28. Cy

All this talk about heats and pregnancy made me fidgety. I knew Odie had gone over the topic a little before and in more depth now, but if Mine went into one, I don't think she'd be ready. I'm ready and would never say no to her, but it was clear she wasn't there yet. We barely got to the snuggling and kissing stage. She'd flip shit if a heat started to set in.

I'd be keeping a close eye on her for any of the signs. If she started stealing our shit, acting more irritable, or mindlessly collecting soft things to make a nest, I would be shoved into a panic to find some suppressants. They were a commodity only produced by Witches, which always made me wonder why the council viewed them so poorly. They created everything we needed on a special medicinal level. However, I had always hoped we would move more into the way Humans did it. They could go to any pharmacy and get what they needed within reason. Suppressants were a necessity and should be more widely available.

With that thought, I made a group chat with Vaila and Odie before sending off a quick text to ask Vaila what was taking so long with the supplies to end Mine's curse. I topped it off with asking for suppressants, just in case.

Odie checked her phone and eyed me before nodding her approval. We needed to give the nest a wipe down and have her pick some things to put in there before anything happens. Besides, she needed a space to herself, and that was the main use of the nest.

That also reminded me that we still needed to buy new furniture. There was so much to do. I even needed to go into town and get some more basic groceries and snacks. We had plenty of stock for meat and frozen vegetables and canned goods, but I liked having fresh fruits and veggies in the house as well. With Mine healing, it made me twinge that I had to go into town but also twinge that I hadn't already gotten things for her.

Being a mated Alpha was a welcomed irritation.

We stayed outside, talked, drank, and snacked until the sun started to go down a few hours later. None of us were that hungry thanks to the sandwiches, so we opted for a late dinner where we overpaid for someone to bring us an ungodly amount of pizza, cheesy bread, and wings.

We rarely did this, but the place we ordered from knew we would make it worthwhile for the driver. It was about a forty minute round trip, and we never gave them less than one hundred as a tip.

As we waited, we helped Mine pick out the new living room furniture while we lounged upstairs.

There was a smaller sofa and a few beanbag chairs up here in the left area outside the offices. Ellie sat in one with Mine in the other, and Odie and I sat on the couch behind Mine. Her chair was pressed up against the couch so we could look over her shoulder.

We all threw on some variation of clothing but still had on our swimsuits. Ellie and Odie put on shorts, I threw on pajama pants, and Mine had on an oversized shirt.

"That one looks nice and would go with the chairs you picked out," Odie said.

The new wingback chairs were in a deep green with a vine design on them. The wood was darker as well, giving them a more dark academia vibe than what we originally had. Instead of two couches like we had before, Mine was looking at a large black leather sectional that would fill the space.

We tossed those all in the cart along with new throw blankets to match the vibe and an excessively large rug that would cover all the stains in the living room. It was filled with deep browns with some blues and reds mixed in. The design almost felt like the rings of an old tree mixed with a coffee stain on watercolor paper. It was interesting to look at, but I agreed that it would tie together the new aesthetic Mine was creating with the cabin one we already had.

Everything was ordered with the fastest shipping possible by the time the food arrived, but by this time, it was clear that Mine was getting worn down. I still wanted her to pick things for her nest, but she also needed some more food, water, and sleep. If I was being honest, some more of our blood wouldn't hurt either.

She was a fighter and was taking it all better than expected and somehow was healing faster than I anticipated, but she was still healing despite it all. Pride swelled in me at her independence and resilience. No matter what happened, she didn't let the trauma rule over her. She found a way to get through and came out stronger for it.

After dinner, we all lounged upstairs and watched a movie. Today had been perfectly amazing from start to finish, and Ellie was right. This did feel more normal than any day in our recent past. Mine was talking to us, and even more than that, on some level, impending doom wasn't lingering over us. Gerard had backed off, Oliver would be massacred eventually, and we were all together.

I should decorate up here next.

"Actually," Odie started, "there's another room you should focus on. Want to see it?"

Well, it seemed we were on the same page in one aspect, but I was willing to let her rest easy tonight without knowing about the nest and what it meant.

Mine hopped up and waited for us to show her. The last door up here, in the very back corner, was the nest.

We opened it up and let her wander in first. It was a small room with no windows and lower ceilings, which barely allowed me to walk under without hitting my head. It was all wooden just like the rest of the house with a bathroom and nothing else. The bathroom, however, was nearly the size of the room with a massive shower and Jacuzzi tub along with a cabinet for any supplies we would need.

What? Mine signed.

"It's a nest. Or is meant to be one," Odie supplied. "You can decorate it however you want. Were you taught what a nest is and what it's used for?"

She shook her head as she walked around the small space.

"I told you that there are signs of going into heat. One is nesting. An Omega will find a small space that they can fill with things that belong to their mates and a million soft things for comfort. We haven't set anything up in here because, truthfully, we never expected to find our Omega, and even if we did, we wanted them to decorate it themselves. But that means you have some more shopping to do."

Mine turned around and eyed us like we were crazy before marching past us to grab her notebook.

So that's where the heat would take place? All the sex and other weird Primarchy whatever?

I snorted and left Odie to answer for us, but Ellie beat me to it.

"Sure is. I have some things picked out for when I need one. Do you want me to help you?" Ellie looked elated with a wide smile on her lips as she pulled out her phone. "I have it all saved, but at the very least, I can point you in the right direction. You'll want a large mattress, then squishy mats for the rest of the floor, a million pillows, some fabric to hang from the ceiling to make it feel extra cozy—" I covered her mouth, ending her rambling.

"I think she gets the idea. Let's save this for tomorrow so Mine can get some rest." I should not have said that.

Mine scoffed and scribbled in her notebook. She was getting really good at writing one handed with the notebook against her leg or a wall or even one of us.

Mine wants to do this now.

I focused on the humor of her referring to herself in third person and chastised myself for talking about her as if she wasn't here. I ignored the alarm bells that were going off in my head, telling me that was a sign of an impending heat, and told myself it was simply Mine being stubborn and wanted to have control. I'd believe that for now and watch her very closely tomorrow.

"I won't stop you. You just seemed tired. Besides, I figured you'd want another cuddle pile." Ellie licked my hand and shoved me away.

"What happened to you? You're so weird now." She grimaced and faux gagged. "Maybe I don't want a mate if this is what I'm to expect."

We all laughed, and in the end, Mine really did look tired. I wouldn't go back on my word and force her to sleep, but I hoped she chose that option.

At first, I had lost the battle. She and Ellie took up residence in Ellie's room again, going over the basics and what Ellie had picked out. It didn't last long though. When ten p.m. came around, Mine wandered back into her room and collapsed on her bed without changing.

We had been on high alert, waiting for her to leave Ellie's room, so we were ready with more water and to join her wherever she landed. We kept ourselves busy with chores around the house, and the list was slowly dwindling. Eventually, we needed something else to keep our minds occupied while Mine was being her own person. It was a transition I never expected, but we would figure it out eventually.

Odie and I had changed into pajamas and out of our bathing suits while we waited.

"Drink some water, and get changed before you crash, Mine." Odie sat on the edge of the bed as I climbed up and lay next to my mate.

"Or you can sleep naked. Whichever."

Mine raised her head enough to glare at me before rolling over and nearly off the bed, having misjudged how close to the edge she was, but Odie grabbed her side and kept her from crashing to the floor. Mine's bed wasn't as large as ours, but we would make it work if she wanted to be in here.

Without a word, she rolled back over and pushed herself up before getting out of bed and heading for her closet. In a few minutes, she was returning in a white tank top, sans bra, and bright pink pajama shorts in a fuzzy fabric. She was getting faster at changing, but she still took longer than we did.

Mine tried to slide back into bed, but Odie stopped her, shoving the water bottle into her hand. Mine took a few gulps to appease us, then flopped down and got under the covers.

Odie took up the edge this time, which made more sense since she would be up before dawn, and I would remain here wrapped in Mine's arm.

As we got comfortable in a similar position to last night, it happened again. Mine was exhausted and was not ready to take a step forward in the relationship, but her Omega body betrayed those feelings. With us touching her even softly and without sexual intentions, Mine's body reacted.

I raised her shirt a little so I could place my hand on her soft stomach. Her breath hitched, and I knew if I slid my hand down into her underwear, I'd find some slick forming there, but I kept myself still. Mine needed the rest, and we needed to bond more before we did anything further. We would get there eventually, and I longed for it, but I would wait as long as she needed.

Odie went off to dreamland first, then Mine followed shortly after with small snores leaving her full lips. I traced small circles around her stomach and eventually fell asleep as well, finding myself in a dream that started with a smiling Mine and ended with so much blood as my mind rehashed the events of the other night.