14. Blake

14

Blake

Luther stole Luca from me a few minutes ago and tended to his neck. I haven't been able to move from my nest, concerned for my Omega and his severe reaction to showing me his back. I know that it's because of his abusive Alpha but that doesn't make it any easier to separate Luca's reaction and what I did.

Grayson throws me in the shower and somehow is able to force me into dress pants and a sweater before depositing me at the kitchen table. I don't say anything until Luca resurfaces, dressed in one of Luther's shirts. It swarms his entire body, making me smile as Luca crawls into my lap. I wrap my arms around him as Luca tucks his head into my chest, his legs hanging off the side of the chair.

"I'm sorry I scared you," I whisper, tightening my hold on him.

"It wasn't you."

That just makes me feel worse. I should have fought for him when he presented, yelled into the void, telling everyone that his parents were going to all but sell him to his Alpha. Grayson comes up behind me, patting my shoulder and then kissing Luca's cheek before moving to help Luther with breakfast. The silence that filters in is comfortable, my Alphas glancing at us every so often.

Even when Luther scoots two plates toward us, no one speaks. Luca doesn't move but my heart warms as I pick up a piece of bacon and hold it to his lips. He grins and takes a small bite before grabbing a piece off the plate and handing it to me. I preen at the gesture, both of us feeding each other off the small plate. Neither of us cares when we start digging into the eggs, gathering small bits of cheesy goodness to offer to each other.

"God, I could watch them all day, Alpha."

I glance up to see Luther leaning against the far counter, Grayson against him and Luther's arm around the smaller Alpha's waist. They look picturesque there, Luther dressed in a full suit and Gray hanging out in low-hanging sweatpants. I frown as my gaze drifts to a clock before moving back to my Alphas. Luther raises an eyebrow, asking me to voice my thoughts. When he raises his coffee mug to his lips, I know that he and Grayson must have spoken.

I already don't like it.

"Do they do that a lot?" Luca asks, nodding to my Alphas. "They hold each other?"

"Yeah. They look like they stepped out of a magazine, don't they?"

Luca giggles and nods, handing me another bit of eggs to swallow. His fingers hover in front of my lips and I take my time licking off the excess cheese. I shouldn't be indulging myself like this, especially when Luca is so close to his heat but I can't stop. Fortunately, my Alphas have more constraint, Grayson peeling Luca off my lap and carrying him to the couch. Luther stands in front of me as he hands me my coat, waiting for me to push back.

"I'm not going," I say as I hop off the chair. "Luca needs me." Even if I feel like shit for scaring him, I can't leave.

Luther follows me to the sink as I wash my hands and start gathering the dishes to put in the dishwasher. He doesn't respond to me as I wipe off the table and even grab a container to put the extra eggs in before putting it into the fridge.

"Why aren't you saying anything?"

"You cleaned the kitchen."

"So?" A frustrated growl slips before I huff out a sigh. "Alpha-"

He drags me into his chest, helping me into my coat without giving me room to refuse. "Luca is bringing out your Omega and it's fascinating to watch. Gray will take perfect care of Luca. You have a project to finish and I need to ensure you eat."

"You sound more like a babysitter than my Alpha."

"Sometimes, I feel like one because you can't be trusted to take care of yourself. Not a jab, just an observation. I also love taking care of you." Luther situates my coat until he's satisfied before taking a seat on a bar stool and pulling me between his knees. "However, Quentin uploaded our results yesterday. I wanted to have this conversation with you and Gray but the timing is off. Blake, the stress is messing with your heart."

I blink several times as if that will make me hear his words better. "So, I can't get pregnant?"

"That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that currently, the stress you're experiencing is too much strain on your body. I know how much you value your work and your product and I'm not taking that away from you. Unfortunately, if we don't scale back somehow, you'll end up in the hospital."

I don't know how to feel. Starlight Falls is everything I've been working on. It's my life's accomplishment. And Luther is asking me to give it up.

Luther's purr starts up, keeping me from lashing out as he knows I would. "Blake, listen to me. I am asking you not to work as hard. As your Alpha, I want you safe, healthy, and happy. You will still have as much control as you do now but I want you to trust that I have your best interests in mind."

"Like what?" My hands fist at my side. I don't want to get angry but I feel like things are slowly being pulled from me.

"That if I tell you to rest or to eat or to cut a meeting short, that you'll realize it's because I see something you don't. Gray and I see how tired you get, when you start to get bored, when you need something a little more stimulating than board meetings. We know how often you skip meals to meet a deadline or when you wake up in the middle of the night to write down that last idea. That changes. Now."

"Because you want a baby?"

Luther cups my cheeks in his head. "Love, of course I want children with you but that's not why I want you to slow down. I want you to slow down because of you. I need you by my side just like I need the other two and that won't happen if we keep at the current pace."

"So long as I don't have to stay at home. I'm not that kind of Omega."

"And I'm not the kind of Alpha that would ask that of you. So, are we okay moving forward? Will you trust me?"

I take more time than I should. Luther and Grayson are just looking out for me. I've known about the stress for months but didn't want them to think I was working too hard. Knowing that it could keep me from giving them the children they so desperately want hurts. I don't want to give up on my job but I can do this for them.

"I trust you, Alpha."

"Children or not, I love you, Blake."

I weather a smile but it doesn't feel right on my face. I may not be able to give my Alphas the one thing every Alpha wants from an Omega. Luther doesn't let me go to wallow in my own emotions, though.

"Blake, you are no less of an Omega based on this health report. We still have other tests to do to see if your body can handle children. If that's what you want. Forget your Alphas and you tell me what you want." He keeps my gaze locked on his, his fingers playing with the hair behind my ears. "Tell me, love."

"I want babies."

"Then we'll have babies."

And I know he'll make it happen, whether they're mine or we adopt. It won't matter. They'll be ours. I've had dreams of carrying my own children but I just want a bundle of life to call ours.

Luca.

Inappropriate images of Luca with a pregnant belly waddling through our house settle in my head, my scent sweetening at the thought. I'm not even jealous if he were to bring life into this world because then he could give my Alphas— our Alphas— what I can't.

"And what are we thinking about right now?"

"Luca. Pregnant." I blurt out.

"And that's our cue to leave for work." He ushers me toward the front door, my face heating when I turn to see Luca peeking over the back of the couch. He squeaks out a goodbye, Grayson throwing me a wild smile that tells me he's thinking the same thing.

Luther didn't say that I can't have children but I know it's unlikely if stress is causing my heart problems. However, if I could and Luca could… then it would be chaos. Two pregnant Omegas running around. Grayson and Luther would be out of their minds.

"Blake, what the fuck are you fantasizing about. I'm seconds away from fucking you in the car," Luther growls out as he pushes me into the elevator.

"Both of us pregnant."

I need a fucking filter but watching as Luther reaches down to adjust the growing bulge in his pants has me laughing for the first time since yesterday.

"One step at a time, Blake. Let's finish this project and discuss what life with Luca looks like. Your enthusiasm is going to get us all in trouble."

It's a good thing we can't get pregnant outside of a heat.