20. Luca

20

Luca

I moved to the floor a few moments ago, needing more space to set pillows up in a various pattern, weaving Blake's blanket through it so that the pillows won't move. It's almost perfect as I reach for another pillow and find that there aren't any more. My face scrunches up as I meet Blake's eyes in a pout, a pout that quickly turns to worry at the ashen color of my Omega's skin.

There's a slight tremble to his hand when he pulls a pillow from behind him to hand to me.

"What's wrong Blake?"

He doesn't answer me, his eyes unfocusing before he rubs a hand over his chest. A grimace falls from his lips as he shifts to the side before letting out a short gasp. When Blake's scent goes sour, I know that he's not okay.

"Lay down, you stupid—head." I scowl at the awful version of a curse word as I push at him to lie across the couch rather than pushing through whatever this is. Fear spikes in my chest as I wrangle him into a horizontal position, about to yell for his Alphas when they're right there beside me. Grayson places a firm hand on Blake's forehead as Luther drags me a few feet away but I can't look anywhere other than at my Omega's face. "What's wrong with him?" The first of many tears slip down my cheek, Luther's purr keeping me from having an all-out panic attack.

Blake weakly tries to push Grayson away, mumbling something about being fine but his limbs look heavy as they flop back onto the couch.

"Stop moving, babe. Fuck, just stop moving. "

Luther sits on the floor and pulls me into his lap, cradling me against his chest so that I no longer have a perfect view of Blake. "He has some heart problems and stress doesn't help. Too much stress and he could pass out."

"But he's an Omega! Everything is stressful!" I struggle against Luther's confinement but he doesn't budge. For a moment, I think about biting into his arm before Luther growls at me, my body stilling.

"I need you to take a deep breath and calm down, little Omega. You two are bonded in a way we don't understand but I know that he can feel your anxiety. Your panic. Your desperate need to make everything okay."

"Fuck. Sorry." I take several deep breaths and curl into his chest, allowing Luther's scent to calm me further. "How are you two holding it together so well?"

Luther sighs, pulling me back with him as I twist to meet his gaze. "I'm just better at hiding it than you are, sweetheart. Blake has been the center of this pack for a long time and it hurts to see him hurt. Hurts to see him long for someone he couldn't have. Hurts to see him not be able to do all the things he wants to do. It hurts to know that even now that he has you, too much and he still won't be able to enjoy it." I see past the Alpha's mask for the first time. There's worry and a tinge of fear lurking in his expression. Uncertainty and wavering confidence to keep his pack safe.

To keep me safe.

I don't know why I do it but I lean into his chest and press a kiss at the edge of his collarbone, adding a little bit of my scent to his skin. His hands dig into my waist before he separates me from him. "Thank you, Luca." He presses his forehead to mine, a trusting gesture from an Alpha while also blocking out Blake and Grayson on the other side of the couch. It's just him and me in this little world for several seconds before he releases me and I look over at my Omega.

He's sitting up again, a little more color in his face but his breathing is a bit erratic, his eyes darting around the room as if he's searching for something. Grayson disappears and then returns with a small fan and Blake's glasses before moving my Omega onto the floor and into my ring of pillows. He looks perfect sitting there, even better when he puts on his glasses and shoots me the dorky smile I remember from school.

I eagerly crawl over to him and wedge myself into his side, both Alphas laughing at me.

"What do you want for dinner, loves?"

I can feel Blake start to answer before he clamps his mouth shut and looks at me. I'm still worried for him but don't want to make a big deal out of it. It takes me several moments to realize that everyone is waiting for me to decide.

I don't like that.

Hudson would have never asked. He never fed me either. There was a dinner function he was invited to and dragged me along for but told me to stay by his side. When he finally did make a plate and shove it in my hands, it was full of things I didn't even know the name of. I waited until we got home to gorge on chips and warm soda.

What do I want to eat?

There are too many choices and one of them could be wrong. If Luther doesn't like something I choose, he could get angry. Or if Blake doesn't like it, then-

"Luca, look at me, sweetie." Grayson is crouched in front of us, his hands cupping my cheeks as he brings me out of my head. "There's those beautiful eyes. I'm assuming you want to stay in the living room, don't you?" I nod. "Sounds like a plan. How's pizza for dinner? Just like at college. Toppings still the same?"

I settle, feeling less frazzled when I'm only given the easy choices. "Pepperoni, extra cheese."

"I can do that." He ruffles a hand through my hair before leaning forward to place a kiss to the bridge of my nose and then doing the same to Blake. We both preen under the attention and then I return to fluffing up the pillows and making more room before tugging Luther inside the perimeter. He's smiling down at me and I can feel how proud he is, not that I understand why.

There's still something missing, though.

Grayson and Blake's scents are neatly woven into the pillows. Luther. I frown and stare at the Alpha, confused about how I'm supposed to add his scent into the space. He's already sitting here but it's not enough. I chew on my bottom lip, trying to focus but come up short on ideas. It isn't until Luther crosses his arms and pulls at the hem of his shirt and tugs it over his head. He hands it to me and I just stare at the cloth, wondering why Luther would do that.

"Luca, you're building a nest. You want all of us in it. Blake does the same thing."

"I'm not building… oh." I take Luther's shirt and hold it close to my chest, my eyes watering. Luther takes it to mean a bad thing so I shake my head. "I've never built one. There's no need for one when Hudson would just bend me over anywhere."

"Luca, Omega's build nests because they feel safe, because they want a space of their own that's undisturbed. It's not just for fucking."

My fingers dig into the cloth as his words hit me hard. I feel safe. Luther, Grayson, and Blake made me feel safe enough to build my first nest. The added scent of warm tea and honey lingering in the room just enhances the moment.

I twist around to tell Blake and his arms are open for me to crawl back into. "I did it. I built a nest."

"You did, cupcake. I'm so proud of you."

He looks almost as lively as he did yesterday, although he hasn't moved from where I stuffed him into my nest. However, his approval is everything and the kiss he gives me finishes my Omega's need to create this space.

When Grayson comes back from the kitchen, it'll be perfect.