30. Mine

Everything we had ordered for the nest was delayed by a day, but when it finally came, Ellie and I got to work. We, of course, had Odie and Cy help us bring everything up. I was growing more confident in my abilities to handle things with one arm, but lugging a mattress and a few other heavy things up the stairs with Ellie alone still seemed like a bad idea.

We hung the fabric, so it felt almost like a tent in greens and blues with hints of gray, white, and black. Just like the living room, I went with a nature theme while also picking some items that called to me but didn't really match.

After the ceiling and walls were covered, we covered the floor in padding, which was a dark brown color to make it almost seem like we were in a large tree. Next, we dragged the mattress the rest of the way in the room and shoved it against the far wall but kept space on either side of the mattress. The padding was there for a reason, and there was only about two feet on either side anyway due to how massive the mattress was in the small room.

The bed was next with a heavy duty mattress protector, a dark green sheet, and a yellow comforter that flowed over the edge. I had so many pillows in different shapes and sizes. The larger ones were regular pillows in green. Next, there were a few orange, red, and purple ones that almost resembled flowers. The finishing touch was two small circular pillows in white and one in the shape of a bee.

Everything was coming together, and I loved it. We even had five extra bedding sets, which everyone insisted on. Apparently, heats are like periods. They can be short and mild, or it's been a week and you're questioning what the fuck was going on. I was hoping for a middle ground to the mild. I didn't know if my opinion would change after the first one, but for now, that's where I was at.

Two beanbag chairs—one was dark purple and the other a pale blue—were tossed against the leftmost wall. A cart and a mini fridge were set up just inside the door on the right side of the room so we could have water and snacks. I wanted this anyway, but they all said it was typical to have that for heats as well.

The last thing was tossing some throws in various colors that matched the current decor around the room, adding some low lights, and filling the cabinet in the bathroom with some first aid and self care items like bandages, lotion, lube, bath bombs, and plenty of towels of all sizes. I also made sure to stock up on lip balm and all the products I liked so I always had some available.

"Is that everything?" Ellie peeked outside the room to make sure we had gotten to every box and bag. "Looks like it. I can't believe we did it. That took a lot more work than I was expecting." Ellie stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips, admiring the work we had done.

Creating my nest with her had been amazing. We worked in sync, and I rarely had to use my notebook. The only thing we had to discuss was how to put up the fabric. Everything else came naturally to us, and that piqued my interest. I assumed all Omegas had different tastes, but it seemed we also had a lot of similarities in what we wanted in a nest. Small and comfortable.

I was eager to show Cy and Odie, but I also wanted a shower and a nap. When my stomach growled, I knew we were headed in a different direction. We had been up here for hours, and I wasn't fully sure how long it had taken.

When we went downstairs with smiles on our faces, Cy and Odie were watching TV together with fresh lemonade in hand. Cy had gone to the store yesterday with Ellie to get more groceries. I chose to stay behind. I wasn't quite ready to face the outside world as I was. I made a promise to myself that once I was fully healed, I would go out.

I hadn't taken any more blood from Cy or Odie, so I was healing a little slower than they liked, but I was fine with that. I didn't want to rush the healing. It took time, and I wanted to get used to it all slowly.

"All finished?" Odie asked.

"It's amazing. Now I want to make mine." Ellie poured herself some lemonade from the pitcher that sat on the table. Apparently, they had been hoping we would come downstairs because there were two empty glasses waiting there as well.

"You have a few more years before that happens hopefully." Cy grimaced, and I laughed. "What? I'll take two at least, then we will do this all again, but no heats for you, Ellie, not for a while."

Ellie rolled her eyes but laughed. "I already told you I'm nowhere near ready. I know some people accept it when it comes and deal with it, but I'll be downing the suppressants like candy until I want to go through with it."

While they were at the store, they also picked up a large pile of notebooks and pens and scattered them across the house so I didn't have to carry one around all the time. I grabbed the one on the table and wrote Ellie a note.

I'm right there with you. Maybe in a few months I'd be ready but not right now. Besides, you're only seventeen. Take your time.

"That's the plan, but having my own space like that would be nice. You're making me a little more Human. I don't see it as just a nest now. It's my space, and everyone can stay out of it." Ellie took a sip of her lemonade and sat in one of the chairs. "I like how you did it, but I want different colors. I want it to be bright and happy. Pastels on top of a black background maybe."

"You can do whatever you want. Has dad even shown you where your nest will be?"

Ellie shook her head. "No, and I don't want one there. I don't know where I'd want it to be honest. This place is home, but I'd also find it weird to have a nest here. That's another part of not being ready. I don't know what I want or where I want it."

You'll figure it out eventually. Maybe you'll find your mates and things will fall into place. Or maybe someone who you simply click with. You have time, Ellie.

"I know I do, but so much of my life has been planned for me that it's a little overwhelming to actually have decisions to make. Rebelling and hiding here was one thing, but I have so much ahead of me…" Ellie trailed off and stared at the glass in her hands.

"It's terrifying and amazing at the same time." Odie scooted closer to the armrest of the sofa and reached over to hold Ellie's hand. "I think there's something I should tell you. It has to do with why we left when we did. Obviously, we had a room ready for you, so the goal was to have you here with us, but you're missing some pieces." Ellie held Odie's gaze, waiting for her to explain further. Cy mentioned something about this the other day, and I wondered if Odie was finally going to fill in the missing information. "Dad planned on me taking over his position."

"Right. You're the firstborn."

"Yes, but we knew I was an Alpha early on, and he wanted me to take the position anyway. The council was against it. He had hoped they would change their minds as the years went on, but they never did." Odie paused as if things would start clicking into place for Ellie, but she simply stared at her sister. "So when I was nineteen, Dad mated with your mom in hopes of having an Omega heir that could fill the void I had left."

Ellie's nostrils flared, but she remained still and silent. Had she figured it out before now, or was this fresh news that would sting for ages?

"Right," Ellie said, her voice hardened and nearly unrecognizable. "I figured as much. The age difference between us and how hard he had me trained. I'm not an idiot, Odie. What does that have to do with you leaving?"

"Everything. From the moment he decided to have you, Cy and I planned to leave, but you were my little sister, and I couldn't leave you there alone. We did everything we could to move up in the ranks and gain enough equity to leave it all behind. We had a plan, and everything was working, but getting you away from him was going to be the trickiest part. We didn't know how to do it. He needs an heir, and after hearing what he had to say that night, there's more reasons behind it than we thought. I doubt it's as simple as keeping power. It's more keeping power away from others who would abuse it more harshly than he did."

"I don't get it."

I held up my notebook which read, I also don't get it.

"This all made sense at the time, but it sounds more jumbled and misguided now. We got out when we could and were waiting for a time to take Ellie with us that made sense. We didn't want to get her hopes up and foolishly left her thinking we had abandoned her instead. Everything has slowly worked out in a much worse fashion than we expected, but you're here now, and you don't have to go back and follow in his footsteps if you don't want to."

"But if I don't, someone else will."

"Yes, and we have no idea who that would be. There are obvious front runners, Omega heirs that would make sense, but no proof that any of them would be picked over the others." Cy looked serious from her spot on the couch, and her blue eyes were stormy.

"This sucks." Ellie sat back, removing her hand from her sister's.

"It does. I'd wish I had been able to take his role, but that would mean you'd never exist, so I'm not that sorry about it."

"Oh ha ha," Ellie joked. "Can we talk about something else now? I have a few years before I need to make a decision on this, so I will be ignoring it until that gets closer. Okay?"

"If that's what you want. I just wanted you to know that we never meant to abandon you, that we always meant to have you here and safe with us if that's what you chose."

"I get it. Thank you, but next time, don't lie to me. I would have much rather had my hopes up and lied to Dad about it than be miserable for a whole year without you."

Odie and Cy dropped their heads, then shared a saddened look. They knew they messed up, and I wished I had been there to set them straight from the beginning.

However, as she said, things were working out on their own, although it was a lot messier than anyone could have predicted.

As long as things stayed calm, I'd say it was a win overall. We could live our lives for the next few years and handle the Omega craziness that came our way until Ellie had to decide which way her future would go.

I sat back with a glass of lemonade in hand, and peace took over. My nest was ready, I was healing, and I was surrounded by my favorite people in the world. Well, my favorite living people. If only my parents were here to see what I had become, and Grandma… she would be so proud of me.