Page 57 of Slick Handling

I’ll take it all because McKinley is right. Clover is perfect for us.

Taking her to the nesting store and being able to spoil her, soothes some of the inner turmoil that my Alpha is feeling. It makes me feel like I’m going to be worthy of her.

“I’m so excited,” My eyes flicker to Clover. She’s currently bundled up between Griffin and Vaughn as we head inside.

McKinley has already rushed ahead to get the carriage for us to load with things for her nest. He’s probably as excited as she is for his whole shopping trip. It makes him feel like she’s going to be a permanent fixture.

Part of me is hoping our Beta is right.

A soon as we all step inside, we freeze. McKinley is standing, waiting for us, and he looks just as dazed by what’s in front of us as the rest of us are.

The overhead lighting is lower than most department stores. The usual bright lights are muted. Set softer to appeal to the demographic of Omega’s, who are their main clientele.

From the outside, the store looked huge. Inside it seems even more massive.

My eyes snap to Clover, thinking that if I’m overwhelmed, she must be overwhelmed. However, she has such a broad smile on her face as she looks around.

“Hi! Welcome to Nests ‘R’ Us. My name is Ariel and I’d love to be your shopping assistant today.” Ariel is a Beta with mocha colored skin and a short bob of hair. She’s dressed in a white turtle neck with a sage green colored apron over her clothes that has the store logo embroidered on it.

Clover looks at Vaughn and then Griffin for advice. Her lip was getting nibbled on by her top teeth.

“Hi, we’re Pack Mathers. This is Clover, we’re here so she can create her nest. I think it would be helpful to have a shopping assistant so that our Omega is happy.” I’m stepping up to take over.

Pride fills me when Clover comes over and grabs my hand. It’s reassuring.

“Hi Clover! You’re creating a whole new nest?” A nod of confirmation has Ariel smiling, “Perfect! What I like to do is to sit down, and get a beverage. Maybe even something sweet to start off. That gives us time to talk about what sort of nest that you want to have. We can talk about colors and fabrics. Whatever you want to have, we're here to make it a reality. Also, this can be so overwhelming for some folks. Nests ‘R’ Us is so aware of this. In our store we start off shopping for necessities. These are things that you can forget to buy or bring to your pack house when you move in. Small things like a new toothbrush or some care products for you. From there, it’s easy to start really shopping for your nest. We’ll first do lighting and any fabric hangs you may want in your nest. This also gives you some time to make sure you’re happy with the colors. From there we can either take a break in one of the quiet spaces or move on to bedding and pillows for the nest. This is often an Omega’s favorite part.” Ariel is upbeat and Clover is responding to it.

Her hand is in mine as she nuzzles against me, the scent of her Shirley Temple sweetness wafting around us. Her scent takes on this sugary tone when she’s excited. Almost like you fizz the bubbles tickling your nose from a drink. It forces you to smile.

I feel my lips ticking up and lean in, my scent sliding over hers.

Looking up at me, Clover smiles at me, pleased by the public scent marking. It’s easy to be taken over by her. The way it feels so good to have her excited because something that we’re doing for her. It almost makes me forget that she isn’t really ours. That she wants to keep things open.

We’re an option for her, but not her solid forever.

“Sometimes, Alpha’s like to venture off during the actual buying of nesting material. It allows for them to buy any gifts they want or view some of the Alpha products we carry here. It also makes an Omega feel less pressured to please others so that they can get a nest that they are most happy with. After we go through all the nesting materials we enter into the accessory zone. This is so fun! You can pick little things to decorate your room with and also accessories for you too! We have the best clothes for Omegas. Everything is so soft and we don’t have tags in our clothing. It makes everything easy and less scratchy! Once we get through accessories, Clover can come get an ice cream or a smoothie in our cafe. The pack handles the purchases and we go over different events for Omega’s in the area. The whole thing will probably be a few hours, just to set up expectations.” Ariel explains everything and I feel overwhelmed and we haven’t even started yet.

Mick comes behind us, one of his arms going around me, the other around Clover. He gives us a squeeze as he smiles.

“Are you ready, little Omega?” She nods again, bouncing a little. She’s glowing, she’s that excited. I love seeing her like this, excited about everything.

“Great! Let’s head to the cafe now!” Ariel leads us over to the cafe. Vaughn takes everyones order, leaving the table to order for everyone.

I hope he is okay with all this. So much change, so quickly can be a lot.

Ariel goes over to get a binder, coming back with it, and laying it down on the table.

“I usually ask to see if you have any inspirational pictures saved for your nest. I can work with colors or pictures. Whatever you have in mind.” For the first time today, Clover’s face falls.

She looks around as if she doesn’t belong here. A slow change of her scent, the lemon turning sour in the air. Ariel looked at us, like we needed to fix this.

We didn’t.

McKinley tries to rub the back of her neck but she flinches at the touch. His eyes meet mine and I see the hurt from her rejection on his face.

Vaughn starts handing out drinks, pausing when he sees Clover. He can scent that something is wrong and frowns. His eyes meet Griffin, who is looking at the Omega, something akin to panic on his face.

He’s just as worried as the rest of us that something else will go wrong in all of this.

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