#limelight

🩶❤️🤍❤️🩶

Your nightmare had come true.

On all the tabloids and magazines was your face, your name, the details of your relationship. And of course, you’d only found out once you’d finished your commute to work.

Call after call reached your desk all day, reporters asking for more details on your relationship with the Cassian and the Nesta. Each time, you shut them down. Halfway through the day, you stopped answering it altogether.

“Y/N, come in here please,” you boss, Ianthe, called out, causing every head in the office to turn towards your desk. You made your way to her office as quickly as you could, ready for any reprieve from your coworkers’ eyes. Once you were settled into the chair in front of her desk, a grin broke over her face. “So are you really dating Nesta and Cassian? Have they marked you yet? What are they like, in person?” The questions came out rapid fire, leaving you no time to process, let alone answer, each one.

“You called me in here to… talk about my love life?” you asked incredulously. “Isn’t that a bit unprofessional?”

“What is unprofessional, Y/N, is not answering your phone when it could be clients calling. I think you should just go home for the day, if you’re not going to dish,” Ianthe said, admiring her manicure instead of looking at you. “Scoot, scoot. I don’t have all day to deal with you and your drama.”

You rolled your eyes at her and stood, returning to your desk to grab your things. On the elevator ride down to the bottom floor, you checked your phone. Missed calls and several apologetic texts from your alphas, but nothing could have prepared you for the view from the lobby.

Outside were dozens of paparazzi, far too many for you to evade, especially since you had taken the train to work today. You slipped into the bathroom, hoping that no one had noticed you, then dialed Cassian’s number. He didn’t have practice today, and was more likely to be able to pick you up.

“Baby, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean for our relationship to be out like this,” Cassian pled, voice desperate.

“I know, Cass, I just… I’m leaving work now and there’s a crowd outside, waiting for me…”

“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes, baby, just hold on for me. I’ll call you when I’m pulling up.”

“Okay, I’ll see you soon,” you sighed, then hung up. Your eyes went wide when you heard the bathroom door open, and you ducked into a stall and locked it. The less people who know where you are, the better.

“Can you believe that’s the omega they chose? They were a perfect couple, but with her?” one of the women sneered. “I don’t know how they stand it. I bet her scent isn’t even good, she looks like she smells of smoke and fertilizer.”

The other women laughed with her, your heart sinking as you realized they were talking about you.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover, I would guess that her scent is addictive to them, and that’s why they overlook how ugly she is.”

“Or she’s a freak in bed,” a third woman tittered, the other two joining in.

“No matter what, they could do better. I mean, Nesta Archeron alone could have anyone she wanted, but with Cassian Moore? Even a mated omega would leave their alpha for them.”

“Are you speaking for yourself?”

“Of course, I would leave James in a heartbeat if Cassian and Nesta asked me to date them. And I’d gladly beat that bitch to the ground to earn her place,” the first woman boasted.

“Sure you would, Ms. Manicure,” one of her friends teased, and their footsteps led towards the door. “She’d be easy to beat, I’m sure. The ugly ones always are.”

The door shut, leaving you alone in the silence of the bathroom once more.

Were you really that bad looking?

A few minutes later, your phone rang. Cassian. You didn’t bother answering, and merely made your way out of the bathroom and to the entrance, doing your best to keep your head down and face unrecognizable. Maybe they didn’t have your looks memorized yet.

A black sedan pulled up just as you opened the doors, and flashes overtook your vision.

How Cassian and Nesta endured this on a regular basis, you would never understand.

You pushed your way through the crowd of cameras, overwhelmed by the sound of your name being shouted from every direction. The car door swung open just as you reached it, your boyfriend’s face bringing a sense of calm as you dove into the car, slamming the door shut behind you. The noise instantly died down, giving you room to breathe.

“I am so sorry, sweetheart, neither Nesta or I were expecting this to happen,” Cassian apologized, easing the car back into the street.

‘I know, Cass,” you sighed, taking the hand that he offered and nuzzling your cheeks against it. His normally calm winter wind and ember scent was plagued with panic and worry, and not near as soothing as you needed. You pressed a kiss to the back of his hand, a soft smile on your face when his scent cleared slightly. “Is Nessie okay?”

Cass shook his head, a frustrated sigh leaving his lips. “I’m not sure how she’s feeling, she decided to finish up her work before coming home, and asked me to look after you until she’s back. I have a feeling she’s angrier than I am about this.”

You nodded in agreement. Nesta had the fiercest temper of the three of you, though Cassian’s still rivaled hers when provoked. And with the lengths Nesta had gone to, keeping your relationship secret from the world at your request, you knew that she would be furious with whoever had leaked the information. All you hoped was that she could let it go for the night - you had a feeling you’d need to nest and snuggle with your alphas for the entire night while some silly sitcom played in the background.

The car ride went by too slowly once you noticed two cars trailing you, likely desperate paparazzi hoping to get a picture of the two of you together.

Thankfully, Cassian and Nesta’s apartment had a private parking lot, and only residents with key cards could enter or exit the garage. Your nerves were still high when Cassian opened your door and helped you out of the car with his gentle hands.

“Do you want my jacket?” he asked, already shrugging the fabric off and settling it over your shoulders. His scent enveloped you and you took a deep breath, your exhale taking your fear with it. “Better?”

“Yes,” you sighed, omega content now that you’d been calmed by your alpha.

“Let’s get inside, then,” Cass said, leading you to the elevators with an arm around your waist. The trip up usually felt long, but when Cassian tugged you into his side and pressed a kiss to the crown of your head? It went by in a blink.

He corralled you into the apartment, hauling you into his arms the moment the door was shut and locked, and you were safe in the privacy of your home once more. Even if you didn’t technically live here, it still felt like home to you, considering that you nested here, your alphas were here, and you felt safest here.

“What do you think, should we eat something or take one of those fancy bubble baths that you love so much?” Cassian asked, bouncing you in his arms like a baby. You giggled a lightly slapped his arm, though you really had no problem with how he was manhandling you.

“I think a bubble bath,” you whispered, grinning when Cassian took off for the bedroom. He set you on the bed, and immediately set to pulling out a bath bomb, bath salts, and candles, everything that made for a perfect bath.

Once he was in the bathroom, your worries came rushing back. What those women had said, the fact that the picture on all of the front pages was of you naked in bed with Cassian and Nesta, taken when you’d stayed at a hotel a few cities away two nights ago, through the slightly open curtains.

Cassian returned and you forced a smile on your face. No need to burden him with your worries, not when he was being so thoughtful.

The water was delightfully hot when you slipped into it, Cassian following a moment behind. Lavender greeted your senses, the soothing smell making you sleepy in only a few minutes. You laid in Cassian’s hold until the water turned cool, and only then did you pull yourself from the water. Cassian dried you off and dressed you in your fluffy robe that had migrated from your apartment to theirs a few months back.

You padded into the bedroom without him, beelining for the closet that held your nesting fabrics. Inside was an overflowing cornucopia of all that you needed to make a perfect nest to hide from the world with your alphas.

You heard Cassian’s fond chuckle just before his arms wrapped around you from behind, stopping you mid-movement as you were laying out a plush blanket. “Did you want me to run out and get any special food or drinks? I’ll be quick,” he said softly.

“I suppose… you could get me my usual snacks and an energy drink?”

“Right away, sweetheart. I can’t wait to see your nest all finished.” Cassian’s words sent heat to your cheeks, his sweetness always made you feel so special. You gave him a kiss once he was dressed and walked him to the front door, and once it was shut you returned to your nest in an instant.

You took your time building your nest, disappointed when it was finished and Cassian had yet to return. Slipping out of your robe, you put on a soft nightgown and crawled into your nest, turning the tv on to find something to watch.

You were halfway through a romcom when you heard the front door open, two voices sounding in the main room. You almost jumped out of your nest to run and greet them, but you only had to wait ten seconds for Nesta to pass through the bedroom doorway, her eyes instantly on you.

“Oh, love, I’m so sorry,” Nesta said tearfully. “I swear we had no idea this would happen, and I am going to kill that hotel for not keeping their window-washers from swapping out with non-employees. But- how are you? Do you need anything else beyond what Cassian grabbed?”

The smile on your face was bright as you reached out for her. “Only my alphas in my nest.”

Nesta grinned back, then turned to the closet to find something more comfortable to wear. By the time Cassian entered the room with a tray laden with snacks and various drinks, Nesta was already curled against your right side.

“My girls are so pretty,” Cass cooed as he dove into your nest, claiming your left side and pulling Nesta tight against you with one arm. “Snacks, anyone?”

Two movies later and you were feeling calmer than you had since seeing the news, but insecurity still lingered in your chest.

“Do I… Are you guys embarrassed of me?” you asked in a small voice, hiding your head against Nesta’s chest.

“Why would you say that, sweetheart?”

“Well, I- there were these girls, talking in the bathroom at my work…”

“And?” Nesta asked, voice sharp even as a hand ran up and down your arm gently.

“They were talking about how…” you paused, trying to keep from bursting into tears immediately. “How I’m not pretty enough for both of you, and you only like me for my scent.”

“That’s bullshit, Y/N. We love you because you’re you, amazing and perfect and so beautiful,” Cassian gushed.

“And we do love your scent, but it’s because it’s your scent. We love you for you, sweetheart,” Nesta murmured into your ear. "We are your alphas, and you are our omega. Nothing will ever change that, and we are in no way embarrassed of you. In fact, Cassian and I have been looking forward to taking you everywhere with us, once you’re comfortable of course.”

You sniffled, wiping your eyes before raising your head, just in case a stray tear had fallen on your cheeks. “You- you are?”

“Of course, princess,” Cassian said softly. “We’ve wanted nothing more than to show the world who our perfect omega is, but we knew how uncomfortable you were with being in the spotlight.”

“I hadn’t realized…” you trailed off for a moment. “I didn’t know that you wanted to show our relationship that badly. I'm sorry..."

"You don’t need to apologize, Y/N,” Nesta said as she patted your arm reassuringly. “We know just how brutal public attention can be, and we never once felt like our relationship was lacking without being public. You are perfect, and I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Nessie. Gosh, I sound so silly,” you laughed wetly.

“No you don’t, sweetheart. Those women however…” Cassian shook his head, anger leaving with it. “I love you. Don’t you ever forget that.”

“And I love you, Cass. I love both of you so much.”

“Good, because you’re ours,” Nesta giggled, pressing her lips to your neck.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so terrible, being in the limelight, so long as you had Nesta and Cassian by your side, reassuring you.

🩶❤️🤍❤️🩶