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Holden woke to a nest empty save for him and Naomi.
That wasn’t right, he thought. Where were Amos and Alex? His whole pack should be with him during his heat. They must have wandered off; he’d go find them.
He reluctantly uncurled from around Naomi, who made a soft noise in her sleep. Holden tucked a blanket around her and rubbed the side of his neck against her shoulder. The pressure on his gland sent a pleasant buzz through his system; he got lost in the sensation of it, scenting her and purring for a good 20 seconds before he remembered what he was supposed to be doing. Right, missing packmates. He could scent more when he got back.
The hall outside the den was… unfamiliar. Holden had known, distantly, that they weren’t on the Roci, but he couldn’t quite remember why. Maybe Amos would know; Amos usually knew things. Holden would ask him when he found him.
Alex and Amos’s scent trails led down the stairs and looped into the hall behind them. Amos’s scent was stronger, more recent, but the sharp tang of anxiety in Alex’s made up for the difference. Holden frowned. Why had Alex left the nest if he was stressed? A pack nest was the perfect place to be if you needed reassurance. Maybe Amos had gone to bring him back.
The door to the garage hung half open, tense voices floating through. Holden almost pushed it the rest of the way open, but the bitter scent of anger made him hesitate, spine prickling with unease. Were Amos and Alex… fighting? Why on earth would they be fighting during his heat?
“Put that down,” Amos said sternly. “Alex, stop it.”
“There has to be something here we can use,” Alex said in a rush of breath. Items clattered from somewhere in the garage. “Chemicals, parts, anything. We can—we can make a reaction chamber, use the energy to fuel the shuttle. There’s tons of shit in here, surely we can find something that’ll react.”
“Don’t be an idiot,” Amos said. “It’s gonna be a lot harder for you to fly the Roci if you blow your fucking hands off trying to make amateur rocket fuel. Or you’ll blow up the shuttle, and then we’ll be even worse off. Put that shit down, Alex, I swear to god—” The clattering grew louder.
“Holden?” said a woman’s voice, drawing his attention away from the door. The speaker emerged from the living room, her face lined with age and creased with concern. “What are you doing out here, sweetheart? Shouldn’t you be in your nest?”
Right, Holden recalled. That was Theresa. Theresa had thick curly hair and kind eyes that reminded him of Mother Tamara, and this was her house. She was letting them stay here while he was in heat.
Holden glanced from Theresa to the half-open door and whined quietly. Theresa’s eyes softened.
“Waiting for them?” she asked. Holden nodded, staring at the door like a lost puppy. “Don’t worry, I’m sure that alpha of yours will keep him from doing anything stupid. Sit down, honey, you shouldn’t be standing so long.”
Reluctantly, Holden eased down against the wall opposite the door. Heat tugged insistently at his brain, muffling the half-formed worries that stirred at the back of his mind, coaxing him into a sleepy, thoughtless haze. The carpet was thick and soft; he yawned and lay down, curling up on his side. Surely Alex and Amos wouldn’t mind if he napped while he waited.
Theresa reappeared with a pillow from the living room. Holden wasn’t really sure when she’d left. She held out the pillow, and Holden blinked at her sluggishly, trilling his question.
“Take it,” she said. “Lying on the floor like that can’t be comfortable.”
Theresa wasn’t pack. Usually, that would be a bad thing, but she was so kind and motherly, even Holden’s heat-brain had trouble seeing her as a threat. So he lifted his head and allowed her to slide the pillow underneath, giving her a short purr of thanks. Theresa smiled at him and disappeared back into the living room.
He didn’t know how long he spent there, curled up on the floor of the hallway. The minutes passed in a haze, heat tugging at the edges of his consciousness, slipping in and out of sleep. Eventually, a flicker of movement caught his attention, and he pried open drooping eyelids to find Amos and Alex standing near the half-open door, wrapped in an embrace. Alex clung to Amos like a lifeline, fingers tangled in the back of his shirt; Amos murmured something too soft for Holden to hear, Alex nodding jerkily in response. They stayed like that for a while, until Alex pulled back just enough to wipe his eyes, his other arm remaining wrapped around Amos’s shoulders.
“Thanks, partner,” he said and tugged Amos in to kiss him on the cheek. Amos rolled his eyes, but the fondness in his scent gave him away. Then Alex opened the door, and suddenly there was nothing to hide the fact that Holden had been lying on the carpet waiting for them. The widening of Alex’s eyes sent a muted flicker of something that might have been panic through Holden’s chest; the thick fog of heat made it hard to be sure.
“Aw, hell,” Alex said, face pinched in concern and scent dripping guilt. He rushed over to kneel beside him; Holden managed to push himself halfway upright before Alex’s arms closed around him and he went limp instantly, face buried in Alex’s neck. “What’re you doing out here, kiddo? You should be in bed.”
Holden whined. Should he not have come? Alex was already stressed, and seeing Holden seemed to make it worse. Maybe he should have just waited.
“Don’t say it like that, he thinks you’re mad at him,” Amos said.
Alex made a wounded noise and buried his face in Holden’s hair. “Oh, darlin’, I’m sorry. Of course I’m not mad at you, I’m just worried.”
Holden relaxed impossibly further and purred his forgiveness. He heard a rustle of clothing and opened his eyes to find Amos kneeling beside them.
“Hey, Cap,” he said, smoothing back Holden’s hair. “You come looking for us?” Holden nodded into Alex’s shoulder. “Sorry. Meant to be quicker than that. Alex fucked it up, of course.”
“You’re such an asshole,” Alex said. “I don’t know why I put up with you.”
“Yeah, yeah. Hand him over.” Amos nudged Alex aside and scooped Holden into his arms, standing. Holden purred and wrapped his arms around Amos’s shoulders, burying his face in his neck. “That from the nest?”
“No,” Alex said, giving the pillow a cursory sniff. “I think Theresa came by to check on him. God, I owe that woman a lifetime of thanks.”
“You can start by not leaving your omega alone during his heat,” Theresa said, appearing at the threshold of the living room with her arms crossed.
Alex blanched. “Right. Of course. Yes, Ma’am.”
“Yeah, Alex, way to fuck things up for everybody,” Amos teased. Holden grumbled a soft complaint; Amos rubbed his back.
“You’re not off the hook either, mister,” Theresa said, pointing accusingly. Nestled right up against his neck, Holden caught the hint of ‘oh fuck’ that slipped into Amos’s scent and giggled drunkenly. His contentment made Theresa soften, abandoning what would have surely been a scathing scolding to wave them towards the stairs. “Go. Don’t keep him from his nest any longer.”
“Yeah, should probably get back before Naomi comes looking too,” Amos commented.
“Thank you,” Alex said. “Sorry.” Theresa dismissed the apology and shooed them away with a gentle smile.
Holden fell asleep before they even made it to the top of the stairs.