Chapter Five

Hailey and Illyana met her at the door. Hailey was talking a mile a minute and hauling Lexa along. Lexa saw Hailey’s bedroom with Illyana’s next door.

The room was sparse, but the furniture was arriving in the next two hours. Illyana smiled. “A cousin is an interior designer.”

Lexa smiled. “Of course they are. I met Sascha and Natalya today.”

Illyana. “Natalya sent some cookies for you and a tea mix. Sascha sent chocolate and a big box.”

Grigory leaned against the doorway, and he smiled. “I told you.”

Hailey looked at him. “They are sending my mom cookies and stuff?”

Grigory nodded. “Your mom is an omega, and omegas are special. They give much, but they need to be taken care of. So, my family gives them treats, makes them smile. Keeps them happy. When they are happy, it is easier for them to take care of others.”

“What happens when they aren’t happy?” Hailey’s eyes were canny. Lexa sighed when she realized that she was already drawing conclusions.

“They still take care of others, but it wears on them over time. Like carrying weight they aren’t prepared for. So, we give them little things to make them smile and lighten their mood.” Grigory told Hailey. “My female relatives will give food and textiles. My male relatives prefer jewellery.”

Hailey smiled. “So, the thing in the box is a present?”

“Yes.”

Lexa smiled. “I think I know what it is.”

Grigory chuckled. “I would not be so sure. Sascha is sneaky, and Aunt Natalya is worse.”

She bit the inside of her lip. “Can I see it?”

Illyana grabbed her hand and pulled her back to the main floor where the guys had their offices and all the public spaces were. There was one spot that was separate, and it was Lexa’s sitting room. She had been given a space of her own to entertain family or friends that no one else was allowed in without invitation. It would be decorated by her choices, but that would wait until the bedrooms and her nest were ready.

There, on a low table, was a huge box that was four feet square. She bit her lip and looked at the box. Illyana removed a flick knife and handed it to Lexa. After a small smile, she sliced through the tape, closed the knife, and then, she opened the box. She gasped, closed the box and sat on it as if the contents were going to march around the room.

Hailey looked at her. “Was it a treat?”

Illyana looked at her face. “I am guessing there was a treat for you and a treat for your mates.”

“Yeah.”

Hailey blinked. “What colour were they?”

“Clear.” Long graceful gowns with robes that might be opaque if she wore them both together, but probably not.

Grigory smiled from the doorway. “Those are for her to wear with us in the evening while we talk and watch movies while we are her mates and you have gone to bed. That is when we can take care of her.”

Hailey cocked her head. “She looks really embarrassed.”

“She does not know us yet, sweet. She will. We will do nothing to hurt her, but relationships sometimes need shortcuts to get into a situation where they can be stable.”

“So, you buy her pretty clothes to remind her she is with you.”

“Something like that. They will remind her she is safe with us.”

Hailey walked up to him and beckoned for him to come down. She hugged him around the neck. “Mom needs to be safe. She hasn’t been safe in a very long time.”

Lexa sat on the floor and buried her face in her hands. Small hands started to tug at her coronet, and she smiled and relaxed as Hailey unwrapped the braid down to the middle of her back and unravelled it. She combed through it with little fingers then buried her face in the waves. “You smell good, Mom. Like you are supposed to.”

Lexa chucked, and Hailey covered herself in Lexa’s hair. Lexa saw Illyana’s eyes shining. “I had no idea you had so much hair.”

“It gets in the way, but my sister loved it, so I don’t do more than trim it.”

She grinned. “I know what the uncles and cousins should get you.”

Lexa was hopeful. “A motorcycle?”

“Maybe after you have bonded to Grigory.” Illyana laughed. “Then, it will be a wave of presents.”

Hailey perked up. “Do I get presents?”

Grigory was still crouching. “Of course, you do, sweet. My mother will love brushing your hair. She will pay you for the honour. Lexa, she will order you to sit for it, but she has a very soft touch.”

It was at that point that Lexa started to realize that all of Grigory and Illyana’s family were alphas with only a smattering of betas. Anyone who wasn’t an alpha was coddled to make sure that the more ferocious of the family kept the vulnerability of the others in mind. It meant they were condescending to the betas and omegas, but it was better than being aggressive. Natalya’s casual barking at Grigory had frozen Lexa, and both had rushed to console her. Their parents had done a really good job with training.

She sat while Illyana sat behind her after running for a brush. She came back and made tiny braids to contain the hair and make a pattern down her back. Hailey helped, and the housekeeper came in with a tray of sweet tea and the crunchy honey cookies. Lexa shared the cookies, and Grigory had wandered off to a corner of the house.

She poured tea, and soon, they were laughing and giggling. Illyana brought the present box to the nest, and then, she carried the throw to the family room. Lexa looked around the practical nest and found her wardrobe. She found a jersey maxi dress and a jersey shrug in grey. She put on a set of slippers and was getting ready to leave when there was a knock at the door. She blinked and walked to the door, looking up to see Grigory in the doorway. He held the bag from the seamstress shop. “Ah, treasure, your hair is beautiful.”

She smiled. “Thank you. Illyana did a wonderful job.”

“She had fun. She likes you and Hailey very much.” He blinked and then said, “This is from Natalya.”

She blinked and took the bag. “Thank you. Would you like to come in?”

He inclined his head. “I would be honoured.”

She looked into the bag, and she pulled out three silk lace-trimmed chemises and matching panties. Grigory paced around the room and found the drawer he was looking for. He took out some condoms from a neatly ordered row and slipped them in his pocket. “The supplies are here. Lube, condoms, light toys.”

Her expression went from lightly mortified to crimson cheeks. “Oh.”

“Put on your gift to check the fit.”

She blinked, and he sat at the edge of the low mattress that was her nest. She turned toward the bathroom, and he shook his head. “Here, please, treasure.”

She bit her lip and slipped off her shoes, removed her shrug, and then, she peeled the dress off and down to her hips. Her practical bra slipped away.

“Oh, princess, you are beautiful.”

She blushed and shoved the skirt off. She stepped out and reached for the new clothing, but he groaned, and she looked at him. “Treasure, please, come and let me touch.”

She bit her lip, but he held out his hand, and she was a sucker for manners, so she reached for him in return. He tugged her slowly against him; he settled her facing him across his hips. He ran his hands over her, making heavy purring sounds. She blushed with her head down as he took her in.

“You have muscle, little treasure. That is a delightful thing. Your bones are close to your skin, so we will have to get you soft and able to withstand a bit of stress.”

“I am going to be stressed?”

“When your heat hits, you will be pushed, and you will not have an appetite. At your current weight, you will be haggard when it is over, and we will just have to get you back to a safe weight.” He cupped her breasts. “You are soft as Misha’s kittens.”

She blushed and looked away.

“May I taste?”

She blinked. “Um, yes?”

The sooner she got used to her protectors, the better. She already had a good feel for Delun.

He leaned forward, and his large head leaned toward her. Her pulse pounded hard with nerves, but his tongue licked out and flicked her nipple. She bit her lip to hide the moan, but the rush of slick was impossible to miss. He didn’t smile. He simply moved to the other nipple and did the same. His tongue was hot, damp, and lifted the entire weight of her breast before letting it drop. She whimpered. Watching him was torture, but he buried his face between her breasts and started to lick and gnaw gently at both of them in turn.

She shuddered and shook as she rocked her hips against his abdomen and then froze. His suit was worth more than her motorcycle. She whined in frustration and held herself away from him.

She panted, and he lifted his head. “What is wrong, treasure?”

“I don’t want to get you messy.”

He blinked and laughed. “Give me a moment.”

He set her aside, and he got up and stripped down to his skin. He returned to his lounging position and held out his hand. “Better?”

She grinned. “Much. I have always been wash and wear, so your clothes terrify me.”

He chuckled. “How did you deal with Delun, then?”

She eased down onto him again, his erection and knot between them. She trembled, and he murmured softly to her, a sound without words.

Lexa murmured, “I didn’t... we didn’t... he put me on his desk and uhh... the underwear went missing.”

“Ah. So, he used fingers or mouth?”

“Um... Both?” She realized what she had said, and his narrowed eyes. “This is not a competition.”

“No, but I do want to taste you, so if you would not object?”

“No, I don’t... Yikes!” He tipped her back, so her head was at his knees, and he lifted her hips to his mouth. She yowled as he slowly lapped at her and his tongue moved into her before flicking up and around her clit. He moved his head slowly against her, purring, and she thought of Olly and the group hug that set her off. Lexa finally realized that having a purring alpha that close to her groin was a battery-free vibrator with a warm, living body behind it, so it was hard to control, but it felt amazing.

Her breathing came faster, she twisted with nothing to hold on to, and when she screamed, he continued the slow and deliberate licks until her pulse stopped thundering and slowed to a steady gallop.

She gasped and twitched, and his purr became a deafening roar in her ears. He lowered her hips and pulled her up on him, kissing her slowly. She whimpered as her head spun and slowly slid down his abdomen until his cock was nudging her entrance. It was instinct to take him inside her, and she rocked her hips, getting the first two inches without trouble.

Grigory’s eyes went wide. “Treasure, we need to use protection.”

She shook her head and whined. He gripped her and eased her off him, reaching for his suit jacket and getting the condom. He opened the packet and rolled it down, setting her back in place. “There we go, treasure. Go nuts.”

She moved her hips and sought him, shuddering in relief when she managed to take him inside her. He groaned, his neck flexing, but when she started to move on him, he caressed all of her skin. She pushed herself down on him, the ache of his size added to the fun, and she was mindless with trying to take more of him. She had been like this once before, but the memory floated away as she drove both of them to release. She whined and rocked him into her until the knot would have begun to enter her. As she started working up to a significant plunge, his hand snapped between them and gripped his base, stopping her from taking it as she came. He groaned, and his hips jerked upward into her. He growled and shook as he gripped her hips.

She smiled at the feeling of him throbbing inside her, but as she relaxed, a strange agitation came over her. He kissed her throat and scraped it with his teeth. “Good, treasure. Sweet golden girl. You are good, and we will mark you when you ask for it. You are a good, sweet girl.”

She blinked. That did it. The agitation and panic stopped. “What was that?”

“You want a bond. Your animal thoughts scramble around because the instinct to not be passed around is intense. Female omegas need to be bonded with alphas in order to be secure. Same reason you need nests and soft fabrics.”

He eased her up, and he took care of the condom. She blinked at the volume of the contents. “You are as bad as I am.”

He laughed. “Not quite, but since we are not mating exclusively, our bodies become driven for competition, and you are the arena.” He grinned. “You are right though, you would have wrecked my suit.” He pulled her in for a kiss. “And I would not have minded in the least.”

She smiled shyly after the kiss. “I am going to clean up and then get dressed. Hailey will be—”

Her hands were braced on his chest, and her knee was at his hip.

“Hailey is doing her homework and getting a jump on the next day’s tasks. Illyana is a firm believer in working ahead, so taking a day off doesn’t cause any stress.”

“Oh. Nice.”

“When we said we will take care of you, we will. You will eventually start to forgive Arthur, and he will join us during your heats.”

“Will it just be you and Delun this time?”

He nodded. “Unless something changes, that is what we have agreed on. We will not leave you wanting, treasure.”

She nodded and started to speak then closed her mouth. “What if I want him there?”

Grigory smiled. “Then, he will be there, or he will find a reason why he is denying his omega.”

“I am not his.”

“You are, but the bond needs to be reinforced.”

“Have you heard of this happening before?”

“Not this situation, but an omega stolen and bonded to her lover then retrieved by her family. After negotiations, they finally had to let her resume life with her lover, but the bond had faded and had to be renewed.” He chuckled. “And then, they had me!”

She blinked. “You are the oldest?”

He laughed. “No. The family were my mother’s alphas. They didn’t take to my father at the start and have tried to kill him several times, but when he got her pregnant, it was persuasive. She also pined for him because he was young and pretty.”

She chuckled. “Well, you are very pretty. Hailey described Illyana as an angel made of razor blades. I think it suits you as well.”

He smiled, and there was pink in his cheeks. “That is quite the compliment.”

She cleared her throat. “I think I should go have a conversation with Arthur. There are a few things he needs to know.”

“Brave little treasure.”

She chuckled. “At least you don’t call me chicken.”

“She meant you are too skinny. Omegas need to keep an extra fifteen pounds on to keep them going through their heat. My family knows this, and she will call you something else when you have some more meat on your bones.” He patted her ass.

She looked back at his hand. “You are not touching bone there, buddy.”

He smiled. “Oops. I missed.”

It took her three tries to get out of his grip, and he wrapped himself around her when she was on her feet. “Wear me with you tonight.”

She swallowed. “What effect will that have on Delun and Arthur.”

He chuckled and kissed her bare shoulder. “I am curious about that myself. I am looking forward to family dinner.”

She groaned. “Don’t remind me.”