Theo,” I said, patting the spot to my left. “You, here.”

He scrambled in so fast he nearly took me out, but I didn’t care. His scent was sunny and bright, green tea and something ozone-sharp, it fit him. It fit next to me.

“Jace,” I nodded at the spot just above me, near my head. “Would you?”

He slid into place with almost no sound, a silent shadow. I could lean back and feel his warmth, his hand already gently combing through my hair.

“Ash,” I gestured at my feet. “Down there, please.”

He settled in without comment, big and solid and grounding. His scent, charcoal and vanilla, was the most reliable thing in the world.

“Malik,” I finished, gesturing to the last spot, across from Jace. “Complete the circle?”

He went there, of course. Instinctively, the arrangement felt perfect. The five of them framed me, their scents weaving together, each Alpha exactly where I needed them.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. For once, my body wasn’t at war with my mind. The claiming marks on my skin pulsed with quiet satisfaction, humming so loud I wondered if any of them could feel it too.

“This is…” I couldn’t even finish the sentence. My eyes were burning.

Ash, more observant than he let on, said, “Pheromone levels are at ideal concentration.”

“It feels like home,” I said, the words so honest it almost hurt.

Reid didn’t hesitate. His arm came around my shoulders, holding me with a confidence I craved. “That’s what it’s supposed to be.”

Theo wiggled where he was, unable to hold back another second. “Speaking of home, we have a question. Surprise number two. Right, guys?”

The Alphas exchanged that look they always did, mutely voting on who got to speak. Reid nodded at Theo, so he just blurted it out:

“How would you feel about making this arrangement permanent?” He rushed the words, as if afraid he’d lose his nerve. “Not just the nest, the whole thing. The partnership, the house. All of it.”

I stared at him, dumbfounded. “Isn’t it already? The claims…”

Reid shook his head. “The bonds are forever. But the business agreement, the content contract, it was only for six months. We’re almost at the end.”

I had forgotten about the contract, the reason I’d come here to begin with. It seemed stupid now. I couldn’t imagine leaving.

Malik said it softly, right to me. “We want you to stay, not as an obligation, not as work, but as pack. Permanently. If you want that.”

Ash, practical as always, added, “No pressure. The bonds don’t require cohabitation. It’s your choice.”

I looked around at them, these five ridiculous, impossible, perfect Alphas who had become my world. The thought of returning to that solitary apartment, the fake existence I’d clawed out for myself, it was laughable. I couldn’t go back if I wanted to.

“I don’t want to leave,” I said, honest for maybe the first time ever. “I want to be here.”

Relief exploded through the room, sharp and sweet in the air. They hadn’t known what I would say. Somehow, all of this, and they still thought I might go.

Theo actually yelped. “So that’s a yes? You’ll stay? Forever and ever and ever and ever?”

“Yes, Theo.” It felt good to laugh, to be able to. “I’ll stay. With you. With all of you.”

He pumped his fist like a kid. “Best day ever. We need to celebrate. I vote cake and fireworks.”

This started an argument, with the others weighing in, and I just let myself listen.

Let myself relax. There was no threat here, no agenda.

No one was watching for a weakness. They were bickering about cake flavors and the logistics of indoor fireworks (Reid was firmly against it, to no one’s surprise), and I realized I belonged to this.

I belonged here. Not despite what I was, but because of it.

Jace leaned in just far enough for only me to hear. “What’re you thinking?”

“That I never thought I’d have any of this.

” I gestured clumsily at the nest, the five of them, the claiming marks.

My throat wanted to close up just talking about it, but I forced it out.

“Six months ago I was hiding everything, using illegal suppressants, sure I’d rather die than be an Omega. And now…”

He waited. He was good at that.

“Now I can’t imagine wanting to be anything else,” I whispered. “I’m me. All of me. And it’s enough.”

He smiled. Just a tiny flicker, but enough to know I got the words right.

Malik cut through the celebration debate with a suggestion. “We should use the nest for its intended purpose, don’t you think?”

Theo cackled. “He means cuddling.”

“Exactly,” Malik said, not even pretending to be embarrassed.

“Done and done,” Reid said, already adjusting his hold on me.

Ash was more reserved, but even he was relaxing, stretching his legs out as if he was settling in for the long haul.

Jace didn’t speak. He didn’t need to. His hand was steady in my hair, slow and careful.

“Obviously I’m never turning down a cuddle pile,” Theo said, wiggling closer.

So that was what happened. No fanfare, no ceremony.

Just five Alphas closing in around me, fitting themselves together with the kind of precision you only saw in nature, or maybe in a game after hundreds of hours teaming with the same squad.

It wasn’t about heat, or claiming, or any primal drive. It was just… connection.

Reid behind me: solid, safe, and infinitely patient.

Theo at my front: energetic but content, breathing me in, for once at rest. Jace at my side: soft, persistent touches, grounding me to here and now.

Ash a barrier at my feet: steady, unyielding, so I never drifted too far.

Malik completing the circle, the anchor at the far edge, containing it all without squeezing.

For the first time in forever, the hum of five bonds was just support, not noise. My whole system stabilized, and the hurt that always lingered just… quieted. The part of me that had always been afraid to need, afraid to want, was silenced by the reality. I wasn’t weak for needing this. I was pack.

“This is what pack is meant to be,” Malik said under his breath. “Not just protection or law, but this. Connection. Belonging. Home.”

“Home,” I repeated. The word tasted different in my mouth now. Maybe for the first time, it wasn’t just a concept, but a real thing.

I didn’t know how long we lay there. It could have been minutes, it could have been hours. They kept up a low, background murmur of nonsense and banter, but most of it was just warmth, the soft exhale of being held. Scent overlaid scent, making me almost dizzy with comfort.

Completion wasn’t the right word. It was bigger than that. For once, I wasn’t fighting who I was. The competitor, the Omega, the part that needed and the part that fought, they had space to coexist. They might even have been stronger together.

Sleep was a slow slide, not a drop-off, and I let it happen. The last thing I heard was Theo’s drowsy, satisfied sigh. “Best. Nest. Ever.”

He was right, of course.

They thought they were showing me a project. What they really gave me was proof. That I could exist without hiding. That the things I thought were damage were just different parameters to adapt to. That here, with them, I was more, not less.

I came here as a temporary solution, a contract, a business arrangement. Somehow, in the mess and the matches and the chaos, they made me pack. Not just as an Omega, but as myself.

And at the center of it all was me. Not reduced by dependency, but expanded by belonging.

As I drifted, wrapped in warmth and comfort and Alpha scent, I knew, for the first time, that I was exactly where I was meant to be.

Home.