Teru finished styling his hair with gel. He closed the container and double-checked his handy work in the mirror. After Kieran told him he should learn how to do simple things like this himself, Teru had been practicing. It was challenging at first because he didn't like the sticky feeling of the clear goop, but he kept trying until it resembled those models in the fashion magazines.

I guess this is okay.

He reached out for his collar on the counter where he usually placed it after bathing, but his hand found nothing. Oh. There wasn't a collar to wear anymore. It was ash in the fireplace.

And it was liberating.

Would he be okay without it, though? Sure, his hair covered the virtue symbol, but what about the other alphas? Kieran told him his pheromones would notify nearby males he was off the market. Personally, Teru didn't distinguish any change in his scent. Perhaps it was an alpha thing?

Kieran appeared behind him, ready to go. "It looks nice," commenting the hair. He wore his usual formal clothes and a royal blue trench coat with brassy buttons. Teru eyed the coat, preferring it be in his emerald green pheromone color instead.

"What are you wanting?" Kieran asked, feeling his longing. Though they could detect each other's strong emotions, they couldn't read their thoughts.

"N-nothing." Knowing something Kieran wasn't aware about himself gave him a sort of thrill. "Confidential."

Kieran squinted at him, suspicious. "I'll find out, sooner or later."

"Doubt it," the intrepid human asserted and strode past him. He drapped his green beret and heavy coat over his arm. They headed downstairs. Blaise wasn't on the couch or anywhere where they could see him. Teru smelled the air. A trail of vanilla led to the-

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kieran also noted his brother's absence. Seriously, he was the one who practically forced them to go to this useless outing, and now he was missing? He was here somewhere, likely snooping around the penthouse because Kieran never let guests in. The notion of secrets dwelling in Pride's home probably tempted Blaise.

"Get your shoes while I go find-Teru?"

Teru wasn't beside him anymore. His clothes he carried from the bedroom were now on Kieran's feet. An aggressive snarl erupted from the nesting fort under the stairs. This wasn't made by him or Blaise. It was higher-pitched than his own vocal range.

It was from his omega.

Kieran hurried there just in time to see the bold-dressed vampire scamper away from the fort's entrance, roughly landing on his butt to flee from the animal inside.

"Christ!" Blaise shouted in surprise, covering his scratched cheek. They were deep enough to draw blood. If he was human, the scraped-out flesh would require stitches. As a healthy vampire, the wounds were already closing. "He's like a demon!"

Kieran bent down to see. Teru sat in a curled ball toward the back, glaring outrage at the intruder. Slivers of gold glowed in his eyes. He hissed to display lengthened canines. The dominant omega had taken over to guard its domain. His violent emotions translated to, How dare he bombard my space with his offensive scent?

This concerned the alpha. Teru had never been so territorial, including his prior nesting modes. He prayed to the stars that Blaise didn't notice the hint of musk in Teru's livid pheromones, a characteristic reserved solely for dominant genders. As of late, only the duo knew. They weren't ready to reveal such a huge secret.

Kieran faced his meddling sibling, who was complaining on the floor about his ruined highlighter. It was his fault. He should've kicked him out earlier! "What did you do? Why were you in his nest?" he fumed, feeling similarly defensive to protect his mate. Kieran stood over the threat and lashed his claws at their face. The pest who almost touched his omega dodged his strike, nails making holes into the new floor.

Blaise scurried multiple lengths to the door, ready to escape if he had to. "What the hell? Stop! You know I don't fancy him in that way! I'm a power bottom!" he yelled to get Kieran's attention.

It worked, but mainly because he injured his hand when he punched through the floor where Blaise's face was supposed to be. The pain of having three nails rip off helped Kieran shake away the wrath. Teru's sweeter scent was influencing him to behave irrationally without thinking. It was ironic because he recently said how alphas think with their muscles and not their brains. And here Kieran was, doing just that.

Blaise had a reason. "I didn't do anything! I was only in there for a second because I wanted to give this back, but he suddenly struck me!" The blonde vampire pulled out a familiar wolf plush from his purse. Someone had replaced its scratched, plastic eyes with clear crystal. The irises sparkled with crushed purple amethyst quartz. This pricey switch had to have taken some time to do.

"Why do you have this?" Kieran growled, snatching it away with his good hand to avoid getting blood on it. The nails would grow back soon.

"It was my deal with your feisty omega-I do him a favor and he gives me something in return. Since I have no use for it, I thought I'd bedazzle the old thing as my congratulations for being imprinted by you."

"A favor?" What was he talking about?

"That," Blaise pointed to the chain hanging from Kieran's pocket. "Teru asked me to find a mint green pocket watch for you. In exchange, I wanted a sentimental item. I was joking, though. I would've done it for free, but he didn't hesitate to give it to me, so I played along."

Kieran remembered that moment when he was infuriated with Teru, thinking he told Lust the details of their intimacy that were no one else's business but their own. The truth was, he gave up a beloved item from the nest. Their private lives were safe. Why didn't he say so instead of letting Kieran misunderstand?

You didn't give him the chance, his inner alpha scolded.

He was disappointed in himself. "I think I get it now, but don't ever go in his, or any omega's, nest."

"Yeah, yeah, lesson learned. Sober him up. Let's roll out in ten minutes after I fix this," he gestured to his bloody cheek, halfway healed. Blaise had a make-up pouch in his hand. He sauntered with sass to the half-bathroom with only a toilet and sink. When the door shut, a shriek wailed from the inside. "My face!"

Kieran huffed and squatted in front of the nest. He was already exhausted and they haven't left this damn floor yet! With a gentle tone, he called, "Can I come in?"

Teru tilted his head and looked at him with feral eyes that were more gold than before. His nails scraped the floorboards anxiously. "Yeah."

At least he can talk.

The dominant alpha crawled inside to join his mate. They sat together, observing the various stuff ranging from velvet pillows to cashmere sweaters. Most of it was soft and fluffy. Glittering objects were in the corner like the diamond bobby pin, the Rolex, and a jar of coins. Nature books were stacked behind the neatly folded Egyptian cotton sheets and weighted blankets. A stash of bagged snacks was organized meticulously by color in a wicker basket with drinks placed beside it in a line. Was that...an unopened can of beer from his liquor cabinet? Did he even know what beer was? Though Teru most likely took it because of its shiny texture, he'd have to take that away later.

Nevertheless, it was what a nest should look like-a place to feel comfortable and a getaway from stress.

Kieran held out the plush to him, which Teru took eagerly. His eyes shone curiously at the obvious alterations, purring with content. He liked it. Teru scooted to the opposite side and put the small wolf under the pile of other stuffed animals, completely hiding it. The placement confused Kieran, but who was he to tell an omega how to organize their space?

"Can I embrace you?" In a nest, everyone needed permission to do anything. Want to enter? Ask. Want to touch that? Ask. Want to breathe? Ask. Blaise was very foolish to do what he did.

Teru was still for a minute before nodding once for 'yes.' Kieran went to him and took him into his arms. The bear hug helped his nervousness dissipate. Seeing Teru like this made him want to torture Blaise by re-opening those scratches for a month until they were infected with flesh-eating bacteria.

"Are you feeling better?"

Teru looked up to meet his eyes. The gold was almost gone, replaced with regretful tears. "Mhm. Did I hurt him badly? I didn't mean to."

"That idiot is fine. What happened earlier? I understand defending your possessions. In fact, I'm the one who can understand that the most compared to others, but I've never seen you react like this."

"I'm not sure. When I smelled his vanilla pheromones in here, I lost control. I was upset because I didn't want to start over with a new nest if he messed it up. Actually, it sounds really stupid. I should say sorry to him-"

"Don't be," Blaise said from outside the fort and threw something at them. A large plastic baggy of birthday streamers smacked Kieran's face. He must've collected the shiny ribbons as an apology for the incident. "Use those to add color to your nest. You have too much black and dull grey."

Teru grabbed the bag with twinkling eyes. Thank heavens his younger brother wasn't so dense and knew how to fix his blunders, unlike Pride.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Whoa! Look at those!" Teru exclaimed into the chilly air.

They were standing at the end of a long road extending out past the beach. Blaise called it a pier. This was his first time seeing the ocean properly, touching the freezing water in real life, to smell the salty air. Shells jingled in his pocket. The enormous body of water was a fantasy for his pack. They were only able to see it in books. Did his mother know the water was undrinkable? It shocked Teru when he slurped a handful while they walked on the snowy beach, making him gag. Kieran forced him to wash out his mouth at a nearby drinking fountain.

He stepped on a white beam connecting the railing together and leaned forward, observing the crashing waves hitting the cemented beams below. There were fish down there! Lucas would love to visit this place! Can they come here for their next play date?

"That's dangerous," Kieran reprimanded and held the back of his winter coat's collar with a death grip.

"Do you see the fish?"

"Yes, I see the fish."

"Can we take one home?"

"No, we can't take it home."

There was a bright flash. Blaise was using a new smartphone to take pictures every so often.

"Is that necessary?" Kieran asked. He guided Teru away from the guardrail.

"Of course. You'll need physical memories to look back on these precious times." Blaise put the phone away and grabbed the shopping bags resting at his feet.

Although it was Kieran's birthday, everything in them was for Teru. The lust sin became obsessed with the nest, saying he felt the need to flip it, or whatever that meant. For Teru, he had fun browsing through the outside stores. There were no alphas to ruin their day. The employees didn't treat him any differently than the two princes. It was a stark difference compared to his previous shopping experience. If it could be like this every day, he'd want to go out and venture into the city.

But, that was wishful thinking. The omega would be kidnapped within the hour if he were on his own in the streets.

"I'll remember everything," the oldest sin responded with vexation. What were they referring to? Why did Kieran have to remember everything? Teru looked back and forth between them, confused.

"And you'll eventually forget the smaller details. Will you recall his youthful laugh when he saw the fish? Or the way your knuckles turned white as you held on to him so he wouldn't fall overboard?"

"Listen, I don't need them!" Teru sensed pride festering in his alpha, like a destructive plague slowly eating his stability.

Help him, that inner voice whispered again. The humility symbol tingled. Help how?!

Blaise scoffed and rolled his eyes. "You're a stubborn, prideful ass who can't accept someone's kind gesture. You say this now, but you'll thank me one day when he's long gone and nothing but bones while you cry out for him at night. These will help you process the loss."

Besides the ocean waves and seagulls cawing above them, it was silent. He felt Kieran's astonishment that Blaise said those harsh words out loud in front of Teru. So, that's what this argument was about. Those pictures were for Kieran to reminisce on after Teru was dead and six feet underground, dirt teeming with worms squirming to get a taste of his dead flesh. Kieran couldn't join him wherever human souls go after death, and that must be a terrifying thought. Honestly, the only part that upset Teru was imagining Kieran grieving over him in their bedroom. He didn't want him to cry. Has he ever cried? Has Kieran ever thought of what he'd do after his partner's brief life was over? It never crossed the omega's mind of the anguish he'd experience in a few decades.

"Let's go," Kieran announced, completely done with Blaise for going too far. He held Teru's hand and pulled him along the pier to return to the car.

Help him, it spoke a second time. He didn't have a clue what it wanted him to do!

GURGLE.

The hungry noise came from Teru's stomach. The alpha heard it and stopped, thinking of what to do next. His omega needed food.

"I know of a place," Blaise said beside them. "I think he'd enjoy it."

Kieran put his prideful animosity aside. "Is it far?"