Page 24 of Manix
I swear, it felt like the whole forest went silent as her scent flooded the air. Both Alphas took a step toward her as her heat notched into overdrive. Jesus, I was going to have to run home with a hard-on. Sounded uncomfortable. Thank god we were purposefully downwind of Maxton so no one should pick that up, unless they had a nose like mine.
And no one had a nose like mine.
Finally, Ellar reappeared with the ATV, and there was an audible sigh of relief.
Gatlin cleared his throat. “Let’s load up. It’s time to go home.”
Thank fuck.
16
Finlo
Naja’s gasp as we reached the house made me grin. I loved this place. Gatlin and I had built it with our own hands, because it was our Pack house, our home. I was proud of what we’d accomplished.
“Guys, this isn’t a house! It’s a flipping mansion.”
I could see how she’d think that. It had a huge square footage on a gentle slope, with a full wraparound porch. The whole lower level was made up of small glass windows which looked out over a small garden and down to the private lake we had. The top floor was all the bedrooms, as well as an office. The attic was a nest for Raiden. It was rustic, made entirely of logs and stone from the area.
As Ellar pulled us up at the front door, I helped Naja out, shifting the baby onto my hip so Naja could get her bearings. She was just looking around in utter awe and I couldn’t help but preen. Gatlin prowled around the perimeter, checking that no one had stepped foot onto our territory while we hadn’t been home.
I unlocked the door and lifted my nose, but the inside didn’t hold any foreign scents. Despite what Seven had said about Manix being able to mask their scent, it was very hard to mask it in someone's home. I knew how it should smell, and even the tiniest disturbance would have been like a giant red flag. Eventually, the smell of home would include Naja and Luisa. At least, I hoped they’d stay long enough to change the scent palette of the place.
Ellar and Raiden came in behind us, holding their bags, and I placed Luisa on the floor. She was off like a rocket and I mentally did an inventory of hazards that could possibly hurt her. We’d have to put a baby gate near the stairs as soon as possible, but I shut the door to that hall for now and let her just explore. I’d whip something up later.
Naja was looking around with her mouth slightly open. Raiden stood beside her, his fingers brushing her hand. “Gatlin and Finlo built this place by themselves, you know. They did an amazing job.” He looked at me, pride written all over his face.
I flushed slightly, and grabbed the bags off Raiden and Ellar. “Come on, I’ll show you to your room, then give you the grand tour.”
Naja called for Luisa, who toddled over as fast as her legs could carry her. Ellar picked her up and pretended she was an airplane, complete with whooshing noises, and I shook my head. Poor little thing was going to forget how to walk, and probably think she could fly the way we all carried her around and threw her in the air like a football.
We’d built the place with six rooms, always hopeful that we’d have kids one day, I guess. We’d never planned for a female Omega though. I mean, how could we have? They didn’t exist. And yet there was one right here, in our house, right now. It blew my mind.
I took them to the spare room, which Ellar had decorated in soft autumn colors.
“We don’t have a crib, but I can run into Maxton and grab one off one of the Packs with females. I’m pretty sure my mom still has my old one in her garage. Will Luisa be okay for the night?”
Naja nodded. “She’ll be fine. She hasn’t had a crib for most of her life. She can just sleep in here with me.”
I put her bags down near the walk-in closet. “Come on, I’ll give you the rest of the tour, then you can settle in.”
I showed her around the rest of the place, which was pretty open plan. We each had a room, but sometimes we all slept together in a big pile upstairs in the attic nest. I pointed out everyone’s rooms, and then showed her where the bathrooms, kitchen, and laundry were. On the lowest level was the family room, with a huge memory foam-filled bean bag that really did look like a giant nest, as well as a cinema screen and a small bar. Along the back wall was an open fireplace, as well as a reading nook that had floor to ceiling bookshelves, complete with a sliding ladder. Most of the books were Gatlin’s, but everyone had one or two shelves full of their own personal preferences. That side had a large, comfortable couch, and lots of throw rugs.
Luisa ran and threw herself on the bean bag, and I chuckled. You never grew out of that urge.
“This is kind of the living room, although there are televisions and couches upstairs too. But this tends to be where we congregate. It's beautiful down here in winter.”
Naja didn’t say anything, and I searched her face. What if she hated it? I mean, I was happy to make her her own nest wherever she wanted, especially if she needed her own privacy during the heat. But we’d made so many great memories down here as a Pack, and it would break my heart to change it.
“Don’t you like it?”
She turned watery eyes to me, and I frowned. She swallowed hard. “It’s perfect.”
I grinned so wide my cheeks hurt, and I bundled her into my arms. “It is now.” The front door opened and closed, and I guessed Gatlin was back from his perimeter check. “Let me show you the attic nest. According to everything I’ve read, during your heat, you’ll prefer small, more protected areas.”
“Plus the whole floor is a sunken couch,” Raiden called over to her, waggling his eyebrows. Naja flushed, and I tried to keep from smiling. Instead, I led her upstairs.
“I’ll feed the cub,” Ellar said from the bottom of the stairs. “We’ve got some fruit and stuff in the fridge, so we’ll come up with something delicious, won’t we, Little Bit?”
