Page 94 of The Beta: Part Two
“You smell like the outside,” Devon says softly, then he looks at Corso, “I need to know how you got them out.”
“No,” Talia does look at him then, “you don't. You really don't, Devon. Not right now. We'll tell you later when you don't have any stitches to bust when you throw a temper tantrum. I'll tell you myself, I promise. But not until you're well enough to be pissed off, because you are going to be very pissed off. Can't you just enjoy this right now? Please? You've got Jasper in the bed with you and we're all here with no more than a little bruising.”
He starts to argue, but Jasper puts his hand over his mouth, “be happy right now, Devon. We won the day. Be good and I might see about testing out the heart rate monitor before we leave. If you're well enough to come home in a few days, you're well enough for me to get handsy.”
Devon does the smart thing and shuts up.
“I put your room across the hall from Jasper's. I thought you'd like that. There are a lot of stairs to navigate, though. I don't know how well you'll be able to climb them at first, but we'll bring everything up to you, including entertainment,” Talia winks.
Is she flirting with Devon? At least he has the decency to look surprised.
Reid comes over and touches Devon's forehead. I don't know what he's checking for, but whatever he finds must be acceptable because he nods down at Jasper, “just a minute. And don't get carried away. Would it be more comfortable for him if the rest of us stepped out?”
I think I already love this new pack. We all talk about sex and sexual things so casually. I was worried Devon and Kaleb were going to be prudes. Reid gives the impression of being oh-so-serious and very uptight, but he's as much of a lech as I am. He's just quiet about it; and when he does come out with something crude or inappropriate it almost always borders on scandalous. Like checking Devon's forehead to see if he can handle Jasper jerking him off.
“Talia can stay. And Nathan. I still need to see that they're okay. Thank you,” Devon says. He might be blushing, but I could be wrong.
One thing I have been completely wrong about is how awkward itisn'tto combine our packs into one. I thought all of us would be awkward as hell trying to acclimate to each other, but none of us are. It feels better to be together than it did before we were two separate packs. Don't get me wrong, my pack bond with Corso and Reid is solid, but I don't even have a pack bond with the others yet and I stillfeelconnected to them. We're all filing past Devon, telling him goodbye and wishing him well, and we all physically touch him. That's something packs need to do. We need that physical connection, that last touch, especially if we know we're going to be separated, even for a small time.
We wait out in the hall until we hear Devon's monitor start speeding up. A nurse comes running down the hall to make sure Devon isn't dying, but she comes out back out of his room with pink cheeks and muttering about fucking alphas and omegas. Nathan walks out grinning and pulling Jasper and Talia behind him.
“Have fun?” I ask.
“Not nearly enough, but it'll do,” Jasper says.
Yeah, I'm going to have to work on changing his mind about taking on more alphas. I know Reid was supposed to be a necessity for Jasper, but I think having a bond with both Talia and Jasper is going to be something I need, too. My very own necessity. Besides, I don't want to be left out. Everyone but Corso is going to have bonds with both of them, and I want that for myself. I don't fault Corso for it. He'll treat Jasper like his omega, even if they don't have more than a pack bond. He'll still spoil him and give him time and attention and all the overtures; he just won't be fucking him. I never gave it much thought before now, but I'm pretty sure before too much longer I'm going to have my own run at Jasper.
When we get home, we are all thoroughly exhausted. The problem is that nobody wants to sleep alone. Kaleb, Nathan, and Trent definitely don't want to sleep in their own, brand new beds in their brand new rooms. The only natural and logical solution is to drag Devon's mattress across the hall and put it on the floor next to Jasper's bed so we can all sleep in the same room; and for the next ten hours we take turns snuggling omegas while we sleep.
Talia is up first. She's always up first. Jasper gets up last, which isn't shocking at all. With the exception of his ability to kill people where they stand and enjoy doing it, Jasper is the epitome of an omega. He enjoys nice things, he likes sleeping late, he doesn't mind letting people do things for him or help him do things for himself, he really enjoys being passed from one alpha to the next for morning cuddles.
I even get a turn with him, which was a learning experience. Jasper is soft the way all omegas are, but he's also very hard; and I mean that literally and figuratively. When I snatched him off of Reid's thigh to perch him on mine the look he gave me was all raised eyebrows and snark. But I know the trick to fancy, sarcastic omegas. You feed them.
Talia made a huge, mostly unhealthy, carb and cheese heavy breakfast for us, but she made some kind of fruit oatmeal mush in the blender for her and Jasper to eat with their wheat toast and poached eggs. There's nothing wrong with the food she put down in front of him, he even enjoyed eating it, but once I started giving him bites of my food his entire attitude changed. Jasper is a slut for greasy, cheesy comfort food. A fact that I intend to take full advantage of.
Chapter thirty-two
Nathan
Even after five nights in this big fucking house I still can't sleep. I keep waking up from nightmares and forgetting where I am for a few moments. We all slept in the same room on the first night and that was the best, but I can't expect or ask everyone to sleep in the same room like that every night for me.
I've been sleeping between Jasper and Talia. Sometimes Trent or Corso will come in for a couple hours. Reid and Kaleb make frequent rounds, and they both constantly check on me.
I don't like feeling like the weakest link. I already secretly felt a little insecure because I'm the youngest, but I don't like that they're all so worried about me. I just can't do anything to fix it. Maybe it's going to take time for me to be okay, like it's taking Devon time to heal enough to come home.
He was supposed to come home yesterday, but the doctors said they'd feel better if he stayed one, maybe two, more days to make sure of a few things. I should be grateful that he's alive and able to come home at all, but I know I'd feel so much better if he was here.
Kaleb and Corso are trying to step in and fill some of the gaps that Devon usually fills, but it's not the same. Trent knows I'm not alright, but he also knows that I'll eventually be alright. So, he's keeping his worrying as discreet as possible.
“Hey,” Talia swings around the door frame into my new room. It doesn't feel like mine. Not yet. I know it will, but right now it feels like a hotel.
“Hey.”
“Want a secret mission?” She actually looks over her shoulder to see if anybody's close enough to hear, and she looks serious about it.
“What's the mission?”
“Bug the house. Put up cameras fucking everywhere. The sneaky kind, like over the door of Jasper's bedroom at the farmhouse. Don't tell anybody. Fuck, especially Reid. And Jasper. Do NOT tell either of them.”
