Page 14 of Where There’s Smoke (Fire House Omegas #2)

Samson

M elody was going through it.

When she had eventually surfaced for breakfast, her eyes had been red and puffy. Elliot had come into the kitchen before her, giving us a rundown on what he had witnessed.

She was nesting, and she had stolen our clothing to add to her space. When he had first mentioned her taking items of clothing, an insane rush of jealousy hit me, thinking she had stolen clothing items from other firefighters from the station. I had no right to be possessive of her, but…I was.

Elliot quickly assured me that the only scents in her nest were ours, which made me irrationally happy.

Fuck, could she be any more perfect?

What did we need to do to make her believe she was an omega? She was obviously overwhelmed and struggling with her emotions, and the last thing I wanted was to make the situation worse. But by god, I wanted her to embrace what she was.

So that she could embrace us , Elliot be damned.

As soon as she accepted it, it would make everything so much easier, and I wouldn't feel like going insane every time another alpha looked at her.

Actually, I probably would still go a little crazy anytime another alpha looked at her. Who was I kidding?

Melody’s stare was vacant, her mind clearly distracted, and her scent was slightly charred, indicating distress and sadness.

Scents weren’t simple for most people, but it was easy enough to scent when something was wrong with an omega.

They often wore their emotions on their sleeves at the best of times, and for a newly emerging omega, that would be intensified tenfold.

“Hey, Melody, do you want to join me for a coffee run?”

It wasn’t the most thrilling expedition, but it would get her out of the firehouse for half an hour. And out of her head.

Her eyes met mine, and the sight of them all red and puffy was like a punch to my gut.

The others had noticed as well. Fitz kept looking at her, his brow knitting together in concern.

A few times, he had opened his mouth to say something and quickly closed it when Elliot threw a glare his way.

That pack lead of ours needed to get on board with all this, and fast.

Still, I had never been more thankful for my pack mate’s grumpy attitude. Fitz asking questions would likely make the situation a lot worse. It was probably best to hold off. At least for now.

“I… that would be nice,” Melody said, her voice scratchy as she nodded at me, her movements a little slow, like she had drained herself with her nesting urges and the subsequent crying fit. “Wait… how long would we be? Dotty is due for a feed in like an hour.”

“Get dressed, and I’ll meet you back here in five? We’ll be back within an hour, so you can feed Dotty.”

Melody nodded. “I appreciate it, thank you.”

“I’ll keep an eye on our mascot if you want!” Fitz suggested helpfully. “I’ll be in the den, so we can get her out of the playpen while you’re gone. Stretch her little doggy legs.”

I shot a thankful smile to Fitz, who was beaming from ear to ear. The fact that he wasn’t begging to go on the coffee run was surprising, but I appreciated it all the same. Something told me that he’d be looking for his one-on-one time soon enough, though.

Ten minutes later, with the puppy set up in the den and Fitz hovering over her like a mother hen, Melody joined me in the lobby, wearing an LADFD tee and a pair of leggings. She looked like she was right where she belonged, and damn, did I love that.

The shirt wasn’t one of ours, it was far too small, and no scent clung to it. It was probably one of the many we had stashed away that had no owner.

Was it bad that I wanted her to wear my shirt? Clearly, she liked them because she had stolen several from our room when on her little nesting adventure.

I had yet to see the nest, and the urge to go lay eyes on it was overwhelming.

But I was doing my best to be respectful.

Barging in on the nest she had made, which was a very personal thing for an omega, even if she didn’t realize it yet, would be a big no-no.

And with Melody not accepting that she was an omega, it seemed worse to push those limits just because she didn’t know. I wasn’t like that.

“All ready?” I asked, grabbing my car keys.

She nodded, her ponytail bobbing as it caught the morning light.

I led Melody to my SUV and pulled away from the firehouse, more than a little excited for the coffee run.

After a moment of silence, Melody spoke. “How are you able to leave if you’re on shift?” she asked, her nose crinkling as she asked. “It only just occurred to me that you might be needed if there’s a fire…”

“One of us can leave at a time for small errands. As long as there are five firefighters at the station, we’re all good. There’s six of us on shift today, so I’m perfectly okay to go for a coffee run. It’s encouraged, in fact, because caffeinated firefighters are happy firefighters.”

A sweet, delicate laugh escaped Melody. “I’ll have to remember that. What’s everyone’s caffeine of choice?”

“Well, Elliot is a black coffee guy?—”

“—That tracks, matches his soul.” Melody nodded thoughtfully as I laughed.

“But he does like a lot of syrup,” I said. “Seriously, that man will add enough syrup to his coffee to put an elephant into a diabetic coma.”

“That’s a mental image. I never would have pegged him for a fan of sweets.”

“He’s all dark and grumpy on the surface, but, deep down, Elliot is a softy.”

Melody glanced at me, not believing a word as we pulled up outside the coffee shop. “I think I’ll need to see that to believe it.”

She’d see soon enough. I was certain of it. Elliot was already softening up around her. He wasn’t exactly a cuddler, but he’d told us how he had held Melody that morning as she cried about the nest.

How she could think we would be mad about the nest baffled me.

Mad was the furthest from what I felt. I was downright proud of her for listening to her instincts and choosing our clothing to line her space.

I was already thinking about swapping out the T-shirts at some point, so I could wear her scent all day long.

I would wear that shit like a badge of honor.

“I’m guessing Fitz likes a creamy, sugary blended drink?” Melody asked as we entered the shop.

“Yep, he tends to go for whatever seasonal blended drink is available. Unless it’s floral.

I grabbed him a lavender drink once, and he acted like I had gravely offended him and spent several days insisting that lavender was a pretty smell but there was no worse taste in the world.

He was so adamant that all floral flavors are vile.

Which is a shame, really. But I got to drink it, so bonus for me. ”

“I mean, that’s a bit extreme but also kind of understandable.” Melody nodded, glancing over the coffee shop menu.

“It would be an understandable stance if his favorite candy wasn’t Turkish delight.”

“Wait, isn’t that…”

“Rose flavored? Yep. I tried to explain that to Fitz, but he thought I was fucking with him.” I grinned as we waited in line, loving how easily we were chatting.

Melody snorted. “He’s an interesting character, isn’t he?”

“Life would be boring without him. And without Elliot, I’m pretty sure our lives would be unadulterated chaos. One year, we kind of forgot about tax season, and he took care of everything.”

“How do you just forget tax season?”

“Honestly, Fitz and I had gotten into a prank war, and it was overtaking our lives.”

My face heated as I remembered just how childish our antics had gotten. It had been great fun, but not one of our best moments.

“I’ll need to know more about these pranks at a later date,” she said as we stepped forward in the line. “Now, what’s your poison?”

“Weirdly, I’m not the biggest coffee guy. I tend to prefer energy drinks, especially on shift. I used to drink two or three a day, but Elliot started lecturing me on the health of my heart, so I only have one per shift now.”

“That feels a little hypocritical, coming from the alpha who puts a fuck-ton of sugar in his coffee,” she said.

“Elliot cares a lot about his pack. Himself, not so much. He’ll bitch at us to eat fruit, then survive off granola bars for several days.”

“Sounds like he needs someone to be a pain in his ass,” Melody mused.

I had a strong suspicion that Melody would be the perfect woman for the job. If Fitz or I tried to make Elliot eat healthier, he would just lecture or get grumpy at us—something I doubted he would do to sweet Melody.

“Oh, look! Cinnamon buns!” Melody said, pointing excitedly at the display, her eyes lighting up.

One of the reasons I’d chosen to drive a little farther out of the way to this particular coffee shop was due to their selection of baked goods. Made fresh each day, they were unbeatable.

“The pastries here are amazing,” I told Melody as the guy in front of us paid for his takeout coffee. “Order a bunch, the guys at the station love them.”

Her eyes lit up as she gazed over all the treats. “I want to get one of everything…”

“Do it.” I shrugged, pleased at the dazzling smile that spread across her face at those words.

The guy in front of us went to leave, but as he turned toward Melody, his eyes widened, nostrils flaring, no doubt dazzled by the scent of such a sweet omega.

A charming smile spread across his features, and I was certain he was about to talk to her. She was completely oblivious, her gaze locked firmly on the bakery treats, reading all the labels, moving farther and farther away as she perused the baked goods.

Softly, so as not to disturb her, I growled. It had the intended effect, the man’s eyes darting to me, registering my presence. I couldn’t blame him for failing to notice me when there was someone as lovely as Melody next to me, but I needed to make it clear that she was mine.

Melody may not have known it yet, but she was mine, and I was going to do everything in my power to help her see that.

My gaze hardened as I glared at the alpha. His eyebrows reached up, and I saw him swallow before swiftly exiting the coffee shop without so much as another word.

Yes, we were both alphas, but not all alphas were built the same. I prided myself on my physique. Being a firefighter meant many hours in the gym, and I had a body that reflected that. He, on the other hand, had a body that had probably never done a day of physical labor in his life.

“Hello!” Melody greeted the barista, shaking me out of my line of thought.

“Good morning, what can I get started for you guys?”

Melody rattled off the order, remembering all the drinks I had mentioned, including the flavored lattes for Fitz, Tommy, and Jeff.

Then, there was the treat order. True to her word, she ordered nearly one of everything. The box of baked goods was bursting by the time the server handed it over with a bright smile, informing us that the coffees would take a few minutes.

As Melody reached into her pocket for some cash, I swiftly moved forward, tapping my card against the payment terminal before she could react.

The beep let me know the payment had been successful, and Melody turned to me, her mouth open in shock. “I wanted to get it. You guys have done so much for me!”

“Hush, you’ve got the shelter to focus on, and anyway, this is Elliot’s card, not mine…”

Melody bit her lip, stifling a laugh. “Oh, why do I suddenly not feel so bad?” she asked, scrunching her nose as I chuckled.

“Because it’s fun to spend grumpypants’s money?”

Her eyes sparkled, and my heart skipped a beat. “Is that bad?”

I shook my head. “Not at all. Once, when he upset Fitz, the guy retaliated by going and buying an obscene number of Lego sets on his card.”

“That stuff is expensive, I’m surprised he’s still breathing!”

“It was touch-and-go for a minute, but we only played with the stuff for a few hours before boxing it all up and donating it to a local children’s center. Elliot couldn’t exactly complain when it went to a good cause.”

Melody’s laugh was so bright, it attracted the attention of several of those surrounding us. She was magnetic, impossible to resist.

“So, next time Elliot is on Fitz’s bad side, maybe point Fitz toward my little rescue for a charitable donation?”

I cocked my head to the side, tapping my chin thoughtfully. “You know what, I think he could be very easily convinced to do that. Helping animals and pissing off Elliot? That’s a wet dream to Fitz!”