Chapter 7
The sultry tendrils of slumber released Prim from their grasp, depositing her into the heart of a cavernous, musty chamber. Crates, barrels, and flickering candles dotted the walls as dancing light cast sinuous shadows across the ceiling. The warm glow of the braziers did little to temper the cold that seeped up from the flagstone floor, chilling her through the soft blankets she rested on. The air was heavy with the scent of spent firecrackers and the tangy aroma of citrus that intermingled with woody undertones.
A peculiar damp heat clung to her thighs while her body throbbed with an unfulfilled ache. Prim's body felt heavy, moving with a languid slowness that seemed to defy gravity. Every inch of her skin tingled with an almost uncomfortable sensitivity.
The echo of voices pierced the fog shrouding her mind. As she awakened to her surroundings, Prim realized she rested in a sanctuary born of her own hands. Her beloved pillows and blankets from home settled around her in a familiar and comforting pattern- out of place in the stark and dusty chamber.
Prim furrowed her brow as she examined the nesting material. Confusion clouded her thoughts as she tried to piece together the origin of these items. Her Papa had sent them to Hogwarts, but they should be in her dormitory, not set up here... Was this her dorm?
No, it couldn’t be…
Prim clearly scented the materials, but what both surprised and delighted her was the discovery that many of her favorite cushions bore the unmistakable scent of oranges.
Her glands were itchy and swollen as she pondered the vigor with which she must have marked her possessions. When she looked at her wrists, the normally imperceptible spots were now raised and swollen red…Odd.
The muffled sound of Anne and Ominis's bickering reached Prim's ears, drawing her attention away from her snug nest. Confusion clouded her senses as she slowly rolled onto her side, her eyes barely able to focus on the figures engaged in a heated discussion on the far side of the room. Their furrowed brows and intense focus revealed their absorption in the very book her father had gifted her.
“I ken she’s in heat, I’m certain of it.”Anne exclaimed, her finger emphatically tapping on the open page of the book resting in Ominis's large hands. “I’ve seen the lassie nestin’ and that was no’ like normal. She was nigh frantic, and hissed at me like some stray cat when I tried to get her attention! Usually, she has her Da and me help and scent everything…She’s never no’ welcomed me...I’ve no’ seen her like this.”
Ominis couldn't help but smirk, his amusement evident in his foggy blue eyes. "Ah, yes. It was quite entertaining to witness."
"“Haud your wheesht, I’m still fashin’ that she let you, a bloody stranger, into her wee nest over me!" Anne's voice dripped with irritation. "I’m her best pal, no you! So, stop that smirkin’ or I’ll batter you, damn tadger!... But enough of that, I dinnae ken we should keep her here..."
Ominis interrupted her, his voice filled with concern."Indeed. We simply cannot afford other Alphas catching even the faintest wiff of her or we risk the discovery of the undercroft and Primrose's saftey. Her pheromones are intensifying with every passing moment…Something must be done, immediatly."
“I ken where we could-”
“It’s not an issue of location, Anne.” Ominis scoffed, “It’s of how we will get her there without fighting every randy bastard that catches a whiff of her on the way- her pheromones are changing and they are damn potent.”
Prim sat up in her nest, her body tingling with a mix of curiosity and confusion. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes. The restrictive feel of her clothes against her sensitive skin bothered her, and she couldn't help but yawn, her voice thick as she spoke. "What's... I mean, where...?"
“Join the club, Lassie…” At Anne’s words Prim pulled to her knees in an attempt to stand.
“Wait, wait, wait! Dinnae come close Prim! I dinnae mean for you to move!”Anne's eyes widened as she realized Prim had misunderstood.
"Oh! Uh, okay, I understand!"Prim slowed and Anne sighed smiling- until she noticed Ominis turning away, book in hand.
She snatched the book from Ominis's grasp, scolding him. "Give it here! You cannae even read it without your wand, and you no’ have it out, man! Go scent more of Prim’s pillows if you're restless, but leave me be!” Anne growled, backing away from Ominis who clutched an embroidered handkerchief to his face, his cheeks flushed and glistening with sweat.
Prim couldn't resist her curiosity, reaching for the pillow that carried the scent of oranges. "You scented my pillows?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow.
“Och, we both did but you threw the things I scented out of your wee nest so I stopped…”Anne replied, eyeing the corner where a pile of discarded fabric lay, “Cheeky omega.” She huffed, crossing her arms with pursed lips.
“S-sorry, Anne. I didn’t mean it-”
“You most certainly did mean it...” Ominis snorted a laugh beneath the handkerchief, "If all the hissing was any indication..."
“It’s no’ your fault, Lassie-" Anne's voice faded out as Prim's focus shifted, her attention now on the scented pillow in her grasp. With a huff of delight, she pressed it against her face, reveling in the heavenly aroma. She rolled onto her side, nestling into the pillow, her voice muffled as she spoke to Anne. "Anne, I feel... strange. What's happened? I don't remember..."
“Ominis brought you here…Well, dragged you… He was fit to be tied and nearly fought me for trying to help, the rut-brained fool...Had to spell his hanky to get some sense about him... You’ve got the fever, Prim, and I’m no expert, but we ken what’s goin’ on thanks to your Da’s book."
Ominis interjected, his voice dripping with acerbic amusement, "The moment you stepped out of the lift, you began nesting. I’ve never witnessed someone in such a state... You didn't stop until I 'magnanimously' conveyed my approval of your labors…Not that I could actually see said labors, mind you." His posture and scent conveyed a certain pride that had Prim feeling giddy. "It was quite entertaining, but I must say, I'm rather relieved to find you returned to your senses...For the most part."
“Donnae get comfortable, that sense willnae last long. It’s a lull. Say’s so in the book,” Anne cracked the book open, thumbing through pages to point at a line. “See here…This is nothing, just the start, She’s no’ even in the throws of heat yet…Och, wait! Forgot you’re blind, man!…”
Despite the peculiar circumstances, Prim laughed, "Thank you, Ominis. But, why are you two all the way across the room? Did- did I do something?"
Some Omegas detested anyone outside of their mate and pups near their nest, but not her. Prim enjoyed welcoming those she trusted into her sacred space. She was ridiculously proud of her textile collection.
"Nae, lassie," Anne uttered, her voice stern yet gentle.
"Your aroma makes rational thought a formidable challenge," Ominis confessed, breathing deeply through his kerchief.
"What's there to worry about?" Prim beckoned, dropping into the center of her nest to pat the plush blanket beside her. A tender smile graced her lips. "Would the two of you like to join me in my nest? It’s super comfortable and you are both more than welcome." Her mind drifted back to the soft laughter of Anne and Papa joining her over the summer. They enjoyed lovely picnic-style meals in her nest at Cromwell house...
“How terribly forward of you, Primrose.” Ominis's eyes widened, the kerchief slipping from his grip as his posture straightened. He took two generous strides towards Prim before Anne pulled him back by the arm with a scowl.
"Hanky!" Anne huffed, face scrunching.
“A lovely idea, save for Anne joining us…” His words slurred as he rumbled his approval, straining against Anne's firm grasp.
The sound poured over Prim like warm water on a chilly day.
"She kens naught what she asks... Hold fast to reason, man."
"Your rut has not been triggered, Anne! I normally have time to prepare, but now-" He swiped a wrist over his damp brow, his face hardened. His shout still echoed through the vast chamber.
"Can you no' use the damn hanky, man?" Anne growled, bearing her teeth.
A purr vibrated Prim's throat at her attempt to calm the two agitated Alpha's from a distance. The last thing she wanted was a fight right outside her nest.
With a trembling breath, Ominis returned the hankercheif to his face and composed himself, his voice softening as he turned to Prim with a smirk. “Offering to accommodate no less than two Alpha’s in her nest- on the cusp of her first heat. How audacious...Are you quite certain you're not a Gryffindor?”
Audacious? What on earth was Ominis talking about?
“I don’t think we’ve gone over the 'heat' bit…and, why don’t I remember making my nest?”
“Dinna fash yourself over the wee questions, lassie. Let us handle one problem at a time…”
“You set to it like a woman possessed.... I've never witnessed a nest being fashioned...It was quite fascinating."
"Enough with the nest, you no need to hint for an invatation when the lassies already invited us!" Anne looked fit to fight, Prim had never seen her friend so quick to anger. Prim swallowed a hiss, immediatly feeling guilty for wanting Anne as far from her nest as possible. "How'd she come to be in such a state in the first place, Ominis? The book said a first heat needs physical contact…sexual contact, Ominis! Couldnae have triggered otherwise- she'd only just departed the great hall!"
"We shall discuss the matter anon, Anne."
"Anne?" Prim inquired, grappling with the unexpected onslaught of throbbing cramps and prickling heat. "Ominis?" Her hand trembled as it flew to her forehead, an ominous sensation bearing down upon her. "I might be ill," she murmured, her voice breaking. "I feel...hot…strange…and kinda dizzy... I need...something, but I- I don't know-"
Anne frowned, her face creasing with the force of it. Ominis's fair complexion flushed a deeper shade, his breathing labored as he observed Prim's disconcerting state.
"Might I…assist you, Primrose?" Ominis advanced, ripping his arm from Anne's grasp. His tongue darted out to moisten his lips and Prim's gaze fixed on his mouth as her thoughts clouded with heat.
"Please…Please do...Alpha-" His designation fell from her mouth unbidden. "Need you, please..." She shifted to her hands and knees, keening needily.
"Damn you, Ominis, wait!" Anne Cried, “The hanky, you arsehole, put it back to your nose!"
Ignoring Anne, his long legs ate the distance between Prim. Her sweet scent heated the air, her body prepared- for what, she did not know- but she was eager to find out.
"She's innocent, a virgin, and your no' even courting the lass! Are you truly going to take her virtue on the floor like a heathen? Think, man! She's no' chosen, or even on the potion, you want to get her with bairn on her first day of school?"
His progress halted at Anne's shouting, as though restrained by an unseen force. He shook his head, jaw clenched and grimacing, before retreating to Anne's side, face downcast in shame as he replaced the hankercheif once more.
"Forgive me, I..." His words tapered off into silence.
Disappointment pierced Prim's heart, a soft whimper threatening to break free.
"Prim, d'ye ken o' Omega heat?" Anne's piercing gaze locked onto Prim's, her Scottish brogue thickening with concern and it took Prim a moment for her muddled mind to translate.
Prim shook her head, helpless. "Ma was ill often...I was sent to stay with neighbors so Papa could tend to her in peace. I don't know much about…well, I kinda have a vague idea of what goes on between, I mean...ive seen animals do...Uh...." A blush crept over her face as she fumbled over her reply to Anne's candid inquiry. "I haven't had a chance to read the book..." She ended, trying hard and failing not to blush.
Anne rifled through the book she'd snatched from Ominis, her finger tracing the lines, stilling when she found the right passage.
"Listen here," she said before reading aloud that an Omega's first heat—once initiated—could take anywhere from a day to three days before isolation became necessary, either alone or with a partner. "We should get you to Nurse Blainey," Anne declared, closing the book, "But you cannae leave the undercroft without precautions bein' taken..."
“What…Precautions?”
The air around her shimmered with tension as she admitted, "You're like a sister, Prim, but the urge to claim you is nearly irresistible with these pheromones muddlin' my mind and I'm no' even in rut. I dinnae ken how Ominis has restrained himself so—"
"Said restraint is wearing thin; we'd best move this along," Ominis barked, his posh English accent barely masking his frustration. He flicked a hand in the air in a gesture to hurry. "Immediately."
"Please just tell me what needs to be done, Anne—"
"These, well—ahem…" Anne cleared her throat, flipping the book open again and thumbing through the pages, a hint of panic coloring her freckled face. "You'll need to be scented by an Alpha…and—"
"Please..." Prim frowned, falling to her stomach in the center of the nest. Her core pulsed in time with her heart. She pressed her thighs together, gasping at the new sensations it elicited. Only a sliver of sanity kept her from curling up and writhing about. "S-Something is happening, Anne. I- I need..." She whimpered, Omins flinched at the sound.
"Och, no!" Anne said, glancing at him for support. "Prim, listen, we must explain first, try to focus!"
Ominis scoffed, yanking the book from Anne's hand with surprising precision, and tossed it behind him.
The book flipped into the air and smacked against the far wall with a heavy thud.
"My control is hanging from a thread, every moment I spend standing here is agony!" He growled through gritted teeth, "Her scent overpowers the filtering charm on my handkerchief. Do what you must Anne, but for the love of Salazar, hurry the bloody hell up!"
Prim's eyes widened, the severity of the situation piercing the haze. "I-I'm sorry," she stuttered. "I-"
"It's nae your fault, Prim. But we need to be careful; this is a—well, it's just a lull in your heat. Soon, you'll be fashin' for a knot—"
"I said to huŕry, not to scandalize the lady!"
"Dinnae fash, the wee lassie will be beggin to be scandalized soon enough- Ehem, I mean, nae yourself…You willnae be actin' yourself…Better, M'Laird?..."
Ominis scoffed, shaking his head wit a sigh.
Prim panted, ignoring Anne's words as warmth dripped down her thighs, slick and wet- pooling about her waist.
Och, look's like 'soon' is no'." Anne scrunched her nose, Eyes watering.
Horror was a distant flicker in her mind at the possibility she might have soiled herself but the thought was quickly overshadowed.
Alpha would enjoy the wetness.
She made it for him.
"Oh, bloody hell, we don't have time for this." Ominis's jaw was set in a hard line as he explained the process, his words clipped and precise. "We, one of us, will need to rub our scent- no- our essence on you…”
“Essence?”
“Our…Seed.” His face twisted in a cringe as the word fell from his lips. His reddened cheeks deepened to an alarming hue.
Prim stared between the two, brows drawn together…How would rubbing seeds on her help?
“You two keep seeds on you?”
Ominis’s eyes widened before he pinched his brow, shoulders drooping in defeat as his handkerchief fell to his side. “Damn it all.” He muttered.
“Och, lassie!” Anne cackled, snorting into her hands as she bent over with the force of her laughter. The sound bounced around the room, making prim Wince with the volume of it. “I can’t, I just can’t. This is- this is the worst case scenario, and- ahahaha! It’s all just so ridiculous!”
“Enough, Anne!” Ominis barked.
Anne stifled her laughter with her hands, eyes watering with effort as her shoulders shook.
Prim couldn’t quite bring herself to smile, though she liked the lighter mood. “Though the situation is troubling there is no shame in innocence.” He turned back to Prim and she leaned forward, softly chirping under his attention. “We don’t have time to explain intimacy to you, Prim. We intend to simulate a mating bond without permanent ties. One of us will bring ourselves to climax and you will need to...ehem...to take the product of our endeavors onto yourself. It will protect you... from other Alphas and... delay your heat long enough to reach the nurse and...somewhere safe."
She hadn’t caught much of his words, lost in the timber and cadence of his voice, and what she did catch made absolutely no sense- but one thing was clear...
"My scent...is a problem?" Prim asked, her voice small as tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. Ominis huffed into his handkerchief. "Alpha...Doesn't like my...Ugh...A mess...My nest is all wet..." She cried, keening in a puddle of her own slick. "Don't look...m' embarrassed..."
"S'okay, lassie." Anne shrugged, her grimace evident. "There's no shame. We're feelin' it too," she said, accent thickening as she pointed at her skirt. "Some more than others..." She threw Ominis a glance.
Prim's gaze trailed along the path of Anne's pointing finger, and she smothered a gasp at the prominent bulge straining against the fabric of Ominis's trousers.
She licked her lips, the shock she should be feeling drowned out by pleasure. Sebastian shown her what such a bulge meant. Her Alpha wanted her.
"It'll be terribly inappropriate and probably awkward, but it's necessary…Ominis, could you?"
“It’s…Well, how shall I…uhm? It's more involved than mearly...the seed must go inside... ” Ominis cleared his throat, scratching the swollen gland on his neck, “Anne?”
“Dinnae be lookin’ to me now.”
“It’s...Intimate, to say the least…I-I can't focus.”
"Ominis, the hankercheif...." At her prompting Ominis pulled the handkerchief to his nose, taking a deep breath. His shoulders relaxed significantly, his expression no longer as dazed. "Donnae worry, Prim. You'll want it..."Anne nodded, her cheeks turning pink. “Soon you’ll be beggin’ for it, so I dinnae ken an explanation is—”
"We need to do this now, Primrose. Before your heat gets any worse. Before I am unable to walk away...Anne is not as affected as I. She will keep herself in check while...tending to you." Ominis took a step forward, his scent thickened as he spoke. “I shall not promise such restrain. You may very well find yourself relieved of your virtue if you choose me, but I will try my damndest to exercise control...You must pick one of us for this task, quickly now!”
“Whoever isn’t picked will be brewin’ a quick batch of contraceptive potion, aye?” Anne muttered to Ominis and he gave a sharp nod in assent.
Prim hesitated, her heart racing as she tried to process the situation through labored breaths. Tension plucked at her lower stomach, twisting into a sharp cramp. She cried out, shoving a hand between her thighs to rub the pain away, shameless and uncaring of the two alpha's before her.
“Can’t you both stay? I’m sorry, It’s hard to listen, I-” She glanced between Anne and Ominis, feeling the weight of their attention. "I trust...you both," she finally said, her voice shaking. "Please...Hurts..." She sank deeper into her nest, rolling onto her back in a decidedly undignified position.
She felt her clothing tight against her skin and it chafed. Godforsaken corset and bustle!
Desperatly, she ripped off her new robe and carelessly tossed it toward the pile of pine scented bedding. It fluttered onto the pile as her fingers fumbled with the tiny row of buttons on her chest.
“Prim, focus! We cannae! Alpha’s donnae share their Omega, no’ during…Whoever scent’s you, their instincts will no’ allow them to stand by while another takes your heat. You may only choose once!”
Ominis neared, scowling as he closed the distance. "We must do this now, Primrose. Before your heat worsens. I can't—I just can't..."
“Prim, I- I adore you as a friend but I dinnae think I can do…” Her brown eyes darted around the room, flitting over Prim’s nest with mounting panic. With a breath her freckled face hardened with resolve, “I will carry you through this if you ask it of me.”
“Anne, if you are not up to the task you musn’t offer yourself as a choice-”
"Should we no’ wait for Sebastian?" Anne asked, a face paling as horror colored her features. Pim's scent spiked and she stumbled backwards, distancing from Prim as if she might escape the potential responsibility of handling her heat. Ominis growled, yanking his wand from his pocket.
“I ken the rut is ridin’ you,” With a puzzled expression, Anne lifted a hand toward Ominis, speaking calmly. "Ominis, let's no’ be hasty. Sebastian fancies her as well...."
“He wouldn’t dare set foot down here, not after—”
Anne observed the shift in his demeanor and the intensity of his reaction alarmed her. She stepped towards Prim, scrutinizing her closely. Her keen eyes settled on the burgeoning bruise marring Prim’s swollen mating gland.
A growl rumbled in Anne's chest as realization struck.
"What did Sebastian do?" she demanded, anger simmering in her voice
Ominis's eyes blazed with animosity at the mention of Sebastian's name. "I will not permit him anywhere near her. That is all I am willing to divulge for now."
Shock registered in Anne's widened eyes before they narrowed, her visage contorting with rage. She bared her teeth and growled, pivoting on her toes as she yanked her wand from her vest. Stomping toward the lift, the aroma of smoldering pine trees trailed in her wake.
“Anne?”
“Ominis, see to Prim’s needs... I’ll deal with Sebastian.”
“Sebastian can wait, this situation is much more import-”
“Nae, it cannae wait!” Her scent spiked with fury, guilt, and…Relief? She stormed toward the elevator, casting a guilty, tear-filled glance to Prim over her shoulder.
With Anne's tacit consent and Prim's choices narrowed down to one, Ominis approached. His lingering anger over the conversation was palpable. Prim trembled with anticipation as the elevator whisked Anne away...