I hurry over and pluck her off the bed. She wraps her arms and legs around me as I start toward the sitting area. “I’m sorry, baby, but there’s no way we can make it home. Even if we could find flights out tonight, you’re already in heat. They won’t allow us on an airplane.”

  Her bottom lip trembles before she buries her face in my neck. “It’s not fair.”

  “I know it’s not, Alora.” I nudge Wells’s foot to wake him up, but the stubborn asshole just keeps sleeping. “Damn it, Wells. Wake the hell up!”

  This time, I kick him, and he startles awake. “What’s going on?”

  “Alora is going into heat.”

  Wells jumps up, all sleepiness gone from his eyes in a second. “Fuck. We can’t have a heat in a hotel.”

  “I’m well aware. How about you grab Alora and help her take the edge off while I figure out what the hell we’re going to do?”

  “Alpha?” Alora’s head shoots up, and Wells pulls her into his arms when she reaches for him.

  He drops onto the couch with her in his lap as her lips find his.

  Fuck.

  I wish I were the one helping her take the edge off, but the three of us have been through enough heats together for me to know that Wells is useless at doing anything but focusing on Alora as soon as he realizes she’s in heat.

  If it wasn’t for me, they’d both probably die during her heats. Neither of them would remember to eat, drink, or shower. And changing the sheets?

  That would never happen.

  Alora’s head falls back, a mewl falling from her lips as her hips jerk. I lick my lips, leaning over to watch as Wells works his fingers in and out of her wet pussy, while working his thumb on her clit.

  Tearing my eyes away from the sight that has my cock throbbing, I find my phone on the floor and pick it up.

  I don’t bother with the group chat, just dialing Finn’s number.

  “Jordan?”

  “Hey, Finn. Remember that conversation we had…however long ago that was? About Alora’s heat?” I’m cut off by the sound of Alora screaming out Wells’s name as she comes.

  “She’s in heat?” His voice is hard but controlled.

  I sigh. “Oh, yeah. I passed out on the couch and woke up to her trying to nest in the hotel bed. We can’t have her heat here, but I don’t know how emergency heats are handled here. We probably should’ve looked into that, and I’m definitely going to beat mine and my brother’s asses when this is over with for not doing that.”

  “Take a deep breath, Jordan. There’s a heat clinic that services the small towns in this area. Unfortunately, because it services so many areas, it’s about forty-five minutes away.”

  “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I guess I need to call and see if they have room for us.” Not wanting to stress out Alora, I dip back into the bedroom and have to bite back a groan. Her scent has now completely saturated the room, and it’s taking all my control not to rush out there and join the two of them.

  “You don’t need to worry about anything except Alora. I’ll call the clinic and get everything set up. They’ll have room—they always do. There aren’t enough omegas in the area to fill the clinic. It’s mainly used for traveling omegas.” He takes a deep breath. “I’ll call them to let them know we’re coming. Then I’ll head over to the hotel to pick you up. You’re going to need to pack up your stuff and call down to the front desk. Let them know your omega has gone into heat and you’re going to take her to the clinic. You’ll want to leave the keys in the room. Jordan? Are you listening to me?”

  I nod as if he can see me, already moving to grab our suitcases. “Yeah. Sorry. I’m grabbing our suitcases now. I’m just going to shove it all in. We’ll worry about separating things later. You’re going to call the clinic and then come get us. When I get off the phone, I’ll call down to the front desk and let them know what’s going on. Leave the keys in the room.”

  He grunts. “Good. Hotel staff members are used to this kind of thing. We’ll have to stop at the front desk on the way out, but that won’t take but a moment.”

  “Okay. Thank you, Finn.”

  “Don’t thank me yet. We still have quite a task ahead of us. I’ll shoot you a text when I leave my da’s place, and then again when I arrive. I’ll park right out front and come up to help you with the baggage while Wells takes Alora to the car. Then I’ll get us to the clinic. Does that sound good?”

  “It sounds amazing,” I say with a sigh. “I’ll see you soon.”

  “See you soon, Jordan.”

  Tossing my cell to the side, I hit the button on the tablet attached to the bedside table to call the front desk.

  “Good evening, Pack Harris. My name is Elspeth.” A woman in her twenties appears on the screen. “What can we do for you?”

  I quickly fill her in on the situation, and she assures me she’ll have everything ready when we leave. She tells me the same information Finn did, and I’m happy to find that it really is just that easy.

  After Elspeth disconnects the video call, I rush around the room trying to grab all our clothes—both dirty and clean—toiletries, electronics, and all the shit we’ve bought since we arrived. I hear the notification of a text message, but ignore it. If it’s anyone besides Finn, I don’t care what they have to say.

  And if it’s Finn, I already know what the message says.

  I really shouldn’t have said anything about Alora’s heat coming earlier. I know better than to do that shit. It’s just inviting disaster to come knocking.

  At least we have Finn.

  If we didn’t, I’d be freaking out a hell of a lot more.

  Another notification goes off as I close the last of the suitcases and roll them into the sitting area to find Alora riding Wells.

  “Do not knot her. Finn will be here any minute now, and we’re heading to the heat clinic.”

  Wells doesn’t take his attention off our omega but nods. “Got it.”

  “Here’s her silk robe. She needs to wear something out of the room, but I think that’s about all she’ll be able to tolerate.”

  I lay it on the couch as a knock sounds on the door.

  “Looks like it’s go time,” I tell my brother before taking a deep breath. “Please let nothing else go wrong. Please.”

  Chapter Eleven

  FINNEGAN

  Igrab the last two bags from inside the room before doing a quick walk-through to make sure Jordan didn’t miss anything in his haste.

  The beta is currently downstairs speaking with the front desk to let them know we’re leaving before he joins Wells and Alora in the car.

  I haven’t really stopped long enough to think about what Alora going into heat might mean for me. I don’t want to be presumptuous by assuming they want me to take part in her heat, and if they don’t, that’s fine. I won’t do anything that everyone isn’t comfortable with.

  That’s not why I got everything set up for her heat. It’s because I care about her, and I want to make sure she’s comfortable.

  Getting her back to her nest at home isn’t possible, but getting one of the top heat suites booked for her is something I was able to do.

  Same with driving the three of them to the heat center—although based on how hard her scent hit me when Jordan opened the hotel door, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to keep it together for the forty-five-minute drive.

  Alpha up, Finnegan. You’ll do what you have to do to make sure that omega is safe and cared for.

  I square my shoulders and roll my head to crack my neck before striding out the door.

  What I’m feeling and thinking isn’t important, and I just need to keep reminding myself of that.

  The only thing that matters right now is Alora, and I’ll do whatever I have to for her.

  Even if it’s walking away and leaving the three of them to her heat.

  The elevator doors slide open before I get a chance to press the button, revealing Jordan on the other side.

  He shoots me a grin. “I was just coming up to help you.”

  “No need,” I assure him as he steps back, allowing me to enter the elevator. “I walked through the hotel room, but it looks like you got everything when you were packing. I left the keycard on the table, and these are the last two bags.”

  “You might not need help,” he says as he leans forward to press the button for the ground floor. “But I’m not just going to let you carry both bags when I have perfectly functioning arms.”

  I want to argue with him—because I really don’t need the help—but the look in his eyes tells me it’s not an argument I’ll win. I pass him the smaller of the bags as I lean against the elevator wall.

  “Are you going to be okay driving?” Jordan glances at me as we arrive in the lobby and step off.

  I shrug. My immediate response is that, of course I will be, but I don’t know how accurate that is. “I think so. If I’m not, we’ll pull over and we can switch.”

  He nods. “That sounds like a good idea. Just don’t push yourself too far. Even I think Alora smells divine during her heat, so I can only imagine what it does to alphas.”

  “I’d love to tell you I’ll be perfectly fine, and if it were another omega, I might be. With Alora? I just don’t know how I’m going to react.” I chuckle as I push open the door and hold it for Jordan. “But I’m going to do my best to be okay, so I can get us all there in one piece.”

  “And if you can’t, then you have me for backup. It would be better if you’re able to handle it though, since you probably know where the hell you’re going, and I don’t. Plus, your roads are not as well-lit as back in the States.”

  Luckily, the trunk is still open, so we drop the bags into it before slamming it shut. My eyes immediately go to the backseat, where Alora is straddling Wells. I can’t quite tell if they’re fucking, but it sure as hell looks like it.

  “That’s going to be distracting.”

  Jordan snorts. “You think? Are you sure you don’t want me to just drive?”

  I take a deep breath and shake my head. “No, I need to do this for her.”

  Without waiting for a response, I move to the driver’s side door and swing it open. Alora’s fall leaves scent hit me smack in the face, and I take a half step backward before jumping into the car and slamming the door.

  My cock is hard and throbbing behind the zipper of my pants, and I really don’t know if I’m going to be able to drive us to the heat center.

  I don’t want anyone else besides her pack smelling how damn good she smells right now.

  Because her scent is so heavy in the air, I’m able to pick out notes I couldn’t before. There’s a hint of cinnamon, apple, and pecan.

  This is why it reminds me so much of fall—because of these more subtle notes.

  Damn, I’d forgotten how good omegas smell when they’re close to their heats—not that any of them have ever smelled as good as Alora does right now.

  My eyes find the rearview mirror, and now that I’m inside the car, it’s easy to tell that they are fucking.

  Fuck. What I wouldn’t give to be Wells right now.

  I take another deep breath, intending to clear my head, but all it does is suck more of Alora’s scent into my lungs.

  Well, that was a mistake.

  “Are you good?” Jordan asks quietly as he climbs into the passenger seat. “I can drive if you need me to.”

  “No, I’m good. I just need to remember that taking deep breaths isn’t the way to go currently.” I chuckle, knocking the car into gear and pulling away from the hotel.

  Glenmore doesn’t have much traffic on a regular day since most of its residents prefer to walk when they can, but with it being late evening, there are no other cars on the road.

  It’s been so long since I’ve been anywhere near the heat center that I don’t know if there will be any traffic when we reach it, but considering I’m skilled at driving in LA traffic now, I think I’ll be fine. Plus, the chances of that area growing that much over the last five years seem low.

  There just aren’t enough children being born to make up for those dying, so it feels like my country is slowly dying.

  But it’s not just Scotland. This is happening all around the world.

  “Yes!” Alora screams, and my hands squeeze the steering wheel hard enough it squeaks under my hold. “I’m coming. I love you, Wells.”

  She moans and pants, the sound of skin slapping against skin growing louder as the alpha chases his release. With a grunt, he comes, and the car goes silent.

  “Maybe we should turn on some music.” Jordan leans over and flicks on the radio before glancing into the backseat. “She’s out for now, but who knows how long that’ll last.”

  I nod because that’s a damn good idea. I need as few distractions as possible since I already have the biggest distraction of all in the backseat. Once we’re out of town, I crack my window to let some fresh air into the car.

  It doesn’t eliminate her scent—and I don’t want it to—but it makes it a little less distracting.

  My cock is still hard, but it no longer feels like it’s going to drill straight through my pants. It’s a win I’m going to take.

  Now, I just need to make it through the next forty-five minutes without crashing my car.

  I must have been driving faster than I thought because we make it to the heat center in thirty minutes instead of the usual forty-five.

  That Wells and Alora are fucking in the backseat again might have something to do with it as well.

  I jump out of the car, slamming the door shut as quickly as possible before rushing inside with Jordan right on my heels.

  There’s a woman behind the desk Her head snaps up when we step inside, and she gives us a soft smile. “Alpha Abernathy?”

  “That’s me.”

  She nods, glancing at Jordan. “And you must be part of the Harris pack.”

  “Jordan, beta.” He seems almost as frazzled as I am. I glance in his direction and see he’s just as hard as I am.

  I guess he wasn’t overexaggerating about how much her heat affects him.

  Not that anyone with a dick wouldn’t get hard at the scent of an omega in heat—whether they’re interested in the omega or not. His body language tells me he needs to bury himself in Alora just as much as I’d love to.

  “My name is Beth,” the woman—whose scent I can’t catch even a hint of in order to guess her designation—says as she steps out from behind the desk, holding a clipboard. “How coherent is the omega? Alora Harris, correct?”

  “Yes, that’s her.” Jordan nods, glancing at me with wide eyes. “I don’t know how coherent she is.”

  “She’s being knotted by her alpha as we speak. She’s still teetering on the edge of going into full heat. She should be coherent enough to sign the necessary paperwork as soon as his knot goes down,” I assure her. I know they won’t turn us away if she isn’t coherent enough, but that involves way more paperwork.

  The centers are here to help omegas through their heat as they desire, but sometimes they arrive too far into their heat. They can’t sign legally binding paperwork while in the heat haze, so it ends up falling on the people who bring the omega to the center. If it turns out the person who brought the omega forced them to do something they wouldn’t have done otherwise, the center will have that person arrested immediately.

  “That’s good. We much prefer if we can speak to the omega before they slip in too deep. I have all the paperwork ready, but I will need to speak with Alora before we continue. I need her to tell me who she wants in her suite with her, then I can have each of you sign the paperwork.”

  Jordan nods. “I’ll go let Wells and Alora know.”

  Then he’s gone, leaving me alone with Beth as she considers me. “According to the information you provided, it will just be the omega and her two pack mates.”

  “I…uhh…I didnae want to presume,” I say, a blush creeping up my neck as I duck my head. “Mine and Alora’s courtship is new. I’m unsure if she’ll want me there.”

  “And if she does?”

  I frown. “Then I’ll be there for it.”

  Beth laughs quietly. “Don’t get offended. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t being coerced into something you didnae want either. We just like to make sure all the bases are covered.”

  “Aye, I guess that makes sense.” I shoot her a tight smile. “Thank you, lass.”

  This time, she throws her head back as she laughs. “Lass? I’m probably old enough to be your ma.”

  For a moment, I forget how to breathe as pain rips through me and tears fill my eyes.

  “Alpha Abernathy, are you okay?”

  I clear my throat and blink away the tears as the door opens once more. “Aye. My ma passed not that long ago, and it’s…”

  “Hard, aye.” Beth reaches over to squeeze my hand. “I understand.”

  A growl splits through the room just before Alora rushes over and rips Beth’s hand from mine. “Mine.”

  Beth’s eyes widen as she scoots her chair back, hands up in surrender. “Of course, Omega Harris. I’m very sorry. I never should’ve touched your alpha.”

  “Alora, she was just comforting me,” I assure my omega, who spins around to face me. “She wasn’t doing anything wrong.”

  Alora bares her teeth. “No one touches what’s mine. You. Are. Mine. No. Touch.”

  Beth clears her throat as I watch Alora with wide eyes. “You’re right, Omega Harris. No one touches your alphas or your beta. There’s some paperwork I need you to fill out before we get you set up in your suite. Are you with us enough to do that?”

  She blinks her eyes, the heat haze slowly seeping out of her eyes. She chews on her bottom lip and wrinkles her nose as she turns back to Beth. “I’m so sorry.”

  “There’s no reason to apologize, Omega Harris. I should’ve known better than to touch him—especially knowing just how close you are to your heat.”

  “Call me, Alora, please.” She offers Beth a soft smile. “What do you need from me?”

  “Alpha Abernathy gave me the basics, but I want to clarify some things with you. It says here you have a bonded alpha and beta who will help you with your heat—Wells and Jordan. Is that correct?”

 

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