Page 48 of Shades of Scars

“I can do this.” I breathe out, loud enough for Apollo to hear, but I really don’t care if he responds or not. “I can build a nest worthy of my omega.” It’s a struggle to give myself that sort of mental pep talk. It’s times like this that I wish my bastard of a sire had actually given me the skills I’d need as a future alpha to excel in this part of my life.

That’s when Lark pokes his head around the other side of the door frame, drawing my attention with his next words at last. “I could be wrong, but I think I read somewhere that omegas like to build their own nests. Pick out their own materials and colors. Things have to be very specific for them, otherwise they can go into some sort of feral omega nesting rage.” He shrugs when I eye him, suddenly looking uncomfortable.

I frown, reaching up to scratch at the nape of my neck.Fuck.I think he’s right.I twist back around, now glaring at all the half opened boxes littered all over the room. “Goddammit. What do we do now?” I turn back to my pack brothers, my desperation clear.

“That designer?” Apollo suggests, but then Lark makes a weird face that draws both of our attention. “What? What’s that look?”

“For one, you don’t have time to get a designer here to fix this mess before she’s due to arrive. I also remember reading somewhere that omegas are very particular about who’s allowed inside their nests. I don’t think she’d take well to the scent of some foreign beta inside the space her alphas chose for her nest.”

Apollo lifts a brow at him, impressed. “Where did you learn all this fancy omega shit?” A normal person would have taken his question as sarcastic, but not Lark.

My pack brother’s chest puffs up in pride as he says, “I did some research after we first met Scarlett. I may not be an expert, but I wanted to learn everything I could about omegas so I could be prepared to help her adjust to life with us.”

Apollo dips his chin, reaching over to slap a hand over Lark’s shoulder, giving him a confident smile. “Well thank fuck for that. Wren nearly fucked up Scarlett’s first ever pack nest.” This earns him a glower from me.

“And if I’d let you invite that designer you were so insistent on in here, it would be your fault, too.” I quip, frustration coursing through me. How could I have seriously messed up this bad?

“Well, plus side I suppose, our omega doesn’t seem like the type to get all ragey about setting up her nest wrong.” Lark tries to lighten the mood a little, but it doesn’t help much.

I turn back to face the incomplete nest. The only things set up are the fairy lights embedded into the floors along the baseboards, and the massive mattress that takes up a good quarter of the room. There are packages strewn everywhere, some of them half open with blankets and pillows of various shades and textures spilling out.

I groan, scrubbing a hand down my face. “One of you needs to text Caito and tell him to hold off on bringing her over for at least another day. I can’t have the surprise spoiled because I’m a complete idiot.”

“Nope. No way. We are this close to convincing Scarlett to move in with us permanently. She can rotate between our beds until she has her nest set up the way she wants. The room itself is the surprise, Wren. Everything is going to be just fine.” When I look over to catch Lark’s eye, he holds up two fingers barely a quarter of an inch apart for emphasis. “Besides, I have a fantastic dinner planned for tonight, and Apollo’s picked out a movie we can watch as a pack for our first night spent together.”

I open my mouth to protest, but then Apollo lifts a hand to stop me. “Stop over thinking it, Wren. She’s going to love the room, and when she has it decorated the way she wants, it’s going to be her nest. Here. At our pack house. It’s the first step for us in becoming a complete pack.” Fuck. I know he’s right. I just hate that I failed in this. Our omega deserves the world, and if I can’t give it to her, then what good am I?

Before I can respond, a loud crashing sound echoes to us from the direction of the front door, followed by a familiar, obnoxious screeching that instantly makes me feel murderous. “Shit, I’m out. I’ll be in the kitchen prepping dinner. Do not bring that witch near me.” Lark practically sprints away like his ass is on fire.

When I look at Apollo, I narrow my eyes when I catch him taking a tentative step back. “Don’t you fucking dare.” I growl, but Apollo shakes his head.

“That’s your problem, bro. I like my dick exactly where it is. Your sister is the vengeful type, and when she finds out about this new development,” he gestures to the room around me, “She’s going to flip her fucking lid. Good luck.” Then he’s gone, and I’m left alone.

It only takes another forty-five seconds for Raven to find me still frozen in the room I’ve picked out for Scarlett’s nest. A snarl is already twisting her lips the moment our eyes meet, and she’s barely even taken a chance to glance around.

“Don’t fucking start with me, Raven. If I hear you say anything else hateful about my omega, I will rip your head off your fucking shoulders.” I bare my teeth at her, squaring my shoulders and lifting my chin to assert my own dominance.

Her nostrils flare, the fury simmering in her dark gaze aimed straight at me. “She’s not moving into the penthouse.” Her words are clipped, as if they are law. I really have let my sister get away with far too much when it came to my personal life these last few years.

But my guilt over her past only extends so far. At one point in my life, Raven and my pack had been the only things that meant anything to me. Now, they’re both wedged firmly beneath my omega.

Scarlett. Pack. Raven.

And if my sister doesn’t get with the fucking program, she will find herself firmly on the outs. That’s a fucking promise.

“You will accept Scarlett into our lives as my pack’s omega, Raven, or you can get the fuck out of it. Despite what you and the rest of the world might think, I don’t owe you a damn thing. I’ve given everything I can to make up for crimes I never committed against you. I won’t do it anymore. My priorities have changed.”

I stalk forward then, pushing past her to exit the nest. I have about half an hour to get her out of the penthouse before Caito arrives with Scarlett. I won’t subject her to my sister again. Not after what happened during their last encounter with each other. It absolutely pains me that my sister won’t accept the omega that was born for me, but that’s the least of my concerns at the moment.

“Wren, don’t do this. It’s a mistake. I’m only trying to save you from heartache in the future.” I whirl back on her then when she grabs my shoulder to stop me, but she doesn’t flinch when I snarl in her face.

“I told you not to start-”

“I know who she belongs to, Wren. You may have the power of our sperm donor’s empire behind you, but you aren’t invincible. She’s more trouble than she’s worth. When those alphas find out you’re tangling with their property, they will come for her. They will use whatever they have in their arsenal to take her from you.” She stands firm in her beliefs, and I realize then that there’s nothing I can say to convince her otherwise.

Yet, I can’t help but to try. “I honestly don’t give a fuck, Raven. And if you even cared a little about me or my pack, you’d back the hell off. I’ve done fuckingeverythingfor you. The least you can do is support me while I court my goddamnscent matchedomega.”

Raven blinks, but I turn away from her and stalk down the hall in the direction of my office before she can utter another word. “Wren-”

---