The Next Morning

Isaac

“ I saac,” Carys half-laughs, half-whines my name. “Please, sit.” She’s clearly embarrassed at the fuss I’m making. But I don’t care. She needs to rest.

“I’m just going to get one more thing.” I rush down the hallway, grabbing Kofi’s pillow. His scent will definitely relax her. “Here you go.” I return to the living room, placing the pillow behind Carys's head. She huffs as if hating the fact that I’m doting on her, but she doesn’t protest.

“Goddammit, Izzy,” Swanley pauses in the back doorway. He stares at the couch in disbelief. It’s loaded down with piles of blankets and pillows and throws and sheets, with Carys squished in the very center. “Are you trying to suffocate her?” He struts into the room, wearing nothing but a pair of gym shorts. His chest glistens with sweat, having just finished his workout in the shed. “Can you breathe in there, omega?”

“I feel like the princess and the pea.” Carys struggles to hide her smile. As much as she’s resisted the living room nest, our omega looks downright euphoric.

“It’s important for omegas to relax after being mated.” I wrap a navy blue quilt around Carys's feet. They’re cold to the touch. “It will help your bond grow. And maybe…” I trail off, feeling a little silly.

“And maybe what?” Swanley plops down on the couch across from Carys. He smiles at her, giving her a sexy wink. Carys giggles, shimmying deeper into the blankets.

“Nothing.” I shake my head, deciding it’s probably not wise to say what I’m thinking out loud. My hope is that Carys will be able to have a heat soon. She’s mated to Kofi, and she’s producing slick now. A ton of it. I had to wash the sheets twice this morning to get it all out. And while it’s not likely that she’ll be able to have her heat, it could still happen. All I want is for our precious girl to be happy and healthy. She deserves a happy ending.

“How did you sleep?” Swanley lifts one big foot, dropping it on my pristine coffee table.

“Very well, thank you.” Carys rests her head against Kofi’s pillow. “How did you sleep?”

I lift his ankle, placing his foot back on the floor.

“Like the dead.” He reaches out, wrapping his arm around my middle. He tugs, forcing me into his lap.

“Swan,” I huff. “Can you please?—”

“You need to relax, beta. Carys is fine. I mean, look at her.” He places his chin on my shoulder, resting his cheek against mine as he stares at her. “Doesn’t that omega look fine ?” he growls softly, giving her his signature squiggly smile.

“Stop it.” Carys laughs, covering her blushing face with her hands.

“You should clean her mark,” I say, pushing myself up.

“You should sit down and relax.” Swanley hangs onto my shirt for a second.

“I have a lot to do today.” I give him a pointed look, happy when he finally releases me. “Do you want some tea?” I ask our omega.

“No, thank you.” Carys's eyelids droop. Good. She needs to sleep.

“You know.” Swanley says loudly as I move toward the kitchen, “You don’t read much about the way betas nest.”

“Betas don’t nest,” I mimic his tone. “We simply fuss.” Then I round the corner, grabbing the kettle off of the stove.

“ We fuss ,” Swanley snorts.

Once the sheets are back on the bed, I make a big cup of tea. It’s time for a break. Stepping into the living room, I am struck by the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen.

Swanley lounges on Carys's couch. He’s covered in blankets and piles of pillows, with our sweet omega sleeping against his chest. It’s clear from the way she’s laying that he was cleaning her mark. I creep over, then peek at her neck. Her mark looks so good. It’s a little puffy from Swanley’s care, but it’s pink with very little bruising. And the best part is that it almost completely covers her old scar.

Kofi really did an excellent job.

“Bring me that gorgeous face,” Swanley says, his eyes focused on my mouth.

“Can I bring you anything?” I kiss his lips.

“No,” he hums, pressing his mouth to mine one more time. “But I gotta ask,” he glances down at Carys's pretty face. “Is it normal for omegas to sleep so much like this?” Twin lines etch between his brows. “I feel like she’s been asleep all day.”

I can’t help but smile at his sweet concern. “Omegas naturally require a lot more sleep than we do. But,” I eye her neck, “taking a mating bite can be hard on her body.” I turn my head, reminding him that I’ve taken two. It’s not quite the same as when an alpha marks an omega—they don’t puncture us as deep and the bond isn’t as strong—but it was still pretty exhausting for me.

Swanley’s gaze zeros in on the overlapping marks. His fingers drift over them, making my heart quicken. It happens every time he or Kofi touches it.

“How long was it between Kofi’s bite and mine?” he asks.

I roll my eyes upward, thinking. “Eleven days.”

“Really?” His brows shoot up as he circles his bite, then Kofi’s. “I remember it being a lot longer than that. A few months even.” He looks down at Carys, a long breath leaving him. “I guess the best things always feel like they take forever.”

I can see the hidden meaning in his words. He’s restless that he didn’t get a chance to lay with Carys last night. I know that Swanley would never complain out loud, but it must be agony for an alpha to live with their omega and not fully possess them.

“You’ll be mated to both of us very soon, alpha.” I kiss him once more, and we both let out a soft breath at the same time.

“I don’t mean to interrupt,” Kofi says as he steps into the living room. He’s been hiding in his office most of the morning, giving his opinion on a few patients. I knew Havenfield would eventually call him for something, but I can’t be too mad that they’re interrupting his vacation. After all, he does save lives.

“What’s up?” Swanley asks our pack alpha.

“Your phone keeps buzzing.” Kofi moves to us, leaning over so he can see Carys's face. “Sleepy little thing.” He smiles lovingly.

“Switch with me.” Swanley motions to his seat. The two move slowly, lifting Carys so Kofi can take Swanley’s place. I immediately get to work, placing all of the blankets around the pair while Swanley heads to check his phone.

“Everything okay with work?” I ask, knowing full well Kofi won’t be able to tell me much. He takes doctor/patient confidentiality very seriously.

“Challenging case came in.” He presses his nose to Carys's head, sniffing her. “They’ve got it handled though.”

“How does she smell?” I sit on the coffee table, brushing our omega’s silky hair out of her face. She doesn't move a muscle, completely dead to the world. “Is she doing good?”

“I think I can smell my undertones on her,” he says, sniffing again. “It’s hard to tell. I can’t really smell my own scent.” He gives a halfhearted shrug. “But she does smell different.”

I glance at the hallway where Swanley disappeared. “I should have asked Swan.”

“Carys is okay,” Kofi chuckles softly. “You can relax.”

I frown, squeezing my hands together. “I just want her to be happy and healthy. And if I can help her body relax to the point that she can have her heat?—”

“Isaac,” Kofi whispers my name in his most gentle tone. “I promise you. Carys is happy. I can feel it in the edges of my mind. You’re doing an excellent job of caring for her.”

A bit of tension eases from my gut, but I still can’t help but obsess over the long list in my head of things I could be doing for her.

“I gotta head out.” Swanley steps into the living room, fully dressed. He’s wearing a black shirt and black jeans—things he frequently wears to work.

“Where are you going?” I ask.

“Hartley needs me to come into the office for a bit.” He tucks his shirt in, checking his belt.

“Why?” I stand up, not bothering to hide how upset I am. “This is your time off.”

Swanley moves to me, placing his hand on my shoulder. “I know.” He squeezes, but I can’t enjoy it. I’m too annoyed. “It’s a few hours. And then I’ll be home.”

“They can’t manage without you for two weeks ?” I cross my arms. “Carys needs you here. She needs to grow a connection with us. All of us.”

“And I’ll be back here in a few hours,” he says a little pointedly. While he’s not showing me any anger or pushing anything aggressive through our bond, I still drop it. I don’t want to get either alpha angry while they’re around Carys.

“Sit with me,” Kofi says, patting the spot next to him.

I do as he says, glaring at the front door as Swanley leaves. I hope Carys doesn't find out that he chose work over her.