I Got Issues

Chapter 6 - cheer-up cuddles

No one was particularly happy this week. Mitch was upset with Kevin for overwhelming Kirstin, and Kevin was upset Mitch thought it was his job to take care of the Omega when Kevin was the lead Alpha. That left Scott to try to keep the peace. 

Avi was having his own frustrations that week. Handling his moods seemed a bit more difficult than usual, and he hadn't been able to get a hold of his sister. Talking with Esther almost always helped him cope a bit better, but she'd been so busy, and he could only use the house phone when the others weren't in the kitchen. Kirstie probably wouldn't bother him, she was pretty quiet most of the time, but the others would want to know who he was talking to. 

However, with Scott and Mitch both in their rooms and Kevin on a run, he decided this was his chance. Kevin had left really suddenly and seemingly angry, do this was the best window of time he had. Usually the Alpha would work out in the early mornings before anyone else was up, and he didn't want an Alpha bugging him over talking to his sister. 

He went to the living room, picking up the home phone, and dialed the number. Three different times. How was Esther so busy all the time? He just wanted to talk to his older sister, but this was starting to piss him off. He was already angry, trying to calm down when he walked into the kitchen and froze.

The pack's Omega was there, hunched over the table with her head in her hands. Her body was shaking slightly and he could hear her sniffling softly. She was crying, and now he had to deal with it. 

The bearded beta was never good with Omega's. They were often sensitive like this, which was a bad quality to have around him for his own obvious reasons. Still, he had a moral compass, and couldn't leave her shaking the way she was. 

"Kirstin?" He asked, his voice soft, but it made the Omega practically jump a mile. She was so overwhelmed. Kevin had gotten upset and screamed in her face that morning, which accompanied by all the other loud and bright aspects of the house put her on edge. Apparently he'd decided that the last time when he'd sent her into a frenzy was just a one-time thing, because she, in his words, "Wasn't used to being disciplined."

"Sorry." He spoke, trying to keep his voice as soft as possible for her. He carefully slid into the seat next to her, setting a gentle hand on the girl's back. "Are you okay?".he asked. She clearly wasn't, but he had no idea what else to say. She just shook her head. She didn't feel okay. 

"Kirst, what's wrong?" He asked her, frowning at the Omega. He didn't understand what had made her so upset. She seemed just fine that morning. 

"Alpha's mad." She spoke, her voice breaking a few times as she tried to speak through her tears. The beta let out a low growl at that, but stopped himself when he noticed it only made the Omega shift further away. 

"What did he do this time, Hun?" Avi asked her, his voice quiet, and Kirstin pouted. 

"Yelled." She whispered. She hated yelling. 

"Aw, it's okay, Kirst." He frowned. He was panicking slightly, how did he get her to calm down? Did he hug her, or would that scare her? Should he go get Mitch, she liked Mitch, right? His mind was running wild, but he had to take a deep breath to focus back on the Omega. She was still shaking, clearly upset, and he really wanted to help her.

"Okay, Why don't you come to the couch? I'll put on a movie and get you some blankets to cuddle with." The beta asked her. She was a very cuddly person, it making her a sweet Omega, but she didn't like to cuddle with people much unless she trusted them a lot. So far, that was only Mitch, though she had fallen asleep with Scott once or twice before. She'd only even let Avi sit next to her if she was far too drained to care. 

"Alpha said to stay." She told him. "Time out until he gets back." 

Avi checked his watch, shaking his head. Kevin had already been gone for thirty minutes, it would be at least another thirty. That seemed like way too long. 

"Well I'm saying yes. He can be mad at me." Avi assured her, and she decided to listen. He set her up on the couch with a movie and wrapped up under a blanket, but before he could leave she let out a small whine. 

"Stay?" She asked, feeling stupid. She didn't want to be alone when the lead Alpha got home.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure." Avi nodded, sitting next to her. The Omega was so drained, she just wanted a cuddle. Without really noticing what she was doing, she was practically laying on top of him, finally beginning to calm down again.

"You feeling better, Kit?" He questioned.

"Mhm." She hummed, her entire body relaxing, making him realize just how stiff she was all the time around them. 

"Why'd Kevin get mad at you, Hun?" He asked, as she was being more talkitve with him than usual, and he wanted to use it while he could. The bearded beta never called Kevin by his title when he wasn't around, he hadn't earned it. If the man didn't stop treating the Omega the way he was, he wouldn't be calling him Alpha in his presence either.

"Did the d-dishes wrong." She mumbled, making Avi curse quietly under his breath. Why was he screaming at her for something so small? Surely Alpha school didn't teach that, did they? Everyone else in the house could see that Kirstin was a bit more fragile than most Omega's, so why couldn't Kevin?

"I'm sorry, that's not fun." He frowned, chuckling when he looked down at her. He hadn't noticed it, but Kirstin had curled up against him, making herself seem even tinier than usual, and fallen asleep.  The beta sighed, deciding he was stuck now. She clearly needed the nap, and he didn't want to wake her. He just listened to her soft snores, leaning back into the couch to think. At some point, he closed his eyes as well, somehow falling asleep amid his thoughts. 

It wasn't his natural alarm clock or Kirstin shifting that woke Avi up later that day, being an extremely heavy sleeper, but the Alpha's low growl that woke him. As a beta, he was trained to wake up to any sign of an angry Alpha or the scent of an Omega in pain, in case of danger. 

"Kirstin, why aren't you at the table where I told you to?" The Alpha spoke, his red eyes on display. 

That was when all hell broke loose.