44. Amaya

44

AMAYA

I 'm taking the final sip of my coffee when Kate lets herself into my house. "You aren't dressed yet?!"

Sputtering, I force the liquid gold down and shoot my friend a glare. "Damn it, Kate!"

"No, damn it you! Why aren't you ready to go?"

Confused, I set my mug aside, then look down at my light blue tank top and cozy striped pajama pants. My nipples are a little perky, but I'm covered . "What am I supposed to be ready for?"

Her eyes narrow at me just as Vincent enters the kitchen looking like a walking snack. My core tightens with a needy pulse and I swear my scalp tingles with the beginnings of sweat. It's moments like this that I wonder why the hell we haven't gone further than some sexy kissing.

Fingers snap in front of my face, Kate demanding I focus. "Uh, girls’ day, bitch. Don't you remember?"

I frown and drop my feet to the cool tile floors. I really don't want to leave my little window nook, having enjoyed my morning reading in the early morning light. For once I was able to stop staring out the window at Samuel's house, and now I'm being disrupted.

I swear every time I'm doing something I enjoy, someone is requesting my presence. My naps have been screwed every which way, and now I can't have a nice Saturday morning coffee, apparently.

If I ask Vincent to put up really tall walls around the house with retinal scanners at the gates, would he? Probably. Although, everyone who keeps visiting is pretty damn desperate and Kate's scrappy enough to break in.

Seeing no other choice, I uncoil from my mini nest and stretch. “What girls’ day?" I ask, only serving to annoy Kate even more. I'm distracted once again when I catch Vincent's heated gaze on my skin peeking between my little tank top and pants.

She huffs and stomps her foot. "We planned this last week during your check in. Remember? Your dad was here, you came back in from your chat, and Freya was on speakerphone. We planned lunch at the yummy brewery a few miles away?"

The desire bubbling in my tummy dissipates at the mention of Freya. Why the fuck would I agree to that?!

"Stop," Kate demands, her short hair looking extra sharp on her collarbones today. "There's no reason to be nervous. Freya is really nice, I promise."

"But she's like..." I trail off with a wave of my hand as I trudge my way upstairs.

Kate follows with a laugh. "What? Amazing for being the reason the academy was found out in the first place?"

She's teasing, I know that, but it's also true. If it weren't for Freya and her mates getting into a shitload of trouble, her alpha professor missing after the school year, and having an OPS friend, we might never have been saved.

"You know," Kate drawls, "I'm like a celebrity too. Or celebrity adjacent."

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, I know. Thanks to Remy." Their OPS friend is Kate's scent match. If it weren’t for Remy, I don't know if we would have ever been saved. Hell, so many omegas still need to be saved.

Freya and her pack sacrificed a lot. They didn't do any of it intentionally to get us help, but still, if it weren't for them and her alpha's connection to Remy? I shudder.

Kate brushes a hand along my shoulder when we come to my bare bedroom and dives into my closet, which is bursting at the seams with clothes thanks to my dad. Yes, my dad . We're working on things and the little warm light in my chest reminds me I'm not alone and that I do have a father now. One that I am really hoping I can rely on.

"I know, Amaya," Kate says sympathetically from beyond the closet door. "But she's just like us, okay? Freya went through everything you did. I think it would be really great for you to meet her. She's like a mixture of you and me. A bit of a brat, like me, and sweet as a button, like you." Kate winks and I glare only for a pair of ripped jeans to hit me in the face.

Grumbling to myself, I catch the cropped T-shirt she tosses at me and snag some underwear from the dresser. "I'm not sweet as a button," I protest quietly, and slam the bathroom door shut just to prove a point, even if my ears cringe.

"Would you calm down?" Kate hisses at me and shoves a beer across the table. "Here, drink this."

I'm beyond freaking out at this point. Since Vincent's lips left my cheek, I haven't been able to calm down. Saying goodbye to him, even if it is just for a few hours, feels like the end of the world.

My nerves about meeting Freya have gone on the back burner since I only have room to miss my alpha. I haven't told Kate yet. I don't want her to think I'm being crazy.

It's embarrassing. What adult woman can't be away from their man for a couple hours?!

"Amaya—" A beautiful blonde strutting up to the table cuts Kate off and my god, if her smile isn't the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

With a flowy black skirt and a tight gray long sleeve on top, Freya turns heads as she weaves her way through the tables. Her wavy blonde hair is a little longer than Kate's, and when she tucks a strand behind her ear, her highlights sparkle like gold.

Last I saw her, Freya's hair was basically white, and she wore what we all wore: dirty, baggy, ripped clothes. Seeing her with a purple scrunchie on her wrist and a bounce in her step, she's a vision.

A vision of hope.

' Omega?'

I nod inwardly at my own omega's confusion. It's odd seeing someone who went through everything I did look so happy. Kate is one thing, but seeing another person just like me doing better is a bit jarring.

Whipped cream and chocolate swirl around me when she reaches the table. It's a very sweet scent, but not terribly unpleasant. It might give me cavities if her scent were to spike.

"Hiiiii!" Freya titters, and Kate stands to give her a hug in greeting.

When they pull away, Kate gestures to me, but I stay sitting as she introduces me. "Freya, this is Amaya. Amaya, Freya."

My face flushes and a cold sweat breaks out on the back of my neck. This was a bad idea .

"It's nice to meet you," Freya says softly and slides into her own seat on the other side of the square table.

My voice is weak when I reply, "Hi."

I can feel Kate's worried gaze drilling holes in the side of my head, but thankfully Freya must see how uncomfortable I am because she picks up her menu and scans the list of beers.

I keep sneaking glances at the omega I shared a horrible college experience with. She seems so normal .

Freya's mouth twists at the food menu. "Are we ordering any food? 'Cus I'm starving."

Kate's response makes my stomach roll a little. "Yeah, pizza."

I frown, a little taken aback by Kate's declaration that should have been a question. What if Freya doesn't want pizza? But Freya's shoulders relax, and her mouth settles into a small smile. My eyes are narrowed on her body language when she addresses me, making me jolt in embarrassment.

"Amaya," Freya says my name softly. "It's okay. Kate knows I have a hard time making decisions. Without my pack around, I struggle a bit more, so she's actually helping me."

"Really?" I ask, shocked that someone who looks so happy wouldn't know what to eat for lunch.

Kate gives me an understanding look and Freya nods with a small smile and explains a little more. "Yeah. I'm getting better at it, but everything feels a bit more daunting without my alphas and beta with me."

The idea of sharing my own issues makes me fidget and I'm suddenly really regretting wearing these jeans. The band around my waist digs into my tummy, making me cramp a little. Can the tops of knees even sweat?

"Amaya, you okay?" Kate asks and touches my bare arm.

It feels a little irrational, but I really don't want her touching me right now. I pull away from the contact and take a sip of my beer. With a gulp, I nod. "I thought it was only me," I murmur and they wait for me to continue. "Vincent, my alpha, has been helping me with some basic choices, and I guess I thought I was just weird."

"Well, I am a little weird, but I think my pack likes it," Freya teases with a wink.

I blow a relieved sigh and look at Kate, realizing she did the exact same thing for me when we got here. "Thank you for choosing my beer without thinking anything of it."

"Of course," my friend says earnestly around a frown. "Are you sure you're okay? Your face is like beet red."

As she says it, a drop of sweat stings my eye. I work to rub it away, glad I didn't wear any mascara. "I'm just a little anxious, I think. Being away from Vincent and meeting someone new is making me feel..."

"Unsettled," they both finish in unison.

I'm about to ask more, but Kate beats me to it. "Amaya, when did you have your last heat?"

"Like three months ago," I answer slowly, trying to understand why my omega is all of a sudden pacing in my mind.

Then Kate pales, freaking me out even more. "Amaya, you're due for a heat," she hisses, leaning forward.

"What? No, I'm not. I only have them like twice a year." My protest is weak as the lesson on heat at rehab comes back to me.

"That was probably because of all the drugs. A normal heat cycle, which your body has had a year to settle into, will happen three to five times a year."

My tummy twists. "So I'll take suppressants."

At my frantic words, the two omegas share a look until Kate gives me a serious look. "You can't take suppressants. After so many years of all those drugs wreaking havoc on your system, it would be the worst idea to introduce them to your body again."

"I'm not fragile!" I snap, even though I've had to swallow a whimper multiple times now and clench my fists to distract me from the increasing pain. I survived a heat on my own at rehab with toys and blankets; I can do it again.

"No you're not," Freya agrees. "And that's why you aren't going to take suppressants. Your body is telling you it's strong enough to have a natural heat, Amaya. This is a good thing."

"Um, Freya," Kate cautions. "While that is true, Amaya's pack isn't in the picture."

I scoff, annoyance bubbling up, only to be followed by desperation for the boys I thought loved me. A tear slips down my cheek.

Kate eyes me with worry but explains my predicament. "She only has one alpha. The other two and her beta live down the road and fucked up really bad. They're trying to get back in her good graces, but..."

Freya's eyes are wide, and I catch a hint of fear in her sugary scent when she snaps her attention to me. "So you've had contact with your scent matches after they fucked up and have not reconciled?" I flinch but she shakes her head. "I'm not judging you, hun. I'm trying to clarify."

"Tha-that's correct," I stammer, chills starting to make me shake.

"We need to leave. I'll call Vincent,” Kate decides, bursting from her chair and grabbing my purse for me.

I barely remember the walk back out to the car, so I'm surprised to see Freya sitting in the back with me, holding a cup of ice she must have stolen from the brewery.

"We're getting you to your alpha," Freya whispers, touching the cool glass to my overheated forehead.

I whimper and scramble to kick my shoes off. My toes feel like they’re screaming for some space just like my tummy. I tug at the button holding my jeans together, and release a puff of air when I finally get it undone and the zipper down.

"Get it off, get it off, get it off!" I flail, needing the jeans off altogether. My crotch feels like a fucking inferno, but the sweat coating my thighs makes the material cling.

"Amaya, can you listen to me for a second?" Kate interrupts my panicked shuffling in the backseat.

It takes considerable effort and does not alleviate the constant twisting and tightening in my abdomen, but I still make eye contact with her in the rearview mirror.

"This is just a heat flare, not the real thing. But it's only going to get more aggressive as the days go on. Your omega is going to be frantic knowing your other mates are so close, but not helping you."

I open my mouth to deny what Kate's saying, but she continues fast like she's worried I'm going to stop listening any second. "Even if she's mad at them, and doesn't normally want them, she's going to need them during your heat cycle. You'll have a few days of flare-ups before your heat truly begins. It's going to be hell?—"

"Kate!" Freya snaps.

"I can't lie to her! I'm her support, Freya!" My friend glares at the omega beside me. "Amaya, without your whole pack there, it’ll be really hard and painful. The only thing that will help settle your omega to a bearable level is Vincent. And... a mating bond."

"What?" I whimper, my hands coming to clutch my chest. When she asks me if I understood what she was saying, I nod.

The tires squeal as she turns us down my road. "I know. I know it sucks and I'm so damn sorry. Your alpha is going to take care of you, if that's what you want."

I nod, my eyes burning, but I can't tell if it's sweat or tears trying to blind me. "What about..." My eyes land on my other three mates' house.

Throwing the car into park, Kate whips around and pins me with a heavy stare. "Your needs are going to go haywire and that might include them. Your omega might just need them around without intimacy. What you and Vincent decide on is up to you. The only advice I can truly give you after I dumped all that information on you is to follow your instincts."

What the fuck does that mean?!

Then Vincent is rushing down my front porch and throwing open my car door.

"Little mate!" my alpha rasps snatching me from my seat and tucks my face into his neck.

As I burrow my way into his lemon scent that makes me feel at home, I realize what Kate meant. All I want, all I need right now, is Vincent and I plan to follow that instinct until I don't know where he ends and I begin.