The Patron Saint of One Way Trips
Ch 33 - final chapter (I think)
Sorry I’ve been gone for forever. But I’m back and I have a few chapters of several different fics saved in my drafts, so I’m gonna slowly start uploading them one by one! Anyway, here is the long awaiting continuation of Laika’s story. And we left off just as her first proper heat was approaching, and she was being all hormonal and moody with her Alpha’s. Go back and read the old stuff again if you need a reminder, because jeez I definitely did, and I wrote the damn thing.
*Simon’s POV*
Johnny and Kyle had been gone for over an hour.
At first, John and I sat in silence — the kind of silence that tastes like you’ve done something terribly wrong. The kind that clings to your ribs, making every breath tight.
John rubs a hand over his jaw.
“You shouldn’t have snapped at her,” he mutters.
I grit my teeth. “She was about to hurt herself. You saw how she winced.”
“You still shouldn’t have said it like that.”
I know he’s right.
I know he’s right.
My Omega — our Omega — had looked at me like I’d slapped her across the face. Like she expected cruelty from me. Like it was familiar.
Like she didn’t expect softness from an Alpha.
John stands, restless. “They’ve been gone too long.”
I smell it a second before he does.
Her scent.
Thick. Sweet. Warming. Like honey blooming through the hallways. Not distressed — not quite — but charged. Richer than it’s ever been, stronger than anything that should be leaking from an Omega whose heat hasn’t hit yet.
My pulse jumps.
John’s eyes widen slightly. “That’s—”
“I know.”
He doesn’t need to finish the sentence.
She’s changing. Peaking. Something’s triggering her cycle early.
And she’s in a nest with two Alphas who are barely holding themselves together on the best of days.
John curses under his breath. “We wait any longer, she’s going to overwhelm them. Or herself.”
I don’t bother responding — I’m already moving down the hallway.
*Laika’s POV*
I wake slowly — warm, safe, stuffed between the bodies of two Alphas.
Johnny is still curled around my back, arm draped protectively over my waist. Kyle lies in front of me, his forehead touching mine, breath warm against my nose. His thumb strokes lazily along my cheek, even in sleep.
I yawn and shift, stretching a little —
And everything changes.
Heat ripples under my skin. Not painful — but deep, molten, buzzing low in my belly. My pulse stutters. My scent blooms without my permission, thick and syrupy, rolling out in waves.
Johnny wakes with a sharp inhale rocking his hips against me from behind.
Then Kyle.
Kyle’s pupils go almost black instantly.
“Bug…” he whispers, voice tight. “You smell… different.”
“I—I don’t know why,” I breathe, but my thighs press together instinctively as another hot wave rolls through me.
Johnny noses into my neck. Not gently — hungry.
“Oh lass,” he mutters, voice almost a groan, “that’s your scent. Your real scent.” He grumbles, lapping at my throat.
Kyle’s hand grips my hip, slow but possessive.
“You’re peaking. Early. That’s— that’s your heat coming in.”
Heat.
My chest squeezes.
“I-is that bad? I don’t—”
Kyle presses his forehead to mine, breathing shakily.
“Not bad. Not bad at all. Just means we need to be careful. And stay close.”
Johnny hums in agreement, teeth brushing the skin of my shoulder in a way that makes heat bloom behind my ribs.
But then—
Heavy footsteps outside the door.
My entire body tenses.
Kyle freezes.
Johnny growls softly in warning.
The door opens.
*John’s POV*
The scent hits us like a goddamn wall.
Sweet, thick, new.
Her true scent — not hidden by patches, not muddied by fear, not diluted by injury.
My knees nearly buckle.
Simon’s jaw flexes hard enough I swear I hear something crack.
The bedroom door is closed, but her scent pours through the gap beneath it, drugging the air.
“She—” I start.
But Simon is already pushing the door open.
Johnny and Kyle snap their heads up, eyes sharp, bodies coiled protectively around her in the nest.
Laika blinks up at us, pupils wide, cheeks flushed, breathing shallow. Confusion mixes with embarrassment and something else—something instinctive and warm.
I swallow hard.
“Sweetheart,” I say softly, “your scent is… strong.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispers immediately, hiding her face in Kyle’s chest.
Simon steps forward before I can speak.
“Don’t apologise for something that’s natural,” he says, voice low, deep, strangely gentle.
Johnny nuzzles her jaw as if to reassure her.
Kyle holds her a little tighter.
But the air in the room is thick. Heavy with restraint.
If any one of us pushed even an inch too far—
Simon finally tears his eyes away from her and looks at me.
“She’s entering her heat.”
“I didn’t mean to,” she mumbles, voice trembling. “I don’t know what’s happening. I just— I smell weird and everything feels—”
“Aye, we know,” Johnny soothes, kissing her temple.
Kyle clears his throat. “We can manage it. Just need a plan.”
A plan.
My Omega is trembling and sweet and radiating heat in the middle of a nest, and Garrick thinks we need a strategic outline.
Simon growls under his breath — not at her — at the situation. His fists clench once, twice, struggling to hold the Alpha instinct in place.
“Laika,” I say softly, kneeling beside the nest so I’m eye level with her, “you tell us what feels safe. What you need. We follow your lead. No one touches you without your permission. Understand?”
Her eyes flick up, wide and shining.
“You… still want me? Even like this?”
The question guts me.
“Love,” I breathe, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek, “we’ve always wanted you.”
Simon’s voice rumbles behind me, darker but controlled.
“You’re ours long before any heat decides to show up.”
Her breath catches.
My heart does too.
*Simon’s POV*
She smells like she belongs to us.
Not claimed — not yet — but the scent of a forming bond is unmistakable. Sweet and sharp and ripe. The kind of smell that makes an Alpha’s vision blur around the edges.
But she’s hurt. Healing. And terrified of being a burden.
So I kneel.
Her eyes widen — she wasn’t expecting that.
“Omega,” I say quietly, “look at me.”
She does.
“This doesn’t change anything. Except that we need to manage it. Make sure you’re safe. Make sure you’re not overwhelmed.”
Her lower lip trembles.
“Simon… I thought you were angry at me.”
I exhale slowly.
“I wasn’t angry. I was scared.”
“S-scared?”
“That you’d break. That we’d break you.” I look away, jaw clenching. “That’s on me. Not you.”
She reaches out with her good arm, timidly brushing her fingers against mine.
My pulse spikes.
She doesn’t pull away.
“Do you want us here,” I ask, voice low, “or do you want space while this—” I gesture gently to her scent, her flushed cheeks, “—comes in?”
Her eyes soften.
“I don’t want space,” she whispers. “I want… I want my pack.”
The room goes silent.
Then Johnny lets out a shaky breath.
Kyle rakes a hand through his hair like he’s trying not to lose his mind.
John mutters a curse under his breath that sounds mostly like a prayer.
And I—
I feel every wall I’ve built for years crack straight down the center.
*Laika’s POV*
They all look at me like I’m something precious.
My chest aches.
“My shoulder doesn’t hurt anymore,” I whisper. “And I’m not scared. Not with you. I just… everything feels hot. And loud. And I don’t know what to do.”
Kyle cups my cheek.
“That’s normal, love.”
Johnny kisses the back of my hand.
“We’ll get you through it.”
John strokes his thumb over the blanket near my knee, careful not to touch more than I allow.
“You decide how close we get.”
Simon’s gaze drags over me — controlled, reverent, hungry — but when he speaks, it’s soft.
“If you want us to stay, we’ll stay. If you want us touching you, we touch. If you need space, we take space. You say the word.”
My throat tightens.
“I… I want you closer.”
The effect is immediate.
Four Alphas inhale in unison.
Their scents deepen, warm, folded into mine.
Kyle slides into the nest fully.
Johnny shifts closer behind me.
John settles near my legs, giving gentle, grounding warmth.
And Simon —
Simon lowers himself to sit at my side, close enough that our arms brush.
My body shivers with the contact.
But it’s not fear.
It’s something deeper. Older. Instinct pulling at the base of my spine.
I swallow hard.
“My Alphas.”
The growl that rolls through the room makes every hair on my body stand up.
Simon leans in just enough that his breath ghosts over my ear.
“Not yet,” he murmurs. “But soon. When you’re ready.”
Heat flares through me —
Hotter.
Stronger.
I gasp softly, gripping the nest blankets.
Kyle’s eyes darken again.
“John,” he says lowly, “it’s starting.”
John nods. “We’ll manage it. Together.”
Simon’s hand hovers near my thigh — not touching — but close enough to feel like lightning.
“Tell us what you need, Omega.”
My breathing stutters.
I’m not sure. Not exactly.
But I know one thing.
“I… I don’t want to be alone.”
“You won’t be,” John promises immediately.
“You’ll never be alone again,” Kyle adds.
Johnny noses into my hair, humming gently.
“Not a chance, lass.”
Simon’s voice drops to a growl so soft it vibrates through me.
“We’re right here. All of us.”
*Laika’s POV*
The nest feels smaller than it did an hour ago.
maybe it’s just the way the Alphas fill it — bodies warm, scents thick, every breath brushing my skin like sparks.
My pulse thumps loud in my ears.
The heat under my skin keeps rising in steady, rolling waves, curling low in my belly.
I pull the blankets closer, needing them even though I’m already warm.
Simon notices immediately.
“Omega,” he murmurs, “you’re shaking.”
“I-I’m fine,” I lie, though my voice betrays me with a tremor.
Johnny shifts behind me, his arm looping gently around my waist from behind.
“No ye’re not, lass,” he says softly, sounding more tender than usual. “You’re burnin’ up.”
I lean back against his chest without thinking — my body moving before my brain catches up. His scent pours over me, grounding and sharp and familiar.
Kyle notices the way my breath catches and moves closer, tucking himself against my front.
His hand rests on my uninjured shoulder, thumb stroking slowly, soothingly.
“You’re doing so well,” he whispers, forehead pressing against mine. “Just breathe, love.”
I do.
But breathing only makes their scents stronger.
And that makes my whole body pulse.
John sits near my legs, giving me room but staying close enough that I can feel the gentle hum of his presence. He’s the calmest of them — but even he looks strained, jaw clenched tight as my scent wraps around him like a warm blanket.
“This is normal,” he reminds me, voice low. “Heat doesn’t always hit all at once. Sometimes it builds. Slow. Insistent.”
Insistent.
That’s exactly what it feels like.
I curl closer to Kyle without meaning to, tucking my face into the warm skin of his throat. His scent fills my lungs and something inside me aches.
A soft, involuntary sound slips out of me — a needy little whimper I can’t swallow down.
The entire nest reacts.
Johnny’s breath stutters behind me.
John goes perfectly still.
And Simon—
Simon leans in, slow, deliberate, like a predator giving prey a chance to run.
“Omega,” he says, voice deep enough to shake my bones, “don’t make sounds like that unless you know what they do to us.”
I freeze, embarrassed, swallowing hard.
“S-sorry,” I whisper, trying to hide my face.
But Kyle won’t let me.
He gently cups my cheek and guides me to look at him. His eyes are dark, pupils blown, but his touch is maddeningly soft.
“Hey,” he murmurs, brushing his thumb under my eye. “Don’t apologize. Not for something natural.”
Johnny hums his agreement, lowering his forehead to the back of my shoulder, scenting lightly.
“Not for somethin’ beautiful, either,” he adds quietly.
John clears his throat, voice careful, measured.
“Just tell us what you need, alright? Heat can feel overwhelming. You’re allowed to ask for comfort.”
Comfort.
The word settles somewhere deep in my chest.
“I… I want you closer,” I admit, voice barely above a whisper.
Simon inhales sharply through his nose — the only sign he’s affected.
“Closer how?” he asks, gentle but firm. “Use your words.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, cheeks burning.
“I just… I want you all near me. Touching me. Not— not like—”
The heat rolls again, thick, clinging, making my breath shake.
“Just… don’t go.”
Kyle’s expression softens instantly.
“We’re not going anywhere, bug.”
He shifts, sliding fully into the nest beside me, molding his body to mine. His arm wraps around my waist, thumb rubbing soothing circles into my hip. His scent floods the space around us — sweet, warm, protective.
Johnny follows, curling his body along my back again, one leg tucking around mine.
His nose buries in my hair as he murmurs soft praise.
“Good lass… we’ve got ye… breathe…”
John moves next, settling near my feet but leaning in enough that his hands rest gently over my ankles, anchoring me.
Simon moves last.
He slides into the nest with a slow, deliberate grace that makes the air shift. He sits beside me, close enough that his thigh presses gently against mine. His presence is heavy, grounding, an anchor in a storm.
His hand hovers near my knee.
“May I?” he asks.
I nod, stomach flipping.
He rests his hand there — warm, broad, steady.
The touch is chaste… but it feels like a spark igniting along my skin.
I exhale shakily, tension melting from my shoulders.
“There she goes,” Kyle murmurs into my hair, voice warm and proud. “Good. Just relax, love.”
My fingers curl into his shirt.
“You’re doing perfect,” Johnny adds, brushing a kiss to the crown of my head.
I feel safe.
Held.
Wanted.
Surrounded by warmth and scent and soft touches.
My heat pulses again, stronger this time, and my breath hitches.
Simon feels the shift and leans closer, his voice a low rumble against my ear.
“Let it come,” he murmurs. “We’re here.”
I think, for the first time in my life, I believe him.
Simon watches me like he’s memorising the way my breath stutters.
His hand stays on my knee, heavy, grounding… and pulsing with restrained tension.
Another wave hits and I can’t hold in the sound that slips out — a soft, needy whine.
The growl that answers it is unanimous.
Heat curls under my ribs.
“Omega,” Simon warns softly, “you’re tempting us.”
“I—I’m not trying to,” I whisper, though my body leans toward his hand instinctively.
Kyle tilts my chin up toward him.
“Love… heat makes you honest. That’s all.”
“Just means you trust us,” Johnny murmurs, breath warm on my ear. “Means your body knows who your pack is.”
John hums low in his chest, fingers brushing my ankle.
“If it’s too much, say the word.”
But it isn’t too much.
It’s overwhelming, yes — but wrapped in safety. Wrapped in them.
The tension thickens like honey.
Kyle pulls me tighter against him, fitting me perfectly against his chest.
Johnny presses closer from behind, his arm curling securely around my waist.
John’s hands move up my legs, slow, steady, worshipful.
Simon finally slides his hand from my knee up to my hip.
A simple touch.
But it feels like the world stops.
“Good girl,” he murmurs, voice so deep it vibrates through my bones. “Asking for what you want.”
My whole body shivers.
Heat pulses again — deeper, stronger — and my fingers clutch at Kyle’s shirt without meaning to.
Kyle’s breath catches.
Johnny lets out a strangled sound.
John presses a steady, grounding kiss to my ankle.
Simon’s grip on my hip tightens just slightly.
“Easy,” he murmurs. “We’ve got you.”
Everything inside me feels soft and bright and wanting.
Not desperate — not yet — but close. So close.
My head falls against Kyle’s shoulder.
“I think… I think it’s really starting…”
Kyle kisses my forehead.
“We know, bug.”
Johnny presses his forehead to the back of my neck, voice shaking with restraint.
“Aye, lass. We’re right here.”
John’s hand cups my calf, soothing, steady.
“You’re safe.”
Simon leans in, lips brushing my ear.
Another wave slams through me, and I whimper—
Everything dissolves into heat and scent and instinct—
Their hands—
Their voices—
The nest—
My pack—
And then—
warmth and breath and touch. Everything passes in a blur of pleasure, words of affection and possessiveness.
*Timeskip to a few hours later*
*John’s POV*
The nest is quiet.
Soft breathing, the rustle of blankets, the warmth of four bodies curled protectively around one small Omega.
Laika sleeps tucked between Kyle and Simon, her face relaxed, her scent soft and sweet — settled, sated, safe.
Kyle has one arm draped over her waist, fingers still resting against her hip like he’s afraid she’ll vanish if he lets go. Johnny is splayed over behind Kyle snoring loudly.
Simon is curled at her back, nose buried in her hair, still knotted with our Omega.
Simon hasn’t slept.
He moves slightly , broad body curved around her protectively, one hand gently combing through her hair. The tenderness in the gesture hits me harder than anything else.
“You alright?” I murmur quietly.
He doesn’t look up.
“She asked for us,” he says softly. “She wanted us close.”
“She did.”
“She trusted us.” His jaw ticks. “Even with the heat hitting her that hard.”
“That wasn’t an accident,” I say. “Her instincts know we’re her pack.”
Simon finally exhales, some tension leaving his shoulders.
“She didn’t break,” he says quietly. “I didn’t break her.”
“You never would,” I tell him.
He finally meets my eyes — and there it is.
Something raw, something fierce, something entirely devoted.
I’ve only seen Simon Riley look like this once before.
This is love. Vulnerability.
“She’s ours,” he says softly. Not a claim. Not a demand. A realisation.
My chest loosens.
“She knows,” I say.
He looks down at her again, brushing a stray strand of hair from her forehead.
Laika shifts in her sleep, instinctively burrowing deeper towards Simon, tussling his Knot slightly causing him to growl softly.
Simon goes completely still — and then melts. Actually melts.
He bends down and presses a slow, reverent kiss to the crown of her head.
“Good girl,” he whispers, barely audible.
My heart twists.
We’ve all been through hell these past weeks — but this?
This is something holy.
*Laika’s POV*
I wake slowly.
Warm. Safe. Wrapped in the scents of my Alphas.
My body feels heavy, relaxed, the way it does after a long bath or a deep sleep — except warmer. Softer.
Something strong and steady is pressed against my back.
Simon. I can feel his knot, stuck deep in my guts.
His arm tight around me, breath warm on my neck.
Kyle is in front of me, his face tucked into my hair, his hand splayed over my stomach.
Simon’s chest is against me, solid and protective, his fingers absently stroking my hip.
John sits nearby, watching quietly, his eyes soft.
I swallow, voice small.
“Did I… was everything okay?”
John looks at me instantly.
Simon pulls me closer.
“You were perfect.”
Johnny hums in his sleep.
Then Simon speaks, voice low and steady.
“You were… incredible.”
My cheeks heat.
“I feel… different,” I whisper. “Better. Not scared anymore.”
Simon brushes his fingers through my hair again.
“You’re part of our pack now. Forever. We are never letting you go.”
“I feel like I belong…”
“You do,” he says. No growl, no command—just truth.
“You always did. Took you long enough to realise.”
A laugh shakes out of me—small, surprised, but real.
The pack shifts around me, forming a warm tangle of limbs and breath and hearts beating close enough to touch.
Johnny nuzzles into my shoulder.
“’Bout damn time, Bonnie.”
And as their arms encircle me, holding me safe in a nest that feels more like a heartbeat than a bed, I know one thing with absolute certainty:
This is where my story ends.
And where my life begins.
