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Ben and Waffles trail behind us. The smile on Ben’s face is replaced with a scowl as he watches Reid bring Cammie to our king-size bed.
“Why does she need to stay here?” he asks, his voice laced with accusation as he looks around our clearly lived-in space.
I can’t tell if it’s because he thinks this is an odd nest or if it’s the idea of his mother in our nest at all. The room is a little unusual. It was clearly made for a pack bed, but it’s only ever been the two of us. Ironic, since pack beds are what I make for a living. I filled the empty space by painting an abstract mural of the night sky on the wall and adding several mini-nesting nooks throughout the room. I couldn’t stand the idea of all that empty bed, even when I hoped one day we would fill it.
“That’s a smart question. She will heal faster around the scents of her mates,” Reid explains.
I pull back the covers, and Reid gently places Cammie in our bed. She barely registers the move, turning over onto her side and snuggling into a pillow. Even fever-sweaty and pale, she looks as though she’s where she belongs. For the first time since I learned I had a new mate, my omega instincts aren’t wailing alarm bells. She’s finally safe.
“But she’s a beta,” Ben says slowly, as though we’re kids and he’s got to spell it out for us.
“Why does everyone keep saying that?” I grouse.
I grab one of Reid’s KPFD work shirts from the hamper and a pair of my sweatpants from the closet. The fixation on secondary gender must have something to do with how her ex treated her. If both of them are so hung up on it, I bet he somehow made her feel different or like she was less. What a dick he must be. My annoyance at Ben’s question fades, and in its place, determination swells.
Beta will not be a dirty word in this house.
I set the clothes at the foot of the bed and step into our bathroom to grab pain relievers and flu meds.
“It still applies to betas. She’s our matched mate. Our scents work on a biological level, even if we aren’t bonded yet. It should help her get better rest, which aids in healing. Finn and I will sleep in the guest bedroom while she’s here. That way, she can be near our scents, and we won’t get everyone sick,” Reid tells Ben, and I’m grateful all over again for this patient man.
My alpha’s solidness is precisely what that boy needs. I never spent much time thinking of Reid as a father. We always put the idea off into the future, like when we had a pack or found our mates. We could have had them on our own, but I’m glad we didn’t.
“Hey, Ben?” I pop my head out of the bathroom. “I could use your help because it would be best if the nest smells like you too. She needs her whole pack.”
Ben’s face, still red from all his tears, clouds with puzzlement. “You seriously think she’s your mate? And together, we form a pack?”
“Seriously,” I say. “You can ask me all the questions you want about it while you stay here, but I need to finish getting your mom situated right now. Can you go with Reid to your house and grab some blankets from home to put in the nest and help him pack some bags to stay here? I need the blankets that smell the most like you guys, okay?”
He nods, his mouth falling open. “I can do that.”
“Thank you. It will really help.”
I grab the meds, bring them to the nightstand, and herd Ben toward the door. Reid leans over the bed, running his hand over her hair and scent marking her. He’s restless and edgy in the bond, but I know from experience giving him tasks will help. He needs to feel as though he’s solving problems.
He squeezes my hip on the way out. “Take care of her, babe. I’ll go by the store and grab a booster for my truck, and we’ll get Emmaline on the way home. Call your sister for me and let her know?”
I brush my lips against the edge of his beard. “Got it.”
Following them, I make a detour to the kitchen and grab a glass of water. Waffles sees them out, and I return to Cammie.
“Wake up, baby.” I nudge her shoulder. I hate to bother her, but the nurse’s instructions were to start the meds as soon as we got home.
She’s groggy, but she sits up and takes the meds quickly before trying to lie back down.
“Not yet. Let’s get you in something more comfortable. Then I promise you can finally rest without interruptions,” I say, grabbing the clothes I stashed earlier.
Her mouth tugs into a lazy smile. “So shameless and determined to get me naked.”
“Facts,” I tease her.
She turns, and I unzip the mustard monstrosity. She shivers, goose bumps popping up along her arms as I pull the dress over her head. The scent of her raspberry tart in my nest does things to my body that it shouldn’t, given the circumstances, and I tell my dick to chill. But I can’t help myself from kissing the soft skin of her neck or caressing her shoulders on my way to her bra straps.
She lets out a soft moan of contentment. “Feels nice.”
I remove her bra quickly to avoid temptation and replace it with Reid’s shirt, though what I’d rather do is cuddle her skin to skin. I work her hair into a braid next, so it won’t be in the way. “You want sweatpants and socks too? Or is this comfortable?”
“I’m cold,” she says on a shiver.
