Page 79 of Claiming Their Omega

Chapter 26

Grace

Something they neglected to really warn me about at the ORD office was that when you come out of heat, you’re going to want to devour an entire city like you’re Godzilla.

Thankfully, the Alphas, or Easton specifically, anticipated this. The moment I sit up and feel like myself again, before I can even say a word about how hungry I am, there are piles of food put in front of me.

I wolf it all down like a starving animal. It’s the best food I’ve ever had, apologies to my dad and his amazing cooking. I think the fact that I’m coming down from my heat has something to do with that, though, even if Easton’s cooking really is good.

For the first time in what feels like weeks, my body feels like my own again. I feel clear-headed. Content. I ache and I’m exhausted but in a good way, and the heavy, long sleep I had at the end of my heat there helped me to rest after all the exertion.

The Alphas politely let me finish eating, then clear the plates for me, insisting they’ll clean the room and air it all out while I shower.

Good thing too. I really need a shower. For obvious reasons.

The hot water does wonders to wake me up and helps me continue to feel like myself. I don’t feel like a stranger in my skin anymore. I feel like me again. Like the Grace Whitmore I’ve always been.

It’s like everything was building toward the heat, and the heat itself was my emergence from a cocoon. The heat was so different from how I’d expected, in the best way possible. It helped that I had such amazing Alphas helping me through it.

The way they took care of me, how they made me feel, the intimacy of it all… it was truly incredible. I didn’t know that it could be like that. It never even occurred to me.

For the first time, being an Omega doesn’t feel like a bad thing. It doesn’t feel like I’ve lost myself. It just feels like I’m still me, only a slightly different me.

When I finish showering, my bedroom is aired out and fresh again.

I could put on some of my clothes, especially the new, comfy ones that I got with Hendrix just the other day, but I don’t want to. I know that I have to go back out into the ‘real world’ at some point and be a responsible adult, but even though my heat is over, there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to leave the warmth of the nest, with all of its delicious scents of the Alphas.

Although the nest has been neatened up and aired out, there are still clothes in there from each of the men. I wanted their scents around me so badly, and it made me feel safe and cozy during my heat.

I pull on a pair of boxers, then a white undershirt, then a dark red plaid flannel. I have to roll the sleeves up a lot, but it works. I feel cute and comfy, enveloped in the smell of them.

When I head downstairs, I find the men at the table, sipping coffee. There’s a mug out for me, sugar and cream added just how I like it.

The men’s eyes heat up at the sight of me in their clothes—especially Jesse, and I realize it’s his flannel shirt I’m wearing.

I sit down at the table and accept the coffee. “Thanks.”

“How are you feeling?” Easton asks immediately, always ready to take care of me. “Do you need anything?”

“I’m feeling really good. A bit, um, tired and sore… but in a good way.” I can feel myself blushing.

The Alphas preen, and I can’t blame them. They should preen. They did an amazing job taking care of me during my heat. They’ve got every right to be proud.

“How are you all?” I ask. I want it to be fair. I’d hate for them to have taken care of me and not thought about themselves or taken care of their own basic needs for food and sleep. I was certainly in no state to help.

“We’re good,” Hendrix reassures me.

“Was it… worth it?” Jesse asks quietly. “Worth the wait?”

“Yes. More than you know.” I take a deep breath. “It wasn’t like I was saving myself for marriage or anything. I just wanted it to feel… right. I felt bad for not wanting to go further with William, but I just never quite felt safe.”

“Your instincts were good ones,” Jesse growls.

“But I wanted to have sex. I just was waiting for that person. And, well, I guess I’d already found him—them—I just didn’t know it yet.” I smile at all of them.

Jesse leans in and kisses me softly, slowly. Lingering. Like he’s done it a hundred times before. When he pulls back, he’s smiling gently. “I’m glad that I, that all of us, could be your first and give that to you.”

“Me too. And…” I bite my lip, heat rising in my cheeks. “I want to say thank you for turning me down. Twice.”

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