Page 84 of These Bonds that Unite Us
Turning to Titan, he asks him to check in with our security team. Tee also gets to order a heat gift for Omen, which we’ve been discussing off and on since she told us she was in pre-heat last night.
Nexus, as the most charismatic of us, gets to call or text all of our family and friends–the ones who check in regularly atleast–so they aren’t beating down our door during the heat. That includes calling Foster to let Hannah know her sister will be going silent for a bit. The timing is unfortunate because we know she is due soon.
Hopefully, the baby holds off long enough for us to get through the heat. Omen will be beside herself if she has to miss another birth.
Nebula is on the phone with Brady, explaining the changes in our schedule, when all three alphas snap upright in their chairs. Their eyes go unfocused for several seconds and I realize they are getting alerts from their bond with Omen.
I’m on my feet and rushing up the stairs seconds before I hear their feet pounding along the floor behind me. My mind races from thought to thought, my worry growing with each step closer we get to her nest. Is she hurt? Did she fall in the shower? Or is it something else? Has there been some unforeseen complication with the chemical rejection’s toll on her body?
Skidding to a stop outside of the door to her nest, I’m nearly bowled over by the overwhelming power of her distressed scent. The door bounces off the wall, nearly knocking back into me. My footsteps falter when my eyes land on the shocking, messy state the nest is in.
Yesterday, Omen had carefully constructed her nest on the bed, with worn items from all our wardrobes spread through the pillows and blankets to saturate the area in a blend of our scents. Now the bed is barren, the previous contents tossed around the floor. And at the center, curled in a ball and releasing the most heartbreaking sobs, is our omega.
Nexus and Titan brushing past me spur me back into action. I crawl onto the bed at the same time they do. We all crowd around Omen, whispering her name, but she can’t hear us.
Lying down in front of her, I pry her hands from her face and wrap them in mine. It’s second nature for me to start singingsoftly, using the same technique to calm her now as I’ve done in the bath over the past month.
Puffy, red-rimmed green eyes blink open, filling with new tears when she sees me. “Callisto? You’re here?”
I can see Nebula’s brows furrow behind her, but that one simple question tells me all I need to know. Our girl woke alone in pre-heat and thought we had abandoned her. Again.
Fates, we’re a bunch of assholes.
“Yeah, starlight, I’m here. We all are. We promised we wouldn’t leave you, and we meant it.” I brush the tears from her cheeks, pressing my forehead to hers. “You’ll never be alone again.”
“But you weren’t here. It hurt so much and I t-tried to find you, b-but you were gone,” she cries. Her nails dig into my arms as she clings to me.
The others finally realize what happened and start to settle around her, their hands on her in some way to help soothe her. “It was a bad dream, babygirl,” Nebula explains.
“We were downstairs getting everything sorted for your heat, that’s all,” Titan adds.
Nexus crawls behind me, leaning over my shoulder and running his fingers through her bedhead. “You own my soul, gorgeous. The only way I would leave you now is through death. Even then the Grim Reaper would have to fight me first.”
“We aren’t ever going to leave you again.”
She cries quietly against me. These tears are cathartic, a way for her body to release the rest of the stress built up from her nightmare.
When she’s sniffling and relaxed, she finally speaks again. “I won’t survive if any of you change your minds about me. I-I can’t–I can’t go through another rejection. I just can’t.”
“And you won’t have to,” I swear.
“We’re all in, darlin’.”
Nebula crawls closer, leaning over Omen’s legs and pressing a finger to her chest, right above her heart. “Any time those doubts start to sink in, look here. If you can’t trust our words, trust our bonds. Emotions don’t lie, babygirl. You’ll be lucky if we let you have more than an hour of alone time. We can be real needy assholes.”
A watery chuckle escapes Omen’s lips as she studies each of our expressions.
We lay on the bed cuddling her for a while longer. None of us try to move or fix the destroyed nest, we simply offer her comfort as best we can. Reassuring her we aren’t going anywhere. Only when her stomach growls loudly do we finally start to pull apart.
“How about we get a nice, hot bath while Nebula makes lunch?” I suggest. It’s a slightly selfish request because I want to spend more time with her, but I also know it will do her good to relax for a bit longer. We can deal with the nest and heat preparations afterward.
Lifting Omen into his arms, Titan carries her into the bathroom while I start the water in the tub. He presses a kiss to her forehead, whispering words of affirmation in her ear before leaving. She shivers in her tiny sleep shorts and thin shirt, so I wrap a fluffy robe around her shoulders.
Checking the temperature of the water, I add in a mildly scented strawberry creme bath bomb and a dash of vanilla bubble bath. “Okay, starlight, let’s get you warmed up.”
I help push the robe off her shoulders, hanging it back up while she peels the rest of her clothes off. She puts a hand on my shoulder to steady herself as she climbs in, then I slip in behind her, guiding her back against my chest.
The tension bleeds out of both our bodies as we float in the steaming hot water.
