Page 114 of Talk About… Dramay
“We’re going to go do a bonfire on the dock again, introduce Henry to the lake, though it’s too cold for him to swim, and just relax for a little bit. Okay? It’s just us, no obligations, no outside eyes, just relaxing together.”
“Okay,” I said, my voice weak. Tears burned up my eyes, so I blinked hard and closed them before burying my face in Henry’s fur again.
He let out a small sound and turned to give my face a lick but didn’t protest my cuddles. Tate was back in ten short minutes, handing Hudson a bag full of to-go boxes before pulling away from the curb.
They didn’t say anything else until we made it to the lake.
Tate grabbed a stack of chairs from the back of the SUV while I got Henry out, letting him use the grass before we headed for the dock.
Hudson followed us with the diner bag still in hand. When we got settled in and the bonfire was crackling in front of us, they tried to get me to eat.
The moment I smelled the burger, I clamped my mouth shut tight and tried not to breathe through my nose. The smell had my stomach churning and cramps forming.
It was then that I knew my heat was coming, but I wasn’t ready to head back. That meant facing the lack of a nest.
They didn’t protest as I handed it back and shook my head.
“Not hungry,” I said. “Not right now, at least. Maybe in a bit.”
I expected the others to argue with me, instead Tate pulled me into his lap. It nearly broke my unsteady walls, but I settled against him, burying my nose against his shirt and breathing him in.
Fresh linen, falling snow, and warm spice filled my nostrils. It did a small part to soothe, but the moment it hit me, so did the heat.
My stomach cramped with more force this time. I tensed for a second but didn’t open my eyes or move. His arms tightened around me, but thanks to the scent-blocking underwear I had on earlier, there was no way for him to know what was really happening.
Heat fog hadn’t hit me yet, and my omega wasn’t clawing at them for a knot, so I closed my eyes and listened to Henry’s soft snores as he laid beside our camp chairs and the sound of the waves hitting the shore.
My alphas were perfect. Hudson moved to my other side, his hand running up and down my back as Tate held on to me. They didn’t care if their arms occasionally brushed because they knew I needed them both.
“You don’t have to say anything, but I just really need you to know, Oriana, that you can rely on us. You don’t have to be strong all the time. I think you’re brave—stronger than most omegas I’ve ever met—but you can let us hold you up when you need it. You can rely on us to provide for you, to care for you. We’ve got you.”
“We do,” Hudson agreed, conviction in his voice. “We’re not going anywhere. And if you need a night like this, where you just need to snuggle in and recover, then we’ve got you. No questions asked.” The way he studied me told me I wasn’t doing a good job of keeping our bond closed off.
They were quiet for a moment. I thought they were going to let it go, but I should have known better.
“Your omega might be needing to nest, and you’re not letting it happen,” Hudson stated gently as possible. He always spoke so calmly and collected, but right now it was almost pleading. Hewasn’t treating me like I was fragile, but more like a cornered animal.
“He’s right,” Tate agreed, squeezing me a little harder. “You need our scent to settle in moments like this, and even if you’re not in your nest, you need to let your omega have those comforts. You don’t have any extra blankets or pillows on your bed, no plushes. I don’t even think I’ve seen a single one of my shirts go missing.”
He was wrong. I’d snatched something from all of them, and they were tucked away in my top drawer. Only one small item each. It was my version of handling my lack of a nest—opening the drawer and breathing them all in at once.
That was exactly what I was doing when they barged into my bedroom, talking about nesting and my heat.
I wasn’t about to admit that, though.
Some secrets should just stay secrets, especially when they were embarrassing like this one.
They let it go when I said nothing back, not prompting me to answer them and not shaming me either. Hudson moved occasionally to add another log to the fire, but we sat like that for hours, just basking in the evening air.
When I started to shiver, they pulled out a blanket, wrapping it around me. It smelled like Lane, and that added hint of my beta helped calm me a little more.
Temporarily, at least.
As the time went on, so did the intensity of my cramps. I was in pain, and miserable. My body was aching and my head was starting to hurt.
I was going to have to admit it soon, but this felt like such an awful start to my heat. The last thing I wanted to do was go in feeling needy and miserable.
My doctor had already warned me that this one was going to be more intense since I’d been fighting the suppressors. It was my first time truly unleashing my omega and not holding back.