Page 48 of I Replaced His Husband
"So, the nest. Is Kay having trouble?"
I let out a breath. I didn’t even have to say it, he already knew.
"Yeah. Since his husband's death, his nest is basically nonexistent. When I accidentally damaged part of it, he said, ‘Fuck the nest’, and then kicked the rest of it apart. I’ve never seen anything like it. Marco and Adam, as betas, are scared to talk to him about it. Adam thinks I should convince him to see a therapist, maybe a nesting doula. But I just can’t bring myself to say it."
Dad sighed.
"Well, itisa really delicate topic. Takes a lot of respect and intuition for an alpha to bring that up—"
"Father once said you didn’t build nests when you two first got together."
"That’s true. You know my story, how I couldn’t open up because of all the trauma. He never pushed me, never suggested therapy. It just kind of healed over time, once I felt safe and loved."
"But you did go to therapy. Didn’t you talk about it there?"
"Not really. The therapist never brought up nesting, and I didn’t want to either. Even if it came up once in a while, it wasn’t the focus. We dealt with other stuff, mostly my fears."
Was I getting this right?
"Wait… So, in your opinion, should I even suggest he see a therapist who specializes in pregnant omegas? Or just leave it be?"
Dad sighed. "Sweetheart, every case is different. But Kay’s not the first omega to lose a partner. People bounce back. It often works itself out naturally, especially when a new bond starts forming. Nature’s powerful, like a river carving out its own course. Nesting’s not just another psychological issue, like trauma or anxiety. It’s deeper, more instinctive. It kind of has a mind of its own."
I was quiet for a second, unsure what to say. Honestly, I’d expected some solid advice, a way to approach the conversation with Kay, not just… wait it out.
"I just feel restless, like I need to help, to do something about it. It hit me hard, seeing him destroy his nest…"
Dad sighed. "You’re an alpha. So you have this drive to make things happen, to push forward, but Kay’s an omega. We’re more… complicated. This approach may not work on us."
I snorted. "So should I give up on the whole therapist thing?"
"It’s just my personal take, but yeah. Let it be. Nesting is something really subtle, deeply tied to an omega’s nature.And since it comes from our alien heritage, science hasn’t really caught up with it yet. You can’t forcefully push through the problem. Or cut it open, measure it, analyze it under a microscope. What seems to help most is time, love, and finding balance again."
For reasons I didn’t quite understand, I couldn’t really get behind the advice that basically boiled down to sitting on my ass and letting nature do its thing.
Then Dad asked something that totally caught me off guard.
"Do you want him to be your partner, Rain?"
Wow. That question dove deep into my mind. I’d been circling around that topic for a week, too nervous to face it head-on. It almost made me dizzy. Was I ready to say out loud something that had only just started to form in my mind, so shyly? Maybe. Dad was the only person I could talk to without feeling stupid.
"I can feel you’re ready for something new. It’s been a year since Brian."
And when he said it, I knew he was right. I reallywas overBrian. The idea of being with someone new didn’t seem unsettling anymore.
There was something else too. I suddenly felt like saying it out loud, just to hear how it would sound.
"You know… something happened the first time we slept together. I try not to think about it too much, tell myself it was just a fantasy, but… it’s been bugging me."
"What happened?"
"Me and him, when we first had sex… we came right away, at the same time. Both of us." Saying this out loud to a parent felt painfully awkward, but I forced the words out. "But there weren’t any sparks or fireworks or whatever it’s supposed to be like for—" I interrupted, not wanting to say THE word.
"Okay, got it. But you still think your mateship level might be really high?"
It was kind of funny how even Dad avoided saying the actual word. I guess it was healthier that way, not getting anyone’s hopes up too soon. There were always a lot of factors involved.
"I really don’t know, Dad. I’m on strong suppressants, the kind that mess with a lot of things. What if they affected the First… you know. Orgasm." Again, I had to push it through my mouth. "The leaflet has just some vague information about possible side effects, so I’m left not knowing what to think. I keep telling myself it’s just the weird pregnancy quasi-heat thing he’s going through. But still… it feels different from just regular sex. And I’m scared to hope, because if it’s real, it would change everything. It would be… magic."
