Page 41 of Verses and Blooms
I should’ve known Kane wouldn’t let me off easy. Maybe that’s why I talked to him in the first place.
“I think you need to give yourself permission to be who you are,” Kane continued. There was no gentleness in his tone now. It was firm and grounding.
“It just feels different to me,” I admitted. “Like there’s something broken inside of me.”
“There’s something broken inside ofallof us,” he countered. “We’ve all been through trauma. Who would understand that better than us? Even Audrey gets it. And while I think she’d be willing to share her alphas with you, I don’t think that’s whatyouwant.”
“I don’t,” I admitted quietly. “But what do I do if my suppressors stop working, or sedation isn’t safe anymore? There’s going to come a time when that happens.”
“You’re right. It could,” he said. He emphasized the wordcould, like it wasn’t inevitable. “And we can cross that bridge when it comes. Just because you might need an alpha to get you through a heat doesn’t mean it has to be anything more than that. They’ve already said they’d help you if it came to that.”
“And what if I can’t stomach the thought of it?” I whispered.
“They make toys, Ansel,” he said with a small smile. “Have you ever had a heat without the drugs?”
“No. They’ve always given me suppressors.”
“But did you everneedthem? You might not have normal heats. They might be small. Manageable. If Audrey had to help you through one, you know she would. Our omega would do that happily. What we’renotgoing to do, though, is borrow trouble before it’s here. You hear me?”
“When did you get so wise?” I teased, letting out a relieved breath. I really needed to hear someone tell me that this was alright. That I get to choose and it didn’t matter what the world thought about it.
He chuckled. “It’s crazy what my mind’s capable of when it’s actually mine. I think we’re going to see new sides of each other a lot more. For now, just trust our pack, Ansel. Trust our girl. You’re enough as you are. She chose you first and I don’t say that with a hint of bitterness. It’s just a fact. You were enough for her then and you always will be. You gave her back a part of herself she thought she’d lost. You gave her the confidence to be with the rest of us. You’re a necessary part of this pack.”
The bedroom door opened, cutting our conversation short. Kane gave me one last, pointed look before Ledger stepped around the corner.
“Wow, guys. This looks incredible,” he said with a bright smile, completely ignoring the fact that he was only in his boxers. I was going to have to get used to seeing them all like that.
“You think she’ll like it?” Kane asked, shy now. Funny how he was just talking me down and now he was the one worried.
“Oh yeah,” Ledger said. “It fits both of you.” He was looking at me now.
“What?” He lost me this time.
“Audrey mentioned before that you guys would be sharing a nest. I just assumed,” he said with a shrug.
Of course, she did.
My heart warmed, and I glanced at Kane who looked smug. I laughed softly and shook my head.
“Okay, maybe you were right,” I admitted.
“Our omega here was worried that wanting to be with Audreyromanticallywould be a problem,” Kane said. “And probably afraid she wouldn't still want to share a nest.”
Ledger looked at me like I was crazy. “You know Audreywantsyou, right?”
“I do. It’s just… hard to shake these insecurities. I still feel like damaged goods sometimes.”
“Don’t we all?” Ledger sighed. “Healing takes time, but we’re working on it, right? Plus, our head alpha said he’s going to get us out of there, so we just have to put in the work. Stick to therapy, keep healing, and we’ll be fine.”
He raised an eyebrow until we both agreed out loud.
Satisfied, he nodded and pointed at the door behind him. “I’m going to go clean up our omega and bring her into her nest where she belongs.”
Ledger disappeared into the bathroom first, and then into the bedroom. He returned a few minutes later with Audrey in his arms.
Our omega was naked, her skin glowing from being freshly washed and lotioned. He laid her out on the mattress. It was now covered in black silk, the perfect backdrop for her blonde, wavy hair.
She hummed happily as she burrowed into the pile of blankets, never even opening her eyes, content in the nest we built for her.
