Standing in the kitchen of Sebestian' apartment, Rose were chewing on her bottom lip as her hand hovered over the pocket of her trousers where she had her phone- going back and forth with herself. Monika had come over early because she had had a change of heart about what Rose should be wearing and when Rose had seen Sebestian light up at the possibility of her wearing blue instead of grey, Rose hadn't found it in her heart to say no (did she really wear color that rarely?) Now, Monika and Sebestian were finishing off whatever needed to be done before this mini-party and Rose had been left to her thoughts and they were eating at her.Caught up in her own mind, Rose hadn't noticed the new presence in the room until the woman cleared her throat and snapped Rose out of her thoughts and brought her back to the real world. Looking up and to her side, Rose gave a quick polite smile to the Alpha woman standing just a few feet away from her. Rose could easily see that she was an Alpha because
"I didn't think you and Sebestian had actually...""We haven't" Rose replied a little too quickly and loudly, almost regretting how it sounded, like the idea of them together like that, mated, was somehow shameful to her. "Oh, I was just about to go and slap him if you had, any good Alpha know not to bring another Omega into his Omega's territory, but if you haven't..." Allen paused, Sebestian had been right, Rose was shooting off in all directions and not at all going by this in the 'normal' way. Allen couldn't really blame Sebestian because he hadn't actually done anything wrong if they weren't a couple, but if Rose usually acted like they were, maybe Sebestian should have known better."You should talk to him when you feel like this, he is a pretty understanding guy, for an Alpha" Allen said with a small smile, hoping the light-hearted commented at the end would help to not make it all seem so gloomy.Shaking her head, Rose felt dumb "I didn't want to cause a scene, and also, I s
Once Sebestian had left and the door was closed behind him, Fred made his way back over to the couch and sat down, lifting his leg and resting his right ankle over his left knee as he looked at Rose, his eyes almost uncomfortably blue in the dimly lit room.Cautious for some reason, Rose followed Fred over and sat down in one of the chairs, ignoring her wet clothing as she looked at the blond man sitting across from her.Minutes passed by before Rose felt uncomfortable enough to break the silence between them, staying leaned back in her chair as he spoke up "Why am I here?".Rose knew that if Fred was a mayor that he would be powerful, but she knew and trusted herself to defend herself if anything were to happen, not that she thought it would, Sebestian wouldn't leave her to that, but she was still wary.I want to invite you to spend your heat with me" Fredrik said, his expression and tone of voice steady and neutral as he said it, wrapping the absurd sentence up in something that mad
The morning after had been a bit of a struggle for Rose. For the first time in a while, Rose had woken up before Sebestian, waking up all wrapped up in Sebestian arms, breathing in the calm and safe scent of him, mixed with a healthy dose of morning arousal had made Rose feel warm and excited to the point where her body was once again reacting in ways Rose was unfamiliar with.Having managed to pull herself out of bed and into the shower, Rose had washed away all proof of how hot she had felt. By the time Sebestian had woken up, Rose had already redrawn tale her meds and was halfway out the door. Alexander had seemed a little disappointed, but had been polite enough not to comment, which Rose was happy about because she just needed to spend some time with her own thoughts, a clear head- which she didn't feel like she had had for several days.Sebestian had also seemed disappointed and even asked if he had done something wrong when Rose had (over the phone) said that she was going to s
Rose had thought that this group was the sub-pack, but Allen had explained that the actual number of members were closer to 150 from all around the world. Allen had gone on to say that whoever was in heat would simply ask those she or she wanted there, but that it was a large group in case none of your closest friends could come, the large number of members being a safety net in case people couldn't show up.Rose had been paying close attention to Fred the entire evening and even though she had been sleeping since they got there, Rose was surprised by just how calm he to what was she had expected. Fred would sometimes groan in what could be need or even pain, slightly stir or tremble but would usually calm down as soon as someone stroked his hair and grabbed his hand.Sitting in the chair that Ashleigh had sat in when they first got there, Rose was silently just watching the group again as they all sat around Fred, like they were all just waiting for him to hatch like he was an egg or
Feeling the need to defend Ash, Rose was about to protest when Fred waved his hand dismissively, having gotten rid of the cup of tea already."I don't need the answer"Unsure of what he thought about it all, Rose didn't comment further as she was positive, she already had enough to think about. "You never answered my question" Rose said, thinking back to how the conversation started. "Why me?""Because you are the right age, have the right name and have shown the right qualities to prove me right if you get the chance." Fred said, his expression genuine and soft for a second before he winked, and his entire body language and tone changed."I feel like I've pissed my pants, and I need to go and have a wank, so I'm going to jump in the shower" Fred said and threw the pillow he had been holding back onto the sofa, just missing Kenny who had now curled up into a ball, sleeping soundlessly.Ashleigh looked up from her book and made a face "Dude, too much information".Just flashing Ashleig
Feeling his heart ache in his chest, Sebestian crawled up the bed over Rose, pleased with how Rose without question parted her legs for him while keeping eye contact. Leaning down over her, Sebestian closed his eyes- feeling almost drunk with a desire to not just claim her as his mate but to love and protect her and to be loved and protected by her in return. "I've wanted you from the moment I first saw you" Sebestian confessed as he closed the distance between them, leaving a trail of small kisses along her jawline as the air around him got thicker with Rose's scent, pushing and pulling at Sebestian as it came off Rose in waves.Closing her eyes, Rose willingly tipped her head to the side in submission, letting out a series of small gasps as Sebestian let his lips brush against the sensitive skin, every so often leaving small wet kisses that sent shivers down Rose's spine.Lowering his body down over Rose's, Sebestian rolled his hips and gasped as Rose copied his movement, their bodi
Brushing his fingers through Rose's hair, Sebestian was enjoying the small affectionate cuddles when he heard a soft warm sound. Almost caught a little off guard, Sebestian realized fondly that Rose was softly purring. It wasn't rare for Omegas to purr, but Sebestian for some reason hadn't expected her to and knowing that Rose felt happy, safe and relaxed enough to do so made his heart swell with a sense of pride and happiness. Not wanting to take Rose out of what she was feeling, Sebestian stayed quiet as he closed his eyes and listened to the comforting sound of his Omega's purr, affectionately playing with her messy hair.Some hours later: -Waking up from the sound of her phone going off, Rose blinked her eyes open and let out an almost sad whimper. She didn't want to get up, she couldn't remember falling asleep, but she did know that she was comfortable and lacked any will to leave the bed or her Alpha.Her Alpha.Smiling at the thought, Rose pushed himself up a little and looked
Cristina was stunned momentarily. Sebestian therapist before her complained that even after fifteen sessions he didn't manage to get through to the man, didn't make any progress at all. She wasn't arrogant enough to deem herself the right person to help. But perhaps she was lucky enough to stumble into his life at just the right moment. "You know that none of that is true", she was bold enough to proclaim. Sebestian' anger wasn't aimed at Rose. "I only saw you two together for... what, ten seconds before he left the room. And I could already see how much he loves and values you." She saw the fight rising from deep within Sebestian and catalogued that as a good sign. "He almost lost you. A part of him must be scared that she still might." She gave him a moment. "Rose knows how strong you are. Be patient with her while she tries to remember it again."Sebestian smiled wryly. His eyes softened, though. "I'm not a patient man.""What kind of a man are you, then?" Cristina threw back.Sebe
When she pulled her a hug he clung to her tightly. It made her feel a little less like the world was falling apart but she retracted from the comfort quickly. She was still shaken from the mild panic attack he'd have to postpone dealing with until later. Resolute to push through and put one foot in front of the other Rose headed out of the room with her sister following her. She was putting on a coat when something occurred to her. "Thank you, for everything. How did you know that I was having a...?" She didn't want to say it oud loud."You were shouting to your phone." Monika went on before she could panic. "You know the boys; they wouldn't wake up to a bomb going off when they're tired enough. They're fast asleep, I checked." After her reassurance she focused on searching through his coat's pockets, so she didn't see her frown. "What are you doing?"Rose's brows furrowed while she spun around wildly. Her head whirred and her hands were shaking along with her whole body. "My car keys
Rose had no idea what happened next. By some miracle she managed to get the boys to calm down, at least to an extent. Apparently, she also ordered takeaway none of them really wanted because suddenly there were cardboard containers all over the kitchen. She did have a far too vivid memory of the lead heavy silence that lingered as they ate, all of them much too aware of the empty seat at the table.It wasn't until later, as she stared at the kids while they watched cartoons huddled together, the full gravity of the situation fell mercilessly on Rose's shoulders. Everything she'd almost lost and could still lose... It weighed too much.Rose's stomach rolled violently. She dashed as fast as she could to the toilet connected to the bathroom, knowing that the boys wouldn't have to hear whatever noise she made there. As soon as she fell to her knees, she threw up loudly, feeling the world falling apart around her yet again.How was she supposed to keep fighting when every time she thought
Ray continued to avoid mentioning his daddy for a couple of more days. Did his best to not even think about his other parent because it hurt too much. But in the end the whole situation got too much on him.He'd had a lot of nightmares since his daddy's accident. They haunted him almost every night. Something about the one he had one particular dark night made it worse than others.In the horrible dream he and his papa were in a forest, where thick fog began to engulf them. Ray was terrified and did his best to keep up with the man walking in front of him. In the end he found himself standing paralyzed while the fog swallowed his papa."Daddy?" There was no response and fear squeezed his chest mercilessly. Tears filled his eyes. "Daddy? Daddy!" Only silence answered him.Ray woke up crying, with his entire body covered in cold sweat. His heart hammered while his wide eyes darted around, trying to convince his mind that he was safe. That he was home and his daddy was safe, too. He want
Holding Max... It felt so good that had hard time controlling his emotions, especially because the brain injury seemed to enhance all feelings. But listening to his son's excited babbling was also a bit much on his still recovering head."... got a new class hamster. And guess what, papa! He has a missing leg, too. I said that he's just like my papa, and Miss Pen gave me a big hug." Max sounded endearingly proud of him, himself and the little creature the child now had a special connection with.Carefully avoiding Max noticing, Sebestian cast a slightly panicked look at Rose. 'Miss Pen?' How many people were there in his son's life he had no idea of? 'His teacher, Aline', Rose mouthed back.Max went on, completely unaware of the adults' exchange. "... named him Skunk, because he's black and white. He likes cuddles, I can tell. But Miss Pen says that we can't cuddle him too much because he's so small and fragile."Sebestian listened to Max babbling as intently as he could, his new limi
Monika likely noticed what she'd done to her hands but didn't call him out on it at the moment. Instead, she moved to hug her, but he refused her with a shake of head. "I'm... I can't." Her voice was so hoarse that for a second, she wondered if she screamed out loud, after all. "If you touch me, I'll lose control and..." She trailed off. She couldn't lose control; too many people she loved needed her to stay strong right now.Monika nodded. Not necessarily happy but understanding. "As long as you know that you're not alone in this. We're all here for you, all of you. Got that?"Rose nodded, dangerously close to losing control over herself. After that... she didn't have very clear memories. She took a cab to the hospital, even on such a day sensible enough to know that she shouldn't drive. Her feet led him to the ICU. The sterile reek and suffocating silence that smacked her across the face at that ward just about tore her new numb bubble to shreds.There was no one around to update he
That night Ray woke up needing to use the bathroom. He yawned and left the comfort of his bed reluctantly, then began to tiptoe towards the toilet. Halfway there he froze at what he saw on the balcony.His mommy stood there with his grandma. Crying while she hugged her and whispered comforting words, appearing distraught herself. Even a child could see how heartbroken his mommy was.It terrified Ray more than he would've cared to admit. Things were supposed to be improving. His daddy was awake. There was supposed to be no need to be sad anymore. Did something go wrong again?Ray managed to retreat to his room unseen. He hid himself under a blanket entirely, trembling miserably. He couldn't sleep while his thoughts whirred.His therapist had helped convince Ray that he wouldn't be sent away, that he wouldn't lose his family. But the insecurities and fears lingered, ready to resurface at any given moment. He hadn't seen his papa in what, to a child, felt like a lifetime. He missed his p
Sebestian felt like he was held under water while he listened to Rose, eyes fixed on the opposite wall. "Ray is another child." It was all told with the kind of paternal love that'd already showed itself once.Rose tried to show a picture from her phone, but Sebestian was too ashamed and overwhelmed to look at it. The Alpha closed his eyes and tried very hard to breathe properly. "How long?" How much time had he lost? How many precious memories? What kind of a parent was he, to forget his own son? He wanted to scream from frustration when the words got tangled together and were nearly impossible to spew out coherently. "... long?"Rose frowned before finally figuring out what he meant and answering tentatively. "He's been our son always." The full weight of those words crashed down on them both simultaneously.Sebestian struggled to make sense of everything. It was like getting sucked into an alternative reality. Like waking up from long sleep, to find that someone else had been livin
The whole family was in an agreement that Rose shouldn't be left alone at the hospital for long. They knew how bad off she was, while trying anxiously to support others. And Sebestian... They didn't want to imagine Samantha without him, for even a second. Because it'd be a loss she wouldn't survive, at least as herself.Monika braced herself for great many things on her way from her workplace at the morgue to the ICU. Her chest clenched and she almost dropped the takeaway coffees she carried when she saw her sister sitting on a bench, wiping his eyes. Then she realized that the tears she fought back were those of joy.Rose's eyes shone from tears and happiness when they met hers. "He... He woke up, Monika. Sebestian woke up and talked to me."Monika decided that it was time to ditch the coffee. She tossed the mugs aside, not really caring where they ended up. Then she pulled her sister to a tight embrace. Which she returned with equal vigor. She could practically feel the relief radia