Page 24 of Last Pack Standing
I stepped forward, lowering my voice even though I knew damn well the cameras were capturing every frame of this meltdown. "A nest is supposed to be soothing. Not... whatever this is." I waved at her eclectic portion of the room, full of light pastels and boucle fabric, then over to my half - rich, subdued colors, low warm lighting, and velvety fabrics.
Cassie let out a short laugh, clearly not amused. "Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize the nesting police had shown up. Are you just going to veto every single thing I do?"
I crossed my arms, instinctively falling back into defensiveness. "I'm trying to create something functional. We have to be cohesive, that’s what we will be judged on!"
"Functional? Ash, you're using the word 'functional' to describe a nest. Nests are about comfort and energy and vibes."
"And your vibes are aggressive, mine are calm." I shot back.
Her jaw dropped. "Aggressive? You think being surrounded by light and color and texture is some kind of crime? Gods, no wonder you're always so tense."
That comment hit harder than I expected, even though I knew she didn’t mean harm. Cassie wasn’t wrong; I was tense when cornered. Despite trying to control my emotions twenty four seven, I was wired too tight, all the time. And right now, me and Cassie were letting our full omega sides come out to fight.
Watching helplessly from the other side of the room were the alphas. Jace looked completely lost on what to do. Leo at least seemed somewhat amused. "Should we intervene?"
"Nope," came Rys's reply, calm as ever. "Let the omegas nest. This is sacred warfare."
I ignored them while Cassie arranged a rug and a handful of blankets in one part of the room. “There,” she exclaimed as she stood back to admire it. “The cuddle corner.”
"This color scheme is overstimulating," I said, biting the inside of my cheek.
"And your color scheme is too dark," she fired back, hands on her hips. "It’s not a crypt, Ash. We don’t need to fall asleep in here."
I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling slowly. "Cool tones are calming."
"Cool tones are sad!"
We stared each other down in the middle of the room, our personal tastes and instincts clashing like complete opposites. She had a pink pillow under one arm and fire in her eyes. I had a folded navy weighted blanket and was determined to reclaim at least one corner of the room. “Just consider it.” I stated, lifting up her pastel pillows and throwing them aside as I tried to get my golden light, dark blankets, and velvet pillow aesthetic in order. “It will look so much better!”
“No it won’t!” she yelled, tugging the blanket I was trying to lay out. Jace grimaced and stepped forward as Cassie and I entered into a tug of war with the nesting blanket. Our scents were filling up the room, the sour hint of anger making them not so sweet.
“Hey, let’s remember that we are a team!” Leo said, trying to cool our attitudes. I shot him a glare, and the camera crew, who I’d almost forgotten about, moved in closer.Ugh. Of course they were loving this. Our first real fight. Cassie didn’t even notice, her face scrunched up as she yanked on the blanket. Neither one of us was giving in. Our omega nature had taken over, and we were never going to share the nesting room.
"You know what?" she snapped, letting the blanket go "Fine. Make your perfect little cave. Hope it keeps you nice and cold."
She brushed past me and threw the door open with dramatic flourish. The scent of her irritation lingered in the air. I could hear her footsteps echoing down the hallway while Rys, Leo and Jace stood by, knowing that this was an omega issue that we needed to work out ourselves.
I stood there in the half-decorated nest. I was sure the producers were thrilled. I could practically see them now, gleeful that we were finally having friction in our team. But what they didn’t see was the hurt I felt inside, a deep ache when Cassie walked away.
I’d never wanted to share with another omega before. And I really liked Cassie. But this just proved that no matter what, we couldn’t really be a team. Or a pack. Because when our biological needs became a reality, we couldn't even connect on a nest color, much less the idea of sharing alphas. The realization burned deep within me as I dropped the blanket. I was just living in a fantasy. But for some reason, it ached worse than anything I could remember.
“Everything’s going to be okay.” I heard Rys’ deep voice as he set his hand on my back in comfort. “Trust me.”
He could assure me all he wanted, but he didn’t understand how my omega side felt. But I didn’t want to let anyone in on my real feelings. After all, we had a show to win. I swallowed and lifted my head, straightening my back.
“Of course it will. I wasn’t worried at all.” I replied, a cool mask of calm on my face. But Rys looked at me like he knew I was bluffing. And I was. Little by little, this team was tearingdown my walls, seeing the real me. And out of all the possible outcomes, that was the one that I’d never accounted for.
Chapter 21
Cassie
Inside the Confessional
I was in the spotlight, really not wanting to do this confessional.
“Rough day, huh?” the producer prompted. The voice was fake-casual, like they weren’t the ones who’d orchestrated the entire nesting challenge debacle. Our team had dropped rank a few spots after the audience votes, and I didn’t blame anyone watching for thinking we weren’t the best team. We didn’t seem very cohesive after Ash and I were at each other’s throats.
I crossed my arms tightly across my chest. “You could say that.” The camera zoomed slightly, waiting. They wanted a breakdown. I could feel it, like heat radiating from the lights overhead.
