"Hey." Lucas tilted my chin up. "Don't clam up on me."
I sniffed, blinking rapidly to keep the tears at bay. "You're lying to me. The only thing I can think of is that you're mad that I didn't want to go into heat."
"Fucking hell." Lucas ran a hand through his hair. "That's the furthest thing from the truth, darlin'. I'm mad at myself that I was so useless I couldn't even give you a fucking shot. Now that James is an alpha, I don't know if you even want me anymore. I'm...just a beta."
My brow furrowed as I cocked my head to the side to regard him. "Lucas, why would you even say that?"
"It's the truth." He sounded so dejected it was breaking my heart.
"No. It isn't." I spoke firmly, in a tone that left no room for argument. "You're funny, beautiful, and so warm that you light up every room you step foot into. Your cooking is beyond amazing. You inject love into all of your dishes, and it shows. You smile, and I smile, too. You laugh, and I laugh, too. There is no one else like you in the entire world and you are so unapologetically authentic. I love you, Lucas. I'll always want and love you."
His eyes closed, and he took a deep breath. "Thank you." He sniffed and pressed his forehead to mine. "Thank you for being you and for coming into our lives when we needed you the most. I swear I'm going to make you the happiest omega ever."
Grinning, I smoothed back his hair and savored his nearness. "I'll be the happiest if you just be you."
Lucas grinned back at me. "I brought you some cookies. I did a bit of panic cooking. Whenever I have trouble with a situation, I just park my ass in the kitchen so I don't have to think."
"That's what smelled so good." I peeked over his shoulder at the bedside table. "What kind of cookies did you bring me?"
"Chocolate chip, but they have three types of chips in them. Dark, milk, and white. Super yummy if I do say so myself." He chuckled as he turned over and grabbed the plate. He sat up, crossing his legs with the plate before him. I copied his movements and sat with legs criss-crossed across from him.
I grabbed one and took a large bite. "Oh my God," I said through a mouthful of cookie.
"Right?" Lucas' eyes sparkled as he grabbed a cookie for himself. "Told you they were good."
I happily finished my first cookie and grabbed another. "Feel free to make these anytime. So freaking good." I munched away on another, happily wiggling as I ate.
Injecting a suppressant after the beginnings of a heat was almost like a normal human woman on their period. Chocolate helped.
A lot.
My body was achy, and the start of a headache was forming behind my eyes. A bone-deep tired still racked my body, and I barely covered my mouth when a yawn surprised me.
"Still tired?" Lucas asked curiously.
We polished off the plate of cookies. Lucas had two, and I had the other four. He was a great sharer. The cookies were so good I would have fought him for them.
"Yeah." I stretched my arms out as I yawned again. "It's pretty exhausting on a body, starting a heat like that, even if it hadn't fully hit yet. Even so, the suppressants can be a bit harsh on my system, making me achy and causing headaches. The ones I used to use were much worse ‘cause they were lower quality."
"Omegas are like a whole different world," Lucas said while shaking his head. "I may need to ask you more questions."
"Of course." I was pleased he wanted to know more.
"I feel so helpless, and I don't like that feeling." Lucas scrunched up his nose. "It's not something I’m used to feeling.”
I nodded. He was always so confident and outgoing. "I'm the opposite. If you find me crazy out there and acting like you, then it would feel weird to me. I think it's why we all fit so well together. All of us are different, but we help make each other better."
Lucas leaned over and kissed my cheek. "Spot on, darlin'. That's the perfect way to put it."
CHAPTER34
James
The next week passed by with no incidents. It was quiet.
Almost too quiet.
Although with Lucas in the house, there was never an abundance of quiet. He was a loudmouth. There was no nice way of putting it. But we loved him for it.