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I made a mental note to give Violet a fruit basket or something the next time I saw her.
“You’re probably right.” I breathed through another cramp, one hand clutching my middle and the other still wrecking Kit’s nice shirt. They were the bearable-but-still-uncomfortable cramps of heat setting in, a biological alarm blaring, telling me to hustle back to the safety of my nest.
“But we’re not donetalking,” I whined—an actual whine, all omega. “We need to talk about your job, and my job, and the future—”
Kit wrapped an arm around my waist, already ushering me toward the gate. “I love you, Margot, and you love me—you said it, no takebacks. The rest is just details, okay? We’ll figure it out. But right now, you need your nest.”
Nest. Yes. That sounded delightful.
“I need my alpha,” I added, my voice barely above a whisper.
Because that’s what this was. Heats had always just been an inconvenience, but it wasn’tjustthat. It was a biological imperative. It was my pussy demanding a knot, my womb demanding his seed, and I’d never been more aware of those things than I was at that second.
“You have me,” Kit replied firmly, steering me through the gate and away from my parents’ home. “I would be honoured to accompany you into your nest. Trust me to take care of you, Margot. Trust me to love you, and cherish you, and protect you, and see you through your heat safely. Througheveryheat safely.”
“I do. I trust you. Alpha.”
Chapter 21
KIT
ThefactthatMargothad been through heat fourteen times before was our saving grace. She kept her eyes determinedly shut in the passenger seat, taking deep, steady breaths and kneading at her lower belly with strong, sure fingers. She didn’t look comfortable, but it was apparently enough to keep the worst of the pain at bay.
My pain was just starting. It was actually very fucking uncomfortable to drive with a hard-on, I decided. And theknot. Fuck my life. Usually, it only made itself known when I was about to come, but things apparently worked differently when the rut hit. I’d never experienced it before to know.
“Are we nearly there?” Margot rasped, her eyes still kept tightly closed.
“I’m just pulling onto our street. Just a little longer.”
She made a terse sound of agreement, and I fought the urge to press the pedal all the way to the floor just to get us there three seconds faster.Must get my omega home safely. Get to the nest. She needs the nest.
I threw open the door the second I cut the engine, vaguely aware that I’d done a terrible parking job. It was fine; Nico and Violet were going to come by soon to stock the fridge and take the car back. I’d already messaged them and they’d promised they’d handle it.
My job was Margot. Whatever she wanted from me, whatever she needed from me, I would provide.
My omega.
Finally.Finally, mine.
I only had myself to blame for how long it had taken to get to this point, but I found I couldn’t regret it. Margot and I both had hangups about mating that we’d needed to address on our own before we could truly be ready for each other.
The idea that I could have missed Margot because of my own stubbornness was fucking terrifying. Because Ihadbeen ready for a mate. I’d already been contemplating making a big change, feeling the need to put down some roots, but hating the pressure put on me by everyone else in my life who thought they knew better than I did what I needed.
I hadn’t just wantedanymate.
I’d been waiting for the right omega. An omega who was confident and driven, sexy and kind. Margot waseverything.
“Nest,” she demanded, voice barely above a rasp, the moment I opened the passenger door. I leaned across her to unclip the seatbelt, pausing at the crook of her neck to inhale the first hints of her delicious scent. She always smelled good, but nothing like this, and this was only atasteof what her scent was underneath all that de-scenter.
My gums were already aching.
No, too early, I told myself firmly. I’d be deep in the rut by the time it was safe to bite her, and it suddenly struck me as unfair that neither of us would have clear memories of a moment that would define the rest of our lives.
Then again, maybe it hurt and not remembering was a self-preservation tool.
Margot moaned faintly as I helped her out of the car, scooping her into my arms and kicking the door shut behind me.Unsafe, unsafe, unsafe. There was no one else on the street, but my grip on her tightened anyway, as though an alpha would leap out at any moment and snatch her away from me.
I’d never understood why my alpha friends were so grabby with their omegas—honestly, it looked like their mates should be claustrophobic with how close they kept them—but I got it now.
