believe it or knot

RUNAWAY OMEGA
BOOK 1
HARPER WYLDE
 contents
Copyright
Synopsis
Content Warning
Welcome to Omegaverse!

Chapter 1
Demi
Chapter 2
Demi
Chapter 3
Demi
Jamison
Chapter 4
Demi
Chapter 5
Leo
Chapter 6
Demi
Chapter 7
Hades
Chapter 8
Jamison
Demi
Chapter 9
Hades
Chapter 10
Demi
Chapter 11
Eli
Chapter 12
Demi
Chapter 13
Demi
Chapter 14
 Demi
Thane
Chapter 15
Demi
Knox
Chapter 16
Demi
Chapter 17
Leo
Chapter 18
Demi
Chapter 19
Demi
Chapter 20
Jamison
Demi
Chapter 21
Hades
Chapter 22
Demi
Chapter 23
Demi
Chapter 24
Demi
Chapter 25
Demi
Chapter 26
Demi
Chapter 27
Knox
Chapter 28
Eli
Demi
Chapter 29
Eli
Chapter 30
Demi
Chapter 31
 Demi
Chapter 32
Demi
Chapter 33
Thane
Chapter 34
Knox
Chapter 35
Demi
Chapter 36
Demi
Chapter 37
Demi

Afterword
Coming Soon from Harper Wylde
Also by Harper Wylde
 Copyright 2023 © Harper Wylde.
All rights Reserved.

BELIEVE IT OR KNOT
(Part One)
by Harper Wylde

Edited by 34 Editing
Cover Design by Harper Wylde
Formatted by Harper Wylde

This book is protected under Copyright Laws. Any unauthorized reprint or

use of this material is prohibited. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical
methods without the prior written permission of the author, except in the
case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other
noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests,
please contact the author.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events

portrayed in this story are either products of the author’s imagination or are
used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual events, business
establishments, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
 synopsis

Believe it or Knot, ‘happily ever after’ doesn’t exist. Not for me,
anyway.
Bleeding and broken, I’m on the run from Alphas who want to use me
as a punching bag and a breeding machine. An Omega on her own? It’s
unheard of. But I’d rather die than let them catch me.
Taking a bus to the end of the line, I plan to become invisible in a small
town in Vermont. But what’s that saying about ‘the best-laid plans’? They
all turn to ash as an unplanned heat hits me like a raging wildfire.
I don’t need a pack… except my body is screaming for an Alpha, and I
know I’ll never survive my heat without one. Or maybe six.
I run into Salvation on the sidewalk—literally. All six-foot-five dark,
imposing inches of him.
His scent makes me forget all the reasons I’ve sworn off Alphas, and the
rest of his pack smell just as sinful. They want to help me. Save me. Make
me theirs.
Fate may have brought us together, but the past has taught me that
dreams are just illusions. My old pack will never let me go, and they’re
dangerous. So dangerous I should keep on running to keep these new,
tempting men safe.
Except they want me to stay, and they’re very, very convincing.
 content warning

This story contains references to past physical and sexual assault. Demi has
suffered a traumatic past, and freeing herself from that abuse and finding
her way to healing is a large part of her story. Furthermore, this series also
contains cursing, knotting, and mild violence. While I have tried to handle
the sensitive content in a way I hope will not be triggering, please take care
of yourself. If you believe you’ll find the content unsettling, this may not be
the story for you. No work of fiction is worth your mental health.
xoxo -
Harper
 welcome to omegaverse!

This book is set in an alternate, modern day world where the people are
designated as either Alpha, Beta, or Omega. While the characters in this
book don’t shift, they do share some of the hierarchical structure of wolves.
Alphas are at the top of the hierarchy and are generally bigger, have a
more dominant nature, and are possessive—especially over their mate.
They are usually male, although occasionally there will be a rare female
Alpha. All Alpha males have fancy *equipment* with a knot at the base that
locks into place during sex with an Omega—and only an Omega.
Betas can be either male or female. Often more mild-natured in
temperament, they’re not as dominant as an Alpha or as submissive as an
Omega. They have a calming effect on both, and often bring balance to a
pack.
Omegas, on the other hand, are usually female, calmer, smaller, and less
aggressive. They have a heat cycle starting when they reach the age of
twenty-two. When it hits, their scent increases and they begin to nest—
creating a safe, comfortable space to mate. During her heat, an Omega will
crave intimacy and need to be mated by an Alpha and knotted.
Alphas (and some Betas) will often band together and create a pack.
Once a pack is formed, the group is able to seek their mate—their Omega—
based on scent compatibility. If they’re chosen by an Omega, they will
begin the process of courting her to ensure she’s a fit for their pack before
making their bond official with mate bites.
Most of the pairings in this world are Reverse Harems, because why
choose one when you can have them all?
 Lastly, this universe does include fated mates based on full scent
matches, which makes everything a little more interesting!
one
DEMI
I DIDN'T TRUST Anton Aster as far as I could throw him. The tall Alpha
strode through the door looking like he'd just walked off the set of the latest
James Bond movie. By appearance alone, he looked absolutely fuckable
with his dark hair, striking blue eyes, and tailored business suit, but the
moment he opened his mouth and let his true colors show, the effect
shattered into a million little pieces. Beneath the rich millionaire look he’d
perfected was a vile, twisted person.
My hands froze in the sudsy water as the door slammed shut behind
him, my knuckles going white thanks to the death grip I had on the dirty
plate I was washing, a remnant of the pack’s breakfast a few hours earlier.
I barely breathed as he sauntered into the kitchen, his dress shoes
clicking ominously on the expensive hardwood that stretched the length of
the open-concept penthouse. My lungs screamed at me until I finally sucked
in a small, shallow breath.
His scent assaulted me, making my nose wrinkle instinctively. If his
personality hadn’t already ruined his good looks, his scent would’ve done
the trick. To me, he smelled like burnt marshmallows, the kind that’d been
charred to within an inch of being recognizable as anything other than a pile
of gooey ash.
“Shouldn't that have been done by now?” He sneered, eyeing the small
stack of dirty dishes sitting on the counter.
“I didn't expect you home so soon.” I hated how small and mousey my
voice sounded, hated that I had to account for every minute of my day, that
I had no freedom. But I hated more how I had to walk on eggshells
whenever Anton was around. Which was pretty much always, except for
when he was in the office.
That’s where he was supposed to be right now.
“All the more reason it should've been done. You never know when to
expect us home, and thus, the house should be kept clean at all times. Or
don't you want to please your Alphas?” There was a cruel lilt to his voice,
unable or unwilling to hide the note of pure resentment.
 Striding into the kitchen, he moved toward the cabinet where we kept
the alcohol and poured himself a glass.
“I-I’m sorry,” I stammered, not sure what else to say. I’d learned it was
better to stay silent as much as possible when the pack was around.
I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and heard him draw closer.
A moment later, his heat warmed my back. His breath smelled of whisky.
Thanks to my sensitivity to scents—an Omega trait—I knew from the notes
of dried fruit, spices, and dark chocolate with a hint of orange that he’d
poured himself a drink from the most expensive bottle in his collection: a
Macallan single-malt whisky from The Red Collection, which retailed for
over eighty-five thousand dollars. The only reason I could name the brand
and the price was because of how readily he bragged about owning bottles
of the stuff.
I’d never tasted it myself. I wasn’t much of a drinker, but I also wasn’t
allowed. Not because of my age—I was twenty-three years old and
perfectly legal—but because it was one of Anton’s many rules.
His Omega wasn’t allowed to drink, speak, or think for herself. I may
have added that last one, but it might as well have been carved in stone.
Anton wanted a compliant Omega.
I wanted to roll my eyes, but I didn’t dare. Bruises still marred my skin
from the last time I’d displeased him. Instead, I shrank into myself, trying
to make myself as small as possible while still standing.
So much for having a backbone, Demi, I scolded myself, but I’d learned
long ago that displeasing Anton, Reed, or Huck wasn’t worth the pain
they’d put me through. After nearly a year of physical and verbal abuse, my
spirit was as bruised as my body.
Anton’s hand wrapped around my brown hair, tugging painfully as he
used it to wrench my head backward, pulling it into his shoulder and tipping
it sideways so he had access to my throat. His nose skimmed up my neck,
and he inhaled deeply to scent me.
I tried to pull away, but his hold only tightened.
“You're not being very cooperative,” he growled against the shell of my
ear. His harsh whispers never failed to send a chill of revulsion down my
spine. It was a conditioned response to the barely leashed violence in his
voice.
“Anton,” I whimpered, trying to pull away, but he’d anticipated my
move and responded faster. His grip turned punishing.
 “Don’t speak unless I give you permission,” he hissed, darting his
tongue out to trace the length of my neck, right over the spot he'd yet to sink
his teeth into to mark me as his Omega. “Not unless you want me to force
my cock into that pretty little mouth and give it a better occupation.”
Anger and fear boiled up inside me, making me lightheaded. Schooling
my features into a blank mask, I looked out into the living room, trying to
pretend his words didn’t bother me, even though they were tearing me apart
inside.
Revulsion turned my stomach, fueled by his touch and the stench of his
scent. I couldn't do this for much longer. It’d been eleven months since my
father had essentially sold me to Pack Silver, and in that time, I’d become a
shell of the person I’d once been. Past friends and acquaintances wouldn’t
recognize me if they saw me on the street. Hell, I barely recognized the
reflection in the mirror staring back at me every morning.
“Speaking of being cooperative,” Anton tugged me so hard the plate
dropped from my hands, catching the edge of the counter before it smashed
to the ground and shattered at my feet. My hands flew out from my sudden
imbalance, flailing and knocking a pan off the counter to clatter among the
ceramic shards.
Sharp pieces cut my feet as he forced me through the mess, and my
head ached everywhere, my hair threatening to rip out of my skull as he
manhandled me, steering me out of the kitchen and down the hallway. Tears
flowed freely down my cheeks, making the entrance to my room swim as
he shoved me inside.
My stomach churned at the thought of him pushing me onto the bed,
ripping my clothes off, and taking me the way he, by law, had every right to
do.
Being designated as an Omega meant I had very few rights. I was
basically nothing without a pack, and while Anton and the others hadn’t
bitten me yet to bind me to them, making me their official Omega, they had
registered our official courtship with the Omega Matching Agency.
Technically, I should have gone through the OMA like all the other
Omegas and been matched according to a strict set of rules, but money
talks. It hadn’t taken much persuasion for them to turn a blind eye to my
father’s unconventional dealing. A big fat check will do that to a person—
or in this case, an agency.
 On paper, I belonged to Pack Silver for another month, in which time
they could either bond me or reject me.
Rejection was the ultimate disgrace for an Omega, a small mercy I
prayed for daily. It would make it much harder to be matched in the future,
especially to a good pack, but shouldering the shame of being rejected had
to be better than this hell. Even if it meant spending my life alone, suffering
through painful heats that would tear me apart and leave me an aching,
whiney mess.
Anton guided me to the bed, then pushed me to my knees before the
mattress.
Hiking one pant leg of his expensive tailored slacks, he squatted down
behind me, growling in my ear. “It’s strange, isn’t it, that in the eleven
months you’ve been with us, you haven't gone into heat for your pack.”
We’d had this fight before, but this time, in my room, before my
mattress.…
My face paled, my pulse stuttering to a stop. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. He
couldn’t know.… It wasn’t possible. Was it? I’d been so careful.…
“Here I thought you were just broken,” he taunted. “A pitiful excuse for
an Omega.”
The blood in my veins turned to ice as he reached around me and
shoved his hand beneath the mattress and procured the tiny foil packet. Half
the little bubbles had been popped, the pills already used, while the rest
remained intact.
He found my heat suppressants.
The next growl he unleashed was furious and vindictive, and I couldn’t
contain the whine that escaped my throat. It was a plea for mercy. For
leniency. Maybe even for my life.
Anton wouldn’t kill me. He had a violent streak and a wicked temper,
but he wouldn’t kill me. Right?
Oh gods. What had I done?
“Do you want to explain yourself, Demi Leigh?” The anger in his voice
was barely leashed. He held it back just enough to form words instead of
growls.
The sudden dryness in my throat made it hard to speak. What the hell
was I supposed to say—‘Sorry, I don’t want to be stuck with you on top of
me for a week’? ‘Sorry, I don’t want to carry your offspring’? ‘Sorry, but
I’m terrified to be in a mating haze around you and the pack’?
 Not being in control meant not being able to save myself from their
abuse, which truly frightened me. Especially because when an Omega went
into heat, their heightened scent could drive an Alpha wild. My pheromones
would trigger my Alphas, and I didn’t trust that they would be able to keep
their heads given how they lost their tempers with me regularly.
Anton, Reed, and Huck may be Alphas, but if their violence had taught
me anything, it was that they were driven by their baser nature. None of
them were as in control as they believed themselves to be, and the frenzied
urges the heat brought would heighten their rage as well as their libido.
It didn’t happen often, but Omegas had died during their heats because
of Alphas being overtaken by the need to rut and claim. It was the whole
reason the OMA existed. Being an unbonded Omega was dangerous, but
the chances of something going wrong were significantly reduced if a true
connection existed between an Omega and the Alphas they were matched
with and subsequently courted by.
In my case, that connection to Anton, Reed, and Huck was nonexistent.
Their scents didn’t call to me, and the bond that should’ve been forming
over the past several months wasn’t there.
“Now, you decide to be a good, silent little Omega?” he spat. “You’ve
been lying to us. Suppressing your heats. You thought I wouldn’t find out?
You can’t keep secrets from me, Demi. I own you.”
Those words were punctuated by another tug of my hair, and I cried out
as he wrenched my head sideways. A sharp prick pierced my neck, and I
grabbed for his hand, wrapping my fingers around his fist. But I was too
late. He depressed the plunger on the syringe.
two
DEMI
“WH-WHAT THE FUCK?” I gasped, my head already spinning as an
unusual warmth spread from the place he’d injected me.
Yanking the needle from my flesh, he tossed the syringe on the floor
along with the glass bottle. It rolled and I scrambled for it. He chuckled
darkly as my hand closed around the vial, my gaze instantly drawn to the
name.
Anoravel.
“Get ready to present for your Alphas, my little pet, you’re about to
have the most potent heat of your life.” Anton stood swiftly, pocketing my
heat suppressants, and staring down at where I collapsed to sit with my
back against the bed. His eyes were devoid of any human emotion other
than victory and a sick kind of avarice.
He unbuttoned the top button of his shirt as he left my room and strode
down the hall, phone in his hand, already dialing the others. His voice
echoed as he disappeared, ordering Reed and Huck to come home,
promising that I was finally going into heat. I didn’t breathe, didn’t dare
move, until I heard the click of his bedroom door.
“No,” I sobbed quietly, staring down at the empty syringe in my hands.
Scrambling to my feet, I ran to the living room and ripped open the
laptop they allowed me to use on occasion. It took my four tries to get the
password correct thanks to my fumbling, shaking fingers. The white
browser window was nearly blinding. Typing in the name of the drug, my
heart sank to my feet.
A drug mainly used to help Omegas with the rare problem of infertility.
A drug meant to heighten their heat cycle and promote ovulation.
My stomach clenched and roiled.
“Oh gods.” I ran back to my room, shoved the door closed, and beelined
it for my bathroom. I barely made it to my knees before the meager contents
of my breakfast came back up. I wretched over and over again until there
was nothing left.
“This can’t be happening,” I whined, swiping my hand across the back
of my mouth when I was finally finished. Pushing myself off the tiled floor,
I stared in the mirror.
Brown hair hung limp around my shoulders, and there were dark circles
under my eyes. I used to glow with happiness and youth. Now, my green
eyes looked devoid of anything other than panic. A rosy hue stained my
cheeks, and that… that worried me.
I pressed my cold hands against my face. The meds couldn’t work that
fast… could they?
“Dammit.” Fresh tears sprang free, but crying would get me nothing but
a pity party for one. No. No, no, no. I wasn’t going to roll over and
willingly spread my thighs for Anton and the others. Fuck that. I’d rather
die than go into heat and let them knock me up. I would never bring a child
into such a shitty, hostile situation.
Thank the gods for birth control, but I had no idea if the drug would
override the effectiveness of my implant—another secret I’d been hiding
from the pack.
Steely resolve shot through me as an ill-formed plan began to take
shape.
I had to run.
It was dangerous, so damn dangerous I’d never attempted it before. An
unbonded Omega on the streets? It was unheard of. But now the danger of
staying here outweighed the risk of leaving.
My injured feet were moving before the idea had even settled into my
mind. Grabbing an old duffle that’d been buried in my closet, one I’d stolen
when Reed had tossed it in the trash, I shoved in a few essentials: clothing,
the few dollars I’d scraped together and hidden between the pages of my
romance novels for just such an occasion, my scent-blocking body wash,
and the only earthly possessions I still had that meant anything to me—my
sketchbook and my late mother’s necklace. The latter I fastened around my
neck, then I zipped the bag and tossed the frayed strap over my shoulder.
Cracking my bedroom door open, I surveyed the hallway. I didn’t see
Anton, and Reed and Huck thankfully hadn’t made it home yet. Three
against one weren’t odds I liked. I stood a chance of escaping if I only had
to make it past Anton.
The Alpha’s door was still shut. Sucking in a breath, I made my move.
Slipping into the hallway, I crept soundlessly toward the living room. My
eyes were glued to the front door. I only had to make it thirty feet, then into
the corridor, down the elevator, and out any side door I could find, since I
had a feeling the doorman who guarded the main entrance of the building
would let me—an unbonded Omega—leave unchaperoned, especially
without alerting my pack.
I swallowed down the mirthless laugh threatening to escape. Making it
that far felt nearly impossible, but so did staying here and riding out my
heat cycle. I’d take the agony of an unfulfilled heat over being used,
knotted, and abused by my pack.
A low chuckle stole all my hope the second I stepped foot in the main
room. Anton leaned against the wall just around the corner, lying in wait.
As though he knew I would try and leave him.
“Where do you think you’re going, pet?” He sneered, eyeing the duffle
resting against my hip.
Blood turned to ice in my veins.
This was all a game to him, but this was my life.
I didn’t give him an answer. I ran.
Dodging around the kitchen island to avoid him, I gunned for the front
door. Broken ceramic crunched under my tennis shoes, but no matter how
fast I tried to move, Anton was faster. With a growl, he skidded around the
island, a second behind me. As if the gods above were looking out for me,
his dress shoes slid on the slick tile. Cursing, he skidded, lost his balance,
and fell. My heart leapt.
I’m going to make it!
Large fingers closed around my ankle, and my heart crashed and
burned. He yanked me to the ground. Broken ceramic cut into my palms
and stomach. I kicked and screamed, fighting with everything I had. My
heel caught the edge of his mouth, and he grunted.
“You stupid bitch!” He dragged me backward with more strength than I
knew he possessed, and I screamed.
Adrenaline pumped through my veins, making my heart feel like it was
on the verge of exploding. In a blur of fight-or-flight response, my palm
closed around the handle of the frying pan I’d knocked to the ground
earlier, and I reacted on instinct.
My arms ached as I reared back and swung.
The thudding clang made bile rise up my throat. Anton’s grip on my
ankle relaxed, and I sobbed as I scrambled away. Clutching the frying pan
to my chest, I stared at the prone man who haunted my waking nightmares.
He was so damn still.
 Blood slowly crept from the fresh wound on his head, spilling morbidly
across the light tile, and I choked back a scream.
“Oh. My. Gods.”
I’d seen enough crime documentaries to know my fingerprints were all
over the frying pan, so I hastily grabbed a dish towel and tried to wipe it
clean before setting the pan gently to the side.
All the while, my eyes stayed glued to Anton.
Was he breathing? I couldn’t tell through the tears that obscured my
vision.
I was going to be sick all over again, but my body was sluggish,
probably going into shock, as I crawled to my feet.
Run. Run. Run.
The word echoed through my mind like the steady beat of a drum.
And now following through with my plans was more important than
ever because…
I was pretty sure I’d just killed an Alpha.
three
DEMI
THE PAIN WAS ALMOST UNBEARABLE. Tears streamed down
my cheeks as another low cramp made me double over, causing me to
nearly tumble down the steps of the old Greyhound bus. My vision doubled,
swimming in and out of focus, and I stumbled onto the lighted sidewalk like
I’d had too much to drink.
If only.…
I nearly jumped out of my skin as the bus depressed a loud, high-
pitched squeak of air before it rolled away, leaving me in the dark outside
the bus depot. Glancing around, I tried to find a sign with any identifying
information. Anything to tell me where in the world I was.
I’d boarded the bus in Silver City, New York, then switched buses
hoping to cover my tracks, riding the last one as far as my meager savings
would take me. Which was apparently… I squinted, trying to force the
swimming letters on the beige sign into alignment.
Maverick Falls, Vermont.
Truthfully, I hadn’t so much as glanced at the ticket I’d purchased. I was
too focused on putting as much distance between me and the life I was
trying to escape as possible. Didn’t matter where I was, as long as it was
away.
Away from New York. Away from the pack. Away from danger and the
sins I’d committed.
The chill of the northern air cooled the wet tracks I hadn’t noticed on
my cheeks, and I shivered. It had been hours since I’d escaped, but my
hands still shook. Adjusting the black hoodie I wore, making sure it
obscured as much of my face as possible, I clutched the strap of the ratty
duffle bag and started on my way… somewhere.
Lights from the station warmed the sidewalk, inviting me inside, but the
cameras I spotted mounted onto the corners of the brick building kept me
moving farther into the night.
It wouldn’t be smart to enter, anyway. Attention was the last thing I
needed, and my scent-blocking body wash wasn’t going to last much longer
without a refresh.
 Honestly, hoping it would continue to work was wishful thinking.
Staring down a heightened heat meant my scent would increase
exponentially. Would I even be able to hide it with blockers? The thought
sent dread trickling through me. If it didn’t… I’d bring every unbonded
Alpha within a mile radius sniffing after me, ready to rut and claim.
I had to hide. I had to—
Fuck. I didn’t know. I just knew I had to keep moving if I had any
chance of figuring this out.
Step by step, I forced myself to walk, but it was hard to see straight, and
my legs shook with the effort to stay upright. The pressure building in my
head would make a migraine seem tame in comparison.
Another low cramp had me grunting and slumping against the storefront
I was passing. My hand met the brick, holding me up while I rode out the
wave of agony that felt like my ovaries were dying a slow, torturous death.
Sweat dotted my forehead and I gnashed my teeth together before pressing
my lips into a thin line to hold back the whimper that wanted to break free.
How much medicine did that asshat inject me with? I couldn’t imagine
these symptoms were a normal reaction to a regular dose of Anoravel.
Worse, I wouldn’t put it past he-who-shall-not-be-named to be reckless with
the dosage. As long as he got results, he didn’t give a flying fuck about
what was safe or healthy.
Finally, the wave passed. Feeling a bit steadier, I pushed off the wall and
kept going, trying to find my bearings in this unfamiliar town and figure out
what the hell I was supposed to do now.
There was no way I could go to an Omega Crisis Center—if Maverick
Falls even had one. I wouldn’t chance being returned to Huck and Reed or,
worse, being taken into police custody.
If Anton was dead, that made me a murderer. It wouldn’t matter that it
was self-defense. I was a lowly Omega, and no one would take my word for
it.
It dawned on me then. Truly dawned on me. I’m a fugitive.
Tears leaked down my face, but I didn’t have the energy or the care to
swipe at them. Both my hands were tight around the duffle strap that
crossed my body, clutching all my worldly belongings to my chest like
someone was going to run up and try to steal the worn bag from me.
Keep running. Keep moving. It was a mantra in my head, but my body
was exhausted despite the hours I’d spent riding on buses today, and I knew
I didn’t have much longer before my heat started with the force of a
tsunami. Already my breathing was shallow, my face feverish, my cheeks
so warm I was sure they were a bright shade of tomato red, and with every
damn step, I felt the unwelcome wetness between my thighs—a purely
biological reaction I couldn’t stop if I tried. A wave of my scent tickled my
nose, and I knew I was out of time.
So lost in my head, I hadn’t realized I’d made my way downtown until
the music that had barely begun to register grew louder in an instant. The
door to a bar flew open, nearly knocking me in the face. People spilled out
the door around me, startling me so badly, I cried out and jumped
backward… right into a wall of hardened muscle.
JAMISON
The teenage boy who’d been loitering outside my bar slammed into my
chest, trying to avoid the crush of drunk college students I’d just kicked out
for causing too much damn noise. My hands went to his shoulders to steady
him and also get him the fuck off me. Most of the time, I didn’t like to be
touched. I was in a piss-poor mood, so tonight was no exception.
“If you’re looking to score some alcohol, you should know I don’t serve
anyone underage, and you won’t find any lying around here,” I warned. “I
suggest you move on.”
The teen stiffened and shrugged out from under my touch. I growled as
he whipped around, but the sound died instantly at the sight of him.
Except it wasn’t a him at all.
Fuck me. I’d just manhandled a woman.
Wide, glass-green eyes stared up at me in a mixture of fear and shock.
Her hands clutched the strap of her bag so tightly the pink had bled right out
of them, leaving her fingers ghostly white. A large black hoodie hung on
her frame, covering her hips and ass, hitting her mid-thigh. It was so baggy,
it was no wonder I thought she was a boy from the back. Under the hood,
however, was a heart-shaped face that couldn’t be mistaken for anything
other than feminine, framed by brown hair that hugged her cheeks.
Guilt rose hot and fast at having scared her. Damn, but she looked like a
frightened kitten, her lips parted, her breath coming in quick, shallow pants.
I held my hands up in a gesture of surrender, hoping she’d realize I wasn’t
as scary as I looked.
At six foot five, I towered over her by at least a foot, and lanky wasn’t a
word anyone would use to describe me. My shoulders were broad, my arms
muscular. I’d been mistaken for the bouncer rather than the owner of the bar
more times than I could count.
“Fuck. I’m sorry. I had no idea you were a girl-er, uh, woman. I
wouldn’t’ve laid hands on you if I’d realized. Just trying to keep you from
getting trampled,” I finished lamely while she just blinked at me slowly.
A rosy flush stained her cheeks and the bridge of her nose, just visible
under the warm glow from the streetlamps.
 Under the smell of fried food and alcohol wafting from the bar, beneath
the stench of the dumpsters in the alley just around the corner, I caught the
sweetest hint of sugared berries, black honey, and something deeper,
smokier, sexier. The scent bowled me over, making me feel unsteady while
also somehow grounding me more than I’d ever been before. Her signature
wrapped around me, hardening my cock in a second flat.
Omega.
My instincts were screaming at me to scoop her up, haul her inside, and
protect her before anyone else got a whiff of that intoxicating scent. They
were also demanding I rut, bite, and claim her for myself.
Bloody fuckin’ hell.
My brows drew down as I leaned closer, trying to keep my voice low
enough not to draw attention. “What are you doing out here alone, little
Omega? Do you have a pack somewhere?” I glanced around, expecting
another Alpha to come at me any second for sniffing around his mate.
Another surreptitious glance at what I could see past the hood, and I
realized I couldn’t get a good enough look at her neck to tell if she’d been
marked—bitten and claimed.
The way the color drained from her face at the mention of her Alphas,
however, spoke fucking volumes.
I scowled harder and stepped closer, noting too late that it only made
her shrink backward. “Are you in trouble? Do you need help?”
Her tennis shoes scraped along the concrete as she took two small steps
back with a squeak of a response I couldn’t decipher.
Shaking her head, she tried again. “I-I’m sorry for running into you,”
she pleaded in the smallest little voice. “I should get go—”
Before she could finish her sentence, it melted into a groan. She
doubled over as she stumbled back, putting more distance between us. One
of her hands clawed into her lower abdomen.
I shook my head, trying to make sense of what was happening, wanting
to go to her, but also worried I’d freak her out more than she already
seemed to be. “You’re obviously not okay.”
Good job stating the fucking obvious, I berated myself. The woman was
a scared bunny, fidgety and timid. Afraid. And here I was with all the grace
of a lumbering bear, growling at her, wanting to help protect her from
whatever had her so damn terrorized. Yet, I couldn’t. Not if she didn’t let
me.
 For the first time, I wished I had Leo’s finesse with women. The Beta
had been blessed with the gift of the gab. He had such an easy way with
people I’d never envied more than now. If he were here, he’d know exactly
how to set the little Omega at ease. How to get her safely into my office
behind the bar where other Alphas wouldn’t pose a threat. Out here, where
anyone could see her, scent her, she was too fucking vulnerable.
It seemed like she needed a hospital more than the safety of my office,
though. Features pinched, sweat dotting her forehead, she bit into her lip
hard enough to draw blood. The little whimper that escaped killed my
raging hard-on in the next breath, activating every protective, possessive
instinct I had.
“Sweetness, let me help you.” I purposely eased my expression into
something I hoped came across as genuine and, more importantly,
innocuous. “I’m going to reach into my back pocket and get my phone.
Then, I’m going to call my Beta and we’re going to get you off the street
and somewhere safe, alright? We can go from there.” That sounded
reasonable, right?
Her green-eyed gaze snapped to mine, wider than before.
“No. Please,” she begged airly, battling through whatever was causing
her pain, one hand thrown out like she could stave me off. “Just-just pretend
you never saw me.”
“You’re asking for the impossible, Sweetness.” I let my gaze eat up the
sight of her. “There’s not one forgettable thing about you.” To make my
point, I inhaled, nostrils flaring, drinking down the scent of her. Somehow,
it had deepened, thickened. I could almost taste the sweet honeyed flavor of
it on my tongue. Could almost savor the smoky spice rounding it out.
There was no way this Omega was bonded. Her scent affected me far
too much for that to be a possibility.
Unconsciously, I moved forward, and that small shift had been the
wrong damn move. She tensed so hard I thought she would shatter, and at
the same time, she backed farther away, ready to run.
The door to the bar swung open again, but this time, another Alpha
stepped out. I saw the moment he froze, his nostrils flaring, his pupils
darkening from the drugging effect of her scent.
A low, warning growl rumbled from deep in my chest, but he didn’t
care. He started toward her, and I could read the want, the fucking desire for
her, in every predatory movement. I didn’t wait for him to make the mistake
of touching her.
Using my considerable strength, I slammed into him, pinning him into
the brick wall. The sound of our snarls punctuated the sound of grappling
and the clash of fists.
“Don’t even fucking think about it,” I thundered, unable to hide the
menace in my voice that dared him to do it anyway. I had at least fifty
pounds on the bastard. I’d like to see him try and kick my ass. It’d be
entertaining, and I was overdue for a good laugh. “You won’t be able to lay
a finger on her before I’ve broken your dick and sent you to the damn
hospital.”
“Alright, alright,” he relented, shoving against me to ease the pressure
of my forearm against his throat. “No pussy’s worth this much trouble.” We
both knew that was a lie, but I didn’t call him on it. I wanted him gone.
“Not like it’s possible she’s available anyway. But, damn.” He inhaled
again. “There’s nothing like the scent of an Omega, even if it is a little too
sweet. Thank fuck she ran back to her pack. They’re damn fools for letting
her out of their sight unbonded. No wonder the OMA locks ‘em away until
they match with a suitable pack.”
My blood ran cold as I pried my focus off the Alpha and turned toward
where the little Omega had been not one minute earlier. Before I’d been
forced to take my eyes off her.
She's gone.
“Fuck!” I roared, realizing too late that she’d taken off when shit hit the
fan.
Right then, two of my bouncers, both Betas, pushed through the door,
having gotten wind of a fight out front.
“Take care of this for me. Make sure this asshole goes home. Alone.” I
tossed him toward the pair with ease and took off down the sidewalk, trying
to figure out which direction she had fled.
I didn’t see her anywhere, and her scent was fading fast. I followed it as
far as I could before it, too, disappeared.
It was like she’d fucking vanished.
My hand nearly crushed my cell when I dug it out of my pocket and
dialed another of my packmates.
Thane answered on the second ring.
 “Hey man, how’s it going? You sick of fried food already?” he quipped,
knowing I usually called in an order when I grew tired of the basic pub fare
I served in the bar.
Refusing to give him the unnecessary perfunctory response, not wanting
to waste any time, I growled, “We’ve got a problem.”
four
DEMI
I ENTERED another narrow side street, my feet pounding against the
pavement as forcefully as my heart thundered against my ribcage. I wove
my way deeper into downtown, searching for a place to hide.
Oh gods, that was way too close.
It was clear I was out of time. My scent surrounded me like perfume,
and the pain that had come in waves before was now a constant, thrumming
ache. Ignoring how hard my nipples were and the way my clit throbbed was
nearly impossible. My jeans clung to my legs, damp with my slick.
Being surrounded by the scent of the Alpha who’d caught me hadn’t
helped my body’s visceral reaction.
The man was as beautiful as he was fearsome. Tall, dark, and handsome,
with sapphire-blue eyes that had stunned me—for all the wrong reasons.
The second he set his sights on me, all I could see was Anton’s icy cruel
gaze. Deep down, I knew it was my mind playing tricks on me, or maybe it
was a trauma response to everything I’d been through. Either way, I’d
frozen in place like a deer caught in headlights while panic consumed me.
It was only when his scent—a heady mix of whisky and bonfires—
filtered through my rising anxiety that the panic fell away, replaced by
desire so intense I had to back away to keep myself from launching at him.
He smelled so good.
Despite his scent or how pretty the man was, with his black wavy hair,
thick brows, and dark beard, I had to remind myself he was just as much of
a threat.
Except.… He’d reacted to me with concern that bordered on kindness.
I’d seen the worry in his eyes, the shock that he’d run across an Omega on
the sidewalk in his small town.
But the moment he’d drawn in more of my scent, his eyes darkened
with hunger.
It was always the same, no matter the Alpha.
He didn't even know me, yet he couldn't help himself. Desire had been
written across his face.
And me?
 I wasn’t turned on, not really, but my body was ready. I was perfuming,
already calling for an Alpha. It wouldn’t be long now until I was a begging,
sobbing mess, pleading for a knot to fill me.
If the way the second Alpha who’d stumbled out of that bar had reacted
was any indication, I’d get exactly what I asked for, whether I truly wanted
it or not.
Heat drove people to do things they otherwise wouldn’t. And that
terrified me.
It also made me sick thinking I could accidentally drive others to do
something they normally wouldn’t, all because our bodies, our
designations, told us we were compatible. Being an Omega was a curse in
so many ways.
As far as I was concerned, biology could fuck right off.
It wasn't fair that, already, I was fighting with myself, at war with the
need to turn around and go find the man from the bar. I wanted to climb him
like a tree and use his cock to soothe the ache growing between my thighs.
I dug my nails into my palms, hoping the little pricks of pain would
ground me and keep me from doing something stupid… like following that
particular whim.
Stopping at the edge of the wide alleyway, I forced myself to suck in a
deep breath and then release it slowly.
I wouldn’t put myself, or someone like the man from the bar, through a
long and tiresome heat.
I needed to prepare to hide out for a few days. Long enough to ride out
the worst of the surge. Once I got through the height of it, my scent
blockers should work well enough for me to move on. The farther away
from New York I could get, the better off I’d be, but for now, it looked like
Maverick Falls would be my temporary home.
Food, water, and shelter. That's what I needed.
Peeking out of the alley, I spotted a restaurant on the corner. The
shadows concealed me and I crept around back. The moment my gaze
landed on the dumpster near the backdoor, I let out a choked cry of
happiness. Restaurants always threw away perfectly good food, right?
Being excited about dumpster diving was probably a new low, but time was
precious and food was a necessity. I wasn’t above doing what I needed to
survive. Little by little, my luck was turning. What was that phrase? ‘Don’t
look a gift horse in the mouth.’ I didn’t understand the idiom, but I sure as
hell understood the sentiment.
Attention roaming the shadows, I silently opened the lid of the
dumpster, forcing myself to breathe shallowly so as not to gag from the
overwhelming stench of garbage. Too short to see inside, I grabbed some
empty drums nearby and used them as a stool. Balancing carefully, I started
sorting through the trash, using napkins that didn’t look too soiled to wrap
up bits of bread, pasta, and something that looked like chicken. I had to sort
through a lot of disgusting things like old grease, stinky raw fish, and
rotting vegetables to find the gems, but before long, I had enough to keep
me alive for the next few days if I rationed cautiously.
The backdoor slammed open, shocking me enough that I reeled
backward. Except there was nothing there but air. My arms wheeled as I
lost my balance and fell off the stool, landing hard on my ass.
“What the fu—” the man bit off his startled curse as the same word flew
from my own lips.
The jarring fall onto the broken concrete hurt and tears watered in my
eyes.
“Shit!” the guy swore and rushed forward to help but stopped when I
squeaked in fear. The door swung shut behind him, closing off the light
from inside. There was only a dim yellow light beside the door and the
distant flood of warmth from a streetlamp on the main road.
I could hear the murmured, rushed bellow from another man on the
other end of the phone. “What the hell is going on?”
I could just make out the concerned look on the startled man’s face as
he spoke into the phone. The color of his eyes was obscured by the
shadows, but I thought his hair was golden blond, and there was a dusting
of hair covering a strong jaw. His chef’s coat couldn’t hide the rippling
muscles beneath, the fabric seeming to stretch taut when he moved.
“I think I found her,” he whispered, but I heard him all the same. “Little
thing? Brown hair? Wearing a dark hoodie? Yeah. Uh-huh. She’s behind the
restaurant.”
No. No, no, no. Was my pack already looking for me? Were the police?
I didn’t know who he was talking to on the other end, but I didn’t want to
find out.
I scrambled back, scrapping my palms on the ground as I forced myself
to my feet. My ankle hurt, most likely twisted during the fall, and I shifted
my weight off of it. I backed toward the entrance to the alley and looked in
both directions, trying to figure out the best way to run.
“Wait!” the guy called, taking two more steps and thrusting out his hand
in a staying gesture, trying to get me to stop retreating. He opened his arms
wide, his palm out like he was trying to soothe a wild animal. The other
hand still clutched his phone, his call still active.
Over the heavy, putrid aroma of garbage, his scent trickled to me. It
smelled like salted caramel and dark chocolate, and made my ovaries ache
in the best way. But that ache quickly turned into a spike of heat and pain.
I shook my head. “Please,” I whined, the sound purely Omega. I wasn’t
above begging. Above pleading. But I couldn’t get the rest of the words out.
Please let me go. Please don’t look for me. Please forget you ever saw me.
… Please march over here and make this awful agony go away. But I
didn’t truly mean that last one. Because it would be insane to jump a man I
just met. Right? I mean, I knew some women did one-night stands, but I’d
never had the opportunity to be ‘normal.’ I’d never had the choice to go out
and go home with a total stranger. Besides, if I somehow accepted help to
get through my heat, it would be a lot longer than one night. Try three or
four. It was possible it could last up to a week, if the textbooks I’d read
were factual.
You’re almost out of time. You need to go. Anything else would be
insane. I couldn’t trust anyone. Look what happened with Anton and the
others.
“Why don’t you come inside for an actual meal? I’m a chef here,” he
told me as I continued to back away. He stepped farther into the night. “I
could make you whatever you want. Whatever you’re craving.”
He seemed genuine, but I couldn’t… even if I wanted to. The heat
would hit fully in minutes. It wasn’t safe for him. For me. For the
employees and patrons of the restaurant he worked at. An Omega in heat
was irresistible. Every available Alpha in the vicinity would be driven to
‘help’ me through it.
“I-I can’t,” I whispered. “I’m sorry.”
Cursing flew through the phone from whoever he was on a call with.
Pushing my bum ankle to its limits, I ran and ran and ran.
My feet pounded the sidewalks as I wove through downtown until I
emerged on the other side where the buildings began to spread out once
more. I almost cried in relief when I saw the sign for a gym. The lights
inside were already off, indicating it was closed. I crept along the side of the
building, checking for any signs of life.
It seemed empty, and I was desperate. The fever pitch inside me reached
new levels. Skin flushed, forehead glistening, I was burning.
Finding a small window cracked open along one wall, I found a trash
can, upended it, and climbed up. Being short was a bitch sometimes. With
the added boost, I still had to jump. Making a calculated risk, I dropped my
bag with all my earthly possessions through the window first and heard it
thud to the ground on the other side. Then, with the remaining strength I
had, I hoisted myself up. Shoving the window open wider, I went through
head first, shimmying my thicker hips and ass through the opening, falling
in a heap on top of my bag.
I groaned and laid there for longer than I should’ve. Plus side, no one
came looking for what caused the noise, which hopefully meant I was truly
alone here. Getting up, I almost cried in relief at the sight of the bathroom I
was in.
Finally, finally things were going my way.
five
LEO
CALL it a sixth sense or some good ol’ fashioned intuition, but something
drove me from the financial spreadsheets I’d been staring at for the past
godsdamn hour and out of the office I’d been entrenched in. Something was
wrong. I checked the front first, but the door was locked, just as I’d left it,
and the main workout room was quiet and peaceful.
The lights were dim, down to only the security ones we left on when we
closed up at night. On instinct, I checked the weight room and each of the
separate empty rooms we used for fitness classes. Shaking my head at my
own ridiculousness, I huffed and walked to the back of the building. The
pool was empty too, the water still and gleaming under the moonlight
spilling in through the large windows at the back. The sky was clear
tonight, only a few small wisps of clouds here and there.
Pulling my baseball cap off, I ran a hand through my hair and shoved it
on my head again backward. The brown stands were longer than they
should’ve been, curling around the edges of the ballcap. I couldn’t
remember the last time I’d taken a day off to do mundane things, like
getting a haircut. I probably needed one sooner rather than later.
The lack of vacation time is obviously starting to take a toll. I’d been
stressed all day, and now, I was imagining things.
I peeked my head into the men’s locker room, finding it just as vacant as
I expected. My steps faltered when I turned toward the women’s. The light
was off, no glow illuminating the sliver of space under the door, but I
could’ve sworn I heard the water running.
Narrowing my eyes, I hurried back to the office and grabbed the bat I
kept behind the desk. Back outside that door in less than thirty seconds, I
slung the bat over my shoulder and made sure my phone was unlocked with
the other. Shoving the cell in the pocket of my athletic pants, I slowly
pushed the door open.
And was assaulted with the scent of honey and berries with underlying
notes of something smokier, like campfires in early spring.
Fuck me. It was the best godsdamn thing I’d ever smelled in my life.
 A strangled cry snapped me out of the haze that’d descended. That cry
was as feminine as the scent, but not nearly as sweet. Whoever was inside
sounded almost… pained.
Pressing my way inside, I was nearly bowled over from the power of
the scent. It hung thick and tantalizing in the steam escaping the shower
running in the back corner, beyond the lockers and changing rooms. The
curtain had been pulled closed, but I could see the faint shadow of a woman
on the other side.
Another sob echoed through the room, followed by a groan that
sounded like she was being mauled alive by a damn bear. Prowling the few
steps it took to reach the stall, I used the bat to pull back the curtain just
slightly to peek inside, worried someone was hurting her, or worse.
Thankfully, she was alone, but the second the curtain shifted, I was hit
with another, stronger wave of her signature.
I might be a Beta, but I knew exactly what I was scenting. Omega. I
should’ve realized it the moment I stepped into the room. Unlike an Alpha,
I wasn’t driven as mad by the scent of an Omega, but I sure as hell wasn’t
immune to the heady fragrance of one either, especially one in heat.
And I was damn sure that’s exactly what was happening here. The girl’s
eyes grew wide when she spotted me, her flushed cheeks reddening even
more than they already were. Her nostrils flared and I knew she was
scenting me, picking up on the fact that I was a Beta.
Instead of screaming, freaking out, or yelling at me, instead of cursing
up a storm and snatching the shower curtain back into place to save her
modesty, tears spilled down her cheeks.
“H-help,” she begged, her voice tiny and so damn sweet. This girl could
give me a sugar rush. I found myself wanting to soothe my thumbs along
her cheeks to wipe away the tears that mixed with the streams of water from
the shower.
Slowly, so damn slowly, I pushed the curtain open wider, set the bat on
the ground, and held my hands out to make myself as nonthreatening as
possible, all the while keeping my gaze above her neckline like a
gentleman. “It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you,” I promised.
“I-it hurts,” she moaned, tortured. Her skin was pebbled with
goosebumps and the darks of her eyes were blown wide, nearly obscuring
the small hint of green at the edges.
“You’re in heat, Honey,” I told her.
 “No duh,” she snarked, and it made me grin. She might be small and
vulnerable, but she had some fire in her.
My small smile bled away with my next question. “Where are your
Alphas?” Why the fuck is she alone? If they’d abandoned her when she
needed them most, they weren’t worth the air they breathed.
If it were possible, her gaze grew more terrified and she shook her head.
“I don’t have any Alphas.”
There was more to that story. A whole lot more, but I didn’t press. If she
didn’t want to talk about it, there had to be a reason. My focus slid along
her neck, looking for any mark that would identify her as being bonded.
Instinct told me her scent wouldn’t be so potent if she’d been claimed, and I
was right. No fucking marks.
Relief shot through me, and as fucked as that was because it meant this
poor creature was alone during one of the defining moments of her life, I
didn’t try to unpack it. Omegas were a gift. My pack and I had been waiting
to be matched for years. And here one that smelled like the best wet dream
had walked into my little gym in my little town? What were the godsdamn
odds?
“What can I do?” Everything about her screamed that she needed help,
but this situation was kinda fucked if you do, fucked if you don’t. There
was only one way to soothe the heat. She needed sex, particularly with an
Alpha, but even my touch could help ease the pain wracking her. At least,
enough that we could figure out next steps.
But she was scared, and that meant I wasn’t about to put my hands on
her.
I took a small step back. Crowding her would make things worse.
Feeling safe and secure was vitally important for an Omega, which is why
they were a perfect match for a pack of Alphas who only longed to provide
and protect. It was instinctual. Betas, on the other hand, were perfect
mediators between the two—not as overbearing as an Alpha could
sometimes be, but not as submissive as many Omegas were. It was in their
nature to yield to authority, as long as that authority was respected and that
respect was returned. The matching between a pack and their Omega was a
beautiful balance, one we’d been waiting a long time to experience for
ourselves.
The woman doubled over in pain, gripping her lower abdomen as she
bent in half. Panting through it, she leaned back against the wall and slid to
the tiled floor.
Staying where I was, I squatted down. Towering over her could make
her feel intimidated, so I tried to get as close to her level as I could. “You
need to touch yourself, Honey.” Keeping the note of my voice light didn’t
work. It was lower than I’d meant, deeper and huskier. I cleared my throat
and hoped I hadn’t sounded like a creepy fucker. “It’s the only thing that’ll
soothe your heat enough to ebb the pain.”
Sniffling, she gazed up, her eyes hazy, crinkles of strain at the corners.
Finally, she nodded.
I hitched my thumb toward the door. “I can go if you’d like privacy.”
“N-no,” she stammered, shaking her head. “I don’t think I want to be
alone,” she said, slightly unsure of herself.
“That’s your Omega instinct. Deep down, everything inside you knows
you shouldn’t be alone through your heat.”
“It’s my first one,” she confided.
I had a feeling. It made sense. Most Omegas presented when they
turned eighteen, but something in their biology kept them from going into
heat until they hit the age of twenty-two. By then, they’d been educated by
the OMA and were ready to be presented to possible packs—matched based
on scent and compatibility. Once matched, being surrounded by Alphas
usually kicked an Omega into heat.
Either way, she may be young, but she was perfectly legal. Thank
Jupiter for small blessings.
“You’re going to be okay,” I promised.
Her forehead had a little crease in it from worry, and she looked deeply
unsure.
My inner Beta was screaming at me to help care for her, to get one of
my Alphas here to tend to her. Soon enough, she’d need a knot, something
only an Alpha could provide. We had time before we had to figure that out.
There were options, but first she needed relief.
Water darkened her hair, the damp, nearly black strands clinging to her
delicate throat, trailing in wavy cascades down over her breasts. Her nipples
were hard, peeking through the strands like dusky flower buds seeking the
sun.
Fuck. She was beautiful. My dick had been hard since the moment I’d
entered the bathroom and been hit with her mouthwatering signature. This
wasn’t going to help my situation, but I licked my lips and plunged forward
anyway.
“Take your hand and slide it down between your breasts, Honey.”
She needed to let go, something her Alphas would’ve done for her if
she’d had a pack to see her through. Many Omegas needed to switch off
and let someone else take control. I could do that for her if she let me.
A needy breath wooshed from her and then she moved. She obeyed.
Godsdamn, why is that such a fucking turn on?
“That’s it. Let your fingers trail over your stomach and down, down.…”
I watched the slow descent of her hand, and it was the biggest fucking
tease. “I want you to touch your pussy, Honey, but you’re not going to go
near your clit, do you hear me?” I ordered.
She whimpered and the sound went straight to my dick. She teased
herself, writhing under her own touch.
“That’s it. What a good girl.”
“Oh gods,” she moaned, thriving on my praise.
“Look how wet you are.” The shower was still on, the spray just past
where she sat, but her slickness wasn’t from the water. It was all her, her
pussy lips glistening with it. Her perfume thickened the air, making me bite
back a groan.
Head thrashing side to side, her lips parted as she panted. “I can’t. I
can’t—”
“Yes, you can. Look at me, Honey.”
She did, her eyes dark with lust.
“You’re going to use your fingers and gently circle your clit. That’s it,” I
breathed. “Get a nice rhythm going, drive yourself crazy.
“Oh gods.”
I chuckled darkly. “The name’s Leo, but I’ll answer to ‘god’ if that’s
what you want to call me.”
The barest smile curled her lips before she captured the bottom one
between her teeth. Her eyes fluttered closed and her head tipped back
against the tile. Her fingers blazed between her legs, her knees falling open
wider, giving me a better view.
That flash of pink, scintillating flesh made my mouth water. I wanted to
crawl closer, dive between those luscious thighs, and make her writhe on
my tongue instead of those slender little fingers. Would she taste as sweet as
she smelled? So help me, I wanted to find out.
 “Use your other hand and slide two fingers inside yourself.”
Breath hitching, she did as requested, and the low whine that slipped out
had my dick jumping. The outline of my cock was clear behind the thin
athletic material of my pants. I didn’t try to hide it. If she noticed, all the
better. I wanted her to see what she did to me. To know I found her sexy as
hell. I respected her and would keep my hands to myself unless she asked,
but looking and touching were two different things, and I wanted her to
know how much she affected me.
Watching her fingers thrust in and out of her sex was the most erotic
thing I’d ever seen.
“I-it’s not enough,” she lamented.
“I know it’s not nearly the satisfaction your body is craving, but if you
can make yourself come, the heat will ease for a few minutes,” I promised.
“And then what?” Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks.
“Let’s cross that bridge once you can think a little clearer. Come on,
Honey. Come for me.”
“Can you…” She blushed, the deep rosy hue flushing everything from
her cheeks to her neck to the top swells of her breasts. “Could you… would
you be willing to… uh… I don’t know if I can get there on my own.”
Fuuuuck. My dick grew impossibly harder. “Are you asking me to touch
you?” I needed to know. Needed to hear her say it. Consent was everything.
She squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment.
“Open your eyes,” I commanded gently, waiting until she complied
before continuing. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about. But if I’m
going to put my hands on your beautiful body, I’m going to need to hear
you say it. I’m happy to help in whatever way you decide, but I need your
consent, Honey.”
She nodded, biting that same abused bottom lip again.
“Do you want me to touch you?” I pressed, knowing she needed the
guidance.
“Yes,” she gasped.
My voice dropped lower. “Do you want me to slide my fingers into your
pretty little pussy?”
“Oh gods. Yes.” She worked her own fingers furiously while I painted
her a picture, not quite able to get herself to the finish line she craved.
“Do you want me to curl my fingers just right and make you come all
over my hand?”
 Damn, I was harder than I’d ever been in my life and I hadn’t even
touched her.
“Yes! Yes, yes, yes!”
Whoever thought getting consent wasn’t sexy was a douche. Hearing a
woman tell you they wanted you to do wicked things to their body was the
biggest turn on. She knew I had something she needed, and she wanted it.
Wanted me.
Turning the shower off, I slid into the stall with her, dropping to my
knees, uncaring that water soaked my pants.
I reached for her tentatively, cupped her face, and stroked my thumb
along the curve of her cheek. There was no way she was real, and yet, her
skin was silky soft under my palm.
“Consent isn’t a one-time deal. You say ‘stop’ and I stop, understand?”
She nodded again, unable to form words. Her skin was on fire. The
heat-induced fever burned hot and incessant. I doubted she’d even felt the
steamy water she’d been under all this time. “Okay,” she murmured.
Wrapping my hand around her wrist, I pulled her fingers out of her
soaked center. I dipped my head, maintaining eye contact the whole time,
and brought them to my mouth. My lips closed around them, and I sucked,
cleaning them with my tongue.
Her gasp was like a physical caress squeezing my balls in the best way
possible. This was about her, not me, but damn if I wouldn’t enjoy every
second of having this alluring creature in my hands.
“You taste just like your scent—sweet berries and honey. Gods, you’re
delicious.” I pressed one of my fingers to her mouth. “Suck.”
Lips parting, she let me slide my fingertip into her mouth. I pushed
deeper, groaning at the silky feel of her tongue teasing my flesh.
Thoroughly wet, I freed it and ran it up the length of her slit. If I’d thought
her tongue was silk, her pretty little pussy was pure velvet.
“You’re so wet for me.” I teased her clit, circling the little pleasure
center and making her back arch. I skirted the nub, refusing to give her
what she wanted. Yet.
Instead, I traced the edge of her opening and when I was sure she was
ready, I plunged inside.
“Is that what you need?” I purred.
“No… I mean yes, but just… more!” Her hands clawed at the tile below
her.
 I chuckled as her walls fluttered around me, then thrust a second finger
inside her, knowing she could take it. Her need was explosive, and her sex
convulsed.
“That’s it, milk my fingers. Take what you need.”
She rocked into my hand, and I curled my fingers just right, hitting that
sweet spot inside her. I reveled in the long, low, sexy moan she rewarded
me with. The sweet melody echoed off the tile. Thrusting my fingers just
right, I finally brought my thumb to her clit, adding pressure and sensation
where she needed it most.
“Fuck. Yesss…” she panted, rocking into my touch faster. “You smell so
good,” she admitted, and damn if I didn’t puff up knowing my scent did it
for her.
“Ah, Honey,” I praised, my thumb circling faster. Her body tensed and
coiled tighter with each moan and mewl, spiraling higher, hurtling toward
the release she desperately needed. “Come for me,” I ordered, putting a
little extra growl, a little extra dominance, into the command.
She sucked in a sharp breath, her pussy spasming violently. The sounds
that came from her were pure need.
Detonating for me, her back bowed and her lips parted as she moaned
out her release. Her sex clenched tight around my fingers, pulsing so hard I
let out a string of curses.
What would she feel like coming on my cock instead of my fingers? I
desperately wanted to find out.
Keep it together, man.
I ran through my typical workout in my head to keep my dick in order.
The last thing I needed was to come in my pants like a teenager with his
first hard-on.
“What a good little Omega,” I purred as she softened, her muscles
relaxing, a little more of the green visible in her eyes now that she’d sated
the heat for a few minutes. With one last stroke, eliciting another beautiful
aftershock that caused her to shiver, I slid my fingers free and sucked them
clean with a satisfied hum.
She watched me, panting, awareness creeping back into her wide gaze.
I eased back so she felt safe, hoping she didn’t regret what just went
down between us. The trust, however tentative, however temporary, had
been a gift, and I found myself wanting to help her with whatever she
needed. Now that her sexual need was taken care of for the moment, I
wanted to find out where she’d come from and find a way to help her.
Because her heat wasn’t over. It was just beginning, and that complicated
things.
“Alright, Honey. We don’t have a lot of time before the heat rises
again,” I said, grabbing a towel off a nearby shelf and holding it out to her.
“Let’s get you out of there, then I think we need to talk.”
six
DEMI
MY GAZE WAS RIVETED to Leo’s mouth as he sucked my essence off
his fingers. Holy shit. Watching this handsome man taste me was the single
most erotic thing I’d ever experienced in my life. Having his fingers buried
inside me had been a very, very close second. The fire burning under my
skin was barely sated. The heat in my cheeks could probably cook an egg,
but the overwhelming need to come had abated for the moment. Thanks to
the most powerful orgasm of my life, my thoughts were clearing.
Had I really just let a complete stranger finger me in the shower of a
gym I’d broken into? Had I really begged him to help me? Oh gods. How
was this my life?
At least he was a Beta. He’s safe. I’m safe.
I waited for regret to creep in, but with each heartbeat that passed, it
never came. I’d needed help, and he’d been kind enough to give me an
assist. Relief was sharp and sweet. Still, I couldn’t stop wariness from
rising. In my experience, men didn’t please a woman without wanting
reciprocation.
Logically, I knew not all men were assholes, but I was riddled with
anxious anticipation that at any moment he’d shove his hand into my hair,
whip his cock out, and shove it into my mouth, demanding I suck him off
the way Anton had done on more occasions than I could count.
Instead, Leo backed up, giving me space. “Alright, Honey. We don’t
have a lot of time before the heat rises again.” Pulling a towel off a little
shelf, he held it out, offering me my modesty back. “Let’s get you out of
there, then I think we need to talk.”
If my face wasn’t already flushed, it would’ve been rosy from sheepish
embarrassment as I took the towel and wrapped it around my body,
belatedly remembering I was stark naked. Leo watched, and I swore I saw a
flash of disappointment flash across his face when I covered up.
The towel was rough against my skin, and an unintentional whine
slipped out. The sensation was all wrong, the texture too much on my
oversensitive flesh. It didn’t feel right, and if it wasn’t for the weird
situation I was in, I would've tossed it right back off.
 Leo winced. “I’m sorry. It’s the only kind I have here, but I’ll make a
note to get softer towels in the future.”
“You get a lot of needy Omegas breaking into your gym?” I was going
for a lighthearted tease, but I ruined it with a wince. Probably shouldn’t
remind him of my breaking and entering. Attention from the police was the
last thing I needed.
If they’re not already looking for you.
The reminder of Anton bleeding on the kitchen floor was enough to
send a fresh wave of fear through me, and I pressed back into the shower
stall, my back meeting the smooth tile.
Leo sensed the immediate change. “Hey. I don’t know where you just
went”—he held his hands out soothingly, backing up a few extra steps
—“but you don’t need to be afraid of me,” he promised.
For some reason, I believed him, but that didn’t change the absolute
shitshow today had been. I couldn’t escape the fear building in my chest.
He deserved an explanation. “I’m sorry,” I choked out. “I’m not afraid
of you.” I truly wasn’t. “You seem like a nice guy. I just—I’ve had a bad
day.”
Gods, that’s such an understatement. Everything inside me told me to
run, but already, the heat was clawing its way back to the surface. How long
did I have to find somewhere else to hide?
Not long enough.
Leo was my safest option, and I knew it.
“You want to tell me about it?” he offered, tilting his head slightly and
studying me like I was a puzzle he couldn’t quite piece together. Brown
wavy hair curled around his backward ballcap, his thick eyebrows framing
the most beautiful pair of greyish-blue eyes I’d ever seen. Short facial hair
covered his jawline and upper lip. He was ruggedly handsome, but there
was kindness in his eyes and the set of his lips made him look like he
always wore a slight smile. The man was absolutely beautiful, and there
was a part of me that wanted to open up and unburden.
But it wasn’t safe. So, I shook my head. “Not really.” The answer was
barely more than a squeak.
“Fair enough.” He smiled softly, accepting my need to keep my cards
close to the vest. He didn’t press for answers or try to invade my privacy.
He was too nice, and suddenly I felt awful for dragging all my problems
into his life.
 “It’s not,” I murmured. “I know it’s not fair. You’ve done nothing but
help me, but I-I—”
“Shh. It’s okay. You’re okay,” he soothed. “When you’re ready to talk,
I’ll be ready to listen, okay?”
I nodded, and it must have been enough.
“In the meantime, I have a phone in my pocket. I’d like to call my pack
and get us some help, okay?”
Tears built behind my eyes. This whole situation was impossible.
Already the itch for another release was building beneath my skin, making
me restless. My clit throbbed and I was overly aware of the slick coating
my thighs. “Please don’t.”
“Honey, you can’t go through this alone, alright? You admitted you’ve
never been through a heat before. Do you know what to expect?”
“I know it’ll hurt.…” Worse, because of the drug, but he didn’t need to
know about that. Telling him about the Anoravel would only open a line of
questions that would lead back to Anton.
“For right now, an orgasm will help get you through, but in a few hours,
that won’t be enough. You’ll be insatiable for days, and you’ll be craving a
knot to fill you. Soon, the heat won’t ease without one, which means you’ll
be in a mindless amount of pain that I, as a Beta, won’t be able to help take
away.”
“I can survive it,” I told him, forcing more surety into my voice than I
felt.
Leo’s eyes softened further. They were gentle, fluffy storm clouds I
wanted to fall into. “I know you’d like to think so, but sheer will won’t get
you through this. If you’re uncomfortable with me calling for my pack, I
could try to reach someone at the Omega Matching Agency? Or maybe one
of the crisis centers would be better?”
“No!” I lurched forward, surprising him as much as myself. In my haste,
I tripped on the small ledge of the shower and flailed forward.
Leo moved quickly and strong arms came around me. He caught me
easily, hauling me into the safety of his body. I buried my nose into his
chest and inhaled deeply, dragging more of his intoxicating scent into my
lungs. He may only be a Beta but he smelled like warm apple pie full of
cinnamon and vanilla. It was comfort in the middle of fall, a warm blanket
to ward off the chill in the air, the first flicker of a fire in the hearth. I
wanted to roll around in the scent and found myself relaxing into him.
 Someone should bottle his signature and sell it as a candle, it was that
good.
He chuckled. “That good, huh?”
“Oh shit. I said that out loud?”
“You did, but I don’t mind. If you think I smell good, I’d love to see
how you react to my packmates. And I have a feeling your scent would
knock them all on their asses.”
I peered up at him, getting lost in his stormy gaze. “I’m scared,” I
admitted so softly, I wasn’t sure he’d be able to hear it.
“I want to delve into what’s got you running scared, but I have a feeling
you’re not ready to tell me. But if the way you’re perfuming is any
indication, we’re running out of time. I won’t call the OMA or the crisis
center, but that only leaves my pack.” I shivered and Leo stroked a hand
down my spine, instinctively giving me the comfort I needed as he
continued, “They’re Alphas, but they would never hurt you. I swear on my
life they won’t lay a single finger on you without your permission, and I
really think they’ll be able to help. Eli is a doctor, and it’s possible he may
be able to get you something to stop your heat. Will you trust me?”
I’m pretty sure I stopped breathing. “Stop my heat? There’s medication
that can do that?” Of course there is. If there was medication to force a heat,
there had to be something to stop it. Hope blazed to life, and I grasped onto
it like it was a lifeline and I was drowning.
“I’m not making promises, but let me see what I can do.” His phone
was in his hand now, and he looked at me for confirmation.
That he put the decision in my hands made all the difference. He’d
given me choices and refused to steal the small amount of power I still held.
Anton, Huck, and Reed had never once empowered me. They’d beaten me
down, made me feel small. In one interaction with Leo, I knew he was
different. If he was a taste of what his pack was like, I had to take the
chance.
My options were limited, and Leo was offering me a chance to make it
out of this heat unscathed. It was more than I could’ve hoped for and more
than I deserved given the sin I’d committed.
Gazing up at him, I swallowed and nodded. Relief glimmered in his
eyes like rain on glass. Letting me go, he moved away, furiously typing a
message on his phone before making a call all while I wrapped my arms
around my stomach, holding myself together. It was inherently selfish of me
to take their help when they didn’t know what I’d done, but the words to tell
him I’d changed my mind stuck in my throat and refused to budge.
Stop your heat and then you can run again. I crossed my fingers and
hoped like hell I wouldn’t bring trouble to their door in the meantime.
Or more trouble to my own. Please don’t regret this. It was the last
thought I had before another agonizing cramp rocketed through me.
seven
HADES
“THE FUCK?” I stared at the message from Leo that just pinged through
our pack’s group chat.
Leo: 911. I’ve got a little problem at the gym. If I call, you
better answer.
Jamison: What’s going on?
Knox: You need backup?
Thane: Not cool. You can’t just drop vague shit like that and
not expect us to worry.
Hades: …

My phone rang and I swiped the call to answer it immediately.

“What’s going on?” I snapped, forgoing my usual “‘sup?”
“You’re never going to believe me,” he said quietly into the phone. “I
need you to do me a favor without questioning anything.”
“Are you seriously not going to tell me what the fuck is happening?” It
was unlike Leo to be secretive. The guy was an open book, especially with
me. We’d known each other since we were children. He was my brother in
every way except blood, and we told each other everything.
All that aside, I was part owner in the gym, and if there was something
wrong, I should know about it.
“There’s an Omega in the gym,” he told me without pretense.
“Stop fucking with me and tell me what’s really going on.” I shook my
head, going back to what I’d been doing before he’d interrupted me. If he
wasn’t going to take this seriously, neither was I.
Thane had given me a list a mile fucking long of things he needed from
the grocery store for the recipes he intended to create this weekend. I
couldn’t cook for shit, but shopping was an easy enough way to contribute.
I looked a little ridiculous pushing the small cart around the store. Between
my size and my tattoos, more than one woman gaped whenever I walked
through the produce section. Like the Beta I’d just passed who’d clearly
checked out my ass. A smirk tugged up the corner of my mouth. I worked
hard enough at the gym that I appreciated being appreciated.
 The scent of her arousal permeated the air. She smelled good enough,
like overly sweet grapes and fresh cut grass. It didn’t do it for me, but if I
wanted a quick lay, her scent made her a tolerable choice. That made me
sound like an ass, but I was realistic. I’d never settle down with a Beta
when every fiber of my being craved an Omega.
That’s why Leo’s joke was off-putting. As the years passed, it was
getting harder to deny what I wanted. A sweet little Omega in my bed. The
need to sink knot deep in a woman I could call my own was a fantasy that
was becoming difficult to escape at night. I woke up every damn morning
hard as stone from the faceless, scentless Omega that plagued my dreams. I
couldn’t picture her, but I couldn’t get the idea of her out of my fucking
head.
“I’m serious, Hades,” he said, mirthlessly.
I almost tripped over my feet. “You’re serious?”
“As a heart attack.”
“Fuck!” The surprised yell slipped out louder than I’d meant, startling
and offending a little old lady standing at the banana stand. “Sorry,” I
muttered to her as she grabbed a bunch and placed them in her cart, all
while staring me down like she wanted to wash my mouth out with soap.
I wasn’t cowed by a grandma in glasses, but Maverick Falls was a small
enough town situated outside the larger city of Serenity Valley, and while I
might look scary as fuck, I tried not to be perceived that way unless it was
necessary—especially to women.
“There’s more,” Leo explained. “She’s in heat, Hades, and she’s alone.”
“You’ve got to be godsdamn kidding me.” The grandma narrowed her
eyes and glared as she pushed her cart away. I would’ve laughed at the
picture we made if not otherwise distracted. “Where the fuck did she come
from?”
“Later. I need you to do something. I called Rita and she’s on her way
back to The Lusty Leopard. I need you to go and pick out a few things to
help get her through—”
“You want me to go to a sex shop?” I whispered harshly, turning my
face into the damn phone.
“Yeah, I do. You need to get a few knotting toys, whatever you can find.
I didn’t tell Rita why I needed the shop open, only that it was an emergency,
and I think it’s best we keep this on the down-low if we can. The little
Omega is skittish. I barely got her to agree to let me call you guys.”
 I was already moving, abandoning the cart of groceries and beelining it
for the parking lot. “Do the others know yet?”
“You were my first call. Eli is my next. She needs a doctor.”
Anger rose swiftly. “Is she hurt?”
“She’s—” He hesitated. “She’s definitely been through something.”
I hadn’t even met the woman and already I felt protective of her. “I’m
on my way. Call Eli. He’s on shift, and I doubt he’s seen your message, but
he’ll call in a replacement for this. Page him if you need to. And Leo?”
“Hmm?”
“Make Jamison the call directly after. He needs to know.” While Leo
was a Beta, the rest of us were Alphas, and Jamison was the natural leader
of our pack. The Alpha in him was going to be pissed he wasn’t the first
person to find out what was going on, but the rational part of him would
understand why Leo called me beforehand.
Jamison owned a bar and Thane ran a restaurant. Neither of them could
duck out quickly. I was off shift and available. And it was understandable
why Eli would be his next call, given his medical training. The guy was
brilliant. He’d just finished his residency and had immediately been hired as
an ER doctor at Maverick General. Knox was the last of us, but if the girl
was a flight risk, I understood why he hadn’t been Leo’s first call.
A pained wail sounded through the phone, and Leo cursed quietly. “Get
here fast, man.”
“On my way.” I hung up, swung into my truck, and took off like a bat
out of hell to the other side of town.

I was surrounded on all sides by bulbous, pink and purple objects that
whirled, twirled, thrust, and vibrated. Hell, some said they had suction.
No wonder women like to joke that they don’t need men.…
They fucking didn’t if these things did even half of what they promised
—helping women find that perfect O.
Rita stared at me as though I was an alien from another planet. Fucking
felt like one too. This rainbow-colored silicon world was uncharted territory
for a guy like me. I never minded using sex toys in the bedroom, but I
couldn’t say I’d ever bought one for a woman before.
 First time for everything.
“Perhaps it would help if I knew what you were looking for?” Rita
offered helpfully, still looking a little awestruck that I was in her shop
nearing midnight for a… sex emergency. Before tonight, I would’ve
laughed at the idea, but an Omega in trouble wasn’t a laughing matter.
Heats were painful for Omegas if they weren’t tended to properly. The
idea didn’t sit well with me. Omegas were meant to be cherished and cared
for, not left to fend for themselves and see themselves through an
unfulfilled, agonizing heat.
The thought of the woman I’d heard whimpering on the other end of the
line had me swallowing my pride and striding deeper into the shop to where
Rita stood behind a hot-pink countertop.
“We’ve got a situation, and I could really use your help.”
Rita was an Alpha with an Omega of her own. With her wild, curly red
hair and fiery attitude to match, she was known for shaking things up in our
sleepy little town, and yet, she raised a brow at me like I was the trouble
maker. “What kind of help are we talking about?”
She looked so godsdamn wary, I almost laughed.
“Nothing inappropriate.” My lips pressed into a tight line as I decided
how much to reveal. Leo wanted the little Omega kept a secret, and while I
wanted privacy in this matter, we needed the help only someone like Rita
could provide. “I need some toys that can simulate an Alpha’s knot.”
If it were possible, her brows rose higher.
“Pretty sure you have one of those yourself.” She eyed my junk and it
was my turn to level her with an arched brow.
“You kink-shaming me for wanting a toy?”
She scoffed. “The hell I am. Of course not. You know I’m the only
female Alpha in my pack and that we have a female Omega of our own. I
know a thing or two about fake knots.” She used her leopard-print pen with
a fluffy thing on the end to point at me, waving it around like a magic wand.
“But there’s more to this story that you’re not telling me. Leo dragged me
away from my warm bed with my hot-as-fuck Omega to open the shop for
an emergency, so start talking Hades.”
I sighed. Truth was, I had very little information to go off of, but she
was right. We needed her expertise, so I trusted my gut which said Rita was
loyal and would keep her mouth shut. “This stays between us,” I warned,
adding just enough grit that she understood the severity.
 “Girl Scout’s honor.” She held up her hand.
“It’s possible we’re helping an Omega ride out her heat. The situation
is… unique. We don’t want her to feel like she needs us to, you know, touch
her… fuck her… if she’s not comfortable with it.”
“You’re courting an Omega?” she gasped. “How have I not heard about
this? Rylee is going to be thrilled to have another Omega in town.”
“Slow down. You’re getting ahead of yourself. It’s not like that.” I
realized immediately that I’d said too much.
Rita narrowed her eyes. “Wait…” She knew as well as I did that an
Omega wouldn’t be with a pack unless they were courting her. The OMA
had strict policies, and Omegas were kept on heat suppressants if they were
of age and unclaimed. She drew her own conclusions from the pieces of the
story she had and realization dawned in her gaze. “Is she okay?”
“You know about as much as I do now. But as long as she’s with us,
she’s safe. You know us well enough to know we’d never touch a godsdamn
hair on her head without her permission, but she’s going to need help,
which is why I’m here.” I motioned to the store around me, side-eyeing a
dildo that looked like a fucking tentacle.
“Your secret’s safe with me. Come on, I’ve got just what you need.”
I followed her around the store as she thrust a variety of dildos,
vibrators, and inflatable knots into my waiting arms.
“This one is pretty great. You can control the settings with a remote,
giving her an orgasm and a knot without ever laying a hand on her. Giving
up that control while still maintaining her personal space might be exactly
what she needs.”
“We’ll take it,” I grunted, and she added it on top of the pile.
“That should do it, but if you need anything else, you have my number.
Don’t hesitate to call me.”
I trailed her to the cash register, grabbing a soft, fluffy robe I saw
hanging on a clothing rack before dumping it all on the counter. I paid for
everything, in a hurry to get out of there and to the gym.
“Good luck,” she called after me as I nearly jogged from the store with
two leopard-print bags in hand, sure she was highly amused by the sight.
I shook my head and called over my shoulder, “Thanks. We’re gonna
need it.”
eight
JAMISON
I’D BEEN GOING out of my mind since I’d hung up with Thane, pacing
the length of my office before I finally said ‘fuck it’ and put Belinda in
charge of the bar for the rest of the night. As my assistant manager, she was
more than capable of handling the responsibility, and while she’d been
stunned, she’d agreed whole-heartedly and shooed me out the door.
The Alpha in me liked control and usually lacked the ability to delegate.
I couldn’t remember a time I’d left early, but dammit, what was the point of
owning a business if you couldn’t enjoy the power that came with being the
boss once in a while?
The little Omega with the green eyes had been haunting me since she’d
run off, and I’d spent the time after leaving the bar driving around aimlessly
looking for her like a godsdamn stalker.
You’re going to terrorize the poor thing if you ever find her.
I knew that voice in my head was right, but I couldn’t help myself. I
was drawn to her, like a moth to a flame. Her signature already ingrained
itself on me. I had to see her again. Had to scent her again and test the
theory that’d been building since she’d run into me on the sidewalk.
It was a primal urge I couldn’t ignore.
I drove through the quiet streets, my thoughts consumed with her. The
way she looked up at me with those big green eyes, the way she’d trembled.
The desire to protect her was as strong as my need for another hit of her
scent. It hung faintly to my clothes and drove me insane knowing she was
out here somewhere. If another Alpha gets a whiff of her…
A low growl ripped from my throat.
I pulled up to a stoplight, continuously glancing out the windows trying
to find her. Instead, I caught sight of the car next to me. The driver was a
beautiful blonde Beta with piercing blue eyes. She smiled sweetly and gave
me a flirty wave, but I turned away sharply, uninterested. All I could think
about was the Omega. I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts, but it
was useless.
She had me under a spell, and I was powerless to resist.
 Just then, my phone dinged, and I glanced down to see an urgent
message from Leo. Reaching the next stoplight, I texted back.

Jamison: What’s going on?

I waited impatiently, and when he didn’t respond to the chain, I gritted

my teeth and made a sharp left. Turning the car around, I headed across
town using a different sidestreet so I could continue to look for the Omega
on my way.
What the fuck is going on tonight? Mercury must be in retrograde or
some shit. This day just kept on giving.
The gym was dark when I arrived outside, and I killed the lights before
parking in a spot near the back of the lot in case I needed to remain
inconspicuous. I shut the door quietly and dug through my keys for the one
that would open the front door. Everything in the main room looked normal
as I entered, the stench of old sweat and chemical cleaners stinging my
nose. I crept toward the back of the building, peeking in the various rooms,
not finding Leo anywhere.
Where are you? Anxiety kicked up a notch when he wasn’t in the office.
Something was wrong.
A soft glow radiated from the women’s locker room, and I narrowed my
eyes. Pushing the door open, prepared for a fight, I was immediately hit
with the scent of sweet berries and black honey.
Fuuuck. The Omega. Although now that I’d gotten a better dose of her,
I knew that was wrong. She wasn’t just any Omega. She was my Omega.
Her signature was everywhere, thick and delicious. I could drown in
that scent and die a happy man.
I spotted her across the room, wrapped in a towel, writhing in Leo’s
arms. One of his hands was under the towel, working her in slow, sure
strokes. Her grip on his biceps was tight, like she wasn’t sure whether she
wanted to pull him closer or push him away. I watched as her lips parted
with the sweetest moan I’d ever fucking heard.
And that’s when it all clicked—why she’d been in pain, why her scent
was strong enough to bring me to my damn knees, why Leo had sent that
“911.” She was in heat.
Godsdamn.
Every part of me wanted to go to her, but I locked myself in place,
refusing to take a single step. If I got any closer, the control I kept a tight
leash on might snap. My Alpha instincts were in overdrive demanding I
help her, protect her, take her, claim her.
She was perfuming and the fragrance went straight to my dick. A
rumble built in my chest, and I realized I was purring for her. Well, that’s
new.
Her eyes flew open, and she spotted me across the room.
“You,” she whispered in surprise as she realized they were no longer
alone. Her pupils were blown as the scent of my arousal mixed with her
own, affecting her just as much as she affected me.
“Don’t stop on my account,” I purred. “Seems to me you have some
business to finish with my Beta. And trust me, Sweetness. I’m going to
enjoy the show.”
DEMI
A blush rushed through my cheeks, deepening the flush from my heat.
It was the Alpha from earlier. He was watching me with eyes so dark I
could barely see the sapphire that rimmed his pupils. His skin was golden
and his face was even more handsome than I’d been able to see in the dark.
A straight nose, a strong jaw, and a beard so thick I could bury my hands in
it. He had black hair that curled wildly but was somehow tamed—just like
him. Savage, yet controlled.
I could sense just how Alpha he was. I hadn’t met the others in Leo’s
pack, but there was no doubt this man was the leader. Confidence exuded
from him in waves.
And his scent. I inhaled deeply, losing myself in the bonfire and
whiskey undertones. I gasped as my heat rose higher. I burned. A fresh
wave of slick coated Leo’s fingers as I instantly reacted to the Alpha in the
room.
Leo groaned. “She likes the way you smell.”
“I like the way she smells,” Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Fuck-Me growled, and a
wicked grin took over Leo’s face.
“You do?” I couldn’t contain the question. Every part of me yearned to
hear that I had at least a sliver of an impact on him, because his scent had
ripped through me like an F5 tornado—powerful and destructive. It picked
me up and reoriented my life until I didn’t know which way was up or
down. Everything was spinning, swirling, and tumbling. At the same time, I
felt grounded and safe.
I’d never reacted so strongly to an Alpha’s scent, and it scared me as
much as it thrilled me.
Was it the heat talking? Or did he smell this amazing all the time?
“You have no idea. It’s taking every ounce of willpower not to cross this
room, Sweetness. But I think it’s best if I stay right where I am.” There was
tension in his forearms, visible below the rolled sleeves of his button-down.
“I’m trying to be a gentleman, but I’m an Alpha first, and your scent is
fucking divine.”
 “So is yours,” I panted, wishing he’d move closer. There was an
incessant itch under my skin begging for more. More touch. More bliss.
More than fingers that couldn’t quite fill me the way I craved.
“Let Leo help you relax and take the edge off. Every orgasm will help
ease your heat for a few minutes so you don’t feel so out of control.”
Out of control was an understatement. Right now I was careening
toward a cliff with no breaks. The vulnerability was suffocating, but
changing course was impossible. Leo was my parachute, the only chance I
had of survival. I clung to him, unable to let go.
“Don’t think, Honey. Just feel,” Leo commanded. “I’ve got you.”
I whimpered, pulling him closer. Leo’s forehead rested against mine, his
comforting apple-pie scent washing over me with every breath. His small
grunts were so damn sexy, and I couldn’t think with his fingers dragging out
of me only to plunge back in at the perfect angle. Stars sparkled with every
thrust, making the world brighter. Shinier.
Each blissful stroke helped keep the heat from swallowing me whole.
Anton, Huck, and Reed had never touched me like this. Pleasure was
meant for themselves. My needs were always an afterthought if they
remembered to give me an orgasm at all. But the way Leo teased, keeping
the pain at bay, trying to sate the heat until help arrived? The way this
Alpha looked at me as though I was the only woman in the entire world? I
felt… cherished.
I should be embarrassed. Mortified. Ashamed of how wanton I was
acting. I should pull away instead of savoring the way these men watched
me. Having the Alpha witness his Beta getting me off was filthy and
delicious. The illicitness drove me higher, making my pussy clench around
Leo as I moaned.
With the two of them watching, I was going to come again.
“Sweetness, if you keep making sounds like that, I’m not going to be
able to stay on this side of the room.”
My heat clouded out all the reasons I shouldn’t want him to move
closer. A whine broke past my lips, the sound purely Omega, and the mood
changed. “Then don’t,” I challenged.
His muscles were taut, his forearms corded as he clenched and
unclenched his fists, holding himself back. The Alpha in him wanted to take
care of me—in whatever way I needed. “That wouldn’t be wise, Little One.
We don’t want to do anything we think you might regret.”
 He was right, but despite my earlier protests, I knew if an Alpha didn’t
touch me soon, I might combust. Thus far, these men had been respectful
and considerate. Regret was the furthest thing from my mind.
“Alpha,” I whimpered, needing more. Needing him.
Gods, the heat under my skin was at an all-time high. I was on fire, my
arousal all consuming.
“Leo is going to give you what you need, Sweetness. Let go and come
for us.”
I was hot. Too hot. So hot cool water would sizzle on my skin and
evaporate into nothing but steam. Arousal held me hostage, demanding
either pain or pleasure from my body. My head spun. I could barely think.
“Please,” I gasped, grinding onto Leo’s hand. I needed friction. Touch.
Anything. I was close. So damn close. I clenched around Leo’s fingers,
forcing a delicious groan from him.
“Yes, Honey. Just like that. You’re almost there, aren’t you?” he praised.
I’d never been so hungry, so desperate for an orgasm, but I needed it like I
needed my next breath.
That same heat coiled tightly in my belly, and when Leo ground his
palm against my clit, I flew. A scream tore from my throat as searing,
white-hot light exploded behind my eyes. Leo’s unyielding fingers kept up
their quick rhythm, drawing out my release until I was a shuddering mess of
aftershocks.
“Fuuuuck,” an unfamiliar voice said from somewhere beyond. “That’s
hotter than porn.”
My eyes were squeezed shut, and I was terrified to open them and see
judgment on their faces, or worse. Pity. It wasn’t every day you walked in
on an Omega throwing themselves at your packmate.
Slowly, I came back to myself.
Oh gods. I’d practically jumped Leo when the pain hit full force. What
if he hadn’t wanted to help me a second time? What if I’d forced him to—
“Don’t,” Leo said, pulling his fingers from my soaked center gently.
Somehow he seemed to read my mind. “I can see the worry line forming
across your forehead.” Leaning forward, he pressed the smallest kiss to the
furrow between my brows. “I wanted to help. You didn’t make me do
anything. And you have nothing, absolutely nothing, to be ashamed of, do
you hear me?” His free hand cupped my face, thumb stroking over the
curve of my cheekbone.
 Blowing out a breath, my lashes tentatively fluttered open. Sincere
silver-blue eyes stared back at me, waiting for my acknowledgement.
“Okay,” I whispered.
“We’re here to help you, Little One, and that was so fucking beautiful,”
Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Fuck-Me said, his voice deep and sensual.
“You’re beautiful,” a third man gruffly whispered. My attention dragged
toward where another stranger stood in the doorway, and I nearly
swallowed my tongue.
He was huge. His head brushed the top of the doorframe and his
shoulders nearly touched each side. Brown hair faded on the sides and
swept back on the top only made the sharp angles of his face more
pronounced. His body was a tapestry of ink. Tattoos decorated his arms,
neck, and legs. Every inch of skin was covered in a dark array of art.
Piercings glinted in the low light, lining the shell of his ears. I’d never seen
a man like him in real life before. He looked scary and dominant and so
incredibly Alpha.
I wilted against the wall, trying to make myself smaller. If I thought
Anton, Huck, and Reed were powerful Alphas, they had nothing on this
guy.
“Hades won’t hurt you,” Leo promised. “He brought us a few things
that might help.”
“Is he the doctor?” He didn’t look like one, but that would be judging a
book by its cover.
“No, that’s Eli. He’s on shift tonight at the hospital, but hopefully he
will read my texts and get my page soon,” Leo assured me.
I nodded, biting my lip. The heat was already rising, an unbearable itch
that wouldn’t yield. How many minutes had it been? Two? I was still at the
beginning of my heat, and it would only get worse from here. Much worse.
How was I supposed to survive days of this? I’d been so naive to think I
could get through this on my own.
I wrapped my arms around my middle, willing my incessant need to
hold off for a little longer. The towel was incredibly rough against my skin.
Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. I wanted to throw it across the room. Or burn
it. Instead, I forced myself to cling to it and the modicum of modesty I had
left.
“It won’t be long until she’s burning up again. What did you bring?”
Leo asked, crossing to the sink to wash his hands as I curled more tightly
into myself.
Hades hadn’t taken his eyes off of me, but the question seemed to snap
him out of his haze. Standing across the room, I hadn’t gotten a hit of his
scent yet, which was a good thing. If he smelled as wickedly sinful as his
packmates, it might’ve thrown me right back into the thickness of my heat.
Moving slowly, still keeping his distance, he set two leopard-print bags
on the long bench that ran through the room, separating the lockers from the
various changing and bathroom stalls.
Leo peeked inside. “I’m impressed.”
“Don’t be.” Hades shrugged. “Rita helped me pick out most of it, but
she promised she’d stay quiet about everything.”
My secret was getting out of hand. A runaway Omega was unheard of.
Especially one who’d murdered someone. No one knew that yet, but if word
got out about a rogue Omega, it wouldn’t take long for the dots to connect.
My life would be over. I was nothing more than a future story on the five-
o’clock news.
And the worst part was there was nothing I could do about it. Because I
was out of time. Again.
Another cramp nearly split me in half, the relentless pain tearing me in
two. I bent at the waist, crying out. The world spun and I fisted the shower
curtain to try and keep myself upright as dots swam at the edge of my
vision. The world listed and then everything went dark.
nine
HADES
GODSDAMN. The little Omega was beautiful. And she was absolutely
terrified of me. The idea that I frightened her was gutting. Considering all I
wanted to do was scoop her up in my arms and protect her from all the bad
things in the world, I didn’t know what to do except keep my distance. For
now.
Her scent swirled through the steam-filled air. It clung to my skin,
wrapped around my dick, and went straight to my head. The Alpha in me
stood up, wide awake. I wanted her with a fierceness that should’ve scared
me.
I’d been around Omegas before. We all had in some capacity. All
Omegas smelled good, but there’d never been a scent that had grabbed me
by the balls and squeezed so damn lovingly. It felt as though my life had
been turned upside down.
Suddenly, everything revolved around this little dark-haired beauty with
her green eyes and freckle-dusted nose.
I’d never believed in scent harmony before—the idea that you could
find your perfect match by scent alone—but I sure as fuck did now. There
was no describing the power her signature had over me. Jamison felt the
same way. I could tell from the rigid way he held himself to keep from
losing control. Leo, while not affected in quite the same way, wasn’t any
less impacted.
I talked to Leo briefly, never taking my eyes from the girl who,
unknowingly, had stolen most of the air in my lungs. Maybe that’s why I
saw the way her face changed. First with a pinch between her brows, then
as she doubled over, yelping in pain.
I was across the room in three fucking steps, catching her just before
she hit the ground, taking the shower curtain with her. Her body sagged in
my arms, limp and way too still.
Jamison and Leo lurched forward, tension running through them like an
electric current, easing only slightly when they realized I had her.
“What happened?” I growled, hauling her into my chest where she’d be
safe. But I couldn’t protect her from what was happening with her body.
 “It’s got to be the heat,” Leo said, distressed. “I didn’t think it would be
this bad this fast. Isn’t it usually a little slower at the beginning? Almost
like a pre-heat?”
We’d never had an Omega of our own before, but we’d all taken the
necessary classes when we’d registered our pack with the OMA, hoping
we’d be selected to court an Omega.
“Usually,” Jamison answered. “She wasn’t in full-blown heat when I ran
into her earlier.”
“Wait, what?” This was the first I’d heard of it.
I adjusted the unconscious Omega in my arms, holding her closer. Her
scent was a balm to the worry in my chest—smooth, sweet honey and
sugared berries in the middle of summer. Underneath, there were notes of
something deeper, muskier—the first hint of smoke from a campfire.
The urge to bury my nose in the crux of her neck and shoulder and just
breathe her in was like an addict trying to abstain from drinking a frothy
beer that sat right in front of them. The temptation was real.
I wanted to lick her skin, see if she tasted as good as she smelled.
Fuck.
“I ran into her outside the bar. Or the other way around. I didn’t know
she was an Omega at first, but once I got a hit of her scent, I knew. She was
in pain and ran off before I could get her some help. But there’s no way she
was in full-blown heat at the time.”
There was more to that story, but I didn’t press. It wasn’t important right
now.
“Which means it started sometime between then and when I found her
in here,” Leo surmised. “It hasn’t been long. I don’t understand why she’s
suffering this much already.”
“Did you get any information out of her?” Jamison asked.
Leo shook his head. “I don’t know her name or where she came from.
When I found her, she was huddled in the corner of the shower in the
middle of a wave.”
“What do we do?” There was no way I’d leave her. Riding out her heat
in the middle of the fucking gym was a terrible idea. There were no soft
surfaces and there were far too many scents from our patrons—mostly other
Alphas and a few Betas. She would be miserable here. The girl was a
complete mystery to me, but I knew she deserved far more than a botched
heat. No Omega deserved that. And this one was special. The pack would
agree.
Besides, I didn’t think I could put her down even if I wanted to. Fuck
no. If I have my way, I’ll never let her go.
The three of us shared glances.
Jamison nodded. “Grab her things. We’re going to take her home. This
is no place for an Omega.”
“Leo, put a note on the front door closing the gym tomorrow,” I
directed. “We’ll make posts on our social accounts as well. There’s no way
in hell I’m leaving her alone.”
We were all moving, Jamison holding the door for me while Leo
grabbed the Omega’s belongings and duffle bag, throwing the ratty strap
over his shoulder. The shopping bags were next. He followed us out but
ducked into the office while I headed toward the front door.
The night air was fresh and cool, whipping against my skin, but the
Omega in my arms was like my own personal furnace. Skin flushed, cheeks
pink, bow-shaped lips that were slightly parted. She looked like an angel.
“Want to take the truck? Or your car?” There was no question that we
were all cramming into one. We could come back and get whichever we left
behind another day.
“Car,” Jamison hurried toward where he’d parked at the back of the lot,
opening the door before I got there so I could slide into the back easily.
Leo pasted a note on the front door and locked up, jogging to the car
and sliding in beside me.
“She’ll recognize me if she wakes up. I don’t want her freaking out that
she’s been kidnapped or something.”
“I have a feeling she’ll remember me. ‘Cept it’ll be with fear.”
“She’s been frightened all night. Scared of me too. Don’t take it
personally,” Jamison pulled the car onto the road and angled us toward
home.
“Has anyone called Knox?”
“Shit.” Leo scrubbed a hand down his face. “She was so antsy, I didn’t
think it was a good idea to call him to the gym. I was going to text him what
was going on and ask him to change so he doesn’t freak her out, but then
her heat hit again and I didn’t get the chance. Thane doesn’t know either.
And we really need to reach Eli. I’m hoping he’ll have some kind of
suppressant that could help.”
 “Have you ever heard of starting suppressants in the middle of a heat
before? Will that actually work?” I asked quietly, keeping my voice to
barely more than a rumble so as not to startle the resting Omega. She may
have fainted, but it was keeping the pain at bay. Until we could formulate a
plan, or at least get her somewhere more comfortable, I didn’t want to wake
her.
“I don’t know, but Eli would. He’s our best shot at getting her through
this without you guys having to… you know.” Leo turned a little pink.
“Knot her?” Jamison finished, voice deep and rough. Husky.
I swallowed hard, shifting the woman to make sure she wouldn’t feel
exactly what her scent did to me when she woke up. My dick had been hard
from the moment I’d laid eyes on her. Worrying about that added
complication wasn’t something I wanted her to deal with.
“Shouldn’t we bring her straight to the hospital?” If we needed Eli, it
might be our best chance. He’d hear if the three of us walked into his ER.
No matter what emergency he was elbow deep in, we were a pack. A
family. He’d make time to ensure we were all okay and drop everything if
we weren’t—which meant finding a replacement to cover his patients since
he was a damn good doctor and wouldn’t leave anyone high and dry.
I had a feeling finding an unbonded Omega in heat certainly qualified
for a pack emergency. Especially once he got a taste of her scent.
“If she didn’t want me to call the OMA or a crisis center, I doubt she’d
want us to bring her to the hospital,” Leo said. “Something tells me she’s
trying to stay off the grid.”
Jamison glanced in the rearview mirror. He’d been doing that since he
started driving, his attention straying away from the Omega only long
enough to make sure he didn’t crash the damn car on the way home.
“Eyes on the road, man. We’ve got precious cargo,” I warned.
Jamison raised a brow, his gaze flicking to my reflection for a second.
He yielded easily, however. I was right, and he nodded his agreement,
turning back to the empty roads we all knew like the back of our hands.
Sighing, he said, “She’s running from something.”
“Or someone.”
My attention flew to Leo, eyes narrowed. He’d said it quietly because
he knew exactly how I’d react to that statement. And yet, he knew I’d hear
it. “A pack?” I all but growled.
 “I didn’t say anything earlier, but she’s got bruises on her ankle and cuts
on her arms, legs, and feet. Like I said, she’s been through something.”
Jamison cursed under his breath and spent the rest of the drive trying to
reach Eli while Leo called Thane, then Knox. We left the bright lights of
Maverick Falls behind, pulling down a quiet lane until we turned into our
driveway. The woman stirred in my arms while my packmate handled
punching the code into the gate. He navigated through it and parked in front
of the house.
I carefully cradled the woman in my arms and climbed out, not wanting
to jostle her. The night air was cool, but the Vermont mansion welcomed us
with a comforting warmth. Jamison rushed ahead, unlocking the front door
and leading us inside. I carried her across the threshold, automatically
heading towards the living room. With its deep-cushioned couches and
abundance of pillows, it was always the cozy spot to curl up and relax.
Setting her down gently on the plush cream couch overlooking the
entryway, I made sure she was settled comfortably before pulling back. I
tucked her hair behind her ear as I stared down at her. She stirred but didn't
wake, still caught in a state between sleep and consciousness.
A small sigh escaped her lips as she snuggled into the softness of the
cushions. A wave of honey and sweet jam emanated from the Omega, free
from the sour notes that had tainted it when she’d spotted me in the gym. It
was common for an Omega’s scent to shift with their emotions. In that
instance, her fear deepened the sugared berries to something bitter.
Jamison readied a blanket for her while Leo grabbed cold compresses
from the kitchen freezer, placing them on her forehead and cheeks in an
effort to cool her down. They quickly stepped away so as not to crowd her
space but stayed close by in case she needed anything else.
Finally, Eli called us back, and some of the tension in my shoulders
relaxed when he promised he was on his way home.
Now, the only thing to do was wait. And pray she didn’t freak the fuck
out when she woke up in a strange place surrounded by the scent of
multiple Alphas and a Beta.
ten
DEMI
CONSCIOUSNESS CREPT BACK IN SLOWLY. Hot and cold.
Comfortable, yet itchy. Drowning in a myriad of scents that were delicious.
That was the first hint something was terribly, terribly wrong. Or terribly,
terribly right.
Anton, Huck, and Reed didn’t smell anything like the scents
surrounding me, which meant I had to be dreaming. I squirmed, my body
strung tight, as I inhaled deeply, needing more of the mixture of apples,
whiskey, and the sharp, effervescent notes of citrus.
A moan slipped out. Could women have wet dreams? Because I was
positively dripping. My hand trailed south, crawling over the rough texture
of terry cloth on its way to dive between my legs. It wasn’t often that I
pleasured myself. Whenever Anton caught the scent, it put him in the mood.
Having him writhing on top of me wasn’t worth the few minutes of self-
gained pleasure. But I couldn’t seem to stop myself.
“Sweetness,” the deep, rough voice of a man who was not Anton said,
and the soft surface I was lying on dipped.
That was the second hint that something was off. Fear shot through me
like adrenaline, and I realized I wasn’t dreaming at all. My eyes flew open
and I flinched back from the man sitting on the edge of the couch I was on.
“My name is Jamison. Do you remember running into me earlier
tonight?” he asked gently, his dark blue eyes capturing and holding my
green ones.
It all came back. The men I’d run into. Leo. The gym.
“Oh gods.” I covered my face with my hands, bumping into the cool ice
packs they’d placed on my forehead and cheeks. I’d practically melted
them, the water sloshing inside as they jostled. “I’m so sorry,” I hiccuped,
shame raging through me like a wildfire. I’d almost touched myself in front
of them. They’d already seen me orgasm. One of them more than once.
My thighs slammed tighter together, my mortification nearly
suffocating.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Leo interjected, standing nearby,
leaning against the mantle of a beautiful fireplace that was both ornate and
rustic.
I wasn’t in the gym. I sat up slowly, and Jamison held his hands out,
ready to catch me if I swayed.
“Where am I?” Fear and unease crept through me.
“This is our home,” Jamison answered, and it didn’t take a genius to
realize he was in charge here. The others deferred to him.
Most Alpha packs ended up with one member who took the spot of
leader. Anton was that for Pack Silver. Power radiated off of Jamison in
much the same way.
“We thought you’d be more comfortable here. The gym is no place for
an Omega to go through heat,” the giant one added. Hades, if I remembered
correctly. His name fit his appearance.
I pressed deeper into the couch cushions, but nodded, still trying to get
my bearings. I should be terrified to be surrounded by Alphas—by strangers
—but their scents were driving me to distraction. I inhaled deeply, needing
more.
So many smells permeated the house, no doubt from the other members
of their pack, but I focused on the ones that were strongest. The signatures
radiating from the three men surrounding me. I latched onto the newest one
—citrus, specifically oranges. Sweet with a fizzy edge and a splash of
strawberry. It was bubbly and crisp, with just a note of tartness that made
you want to go back for seconds. It reminded me of my favorite drink, a
Sunrise Mimosa. I’d only had it once before, but a girl never forgot her first
taste of champagne, even if it was mixed into a fruity drink.
A fresh wave of heat hit me like a tsunami. I whined and curled into a
ball. Hugging my knees to my chest, I tried to breath through the agony.
Before I knew what was happening, I was being lifted and dragged onto
Jamison’s lap. A large hand soothed over my back, rubbing broad circles.
Normally, I shied away from people touching me, always worried those
caresses would turn brutal, like I was used to. I stiffened at first, then slowly
leaned into the embrace, relaxing into the man holding me. The Omega part
of me preened and basked in the caring attention of this Alpha. Something
in me recognized him—all of them, really—as… safe.
Driven by instinct alone, I buried my nose into his neck and drank down
his warm, whiskey scent. It reminded me of changing leaves, a colorful path
through the forest after the rain, and sitting around a bonfire with a strong
drink and a comfortable blanket.
 “You smell fantastic,” I told him shyly.
Jamison chuckled. “So do you, Little One. Like the sweetest honey and
homemade jam.”
I don’t know what made me do it, but my tongue flicked out and I
licked a line up his neck, suddenly out of my mind to know if he tasted as
good as he smelled.
A shocked breath escaped him, and his arms tightened around me
possessively.
My perfume spilled around us, and I flushed. “S-sorry. I don’t know
what came over me.” I tried to scramble from his lap, but he held tight.
“Don’t.” His hand came up to cup my face and he stroked his thumb
over my skin. “Don’t run from me again. I don’t think my heart can fucking
take it.”
The Omega in me released a whine, calling out to his Alpha, and his
chest started to rumble.
Leo stood straighter, his astonished sight locked on the two of us, and I
heard Hades shift from where he stood behind me.
“Fuck,” Hades swore.
“You’re purring.” Tentatively, I reached out and placed my palm on
Jamison’s chest, sucking in a breath when I felt the vibrations. An Alpha
didn’t purr for just anyone, and the significance wasn’t lost on me.
“All for you, Little One.” He captured my chin and lifted my gaze to
his. “Every atom of my being wants to take care of you. How are you
feeling?”
I bit my lip and chose to tell the truth. “Achy. Needy. Like my skin
doesn’t fit anymore. It’s too tight, and the towel scratches like sandpaper.”
“Here.” Hades stepped forward and reached behind him, lifting his shirt
from the back and pulling it over his head. The swift move was masculine
and sexy as hell, but the sight of his rippling abs had me squirming and
pressing my thighs together.
He was beautiful, all hard muscle and inked definition. The man must
live at the gym to keep in such perfect shape. It told me how broken I was
that my next thought was about how easily he could hurt me.
My chest rose and fell faster as he crossed the space between us. The
sharp spike of arousal dimmed into apprehension. Don’t flinch, don’t flinch,
don’t flinch, I begged myself. Tension stole through me, but I forced myself
to breathe out and relax. This wasn’t my old pack, and these Alphas hadn’t
done anything to sour my trust.
Sensing my wariness, Hades slowed and approached cautiously,
tentatively reaching out and tugging his shirt over my head. Jamison shifted
me gently, helping his packmate dress me by slipping my arms into the
sleeves.
“Now, you can take that towel off,” Hades said, crouching down near
me and tugging on the uncomfortable terry cloth. It fell away as I yanked
the t-shirt into place beneath me. It almost fell to my knees and it was
infinitely more comfortable.
The mountainous man breathed out as my muscles relaxed.
I sighed in relief, buried my nose into the material, and inhaled.
“You like the way I smell, Baby?” he rasped, and the sound went
straight to my clit.
I glanced his way past the fabric I was holding near my nose. “Your
scent reminds me of my favorite drink. A Sunrise Mimosa. It makes me
want to lick you too.” Embarrassment rose sharply. Had I really just said
that out loud? I wanted to pull the neckline of the shirt over my head and
hide like a freakin’ turtle.
Leo chuckled, and Hades grinned. That smile was devastating. My
stomach flipped. I dropped the shirt back into place and fidgeted with the
hem instead.
“Trust me, Baby,” Hades growled. “The feeling is mutual.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I dipped my head shyly, resisting
the urge to lean in and drag more of his scent into my lungs.
“He bought you a couple things that might help.” Leo offered me the
bags, but it was Hades who took them from his hands.
I wasn’t sure what to make of the leopard print. The golden skin of his
cheeks turned pink as he handed one of the bags to me, and I was instantly
intrigued. That color on such a massive man almost made me laugh, but I
groaned instead as the cramping in my lower abdomen contracted once
more.
Gritting my teeth to ride out the pain, I peeked inside.
“You might already have something similar, but we thought it would be
a good idea in case you wanted to use one.” Hades rushed the words
together, rubbing a hand along the back of his neck as I stared at the
contents.
 I blinked, and if it were possible, flushed hotter. “You bought me sex
toys?”
“Sweetness, none of us were going to be presumptuous enough to
assume you’d want to have sex with us, but since sex is a mandatory part of
going through heat, we thought these would give you options,” Jamison
explained. “While any of us are happy to help see you through, we don’t
want you to have to do something you’d regret simply to survive.”
“That was”—I sniffed, suddenly overcome with emotion—“really sweet
of you.” No one had ever done something so thoughtful. It spoke to the
character of these Alphas that they wouldn’t assume they had a right to my
body.
In many ways, they did. They held leverage, first with my breaking and
entering, and second with the fact that they’d found me and hadn’t reported
me. I owed them, and even if I didn’t, since I was unbound and hadn’t
shared the fact that I was being courted by another pack, they had every
right to claim me for this heat.
This small gesture confirmed everything my instincts were already
screaming at me. These men were different.
“Honey, if you think us buying you sex toys is sweet, spoiling you is
going to be easy,” Leo interjected with a crooked smile.
“I wouldn’t know.” I shrugged, unable to make eye contact. “No one
has given me gifts in a really long time.” My voice was soft, but the low
tone couldn’t hide the note of sadness.
It was silly, but Omegas were notoriously known for loving gifts. They
didn’t have to be extravagant or expensive, but to an Omega, even small
gifts validated love, and biologically speaking, showed them a pack could
care and provide for an Omega and any children they eventually had.
Hades growled a sound of pure displeasure, and my gaze snapped up in
time to see his warm brown eyes flash with anger.
I whimpered and shrunk into Jamison.
“Shhh.” His hand resumed its circular motion on my back. “He isn’t
mad at you.”
“He sounds mad.”
“Fuck.” Hades jolted to his feet and took several long strides away.
When he turned back toward me, his face was stricken. “Jamison’s right.
I’m not mad at you, Baby. I’m”—he swallowed—“I’m fucking pissed
you’ve never been treated like the goddess you are. It’s obvious you’re on
the run, and the idea that you’ve been mistreated makes me see fuckin’
red.”
His fists were clenched, the muscles in his jaw jumping.
I didn’t know what to say, but I couldn’t speak anyway. Another cramp
wracked me, and I practically folded in half in Jamison’s arms.
“Oh my fuck, that hurts,” I cried, tears blurring my vision. I clawed at
my ovaries, begging for them to stop self-destructing. They felt like they
were twisting themselves into oblivion. Unintelligible whimpers fell from
my lips.
The men went into motion all around me, and before I knew it,
packaging lay in tatters on the ground.
“Rita said this one might be best. It, uh, apparently has an inflatable
knot and can be controlled remotely.” Hades held up a remote control and
waggled it. It looked small in his big fingers.
“What do you say, Sweetness?” Jamison held up a U-shaped pink
vibrator One side was a smooth phallus shape while the other was
obviously a clit stimulator. I could see the soft bulbous section where a knot
would inflate with the press of a button.
The idea of being filled made me gush and my head spun with pure
need.
“Need it,” I gasped. “Please!”
The pain wouldn’t end, and I was growing dizzy again.
“Would you like us to help you to the bathroom?” Jamison offered like a
gentleman.
The shameless part of me wanted to ask him to do the honors, but I
wasn’t that far gone yet. Some of my dignity was still intact, and it would
be nice to keep it that way for as long as possible. I nodded. “Please.”
He helped me stand, and Leo led the way down the hall. Reaching
inside the bathroom, he flipped the light on for me.
“Thanks.” I blushed and slipped past him.
The three of them stood on the other side, and Hades held out the toy. I
took it, turning into an absolute lobster. If I got any redder, I’d be the same
shade as the crimson silicon.
“We’ll be in the living room. If you need anything, just holler,” Leo told
me.
“Okay,” I squeaked in embarrassment and closed the door softly. It held
me up as I leaned against it and buried my heated face in my hands, still
gripping the sex toy.
What are you doing, Demi? This wasn’t the plan. It was true, but I also
didn’t have a better one.
Blowing out a slow, steadying breath, I used the facilities quickly and
then looked in the mirror.
“Not quite as red as a lobster but it’s close,” I murmured, noticing how
my freckles stood out in stark relief against the rosy hue of my skin. My
eyes were pinched, my features pained.
I’d been breathing through the agony, but I needed another orgasm to
take the edge off. The doctor will be here soon. Then, this nightmare will be
over.
Biting my lip, I inserted the toy, unable to hold back a soft moan as it hit
all the sensitive spots inside of me. I was so wet it slid in easily. My
muscles stretched to accommodate the width and girth. It wasn’t huge, but
it’d been a while since I’d had sex, and I definitely felt the size.
Standing upright, I let myself adjust to the feeling of being full. The toy
was one that could be left in, and given that I had zero thigh gap, it seemed
like it would stay in place as long as I didn’t go practicing yoga anytime
soon.
The girth inside me felt incredible and helped cure the overwhelming
itch for an Alpha. But it wasn’t enough. I still needed more.
You need to get off. Again.
I fumbled along the smooth surface, looking for the button that would
turn on the vibrations, squirming in frustration when I couldn’t find it.
Dammit, I should have studied the thing before I pushed it home.
The remote.…
If the pain of heat didn’t kill me, the embarrassment of this entire
situation would. I waddled out of the bathroom, feeling ridiculous. I kept
my thighs pressed together, walking like I had a dress cinching my legs
closed.
I stood at the entrance of the living room and the men’s soft murmurs
ceased as all eyes locked on me.
“Everything alright, Sweetness?” Jamison asked, drinking in the sight of
my bare legs as I crossed them.
I mewled at the extra pressure that created.
“I—um—could use some help.”
 Leo smiled encouragingly, though his cheeks went a little pink. “Of
course. Anything. What do you need?”
I glanced toward Hades and the small remote in his hand.
His brows furrowed like he hadn’t expected me to glance his way.
“Baby?” he murmured, not catching on to what I wanted.
My fingers curled into the molding of the doorframe, holding on for
dear life. Then again, if the earth wanted to open up a sinkhole to swallow
me whole right about now, I wouldn’t protest the small mercy.
“Can you—” Deep dark woods of Kentucky, am I really going to ask for
this? “Could you, um, turn it on?” Yes, apparently I was.
eleven
ELI
I JUMPED out of the car the second I pulled into the drive and parked
behind Jamison’s sedan. Grabbing my medical bag, I raced for the front
door, hoping the guys had left it unlocked so I didn’t have to fumble for my
keys.
My heart hadn’t stopped pounding since I’d left the trauma bay only to
dig my phone from my pocket to see Leo’s “911” text. My heart nearly
dropped out of my body from the thirty-seven missed calls. I’d thought
something had happened to one of my pack brothers until I listened to the
slew of voicemails and finally called Jamison to figure out what the hell
was going on.
An Omega in heat? On her own in the middle of Maverick Falls? What
were the odds?
The Alpha inside had been riding me hard since I’d gotten the news,
wanting nothing more than to race home and see the woman for myself, but
it had taken time to extract myself from the hospital. Luckily, I was part of
the Maverick Falls emergency response team, and as such, I’d been able to
call in a replacement to cover the rest of my shift in the ER before rushing
off to help my pack with their unexpected visitor under the guise of
receiving an emergency call. An unbonded Omega definitely qualified.
I threw the door open and froze. The scent of berries dripping in honey
warped around me and I emitted a purely sexual groan.
“Good gods,” I whispered, my eyes nearly rolling back in my head. In
an instant, my cock was as hard as a rock, which wasn’t a good thing since
scrubs didn’t hide much.
The Omega gasped, and finally my eyes locked on her. She was
standing at the entrance into the living room, holding onto the wall as if her
life depended on it. Her legs were pressed together and she was practically
naked except for a long dark t-shirt that belonged to Hades. Lucky bastard. I
had the sudden overwhelming urge to see her dressed in one of my button-
downs—and nothing else.
She was beautiful with her wild brown hair that seemed to wave
naturally, and green eyes the color of a mossy forest. Her lips were shaped
like a bow, round, plump, and utterly kissable. They were the kind of lips I
could imagine doing a million dirty deeds—cursing, kissing, wrapping
themselves around my cock.
I shut those thoughts down quickly. The last thing the Omega needed
was for me to turn into a total horn dog. I was a professional first and
foremost, and I held onto the reminder that she needed a doctor more than a
rock-hard Alpha right now.
Her dark lashes fluttered shut, and something buzzed. I felt more than
heard the tiny mewl that left her lips. It stroked my cock and tightened my
balls. I knew nothing about this woman other than she was beautiful and
needed our help, but her sweet, honeyed signature told me the most
important thing—we were a perfect scent match.
I wanted to know everything there was to know about her.
In time, Eli. Don’t frighten the sweet thing off before you even get the
chance to meet her.
“Oh fuck,” she whined, shifting on her feet and angling toward the wall
she was clinging to. Perfectly white teeth bit into her lower lip as she held
back another moan and her toes curled.
It finally dawned on me what that buzz was, and I inhaled sharply only
to be inundated with another fresh dose of her heady scent as she rode the
crashing wave of an orgasm.
Her body shuttered, then sagged, and her eyes popped open. A deep
flush stained her cheeks and her gaze was drawn to my own like a magnet.
“Eli?” she asked, her voice as sweet as her scent. The sound of my
name on her lips almost made me come in my damn pants.
Her eyes were wide as she drank me in, starting from my slicked-back
brown hair, amber-brown eyes, and down the crisp lines of my blue scrubs
and white lab coat.
“At your service,” I rasped, then shook my head and cleared my throat.
“I mean, yes, that’s me.”
Jamison hid a smile behind his hand as Leo chuckled quietly. Hades was
still staring at the woman like she’d given him a precious gift and then I
noticed the remote in his hand. His thumb was hovering over the buttons,
and it all clicked.
“The sex toy was a smart idea,” I praised, unsure which of my pack
brothers was responsible for thinking that far ahead.
 “It was.” She squirmed in place, looking uncomfortable, and I could
smell her slick, the scent of her arousal thick in the air. “But I’ll admit, this
is the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to me, and that includes
the time I showed up at my friend’s pool party and realized I forgot to put
my bikini top on. I flashed the entire pool and ran home in complete
mortification. I never thought anything would top that level of shame until
today,” she rambled, burying her face in her hands. “And I don’t know why
I just told you that.”
I barely stopped myself from crossing to her and lifting her chin.
“There’s nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed by. Heats can be
unpredictable, especially if it’s your first one.” I cocked my head, studying
her for a reaction, trying to gauge if my prediction was correct. The woman
couldn’t be very old, early twenties at most. Given her unpreparedness and
lack of a pack, my suspicions said this was her first.
She tucked her hair behind her ear. “Can you stop it?” she questioned
instead of confirming my hunch.
“Why don’t you come sit down, and we can talk while I give you a
quick check-up, if you don’t mind?” I held up my bag and then moved to sit
on the coffee table, motioning to the couch before me.
Hesitantly, she padded slowly across the room, her posture stiff and
unsure. Though she was wary, I commended her courageousness. Here she
was, in heat, faced with a room full of strange men, handling it all with
poise and resilience. The magnitude of her strength hit my square in the
chest.
Lowering to the couch, she sat carefully, then gasped. “Sweet mercy,”
she breathed and jolted back up before trying again, settling as gently as she
could onto the cushion before releasing a ragged exhale.
Any remaining blood in my body rushed to my cock when I realized the
increased pressure on the toy had rocked the knot farther inside her. That’s
it, Love. Let it do wicked things to your body.
“S-sorry,” she stammered.
I shook myself out of my haze. “You have nothing to apologize for,” I
promised roughly before clearing my throat once more. Pushing my black-
rimmed glasses up my nose, I opened my bag, dug out my stethoscope, and
looped it around my neck. “First, I’d like to do a basic exam to make sure
there’s nothing to be concerned about. Then, we can discuss your options,
alright?”
 She nodded.
“Why don’t we start with your name?” I prompted gently.
If it were possible, her eyes widened farther. She looked like a pretty
doe caught in the headlights. Even the smattering of freckles across her
nose reminded me of a deer. Delicate, yet strong. Beautiful, but skittish.
“You can call me Desi.”
“Desi,” I repeated. Something about the way she worded it rang false,
but if she were giving me a fake name, it confirmed that she’d gone through
hell and back. For now, I wouldn’t question it. “I like it.”
She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “Thanks.”
“Alright, Desi. I promise I won’t touch you without verbal
confirmation. Do I have your permission to listen to your heart and lungs?”
I waggled the end of my stethoscope, my brows raised in question.
“Um, okay.” She looked so out of her comfort zone.
Jamison leaned over and offered her his hand, and to my surprise, she
took it.
“You can trust Eli. He’s the best doctor I know, and I’m not just saying
that because he’s pack,” Jamison reassured her.
“You’re doing great, Honey,” Leo moved closer to lean against the arm
of the couch in support.
I didn’t blame them for wanting to be near her. The little Omega was
like the sun, pulling us all into her orbit.
I worked through my exam quickly enough. “Your blood pressure is
elevated, most likely a result of the stress you’re under, and your
temperature is high which is to be expected given you’re in heat. How long
ago did the pain start?”
Her gaze fell to her lap. “Late morning, early afternoon. The hours have
kind of run together.”
I exchanged a weighted look with Jamison, then focused back on where
Desi was fidgeting with the hem of the t-shirt. “Every Omega’s heat cycle
runs differently, so it’s not an exact science, but it seems like this one came
on rather suddenly for you. I wouldn’t have expected it to hit you so
strongly so out of the blue.”
“M-maybe because it’s my first one?” she stammered, and her green
eyes lifted, shielded and unsure. “You said the first heat can be
unpredictable.”
 “That’s true,” I drawled. “But it’s still comparatively fast. Have you
been taking any suppressants?”
Most Omegas were placed on suppressants until they chose a pack to
court them. Once that connection started to form, the OMA recommended
stopping suppressants altogether, allowing the Omega to go into heat for her
pack. That time spent together allowed for bonds to deepen, which was
pivotal before a pack claimed an Omega. Her answer would tell me a lot,
and I held my breath, waiting for her to answer.
Her features grew noticeably more guarded. “I had been, until recently.”
I nodded, wondering if that meant she hadn’t, in fact, been with a pack
before this. As much as I wanted to believe that, I had a feeling I was
holding onto false hope.
Leaning forward, I braced my arms on my knees. “Did you miss a
dose?”
“Something like that.” She ran a hand over her opposite arm, all her
body language telling me she didn’t want to talk about this. Getting
information out of her was like pulling teeth. I wanted to respect her
privacy, but I also needed enough information to treat her properly, and I
couldn’t do that if she didn’t give me a little more detail.
Changing tactics, my voice dropped in pitch and tone. Leaning down, I
skimmed my fingers along the bruises that were deepening on her ankle. By
morning, they’d be black and blue. “Want to tell me who gave you these?
Or the cuts on your body?”
A low growl sounded from Hades, and his scent went bitter with anger,
but he got it under control quickly. I didn’t blame him. I wanted to rage that
she’d been hurt, but spooking her further wouldn’t help any of us.
Desi shrank back. “I, um, fell earlier and twisted my ankle. That’s all.”
It was a start. “I can certainly evaluate your ankle for range of motion
and we can ice it, but these bruises weren’t made from a fall, Love. Do you
want to tell me what really happened?”
“Not really,” she whispered, turning away again, focusing hard on a
nondescript spot on the hardwood floor.
I hooked her chin with my finger and brought her gaze back. “Let me
make one thing clear, Desi. Whoever hurt you doesn’t deserve to keep on
breathing. Omegas are meant to be cherished and protected, and whoever
put these bruises on your body, whoever is responsible for the cuts all over
your hands, legs, and feet, is the person in trouble here. Not you. Do you
understand?”
A tremor ran through her. “Yes.”
“Good girl,” I praised. “Now, should we try that answer again?”
“N-no.” She looked terrified.
I nodded slowly, my eyes narrowing ever so slightly in the corners as I
tried to read her. I had a theory but no idea if it was correct. “Alright.
Answer me this. Are there people—perhaps a pack—out there looking for
you right now?”
Her flushed complexion paled, and she swallowed. “I’m not sure.” I
could barely make out her answer, but it was there.
“But it’s possible?”
Her fingers curled into her palms, her nails digging into her skin. “I can
get my things and leave. I never meant to bring you trouble.”
Hades growled. “You’re not going anywhere.”
“What my pack brother means to say is that you’re safe here, Desi. We
don’t want you to leave, although we’d never, ever hold you here against
your will.” Leo shot Hades a scathing look that told him to get his shit
together before he ruined things with the little Omega.
“Fuck. I keep messing this up. I’m sorry, Baby,” Hades pleaded. “Leo’s
right. You’re free to go but I don’t want you to leave. I want you here,
where I can keep you safe from whoever’s got you on the run. No woman,
especially an Omega, deserves to be treated like shit.”
Desi looked at each of us in turn and released a shuddering breath. “I
believe you.” She bit her lip, as if deciding if she should say more. The four
of us remained silent, waiting. “If it’s okay, I’d like to stay until I get my
heat under control.”
Jamison squeezed her hand. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. You’re
welcome here for as long as you’d like to stay, heat or no heat.
Understand?”
“Thank you. You’ve all been far too generous. I don’t know how I’ll
ever repay you.”
“Zero repayment needed.” Leo took a chance, reached out, and ran his
hand down her hair. She leaned into the touch like a cat desperate for love. I
wasn’t sure she even realized she’d done it, but it made me happy. Omegas
thrived on physical affection, another thing it was clear she’d been starved
of.
 Her attention moved back to me, and the hope in her eyes nearly gutted
me. “Please tell me there’s something you can do to stop my heat. Some
medication you can give me? Anything?”
“There are medications available, but they don’t come without some
risks and possible side-effects. I’d feel more comfortable if we could get a
blood draw first and check your levels before I prescribe anything.”
Leo winced. “I don’t think we have time for that. Her heat has been
pretty aggressive. I’m surprised we were able to have this long of a lull to
have a conversation.”
The two of us went back and forth on our options until the smallest
voice interrupted.
“Leo’s right. I’ve been doing my best to hold off the heat, and the
fullness from the toy helps,”—she flushed a deeper rosy shade—“but it
won’t be much longer before I lose the tentative control I have left. I need
suppressants or medication, Eli. Would it help if—” Her teeth captured that
same lip, worrying it til near bleeding.
I barely resisted running my thumb down the center of her bottom lip to
free it. “Would what help, Love?”
“If I told you what I was drugged with?” She’d said it so quietly, a
mouse would’ve been louder.
Every one of us went taut with anger, shock, and pure, unadulterated
rage.
“I’m sorry,” I said with a growl that almost rivaled Hades'. Fury the
likes I’d never known burned away at the edges of my better sense. I
wanted to pummel something. No, not something. Someone. The very
someone who dared to hurt the sweet, traumatized woman sitting on the
couch in my living room. I vowed then and there I’d get revenge for her, but
first… “Did you just say you were drugged?”
twelve
DEMI
I WAS SCREWING this all up. First, I’d given them a fake name. I’d
scrambled to find something similar enough I wouldn’t have trouble
responding to it, but different enough it would protect my actual identity.
Desi was the best I’d come up with on short notice, and as easy as it should
be to respond to, it was far from the safeguard I needed. Stupid, stupid,
stupid.
Then, I’d gone and told them I’d been drugged. I winced and shrank
back from the way their scents soured with anger. Flattering as it was that
they cared enough to get angry on my behalf, it wouldn’t change what’d
happened. There was nothing to be done now except try to find a solution—
like counteracting the effects or the Anoravel with another drug. That’s the
only reason I’d mentioned it. If Eli knew what he was working with,
hopefully he’d be able to prescribe something to stop my heat from taking
over.
“Desi,” Jamison commanded my attention. “What were you drugged
with?”
“And who the fuck drugged you?” Hades' fists were clenched, ready to
beat down on my behalf. Gods, what I wouldn’t give to see Anton’s eyes
grow wide at the sight of this guy. Then again, he might not be alive
anymore.
My stomach churned, threatening to upend all over again.
I swallowed it down and answered. “I was given Anoravel. I’m not sure
how much.”
“And this was against your wishes?” Eli confirmed.
I laughed coldly. “Given that I never saw the syringe coming, yes.”
Eli sat back with a growl, then promptly stood and paced the length of
the room. “Sorry, Love. I just—I just need a fucking minute to get my
Alpha under control.” He shrugged off his lab coat, the short sleeves of his
scrubs barely containing his muscled arms. Tossing it over the back of a
nearby chair, he rolled his shoulders and tilted his neck back and forth as he
walked.
 Hades appeared murderous where he stood on the far side of the room
while Leo remained calm and continued to stroke his hand down my hair.
Jamison’s grip tightened on my hand like he never planned on letting me
go, but he was careful not to crush me.
Finally, Eli returned to the table. The lightest scent of spice reached me,
severely muted by the scent blocker I assumed he wore. It tickled my nose,
making me want to sneeze, but given how I reacted to the other guys’
scents, I welcomed the reprieve.
After a few more questions about what kind of suppressants I’d been
using and what birth control I was on, he pressed the dark frame of his
glasses back up his nose and dove into his bag to produce a vial and a
syringe. My stomach curdled and I reacted instinctively. I hated that I’d
turned into a whimpering, weak woman, but the sight of another syringe
made me nauseous. The vulnerability was too much, and I scrambled from
Jamison’s lap. Tucking myself into the corner of the couch, I curled into
myself, drawing my knees into my chest and tugging the large t-shirt over
them to shield myself. I was a little ball of Omega, wanting to hide from the
world since running wasn’t an option.
“It’s okay, Sweetness.” Jamison’s deep timbre soothed me. “Eli, why
don’t you walk her through what you’re doing.”
“This is Ricanton,” he held the vial out to me so I could see the label.
“It’s a pretty powerful heat suppressant. Normally, it wouldn’t be my first
choice due to some of the side effects, but Anoravel is a potent fertility drug
meant to increase a heat cycle and promote ovulation. In this case, Ricanton
is the best option to combat the effects.”
I inspected the vial. It seemed tamper-free. “What kind of side effects?”
“Tiredness, cramping, mood swings, and since we’re talking about
fertility medications that mess with your hormones, it’s possible you’ll
experience some spotting like a mild period for a day or two afterward.
Your breasts could become sore, and there’s a chance of headaches.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Sounds like a good time,” I tried to joke, but only
got half smiles from the men who’d grown somber since they’d learned a
small piece of what I’d been through. I unfolded myself and handed the vial
back. “How long until the heat subsides?”
“You’ll still feel needy for a few hours, but it shouldn’t take long for the
need for a knot to subside.”
 I chewed on my lip with my teeth. “Would anyone mind lending me a
phone so I can look it up? It’s not that I don’t trust you.… I’d just feel more
comfortable verifying.” Gods, did that even make sense? Was that
offensive?
“That’s smart.” Hades dipped his head in approval, easing my anxiety
while Leo dug his phone out.
“Here you go, Honey.” He unlocked it with his fingerprint and handed it
over.
Jamison kissed the back of my fingers before releasing my hand, and I
blushed.
Quickly typing in the name of the drug, I scanned Google to confirm
what he said was true.
I tucked my hair behind my ear and handed the phone back to Leo.
Deep breath. And out. I decided to trust them. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
Eli nodded and went back to drawing the proper amount of medication
into the syringe.
“Where do you need to stick me?” I held out my arm, hoping he
wouldn’t say neck. Emotionally, I didn’t know if I could handle that again.
A sheepish look crossed Eli’s face. “It will actually be better to inject in
a fleshy area. I’d recommend giving the shot in your buttocks.”
For some reason, the word ‘buttocks’ coming out of his mouth made me
laugh. Maybe it was the straw that broke the camel’s back, perhaps too
much had happened, because once I started to giggle, I couldn’t stop. That
laugh was the release on the pressure valve that was my emotional state.
The guys stared at me with a variety of expressions: Jamison grew
sterner as if he’d worried I’d lost it, Leo chuckled along with me, Hades'
brows rose, and a smile bloomed on Eli’s mouth.
“What?” He shrugged.
“‘Buttocks’? Not butt? Not ass?”
“It felt like the more medically appropriate term.” His smile grew as I
snorted, my giggles turning into full-blown laughs.
“I’m sorry. Gods, I keep apologizing, but I am. I don’t know what’s
wrong with me.”
“You’ve been through a lot today,” Jamison said.
Leo played with the ends of my hair after tucking his phone back in his
pocket. “I’d much rather see you laugh than cry."
“Fuckin’ preach,” Hades grumbled. “Laugh away, Baby.”
 “Let’s get this over with.” I wiped my eyes and calmed myself, then
pressed to my feet. I groaned as the toy shifted. “Shit, I almost forgot about
that.” I squirmed, pressing my thighs together, my eyes nearly rolling back
in my head as it rubbed against a sweet spot along my inner wall. My
breathing picked up as my pussy clenched around the toy. Heat spiked
through me once more. This shot can’t happen soon enough.
Jamison stood and cupped my cheek. “The lead Alpha in me just has to
ask. Are you sure you’d rather take medication than ride out your heat? My
pack and I promise to see you through it—no strings attached—if that’s
what you’d prefer.”
A small part of me was tempted, but I knew I’d never come out the
other side unaffected or unattached. It was normal for an Omega to catch
feelings for the Alphas who saw her through her heat even if there was no
natural connection prior. It had been another reason I hadn’t wanted to go
through heat with Pack Silver. Besides, as great as Jamison and those I’d
met in his pack had been thus far, it was still dangerous for an unclaimed
Omega to go through heat with Alphas who didn’t belong to her. If they lost
control…
No. Medication was my best option.
“I’m sure.” But thank you for wanting to have hot, dirty sex with me for
days on end. There was no way I’d verbalize that, so I substituted it for,
“But thank you for being willing to help me through it.”
With one last stroke of his thumb, Jamison released me and stepped
back, giving Eli and me space.
I hiked the shirt up on one side, exposing one of the globes of my ass to
the room. Because why not? They’d all practically seen me naked. Hell,
Leo had. And Eli was a doctor. He’d no doubt seen worse. I wanted this
shot more than I cared about modesty.
“Small prick,” Eli warned before jabbing the needle into my flesh and
depressing the medication.
I hissed at the slight burn. Trying to distract myself, I tried another joke
to lighten the mood I’d dragged over all of us. “Well, that would be
disappointing.”
Eli’s lips parted and he gazed up my body and into my eyes. “Did you
just make a penis joke?”
Another burst of giggles left me. “Yes, except I call them dick jokes.
Sounds sexier.”
 It didn’t escape my notice how easily bantering came. For a moment, I
felt like my old self—before Pack Silver. If Anton had ever heard me use
such language, he would have slapped me. I’d always had to keep my
thoughts to myself. For a second, I worried I’d crossed a line, waiting for
one of the Alphas to lash out and reprimand me, but then Eli chuckled, his
warm amber eyes sparkling in the lamplight. The tension that’d seized me
eased.
Eli’s eyes narrowed as he carefully capped the syringe, seeing far too
much. Grabbing a small cotton ball, he dabbed at the area. “Now, for the
hard part.” Rummaging through his bag, he held up two different Band-
Aids. “We have Marvel, specifically the Hulk, or My Little Pony, Twilight
Sparkle, if I remember correctly.”
I arched my brow. “I’m impressed you know the pony’s name.”
Eli smirked. “Comes with the territory when you treat lots of kids. So,
which will it be?”
“You can’t beat Marvel. Besides, the Hulk is sexy.” My gaze flicked to
Hades, who was the closest thing I’d ever seen to the superhero in real life.
He smirked, his gaze intense.
Eli placed the Band-Aid and surprised me by leaning in and giving my
ass a little kiss. “There. All better.”
I blushed, shuffling on my feet to give him room to stand next to me in
the small space between the coffee table and the couch.
I accidentally brushed against Jamison. “Such a brave little Omega.
Make sure to let us know how you’re feeling. I want to know if you have
any adverse reactions to the medication.” He placed his hand on my lower
back, stroking his thumb over my spine.
Those casual little touches were… nice. I found myself leaning into
them when I’d always shied away from touch before. Maybe it was because
he smelled so good and the Omega part of me intrinsically trusted him on
scent alone. Or maybe what they said about Omegas was true and we
craved the love and affection of a pack. Pack Silver fostered only fear in
me. But this pack? I’d never known men could be this way.
Suddenly, life felt hopeful again, and yet, the hope felt fragile, built on
an unsteady foundation that could crumble at any second.
thirteen
DEMI
“WHY DON’T we give you a tour and then show you to the guest room,”
Jamison suggested. “Knox is on his way to pick up Thane, and they should
be here soon with food.”
My stomach chose that moment to growl, even as it flipped at the
reminder that there were still two more pack members to meet.
“Sounds like you’re hungry, Sweetness. Do you want a snack in the
meantime?”
I shook my head. “I’m fine,” I promised. The pack I’d been given to
was rich, but Anton had me on a strict diet that limited my food intake so I
‘kept my figure.’ I was used to going without.
“Fine isn’t good enough,” Hades grumbled and brushed past us into the
kitchen.
I flushed, embarrassed my stomach had called attention to me. They’d
already done so much. I didn’t need more. “Really. I’d like the tour. I can
wait until the others arrive to eat.”
Hades ignored my protests, shuffling through the cabinets and pulling
out a variety of options.
“Don’t argue with a man on a mission.” Eli zipped his bag and moved
to set it by the front door.
Leo shook his head. “The two of us grew up together, and trust me, he’s
a brick wall when he gets something in his head. Your words are wasted on
him.”
“Besides, we want to take care of you. Let the man get you a snack
because if he doesn’t, I will.” Jamison increased the pressure on my back,
leading me around the couch and into the kitchen.
I walked with slow, small steps, remarkably grateful for my thick thighs
that held the toy inside me—thought with the knot inflated, it wasn’t going
anywhere. Luckily, I didn’t have to go far.
The kitchen was massive, with sprawling dark stone countertops and a
farmhouse sink. The ceilings were high and the white cabinets spanned all
the way up. I’d barely be able to reach the first two shelves without
standing on tiptoes. The room was a beautiful mix of clean farmhouse
design interspersed with industrial elements. One of the walls was red brick
that looked original to the house that had been lovingly restored. A state-of-
the-art six-burner stove was the biggest feature along with the oversized
fridge, double dishwashers, and a kitchen island with enough room to fit six
barstools. Wooden beams ran along the ceiling, and there were so many
windows I lost count.
“Wow.” I gaped, running my hand over the shiny countertop before I
remembered I’d been dumpster diving earlier. Even with my impromptu
shower at the gym, I was sure I was filthy. Yanking my hand away, I curled
my fingers into my palm. Keep your hands to yourself until you can scrub
yourself clean.
Jamison’s eyes narrowed as he watched me, and I turned away, letting
my hair fall over my shoulder like a curtain hiding me from view. What did
this powerful Alpha think of me? I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
“They say the kitchen is the heart of the home, and I won’t lie, we’re in
here often enough I think it’s true.” Leo crossed to Hades, inspecting the
snack options he was still pulling out of the cabinets. “But the design of the
room was all Thane. He’s our resident chef.” Crossing to the fridge, Leo
pulled it open and studied the contents. “The man insisted on getting a huge
fridge. I thought he was crazy at first, but with six of us living here, it’s
always packed. I can’t imagine living with a smaller one. I’m pretty sure
we’ve got some left overs in here somewhere.”
“What would you like to eat? Do you have any dietary restrictions?”
Hades grunted, surveying his hoard like he hadn’t done a good enough job.
Restrictions… I swallowed past the invisible grip on my throat. Pack
Silver had given me all kinds of restrictions. But you’re not there any more.
“I’m allergic to shellfish,” I answered honestly and crossed to him. “But
I’m sure all of this is fine.”
An array of snacks littered the once-clean countertops. Chips, popcorn,
crackers, protein bars, sweets. As much as I would have loved to chow
down on some popcorn, I snagged a protein bar since I hadn’t eaten since
breakfast. It had to be nearing midnight. I practically hugged my snack.
“This is perfect. Thank you.”
Hades looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “If that’s your definition of
perfect, we’ve got a lot of work to do,” he rumbled. “Please take more than
a measly protein bar.”
 Biting my lip, I snagged a cheese stick, another sensible option, and
when he simply arched a brow at me, I rolled my eyes and grabbed a small
bag of chips from the pile as well.
“Better?”
“A little.” The corner of his lips curved a little.
I shook my head, a small grin on my own lips as I looked toward the
pretty tiled floor that was styled to look like hardwood. His scent washed
over me, settling my nerves. I wasn’t used to being taken care of. A girl
could get used to this.
“Used to what?” Hades asked, and I realized I’d said that aloud.
Startled, I glanced at him, wide-eyed. “Oh, um, the snacks.”
He growled, low and dangerous. I backed up. The frustrated sound cut
off abruptly, and he cursed.
“He’s just upset you haven’t been plied with snacks your whole life,”
Leo explained, guiding me through the kitchen past a huge rough-hewn
wooden table and into the huge sitting room beyond. “How old are you, if
you don’t mind my asking.”
Shit. It shouldn’t be a difficult question to answer, but it opened a whole
can of worms I wasn’t ready to deal with. “Twenty-three.”
The Beta nodded, sharing another one of those silent looks with
Jamison, who followed on my other side. As long as they didn’t ask me
about how I hadn’t found a pack yet, they could communicate over my head
all they wanted.
I walked farther into the room, taking in the beautiful staircase on one
side that led upstairs and the gigantic U-shaped sectional that had to have
been custom ordered. It was three couches in one, taking up a large section
of the room, facing another elegant fireplace with a TV mounted above it.
There were windows everywhere. Sitting in the corner, curled up with a soft
blanket, reading a book in front of the fireplace with a view of the snow
falling outside sounded magical.
Bookshelves spanned either side of the fireplace full of books and
tasteful knickknacks. They’d either hired a decorator or someone in the
pack had an eye for interior design. The house was magnificent and a far
cry from the penthouses I’d grown up in. It was cozy and lived in, though it
could be on the cover of Better Homes and Gardens.
Jamison’s heat warmed my back. “Do you like it?” he murmured.
 I glanced over my shoulder at him, recognizing the hopeful wariness in
his expression, like my answer meant everything.
“I do. It’s really beautiful.”
“It was a group effort to restore this place and make it home,” Eli said
as he joined us, Hades right behind him.
Being around all four of them was overwhelming, and not just because
of their scents. They were all different, yet gorgeous, in their own ways and
I was just… me.
Suddenly, the room felt too big, and a barrage of insecurity hit me like
pelting rain. The desire to curl up with a million pillows and blankets was
almost overwhelming, and I bit back a whine.
Eli’s brows furrowed, and he came to stand before me, bending down to
look me in the eye. “Are you feeling alright?” He raised his hand, and I
jolted backward, ducking from the incoming hit I expected him to deliver.
A stricken look crossed his face. “Desi, I wasn’t going to hit you, Love. I
wanted to check your temperature. I’m sorry I didn’t ask for your consent. I
shouldn’t have assumed it would be alright.”
This time, I did whine. How was I supposed to explain this? Or stop the
fear that had shot through me like an arrow?
“It’s okay. I’m—”
“Don’t you dare apologize again,” Hades commanded, and my lips
snapped shut.
“Dude, you’re scaring her,” Leo slapped him on the chest with the back
of his hand, not hard enough to hurt but with enough force to get his
attention.
Hades shoved a hand through his hair and closed his eyes, taking a deep
breath and then releasing it. “Sorry. Once again, I didn’t mean to. But you
shouldn’t apologize for protecting yourself from a perceived threat no
matter if it turns out to be nothing. But on top of that, it fucking kills me
that you’ve obviously been through some shit.”
They saw too much. Knew too much about me already. My damage was
out in the open for them to see, and I hated how broken I felt. Humiliation
swamped me, and I hugged the snacks tighter to my chest.
“Is there a place I could lie down for a little while?” I asked Jamison,
unable to look any of them in the eye.
“Of course, Little One. We, uh, have a nest if you’d like to—”
I gasped. “No. I couldn’t possibly.”
 Jamison paused, “Are you sure? Your Omega might feel more
comfortable in an enclosed, comfortable space.”
“I really couldn’t. That’s a space you created for your Omega. It
wouldn’t be right for me to contaminate it with my scent.” When the guys
all shifted uncomfortably, I whispered, “Please.”
“Of course. The guest room is all yours. It’s just upstairs.”
I followed after Jamison as he led the way, but climbing proved to be
difficult. Not only were my ankle and the cuts on my feet aching, but the
simple move of lifting my leg to climb the stairs shifted the toy inside me,
the knot rubbing everywhere and making me see stars. Oh, fuck. Underneath
the upset, underneath the sheer desire to crawl into a hole and never come
out, my heat was still there, burning beneath my skin.
It had stayed sated for longer than I’d expected, but the need to come
again was quickly rising. I was a panting mess by the time I reached the top.
Upstairs, there was a large wing off to the left, separated by double
doors. I didn’t get to peek inside before Jamison led me toward the right.
There was a small loft with a large round chair that looked like a tiny nest.
Beyond that was a hallway with numerous doors. He opened one about
halfway down, turned on the light, and stood back, letting me enter.
The room was clean and bright with white walls and hickory flooring.
Three windows sat side by side with black blinds that added to the
industrial vibe the whole house had. A king-sized bed sat along one wall
with small end tables on either side. Metal lamps curved overtop. A dresser
sat between two doors on the opposite wall that I assumed led to a
bathroom and closet.
“We haven’t done much with this room. I’m sorry it’s so sparse.” Eli
offered as I turned in a small circle, taking in my surroundings. He’d
brought up my duffle and the two gift bags full of toys, setting them on top
of the dresser. “But the bedding is clean, and there are fresh towels in the
bathroom.”
I set my snacks on the nightstand and turned back to where Jamison and
Leo were crowded in the doorway.
“I don’t mind. I was planning on sleeping on the bathroom floor of the
gym tonight, so this is worlds better.”
Leo cringed. “And cleaner. I mean, we clean the gym everyday, but not
enough for me to be comfortable with anyone—especially you—lying on
that floor.”
 “Is there anything else you need?” Eli moved closer, and it hit me again
that I couldn’t scent him. I’d had such strong reactions to all the others, yet
with Eli, there was only the faint hint of spice and the tingle of
chemicalized scent blockers.
I wrinkled my nose.
“What’s wrong, Love?” Eli shifted closer, worry creasing his brow.
“Your scent is turning bitter at the edges.”
I leaned closer, inhaling deeply. The Omega inside me started to stress.
“I can’t scent you.”
“Oh.” Eli relaxed. “I thought something was bothering you.”
I stared at him, perplexed. “It is.”
He chuckled. “I’m required to wear scent blockers at the hospital, but
I’ll shower and you can get a hit of my scent when you come back down to
eat, alright?”
“Okay,” I agreed, hoping I felt more stable and in control by the time
the rest of their pack arrived home. Breathing in more scents would be
overwhelming otherwise. I glanced around the room I’d be staying in until
my heat finally settled. After that? I’d be moving on.
Hades appeared behind the others, his arms full of something I couldn’t
make out until the guys parted to make space for him to enter the room.
“Found you some extra blankets and pillows in case you’d like to make a
makeshift nest. Is this enough?”
Enough? Tears pricked behind my eyes.
Hades looked near panic when he saw the single tear that spilled over.
“What did I do now?”
He seemed so stricken. An intense need to fix it swamped me until my
feet were moving. I rushed toward him. He dropped the blankets and
pillows on the floor and caught me as I launched myself at him, hugging
him around the neck. Strong arms came around me, lifting me off my feet
and crushing me gently to his bare chest. “It’s more than I’ve ever had
before.”
His arms flexed. Holy shit. I’d just thrown myself at an Alpha, a scary
stranger of a man. And yet… it felt right. I breathed in his fresh, citrusy
scent, and it soothed the rough edges of my emotions, blunting them until
they didn’t hurt quite so much.
“Fuck, Baby. If you keep saying things like that, you’ll never be able to
get rid of me.”
 Why did that sound so good?
“It’s just that you’ve all been so sweet.” I sniffed. Eventually, he set me
down, and I shifted awkwardly before the group. “Thank you for the
blankets and pillows. For the room. Hell, for bringing me here and helping
with my heat. I think it’s safe to say the mood swings have officially
started.”
“The Ricanton should already be kicking in. The shift in moods is
normal,” Eli promised. “We don’t mind.”
“Get some rest. We’ll let you know when Thane and Knox arrive with
food so you can eat a proper dinner, albeit a late one,” Jamison ordered
gently, and I nodded, seeing them out.
“See you soon, Honey.” Leo sent me a reassuring smile. “Just holler if
you need anything and one of us will come running.”
Hades hesitated in the door, the last one out after settling the blankets
and pillows on the bed for me. He pulled a small device from his pocket,
and I recognized the remote for the toy still buried in my pussy. “This is
yours,” he rasped. I turned bright red as I took it from him. My fingers
brushed his palm, and little tingles raced up my arm.
“Th-thanks.”
It looked like he wanted to say more, but he scrubbed his hand along the
back of his neck and ducked out. I shut the door behind him, breathing out a
long, slow breath now that I was alone.
Today had been a whirlwind, and I was suddenly exhausted. I wasn’t
used to being around people other than my old pack, and these men had me
on edge in the best way. As anxious as I was to be surrounded by unknown
Alphas, they were sweet and sexy and so damn kind.
I’d lucked out. But my time here was limited, and I needed to remind
myself of that. I’d crashed into their lives, and if one thing had been made
clear to me in the couple of hours I’d known them, it was that they didn’t
deserve a fucked-up Omega.
I gazed toward the bed, wanting nothing but to climb between the
sheets, but I was conditioned to shower before bed and knew I needed one
tonight of all nights. Washing the day off my skin was suddenly all I could
think about.
Dragging my ass to the bathroom, I whimpered from the sight of the
tub. Though a toss-up, I chose to take a shower for convenience, scrubbing
the grime off my body and washing my hair until I finally felt clean. I dried
off and squeezed the water from my hair before ultimately allowing my
Omega to take over. I pulled Hades' shirt back over my head, breathing in
his citrusy scent. After endlessly arranging all the pillows and blankets, I
finally crawled under the covers with the remote.
Biting my lip, I turned on the toy and threw a pillow over my mouth to
muffle my cries. I rode out wave after wave of release until my heat was
sated and I was too tired to do anything but fall into a deep, dreamless
sleep.
fourteen
DEMI
I’D ONLY SLEPT a few hours before I jolted awake, breathing hard from
the nightmare still echoing through my mind. Groggily, I ran a hand down
my face and sat back against the nest of pillows lining the headboard.
You’re okay. It was just a bad dream. Anton’s not here. You’re safe.
I repeated the mantra a few more times until my heart slowed to a pace
less heart attack inducing.
Outside the window, the sky brightened, turning from inky velvet to
periwinkle. My stomach chose that moment to growl.
Crap. I missed the late-night meal the guys had planned. I vaguely
remembered one of them knocking on the door, but I must have been too far
gone because I definitely hadn’t woken up to eat or meet the rest of the
pack.
I buried my face in my hands and groaned over my rudeness. There was
nothing to do now but make up for the slight and hope they hadn’t been
upset I’d passed out.
The clock on the nightstand read five forty-five in the morning.
Well, that’s another reason I’m wide awake. Turns out my internal clock
said ‘rise and shine’ no matter what had happened or where I was. No rest
for the weary.
But this time, as I crawled out of bed before the sun even cracked the
horizon, I did it because I wanted to rather than out of obligation and fear.
Padding to the bathroom, careful of my aching ankle, I flipped on the
light and stretched. Bracing my hands on either side of the sink, I leaned
closer to the mirror. I looked more like myself this morning, less flushed
and crazed, more bright-eyed and lucid. Overall, I felt okay.
The remnants of my heat still simmered beneath my skin, but it was far
from the raging inferno it had been hours ago. My pussy was a little sore
from using the toy last night, and my nipples definitely hurt as they free-
ranged behind Hades' t-shirt—probably a result of my raging hormonal
shifts. Each brush of the soft fabric caused a light ache. Otherwise? Yeah, I
was okay.
 The only physical remnants of the horrible experience were some cuts
that were already healing, a sore ankle, and a smattering of bruises that
would fade away with time.
Thanks to Eli and the Ricanton, there were no lasting replications for
my body. I was safe. Mostly.
I crossed my fingers and hoped the worst of the drug-induced heat was
over.
Stealing a few minutes, I threw my hair into a messy bun and then
showered again, soaking in the heat and taking the time to shave with a new
disposable razor I’d found in the cabinets.
Once I was dressed in a soft pair of leggings and an off-the-shoulder
tunic, I threw on some mascara and left the room.
The house was quiet and dark. I kept my steps as silent as possible
while I crept down the stairs, across the den, and into the kitchen. The lights
over the island provided warm, soft illumination that was perfect this early
in the morning. I rubbed my hands together, eager to get started.
Peeking in all the cabinets, I oriented myself to the layout and
ingredients available, then set to work. I hesitated for a moment before
grabbing the pans I needed, swallowing and forcing down images of the last
time I’d used one.
It took a few minutes to get past the unease, but soon, I juggled two
skillets, watching the heat on each as I made crepes and a heap of
scrambled eggs, some with cheese and others without. Belatedly, I wished
I’d asked about the guys’ dietary preferences, but since I hadn’t, I made
variations of everything, hoping I’d have something for everyone.
In between batches, I whisked together a sweet cream-cheese filling for
the crepes, chopped up some strawberries, then threw bacon on the stove. I
bit my lip as I stared down their fancy coffee maker, wondering how the
heck to make it make the liquid gold. Sighing in defeat, I decided to ask the
guys when they got up. Better than breaking an expensive appliance.
I turned back to the bacon, humming quietly to myself as I flipped each
piece. My mouth watered, but suddenly, it wasn’t for salty, delicious pork.
It was for chocolate and caramel. I froze, trying to figure out where the
craving was coming from. Just moments ago, bacon had sounded like the
best thing in the world, but now it was the furthest thing from my mind.
“Are you cooking?” a distantly familiar, rumbling voice asked.
 Startled, I whirled, accidentally dropping a piece of bacon back in the
pan and splattering bacon grease.
“Ouch!” I screeched, dropping the tongs and cradling my injured arm.
“Shit!”
In the span of a heartbeat, I was tugged toward the sink, my arm shoved
under cool water, but all I could see was a very naked, very golden chest
with lots and lots of abs.
THANE
I held the Omega’s wrist under the steady stream of water, cursing the red,
blotchy skin already reddening on the soft stretch of her forearm. It was my
fault she’d gotten injured. I’d startled her by accident, but I hadn’t known
how to respond when I heard a clatter in the kitchen. The last thing I’d
expected when I went to investigate was the Omega cooking up a storm in
the middle of my domain.
Her signature had already permeated the house. It was everywhere,
teasing me all night long. She’d passed out cold before Knox and I arrived
home, so I hadn’t gotten to meet her yet, but her scent told me the most
important thing I needed to know—she was mine. Ours.
I’d been hard as steel all damn night, leaving me unable to sleep. That’s
why I’d heard the faint noises coming from the kitchen in the first place. I
should’ve known. Should’ve prepared myself to see her for the first time,
but I’d honestly thought it was one of my packmates rifling through the
leftovers I’d stashed in the fridge.
“Are you alright?” I peered down at the woman pressed close to me,
and my breath stalled.
Fuck, she was gorgeous. She was also familiar—the same Omega I’d
found rummaging through the dumpster behind my restaurant the night
before. Just as I thought. My stomach dropped straight through the floor at
the thought she’d been alone and hungry enough to pick through the trash
for something to eat. The wrongness of an Omega—of this Omega—being
desperate enough to go to such lengths to survive ate away at me like acid.
She’s here now where you can take care of her. That’s all that matters.
It’s why I’d been so shocked she was working in the kitchen. She
should be relaxing after all she’d been through while me and my packmates
took care of her. Not the other way around.
“It hurts,” she said, “but I’m alright.”
“I have a feeling you’d say that even if you weren’t.”
The sun broke past the horizon, lightening the sky and casting a golden
glow over the landscape. Warm light spilled through the window above the
sink, illuminating her green eyes until they sparkled like the purest jade.
 She glanced up at me shyly, the smallest smile pulling at her lips.
“Maybe.”
I smirked. “Let’s take a look at this and see if you’ll need any Vaseline.
The cold water will help with the swelling, but these blisters might hurt for
a few days while they heal.”
“Sounds like you’ve had your fair share of burns.”
I huffed a laugh, unable to take my eyes off her. “A few. I’m Thane, by
the way.”
“I figured, but it’s nice to meet you. Officially, anyway.”
“Ah, so you remember me from last night?”
“You’re the chef from the restaurant. Another embarrassing moment to
add to the growing list,” she muttered, her cheeks turning endearingly pink.
“There’s nothing embarrassing about doing what you need to do to
survive. You were smart to gather food before your heat hit and you were
incapable of thinking about necessities.” Though the idea of her eating
other people’s scraps made me want to punch a wall.
Silence settled over us while I dabbed at her skin, drying it off gently
and taking a better look at the blisters. I could’ve sworn she swayed toward
me, drawing in a deeper breath of my scent. The light blush on her cheeks
flushed a deeper pink. My chest puffed up that she seemed to like my
signature. I wanted to draw her closer, bury my nose in her hair, and breathe
her in.
Seeming to shake herself out of the haze, she took a small step
backward and pulled her arm away.
“Thank you for checking the burns. They really aren’t that bad. It was
shocking, more than anything.”
I ran a hand through my hair, full of regret. “That’s my fault. I shouldn’t
have startled you. I was surprised you were cooking when you should be
resting.” That I wanted to be the one cooking for her, I left unsaid. I didn’t
want to scare her off with my Alpha’s desire to provide for her.
She gazed at the spread covering the counters. “I’m feeling much better
this morning, and I wanted to do something nice to repay you and your pack
for taking me in last night.”
The urge to tell her she didn’t need to do that was strong, but the
determined glint in her eyes told me she wouldn’t listen.
“Well, put me to work, chef.” I rolled up my sleeves. “I’m sure the guys
will be up soon.” If they’re sleeping at all. “What can I help with?”
 Her lips made a cute little O and she blinked at me. “You don’t need to
—”
I cut her off before she could finish that thought. “And neither do you.
My pack’s happy you’re here, Desi. You don’t need to earn our kindness.
It’s freely given.” I paused, giving that a moment to settle in before
continuing, “But since I have a feeling you won’t take my words at face
value, I won’t stop you from doing something nice in return. I do, however,
insist on helping. You’ve been through a lot and I wouldn’t feel comfortable
lazing around while you do all the work. Besides, you know I’m a chef.” I
smiled. “I love cooking.”
She rubbed a hand along her opposite arm, a nervous tick. “I’m sure my
food won’t compare to yours.”
“None of that,” I chided. “It smells delicious. Now”—I rubbed my
hands together—“where can I help?”
She held my gaze for a prolonged beat and then relented. “Alright. I
don’t have much left to do. The bacon needs to be finished, and I wasn’t
sure how to work the contraption you call a coffee maker.”
I smiled. “You’d think that thing was my doing, but it was all Eli. I can
show you how to use it.”
Together we prepared breakfast, and I was so damn distracted I almost
burned the rest of the bacon like an amateur. My gaze continuously strayed
to where she worked. She was short and curvy and moved with the
gracefulness of a swan. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a messy
bun, the long lines of her neck exposed. More than once, I imagined being
comfortable enough with each other to slide in behind her and lean down to
plant a line of kisses up her throat.
Would she be responsive? If I sucked on her honeyed skin, would it
pink up nicely? Would she taste as sweet as she smelled? Finding out the
answers to those questions was my life’s new mission.
I adjusted my cock behind my jeans, hoping she hadn’t noticed.
Pulling open one of the cabinets, Desi popped onto her tiptoes to reach
the plates. Her fingertips just grazed the one on the bottom of the stack, and
she strained higher. Gods, she’s adorable.
“Here,” I said, moving behind her to help before she started jumping for
them. I reached over her head and pulled them down, my body pressing
flush against her back in the process. She tensed for a moment and gasped,
then melted easily.
 I couldn’t resist pressing my nose into her hair, inhaling deeply. A low
rumble left my chest, bordering on a purr of contentment as I became
drugged on her scent. My cock swelled farther, the jeans becoming
constricting as my shaft pressed hard against the zipper.
Fuck, get yourself under control. She’s not ready for that.
Feeling the evidence of what she did to me, her ass popped back and she
arched into me with a whine that brought my Alpha precariously close to
the surface.
Sweet fates. Or maybe she is.…
I was moments away from pinning her to the countertop with my hips
and planting my hands on either side of her, wanting to take my time
licking a line up her neck before nipping the delicate shell of her ear.
I was gone for this girl.
She was everything I’d ever wanted, and she was here, standing in my
kitchen like she belonged.
We barely knew each other, but I wanted this. Wanted her.
I’d longed for a family for as long as I could remember, and though the
guys and I were a pack, there’d always been something missing. The
moment I scented her, I knew she was the missing puzzle piece that would
make us complete.
My brothers’ reactions to her told me they felt the same way.
I’d heard of scent harmony before, but it had always been a pipe dream.
Until last night. Until Desi.
But she was skittish and jumpy. Moving too fast could fuck it all up, so
I forced myself to step back, giving her room to breathe. The moment she
was free she grabbed the plates and bolted off with a hasty “thank you.”
I watched her go, the Alpha inside of me wanting to chase.
Soon, I promised. Soon she’d be ours because there wasn’t any other
outcome that was fathomable.
fifteen
DEMI
I FLED the kitchen with a fluttering pulse and damp panties.
Holy hell, why are they all so hot?
Thane looked like a golden Greek god. He was Apollo in human form
with his golden blond hair, golden skin, and rippling abs. There wasn’t a
single drop of ink on his body. His eyes were vibrant blue and he had a
shadow of a beard on his strong, angled jaw. He reminded me of a lion,
strong and graceful with a feral edge just beneath the surface.
He was thinner than some of the others, but every inch of him was
honed definition. Broad shoulders, corded biceps, and round, firm pecs all
tapered toward a narrow waist and a V of muscles that dipped below the
waistband of his low-slung jeans. The desire to trace my tongue down his
abs to the clear delineation of his cock had me squirming as I set the table.
And if that wasn’t intense enough, his scent was decadent. That mixture
of chocolate and salted caramel made my mouth water and gave me the
worst sweet craving of my life.
The remnants of my heat moved from a simmer to something stronger.
It was official. I was certifiable because I really wanted to lick him and
see if he tasted like the sweet confection. Superhuman self-control kept me
firmly rooted on the opposite side of the kitchen because crossing to where
he was squeezing fresh orange juice and climbing him like a tree was a real
possibility.
All my instincts drew me to him, and I threw myself into the task of
setting the table in an effort to ignore them. My panties were drenched. The
heat was an insistent itch under my skin, reminding me I wasn’t out of the
woods quite yet.
Trying to keep myself from staring at him like a love-sick puppy, I
glanced across the den as I rounded the table, gazing mindlessly out of the
window to take in the view I hadn’t been able to see last night. Rolling
mountains stretched out as far as the eye could see; however, what caught
my attention wasn’t the landscape but the cruiser sitting in the driveway.
I froze, turning as cold as ice. All the blood drained from my face.
The police were here. They’d already found me.
 My panic burned sharp and clawing. The last plate slipped from my
fingers, shattering on the floor at my feet, throwing me right back into the
nightmare I’d lived through yesterday. Shards shot out in all directions,
sliding across the hardwood.
I couldn’t breathe. A whine slipped out, and the next thing I knew, I was
curled up in the corner with my head buried in my arms.
KNOX
I ran down the stairs at the sound of something breaking, taking two at a
time until I landed in the den. Every instinct was on high alert as I scanned
for what was wrong. My hand twitched by my side, ready to grab for the
nonexistent gun usually tethered to my hip.
“Desi! Desi, look at me. What’s wrong?” Thane was on his knees before
her, looking utterly lost.
The woman was curled up in the corner of the den, head in the folded
arms she’d propped on her knees. She was a little ball of Omega, rocking
herself back and forth, whimpering. Fresh cuts bled on her feet from where
she’d walked over the broken shards of a plate.
Knowing Thane had her, I did a quick sweep of the main floor, trying to
figure out what the fuck had happened and double-checking there were no
immediate threats. There weren’t any other scents, but my Alpha wouldn’t
rest until I’d cleared the last room, coming to stand behind Thane as he
cooed to the woman shaking on the ground.
Thane glanced at me over his shoulder, and I shoved a hand through my
blond hair and mouthed “What happened?”
He shrugged and shook his head. I scrubbed a hand down my face and
over my beard. I was a gruff guy. I didn’t do feelings often and had no clue
how to soothe a timid, sacred Omega. On my best day, I was a grumpy
fucker. Need someone to protect you? I was your guy. But if you needed
someone good with words, leave me out of it.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” Desi murmured softly in between soft
sobs that nearly killed me. The Alpha in my chest demanded I fix it and
stop her tears. I didn’t like seeing her so upset, but how could I help if I had
no fucking idea what had happened?
“Desi,” I barked, and her entire body seized from the Alpha command
that flowed through my voice. Omegas were naturally drawn to obey
whenever an Alpha used their bark.
If you would’ve told me the first thing I’d have said to the woman I
wanted to make my Omega was spoken using my bark, I would’ve said you
were out of your mind. But here I was because I didn’t know what else to
do to get past the panic so obviously consuming her. She was in a
downward spiral, the beautiful scent I’d been breathing in since I arrived
home turned so bitter even the sweet honeyed notes were rancid.
Thane glared at me with complete disillusionment, a ‘what the fuck are
you doing’ clearly spelled out on his face.
I shrugged with both shoulders, motioning that I didn’t have a
godsdamn clue.
“Look at me, Sunshine,” I demanded, and slowly, she raised her head.
The second she locked eyes with me, I was floored. Why hadn’t anyone
told me how fucking beautiful she was? Her scent had already sealed my
attraction to her, but if it was possible, she was more gorgeous than her
addictive signature had led me to imagine.
But I hated how upset she looked. The tip of her nose had gone pink,
her face splotched red already from crying. Tired, frightened green eyes
stared up at me. I wanted to scoop her up, hold her against my chest and
promise I wouldn’t let the world touch her.
“What’s wrong, Desi?” Thane asked again, tentatively placing his hand
on her knee and stroking softly with his thumb.
She sniffed. “They’re here.”
My brows drew together. “Who’s here?” I had half a mind to march to
the windows and check to make sure no one had gotten past the gate. Our
property was protected to the best of our ability. There shouldn’t be any
trespassers, but it wasn’t impossible. We owned a lot of land.
For the second time, I itched for my gun, for a way to protect my
family.
“Th-the police.”
I tensed. A million questions raced through my mind, the one at the
forefront: why is she afraid of the police?
“Oh gods. It’s all over.”
“What’s all over?” Thane pressed, still smoothing his thumb over her
legging-clad knee.
She swiped at the tears falling down her cheeks. “I…” Inhaling, she
released it measuredly and then tried again. “I hurt someone,” she said
quietly.
Somehow, I couldn’t picture this Omega, who looked so small and
fragile, hurting someone. Looks could be deceiving, of course. If anyone
knew that, it was me. My job required my suspicion and the belief that
anyone could be evil if driven to it. Oftentimes, it was those you least
suspected who hid the darkest secrets.
Still, something told me Desi wasn’t capable of such violence or
deception. There was an inherent innocence about her, and those who were
truly guilty didn’t usually break down like this.
No, she was a survivor, and given what I’d learned about her from the
others, she’d been through a lot. What, exactly, I wasn’t sure. But the need
to find out drove me to squat down beside her and make myself less
intimidating.
Connecting the dots, I said, “You think the police are here to arrest
you?”
Thane looked incredulous, but he kept quiet.
In my periphery, I noticed the other guys coming downstairs, standing
quietly at the bottom so as not to intrude or crowd her.
She hiccuped, her whole body shivering from the stress. “I ran away
from my pack.”
“They’re the ones who drugged you?” Thane questioned.
“Just one. The leader. He came home early from work and dragged me
to my room. H-he’d found my heat suppressants and needless to say, he
wasn’t happy about it. He wanted to punish me for taking them to prevent
myself from going into heat for him and his pack. You have to
understand… I couldn’t. I couldn’t do it. Not with them.” Her eyes were on
the ground, and if it were possible, she shrank into herself even farther.
Tears continued to stream down her face. I wanted to cup her cheek and
wipe them away. To tell her I’d never let another pack abuse her again.
Simultaneously, I wanted to hunt down the Alpha responsible for those
tears and pummel him into dust for daring to make her cry.
“We’re not judging you,” Eli said softly. “An Omega is a precious gift.
Any Alpha who abuses an Omega—or any woman, for that matter—isn’t
worthy of the air he breathes.”
“Come here, Sweetness.” Jamison came to stand in front of her,
squatting down between Thane and I to hold out his hand. “Let’s get you off
the floor and we can talk.”
For a beat, I didn’t think she’d take his hand, but she finally slid her
smaller fingers into his larger ones. He tugged her up gently and led her to
the couch.
 “There’s not going to be time,” she protested, looking weakly toward
the window where my cruiser sat outside.
“The police aren’t here for you,” I told her, and her wide eyes flitted to
me. “Well, not technically.”
Jamison sat on the couch and pulled her into his lap. She went without
protest, her focus still glued to me as I moved to sit on the other side of the
sectional.
I angled myself toward her. “The cruiser’s mine, Sunshine. I’m an
officer.”
She paled.
“You don’t have to be afraid of Knox,” Leo promised, taking a spot
close to her and running a hand over her back. “We’re all on your side,
Honey. You have nothing to fear from any of us. But I do think you should
tell us what’s going on so we can help you.”
“This Alpha,” Hades gritted out, barely holding onto his control, “he’s
the one who drugged you?”
She was quiet for a long time, then finally, “Yes,” she rasped.
“I’m going to kill him,” Hades nearly roared.
Desi tensed so hard I thought she would break.
I might not be good at making people feel better, but I was damn good
at reading people. “Is he the one you hurt, Sunshine?”
Her gaze moved back to mine, and she drew herself up like she’d been
pulled by an invisible string. “Do I need a lawyer?” she asked, drawing on
invisible strength, choosing fight over flight now that things were out in the
open.
I leaned my arms on splayed knees. “Whatever you tell me right now is
off the record. I’m not in uniform right now.” And you’re more important to
me than the job I love. I left that part unsaid, worried I’d scare her with my
intensity.
Desi pushed off Jamison’s chest, but his grip tightened.
“Little One,” he protested, but she shook her head.
“I can’t tell you what happened while you’re holding me.”
I could see him battling with his Alpha.
“Please,” she pleaded.
Reluctantly, he released her. She stood and restlessly paced the length of
the living room. Her fingers absently ran along one of the bookshelves that
flanked the fireplace.
 “After he drugged me and I figured out what he had planned, I decided
to run. I couldn’t stay there and ride out my heat with him and his pack.”
I glanced at my pack brothers in turn, not liking the direction of her
story. Sadly, we all knew abuse happened sometimes. Alphas could get
possessive and territorial when it came to their Omegas. Their overbearing
nature could turn oppressive. Having a completed pack had become a status
symbol, and for some, taking an Omega was about gaining station and
prestige.
Luckily, those types of packs weren’t common. Most Alphas were
decent and most packs were honorable.
That didn’t change this situation, however. I could already tell this little
Omega had been to hell and back. Whatever the reason behind her pack’s
abuse, and I wanted to know who the fuck they were and punish them for
the mistreatment she’d suffered.
We sat silently as she continued her story, telling us how he’d been
waiting for her when she tried to run. How he’d chased her through the
kitchen. The bruises on her ankle, the cuts on her body—they all aligned
with her story.
Wrapping her arms around herself like she could hold herself together
from the outside in, she stared blankly at the wall, refusing to look our way.
“I was afraid he’d kill me. If not at that moment, then during my heat.
Fighting him off was impossible. He’s so much stronger than me, and he
was dragging me across the floor. There was a frying pan that had fallen
when he’d dragged me to the bedroom and I… I…”—she swallowed,
barely getting the rest out—“I swung. I hit him in the head and he stopped
moving. I think I killed him,” she whispered.
“Good,” Hades grunted, hands curled into fists. “Because if he was still
breathing, I’d kill him myself.”
She paled, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt as she stared wide-eyed at
my friend.
I cleared my throat, still processing everything she’d told me, and drew
her attention. “You were acting in self-defense,” I told her, standing and
crossing to where she stood as stiff as a statue. “Whatever the outcome, you
were the victim.”
“It doesn’t feel that way,” she confided.
Taking the chance, I placed my hands on her biceps and gave her a
reassuring squeeze. “You weren’t the one in the wrong. That Alpha could
be cited for drugging you, attacking you, and probably a slew of other
things.”
“No one will believe a lowly Omega over an Alpha.”
Growls sounded around the room, and I felt her stiffen again.
“They don’t like you talking about yourself in such terms,” I explained.
“Neither do I, for that matter. We know not all packs treat their Omegas
with the respect and reverence they deserve, but in our pack, we believe
Omegas are rare gifts that should be treasured. Nothing about you is
‘lowly,’ Sunshine.”
She blew out a breath, and with it, her tension bled away too. “I don’t
know what to say.” Biting her lip, she chewed on it until I reached up and
pressed my thumb to it, pulling it free. “I’d understand if you wanted me to
leave. I’d planned on heading out in a day or so anyway. I could go sooner
if you’re uncomfortable having me in your house.”
Jamison stood and crossed to us. Hooking her chin with his finger, he
lifted her face toward his. “You’re not going anywhere, my little Omega.
You need a place to stay, and I know I speak for all of us when I say we
want to protect you and help you figure out your next move. You’re safe
here.”
“You’re sure?” Her gaze flicked between his eyes, studying him, trying
to get a read on his sincerity.
“Never been so sure of anything before,” he rumbled.
The acrid edges of her scent eased, returning little by little to the
addicting aroma of sweet honey and berries smothered in sugar.
“Okay,” she said. “For a little while, anyway. As long as you’re
positive.”
“We are, Honey,” Leo reassured her.
“One-hundred-and-ten percent.” Thane offered her his signature
megawatt smile, and she seemed to settle as the rest of us hummed our
agreement.
“Running into you all is the luckiest thing that’s happened to me in
forever.”
Surprising myself as well as my packmates, I pulled her into a hug,
cradling her against my chest. She fit perfectly against me. Because she was
fucking made for you.
Rightness settled into my chest. She belonged right here. With me. With
us. A purr started in my chest, a low rumble that built with power and
intensity. It was all for her, and I vowed then and there I wouldn’t let
anything or anyone steal her away. “Trust me, Sunshine. The feeling is
mutual.”
sixteen
DEMI
FOR THE FIRST time in longer than I could remember, peace stole
through me, flooding my system. Knox’s purr helped to relax every muscle,
releasing all the tension I hadn’t realized I’d been holding onto. A sigh of
utter contentment shuddered from me as he held me in his arms.
I’d never had such a thorough hug. It was the kind of hug that consumed
you. It wrapped around me so entirely I didn’t know where I ended and he
began. He leaned down and nuzzled his nose into my hair, breathing me in.
I did the same to his chest, unable to stop myself from rubbing my cheek
against one rock hard pec. Just like the rest of the pack, Knox sported the
physique of a carved statue, all muscles and strength.
His chest was bare, still slightly damp from the shower. The light scent
of soap clung to his skin, but it wasn’t enough to interfere with the essence
of his signature—coconut and sweet cream. It reminded me of coconut
cream pie and piña coladas on the beach, refreshing and delicious. Another
perfectly lickable Alpha.
“You’re purring,” I murmured, not ready to pull away like I should.
“That’s for you, Sunshine.”
I blushed and buried my face into his chest some more, glad he couldn’t
see the effect he had on me.
As if sensing I needed a break from current topics, Leo chimed in and
changed the subject. “Something smells delicious.”
“Did you make us breakfast?” Knox asked, the question a rumble in my
ear. I lifted my head and drank in the sight of him.
His blond hair was long on top, shaved almost clean on the sides. The
strands lay in a messy array that somehow looked effortlessly styled. A full
beard covered his jawline and upper lip in the same blond shade. Where
Thane’s hair was more golden, Knox’s was nearly platinum. But it was his
eyes that captured me most of all. Hazel, the kind that shifted colors daily,
never the same. Light green and grey with a starburst of rich, comforting
brown around his pupils.
Blinking out of the trance I’d fallen into, I reluctantly stepped out of
Knox’s arms and tucked back the few strands of hair that had fallen free of
my messy bun. “Oh, um, yes. With Thane’s help.”
“You let her cook for us?” Hades asked incredulously, and I eyed the
towering man timidly.
“Was I not supposed to use the kitchen?” My voice was small. Smaller
than I wanted it to be, but that man was intimidating as fuck.
“What?” His brows furrowed and he shook his head. “No. That’s not…
I wasn’t…”
Thane chuckled. “As fun as it is to see the big man hung up on his
words, what he means to say is that as Alphas, we want to take care of
you.”
Leo lifted his hand, adding himself into the equation. “Fuck, I’m a Beta
and feel the same way.”
“And that means I shouldn’t have cooked breakfast?”
“Yes,” Hades grumbled.
“No.” Thane shot Hades a silencing look. “Just means we would have
loved to have cooked for you instead.”
“Oh.”
I’d never had anyone cook for me before. Okay, that wasn’t technically
true. Growing up, we’d always had a hired cook. When I’d presented as an
Omega, my father insisted she teach me how to be proficient in the kitchen,
confident it was a skill I’d need to please my future Alphas, but it wasn’t
until he’d sold me off to Pack Silver that I had to cook every day. I’d
always felt more like the hired help in Anton’s pack.
“You’re not upset, are you?” Thane asked.
“No,” I promised. “What girl could be mad at that?” I smiled softly.
“I’ve never had someone cook for me before. Well, except for the cook we
used to have growing up, but since it was her job, I’m not sure it counts.”
“You’ve never…” Hades closed his eyes. “I swear, everytime you open
your mouth I want to pummel your old pack for treating you like a third-
class citizen.”
Old pack… I liked the sound of that even as I gaped at Hades, my jaw
actually dropping open. It was sweet, really. But I had no idea how to
respond to his level of intensity.
“Ignore him,” Thane teased and led me toward the kitchen as the others
followed and settled around the table.
“I mean, he’s not wrong,” Knox grumbled. “Omegas should be treated
like royalty.”
 “I think it would be nice if they were just treated like everyone else.” I
gathered up the bowls of fresh fruit and the cream cheese mixture, setting
them down on the table.
“That’s sweet, Love.” Eli sat back in his chair, watching me as I
continued to bring breakfast to the table with Thane’s help. “But my pack
brothers aren’t wrong. Omegas are rare and precious and should be treated
as such.”
“Honestly, I haven’t really thought about it much. My mother was a
Beta and my father never expected me to present as an Omega. It was as
much a shock to him as it was to me. And after that…” I let my story trail
off, uncomfortable revisiting talk of my prior pack. Soon, I’d need to
explain how my father had bribed the OMA and sold me off to Anton’s
pack, but right now, I just wanted to serve this pack a nice meal to thank
them for all their generosity. Not many packs would borrow my kind of
trouble, Omega or not.
Jamison helped place the crepes and scrambled eggs on the table while I
grabbed the juice, and once everything was in place, he took the seat at the
head of the table. Thane set the bacon in the center of the spread and swung
into what I assumed was his usual seat. I stood off to the side with my
hands behind my back and a smile on my face. The table was covered in
delicious smelling food. I’d done well. I just hoped they enjoyed it.
“Desi,” Jamison called, repeating himself when I didn’t respond.
“Desi?”
I zoned back in, realizing he’d been calling me. Dammit. Even though
the name was close, it must not have been close enough.
“Hmmm?”
He appeared confused, dark features drawn. “What are you doing over
there, Sweetness?”
Heat crept into my cheeks. They were all looking at me. “Giving you
time to eat?” I hadn’t meant to phrase it as a question, but it came out that
way.
Six tense men sat at the table, exchanging looks before Eli hopped up.
“Desi, we want you to join us, Love. We’re not going to eat without
you. In fact, I’d bet an entire year’s salary that none of us will take a single
damn bite until you’ve taken your first. Call it caveman of us, but we
weren’t kidding when we said we wanted to provide and care for you.
You’re not the hired help. You’re an Omega, and even if you weren’t, you
are, first and foremost, a woman, and our guest.” He held his hand out,
waiting for me to take it.
Shocked and silent, I slipped my fingers into his and let him lead me to
the table. Leo stood and pulled out my chair, and together, they settled me
at the table like I was one of them.
I blinked back the emotion that built behind my eyes, refusing to cry
again. Eating with them shouldn’t be such a big thing, but it was.
Anton never allowed me to eat with the pack. Their Omega ate when
they were finished, and only the portion they deemed fit.
“What would you like to eat?” Thane asked, reaching over the table and
snatching my plate up. “Sweet? Or savory?”
I took a chance, wondering if this pack would judge me for the sugar
and carbs. “Sweet, please.”
“Just like you.” He grinned and filled my plate with a crepe, smoothing
sweet cream in the center and piling it high with strawberries. My mouth
watered, both from breakfast and the aroma of delicious masculine scents
swirling through the room.
The guys served themselves, but just as Eli said, none of them touched a
single morsel on their plates until I lifted my fork and took a bite. My eyes
fell closed, and I hummed in appreciation. “Gods, that’s good.”
“It really fucking is,” Thane nearly moaned, and I heard a thud followed
by an “Ow.”
I opened my eyes to see what I’d missed, and found them all staring at
me, Thane looking rather sheepish.
“Sorry.” I flushed. “I just love sweet things.”
“So do we,” Thane murmured, and Knox elbowed him in the ribs, for
what I guessed was the second time. Thane feigned hurt, bending over and
nursing his side. “Cut it out, man, before you break something.”
“You’re the one who needs to behave yourself,” Knox reprimanded.
Thane’s tone was teasing, one eyebrow arched. “Oh, like you weren’t
thinking the same damn thing?”
“Don’t mind these hooligans, Love. They’re uncouth with zero
manners.” Eli smirked before taking a huge bite of a savory crepe. When he
swallowed, he leaned closer. “So, how are you feeling this morning?”
“Much better than last night. My heat has lessened to a manageable
level.”
“Any aches or pains?”
 Embarrassment stole through me that we were talking about this at all,
let alone at the breakfast table. “Um,” I leaned a little closer, lowering my
voice, “just a little crampy.” I rubbed my palm over my lower abdomen,
realizing I was decently uncomfortable—like period pain.
“After breakfast, you should lie down for a while,” Hades suggested,
having heard us from the far side of the table. He didn’t pull his gaze from
the pile of food on his plate, but he added, “Leo and I closed the gym today.
Maybe we could all watch a movie or something?”
Thane stretched, patting his stomach. “That sounds like a great idea.”
I bit my lip. I peeked at the chef. “Don’t they need you at the
restaurant?”
“Nah. I own the place and that’s what my other head chefs are for.”
“You own it?” I gaped. “That’s incredible.”
Thane grinned and straightened in his seat. Bashful, he lifted one
shoulder in a half shrug. “That was all Jamison’s doing. He bankrolled the
place for me.”
“Invested. I invested. And it was the easiest decision I could’ve made.
You’re talented, Thane. A sure thing.”
“Yeah, I am,” he said suggestively. His grin widened, and his gaze
locked on mine as his hand trailed seductively down his chest and abdomen
that was still frustratingly, wonderfully bare.
I panted, following the trail of those devious fingers. Until Knox
knocked into him again with his elbow.
“You’re incorrigible.”
“Only for this sweet little Omega.”
I giggled. “I don’t think incorrigible means what you think it means.”
Thane took another bite, his lips curling up in the corners while he
chewed.
“It made you laugh, so mission accomplished either way.”
I smiled, truly smiled. Breakfast continued in much the same way, the
guys joking with each other while sharing little bits about their lives with
me. Leo and Hades ran the gym together, another successful venture
Jamison funded. I got the distinct impression that he’d grown up with
money, much like I had, but unlike the way my life turned out, Jamison had
used his inheritance to support his pack, and together, they’d built a small
empire in Maverick Falls.
 I respected the hell out of him for supporting his friends’ dreams. No
one had ever supported mine, and I had to admit, I was a little jealous. It’d
be nice if someone saw past my designation to the heart of who I was. My
life had to mean more than serving Alphas, hot sex, and making babies.
I let myself spiral over it as breakfast ended and I stood to help clear the
table.
“Desi? Desi?”
Cluing back in, I glanced up at the men standing in various places
around the kitchen and dining area. “Huh?”
Eli captured my chin, turning my face up toward his. “Desi isn’t your
real name, is it?”
Slowly, so damn slowly, I shook my head. “No.” Confiding in them and
telling them my story was one thing, but giving them my name was another
level of vulnerability. So far, I hadn’t mentioned any names or cities. They
knew what I’d done, but couldn’t verify who I was or what pack I belonged
to. Could I take this last step? Bear this part of myself and trust them?
Deep down, I knew the answer.
“My name is Demi. Demi Leigh.”
Eli smirked. “I knew it.”
“Knew my name?”
He chuckled. “No, Love. I knew Desi wasn’t your real name.
Something about it didn’t ring as true. Demi, on the other hand, fits
beautifully.”
“Demi Leigh.” Leo let the name roll off his tongue, testing the weight of
it, the sound of it. Hearing it in his smooth tenor made me want to press my
thighs together. “I like it.”
A primal, unexplainable part of me preened. “Thank you.”
“Come on, Honey. Let’s leave the cleaning to the Alphas and go pick
out a movie to watch.” Leo looped his arm around my shoulders and led me
toward the den. “We can steal the best seats before they’re finished.”
I peered over my shoulder with a horrified expression. “I couldn’t. They
don’t have to clean. That should be—” I stammered.
“If you’re about to say that should be your job, I’m going to put you
over my knee and spank you,” Hades growled.
A small “eep” slipped out and I flushed—hard—at the visual. “You
wouldn’t.”
 “Baby Girl, just try me.” He crossed his arms, eyes glinting with
challenge and promise.
Leo chuckled. “Trust me. He’d get almost as much pleasure out of it as
you would.”
“Pleasure? From spanking?” I’d read about it in my romance novels, but
it had always seemed like an over-exaggeration. I had never been able to
imagine how pain and pleasure could possibly mix into something good.
The devil on my shoulder wanted to find out, though. My heat stirred,
lust rising low in my belly. My gaze trailed back to Hades curiously, and his
eyes smoldered.
I’m in such deep trouble with these men.
I perfumed, and Leo groaned. “Let’s pick a movie before we decide
there are other, more fun ways to entertain ourselves.”
Guiding me into the den, I settled myself into the left corner of the
sectional where a pile of blankets and pillows had been tossed. I arranged
them around me, moving them until they were just right.
Leo grinned at me and thumbed the remote, flicking through options as
he took the seat next to mine. “Since you like Marvel, why don’t we start
there?”
“That sounds great. I haven’t seen some of the newer ones.”
We waited to hit play until the others joined us. Eli sat on my other side
and placed a heating pad in my lap. The warmth was blissful against my
abdomen. I sighed in contentment as the movie started, nearly purring to
myself when Thane handed me a chocolate bar to munch on. Jamison was
next, giving me Tylenol and a drink to help with the cramps.
I felt utterly cared for, and before I knew it, I was listing sideways,
resting my head against Leo’s shoulder. He nuzzled into me.
“Beta cuddles are the best,” I murmured sleepily.
He chuckled, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and holding me
close. “This is just the beginning. Just you wait for full-on cuddles. You’ll
be addicted.”
“Sounds dangerous,” I admitted through the tiredness pulling me down.
“Why’s that, Honey?”
“Because you’re all so nice and smell so good. Gonna make it harder to
leave,” I mumbled.
My lashes fluttered closed, the Avengers avenging in the movie playing
softly in the background. Just before I fell into a deep, comfortable sleep, I
could’ve sworn I heard Leo purr, “Then don’t.”
seventeen
LEO
BY THE END of the movie, the little Omega was using me as her own
personal pillow. When she’d fallen into a deep sleep, I shifted us so we
were lying down, hoping she’d be more comfortable. Her head rested on
my stomach, her arms nestled close, those pink lips slightly parted as she
snored softly. The sound was barely more than air, but we’d muted the
movie so we could listen to her anyway and talk quietly amongst ourselves.
“I can’t believe our luck,” Jamison murmured quietly, running his hand
through his dark, wavy hair. “As soon as I saw her, I couldn’t get her out of
my mind. Now here she is. An Omega. In our house.” He shook his head,
looking equal parts bewildered and awed.
We all felt the same way. It was an easy assumption to make, given how
none of my packmates could keep their gazes away from the sleeping
beauty for long.
“I want to keep her,” I murmured, gently playing with the ends of her
hair.
Thane huffed a laugh. “She’s not a pet.”
“She said she’d stay for now, but we can’t keep her here against her
will,” Eli sighed, settling a throw blanket softly over her.
“Of course not. And for the record, I wouldn’t keep a pet against their
will either,” I scoffed, making sure to keep my voice quiet enough to not
wake Demi. “That’s why you pamper a pet. Lots of treats and love.
Eventually they’ll decide they like you enough to at least tolerate your
company.”
“I know you’re trying to draw parallels and shit, but I’d rather she
actually liked us than tolerated us,” Hades said quietly, gazing at the woman
with longing in his eyes.
“I don’t know.” Eli smirked mischievously. “You’ve been in the pack
for years and we’re all still tolerating you.”
“Ha, ha,” Hades deadpanned.
“She’s not a pet,” Jamison reiterated, redirecting our banter back to the
heart of the conversation.
 “No, she’s not. But similar principles apply to Omegas. To all humans,
really. She needs to be shown love and affection. She needs to feel safe and
secure. If we can give her that, maybe her trust in us will grow and she’ll
want to stay,” I offered. “We need to show her how much better her life
could be with us as her pack.”
“Shouldn’t be that difficult. Her old pack sounds like a bunch of limp-
dick fuckers to me,” Hades growled.
Couldn’t argue with the man. He was right.
“So, we’re all in agreement?” Jamison glanced around at each of us in
turn. “We want her to stay?”
“I want the chance to get to know her.” Thane leaned forward, bracing
his elbows on his knees, cupping one hand over his closed fist. “Everything
in me says she’s ours. Gods, no one has ever smelled as good as she does to
me. She makes my Alpha stand up and pay attention.”
Eli raised his hand. “I’m in. I was from the moment I saw her.”
“You already know how I feel,” Hades added. “It’s a yes from me.”
Jamison looked my way next. “Hey, I already said I wanted to keep her.
It’s a hell yes. I don’t want to let her go.”
“Knox?” Jamison looked at the silent man sitting on one end of the
sectional.
He was quiet long enough to make me squirm, worried he’d say no.
Finally, he nodded once. “I’m drawn to her, same as all of you. We need to
handle this situation carefully, but I’m willing to take the risk if you all are.
She needs protection and a pack to show her that not all Alphas are
assholes. We could be that pack. And if our scents draw her in as hers does
for us, I think the rest will fall into place naturally as we get to know each
other. I want her to stay, and I want to help her escape the pack she’s clearly
afraid of.”
“That was more words than I think I’ve heard you string together in
months,” I teased, but holy fuck. Knox was the type of guy who didn’t
speak much unless he had something important to say. He didn’t talk just to
hear his own voice, so when he spoke, you listened. I didn’t know the guy
had it in him to open up like this. Already, Demi was good for us.
“What about you, Jamison?” Knox pressed. Deep down, we all needed
to hear that our leader was on the same page.
“I agree with you all. Protecting our little Omega, showing her there’s a
better pack out there for her, is worth the gamble,” Jamison said with that
quiet steadfastness he was known for.
The man was our leader for a reason. He could be surly and serious at
times, but he was our rock, the foundation on which our pack was built.
He’d brought us all together, given us a family. He’d been born to lead, and
we all deferred to him.
Jamison had the pack’s best interests at heart, and though the rest of us
were already on board, we needed his approval to move forward with Demi.
Thank fuck he’d just given it because I didn’t think I could walk away
from her now. I may only be a Beta, but she’d already captured me. In my
own way, I was drawn to her, and I couldn’t imagine watching her leave.
“Just know that it will be a risk. It’s obvious Demi doesn’t come free
and clear. If we pursue her, we need to be prepared for complications. We
need to know more about her previous pack. Who they are. Where she
comes from. I assume an Omega killing an Alpha would have made the
national news. Have there been any concerning headlines we need to worry
about?” Jamison turned toward the police officer amongst us.
Ah, so that’s what Knox had been doing when he’d left the room earlier.
It didn’t surprise me he’d started to dig into Demi’s past to learn what he
could. Without her last name or place of origin, he probably hadn’t made
much progress, but any information was better than nothing when it came to
keeping Demi out of the clutches of her abusive pack. Hopefully, we
wouldn’t spook her, but when she woke up, we’d need to ask for more
details.
“Nothing that I’ve seen, which is a good sign.”
“Does that mean that Alpha fucker isn’t dead?” Hades asked with a
murderous edge. If she hadn’t unalived the guy, whoever he was had better
watch out. My best friend didn’t suffer abusive assholes well. Especially
ones who abused women.
“It’s likely he’s still alive, but I can’t say for sure. I need to speak to
Demi and get more information from her, but I don’t want to freak her out
and send her running again.” Knox smoothed a hand down his beard,
eyeing the sleeping woman like she might wake up and bolt at any second.
She was a flight risk, I’d give him that. Part of me thought she might
disappear if I blinked hard enough, sure I’d imagined her somehow. That’s
how rare having an Omega was.
We’d been on the registry for years and had never been chosen to court
one.
 Speaking of…
“What will the OMA say when they get wind of this?” I whispered, but
my brothers heard me.
Jamison leaned into the couch and spread his arms along the back,
looking more casual than his words indicated. “Can’t imagine they’ll take it
well.” I could feel his Alpha close to the surface, challenging and
protective. He watched Demi sleep with a possessive glint in his eyes.
Oh yeah, he’s already attached. I dare the OMA to tell us we can’t have
her. Jamison won’t stand for it.
“How many rules are we breaking?” Eli glanced toward Knox.
“Hell if I know. The OMA functions on their own set of rules. I can
look into it though. Learn the ins and outs and see how many of their laws
we’re breaking by harboring an Omega without notifying them.”
“She just showed up last night,” Thane defended. “You really think
they’ll be that harsh when she’s been mistreated? We’re just trying to help
her.”
“And convince her to stay with us,” Eli pointed out, playing devil’s
advocate. “Surely, they’ll have a say in that.”
“She didn’t want me to call the OMA when I found her. I think she’s
worried they’ll force her to go back,” I told them.
Truthfully, I was worried about that reality myself. In the space of less
than twelve hours, my entire life had been turned upside down and inside
out. Crazier still, I didn’t want to ever go back. Meeting Demi felt like
coming up to the surface after being submerged underwater for too long.
She was a breath of fresh air, the stretch of your lungs that reminded you
that you were alive. Unless she decided to leave of her own free will—
which I couldn’t even contemplate right this second—I wouldn’t let anyone
take her from us. Not the OMA. Not her shitty pack.
“Whatever happens, we have to make sure Demi is in charge of the
choices and decisions regarding her own life,” I warned. “No one else
should have a say in what happens next except her.”
“I wish it were that simple.” Jamison sighed. “Omegas’ choices only go
so far. She has to choose a pack and she’ll be required to mate. Technically,
until she’s mated, she belongs to the OMA. You said she’s twenty-three?”
I nodded.
“Then, her time is almost up. The OMA will expect her to bond—to
officially choose her pack.”
 Hades turned back toward the sectional after completing another lap of
pacing. “But that decision should be hers. They can’t force her to go back to
her old pack, can they? After everything they’ve done to her?”
Jamison and Knox traded heavy looks, but it was Jamison who spoke.
“I’m not sure, but we’ll fight tooth and nail to make sure that doesn’t
happen.”
“That’s not good enough,” Hades spat.
“No, it’s not,” Eli said calmly. “Even if she is being officially courted,
she should have the right to say no to the match. The OMA couldn’t
possibly force an Omega to mate against her will. That’s what the courting
period is for—a trial run, a time for feelings to grow and bonds to form. If
those bonds never form, it would be doing Omegas a disservice to force a
match simply because they agreed to be courted by a specific pack. There
have to be provisions for these kinds of situations.”
“I’ll look into the specifics,” Knox promised. “From what I remember,
an Omega should have the right to decline a pack, though it’s probably rare.
Based on the scent profiles and pack interviews Omegas use to choose
which pack they want to court her, matches are set up for success from the
beginning. Obviously, that’s not the case here, which is why we need more
information. Why didn’t Demi tell the OMA what was going on? Why
doesn’t she trust them? There’s got to be a reason she felt she had no other
choice but to run. There’s more to the story we don’t know.”
Jamison scrubbed a hand down the scruff covering his jaw. “Hopefully,
she’ll open up to us with time.”
“That’s one thing we don’t have a lot of.” Knox sighed. “I don’t want to
rush her into spilling all her secrets, but I’ll need to talk to her again and see
if she’s comfortable sharing more with me. In the meantime, you know my
sister recently got a job with the OMA. I could reach out to her—off the
record,” he suggested. “See what I can dig up about their rules regarding
failed courtships.”
Jamison agreed but leveled him with another heavy look. “I trust
Kimber, but I think it’s best if we keep Demi’s name out of things until we
know more. I don’t want her safety in jeopardy.”
Knox nodded. “I’d never gamble with her safety.”
“I know, but I had to say it.” Jamison rubbed his hand over his chest, the
place we all felt our Alpha’s presence the most. He glanced at each of us
one last time. “We do our best to earn her trust, and in the meantime, stay
vigilant. It’s possible her old pack will be looking for her. We need to be
careful.”
We all murmured our agreement, stoic looks and somber attitudes
replacing our previous enthusiasm. There was no way in fuck I’d let her old
pack get their hands on her again. Even if she meant nothing to me, I’d
protect her… But she did.
From the first moment I laid eyes on her, she meant everything. And I’d
do anything to keep her safe.
eighteen
DEMI
THE NEXT FEW days passed in a blur. I’d spent an entire two days
curled up in my room with the worst cramps I’d ever had. Apparently Eli
hadn’t been kidding when he said there were side effects to suppressing my
medically induced heat. They’d taken a couple hours to hit, but once they
had, waking me from my nap, I’d barely been able to see straight. If it
weren’t for the guys taking care of me—bringing me food, making sure I
always had the heating pad on my stomach, and providing pain meds—I
would have been ten times more miserable.
It was all worth it to save myself from going through heat, but damn—
the cramps were a bitch. Luckily, they lasted less than the length of a
typical period before they began to ease. Two days and I was feeling nearly
human again.
The better part of yesterday had been spent exploring the house—if you
could even call it that. The guys’ home was more of a sprawling estate. The
eclectic mix of rustic whites, industrial fixtures, and accented brick gave the
place an old-world charm with a modern flare. Despite its size, their home
was cozy and comfortable, which was a far cry from what I’d grown up
used to. It was easy to picture myself living here, and I had to constantly
remind myself this wasn’t my pack.
Unfortunately, that only became harder and harder to do. Each day, the
guys went out of their way to do nice things for me. Leo brought me
colorful flowers to brighten my room. Eli ran me a bubble bath when I’d
finally been able to get out of bed, complete with scent boosters and
candles, promising the warmth would be good for any remaining cramps.
I’d soaked for hours, reading a book until my skin resembled a raisin and
the water ran cold. Thane cooked for me every day. Sometimes he let me
help, but most of the time I ended up as a fixture on one of the stools at the
kitchen island as we talked about everything and nothing. Jamison had
slowly been learning all my favorite foods, which would then mysteriously
show up in the fridge or pantry. Hades always made sure there were
blankets and pillows wherever I went. And though I’d been carefully
evading Knox’s gentle prodding about my past, he’d gone out of his way to
show me the house was secure, teaching me how to use their security
system and access the cameras they had set around the exterior of the
property. He made me feel seen and safe. Instead of belittling my fears, he
worked to ease them.
Their vigilant care had made me tear up. They’d all looked stricken
until I assured them they were good tears. I’d laughed it off as a remnant of
my heat—a roller coaster of emotions I couldn’t control—but truthfully, I
would have cried no matter what. In the space of a few short days, these
men, who were essentially strangers, had shown me more love and respect
than anyone had since my mother had passed away. I felt special and safe. It
was a heady, addictive combination.
And that was the problem. These men were dangerous. Not in the
‘could murder you in your sleep’ kind of way, but in the ‘watch out or
you’ll quickly fall in love’ way.
Incredible signatures aside, I grew more comfortable with them every
day. It didn’t take long to realize how special this pack was. These men
were a rarity compared to the ones I’d known all my life, and they were
already burrowing into my heart, making it difficult for me to hold onto the
reality of my situation. I was a fugitive on the run. A guest in their house.
Hell, I was staying in the guest room, for fuck’s sake, living out of a ratty
duffle bag. I wasn’t free to be courted or claimed, and I needed to remember
that.
My life had been in limbo since the day I’d presented as an Omega.
Living in a constant state of flux and uncertainty had left me exhausted and
on edge. I had zero control over my own life, and I hated it.
I sighed as I finished getting ready for the day, digging through the
scarce contents of my duffle for my last remaining outfit. Tugging on jeans
and a t-shirt, I stared at the nearly empty bag. The urge to unpack my things
—to place my limited outfits in the dresser drawers, my books and picture
frame on the shelves, my sketchpad on the desk, my hairbrush on the
counter in the bathroom—rode me until I growled quietly and turned away
to scowl at the laundry pile in the corner like it had personally offended me.
Not your pack. Not your home, I reminded myself. Again.
Scooping up the pile, I opened the door to go in search of the washing
machine, hoping the guys wouldn’t mind if I borrowed some detergent and
dryer sheets. Living off of others made me uncomfortable, but I didn’t have
a choice. I didn’t have a quarter to my name let alone a Tide POD.
 A startled squeak flew from my lips as I nearly crashed into a hard chest
in the middle of my pity party for one.
“Whoa there.” Large hands landed on my shoulders, steadying me
before I bounced off him and went flailing backward.
I gazed sheepishly at Eli, the full force of his scent hitting me as he held
me close—cloves, spice, and a hint of sugar. He reminded me of hot chai
tea on a crisp, quiet morning.
I drew in another lungful, unable to get enough of his addicting
signature. Ignoring their mouth-watering scents should’ve grown easier
with time, but I was just as drawn to them as the first day I arrived.
Shaking my head dizzily, I tried to remember how I’d ended up in his
arms and remind myself why I shouldn’t be there. I stepped back. “Sorry. I
was lost in my thoughts and didn’t see you there.”
“My fault entirely. I didn’t mean to be standing on the other side in wait
like some creeper. I was just getting ready to knock on your door when it
opened and out you flew.” He smirked, eyes glittering mischievously
behind his black-rimmed glasses.
“I’m out of clothing and hoping to use your washer and dryer if that’s
okay?” Asking felt awkward, but I held up the small pile of already worn
clothing, mortified when I noticed a pair of my panties laying on top.
Because of course. My luck wouldn’t have it any other way. A blush stained
my cheeks, and I surreptitiously shifted the clothes hoping to bury them
under a pair of leggings.
If he noticed, he was gentlemanly enough not to mention it.
“Of course. Right this way, my lady.” He grinned and bowed a little at
the waist, motioning me past him and into the hallway. He led me to the end
where a door stood open, revealing a walk-in laundry room. “Everything
you need should be in here.” He grabbed a laundry basket for me, holding it
out so I could drop my clothes in, then set it on top of the washer.
“Detergent, laundry softener, those little scent beads that make everything
smell good. The others think they’re unnecessary, but I’m a sucker for
good-smelling laundry.”
He gave me a quick tutorial on their machines, leaning against the wall
while I put my meager belongings on a regular cycle. I barely had enough
to warrant a full load, and I thought Eli’s eyes might pop out of his head
when he realized I’d thrown my darks and lights together.
 He cleared his throat, holding his fist over his mouth as he fought not to
say anything. I grinned, then giggled at how downright uncomfortable he
looked.
“You can say it.”
“What kind of heathen mixes their laundry?” he burst in a fit of
indignant passion that only made me laugh harder. “I swear, you’re as bad
as the guys. I’m forever haranguing them about the benefits of dividing
their whites and darks.”
“There’s barely enough laundry to warrant one load. Two would be
wasteful.”
Eli shook his head, flabbergasted. “All problems that can be easily
solved,” he murmured more to himself than to me. There were wheels
turning behind his eyes, but before I could question him, they cleared.
“Come, come. I was actually sent to fetch you for breakfast.”
“Oh. I’m sorry if I’m holding everyone up.”
“Nonsense. It’s early. You’re not keeping anyone waiting. I volunteered
to let you know breakfast was ready because I wanted to see you before I
had to leave for my shift.”
“Working at the hospital today?” I followed after him as he led the way
downstairs and into the den.
“Another riveting day in the ER.”
“Well, I hope it’s quiet, at least.”
Eli balked. “I would never wish ill will on others, but quiet equals
boring, Love. One of the things I like best about the ER is the fast pace.” He
held his hands up and waggled his long fingers with a sexy, confident smirk
curling his lips. “These hands were built to fix trauma.”
Oh, I just bet they are. My mind ran rampant, imagining all the ways
those hands could make me forget about the traumatic things that had left
scars behind. Somehow, I knew under his care and attention, those scars
would fade as he chased the nightmares away, replacing them with far
brighter, naughtier memories.
Eli was the kind of man who had the power to heal with a touch, a kiss.
I wanted to experience that magic firsthand.
As if he could read the direction of my thoughts, Eli’s eyes darkened
and he stepped closer. “Of course that’s not why I want a fast-paced shift.”
“Oh?” I played his game, tipping my face up as he slowly closed the
distance between us, giving me time to stop him or move away. I let him get
closer, leaving a bare few inches of space remaining.
“The faster the pace, the busier I’ll be, the less time I’ll be pining away
until I get to return home once more.”
I hummed my understanding, suppressing the grin that wanted to
spread. “You’ll miss your pack brothers, of course.”
Thane scoffed from the other room. “More like he’ll be pining after the
burgers I’m planning to make for dinner. They only keep me around
because of the food. I swear, they just want me barefoot and busy in the
kitchen.”
I giggled, unable to hold back my amused smile any longer.
Eli shrugged one shoulder. “What can I say? The man knows his way
around a piece of meat.” He grinned cheekily when another laugh burst out
of me.
At the same time, my face heated with the thought that maybe the guys’
friendships went beyond brotherly affection. With so few Omegas, it was
common for relationships to develop between Alphas within a pack.
“Do you—um—have first-hand knowledge?”
“Of what, Love?” Eli cocked his head.
Was he really going to make me say it? “O-of just how well Thane
handles meat?” The question was higher pitched than I’d intended. Oh
gods, that was cheesy as hell.
Eli barked a laugh, his smile so wide his white teeth could have blinded
a person. “Are you asking if any of us have carnal knowledge of each
other?”
I blushed harder, feeling the heat in my cheeks. I was sure they were
tomato red. “You don’t have to answer. I was just wondering what your
pack’s dynamics are like since I’m staying here temporarily and thought it
might be good to know.” I rushed my words together.
Eli’s amber-colored eyes sparkled. “First of all, I speak for all of us
when I say we hope your stay here is more than temporary.”
My mouth popped open, my eyes growing wider as I processed that
little tidbit.
“And secondly…” Thane chimed in, coming into the living room
wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants and an apron covering his bare
chest. I drank in the sight of him unabashedly. “While we have no problem
with relationships developing amongst Alphas, our pack bonds are strictly
brotherly in nature—completely platonic.”
 “Although—” Eli closed the last few inches between us. Chest brushing
mine, he hooked his finger under my chin and lifted my gaze back to his.
“None of us would have any issue putting a pretty, freckled brunette
between us.”
“Mmm,” Thane purred, his heat suddenly warming my back. “A Demi
sandwich? That’s the best idea you’ve had in a while, brother.”
I shivered as their dirty promises and tantalizing scents surrounded me.
The mixture of sweetness and spice had me licking my lips. The air charged
as they leaned in and scented me. Thane’s hand ran down the length of my
arm, raising goosebumps as he trailed his fingers along my skin. I squirmed
thinking about them pressing me between them, of Eli shoving a leg
between my thighs, of Thane’s hand roving over other parts of my body. I
squirmed, my last clean pair of panties growing damp.
“Godsdamn, you smell good,” Thane groaned, his nose skimming down
the column of my neck.
“I think she likes the idea of being shared. Is that right, Demi?” Eli
pressed, eyes hooded and hungry.
Yes. I swallowed, unsure if I should admit it out loud. This pack opened
my mind to all kinds of possibilities I’d never considered before. Sure, I’d
read about being shared, but it had never happened to me before.
Anton was too possessive to allow anyone else to touch me when I was
under him. The most Pack Silver had done was pass me between them,
taking their pleasure and leaving me unsatisfied. I’d been nothing more than
a vessel, unseen and uncared for.
“That’s it, pet. This is the only thing you’re good for. Let me see the way
you hold all our cum.” Anton’s unwelcomed voice echoed through my
mind, sending a racking shudder through me.
Eli and Thane sensed my hesitation, or maybe it was the tension that
stole through me from the memories. They pulled back immediately,
leaving my head spinning and my body missing their heat.
“I’m sorry, Demi. That was too much too soon.” Eli ran a hand through
his hair, looking distraught.
“No!” I promised, reaching for his hand, then turning to capture Thane’s
as well. “It’s not you. It’s me.”
Thane’s brows furrowed. “You don’t need to feed us a line. We’re big
boys. We can own up to the fact that we fucked up and moved too fast.”
 I squeezed his hand. “It wasn’t a line. I promise.” I tried to brush off the
lingering effects of the nightmarish memory. “And you didn’t move too
fast. I… I wanted it.” I wanted them. By scent alone, I knew we were
compatible. But we’d just met, and I wasn’t ready to admit it out loud.
Besides, my situation was messy and complicated. I shouldn’t drag them
into it with me. “I’m just realizing I might be more broken than I realized,”
I whispered.
Eli made a distressed sound, and before I knew it, he was back in front
of me. Dropping my hand, he gently cupped my face. “You’re not broken,
Love.”
I captured his wrists, gently strumming my thumbs along his forearms.
“I think I might be.”
Thane stood behind me, gathering my hair and moving it off to one side.
“Then, we’ll pick up all the pieces and help you fit them back together,” he
promised, his voice a deep rumble I felt all the way to my soul. Sealing the
vow with a kiss, he pressed his lips to the curve of my shoulder, making me
shudder between them. “Just give us a chance, Darling, and we’ll show you
everything you’ve been missing.”
I didn’t know how it was possible to see a future so strongly after a few
days, but these men were quickly becoming a part of me. The vision of
being surrounded by a loving pack—by this loving pack—made me crave it
with every fiber of my being. I wanted to get to know them, to let myself
dream of being happy. My chest tightened with longing.
“We can be your glue, Demi,” Eli vowed. “We’ll hold you together,
even when it feels like you’re falling apart.”
The idea of being surrounded by this pack, of thriving under the love
and care they’d already shown me, grew until it was all I could focus on.
I’d wanted freedom desperately, but in the span of a few days, I couldn’t
imagine walking away from Eli, Thane, and the others. It was crazy to feel
this way, especially given my situation. Was it futile to hope for a brighter
future? Could I trust my instincts? And more importantly, could I trust this
pack? I so desperately wanted to.
Because I had a feeling that here, between these men, I could truly
begin to heal.
nineteen
DEMI
“DEMI?” Leo called, rapping his knuckles lightly on the doorframe of my
bedroom.
I turned and offered him a smile as I finished folding the tank top in my
hand, placing it in the small pile of clothing lying on the comforter. The
clothes were fresh from the dryer, warming my hands and filling the room
with the fresh scent of laundry detergent, enhanced by the scent beads—a
light vanilla fragrance that paired nicely with my natural signature.
“Hi.” I tucked my hair behind my ear and grabbed a pair of leggings to
fold next. I was still debating whether I should put them away in the
drawers or shove them back into my duffle.
“Do you have any plans this afternoon?” he asked almost shyly.
I grinned. “I have a rather riveting afternoon folding laundry and then
puttering around, trying to find some way to repay you all for your
kindness. Why? Did you have something in mind?”
He crossed his arms, biceps bulging in the black t-shirt that sported the
logo of a band I hadn’t heard of before. “Well, now I don’t want to ask you
in case you only agree as a way to repay me.” A small grin tipped the
corner of his mouth, but it didn’t hide his concern.
Abandoning the laundry, I went and stood in front of him. “What if I
promise to say no if it’s something I don’t want to do?”
He studied me for a long moment. “You promise?”
“Cross my heart.” I motioned an X across my chest.
“Grab your sneakers, and we’ll head out.”
“Out?” I asked hesitantly, chewing on my bottom lip. “Is that a good
idea?”
“Don’t worry. We’re staying on the property, but I thought you might be
getting sick of being indoors for days on end.”
If only he knew my old pack rarely allowed me to go outside. Getting
some sunlight and vitamin D sounded incredible. “Yes, please!” I
practically bounced back into the room and slipped my tennis shoes on.
Leo held out his hand. I only hesitated for half a heartbeat before
slipping my fingers into his. Warmth spread through me from the feel of his
larger hand closed around mine. I hadn’t realized how much I missed being
touched. The Omega part of me longed for it, indulgent and fulfilled
everytime one of the men made contact, however brief.
“I think you’re going to like this,” he said, leading me outside through
the large glass doors at the back of the house.
A path led past an outdoor pool and through the well-manicured lawn.
Beyond the pool house was an expansive garden toward the end of its
season and a picturesque barn with—
I gasped. “Are those baby goats?”
Leo chuckled. “Yeah. Daisy had three kids a month ago.”
Their floppy ears and cute little noses had my full attention, and before I
knew it, I’d left Leo behind and rushed the fenceline, cooing at the goats
like they were babies.
“Aren’t you just the cutest little things?” I waggled my fingers through
the fence, and the boldest of the three sniffed me. “What are their names?”
“We had fun naming them, actually. That’s Billy, Scape, and Vincent.”
I pursed my lips, wondering if my hunch was right. “Billy the Kid?”
His grin widened. “Did you get the others?”
Huffing a laugh, I said, “Scape Goat?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Biting my bottom lip, I wracked my brain for the last one. “I might need
a hint on Vincent.”
Leo beamed, looking insanely proud of himself. “That was my idea.
Vincent van Goat.”
I shook my head, giggling. “Are they all boys?”
“Vincent and Billy are, but Scape is a girl.”
“You poor thing. These boys gave you such a silly name, didn’t they?”
Leo disappeared for a moment, returning with a scoop of food. “Here,
try this. Scape is motivated by food.”
I held a handful in my palm and stuck it through the fence, giddy when
the two boys nibbled away. It took Scape longer, but eventually she nudged
her way in to get a few pieces of grain too.
“If you like the goats, I hope you’ll enjoy what I have planned.”
“This wasn’t it?”
“Oh, Honey. We’re just getting started.”
I gazed up at his earnest features. Leo was the epitome of the boy next
door. He had dimples when he smiled and eyes so stormy blue you could
get lost in them. Brushing off my hands, I took his outstretched one and
stood.
“Show me,” I urged, giving him my full attention.
“This way, Beautiful.” He led me to the other side of the barn, and I
froze.
“Oh. My. Gods.”
“Shit. Are you afraid of horses?” He winced, genuinely concerned.
I squealed quietly so as not to spook the gorgeous chestnut creature
tethered to a hitching post, already saddled and waiting.
“Are you kidding? I love horses. Well, in theory. Growing up in the city,
I never got to spend much time with them, but I’ve always wanted to ride.”
My heart fluttered in my chest. “Can I pet it?”
“Nah, I thought I’d bring you all the way out here just to let you look,”
Leo teased, winking at me when I raised a brow. “Of course, you can.”
Giving my hand a little tug, he brought me over to the magnificent animal.
Surprising me, he pressed a kiss to the back of my knuckles before placing
my palm on the soft, smooth neck of the horse. “This is Maple. She’s a
fourteen-year-old mare we rescued about five years ago.”
Carefully, I stroked my hand along her neck, under her mane.
“Rescued?”
“Yeah. Her owners were abusing her. She was left out in the pasture
without any food or water until she was barely more than skin and bones.”
Tears pricked my eyes as I continued to pet her, my heart breaking that
anyone could mistreat such a majestic creature. “That’s awful.”
“A local rescue stepped in and needed a foster home for her. We
volunteered, and after a few months, were able to officially adopt her. Took
us over a year to get her back to a healthy weight, and another year after
that to get her properly trained. Now, she gets all the love and attention she
deserves and has become a wonderful trail horse.”
“I can’t believe anyone could do that to her.” I sympathized.
“It never should’ve happened, but life is cruel and unfair sometimes.”
His voice was raw, carrying an unspoken weight I recognized. Leo appeared
carefree and happy on the outside, but those silver-blue eyes became a
mirror. Reflected back at me was hurt and suffering I knew all too well. His
pain was etched onto his soul, as much a part of him as his easy-going smile
or his kindness. Two sides of the same coin.
 I wondered what had happened to him to put those scars there, but I
wouldn’t pry. Letting your damage breathe in front of someone else left you
vulnerable and exposed. Maybe someday, if I got to stay long enough, he’d
feel comfortable enough with me to let down his walls.
Taking a chance, I reached up and traced my fingers along his brow and
down the angle of his strong jawline, trying to soothe him in some small
way. “No one should be treated that way.”
Leo stared down at me intently, slowly bringing his hand up to cup my
cheek. His thumb smoothed over the line of my bottom lip. “No, they
shouldn’t. No one should see the worst of humankind.” He let that settle
between us before adding, “But Maple is a great example that there are
rainbows after a storm. It took a long time, but with each day that passed,
we slowly gained her trust. Slowly showed her a life worth fighting for.”
My breath hitched, knowing full well we weren’t talking about the horse
anymore. Each day, these men were showing me a life worth fighting for. In
both large and small ways, they showed me love and kindness, rekindling
my hope for a future.
Maple whinnied and swung her head around, peering at me with dark,
gentle, soulful eyes. I gave her a watery laugh as she nosed my free hand,
looking for treats. Leo dug into his pocket and pulled out a sugar cube.
“Here,” he murmured, moving behind me. He placed the cube in my
hand and positioned it, tucking my thumb tight against my other fingers and
extending them slightly backward. Cupping his hand beneath mine, he
helped me feed her. The light tickle of horse whiskers and soft lips
searching my palm barely distracted me from the feel of Leo wrapped
around me. Being in his strong arms felt amazing, and leaning into him
came naturally. The hand that’d landed on my hip gave me an encouraging
squeeze as his heat licked along my spine.
“That’s it. Good job.” His purr reminded me of his encouragement that
night in the gym. The way he’d walked me through touching myself had
been the biggest turn-on of my life. I shivered against him, remembering
every dirty word. “What do you say? Do you want to go for a ride?”
“Gods, yes,” I breathed, not realizing I’d spoken it aloud until Leo
chuckled.
His lips brushed against the shell of my ear. “Still talking about the
horse, Demi? Or would you prefer to ride something else?” The hand on my
hip slid around to splay over my stomach, pulling me flush against his body.
The hardness in his jeans was impossible to ignore. I perfumed, my scent
thickening, giving away how turned on I was.
“Don’t you know it’s rude to make a girl choose between a dream and a
fantasy?”
“Which one am I?”
I squirmed against him, loving the low groan he released. “The fantasy.”
His teeth nipped my ear. “That’s where you’re wrong.” He turned me
around, his hand going to the side of my neck, his thumb under my chin
lifting my head until I was staring into the stormy-blue depths of his eyes.
“I’m right here, Honey. I’m not a fantasy, and I’m ready to take whatever
you’re willing to give.”
Slowly, giving me plenty of time to stop him, he leaned down. My
hands curled into his t-shirt, holding on for dear life as his lips met mine.
His kiss was confident and gentle, demanding but tender. He teased me,
small nips turning into deeper, drugging pulls. And his scent…
Holy fuck, he tastes just as good as he smells.
Whoever thought Betas weren’t just as addictive as Alphas had never
experienced the kind of pull that drew me to Leo. One little taste and I was
devoted to his lips. His kiss was habit-forming, leaving me altered. I’d
never been kissed like this, and I whimpered into his mouth as his tongue
danced with mine.
I was a panting mess by the time he pulled away. He rested his forehead
against mine, breathing heavily. His hands went to my waist and then I was
being lifted.
“What are you doing?” I gasped, grabbing onto his arms.
His gaze was hooded. Heated. “Giving you your dream of riding a horse
before I decide I have a more enticing use for our time.” He sat me in the
saddle and instructed me to swing my leg over. Untying Maple, he
effortlessly swung up, settling in the saddle behind me. I shifted against
him, biting my lip hard when my ass rubbed against the straining length
behind his jeans.
“For the love of the gods,” he grunted. “Whose brilliant idea was it to
go for a ride again?”
I bit my lip, peeking at him over my shoulder. “Yours,” I said, wiggling
in his lap and reveling in the lust that darkened his features. “Second best
idea you’ve had all day.”
 “What was the first?” His chest rumbled against my back with his
question as he brought his arms around me and gathered the reins. “It was
the goats, wasn’t it?”
Chuckling, I shook my head. “The goats were a close third. The first
was kissing me.”
He clicked to Maple and steered her toward a trail that led into the
woods.
“Lucky for you, I’m great at multitasking.” Leaning down, he swept my
hair off my shoulder and placed a string of kisses along the line of my neck.
My lips parted on a gasp. “I think horseback riding just became my new
favorite pastime.”
Leo hummed against my skin. “And tasting you just became mine. Hold
tight, Honey, because I think we’re going to take the long trail around.”
twenty
JAMISON
I’D NEVER BEEN SO damn jealous of my Beta in all my life. Leo and
Demi had returned near dinner with blown pupils and lust-filled faces. One
hit of Demi’s scent told me all I needed to know about their horseback ride.
What I wouldn’t give to have taken his place, to be the one Demi had
been pressed up against on a long ride. I imagined her ass rocking against
my cock for hours on end. I wasn’t a masochist, but I lived for that kind of
torture.
I would have slid my fingers into her jeans, curled them inside her
sweet little pussy, and teased her as mercilessly as she teased me.
Fuck, I was hard again. It wasn’t surprising. I’d lived in a perpetual state
of arousal since she’d arrived. Each night I stood under the spray of a cold
shower and stroked my cock just to take the edge off. But shooting my cum
down the drain only held so much appeal and worked for so long before a
man needed more.
My Alpha rode me to drive my cock inside the little Omega, to take her
and claim the woman I knew was meant to be mine, but those were primal
instincts I wouldn’t act on until I’d fully won Demi over. Every spare
moment I spent on figuring out how to show Demi she belonged with my
pack.
We were already attached to her. Sure, she was beautiful and smelled
fucking incredible, but our interest ran so much deeper. Demi was sweet,
smart, and when she felt comfortable enough, sassy as hell. Those little
glimpses of spice gave me hope that she was coming out of her shell under
our care. I wanted to see more. Wanted her to let her walls down and just be
herself.
I’d seen the moments she bit her tongue, holding back whatever she
wanted to say. Someone had done a number on her self-esteem and muzzled
her enough that she’d learned to be seen and not heard. Whatever pack
she’d been with before deserved to be tortured slowly for the way they’d
treated her.
I tipped the crystal glass to my mouth, taking a swig of the amber
liquid. The familiar burn of whiskey slid down my throat, and I chased it
with another sip, hoping it would numb my anger.
A knock on my office door interrupted my brooding. I hadn’t even had
time to call out before the door opened and Knox pushed his way in with
the others at his back.
Instantly on alert, I sat straighter and set my glass down. It clinked
against my wooden desk as they closed the door behind them. “What’s
going on? Where’s Demi?” I was nearly out of my chair, worried about her,
before Eli assured me she was fine, upstairs taking a bath.
I eased back into my seat and eyed the laptop Knox had hooked under
his arm. “Have you found something out about her or her previous pack?”
Knox thrived on facts and information, and I knew he’d been cyber-
stalking Demi to learn what he could. He was protective of all of us, and
that now included our little Omega. As soon as he’d had my blessing to do
what he was naturally good at—digging into people’s lives and ferreting out
the truth—he hadn’t hesitated.
Knox sighed, running a hand through his blond hair. “I don’t want her to
feel like we’re invading her privacy, but yeah. It wasn’t too difficult to dig
into her past with the few details she gave me. I think it’s important
everyone knows who we’re up against.”
He set his laptop on my desk, and after a moment, he spun the screen so
I could see. Everyone crowded around my desk to get a better look. There
on the screen was a smiling Demi next to an older gentleman who shared
some of her features.
“Demi Leigh, daughter of real-estate mogul Rodger Fenway of Silver
City, New York. There are a handful of gossip articles about her and her
family, but it’s mostly nonsense except for these.” Knox showed us a
picture of a young-looking Demi standing next to a regal man with salt-and-
pepper hair, then clicked to another window. “What’s strange is that there’s
no record of her being registered as an Omega.”
“I don’t understand.…”
“Neither do I. Especially because I also found this.” He clicked on
another tab, opening yet another article. “One of the gossip mags ran a story
about her almost a year ago, spreading rumors that she was being courted
by Pack Silver.”
A low growl left my throat, all other problems forgotten. “Those
assholes?”
 There were thousands upon thousands of Alpha packs across the United
States, and we sure as fuck didn’t know them all. But we knew this one.
Thane and I had grown up in elite circles, attended the best schools and
colleges. We’d mingled with high society all our lives. Anton Aster ran in
those same circles, and though he and his pack lived in New York while we
lived in Vermont, we ran into each other from time to time at East Coast
events.
We’d all attended the same Alpha seminars, taken the same classes on
how to treat and care for an Omega hosted by the Omega Matching Agency.
Obviously, none of those lessons stuck. Anton Aster and his pack, Huck and
Reed—if I remembered correctly—were as scummy as they came. Being
rich certainly hadn’t given them any manners. In fact, being wealthy
enabled their shitty behavior. Money could get you out of a lot of scrapes.
No wonder she’s been abused. Anton had probably put her under his
thumb and tried his best to kill her spirit.
“We can’t let her go back to them.” Thane looked as serious as I’d ever
seen him.
Eli glowered. “I doubt she’d go back willingly, but if they’re courting
her, they must have a legal claim over her.”
“Don’t care. There’s no fucking way I’ll let them lay another finger on
her.” Hades prowled across the small room, then back. The movement
helped him think. It gave the anxious energy he battled with an outlet.
“She’s not going back.”
I fucking agreed but stayed silent, mulling over this complication.
“That’s what I don’t understand.” Eli pried his attention off the laptop
and onto all of us. “How could she be courting a pack if she’s not registered
as an Omega?” He let that question hang in the quiet of the office before
glancing toward Leo. “She didn’t want you to call the OMA, right?”
He hummed in confirmation.
“You think she’s afraid of the organization?”
“It’s possible.” My eyes narrowed in concentration. “It’s also possible
the OMA might have nothing to do with it. I don’t know her father, but
Anton Aster is powerful, persuasive, and richer than the gods. I wouldn’t
put it past him to pull off something shady. Despite the rights she should
have as an Omega, maybe she doesn’t feel like she can say no.”
“Fuck him and his money,” Hades spat. “He can’t force her to stay.
That’s gotta be illegal.”
 “I called Kimber and left her a vague message, asking her to call me
back. I’ll know more about the OMA’s involvement with Demi’s placement
once I’m able to talk with her. Discreetly,” Knox reassured us. “Until then, I
think it’s best if she continues to stay under the radar. We don’t need the
OMA or her old pack banging down our door trying to drag her back to a
fucked-up situation before we understand her rights.”
“If she defended herself against an Alpha in her old pack, that means it
had to be Anton, Reed, or Huck she hit,” I mused. “Any word on their…
health?”
“There haven’t been any coroner reports, if that’s what you mean. No
news. Nothing,” Knox concluded.
Hades shook his head. “A big-name pack like that? If one of ‘em was
dead, it would’ve been big news.”
Eli pushed his glasses up his nose, then tucked his hands into his
pockets. “It’s hard to imagine a little thing like Demi taking down any of
those three, even if she swung with all her strength. They’re all pretty
formidable.”
“Do we tell her what we know and that we think whichever one she
defended herself against is alive?” Thane asked the question on all our
minds.
Everyone looked at me. Whatever call I made, they’d abide. “Let’s hold
off. Not because I want to keep things from her but because I want to
confirm our intel is correct before we broach the subject. Knox, can you use
resources at the station to see if there have been any police reports filed
against Demi now that we know her full name? Any warrants out for her
arrest? I highly doubt Anton and his pack would admit to being attacked by
an Omega, especially since she can share her side of the story and reveal the
abuse they’ve put her through, but it’s worth double-checking.”
Knox nodded. “On it. I’m on shift tomorrow. I’ll see what I can find.”
“Until then, let’s not worry her.”
If this backfired, I’d take full blame for keeping things quiet until we
knew more. Hopefully, she’d understand why we did it. She’d just started to
smile, to relax around us. The last thing any of us wanted was to see her
hard-fought joy bleed away. Those pretty green eyes had been haunted
when she’d first arrived, and I never wanted to see her look so bleak again.
DEMI
Maybe it was just me, but there was something going on with the guys. I
couldn’t explain it, but something was… off.
From the time I woke up this morning, they’d been cagey and distant.
Sure, they smiled and talked to me, each of them saying goodbye as they
headed off to work or various tasks around the house. At first, I thought it
was because this was the first time they’d all been busy since I’d come to
stay with them, but underneath each conversation, each touch, each
interaction, I picked up on tension that hadn’t been there before. I told
myself I was reading into things, but the Omega part of me was restless. My
intuition screamed relentlessly that something wasn’t right.
But what had changed in the course of one day? What could I have
possibly done since dinner last night? No matter how hard I racked my
brain, I couldn’t piece together an answer.
Yesterday, I’d floated off to sleep, dreaming of Leo’s lips on my skin.
He’d kissed me senseless, teasing my neck, my ears, my lips until I forgot
all the reasons I shouldn’t have allowed that kind of attention. Feeling him
hard and aching against me had been powerful and liberating. For once, I let
go and stopped overthinking everything. Losing myself in him had been
easy.
Too easy.
“You’re worthless, you know that Demi? No other packs would tolerate
such a failure of an Omega. You’re barely fit to take our knots.”
I shivered, shoving Anton’s voice away, but the damage was done. My
chest hollowed, and my skin felt dirty.
Jogging up the stairs, I shoved into my room and beelined for the
bathroom. My stomach was churning and nauseous as I heaved in deep
breaths.
The room was beautiful, with clean white tile and matte black faucets.
A huge soaker tub sat in one corner while a large stand-in shower occupied
the other. I pulled open the towering glass door and turned the water to hot,
refusing to glimpse at the reflection taunting me from the mirror hanging
above the sink. I didn’t want to see the emptiness in my eyes or the broken
person I’d become.
As soon as steam rose from the shower, I stripped, stepped under the
spray, and scrubbed at my skin until it was red and raw. One lather after
another, I was never clean enough. The inadequacy and the shame refused
to wash down the drain.
Standing there, water dripping off of me until my fingers turned to
raisins and the water cooled, I tried and failed to make sense of how I’d
gotten here.
I used to be a vibrant woman with friends and a social life. Growing up
the rich daughter of a real-estate tycoon had guaranteed I’d been surrounded
by people. There was rarely a day spent alone. I used to thrive under that
kind of attention, but once my mother died, I realized how many of those
friendships were opportunistic—only out to reap the benefits my money
and connections provided. Tragedy was the great equalizer. Turned out,
none of those friends cared enough to stick around while I grieved. Instead
of partying and enjoying my youth, I’d pulled into myself, becoming
introverted and quiet.
I’d had plans to go to college, to escape my life and start fresh
somewhere new. That chance was stolen from me two years later when I
turned eighteen and presented as an Omega. Once again, all anyone saw
when they looked at me was opportunity. What I could do for them.
That reality only became harsher when the one person left in the world
who should’ve cared about me and my well-being looked at me the same
way.
He’d traded me away like a possession. A bargaining chip.
After all these years, that wound was still fresh. Each time Pack Silver
hurt me, used me, it ripped open and bled all over again.
Alone and betrayed, I’d convinced myself Anton’s words were true. I
was worthless. Not good for anything other than trying to please my
Alphas.
“Be a good little whore, Demi, and spread those thighs for us.” It was
Huck’s voice this time, and I whimpered as a tear trailed down my cheek to
mix with the falling water. “You don’t deserve my knot, but I’m going to
watch your pussy take it anyway. Hold her down and spread her wider for
me.”
 My throat squeezed as more tears fell. I wrenched the water off and
towel dried, dressing quickly in underwear and a bra so I felt less exposed.
My fingers twitched over the available clothing options, landing on Hades'
shirt. I hadn’t washed it, unwilling to erase his scent. It hung past my thighs,
and I gathered one corner, tying it into a knot so it fit me better. Burying my
nose in the fabric, I inhaled deeply, my Omega soothed by his fresh scent.
There weren’t many options for pants: a pair of jeans, a few pairs of
leggings and yoga pants. Biting my lip, I followed my instincts out of the
bedroom and down the hall. What are you doing? I chided as I stood
outside Eli’s bedroom. He was working another shift in the ER, so his room
was empty. The door was cracked, the pale blue walls within visible
through the gap. My feet were soft against the hardwood as they carried me
inside.
A made bed sat in the center of one wall with nightstands off to the
sides. Tasteful, modern art hung on the walls in mixtures of blue, grey,
silver, and gold, the broad brushstrokes contrasting against white canvas.
There were medical textbooks on his bookshelf along with an assortment of
fiction novels. Neat and tidy, all his laundry was stored away in the hamper
in the corner except for a pair of sweatpants hanging over the arm of a
chaise lounger near the window. Bingo.
Out of all the guys, Eli had the slimmest build. Like a baseball player or
a swimmer, he was lean but strong. My fingers slid along the soft fabric of
his sweats before I picked them up and held them against me, judging
whether they’d fit or not. Luckily, they were joggers. I slipped into them
and rolled the waist a few times, happy when they stayed on my hips. The
comforting spice of Eli’s scent mixed with the citrusy freshness of Hades'.
I left his room, still discontent. Something abrasive scratched under my
skin like sandpaper.
That incessant itch had me pacing the house, moving from room to
room, inhaling the various scents. There were some rooms you could tell
the guys spent more time in.
Jamison’s signature slipped easily past the closed door of his office
while the library held heavier notes of Eli and Thane. The den smelled like
all of them. So did the gym on the far side of the house, though Hades' scent
rose above the others.
By the time I was done, I had collected a hoodie with a police emblem
on it that belonged to Knox, Thane’s favorite apron, and a baseball hat of
Leo’s. Jamison was the only one who hadn’t left his things lying around,
and I hadn’t been brave enough to knock on the door of his office when he
was busy or go into his bedroom like I’d done with Eli. I knew the doctor
wouldn’t mind the intrusion, but Jamison seemed like a private person. For
some reason, entering the leader’s private spaces felt like an invasion.
Like a dragon with her hoard, I brought everything to my bedroom and
curled up in the center of my nest. Surrounded by blankets and pillows, I
burrowed under the covers, hugging the guys’ items to my chest, inhaling
their combined scents. The idea that I’d done something to anger them, that
I could lose them and the haven they’d provided for me, made my heart
ache. More tears watered at the edges of my eyes.
“Gods, Demi. You’re a fucking mess,” I whisper-rasped.
I’d been alone emotionally for so long that being with this pack had felt
like a breath of fresh air after years of suffocating.
I trusted that they were different.
So what changed? What had I done?
Maybe they finally decided you aren’t worth the trouble. The nasty voice
in the back of my head made up of the worst parts of myself wouldn’t
relent. Maybe they realized you’re worthless, just like Anton said.
I bit back a sob, my shoulders shaking as I closed my eyes and hugged
the items closer, breathing in the scents of the pack who’d saved me. But no
matter how much I tried, there was still one missing, and the Omega in me
wouldn’t settle.
Wrong. Everything was wrong.
You’re wrong. Weak. Ugly. Useless. The awful words ricocheted through
my mind in the sneering tones of my old pack.
I’d actually begun to believe I could have a future, but it slipped away
slowly with each lash of hurtful words. In the peaceful quiet of a room that
wasn’t mine, I unraveled, remembering why I was wrecked and ruined. I
was no good for this pack.
They’d never be mine, and it was time to stop dreaming.
twenty-one
HADES
THE HOUSE WAS TOO quiet when I walked through the door. Where
the fuck was everyone?
I’d left Leo at the gym to finish overseeing the installation of the new
scent-blocker devices we’d ordered. There were enough to cover every
room in the gym, including the pool. My hope was that it would allow us to
bring Demi there in the future without driving our patrons to distraction or,
worse, putting her in danger from other Alphas interested in adding a sweet-
smelling Omega to their pack.
The idea of another Alpha putting so much as a finger on her made my
blood boil. Call it possessive, but Demi was mine.
Ours.
It’s why I insisted we needed to scrub every inch of the women’s
bathroom where we’d found her to erase her scent in its entirety. She
smelled too good, and it would draw unwanted attention when we reopened
the gym.
I moved deeper into the house, looking for any signs of life. It was mid-
afternoon. Eli was on shift at the hospital for another few hours, and Knox
was on patrol. Thane had gone into the restaurant earlier to oversee product
delivery. That man was crazy about his produce, demanding the freshest
offerings from his suppliers. It’s what made his restaurant such high quality.
Jamison, on the other hand, should’ve been around here somewhere.
A quick glance down the hall showed his office door shut tight. Had he
seriously left Demi on her own all day? I strode toward his door and
knocked loudly.
“Come in,” Jamison called.
He was behind his desk, phone to his ear, on some kind of conference
call.
“It’s on mute.”
“Where’s Demi?” I questioned, brows drawn down.
He released a frustrated sigh. “I’ve been tied up with work and haven’t
seen her in a few hours. I heard the water running earlier when I went to
check on her before I had to jump on this call. I believe she was taking a
shower. Have you checked her room?”
“No. I just got home.”
He nodded, looking less worried than he had a moment ago. “I’ve been
stuck on a shareholders meeting for the last hour and a half, but she’s
around here somewhere. Can you check on her and then let me know?”
“Yeah. I’ll be back.”
He returned his attention to his call, unmuting it. “Yes, John, I’m still
here. Honestly, I’m not concerned about a small dip in revenue. As we
know, profits ebb and flow each quarter—”
I tuned him out and shut the door, hurrying to the stairs and easily
taking them two at a time.
Demi’s door was closed. I raised my fist to knock when I caught the
first bitter notes of her signature through the solid wood. A low growl
rumbled through my chest. Something was wrong.
I fought the impulse to rip her door off its hinges to get to her faster,
taking a deep breath instead and blowing it out. She was already wary of
me. The last thing I needed was to validate her fear.
She needed Leo, Eli, or Thane with their smooth-talking ways and
gentle demeanors. I often came across as gruff and overbearing. It was
something I was working on.
Forcing myself to slow down, I rapped gently against her door and then
tested the knob without waiting for a response. Relief shot through me
when it turned easily in my hand. She hadn’t locked us out. Pressing into
her room, I spotted the lump in the center of her bed. The pillows and
blankets I’d given her were everywhere, arranged in a fluffy circle. In the
center, a soft blanket was pulled over her, shielding her from the world.
Demi's scent was stronger here, deeper and distressed. The sweetness
had soured, the berry notes so bitter they were acrid.
“Baby,” I rasped, unable to keep myself rooted to the far side of the
room. I’d told myself I wouldn’t push her, but every fiber of my being
drove me forward, my Alpha instincts roaring at me to soothe the woman I
wanted to make my Omega. To fix whatever was wrong and bring the
sweet, happy notes of her scent back.
A muffled sob sounded, and every muscle in my body went taut. Fuck!
Was she crying? I had half a mind to rip my phone out of my pocket and
call Leo right the fuck now so he could come home and help me fix this. I’d
already proven my words were no good where Demi was concerned.
Whenever I opened my mouth, I scared the poor woman more than she
already was. But there wasn’t time. The working day wasn’t quite over, and
it’d take too long for Leo to kick the contractors out of the gym and get
home. Demi needed help now, and I was it.
“Hey, Baby Girl.” I let a rumble find its way into my voice, hoping it
would soothe her. I folded my large frame onto the edge of her mattress,
being careful not to disrupt her pillow nest more than necessary. “What’s
wrong? What happened?”
Demi sniffled and tugged the blanket until it slid down and her face
peeked out. Her eyes were red-rimmed, the tip of her nose rosy, her gaze
glassy.
My heart fucking stopped. I hated seeing her like this.
“I-it’s nothing,” she hiccuped. It was obvious she’d been crying for a
while.
“Don’t,” I commanded too harshly. She shrank back and I cleared my
throat, trying again, more gently this time. “Don’t," I pleaded. "I can tell
you’re upset, Baby. I want to help. Let me help.”
Demi wiggled out of her blanket fort a little farther, swiping at her puffy
eyes. “Will you tell me what I did?” Her eyes were begging me, a fragile
kind of hope blooming throughout her watery expression.
My brows drew together in total confusion. “What—” I shook my head,
“What are you talking about?”
She huffed a frustrated sigh, some fire bleeding back into her. Sitting up
in the center of her makeshift nest, the blanket fell around her waist.
Godsdamn, she’s wearing my shirt again. Seeing her in a piece of my
clothing, surrounded by my scent, did something to me. Warmth filled my
chest, and I puffed up at the idea that she’d sought out my signature. Did it
comfort her the way hers did for me? I wanted to open my arms and draw
her against my chest, give her a hit of pheromones straight from the source.
It was only afterward I noticed she was also wearing Eli’s sweats and
had a random assortment of other items gathered close.
Pure possession and exuberant pride rose inside me. She hadn’t just
sought my scent. She’d gathered pieces from my pack. That small gesture
spoke volumes about how she felt. Her trust in us was growing. She reacted
to our signatures and wanted a piece of us close when she was stressed.
 Pack. The word echoed through my mind. Wait until the others hear
about this. It’d have to wait though. Demi was still upset, and I wanted—
no, needed—to get to the bottom of whatever was bothering her.
Focus, you asshole. A small crease had formed between Demi’s
perfectly arched eyebrows. Her lips tugged down in an adorable pout and
she blinked at me like I was dense.
I shook my head. “I don’t understand, Baby. You’re going to have to
give me more to work with. Why would you think you’ve done anything
wrong? Because I can assure you, you haven’t.”
“I must have.” Her arms wrapped around her middle, a move I’d seen
her do on numerous occasions in the short time she’d been with my pack.
“Everyone’s been so… distant.” Shoulders shrugging, her eyes fell to the
tangle of blankets.
I scowled, wracking my brain in an effort to figure out what the hell she
was talking about. I hadn’t thought we were acting any differently, but
Omegas were overly perceptive, and if she felt something was off, it
probably was.
However, I knew for sure it had nothing to do with anything she’d done.
Demi was an angel. So damn sweet with a big heart. She was selfless to a
fault, always thinking of others ahead of herself, which was a far cry from
the Beta women I had dated in the past. I’d never met anyone like her
before, and it drew me in as much as her scent.
I wanted to learn everything there was to know about this woman.
Starting with why she blamed herself for whatever perceived distance there
was between her and my pack.
Because if there were, it was definitely our fault.
Fuck! Wait a minute. Had I done something to make her feel this way?
“Demi,” I growled her name, trying to contain my sudden growing
panic. “Did I— Have I done anything that made you upset? Gods know, I
haven’t exactly made you feel comfortable around me…”
Her jade-green eyes widened. “N-no. It wasn’t… It’s not…” She trailed
off, swallowing and fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. My shirt. “I guess I
can’t explain it. I can just sense this tension underneath all our
conversations that wasn’t there yesterday.”
I hummed, staying silent in hopes it encouraged her to keep talking
while I processed what she’d said so far.
“I thought maybe you guys weren’t happy that I…”
 “That you what?”
“That I kissed Leo yesterday. But everyone seemed fine at dinner. Then,
this morning, everything felt different.
I reached for her, starting to connect the pieces together and form a
picture in my mind. “And that’s why you added our things to your nest?”
She flushed, the pink hue creeping up her neck to infuse her cheeks. She
tried to look away.
“I shouldn’t have. It was wrong of me, and I don’t want to overstep. I
know I’m not your Omega and I shouldn’t let—”
I captured her chin, forcing her eyes back to mine with a soft growl
vibrating my chest. “None of that, Baby Girl,” I ordered. “Tell me
something.”
“Okay,” she breathed.
“Did you like kissing Leo?”
Her blush deepened. It answered my question, but I kept quiet, needing
to hear her say it.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Good.” I stroked my thumb softly against her chin, the tip running
along the line of her bottom lip. “And our scents. You’re drawn to them?”
“I… Yes.”
I nodded, a low, pleased hum purring to life in my chest. “It’s simple.
We want you here and not just because of what you’ve been through. Yes,
we want to keep you safe, but it's more than that. We want you to feel
comfortable growing closer to us.”
“Hades.…” She shook her head gently, and I could practically see the
walls she was amassing around herself.
Gods, the sound of my name on her lips.…
“Demi,” I challenged right back.
She turned her head away sharply, pulling free of my light grip. Gaze
downcast, she chewed on her bottom lip and drew her knees up to her chest,
curling in on herself.
When she looked back at me, I could barely breathe. I’d seen that same
hollow look before—on someone else. Her pain was familiar. The ache in
her eyes made me want to rip the world apart until I found the source of her
torment. I wanted to slay her demons and eradicate the shadows that
haunted her.
 This wasn’t just about kissing Leo or the supposed tension she’d picked
up on.
“The kisses with Leo shouldn’t have happened. I can’t get close to your
pack, Hades. I shouldn’t have stolen these things. I shouldn’t be curled up
with them like your scents can fix what’s broken. Even though I might want
to, I’m not free. All I am is trouble for you and your pack. You should want
me gone. I-I’m not worth it.”
Another low growl crawled up my throat, and I didn’t try to hide it.
“I don’t know who put those ideas in your head, but they’re not true. We
may be at the start of getting to know each other, but I knew from the
moment I saw you, then scented you, that you were important to this pack.”
I cupped her face, running my thumb over the curve of her cheek. “You’re
not trouble, Baby Girl, you’re special. I think it’s time we all sat down and
talked.” I was already digging my phone out of my pocket, opening our
group text and shooting off a message that would bring everyone home.
“No!” Demi scrambled out of her nest. A bundle of warm, sweet Omega
fell into my lap as she lunged for my phone.
I chuckled. A simple extension of my arm had it well outside her reach,
but—fuck me. Having her wiggling against me as she tried to right herself
had my dick twitching to life.
Kneeling beside me, she brushed her hair out of her face and braced a
hand against my bicep to keep herself upright as the dipped mattress tilted
her into my body.
“Did you just ask them all to come home?” She eyed my cell
skeptically.
“‘Course I did.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Why would you do that?”
I arched my brow. “Because you’re upset, and like me, they’ll want to
fix it.”
Those white teeth captured the corner of her lip again, abusing it. “I
might be beyond fixing,” she whispered, defeated.
“Listen to me,” I told her gently, dipping my head to capture her gaze
and holding her captive. “You’re not broken. You might be bruised, but
you’re strong. A survivor. A fighter.”
Her eyes glistened. “I don’t feel like one right now.”
“Trust me.” My grip tightened on her enough to make sure she really
heard me. “From one survivor to another, you’re stronger than you know.
You fought back and got yourself out of a shitty situation. That takes guts.”
Her head was shaking, her lip wobbling. “It wasn’t soon enough. If you
knew… If you knew the things they did to me. The things they said.”
“Whatever they said to you, whatever they did, it doesn’t define you.
People say and do terrible things to others, but those actions only speak to
who they are. Abusers. Pieces of shit. ”
She looked at me, truly looked at me, and I knew she saw my own
damage reflected back at her. I didn’t let people see the evidence of my past
often, but Demi needed to know there was life on the other side of the
travesties she’d suffered at the hands of her abusers. There was a reason I’d
covered my body in tattoos—underneath the ink were scars that told the
gruesome tale of my childhood. If anyone bothered to look close enough,
they’d see them among the art. They were carved into my skin, a permanent
reminder of what I’d survived.
Sensing my own distress, Demi whimpered and crawled into my lap.
Her legs landed on either side of me, straddling my waist. Like me, she
wanted to fix the hurt. Wash it away and leave me good as new. That would
never be possible, but having her pressed up against me filled a hole in the
center of my life that had been empty for far too long.
Her hands slipped from my chest up around my neck, digging into my
hair. Even with her on my lap, she wasn’t quite eye level. Staying on her
knees, hovering above me, she pulled my forehead to rest against her own.
“Hades,” she murmured, my name like a prayer on her lips.
And fuck if I didn’t want to hear her moan it.
twenty-two
DEMI
MY HEART ACHED from the hurt I’d glimpsed in Hades. This man,
who seemed so strong, had shouldered more than his fair share of pain.
Whatever had happened to him in his past had left a mark.
I stroked my nose along his, trying to comfort him in the only way I
knew how. As scary as he’d first seemed to me, he’d been nothing but
sweet, especially since he’d found me curled up in the center of my
makeshift nest, a hot mess, bleary-eyed, blubbering disaster.
“I’m okay, Baby Girl. I promise,” he murmured.
“I know.” And I did. Whatever happened to him was well within his
past. But that didn’t mean the trauma magically disappeared. That was the
thing about internal wounds. They crept back up on you when you least
expected it, ripping back open to bleed all over again.
The best thing I could do was be here for him in return.
“Leo and I, we’ve known each other since we were kids,” Hades
murmured, speaking quietly as his hands landed gently on my hips. He held
me carefully against him. “We met in a group home for boys. We were both
displaced orphans. I was eleven to his ten, and damn… I was a pissed-off
little asshole with a chip on his shoulder the size of Texas.” He chuckled
and I smirked, picturing a younger version of the man before me. “Leo had
been abandoned as a baby and grew up in the system. He’d been through
nearly a dozen foster families by the time we met. I don’t know what he
saw in me, but one day, I had a shadow I could never shake. That kid
followed me everywhere.”
It physically hurt me to think that no one had wanted Leo, but I pushed
the ache away and focused on the good. I grinned, picturing Leo as a kid,
following around a grumpy Hades like a shadow. “He has an uncanny way
of knowing what people need.”
“Part of that is his natural ability as a Beta. He’s always been good at
reading people and getting to the heart of what’s wrong. But most of it’s
that he’s perceptive and genuinely cares about others.”
I’d experienced his special brand of understanding for myself. Leo’s
insight and awareness had left an impression I would never forget. He
always knew what I was feeling and had a way of addressing every
situation with acumen and unobtrusive strength. It wasn’t just that he knew
what to say but, rather, how to say it.
“He’s also stubborn enough that once he’d decided we were friends, he
wouldn’t give up until I agreed and let him in. It’s a damn good thing too
because he’s become my best friend. He’s pack. Family.”
I nodded, understanding but also realizing I had no one in my life I
could claim to feel the same way about. “He’s your brother.”
“He is, although I don’t put a lot of stock in actual blood relations. My
own parents were—” He frowned, and swallowed. “Let’s just say my two
dads weren’t worth the breath it would take to describe them. They were
drug users who spoke with their fists more than their words. My mother and
I were subject to their particular brand of punishment most nights. Those
Alphas broke her long before they broke me.”
Tears pooled in my eyes, and my chin wobbled. “Life is cruel.”
“No, Baby Girl. People are cruel. It took me a lot of years and a good
pack to realize that life isn’t inherently bad. People make choices, and those
choices have consequences. You and I have experienced the worst of
humanity. We’ve borne the brunt of those consequences. But there are far
more good people out there than bad.”
I blew out a breath, trying to believe him. “What happened to your
parents that you ended up in foster care? Did someone finally report them
and get you out of that bad situation?” I held my breath, hoping his dads
had suffered for what they’d done to Hades and his mother. I didn’t care
what kind of person that made me. Some people deserved to be punished.
Hades laughed mirthlessly, and I hated the sound. His eyes were dark
and haunted. He squeezed my hips gently, like a soft reminder that he was
here in the present and not back there, in whatever bad memories tried to
reach for him.
“No,” he said roughly. “I came home from school one day and found all
three of them cold and lifeless on the floor in the kitchen. They’d
overdosed. I called 911 but it was too late. They’d been gone for hours by
the time I got home. Child Protective Services stepped in, but since I had no
other family to speak of, just like that, I became an orphan.”
Tears rolled freely down my cheeks, and Hades swiped them away
gently.
 “Hey, now. Don’t cry for me. My story has a happy ending. A few years
later, Leo and I met Jamison at a charity event for our group home. His
parents are wealthy and had made a generous donation for improvements to
the home. Somehow, we clicked, and the rest is history. His parents took us
in. Unlike many of the previous families who only wanted to foster us for
the paycheck, the Montgomery pack actually wanted more children.
“A year later they officially adopted us, making Jamison, Leo and I
brothers. When we were all of age, the three of us formed our own pack
with Thane, who lived next door. We found Eli and Knox later, and now,
here we are.” He nuzzled past my hair to whisper softly against my ear.
“And now you’re here. Nothing,—not forming my own pack, not getting
adopted, not even meeting Leo—has ever felt more right.”
“Hades.…” There was no way he could mean that. I was nothing
compared to the significant events that had changed and shaped his life for
the better.
He hauled me closer, pulling me down to settle over his lap. His hands
worked around my back, gliding up and holding me against his firm chest.
“You don’t see how special you are, but my Alpha knows.”
He dipped his head, his nose skimming along the line of my throat. His
lips pressed against my pulse point in a barely there kiss that made my
stomach dip and my pulse race. Inhaling a deep lungful of my scent, he
growled possessively. That growl blossomed into a purr that rumbled to life
in his chest, the vibrations thrumming through me. All the tension bled
away and a jolt of pleasure shot straight to my clit. The sudden sensation
made my pussy clench and ache. Raw, naked need blazed to life.
“You’re mine, Baby Girl,” Hades declared. “You’re ours. I know it the
same way I knew Leo was pack. Or Jamison. Or Thane. Or the others.” His
lips moved to hover against my cheek, each breath making me shiver.
“You’re it for me, Demi Leigh. I want to spend the rest of my life getting to
know every little thing about you, but I know everything I need to know to
put my claim on you. You’re mine. I’ve never been so sure of anything
before.”
My heart skipped a beat and I swallowed past the lump that had
suddenly formed in my throat. There wasn’t an ounce of doubt in Hades'
bold declaration. He was sure and steadfast and fearless. I wanted to be just
as dauntless, but deep down, I was terrified one day he’d wake up and
change his mind or realize he’d made a big mistake. My damage ran deep,
and I came with more complications than an Ikea instruction manual.
Putting the pieces of myself back together felt impossible. Something
would inevitably be put on backward, and there were bound to be parts
laying around afterward with no explanation of where they fit or what their
purpose was.
“I don’t know what to say,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
“You don’t have to say anything right now. Just-just fucking kiss me,
Baby,” he commanded, already brushing his lips over mine.
This decision was easy. An airy sigh slipped out, and my hands curled
tighter into his hair. “Gods, yes!”
I surrendered to the kiss, giving myself over to it without overthinking.
All the intrusive self-doubt was shoved to the background until all I could
feel was his mouth devouring mine. Hades claimed all my air, and I arched
into him. My nails raked over his scalp. He rewarded me with a groan and
pressed me closer against his hips until I felt every long, hard inch of him.
Playfully, he explored, his tongue teasing along the seam of my lips,
nipping my bottom one, then soothing it with a lick. Large hands slid down
my back to grip my ass, and he rocked me slowly against his length.
Hot, sharp, visceral need rose over me like a tantalizing wave. A
pleading whimper left my throat at the same time I perfumed. I writhed
against him as the air in the bedroom thickened with the scent of our
combined arousal. The heady aroma of his fresh citrus and my sweetness
created a scent uniquely our own. I breathed it in, letting it sink into my
pores and settle in my bones. It felt right.
It felt like… home.
I pulled Hades closer, loving his soft grunt as his fingers tightened on
my ass with eager, bruising intensity. His passion was white-hot, taking me
under and melting me with each electric brush of his teasing tongue.
It would be so easy to press this mountain of a man into the mattress, to
crawl over top of him as I slide my hands under his shirt to explore every
plane, every ridge of his well-honed body. To rock my core over his length,
taking what I needed. Though he was an Alpha, I had a feeling he’d go
willingly and without complaint.
Between the two of us, Hades held the power. He was larger, stronger,
and obviously physically fit. His muscles had muscles, his arms and abs
rippling, his thighs the size of tree trunks. He was a god in his own right,
yet there was no question in my mind that he’d cede all of that power to me,
letting me overpower him. I controlled our pace and decided just how far I
wanted to go. If I said stop, he would. If I needed to be the one on top, he’d
give me that. If I just wanted these smoldering kisses, he’d melt me slowly
and then walk away. This man I’d been so wary of at first hadn’t deserved
my fear. Underneath his intimidating, hardened exterior, Hades was a
cinnamon roll—sweet, delicious, gooey, and irresistible—and this
experience was so vastly different from any I’d had before.
The idea of having him spread out in my nest was almost too much to
resist. My hands tightened in his hair, tugging mercilessly, and I buried my
tongue in his mouth, taking everything I wanted. Showing him the devotion
I already felt. Call it fast, but something deep within me recognized just
how well we fit together.
I still didn’t feel worthy of him, but he was here with me now, and I
couldn’t deny myself this moment of utter perfection or this man who’d
opened up to me, showed me his pain, and somehow eased my own in the
process.
But just as I was about to take things further, I heard the distinct creak
of the floorboards. My eyes snapped open and I turned toward the sound,
finding Jamison frozen in the doorway. Hades grunted, his mouth moving to
my neck instead, leaving deep, sucking kisses along the column of my
throat.
Jamison drank in the sight of us, seeming to absorb every detail, from
the way I clung to Hades to my borrowed clothing items down to my
reddened nose. It unfroze him, and he moved deeper into the room, his
countenance sobering when he noticed I’d been crying.
“What happened? Are you alright, Sweetness?”
With one last nip to sensitive skin, Hades pulled back and helped me
explain what had happened.
Jamison’s eyes darkened, his brows drawing down as he learned I’d
been upset on his watch and he hadn’t known. Disturbed by the news, he
moved closer to the bed, his fingers skimming over Thane’s apron and
Leo’s hat, cataloging all the items I’d pilfered.
“You don’t have something of mine.” He sounded almost hurt, or at the
least, confused.
I flushed. “I searched but you don’t leave your things lying around like
the others. That’s a good thing, I just… I didn’t want to invade your
personal space to snatch something. It felt too… personal.”
 His hands were tucked into the pockets of his slacks, but I saw the
tension in his muscles hidden beneath his perfectly tailored button-down.
“But you wanted something. Something of mine,” he questioned
searchingly.
It hit me then. Jamison had always been so sure, a powerful leader
through and through. But right now, vulnerability shone in his sapphiric
eyes, an unease, an uncertainty, swirling in the stormy depths.
I jumped up, Hades reluctantly letting me go.
“Of course, I did. Whether it’s right or wrong of me to borrow the
comfort your pack’s scents give me, I was restless without yours.”
“There’s nothing wrong about the way we react to each other. Fuck, it’s
the most natural thing I’ve ever experienced. If you want to be surrounded
by my scent, Sweetness, then it’s yours. Come here.” It was an order, a
demand I didn’t want to fight back against.
I went to him willingly, my hands landing on his chest as he hauled me
close, his arm banding around my waist. I was small against him, craning
my neck back to look into the gruff lines of his face. He bent, his beard
tickling my cheek as he let my nose line up against his throat. I inhaled
deeply, shivering from the rightness of his scent being added to the others
that still swirled around me.
With a whimper, I nuzzled into him, unable to pry myself away as I
should.
Jamison swooped down and lifted me with ease, cradling me in his arms
bridal style. I squeaked, my arms flying around his neck to hold on as he
swept from the room, moving with masculine finesse down the hall to the
last door on the left. He pushed inside, only stopping to set me down on the
edge of a dark grey comforter. His bedroom was painted in shades of grey
with forest-green accents and dark wooden furniture. It was crisp and
manly, the scent of Jamison so thick I wanted to curl up and never leave.
Jamison strode around his room, gathering an armful of offerings before
returning to the bed and staring down at me with a hint of desperation. “You
have no idea how difficult it is not to want to cover you from head to toe in
my belongings so my scent never leaves you. The desire to stake a claim…”
He trailed off with a hard shake of his head. Dumping an array of items next
to me on the mattress, he told me to take my pick.
I fingered a fancy watch, a t-shirt, and a silky smooth tie before settling
on a pair of socks that looked thick and comfortable. They weren’t the kind
you wore with a suit but, rather, the kind you’d wear to lounge around in
during the winter when the floors grew cold and there was a fire burning in
the hearth. They were soft and clean but were still infused with Jamison’s
scent. I slipped them on, uncaring that they were a little big on me. I sighed
in contentment, finally feeling complete.
Whatever stress lingered in my shoulders melted away until I sagged
with relief, my Omega satisfied with the display of affection and the scent
of all six men mixed together into a perfect blend.
Stupid or not, I soaked in this moment of fleeting happiness, wishing I
could stretch it out and make it last forever.
twenty-three
DEMI
A GIRL COULD GET USED to this. Jamison carried me down the
stairs as though I weighed nothing, settling us on the couch with me
squarely on his lap. Hades followed behind, perching not far from us, but
Jamison had my sole attention as he captured my chin between strong
fingers.
“You should have come to me when you started feeling… out of sorts.”
I shook my head, not enough to dislodge his grip, but enough to convey
my disobedience. “I couldn’t. I would never—”
“Demi,” he condemned softly, but I held my ground.
“You were busy, and I didn’t want to interrupt you.”
His expression soured, his brows drawing down in a scowl. “You’re far
more important to me than whatever ridiculous business call I’m on.”
I wanted to scoff, but shock overruled. My jaw actually popped open.
No man, not my father, not my previous pack, had ever put me before work.
I’d been taught not to be a burden. In fact, I’d been taught to ease their
burdens, that women—especially Omegas—were there to serve. Deep
down, I knew it was bullshit, but ingrained habits are hard to break, and the
endless stream of those condescending voices in my head were even harder
to escape.
Everything out of these men’s mouths contradicted the rules that had
been drilled into me from the moment I awakened as an Omega. Little by
little, their actions and their words were muting those voices and proving
what I’d always known; Omegas weren’t meant to be servants or slaves. We
deserved just as much respect as an Alpha. There shouldn’t be such status
divides between designations.
Jamison’s thumb stroked along my chin. “I know I seem busy. I own the
bar and hold large stakes in my family’s holdings, but none of that is as
important to me as you are. The world won’t burn without me, but I
absolutely cannot tolerate the idea of you being upset and not coming to
me. Hell, anything you need, I want to provide. It makes my Alpha
unsettled down to my very soul to think about you being upset and alone
while I was—” He paused to swallow. “While I was just downstairs, well
within reach to make things better. Fuck, Demi, even if I’m not in reach, I
want to know when you need me. I’ll drop everything and come running.”
Much like the rest of his pack was doing now by coming home. All
because I had an emotional break over something that was probably
nothing.
Guilt swamped me, and my shoulders hunched, feeling the weight of
my own burden.
“None of that,” Hades demanded softly, if not gruffly. He smoothed his
hands down the athletic fabric covering his thighs. “You’re still not
understanding. That's why I called everyone home.” Gazing from me to
Jamison, he said, “I think it’s time we got everyone on the same page.”
They shared a heavy look, and Jamison gave a slight nod. “Past time.”
He turned his attention back to me, leaving that statement vague and me
with unanswered questions. The subject change was like whiplash. “Are
you hungry?”
As soon as my focus shifted from my emotional state to my physical
one, I nodded. I hadn’t eaten since dinner the night before and I was
famished after spending most of the day without an appetite.
It wasn’t long before Thane, Knox, Leo, and Eli came walking through
the front door. Thane immediately moved to kiss the side of my head where
I was newly seated at the kitchen island watching Jamison make me a
grilled cheese sandwich stuffed with not one, not two, but three different
varieties of cheese. My mouth was already watering, and it only got worse
when the scent of the food Thane brought home hit me.
“I brought at least two of every appetizer on our menu. Thought we
could take everything out back and eat on the patio.”
Leo whooped. “Great idea. I’ll start the fire.”
“I got the beer,” Hades announced, moving to the fridge and bending to
dig a six pack out from the back.
“I got the food.” Thane grinned. “Except the burned grilled cheese.
That’s all Jamison’s genius.”
“It’s not burned,” the man in question grumbled, but I giggled as he
carefully lifted the edge of the sandwich to double-check, cursing Thane
when it turned out to be perfectly golden. “I might not know how to cook
like you can, but I think I can manage a grilled cheese.” He flicked a dish
towel at Thane, who danced out of the way and shot me a wink on his way
outside.
 “I’m going to go scrub the descenter off, but I’ll meet you outside.” Eli
brushed the nape of my neck on his way past, sending a delicious shiver
down my spine.
“Are you okay?” Knox braced his hands on the opposite side of the
island, watching me with eyes that saw too much. It was his job to observe
and make judgements based on the scant information he had, and I
wondered what he saw when he looked at me with those mesmerizing hazel
eyes.
I parted my lips to answer when his gaze narrowed.
“The truth, Sunshine.”
“It’s been a rough day,” I admitted. “But I’m doing much better now.”
My attention drifted out the window to where Hades was hanging with the
others, then to Jamison who was shoveling my grilled cheese onto a plate
with a spatula and flicking off the heat on their fancy gas stove.
Knox made a small humming sound of understanding. “I’m glad my
packmates were there for you.”
“That’s why packs are so important. At least one of us will always be
around for whatever you need. We support each other, always.”
I shrugged, fiddling with the hem of Hades' borrowed shirt. That hadn’t
been my experience with packs until now. Twice this pack had dropped
everything and rushed to help me. They’d do the same for each other. That
was the difference. They acted like a true family, supporting one another,
loving one another. That meant being there for each other no matter what.
An ache built in the center of my chest. I wanted to rub my fingers over
it or, worse, claw at the spot, trying to pry it out. The bitter, ugly truth stared
me in the face. ‘Family’ for me disappeared the day my mother died. Any
semblance of warmth and love shriveled and withered away. Her death
wasn’t my fault, but I had always felt as though my father blamed me for
being alive while she was gone, the burden he was left to deal with. He’d
never been an overly affectionate person, but he’d loved my mother.
The memories were faded with age, hazy and distant, but I remembered
happier times. The two of them used to dance in the kitchen, share smiles
over my bedtime stories when I was a child. He was a harsh disciplinarian
who expected a lot from us both, but he hadn’t been cold until that fateful
day our world was torn apart. My mother had been his light, and he’d
changed when it was snuffed out far too soon.
 I’d been on my own emotionally ever since, and that hadn’t changed the
way I’d hoped when I’d found myself in a pack. Gone were the daydreams
of a naive girl, wishing for a pack of her own who would love and cherish
her. Anton, Huck, and Reed had sliced that dream to ribbons.
Until now.
The picture Jamison painted tempted and teased, making me want to
tape the shredded pieces of that fantasy back together again. Doing so
would be dangerous. My heart wouldn’t be able to take the loss if it all fell
apart a second time.
I was still at war with the devil on my shoulder, willing me to throw
caution to the wind and take a chance that could ruin me, when Jamison’s
touch made me jump.
“Where’d you go, Sweetness?” he murmured, eyes searching mine.
I plastered on a smile that probably looked as fake and brittle as it was.
“Nowhere important.” Then, changing the topic of conversation just as
effectively as he’d done earlier, I said, “That smells amazing. Can we take it
outside?” I eyed the others who were already enjoying themselves on the
patio, wishing to shuck off the overly heavy emotions that had crept back
in.
What was it with this day that had me so up and down, my emotions
rising and falling over and over again. The roller coaster was exhausting.
His gaze narrowed at the obvious brush-off, but he held himself back
from pressing the issue, though I knew he wanted to know whatever it was
that’d bothered me. Jamison was a fixer. There wasn’t a problem he wasn’t
ready to tackle head-on.
Reaching out, he caressed my cheek for one heart-stoppingly sweet
second. “Of course.”
Taking my hand, he carried my plate and led me out back with Knox
opening the door for us. I gasped as soon as I stepped outside, gazing
around the patio lit with strings of lights, glowing softly in the ascending
night. The sky was a beautiful periwinkle, painted by twilight as the sun
descended behind the mountains. Crisp air that promised autumn would
soon be here swirled in, making me shiver. It was cooler this far north, and
it made me thankful for the blazing fire in the fire pit.
“This is magical.” I soaked in the beauty of this spot, of this moment,
almost wanting to pinch myself to make sure it was real. Not only was the
backyard picturesque in this lighting, but I was surrounded by all these
insanely handsome men, all of whom were watching my reaction with
warm eyes bathed in firelight.
Their attention made my heart race and set butterflies loose in my
stomach.
I could almost hear that plastic zipping sound tape made when you
yanked out a long piece, the first strip of that beautiful vision of my future
being placed back together.
Jamison and Knox led me over to a comfortable-looking couch and I sat
between the two of them. Thane piled a plate high with various appetizers
while I dug into my grilled cheese. An unstoppable moan slipped out as
cheese pulled in glorious strings I had to break off and pop into my mouth.
A strangled sound followed by several throats clearing had me looking
around with a blush.
“You’re killing me,” Thane groaned, then smiled as he set a plate in
front of me on the outdoor coffee table.
I ducked my head with a blush, hiding sheepishly behind the sandwich,
already yearning for the next bite. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Jamison growled, stretching out contentedly beside me,
looking like a satisfied cat. As he intently watched me eat the food he’d
provided, Alpha pride radiated from him. His chest was puffed up, his
shoulders tall and straight even as he lounged. He’d rolled up the sleeves of
his button-down, revealing corded forearms. I studied the stretch of muscle
and corded veins, almost drooling over him instead of the grilled cheese I’d
craved moments ago.
“I’ve always been vocal when it comes to food, especially when
everything you give me is this delicious, but I’ll try to curb my
appreciation.”
“I’d really rather you wouldn’t.” Thane’s eyes were sapphires, darkly
intense with orange flames making the depths glitter and dance. “Food
should be orgasmic. I can’t wait to see what you think of the dumplings.”
“We want to know everything you’re feeling, Love,” Eli announced,
jogging out to join us.
I almost swallowed my tongue as I caught sight of his bare chest and
low-slung dark grey sweats. His usually styled hair was damp, brushed
away from his forehead in an endearingly messy way that made him look
less like a refined doctor and more like an Instagram model.
 That deep chai scent—cloves, spice, and sugar—had my toes curling
inside Jamison’s borrowed socks.
“I’m not so sure that’s a good idea,” I murmured, more to myself than to
them, because there was no way I was about to tell them how my body
slicked at the sight of all Eli’s golden skin. Or the moan I held back from
Knox and Jamison’s scents as they washed over me from either side. Or the
fluttering in my stomach from the way Thane, Hades, and Leo watched me.
It was official. When it came to these men, I was so royally screwed.
twenty-four
DEMI
ANOTHER PEAL of laughter poured out of me as Hades performed a
watered-down version of the Macarena, following through on the dare Leo
had thrown down. The guys were a few beers and a few rounds into a game
of Truth or Dare, and I was immensely enjoying watching them relax and
let loose.
No one had brought up my earlier meltdown, and while I knew a talk
about the tension I’d felt was coming, I decided to pretend it had never
happened. I wanted to live in the moment and soak up every fun-filled
second of the night. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had so much fun.
I didn’t want it to end, especially if the tension I’d picked up in the
house this morning was a precursor to having to leave all of this—all of
them—behind.
Despite Hades claiming I belonged to him—and more importantly, to
the pack—it was possible the others didn’t feel the same way. I wanted to
believe him so badly, but I told myself it didn’t matter anyway.
Anything I felt for these men needed to be temporary. Huck and Reed
were powerful Alphas, and the second they caught wind of where I was
hiding, they’d relentlessly hunt me down until I was back in their clutches.
Whether or not Anton was alive, there would be hell to pay for attacking
him.
There was no ‘happily ever after’ for me in the cards. Happiness was a
rare, fleeting gift, one I’d hold onto with both hands while I had it. The
memories would have to sustain me when I ran again.
Pushing the morose thoughts to the background, I took another sip of
the Sunrise Mimosa Hades had mixed for me earlier. The orange fizz was
so similar to his scent I could almost imagine it was his flavor on my tongue
with every taste.
It may have been a drink meant for breakfast, but I didn’t care. The
bubbles made me heady and loose. The dark thoughts were far away, and
my muscles relaxed until I melted into the couch with a permanent smile on
my lips. I wasn’t drunk, far from it, but I had a nice little buzz going that I
didn’t plan on relinquishing anytime soon.
 As soon as Hades' dance ended, his sights set on me. My fingers
tightened on my glass and I shook my head.
“Oh no. Pick someone else.”
“Not a chance, Baby Girl.”
“You’ve escaped long enough.” Eli’s grin was nothing short of cheeky.
“Truth or dare?” Hades smirked as he plopped back into his seat.
Gods, is there even a good answer?
“Um, truth?” It may have been the coward’s way out, but choosing dare
felt risky with this group.
Hades leaned back in his seat, eyeing me for a long, quiet moment. The
mood changed like a physical breeze blew through, cooling things down.
No, no, no. Please don’t—
“Tell the guys why you were upset earlier.”
My happy little bubble popped. Well, that was short-lived.
Six pairs of eyes watched me, each of the men silent and waiting. I
sighed and took another sip of my drink, letting the bubbles play over my
tongue as I figured out how to answer them. Obviously, I went for the most
truthful answer, explaining to them how I’d sensed all this tension earlier.
“It feels stupid now,” I admitted when I finished. “Tonight was fun and
drama-free until I ruined it.”
“Hey,” Jamison scolded, shifting beside me and capturing my chin,
making my eyes meet his. “None of that. Your concerns were valid.”
“Omegas are sensitive to shifts among their packs. You probably were
picking up tension from us,” Eli confessed.
I didn’t call out his use of the word “their.” These men weren’t mine.
This pack wasn’t mine. But that wasn’t what I focused on.
Unease wormed through me, and I squirmed where I sat, pulling free of
Jamison’s light grip. “Wait, so you all know what I’m talking about?” Were
they admitting to being aware of it too?
If so, that meant it wasn’t all in my head....
Which meant the tension was real.…
Which meant there really was a problem.
Oh, no.
I set my glass down carefully, apprehension straightening my spine as I
scooted to sit on the edge of the couch. Suddenly on guard, my fight or
flight instincts warred inside of me, but I already knew which one would
win out. My muscles were bunched, ready to run.
 “Easy, Demi,” Jamison said, his voice caught between a growl and a
purr. It was gruff, insistent, and authoritative, demanding my attention and
obedience.
I choked down the corresponding whine that threatened to slip out.
“We told you we wanted to get everyone on the same page,” Hades told
me gently. “That’s what this is, Baby Girl. We want to be honest with you,
and for you to be honest in return.”
“I can do that,” I whispered, sure this would somehow lead to the end.
It’s for the best.
Mentally, I was already packing my bag, trying to figure out how to
scrap together enough money to hop another bus out of town. Staying in
Maverick Falls, so close to them, would be nothing short of unbearable. The
temptation to turn up on their doorstep when I got hungry or scared would
be too great.
Knox cleared his throat. “We know who you are, Demi.”
“And more importantly, which pack you’ve been courting,” Jamison
added darkly.
The blood in my veins flash-froze. I exhaled, sure my breath would
cloud in the air from the sudden chill that sliced through me.
I looked at each of them in turn, my mouth opening and closing as I
tried to figure out exactly what they knew.
“We know your father is Rodger Fenway, and that you’ve been courted
by Pack Silver,” Knox confirmed, sensing the questions waiting on my lips.
“Fucking assholes.” Hades’ grumble brought me back to life, and I
sucked in a shocked breath, my head already spinning.
“How?” I shook my head, trying to piece it all together.
“The name Demi Leigh is pretty unique. It was relatively easy to track
down your background information. A quick internet search, some gossip
tabloids—” Knox leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees, the beer
bottle clutched in his fingers forgotten. “I hope you don’t feel as though I
violated your privacy, but I needed to know who we were dealing with.”
Shocked, I stood. His words played on repeat inside my head.
He needed to know who they were dealing with.
Like I was some kind of liar? Some kind of danger to them?
Well, aren’t you? That small voice in the back of my head reared its ugly
head. You are a danger to them. Maybe not directly, but Anton, Huck, and
Reed are, and they won’t care who they have to cut down to get you back.
 Leo’s eyes widened as I scurried away from the couch, needing space to
think. Or run.
“Honey, wait. Knox didn’t mean it the way it sounded,” Leo scrambled
to explain. To fix the broken spiral I was careening down. “He meant we
needed to know which pack we were up against. To keep you safe.”
Knox paled and the beer bottle slipped from his fingers, clattering
against the patio. He jumped up, literally hopping over his chair and coming
toward me. “Fuck. I didn’t mean I was investigating you, Demi. Leo has the
right of it. I had to know which pack has been abusing you so I could know
the faces of my enemies. I mean, obviously, I want to know everything
there is to know about you, but I want to hear it from your lips, not read it
in some report. I like you, Sunshine, and I trust you. I have from the
moment I saw you. I only looked up pertinent information so I could secure
your safety. The rest is for me to learn as we get to know each other.”
He reached for me, and I held out a hand to stop him. “Don’t. Please
don’t touch me.”
It has to end. Better now than later.
“We know Pack Silver, and I swear those abusive fuckers will never lay
another hand on you. I’ll break all their fingers before they touch a single
hair on your head,” Hades promised violently.
My hands started shaking. “You know Anton, Huck, and Reed?” Rising
panic made my voice waver.
“Not intimately, but enough to know the kind of shit stains they are.”
Hades shrugged, unapologetic.
“We know many packs,” Jamison intervened. “Unfortunately, Pack
Silver is a prominent pack in the North East, just as we are. We’re bound to
cross paths from time to time at high-profile events, but please understand,
we are not familiar with them.”
Eli nodded. “We’re no more than hostile acquaintances and hold zero
loyalty to them.”
Thane shoved a hand through his golden hair. His cerulean eyes churned
with distress. “Our loyalty is to you.”
Jamison stood and strode toward me, easily invading my space. While
the Omega part of me reveled at his commanding presence, the desire to
flee or curl up next to him while he took on the world for me fought for
dominance. “The reason you were probably sensing tension from the pack
last night is because we’d just learned of your connection to Pack Silver.
We didn’t want you to feel as though we invaded your privacy, but we had
to know who we needed to protect you from. To say the news was stressful
would be an understatement.”
Knox took a chance and moved to stand on my side. “We all know how
formidable Anton Aster is, and the idea that he—” Knox’s jaw clenched and
he scrubbed at his beard with one strong hand, his throat working as he
found his words. “The fact that he hurt you makes me want to kill him, if he
isn’t already dead.”
“That’s the other thing we’ve been stressed about. There’s no news of
his being injured… or worse. No news articles. No warrants out for your
arrest.”
“The no-warrants part is good, at least,” I squeaked, trying to process
everything they’d thrown at me.
They dug into my past. They knew Anton and the others. They were
worried about me. The thoughts swirled through my head, swimming
around and around until I was dizzy.
Maybe it was the alcohol, but I was pretty sure it was lightheadedness
from the steady rise of my anxiety.
My two worlds were imploding, and there was bound to be destruction
in the aftermath.
“Hopefully, that means the police aren’t after you, as you thought. But
it’s possible it also means that he’s still alive.”
Jamison’s words sunk in and I nodded absently.
“Then, I’m not a murderer.”
Hades growled. “Even if he were dead, you acted in self-defense. That
doesn’t make you a murderer.”
I shoved my hands into my hair, tugging painfully at the roots. This was
a mess.
I was flayed open, raw, and aching.
Turning away from them all, I paced the length of the patio, stopping to
stare off into the night. I wrapped my arms around my middle. At this point,
that’s all that held me together.
“Anton may not be able to go directly to the police and file a report.”
“Why not?” Leo asked, and I felt him move closer, though they all
stayed back, giving me my space.
Swallowing hard, I turned to face them. “Because then it might come to
light that he purchased me illegally.”
twenty-five
DEMI
“HE WHAT?” Hades roared.
I flinched back, and he winced, turning away with a curse and scrubbing
a hand down his face. He paced to the back of the house and braced his
hands on the siding, hanging his head and taking large, deep breaths to calm
himself down.
My voice filled with raw pain. “My father sold me to Anton through
back channels. When I presented as an Omega at eighteen, he reported me
to the OMA and they struck some kind of deal. He kept me locked away at
home until I was twenty-two and then announced he’d found me a match.
He’d made some kind of business deal with Anton, effectively selling me
off like one of his properties.”
“There’s no record of you with the OMA.” Knox’s jaw ticked, betraying
the anger he felt on my behalf. He kept a cool, level head while the others
looked as though I’d hit them with a strong gut punch. That had to be a nod
to his police training. He knew how to handle tough situations. Like a rock
in a storm, he held steady and unwavering while he was battered by the
elements.
My brows furrowed, drawing together. “Wait. That doesn’t make sense.
My father said they’d bribed the OMA to let the match happen. I should be
registered as an Omega and assigned to Anton’s pack.”
“Not according to my sources.” Knox shook his head. “I was able to
access the OMA’s database, and there’s no one in their system named Demi.
According to their records, you don’t exist as an Omega.”
“No.” My head grew lighter, and my arms dropped. Swooning, near
fainting, I swayed on my feet.
Leo lunged, catching me in his arms and holding me against his chest. I
gazed up into his concerned stormy blue eyes.
“I-it doesn’t make sense.”
“I know, Honey,” he soothed, “but we’re going to figure it out.”
This entire time I’d been afraid of the one organization that was
supposed to be on my side, viewing them as corrupt as my father and as evil
as Anton and the others. If what Knox said was true, they didn’t know of
my existence as an Omega.
“If I’m not registered as an Omega, surely I must be registered as a Beta
or an Alpha on one of the other registries?” A case of mistaken designation
could explain why I’d fallen through the cracks with the OMA, though it
was unlikely.
“You’re not on any of them,” Knox said. “I checked them all, just in
case. It’s like you don’t exist.”
I was a ghost, lost in the system that was supposed to protect me. Would
anyone have known if Anton had taken his abuse too far and killed me?
Other than my father, no one would have looked for me when I went
missing. The alcohol in my stomach churned, threatening to come back up.
“I can’t believe your fucker of a father sold you to that scum of a pack,”
Hades growled.
A shiver wracked me, my father’s betrayal hitting me all over again.
He’d cut me off from anyone who could have helped me, making me afraid
of the one organization I could’ve run to for help. I’d been used for his own
gain, living through the most miserable eleven months of my life with a
pack who saw me as property rather than a living, breathing human. No
wonder Anton drugged me when I hadn’t performed for his pack. He was
tired of waiting for his investment to pay off.
Why he’d waited so long was a mystery. But I was happy he had. If I
hadn’t been as broken as I’d been, if I hadn’t experienced exactly who
Anton, Huck, and Reed were as Alphas, I might not have run when I had
the chance, and I certainly wouldn’t have ended up here, with these
wonderful men.
I had more questions than I had answers, but at least I was alive to ask
them.
“You never even had a chance to find us,” Thane murmured, leaning
back in his chair with a hand shoved through his gilded locks,
thunderstruck.
We all looked his way.
“If she’d gone to the OMA when she presented, she would have had a
chance to go through the scent cards. She would’ve found ours and…” He
choked out a sad, strangled laugh. “Fuck. We were waiting for you, Darling.
Long before we knew your name or had seen your pretty face, we dreamed
of having an Omega and a family. If you hadn’t run and somehow ended up
in our little town, we never would’ve found you. If that isn’t fate, I don’t
know what is.”
He was right. Fate was the only explanation for how I’d landed in
Maverick Falls, surrounded by all these incredible Alphas. But fate had
never been kind to me before, so trusting the forces of the universe now felt
like a gamble I wasn’t ready to take.
Instead, I focused on the part I didn’t understand. “Scent cards?”
“Yes.” Eli, who was still standing, sunk into an empty seat with an
agonized expression. “Omegas are presented with binders of scent cards for
the various Alpha packs registered with the OMA and awaiting an Omega.
You’d have gotten a chance to go through all the scents and pick out the
ones that called to you. We have scent profiles on file and have been
waiting to be chosen by a compatible Omega.”
“Not just any Omega. You,” Jamison added, staring so intently it was
like he wanted to brand that sentiment into my heart so I understood his
devotion.
“You were waiting for… me?”
“Our entire fucking lives,” Hades swore with so much feeling, I wanted
to run to him and wrap my arms around his waist. He seemed almost pained
from the patio length of distance between us.
My heart expanded, beating faster at the thought of these men waiting
for me. Dreaming of me and our future before we’d even met. Could I dare
to let myself hope for the future they hinted toward? Gods, I wanted to, but
I couldn’t bring myself to acknowledge it. That future might never be mine.
And that hurt too much.
“Sweetness,” Jamison called. “Will you come and sit back down with
us?”
Though I shouldn't have, I nodded, and with Leo at my side, I moved
back to the seating area, choosing one of the comfortable chairs rather than
the couch. I didn’t know if I could have this conversation sitting so close to
them. From here, I could see each of their faces, gauge their reactions, and
have a clear enough head to process what they were saying without my
hormones rioting for more.
They all settled around me on the various open seats and Jamison
leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees and steepling his fingers
together.
“What do you know about how scent matches are made?”
 With one last quick glance at the others, each giving me encouraging
looks, I focused on their leader. “Well, obviously I just learned about the
book of scents presented to Omegas, but basically, I know that an Alpha has
to smell good to an Omega for a match to have any potential of
succeeding.”
“And vice versa. There is no match potential between Alphas and
Omegas if their scents don’t appeal to each other.”
I wrinkled my nose, the stench still seared in my memory. “Anton
always smelled of burnt, charred marshmallow goo. Overly sweet and
bitter.”
“Godsdamned asshole,” Hades murmured, but Jamison silenced him
with a withering glance before turning his attention back on me.
“And what do I smell like to you?” Jamison questioned.
I blushed. Fucking hell, he’s not really going to make me say how good
he smells out loud, is he?
He arched a brow, waiting patiently.
Cheeks heating, I wiggled on my seat before finally answering him.
“Your scent is like bonfires and whiskey—warmth and spice and musk.” I
left out the part where I wanted to roll around in it until it coated every inch
of my skin.
“And what about the others?”
I bit my lip, going through their scents one by one. Being surrounded by
all these incredibly scented Alphas still felt surreal. Each one of them
seemed to rumble their praise as I explained their drool-worthy signatures.
“And have you ever heard of scent harmony?”
Fingers curling into the soft cushion beneath me, my heart sped up as I
nodded. “That’s when an Alpha and an Omega smell especially good to
each other. I’ve heard of perfect scent matches, but they’re rare.”
“That they are,” Eli practically purred, his amber-brown eyes turned
molten gold behind the black frame of his glasses.
“We’ve all crossed paths with various Omegas throughout our lives,
Demi, but none of their scents have ever called to us as much as yours. Do
you understand what I’m saying?” Jamison waited patiently while I gaped
at him.
I forced my mouth shut, pressing my lips into a tight line to hold back
the whimper attempting to escape. That purely Omega sound was a needy
cry for her Alphas. Jamison presented a dream before me like a bright,
colorful oil painting. The kind you wanted to crawl into and live in forever
because it was so beautiful.
I knew what they were hinting at. I’d had the thought myself before I
shut it down.
I shook my head, unwilling to give a voice to what they were
inadvertently saying. “You don’t understand. Pack Silver will always be a
threat. They’ll never let me go, and I won’t jeopardize your safety—”
“Fuck that,” Hades blurted, storming out of his chair and motioning
angrily. “No, fuck them. They forfeited their right to have an Omega when
they choose to cheat the system and then consistently beat you both
physically, mentally, and emotionally.” Taking a deep breath, he stalked
toward me and dropped down on one knee, taking my hand in his with far
more gentleness than he’d had moments ago. He squeezed my fingers, his
pleading chocolate gaze searching mine. “Those abusive assholes have no
say in your life anymore. Don’t give them any more power over you, Baby
Girl. What we’re talking about here is what you feel for us and what we feel
for you. We’re a perfect scent match, and you know it.”
I sucked in a breath, holding it until my lungs screamed. The world
swam in a sea of tears. Sniffling, eyes watery, I shook my head. “I can’t…
We can’t… Everything is so complicated.” Every excuse died on my lips.
Because—gods—I wanted this. Having a pack, a place to belong, a
family… it’s all I’d ever wanted.
And here was this pack, offering it to me on a silver platter. And not just
any pack—
My pack.
No one had ever smelled so good to me. Each one of these men had me
drooling after them, wanting another hit of their scents. They were
addicting on the most primal level.
“What Hades says is true. For all of us. We know you’re ours, Demi,”
Jamison vowed.
“We understand the obstacles that lay before us,” Knox added, “and
we’re ready to tackle every one of them head-on.”
Thane tilted his head, catching my full attention. “We’d like to court
you, Darling.”
“Stay,” Eli pleaded. “Stay and let us figure all of this out together.
You’re our scent match, Love, and more importantly, each one of us is
drawn to you. We want to get to know you and let the relationships we’re
already forming grow.”
He was right. My heart was already invested. I’d begun bonding with
this pack from day one. It had only been a week and it was already difficult
to imagine leaving them all behind.
If I ran now, I’d always wonder what could have been.
But wasn’t that all the more reason to run? To protect them the way
they’d protected me?
As though he’d read the thoughts directly from my head, Leo chimed in
with that infinite wisdom of his. “Trust us to know what we can handle, and
believe in our ability to protect not only you but ourselves. We want this.
We want you. Give our pack a chance to make you happy, and I swear, we
won’t let you down.”
The way they all looked at me—with something akin to love in their
eyes—had my pulse fluttering and my fingers tingling. My stomach was a
mess of butterflies, and the nervousness I’d been harboring turned into
something else completely: a longing so deep and wide it threatened to
swallow me whole.
Here were these men, offering me everything I’d ever dreamed of. Men
I genuinely cared about.
It’d be so easy to fall if I let myself.
Rubbing my palm over my rapidly beating heart, I let the tears spill over
and nodded.
Thane stilled, going taut with eager tension, like a cobra ready to strike.
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes,” I told them wistfully, a fragile, beaming smile curling my lips.
They all moved at once, and I laughed as Thane shoved Hades out of
the way and scooped me up, hugging me against his chest with a tight
squeeze that stole my breath.
One by one they took turns hugging me, kissing the top of my head, or
in Hades' case, bending me in half and kissing me until I was breathless.
For this one, glorious moment, nothing else mattered. I was safe and
whole in these men’s arms, the way I always should’ve been.
twenty-six
DEMI
I COULDN’T SLEEP. After a super emotional day with low lows and
high highs, my mind refused to settle.
Pack Silver’s cruel words still played through my mind, a haunting
whisper that infected like cancer—slow growing and insidious. They played
on a loop along with Hades' declaration that we were a perfect scent match.
How was it possible to be so happy, yet so scared, all at the same time?
Dread sat in my stomach like lead while my heart danced a sexy Samba,
ecstatic that these men wanted me as much as I wanted them.
You’re happy. Stop self-sabotaging.
That was easier said than done.
I tossed and turned, tangling my legs in the sheets. The air in my room
hung heavy and humid, making the weight of the blankets oppressive. I
kicked the bedding away and breathed a sigh of relief as cool air caressed
my skin. It was only then I realized I’d been sweating.
Geez, Demi. Get a grip!
Maybe someone had cranked the thermostat to ward off the autumn
chill outside? Or maybe I’d worked myself into a sleepless panic and
started stress-sweating. Either way, I was roasting.
Suddenly, my throat was parched, my mouth as dry as the Sahara desert.
Slipping from the soft mattress, I moved toward the door, leaving the robe
I’d almost thrown on behind because I couldn’t imagine adding more
layers. Wearing only a tank top and a pair of cotton panties, I padded
through the dark hallway to the stairs and crept down to the kitchen.
The glass of ice water satisfied my thirst, cooling me down until I felt
more under control. If only I could fix all my problems so easily.
Refilling it, I slipped silently back upstairs. I was crossing the threshold
of my doorway when I heard a muffled sound. The grunt stopped me in my
tracks, my fingers tightening on the chilled glass.
My first reaction was trepidation.
Holding my breath to stay as quiet as possible, I set the glass down on
the accent table outside my door, trading it for the sturdy wooden lamp that
would make a decent weapon. I ripped the plug free and wielded it like a
bat as I crept down the hallway.
Moonlight slanted through the windows casting shadows from the trees
outside. They shifted with the breeze, making my heart riot inside my chest.
The sound came again, and I listened carefully, slipping past one closed
doorway after another, wondering if I was overreacting or if I should wake
one of the others to investigate with me.
Before I’d fully made up my mind, I heard my name.
“Demi.”
It almost sounded pained.
All thoughts flew from my mind. I was pure reaction.
Hand on the doorknob, I pushed my way into the room the sound had
come from, ready for a fight. My grip was so tight on the lamp I could’ve
put dents in the wood. My muscles were tense, ready to swing with
everything I had. I was sure someone was hurting my men—my pack.
Visions of Reed smothering Leo or Huck standing over Thane with a
gun swam through my head, clouding my vision as I burst into the room.
Chest heaving, I reared back and—
The air stalled in my lungs from the sight of Knox tangled in his own
sheets. They were shoved down past his hips, exposing allllll his naked
skin. The moonlight that’d felt eerie moments ago painted a very different
picture as it spilled across his bare abdomen, casting highlights and
shadows over the planes and valleys of rippling muscle.
His cock was long, stiff, and wrapped in his pumping fist.
“Fuck!” Knox cursed, spotting me standing in his doorway looking like
a crazed psycho.
Mouth agape, I lowered the lamp, letting it slip from my fingers to thud
against the floor.
“Demi,” he rasped.
My eyes drank him in. “I’m sorry,” I squeaked, shaking my head but
still staring. “I heard something, and then I—” I motioned absently toward
my discarded weapon, but I couldn’t pry my gaze off of the sexy scene in
front of me.
“You came to rescue me?” he questioned, voice deep and husky, if not
slightly amused.
I nodded, swallowing down the needy whimper bursting to escape as I
gawked.
 Knox was rough-hewn and masculine, with a dusting of light hair across
his sculpted chest. The golden hair continued beneath his navel in a line that
led to the most magnificent cock I’d ever seen. Even encased in his stilled
fist, it was easy to gauge its size. The width of his hand couldn’t contain it.
The head was red and ruddy with veins that rippled down the shaft. Beneath
his palm, the bulge of his slightly swollen knot could be seen.
I swallowed again, my body aching to know what it would feel like
buried deep inside of me.
Gods, would it even fit?
His gaze drank me in just as greedily. It was almost a physical caress as
it slid up my bare legs to the curve of my hips, then up to the swell of my
chest and the hard nipples pebbled beneath my tank.
His fist moved again, one long, commanding stroke, and my pussy
clenched.
I gasped as slick dampened my panties.
Fist rolling over the head, he hissed and tipped his head back. His gaze
stayed locked on me while I watched the long stroke down, then back up.
He repeated the motion. His hips rolled, and I squirmed, riveted by the fluid
bunch of muscle and the drop of precum that beaded as he pleasured
himself.
His gaze was fastened on me, and he refused to look away. Sweeping
over the top, his thumb gathered that drop and smeared it over the spongy
head of his cock.
Would his cum taste as good as his scent? I licked my lips, dying to find
out.
I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move. Perfume erupted from me, blasting
into the air to mix with the intoxicating aroma of piña coladas and coconut
cream pie.
Knox hadn’t even touched me, but I felt like I might spontaneously
combust.
He groaned as my scent surrounded him. The sound was an electric jolt
that settled low in my belly. Raw, carnal need poured through me, filling my
veins with heat from the inside out. I was burning.
Squirming, my thighs pressed together, increasing the pressure on that
sweet, aching spot between my legs. A little, breathy mewl whispered past
my lips, and Knox’s eyes darkened with lust.
 “Ahhh, Little Menace,” he moaned through his self-inflicted torture, “I
do need saving. I’m dying just thinking about you.”
“You are?”
“You don’t know how sexy you are, do you? I can’t get you off my
mind. The pretty color of your eyes, the way your lips curve when you
smile, the sweet sound of your laugh.” His eyes closed for a moment as he
dragged his hand down to his knot, squeezing tightly as he inhaled deeply.
“Mmm, fuuuck. I can’t get enough of your scent, Sunshine.” His hand
pumped slowly, torturously. “Think of you every fucking night.” His
breathing went shallow, and the roll of his hips became an unsteady jerk as
more precum leaked from his tip. “Dream of the way you’d look coming on
my cock.”
I moaned, or whimpered, or mewled. I wasn’t really sure which, but a
sensual, sultry sound I never knew I was capable of making slipped out.
“I think she likes that idea,” a deep, rumbling voice spoke from behind
me. It startled me so badly that I jumped. Thane chuckled, moving to press
against my back before I could whirl around.
One arm banded around my waist, his hand splaying across my
stomach, effectively holding me in place.
“Thought I heard something,” he murmured. “Glad I decided to check it
out. I wouldn’t want to miss this.”
His other wrapped gently around my throat, fingers holding the back of
my jaw, keeping my gaze right where he wanted it. My pulse fluttered
wildly beneath his fingers.
“Eyes on Knox, Darling,” he commanded. “See what you do to him?
Look how hard you make him.” Warm breath against my neck made me
shiver, rivaling the effect of his words in my ear and his hands on my body.
The lack of control heightened everything. My chest rose and fell faster
while my full attention stayed riveted on Knox and the way he touched
himself, but I was also overly aware of Thane’s hard body pressed against
mine.
“His cock is weeping for you. You have no idea how badly he wants to
come.”
“Not as badly as I want to see her come,” Knox gritted out, breath
ragged.
“Me?” I gasped. I wasn’t used to men wanting to pleasure me, let alone
witness my pleasure.
 “Christ,” Knox swore, his heated gaze turning stormy before it cleared.
“Thane,” he barked, and that single word seemed to communicate
something between the two men.
Thane’s hand slid farther down my stomach, his pinkie finger tracing
the waistband of my underwear. It dipped inside, the slightest intrusion,
before stopping completely.
“May I?” Thane asked barely above a hoarse whisper.
I froze, suddenly feeling insecure. Sure, it was hypocritical. Here I was,
watching Knox like a peeping Tom, savoring his moans and riding the high
of watching this powerful, masculine man touch himself to thoughts of me.
And here they were, offering to give me exactly what I wanted—the earth-
shattering orgasm my body craved.
But these men were otherworldly, and I was just… me. Imperfect Demi
with a body my previous pack could barely tolerate looking at. My stomach
was slightly rounded, and my thighs were thick without the added benefit of
height to make them seem leaner and well-proportioned.
“Please, Sunshine. Let Thane touch that perfect body and make it sing
for us,” Knox begged. “Let him make you feel so damn good.”
His hand had stilled again, and I could almost see the throb in his cock.
Knox was aching for release, and the idea of coming together eased some of
my fear, replacing it with desire so strong my head swam.
Breathing out, releasing my reservations, deciding to trust these men
that wanted to court me, I nodded. “Okay.”
“Thank all that’s holy and good in this entire world,” Thane breathed
out in a rush, and he didn’t waste time. Strong, lean fingers dove beneath
the thin fabric of my panties, sliding down to cup my sex. His fingers flexed
on my throat, and he groaned. “She’s absolutely soaked.”
“I’ve never been so fucking jealous,” Knox lamented. His hand didn’t
move until Thane’s did. All his attention was focused on the apex of my
thighs and the movement beneath the damp fabric of my underwear.
Thane pressed his middle finger through my folds, gliding easily from
my opening to my clit. I squirmed, but he had me pinned against him like a
butterfly who couldn't use her wings. His fingertip swirled, rubbing circles
around my sensitive pearl, teasing me as another wave of slick drenched my
panties.
“These have got to go,” Thane commanded, helping me shimmy them
down.
 They were kicked free and forgotten as Knox huffed a reverent breath.
“Look at that pretty, glistening pussy. Is all that wetness for me?”
I hesitated, embarrassed to admit it. Thane’s hand stilled except for the
light stroke of his thumb along my jawline. “Answer him, Darling. He
needs to hear it.”
I tried to nod but found myself restrained by Thane’s grip on my throat.
Ungh… hot!
I swallowed and used my words instead. “Yes, it’s all for you, Knox.”
Thane rewarded me with an unexpected pinch to my clit. I squealed and
rose onto my toes in shock. The intensity of the feeling had my pussy
fluttering, yearning to be filled.
“Fuck. I’m not going to last long.” The veins in Knox’s forearm were
prominent, his muscles straining like he was doing a workout instead of
holding himself back.
“We better make our girl come, then,” Thane purred.
Hearing him call me their girl did wild things to my heart and my
ovaries.
Whimpering, I arched into his touch. Ardent fingers teased my clit,
driving me higher as he drew circles around the sensitive nub without
directly touching it. Finally, finally, he flicked his fingers over it, making
me keen out their names.
Through the haze of bliss, my focus stayed on Knox. Panting, eyes dark
with lust, he thrust into the vice of his fist. His attention slid from Thane’s
talented fingers to my parted lips as my tongue snuck out to wet them.
“Taste her,” he commanded, and Thane hummed his agreement. My
pleasure-soaked brain barely registered what he was doing. He stopped his
ministrations and I whined.
Thane chuckled. “Don’t worry, Darling. I’m going to give you exactly
what you want. But first…” Lifting his fingers to his lips, I heard more than
saw him suck them into his mouth. His satisfied rumble surrounded me.
“Does she taste as good as she smells?”
“Fucking better. She tastes like sugar and honey with the slightest
smoky aftertaste. A sweet, savory dessert.” He nuzzled into my neck then
nipped the shell of my ear. “Gods, I could eat you all day.”
The air stalled in my lungs like the entire world had paused. No one had
ever done that to me before, but ohmigods did I want to experience it. I
couldn’t bring myself to admit it out loud though, so I arched back into
Thane with a needy gasp. Hard and straining against me, he grunted from
the friction.
With the hand around my throat, he shifted his thumb to glide down my
lower lip. “Open.”
Squirming against him, I obeyed. Two fingers slid into my mouth, and I
sucked them as instructed. I could taste myself on his skin mixed with a hint
of his own chocolate flavoring.
When they were nice and wet, he slid them free and ran them along my
slit. With short strokes, he teased my entrance, then thrust inside.
I mewled, my greedy pussy sucking him in and holding on tight as I
adjusted to the welcomed intrusion. Having something inside me felt
incredible, but it wasn’t enough. I needed… more.
“Please!” I begged, writhing against him as he held me tight. “More! I
need more.”
“Fucking hell,” Knox gritted. His cock was an angry purple and
impossibly hard as he kept himself on edge, refusing to come until I did.
Answering my whine, Thane purred against my back. Withdrawing his
fingers he plunged them back inside, grinding his palm against my clit.
Expertly, he curled them just right, pressing them against my front wall.
The world went shiny from the pressure and smooth friction. My body
clenched tightly.
“That’s the spot, isn’t it?” Thane’s honeyed voice taunted. “Right
there.”
He punctuated it with a tap against that sweet spot, making me mewl for
him. His fingers pumped in and out of me in a steady, unrelenting rhythm
that made me see stars. That feeling—
I’ve died and gone to heaven. Nothing should ever feel this good.
It felt better than I ever could’ve imagined. Toys helped get that deep
penetration, but the feeling of flesh on flesh and a personalized touch from
someone who wanted to bring you to the height of ecstasy was unrivaled.
Thane, for all his domination and control, was gentle and caring as he
brought me to the edge. He studied every reaction, learning what made me
gasp and writhe. My orgasm coiled tight in my belly, the warmth of it
spreading throughout my core.
“Oh my gods! So good!”
Pleasure tingled straight down to my toes, and I brought my arm back to
wrap around the back of his neck. I held him to me, afraid he’d vanish
along with the pleasure, disappearing as though this was a dream I’d
conjured.
“That’s it. Good girl,” Thane purred.
I shook from his praise.
Once Knox sensed I was close, he unleashed the rest of his pent-up
energy. His fist worked over his cock in long, brutal strokes. I watched each
one hungrily while Thane matched the rhythm with rapidly thrusting
fingers.
“Oh—fuck!” I lost myself.
“Come for us, Sunshine,” Knox demanded with a guttural growl.
Long, adept fingers rubbed just right inside of me, and I rocked against
Thane’s palm. I muttered nonsense as my clit lit up like a Christmas tree,
pushing me over the edge. Release crashed through me like a tidal wave,
filling me from head to toe in mindless bliss. I cried out as my core fluttered
and clenched.
Knox followed me over the cliff and came with a shout. Come spurted
in long ropes across his chest, and he squeezed his knot with his other hand,
milking his orgasm. The sexiest grunt I’d ever heard rumbled from his
throat, sending me into another, smaller release.
I was nothing and everything all at once, reduced to warmth and
aftershocks as I careened back down slowly. My whole body was languid
and melty. Relaxing back into Thane, I let his strength keep me upright
while he pet me slowly, seeing me through the smaller wracking waves of
pleasure.
“Good girl,” he cooed again, and I shivered.
I loved making him happy and earning his praise.
I hadn’t expected it, and yet, it felt right. Who am I?
Omega, a small, insistent part of me answered from the depths of my
soul.
twenty-seven
KNOX
I WAS HYPNOTIZED by the sight of Demi curled into my side. Soft,
brown hair splayed around her angelic face as she breathed steadily, deeply
asleep. Her scent was on my pillow and entwined in my sheets. Hell, my
whole room was saturated in it after last night.
Watching her come on Thane’s fingers had been the most erotic
experience of my life, and I was no blushing virgin. It didn’t thrill me to
admit I’d been with more than my fair share of Beta women in the past. But
that’s what it was. The past.
In my wildest dreams, I hadn’t expected to ever be blessed with an
Omega. Sure, we’d applied as a pack with the OMA and had held our
collective breath, waiting to be chosen. But every year that passed, the
flame of that hope died away until it was barely more than a glowing ember.
Then Demi appeared, looking like an angel and smelling like sin. She
was an answered prayer, kind and funny with just enough spice. There was
no denying the chemistry she had with each one of us. She’d slid into our
pack seamlessly.
I wanted to save her.
I wanted to corrupt her.
In the short time she’d been with us, I’d dreamt of taking her in every
wicked way imaginable, but having her stumble into my room in the middle
of the night, intent on saving me from myself was not how I’d pictured our
first sexual encounter.
Watching her watch me had been so fucking hot.
And when Thane joined, playing her body in tune with mine?
Fuuuck. Let’s just say it had been intense. I’d never come so hard in my
life.
Demi sighed and snuggled deeper against me. She was sandwiched
between Thane and me, her back pressed against his chest as they lay on
their sides. Thankfully, my bed was a king with enough room for the three
of us. My pack brother had an arm thrown over her waist with his nose
buried in her hair. Lying on my back with an arm propped beneath my head,
she used the other as a pillow. She slept peacefully curled against my side
with her hand splayed on my chest. One of her legs was hooked over mine,
tangling us all together. Without realizing it, her creamy thigh brushed
against my hard cock, and that little wiggle made me stifle a groan.
I didn’t want to wake her, content to study her for now. I wouldn’t mind
a repeat performance when she did open those pretty green eyes though.
Perhaps one where she rode me.
My fingers.
My face.
My cock.
She could have any part of me she wanted.
I can’t believe she’s ours. When she’d agreed to court us last night, I’d
felt like the luckiest bastard alive. OMA and her previous pack aside, we
were one step closer to getting to keep her forever, and that felt more right
than anything ever had. Getting into the police academy, earning my badge,
being brought into Jamison’s pack—none of it compared to hearing my girl
say yes to our courtship.
Demi felt like home: familiar and comforting and exactly where I
wanted to be.
I intended to spoil her and show her just how much I wanted her in my
life—and in my pack. She was sweet, sexy, and strong. Our perfect fit. I
wouldn’t let anyone take her from us. The only way I’d let her go is if she
asked me to—and I intended to make sure she was so happy with us that
never happened.
A sharp, annoying ‘brring’ blared from my cell. An incoming call.
I slapped my free hand around the nightstand, fumbling for the blasted
thing, answering it with a grumbled “hold on” before carefully extricating
myself from Demi. It was torture to leave her warmth, but one glance at the
screen and I knew I had to take the call.
One benefit of my room was it had a balcony attached to the back of the
house. I slipped outside after throwing on some sweats, quietly closing the
sliding door behind me before lifting the phone back to my ear.
“You’re calling early.” I scrubbed a hand down my face to shake off the
remnants of sleep that still clung to the edges of my brain. I needed to be
alert for this conversation.
“Hello to you too,” Kimber teased.
I winced. “Sorry. Hi. How are you?”
 “A little worried about you, honestly. You’ve never called me so much
in my life. I think you left me two messages and a handful of texts
yesterday. I got worried and figured I’d call you back before I leave work.
What’s going on?”
“I have a”—shit, how was I supposed to phrase this?—“hypothetical
question.”
My sister’s brow-rise could practically be heard through the phone. She
was most likely crossing her arms while juggling her cell, narrowing her
eyes like she had superpowers and could glare at me through the screen.
“You’re hounding me over a hypothetical question?” she scoffed,
teasing me with no small amount of sarcasm. “Yeah, okay. Let’s pretend I
buy that.”
“Kimber,” I warned. “This is important.”
She sobered. “Okay, now you’ve really got me worried. What’s going
on, Knox?”
I described the pertinent information about Demi’s lack of registration,
leaving names and as many details vague to protect her privacy.
“That’s not possible,” Kimber swore. “Everyone on the census should
be registered with one of the registries. Even the rare cases where an
Omega presents late end up corrected in our system. I can’t imagine anyone
falling through the cracks.”
Frustrated, I huffed, knowing she could sense my agitation even from a
distance. “Okay, well, let’s pretend it is possible. How could it have
happened?”
She sighed right back. “I don’t know why I’m entertaining this, but
alright. Um—” she fell silent while she mulled it over. “I guess it’s possible
someone made a clerical error and registered her on the wrong list.”
“What if she doesn’t exist on any list?”
“Does this scenario get any crazier?” she muttered in disbelief.
“You have no idea,” I grumbled under my breath.
“People don’t just disappear from the registry by accident. A clerical
error wouldn’t wipe someone out of the system. Unless—”
The line went silent again, and I had to press to get her to say it.
“Unless what?”
I could hear her sucking on her front teeth before she resigned and
answered me. “Unless someone purposely erased her from the system. It’s a
multi-step process and couldn’t be done by accident. But why would
anyone do that?”
Fuck. Could someone have erased Demi from the OMA’s records
completely?
Of course, they could. And someone with the pull like Demi’s father or
Pack Silver with the financial ability to back up their plans could’ve easily
made that happen. The employees at the OMA may have sworn to uphold
the government’s mission when they were hired, but at the end of the day,
they were just people with bills and stressful lives like everyone else.
“Money talks,” I spat, shaking my head with disgust.
“Knox, I don’t understand. Why are you asking all these questions? Is
there an Omega in trouble?” Kimber hedged.
Time to shut this down. I’d said too much.
I took too long to answer Kimber before she immediately forged
forward.
“Who is she? The OMA can help her. I can help her. I know I’ve only
been working there for a little while, but the organization is filled with good
people with Omegas’ best interests at heart.”
“Hypothetical, remember?”
“Knox,” her tone softened. “Please tell me what’s going on. You’re
always so…”
Now it was her turn to go silent. I pressed, “So what?”
“So distant,” she whispered softly. “Mom, dad, Kaylee—we all miss
you. You call on birthdays and holidays but rarely just to check in. Then,
out of the blue, you’re calling me and texting me multiple times in one day.
Something’s going on. You can trust me with whatever it is. You may have
a pack now, but we’re still family. I’m your sister.”
“I know, Kimber.” Fuck, I was messing this all up. She was right. I let
too much time pass between reaching out to my family, but it wasn’t as
simple as she made it sound. “I do trust you. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have
called.”
“Because it’s more than hypothetical?”
“Let’s just say I’m trying to help a… friend.”
“Is this friend in trouble?” she pressed.
“It’s complicated.”
“I assumed so, based on your questions. Listen, I know I don’t have the
whole story, but if your friend needs help, the OMA is here for her. I’m here
for her. We can figure out what’s going on with her registration and get it all
sorted out. If she’s an Omega, she’s going to need a pack someday.”
She needed a pack now. My pack. I kept that all to myself for Demi’s
safety.
“Part of a case,” I fibbed. “I can’t discuss it further right now.”
Kimber sighed in defeat. “Alright. Have it your way. But Knox? I hope
you know what you’re doing for her sake and for your own. Omegas are
protected for a reason. There are too many packs out there that would take
advantage of an unbonded Omega. Be careful and don’t let your pack get
tangled in something you can’t handle—police business or otherwise.”
She was right. This was a delicate situation, and we needed to be
careful. The blowback for harboring an unbonded, unregistered Omega
would be brutal if we were found out. Time was ticking on how we, as a
pack, wanted to handle this. We had to make the first move because if we
were caught, the consequences wouldn’t be favorable, and that affected all
of us—including Demi.
Our chance to meet and bond with Demi through normal channels was
stolen from us, but if we didn’t act accordingly now, our second chance to
court and claim her would vanish like smoke on the wind. That wasn’t a
risk I was willing to take.
“Since when did you get so wise, hmm?” Kimber was younger than me,
but it was clear she’d done a lot of growing up in my absence.
“Just listen to me, okay? I’m not fucking around.”
“Language,” I scolded.
I could picture her rolling her eyes and hear the suppressed smile in her
tone. “I’m twenty, not twelve.”
We hung up shortly after, and I shoved a hand through my messy blond
hair.
This information needed to go to Jamison. I hadn’t learned much, but
the idea that someone was fucking with the Omega registry was big news.
Did that mean we couldn’t trust the OMA as a whole? Or were there just a
few rats in the system that needed to be weeded out? Obviously, her father
was a culprit in all this, keeping her locked at home and then trading her
like livestock to some rich asshole who viewed her as property rather than
the beautiful, intelligent, kind woman she was.
Problem was, I couldn’t see a way forward without going through the
proper channels and registering Demi as an Omega. Our pack would end up
in hot water if we bonded her without permission, and while bonds were
lifelong commitments, if we broke that sacred rule, they’d take her from us
if we were ever discovered. Living in hiding was no life for Demi.
I didn’t blame her for running from her old pack after the hell they’d put
her through. Living in the shadows was leagues better than dying in the
light. But that didn’t need to be her life any longer. The moment she crossed
paths with my pack everything changed. We wanted to provide for her and
keep her safe. She deserved a bright, happy future. Giving her that had
become as important as breathing.
Which meant we needed a way forward. A legal way forward. But
entrusting anyone other than my own pack with Demi’s future felt
terrifying, even for me. Her father would be a force to be reckoned with,
and Anton’s pack wasn’t known for backing down from anything. Demi’s
unique situation presented a challenge, and I doubted they’d concede once
they learned she’d taken up with us.
Worse, I doubted Anton would bang his fists on his chest and posture
outwardly. He was too cunning and sly for outward displays of dominance.
Using power and position, he’d weasel his way into getting what he wanted
without making a scene. He hadn’t become Mayor of Silver Springs without
scheming, and if rumors were to be believed, he was planning on
announcing his run for Governor any day now. Having an Omega to
complete his pack would help him in the polls—better yet, a pregnant
Omega.
My stomach rolled as the dots came together.
“That’s gotta be why he drugged her. Fucking piece of shit,” I growled
into the quiet morning, taking large, heaving breaths to calm myself down.
Hitting something sounded good right about now. Maybe I should head
to the gym to work out some of my frustration. It wouldn’t solve anything,
but taking the edge off couldn’t hurt. Then again, I wouldn’t be able to relax
until Demi was safe from the demons of her past.
They couldn’t get their hands on her again, and that meant we had to be
careful with who we trusted.
Could we trust the OMA to do right by Demi? Or was it a fool’s errand
to think there was any way to reach the ‘happily ever after’ we all
deserved?
I growled into the breeze, cursing when I realized the stark truth of my
reality—I didn’t fucking know.
twenty-eight
ELI
I KISSED Demi sweetly on the forehead, loving the way she stirred softly
as she came out of a deep sleep. Her lashes fluttered like butterfly wings. I
pushed her hair back behind her ear, caressing the curve of her cheek as
they finally lifted. Those green eyes of hers were confused for a moment,
her brow furrowing cutely until she registered me sitting on the mattress in
front of her.
“Hi.” The melody of her voice was thick with sleep. Stretching like a
cat, she blinked a few times to get her bearings. Thane mumbled behind her,
hugging her close when he sensed her start to shift away.
“Five more minutes,” he pleaded without ever opening his eyes.
“You got her for the entire night,” I countered. “Time to share the pretty
Omega with the rest of us.”
“Knox had her too,” he whined, but there was no heart behind it.
Demi giggled, a blush endearingly pinkening her cheeks.
Adorable.
A steady pitter-patter echoed from the bathroom where Knox must be
showering. The fool. If I’d been with Demi last night, I’d have worn her
scent around all day like a smug bastard who’d had his cake and eaten it
too.
I purred, “Looks like I missed all the fun.” Jealousy sparked within me
like flint striking stone.
What I wouldn’t trade to have been in one of their places last night. The
room was thick with the scent of their pheromones, telling me something
naughty had taken place. Just how far had the three of them gone? And
could I at least watch next time?
Past the selfish inclinations, however, was a deep satisfaction that my
pack brothers were happy and Demi was cared for. There would always be
moments of wanting more time with our girl, but as long as she was happy,
safe, and content, that’s what mattered.
“That’s alright.” I smiled easily. “I get you for the whole day, and we’ve
got plans.”
 Demi lit up, her eyes sparkling in the early morning light slanting in
from the balcony door. “We do?”
“We do. Come on, Love. I’ve got a surprise for you.”
DEMI
I showered quickly, though the Omega part of me wanted to live with the
scent of Thane and Knox on my skin forever. She wanted to preen and
prance around, showing the world that these men belonged to her. The sane
part of my brain knew a shower was necessary. Slick coated my thighs, and
I felt sticky after last night.
If that weren’t enough, leaving the house without neutralizing my scent
would’ve been stupid and dangerous. Hell, it was regardless. So, I lathered
my hair with scent-canceling shampoo and scrubbed every inch of my skin
until all I could smell was the slight tang of chemical descenter.
My skin tingled by the time I stepped out and chose an outfit that had
also been descented with strong laundry detergent and fragrance beads. All
I smelled like was a void of generic vanilla and lavender.
Nerves tangled in my belly as I jogged down the steps and into the den.
Jamison paused by the coffee maker, his eyes eating up the sight of me from
my toes all the way up to the top of my head. He looked at me as though he
wanted to devour me. Whenever I was captured in his gaze, I knew he saw
me. All of me. Even the parts I wanted to keep hidden and locked away.
“Hi.” I smiled shyly, fidgeting with the hem of my shirt.
“Hi,” he rumbled back. The blue of his eyes was so intense today that it
felt like I could drown in their sapphiric depths.
Something between us had shifted yesterday, leaving me raw and
vulnerable. He’d held me close, soothed me when I was upset, then
declared along with his pack that they wanted to court me. Technically, I
should be free to run and jump into his arms the way I desired to, but
something held me back. Jamison was powerful and in charge. He was the
kind of man whose affection and respect you earned.
What had I done to call such a man my own? What did he even see in
me? I was a hot mess with more baggage than an airport. I had nothing to
offer him.
And yet, none of that changed the desire to close the distance between
us. He drew me in like a magnet. The pull between us was unavoidable and
inescapable.
 I didn’t want to escape.
I shifted in place, feeling conflicted and unsure.
Reading my hesitation incorrectly, he moved closer, but not close
enough. He paused where the kitchen met the den, the steaming cup of
coffee in his hand forgotten.
“Without spoiling the surprise, I can assure you the place Eli is taking
you to is secure. You don’t need to worry. You’ll be going straight there,
then straight back home. Maverick Falls is a pretty quiet town. The people
here are good people, and the only ones who know about you are friends I’d
trust with my life.”
I tucked my hair back, thankful for the information while flushing from
the fact that he’d called this place my home.
Truthfully, I had been worried. You didn’t live through what I’d lived
through, escape what I had escaped, without being on guard and wary. But I
found myself trusting these men wholeheartedly.
They’d take care of me, and I wasn’t as nervous as I’d expected.
“It’ll be nice to get out for a little while. I never had the privilege to go
out much before.”
Jamison’s jaw tightened as did his fingers around the ceramic mug. I
thought he might break it by sheer force. Fingertips bled white and his eyes
flashed, looking murderous. “Going out shouldn’t be a privilege. If it
weren’t for the threat of your old pack, you’d be free to come and go as you
please, as long as you promised to take precautions and bring at least one of
us with you. We are, and always will be, happy to escort you wherever you
want to go. I know having to essentially have a bodyguard is inconvenient
but—”
“No,” I cut him off, shaking my head fervently, needing him to
understand. “I don’t mind the protection, especially if it’s one of you. Going
out at all is a blessing. I haven’t been afforded that kind of freedom since I
presented.”
Omegas weren’t allowed to join society in any capacity until they were
matched with a pack and under their protection. Even then, it was
dangerous for an unbonded Omega. Until my throat was ringed with
claiming bites and my scent settled enough to not ‘bring all the boys to the
yard,’ I’d need to use scent-canceling shampoo and bodywash just to leave
the house.
 Jamison mumbled something about society and designations being
fucked up, but it wasn’t loud enough for me to string together properly.
He gentled after shoving a hand through his dark, wavy hair. His eyes
settled from churning oceans to calm stretches of midnight blue sky. “Have
fun. I know Eli is dying to spoil you. As are we all.”
I gaped. Spoil me? What exactly are we doing?
“I don’t need to be spoiled.”
“Which just makes the desire to do so much, much stronger.”
Dipping my head to hide the rosy hue of my cheeks, I murmured a
quick goodbye and rushed for the door. His gaze followed me the whole
way.
Stepping outside, I pulled the door shut behind me and breathed a sigh
of relief. Being around such a powerful Alpha was intense and thrilling, but
my lungs couldn’t inflate fully whenever I was in his presence.
Gathering myself, I made to move toward the driveway to wait for Eli
only to take one step and freeze. There, on the doorstep, was a dead,
bloodied mouse. I swallowed down a startled ‘eep’ and wrinkled my nose at
the poor mangled thing.
Be brave. It’s just a mouse, and it’s not like it’s going to rise again and
leap at you. The thing was deader than a doornail, probably mauled by a
barn cat and left here as a gift. Where did that saying come from anyway?
Glancing around, I looked for anything useful to help me move it. A
stick was my salvation, and I shifted the small creature into the mulch.
I didn’t particularly like mice, but it was so small and helpless, my heart
panged for it.
Poor little mouse. Between one breath and the next, reality tore away.
Pain ripped through me, and I cried out.
“It doesn’t matter how hard you squirm, little mouse, you’ll never be
able to get away from me.”
Reed’s hips thrust relentlessly, each hard pound creating a new spike of
agony. My arms were tied together, making it almost impossible to struggle.
He had me pinned to the bed beneath him, his chest against my back
keeping me right where he wanted me. I took each brutal plunge with tears
in my eyes, but it didn’t matter how hard I cried and begged him to stop. He
liked my tears.
His tongue lapped at the salty trail along my cheek. “Cry all you want,
little mouse. I like it. You’re mine to play with, to destroy. Just look at you—
bound and helpless. I’ll ruin you before I let you go.”
My lungs burned. Dark spots swam through my vision like fireworks,
coalescing until I finally dragged in a raw breath. Tears tracked down my
cheeks, and I wiped them away with shaking hands.
It’s over. They can’t get to you anymore.
I pushed to my feet and quickly kicked some mulch overtop of the
mouse, giving it an impromptu burial. I couldn’t look at it any longer.
It’s just a dead mouse. It doesn’t mean anything. Apparently, I wasn’t
very convincing because dread sat like a lead weight in the pit of my
stomach and a dark, ominous cloud grew over my head. I knew it would
follow me all day, tainting everything good with phantom shadows.
It’s not an omen. This isn’t your old pack leaving you a message. It’s just
a twisted gift from a barn cat. Maybe that was the truth, but the world took
on a dangerous edge. The sun was a little too bright, the shadows on the
ground a little too shifty. Every deep breath I evaluated for familiar scents,
on high alert.
Don’t be ridiculous. Just buy some cat food while you’re out. Hopefully,
the little gifts from the barn cats will stop once they’re fat and happy. The
angel on my shoulder wasn’t convincing enough to override the devil that
told me it was time to run again.
Danger. Danger. Danger. I couldn’t go back to life with Pack Silver. I
wouldn’t. I’d rather die.
I scanned the open yard, the treeline, the long drive, checking for
anything out of place, any intrusion, any sign that I was being watched—
stalked.
Nothing.
Bile scalded the back of my throat as I shakily made my way down the
front walk to the driveaway. Walking felt like trudging through mud. It was
a miracle I made it to the car without falling down because all my focus was
on trying to bury those memories the same way I’d buried that mouse.
Except if it was going to work, I needed to bury them much, much
deeper.
Forcing myself to inhale slowly—in through my nose, out through my
mouth—I calmed the race of my heart and cleared my mind. Instead, I
focused on the rustle of leaves and the feel of the light breeze on my skin.
You’re alive and you’re safe.
 “Demi, are you alright?” Eli rushed out of the garage, pocketing his
keys and reaching for me with both hands. “You look like you’ve seen a
ghost.”
I clung to him, burying my nose in the crook of his neck. The calming
scent of his chai-latte fragrance acted like a balm to my frayed nerves. It
washed over all my jagged edges, smoothing them out until I was less sharp
and prickly.
“I’m okay,” I promised, though as much as I wanted to believe that, I
wasn’t sure it was entirely true. “Just a bad memory.”
“Are you sure that’s all it is?” Eli’s arms tightened around me, cradling
me to his chest. But his muscles were taut, his body on high alert. I felt the
twist of his head above mine as he scanned the horizon for threats.
With one more drugging hit of his scent, the tension in my body bled
away and I relaxed more fully. “I’m sure. I’m much better now that you’re
here.”
Pressing his lips to the top of my head, he gave me a kiss while his purr
flared to life. His chest vibrated beneath my cheek.
Oh. My. Gods. I’d thought I was relaxed before, but the gentle hum
made me boneless. I moaned, going tranquil and languid in his arms. The
rest of my worries drifted away.
“So good,” I groaned, practically drooling on his navy button-down.
The man was always dressed to impress, and today was no different with
his crisp, dark slacks and cognac oxfords.
Yoga pants and a t-shirt didn’t measure up, but I couldn’t bring myself
to worry over my appearance when he was purring just for me.
“I could stay here all day,” I murmured, snuggling closer, hugging my
arms around his tapered waist.
He tipped my chin up, gazing down at me lovingly. “As tempting as that
sounds, we’ve got somewhere we need to be.”
I almost pouted but reined in the expression before I seemed ungrateful.
“Going out sounded fun, but now I don’t wanna let you go to get in the
car,” I admitted sheepishly.
Eli hummed his pleasure. “You have no idea what you do for my ego,
do you, Love?”
I dipped my head with a smile, but he tapped my chin, making me lift
my face to his once more.
 “If you’d like, we’ll come directly home afterward and snuggle the rest
of the day away.”
I pretended to consider his proposal. “Only if you promise to purr for
me some more.”
His grin was like the sun. It brightened my entire world, chasing the
remnants of the shadows away. “It’s a deal.”
twenty-nine
ELI
DEMI’S EYES widened as I steered her through the nondescript back door
of a shop. It was imperative I kept her out of sight, which was why I’d paid
Dakota for exclusive access to the clothing boutique.
“Where are we?”
“Welcome to The Naked Zebra.” I motioned toward the trendy main
room that held racks of clothing along with jewelry displays and shelves of
shoes. The large warehouse-turned-boutique had everything from
activewear to formal attire to lingerie for both everyday and sensual affairs.
On the far wall, there was a small home-goods section with scented candles,
fluffy blankets, and an array of pillows. “It’s ours for the day.”
“You’re taking me shopping?”
I smiled, enjoying her shocked expression. Perfectly sculpted brows
were raised to her forehead and her lips were parted.
“Mm-hmm.”
“For the day?”
“Yep.”
She side-eyed me skeptically. “Just how long do you expect me to
shop?”
“As long as it takes, of course. There’s no need to rush or worry about
anyone interrupting our time and potentially posing a threat. It’s closed to
everyone but us. The whole place is sprayed every twenty minutes with
descenters to keep the clothing from being tainted by customers’ scents. I
figured, as far as dates go, this one was relatively low risk. Especially since
Dakota was kind enough to let me commandeer the shop for the day.”
Her features softened, her eyes glittering with unshed tears. “Eli, that
was very sweet. You didn’t have to do this.” She motioned absently around
the store, but her attention stayed locked on me.
I prowled closer, pulling her into my arms. It was effortless—like I’d
been doing the same motion our entire lives. She fit against me perfectly,
her hands landing lightly on my chest. They ran up and down in a gentle
caress.
 I sucked in a breath. Having her pet me every day for the remainder of
my life was my new mission.
“Of course, I did. You need clothing, and I’ve been desperate for some
alone time with you. Hence all this”—I nodded toward our surroundings,
unwilling to let her go, even for a second—“and what I hope will be a
perfect day together.”
“Thank you.” Her voice was a song, and she, a siren. “You didn’t have
to do that.”
Her eyes gave her away. They sparkled with happiness, the shadows I’d
seen in her earlier a million miles away. Whatever had spooked her had
passed. For now.
I wanted to wrap her up and keep her safe, make her this happy all the
time.
She deserved nothing less.
“I’d do anything for you. I hope you know that.” The vow was easy to
make. I could picture Demi as my mate—my wife. The pack and I had
already decided she was our future. As long as she agreed to have us, the
rest was simply semantics.
I’d claim her right now if she’d let me. The pack might murder me, but
damn, would it be worth it. The only thing that held me back—other than
Demi’s consent—was the fact that she deserved more.
I wanted her blissed out on my pheromones and impaled on my knot
before I sunk my teeth into her neck and left her with a crescent-shaped
mark the whole world would see.
Gods. My scent swelled along with my cock at the mere thought of
Demi beneath me.
Her eyes darkened, and her tongue snuck out to wet her lips. I tracked
the lightning-fast movement, barely breathing. Did she know how sensual
and attractive she was? She’d hooked me—heart, soul, every damn piece.
That mystifying draw had me leaning closer, brushing my nose against
hers. Our breath mixed, and I drew her deep into my lungs. Tipping her
chin up, her lips ghosted over mine so gently, so sweetly, I thought I’d died
and gone to heaven.
“Demi,” I breathed, hauling her closer, crushing her against my chest.
She didn’t push me away when I slanted my mouth over hers, pausing for
one brief moment before capturing her lips.
 Her hands wound up around my neck, digging into the hair at my nape.
The light bite of her nails sent a shiver straight through me.
“Bloody hell,” I growled between kisses.
That little tongue of hers darted out to lick at the seam of my mouth,
and I groaned, letting her in. The flavor of berries and sugar burst over my
tongue. I was drunk on her taste, her feel. My cock was pure steel, straining
against my slacks, testing the quality of the fabric meant to hold it back. I
positively ached for her.
“Eli,” she gasped when I nipped her bottom lip, sucking it to soothe the
sting.
“I love my name on your lips.” I kissed my way down her throat, biting
the crux of her shoulder just hard enough to tease her with the promise of
our future claiming. Gasping, she writhed against me. “I can’t wait to hear
you moan it while I’m buried deep inside your pretty little cunt.”
She whimpered, and my dick throbbed. Grabbing her ass, I lifted her
until she’d wrapped her legs around my waist. I don’t know how I made it
across the boutique, but I laid her out on a settee near the changing rooms,
marveling at the way her hair fanned out around her. Dark brown strands
framed creamy skin. She was a study of contrasts. Delicate features made
her look angelic and so damn sweet. I wanted to taste her skin, kiss each
one of her freckles, and map every dip and curve of her body.
I crawled over her, groaning as I settled in the cradle of her hips. Like a
teenager with no chill, I thrust against her sex, hissing from the perfect
friction. Every little kitten mewl she gave me was a gift.
I was losing my head.
Having Demi this close was pure temptation, and I didn’t even have the
full breadth of her scent driving me mad.
Ready to rip her clothing off, all my previously innocent plans be
damned, I tugged at the shoulder of her t-shirt, exposing more creamy flesh
to kiss and suck.
I shifted down and—
Something crashed, thudding so loudly we both jumped. Instantly, I
went into protective mode, flying off the settee and balling fists, prepared to
fight only to see a toppled mannequin I must have bumped in my haste.
Demi had yelped, but as I turned back to face her, she blinked up at me
with the most innocent expression. One hand flew up to cover her mouth,
her wide eyes staring at me over the tops of her fingers. Slender shoulders
shook silently.
Straightening, I brushed a hand down my button-down and straightened
the black frame of my glasses squarely over my nose. I arched a
challenging brow, shaking my head in disbelief. “Are you laughing at me?”
The corners of my mouth ached as I tried to contain a smile.
“Mm-mmm,” she denied it with a small shake of her head, but her high-
pitched murmur gave her away. She burst into giggles, laughing so hard
tears formed in the corners of her eyes.
I adjusted my hard-on, then ran my hands through my hair, trying to
gather the dredges of my sanity back together. “If that wasn’t a sign that I
shouldn’t be ravaging you in the middle of the damn store, I don’t know
what is. Come on, Love.” I offered her my hand. “Let’s get you some outfits
to try on so you can really test my restraint with how beautiful you’re going
to look in everything.”
Blushing, she slipped her fingers into mine and let me pull her up. “You
have no idea how women’s fashion works, do you? Half of the things
supposedly in my size won’t fit me. I’m short and have some curves.
Shopping has always been difficult.”
“We’re all built differently, and I think that’s what makes the world
beautiful.” I cupped her cheek, stroking my thumb along the gentle curve.
“You’re drop-dead gorgeous, Love. Inside and out. Never let anyone make
you feel differently. Promise me.”
She gazed at me for a long moment, as if gauging my words for the
truth. Satisfied with whatever she found, she smiled shyly and nodded. “I
promise.”
“Good girl,” I praised, and her cheeks rosied further.
I loved that I could read her emotions so easily. Demi was an open
book, expressive and responsive. Taking the time to map each one sounded
like the secret to a long and enjoyable life.
“Besides, Dakota is careful to carry a variety of brands and sizes for all
body types. I’m positive we’ll be able to find you a new wardrobe in no
time.”
“Who’s Dakota?” she asked with a touch of jealousy.
It surprised me how much I liked that.
“An Alpha in a neighboring pack,” I answered casually.
“She’s someone you know well?”
 I smirked. “He and his pack are good friends. Rita, a female Alpha in
their pack, owns The Lusty Leopard, the sex shop Hades went to the night
we met. That’s the only reason they know you’re in town, but they’re vaults
and we trust them completely. Dakota was more than willing to close the
shop for us when I reached out. His Omega, Rylee, is dying to meet you
once it’s safe to do so. I think you’ll like her. Most people do.”
Her mouth had formed a little O, and she blinked in disbelief. “I don’t
know if I’ll ever be able to meet them. I might die of embarrassment.”
I cocked my head. “Because of the sex toys?”
She buried her face in her hands. “Oh my gosh.”
Taking her hands in mine, I lowered them, tipping my head to catch her
downturned gaze. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of. The toys were a smart
decision that helped you maintain safe boundaries during a difficult time.
Our pack would have helped see you through, of course, but given that
we’d just met and the way you were thrown into your heat, aren’t you
grateful for the alternative the toys provided?”
Sighing, she relented. “Yes. I’m happy I had options on how to handle
my heat. Doing anything because I was forced to—” She shivered, not
needing words to convey the effects of the trauma she’d suffered at the
hands of her old pack. Fucktards—all of them.
It would take Demi years to heal from all the abuse she’d survived.
Thankfully, my pack and I were up for the challenge. We’d be endlessly
patient with her and would never hesitate to show her exactly the way she
should be treated—like the goddess she was.
I swallowed the growl that wanted to rumble free and nodded. “Exactly
my point. There’s no shame in using the toys. Besides, they weren’t even
the kinky kinds.”
Her eyes widened with shock. Good. There. Now she’s not thinking
about those assholes any longer.
“Seems another shopping trip is in order after this one,” I only half
teased with a lascivious waggle of my brows.
“I think I’ll stick to clothing, for now. Though, I really don’t need
much,” she hedged.
Tsking, I headed for the racks, already flipping through the selections
and pulling the ones I desperately wanted to see her in. “Please. You ran
away with what… five outfits?”
“Something like that.”
 “You need things, Demi. Let me get them for you. I want to. No, scratch
that. I need to. The Alpha in me desires to take care of you, and I think if
you look deep enough, you’ll discover that the Omega in you wants to be
taken care of.”
With a relenting sigh, she stepped to my side and browsed with me until
both our arms were full of potentials. Hurrying her toward the dressing
room, we piled all our choices on the hangers and she shooed me out
despite my protests that she may need help with zippers and buttons and
mind-blowing orgasms.
Relegated to the settee—the same one we’d almost christened earlier—I
waited, knowing she was stripping naked on the other side of the door.
I groaned, spreading my legs to make room for my perpetually hard
cock.
Time after time, Demi peeked out the door and showed me what she’d
tried on—all at my insistence. And if I’d thought the idea of her naked was
a turn-on, seeing her in the various tops, tight-fitting jeans, and dresses was
gasoline on the fire of my lust.
Bloody hell, shopping with Demi was downright masochistic—torture
in the very best way.
The last dress she emerged in was a floor-length, emerald-green gown
that cupped her breasts and hugged her curves before flowing to the ground.
A flash of creamy skin peeked out from the thigh-high slit, and I swallowed
my fucking tongue, completely awe-struck by the vision she made.
“Demi…” I murmured, otherwise speechless.
Her hands fluttered over the pretty fabric. “I don’t know where I’d ever
wear this…”
“Demi,” I said again, getting to my feet and prowling forward.
She tugged at the price tag and her jaw popped open. “And it’s way too
expensive.”
This time I added a bit of a growl behind her name. “Demi.”
Her gaze snapped to mine, registering my dominance and the Alpha that
was just beneath my skin.
My head swam with the need to claim and touch and taste.
“You’re positively stunning,” I rasped, surprised I had the wherewithal
to form actual words. “There’s no question. We’re buying it. And as for
where you’ll wear it, I’ll hold a godsdamn ball if that’s what it takes to see
you in this dress again.”
 I dropped to my knees before her, trailing my hand up her leg, along the
slit.
“But right now, I’m done talking, Love. You look like a goddess, and
I’m ready to worship at your altar.”
Her breath hitched as I licked my lips, pressed my glasses back into
place, and gathered the fabric of her dress, lifting it up… up… up…
Her scent washed over me, making my mouth water.
Fates, save me.
thirty
DEMI
ELI HAD MADE me try on everything in the store. Okay, that wasn’t
technically true, but I couldn’t fit all the options in one dressing room.
Whenever I passed him outfits to put back, he handed me three more.
Luckily, instead of it being an overwhelming experience, shopping with
him had been fun. Especially the way his gaze drank in the sight of me
every time I stepped out to show him what I was wearing.
Warm amber eyes darkened with lust, and I hadn’t missed the hard
outline of his cock showing through his slate-grey slacks. He made me feel
like the only woman in the world, and I’d blossomed under his care and
attention.
Truthfully, Eli had a great eye for fashion and the uncanny skill of
picking out items that actually fit well. The latest was a floor-length gown
in a color that accentuated my eyes.
My breath caught as I stared at my reflection. The dark, emerald-green
dress hugged my body in a way nothing ever had before. I had nowhere to
wear the gorgeous garment. Buying it would be purely frivolous. But damn.
I took a moment to be delightedly self-focused, turning this way and that in
the mirror, admiring the way the dress accentuated my curves. It flattered
me rather than highlighting the things I usually disliked about myself.
Eli’s reaction didn’t disappoint. He’d gone nearly speechless, uttering
my name over and over while I tried to talk us both out of adding the dress
to my rapidly growing ‘yes’ pile.
“You’re positively stunning,” he murmured, that smooth voice of his
filled with a gritty rasp that sped my heart rate and set butterflies loose in
my stomach. “There’s no question. We’re buying it. And as for where you’ll
wear it, I’ll hold a godsdamn ball if that’s what it takes to see you in this
dress again.”
Swoon. Mop me up, because I was a puddle. What girl didn’t want to be
treated like a princess, with the sole attention of the most handsome men all
vying to make her happy? The vision of dancing across a grand ballroom in
Eli’s arms, all my mates watching us from the edges, awaiting their turn to
sweep me into their arms and whisk me around the dance floor themselves
made my inner Omega squeal with delight. Especially if I were wearing this
dress with the others looking at me the way Eli beheld me now.
Slowly, Eli sank to his knees before me, capturing my hand and kissing
the inside of my wrist. A sharp breath whooshed from my lungs, and all
thoughts of dancing and balls and gowns fled my mind at the sight of this
powerful Alpha kneeling at my feet.
“But right now,” he growled, “I’m done talking, Love. You look like a
goddess, and I’m ready to worship at your altar.”
It took my brain a long time to re-engage and come back online. Eli was
touching me, his fingers trailing up the sides of my thighs in whisper-light
caresses. The fabric of the exquisite dress bunched the farther he journeyed,
lifting higher and higher.
A breath shuddered out of me.
“Eli,” I gasped as he hooked his fingers in the sides of my panties and
dragged them down my legs. I let him, knowing full well where this was
going and wanting it too badly to stop. “I’ve, um, never done this before…”
Admitting it was painfully embarrassing, but it felt like something he
should know.
He hummed, a strange mixture of anger and contentment. “All the men
before me were fools, but I can’t tell you how deliriously happy it makes
me that I get to be your first. Spread your thighs for me, Love, then hold on
tight.”
With my shoulders braced against the closed dressing room door, I did
as he commanded, blushing wildly as he brushed his nose over my hip
bone. Sharp teeth nipped at my tummy and his tongue soothed the skin
before he nuzzled against my sex.
“Someday, I’m going to fill you so full of my seed you’ll be dripping
with it.”
“Oh. My. Gods.” I shook, heat filling me from the inside out. Eli had a
filthy mouth, and I was living for it. I wanted him to stand back up and
fulfill that fantasy. Right. Fucking. Now.
I didn’t get the chance to ask him to, because his warm breath fanned
over my slick folds and my thoughts stalled on one single word. More.
“Be vocal, Love. Tell me what you like so I can make you come all over
my face.”
Holy. Shit.
 Before I could squeak out a reply, the first swipe of his tongue stole
what was left of my breath. My mouth dropped open and my head tipped
into the door. I moaned. The solid surface was the only thing holding me up
as I lost all sense of myself, becoming nothing but firing neurons and
sensation and pleasure.
Warm and wet, his talented tongue circled my clit, teasing me before
dipping down to do the same to my opening. With a slow lick back up, he
finally used the tip to flick over my sensitive pearl. My pussy clenched
tightly, and I mewled like a kitten.
“That feels—so good!” I panted out.
Arching into his face, I dug my fingers into his hair and held on. Lips
closed over my clit, and he sucked.
“Oh gods—yes! Right there.”
Gasping and panting, I dared a glance down my body to where he knelt.
His hands gripped my ass, holding me against his mouth. His amber eyes
were dark and hooded, reflecting back all the desire I felt.
Eli hooked my knee over his shoulder, spreading me wider. His mouth
released me with a pop, then, without warning, he dipped down and speared
his tongue into my tight channel.
“Eli!” I sang his name, chanting it like a prayer. He ravaged me with his
tongue, fucking and flicking and sucking, learning exactly what made my
fingers curl and my pussy flex.
But it wasn’t enough. Emptiness clawed at me. I needed more. I needed
to be filled.
Reading my mind, he pressed two fingers into me and worked in
tandem with his tongue on my clit. Pulling them almost all the way out, he
teased me with shallow pumps, then thrust them back in fast and hard. They
curled just right as his tongue flicked faster, driving me higher and higher.
“That! Oh gods—oh fuck! Don’t stop. More! Please, more—”
He hummed, vibrating my clit while his fingers kept pace. Pure
electricity shot through me, and his free hand tightened on my ass, holding
me still.
Eli devoured me, eager to please. Need coiled in my belly, and in
seconds, I spiraled to the edge of release. It was sharp and explosive,
driving me higher and pulling me under all at the same time. I keened as the
waves of my orgasm crashed over me. Taking a chance, he added another
finger, stretching me so full I saw fireworks. Rubbing just right, he saw me
through the most intense orgasm of my life, licking me through the
aftershocks.
I sagged into the wall, my chest heaving as though I’d just run a four-
minute mile. Ha, who was I kidding? I couldn’t even run a mile in ten
minutes. I didn’t run unless I had to.
I must be delirious. Loss of oxygen could do that to a girl. So could
mind-blowing orgasms that made you feel like you’d broken the time-space
continuum. Sweat glistened on my forehead and I fanned myself, feeling
like I was boiling.
Eli kissed the inside of my thigh, then helped me right myself and
regain my balance before he swiftly got to his feet. Pressing into my space,
he braced his arm on the wall beside my head. Slowly, seductively, he
sucked his fingers clean while I watched.
“Mmm. Delicious. Your cunt is so sweet, it’s my new favorite dessert.”
An airy, blithe sound floated from my lips. I was still returning to Earth,
the endorphins making me feel buoyant and ethereal.
Eli grazed kisses over my jaw to my ear, nipping at my skin along the
way. “From the sounds you were making and the way your beautiful little
pussy spasmed around my fingers, I’m going to assume that was good for
you and hope you’ll allow me a repeat performance sometime very, very
soon.”
I shivered. “I’ve never felt anything like that before,” I confessed. “That
was—I don’t even have words.”
I caught sight of his salacious grin as he pulled back and gazed down at
me adoringly. “Hmm, I’m sure I can help you come up with something.
Euphoric? Rapturous? Deliriously blissful? Orgasmic? Best oral sex of your
life?”
Giggling, I slapped him playfully. “All of those things, but I think you
have an unfair advantage seeing as how you’re my only experience.” I
shrugged as nonchalantly as I could. “I have nothing to compare it to.”
Eli narrowed his eyes, taking the bait. “Oh, I see. You’re going to make
me work for the title, hmm?”
I nodded, and his grin turned downright cheeky. “That’s a challenge I’ll
gladly accept. We could go home right now and spread you out on the
kitchen table, let the others try and steal the title from me. One after the
other sucking on that sweet little clit, making you cream over and over
again.”
 I squirmed, already pressing my thighs together. Sweat glistened on my
skin, and I felt the heated color in my cheeks without having to glance in
the changing room’s full-length mirror to see the flush.
“You want that, don’t you, Love? Each of us taking turns with you,
pleasing our Omega.”
My perfume spiked, flooding into the air around us. I couldn't hide my
answer, my body screaming ‘yes, please!’ from the inside out.
I bit my lip as I pictured them all surrounding me, working together,
overwhelming me with orgasms.
I fanned myself. It was hotter than the sun in this dressing room. The air
conditioning either wasn't working or my internal thermostat was broken
because Eli seemed cool, calm, and collected. I, on the other hand, wanted
to roll around on a glacier in my underwear.
My pussy clenched, but this time, a wave of pain came with it. I hissed,
bending over and clutching at my abdomen.
Oh, shit!
“Demi?!” Eli’s concern barely registered as I hissed through my teeth,
trying to ride out the all-too-familiar agony.
“I’m okay,” I forced past gritted teeth. “Just… just give me a minute.”
Understanding dawned, but Eli shook his head. “No…” Warm amber
eyes went wide, then immediately darkened from the intensity of perfume
pouring off of me. It was so thick, it could’ve created its own atmosphere.
“Fuuuuck.” He cut off a deep growl, choking down the sound from his
Alpha. “The guys are going to kill me for this. If I had known. If I had
realized…”
Placing blame where it didn’t belong would get us nowhere. “It’s not
your fault.”
“The hell it isn’t. I'm a doctor. I should have seen this coming.”
“How could you have?” I gritted out, bracing my hand on the wall and
breathing through the pain.
He ran a hand through his hair in distress. “Forcing a heat isn’t
common, but it’s been done before. Messing with nature like that can throw
off your cycle. Doesn’t help that you’re surrounded by Alphas all day,
breathing in our scents, not to mention that we’re scent matched.”
Another cramp. I bit the inside of my cheek to hold back my groan. Eli
was already wracked with guilt. He didn’t need more on his plate. Seeing
me in pain had soured his scent, making his spice sharp enough to burn my
nose. Copper tang tinged my tastebuds as blood coated my tongue.
He rubbed my back gently, agonized there wasn’t anything else he could
do to help. Dark brows were pinched together, his eyes swimming with
worry. “I should have at least taken precautions not to knock you into heat.
I never should have—I’m sorry for—”
Like lightning, my gaze flashed to his. “Don’t you dare apologize for
giving me the most incredible orgasm of my life.”
His Alpha presence swelled, and he purred. The sound helped dull the
pain, and I drew in my first deep breath in what felt like hours but had been
only minutes. Heat was that potent and demanding.
My ovaries still ached, but I was able to stand upright. Using the
precious time I had, I spun away from Eli and yanked the zipper on the side
of the dress. I peeled it off, careful not to let something that expensive
crumple into a heap on the ground.
“Could I take more Ricanton?” I asked, running through my choices
while my mind was clear.
“Demi,” he hedged, and his use of my name gave me all the information
I needed. Ricanton wasn’t an option this time. “There’s only so many times
you can suppress a heat before it becomes damaging.”
So it was toys or the pack. I knew which one I wanted, but admitting it
and letting myself go there were two different things. Could I take that leap,
knowing I’d surely bond with them if I let our relationships get that
intimate? Heats were known to be roller coasters. They’d see me at my best
and at my worst. I could picture it now, presenting on all fours while
mindlessly begging for their claiming bites. I winced, worried about rushing
things and forcing them into a decision they might regret later.
“I can see your mind working already, and whatever you’re fretting
about, I can assure you, there’s no need to worry.” He cupped my cheek,
stroking his thumb lovingly over my skin. “We’re courting you, remember?
We want to be your pack, and we take care of our own, Love. Whatever
choice you make, we’ll support you and make this heat as comfortable for
you as we can.”
I nodded, blinking the rapidly forming tears from my eyes. I was a mess
of emotions: scared, excited, wary, nervous, and last but certainly not least,
curious about what riding out my heat with the pack would be like.
 Eli took the dress from my hands and hung it back up while I wriggled
in discomfort.
He handed me my street clothes and I dressed quickly while he fired off
an emergency text to the guys. The abrasive feeling of underwear against
my slick-coated core was uncomfortable. My Omega wanted to get
undressed, not re-dressed.
The hussy. Calm down.
I had to figure this out. Another wave would hit me soon, and if my
previous experience was anything to go by, the pain would only get worse
as I neared full-blown heat. These spikes were nothing compared to what
it’d be like in an hour or two.
Eli hurried me through the store, piling everything we wanted to
purchase in his arms. He steered me to the home-goods section and I
whimpered when I saw the soft pillows and blankets.
Nest. The impulse to create a safe, cozy space consumed all my
thoughts.
“Take anything you want. I’m handling payment and then we’ll be out
of here.”
I swallowed down the compulsory response that I didn’t need anything.
I did. My Omega pushed me toward the line of cool-blue and lavender
blankets. The colors were soothing. Some were too coarse, others too
shaggy, but the rest? Three blankets in various shades were wrapped around
me and I pointed out twice as many pillows. Eli slapped a large check down
on the counter, enough to cover everything we’d purchased and more, then
loaded everything into the car. He placed the clothing in the trunk,
arranging the pillows in the backseat.
I clung to the backdoor as another round of cramps ground my ovaries
into dust. I sucked in short, shallow breaths, hoping this wave would pass
soon. Dizziness teased at the edges of my mind, disconnecting me from my
world. I felt floaty and off-centered.
Burnt chestnuts and charred oak teased my senses. I froze. My muscles
locked. The pain doubled, making my head swim. Panic seized me and I
gasped, drawing in a deep inhale. Huck’s scorched scent was caustic on my
tongue. I tasted the threat as much as I smelled it on the breeze.
Searching along the alley between buildings where Eli had parked, I
looked for any sign of the sadistic Alpha. A figure stood at the far end,
leaning on a building across the main road. Cars passed, making him hard
to see. Squinting, I stumbled forward, pushing off the doorframe.
No. No. No. He can’t be here. He can’t.
A truck zoomed by, blocking my view for a few seconds. Gone. He was
gone. There wasn’t anyone there.
Geez, Demi. Get a grip. You’re losing your mind.
I dragged in another breath, but it was clear too.
The heat is messing with your head. Giving you flashbacks. You’re safe.
You’re with Eli.
I doubled over again, the cramps coming faster than they had last time. I
almost fell over, but Eli was there, catching me and sweeping me into his
arms. “Easy, Love. We’re all set. Let’s get you home.”
Home. To the place I lived with my soon-to-be pack—men who would
love and care for me, who would treat me right.
It hit me then. Truly hit me. I was going into heat. This was happening,
and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
thirty-one
DEMI
THERE WAS nothing I hated more than being cold. Except burning up
like an asteroid drawing too close to the sun. Right now, I was both—hot
and cold battling it out for the most torturous sensation.
Cool water lapped at my skin as Eli filled the tub for me, helping stave
off my heat while the others rushed home. I heard some of them moving
around the house, and I was desperate to see them.
“Shhh, you’re alright. Let’s get you cooled down and wash these scent
blockers off of you.”
“Seems dangerous. Are you sure you want my scent stronger?” The
chemical scent blockers couldn’t contain it. It already permeated the
bathroom, filling every nook and cranny with the smell of sugar, berries,
honey, and smoke. It smothered Eli’s spicy musk, building with every
aching wave of pleasure-coated pain.
“Trust me, Love. Nothing smells better than you hot, wet, and ready for
my knot.”
I whimpered, the sound purely Omega. “Please!”
Oh gods, I was going to die from blissed-out pain.
Leaning over the tub, Eli kissed me, his tongue exploring, lingering. I
moaned and water sloshed as I tried to draw closer to him. My body
screamed for more. Deeper. Harder. I nipped his lip and a dark rumble
broke from his chest. It fueled the fire that burned in my core. Wetness
coated my thighs that had nothing to do with the water in the tub.
“What do you need, Love? I’ll give you anything.”
Shame didn’t exist here, and I asked for exactly what I wanted. “Touch
me. Please, Eli.”
He groaned. “Lie back and let me wash you.”
I did as he asked, not needing him to bark the command to obey. My
back met the porcelain of the tub and I waited as patiently as I could—
which wasn’t very patiently at all.
Eli chuckled, squirting some body wash on a loofah and rubbing it
gently down one arm, then up the other. Slowly, thoroughly, he cleaned me,
inch by agonizing inch. The chill of the water started to fade, warmed by
the heat radiating from the inside out.
My entire body shuddered at the texture of the loofah grazing over taut
nipples. Eli’s pupils were blown, his scent thickening along with mine.
“Almost ready. Just a little longer. You’re doing so well.”
I leaned forward at his prodding, letting him clean my back before
resting against the tub again. The loofah slid over my stomach, down to my
hip. I wriggled.
“Eli—” His name was a whispered breath.
“There are some things we need to go over before the heat fully takes
you, Love.” He washed down one leg, then the other, staying away from the
place I ached the most. “Do you want to use your toys? Or would you like
the pack to see you through your heat? I’d like to say we could offer you a
combination of both—a heat without any actual penetration—but knowing
we’re a perfect scent match, I don’t think we’d be successful. You’re too
tempting, and your need calls to our Alphas. If you choose the pack, that
means you’re choosing—”
“Sex,” I cut him off, the word falling from my lips like a filthy vow.
“Yes. Sex. I want that. I choose option B. The one with all of you.” And
your knots.
I’d decided to take the plunge on the way home. The old Demi was dead
and gone, and in her place was the new and improved me. Like a phoenix
rising from the ashes, I wanted to be new and shiny. An Omega with a pack.
A woman worthy of being worshiped by six incredible men. I chose a new
life, and with it, I was choosing this pack.
They were offering to see me through this heat, and they knew that
meant we’d grow irrevocably attached during the next few days. By the
time the heat subsided, there wouldn’t be one inch of skin we weren’t
familiar with. One birthmark. One freckle.
I wanted this.
And as scary as it was to admit, I wanted them.
This decision didn’t mean all my baggage or trauma mysteriously
disappeared. But it did mean I was choosing not to be ruled by them. This
was the first step toward healing. The first step toward finding myself. Not
Demi, the girl from a wealthy family, or Demi, the girl whose mom died,
but Demi, the woman—the Omega. And it was the first step toward
claiming my ‘happily ever after.’
 “Good girl,” Eli praised.
Pleasure sluiced down my spine, causing me to arch into the soapy
grazes of the loofah. It slid over my core, brushing my swollen, heated skin
in a barely-there touch. He applied more pressure, letting the texture abrade
my clit. I was so sensitive and it was so delicious I almost came on the spot.
Eli drew a whine out of me, working me slowly until that drugging
pleasure overflowed. It didn’t take long before my release hit, dragging me
from the licking flames into the hot center of a raging fire.
“Please! Eli! I need you. I need all of you.” Pain smothered my
pleasure, folding me in half. I bent my knees, curling into myself like a
flower blooming in reverse. There was no breath left in my lungs, no
thoughts in my head.
Pain and need and yawning emptiness consumed every atom of my
being.
“Breathe, Demi. I’ve got you.”
Uncaring that I soaked his clothing, he scooped me from the bath and
carried me out of the room. Water dripped from my skin, leaving a trail in
our wake as he strode into the hall toward the double doors at the end.
“Knox! Thane!” Eli bellowed, and the doors opened. Hades appeared,
stealing me from Eli’s arms. I shuddered as his scent mixed with that of
cloves and spices.
Hades kissed the top of my head. It was sweet, but I needed his mouth
on other parts of my body. “You’re doing great, Baby Girl. We’re all here.”
“Where?” I needed to see them. All of them.
“This is our Omega suite. We’ve been getting it ready for you.”
The short hallway into the room led to a large bedroom suite with the
biggest bed I’d ever seen. There was no doubt it had been custom made,
large enough there was room for all seven of us to sleep. There were
walnut-colored dressers with industrial lamps that cast a warm glow around
the suite. The ceiling was peaked with wooden beams accentuating the
wide-open space. It was something straight out of a magazine.
“You know we want you to be our Omega. After the heat is over,
whenever you’re ready, it’s yours to decorate as you’d like,” Eli said,
glancing around with a critical eye. “I wish we’d had more time for you to
personalize it before your heat hit, but hopefully, it will do for now and
your Omega will feel as though it’s hers.”
 The space was done in neutrals, the perfect canvas for customizing. The
walls were blank and the bedding was fluffy white. Tall windows framed by
billowing sheer curtains lined the back wall, letting in natural light I would
love any other time except for today. It was too bright, but I tried not to say
anything, not wanting to appear ungrateful.
Heats were meant to be enjoyed in dark, cozy areas that insured Omegas
felt safe. The room was beautiful. I could imagine framing my art and
hanging a gallery wall above the bed, but right now, I was itchy and
sizzling. Pushing against Hades’ chest, I signaled I wanted to be let down.
I went to explore, peeking my head in the two doors that lined the
hallway, hoping to find a nesting spot.
The first was a huge walk-in closet. But the second…
“It’s meant to be a nursery.” Hades scrubbed a hand along the back of
his neck nervously. “We always wanted to fill this house with kids. Figured
when the time came, we’d all move in here and leave the bedrooms out
there for kids and guests.
I could just picture a crib along one wall, a soft rug on the floor, and the
world’s most comfortable oversized rocker in the corner.
A warm, fuzzy feeling tingled in the center of my chest.
“I love it.” Turning back to Eli and Hades, who watched me carefully, I
smiled. “All of it.”
“There’s a large en suite over there”—Eli pointed—“but I have a feeling
that’s not what you’re looking for.”
“This way.” Hades took my hand and led me through the bathroom.
“Hades—” The pangs in my abdomen were growing worse. It’d been
hard enough to concentrate on the impromptu tour, no matter how much I
loved seeing the room that would hopefully be mine someday. My heat had
other ideas—ones that involved knots. Lots of knots.
The promise of that kind of pleasure made my breath hitch and my heart
race. Sure, I’d had sex before, knots included, but not the kind I was about
to experience.
My past experiences were sour, rotten things. Replacing them with
happier, consensual, loving memories was the first step to truly letting go of
the past and beginning to heal. But I needed a nest before any of that could
happen.
I was half tempted to turn around and run back to the guest room I’d
been using. The bed wouldn’t be big enough, but maybe if they took
turns…
“Trust me.” Hades tugged my fingers, gently leading me to a door at the
far end of the most incredible bathroom I’d ever seen. The shower was done
in dark marble with rainshower heads and was large enough to fit all of us
and then some.
“You could hold a rave in that thing,” I murmured, eyes wide. The tub
was just as gargantuan.
“Are we having a sex rave? Party of seven?” Thane chimed in from
somewhere. I wouldn’t be surprised if I missed him on the way through the
bathroom. It was that ridiculous.
Hades opened a door I assumed led to a linen closet, and I gasped as the
scent of the others wrapped around me like a bear hug. I leaned into it,
following after Hades, who had to duck to make his way through the
doorway and down a short hallway. Two steps down and we were in a
rounded room.
The floor was made up of a soft, yet sturdy, mattress. The walls were
padded and lined in sumptuous emerald velvet. Pillows in various sizes,
shapes, textures, and colors dotted the room, and there in the center were
the blankets I’d chosen at the boutique along with all the ones from my
room. Together, the effect reminded me of one of my favorite paintings, that
of a meadow. Rich greens were the sprawling fields and the colorful pillows
the riot of wildflowers. The soothing blue blankets were an ode to the
stretch of bright summer sky. I wanted to roll around in all the colors and
feel the softness of everything on my skin.
Which reminded me.
I was the only one naked.
I should be flipping out about that, but I found I didn’t care. Perhaps the
heat had liberated me from the shackles of modesty. I wanted their eyes on
me.
Hell, I wanted their hands on me.
Already, my mind was slipping over itself, hyper-focused on the slick
that coated my thighs and the bulges barely hidden by jeans and slacks
outlined on each one of my men. The need in my belly coiled so tightly it
could snap.
But… that pillow was supposed to be over there. And the blanket? It
was all wrong bunched in the corner. The guys’ scents weren’t evenly
distributed and I needed… I needed…
 Jamison was watching me with a knowing gaze as I glanced his way,
almost in a tizzy.
“I need your shirt.” I forced the words out of my dry throat.
“It’s yours.” Reaching for the buttons, he stripped it off and handed it to
me.
He could barely stand in the room, the ceiling just tall enough for
everyone except Hades, who squatted down along the edge of the room,
giving me space to work and not entering my nest until asked.
In fact, all of them stayed at the edges.
Such good boys.
I took the shirt and set to work, asking them all for articles of clothing
as my Omega rode me to nest. To make this den perfect. This was ours. Our
place. Our nest. This was where our mates would tend to us. To me.
It was hard to reconcile that the Omega and I were one when the
instincts drove me this hard. When the nest was done, I finally sagged with
relief, feeling more myself. More settled.
No. Not settled. Ready.
I was ready.
thirty-two
DEMI
HEAT ENVELOPED me along with the pain, the last dredges of higher
reasoning turning to smoke. My mind was moving too fast for me to latch
onto any one thought, and I didn’t know what I was supposed to do next.
This heat was uncharted territory for all of us, and I felt adrift.
Maybe these were things covered at the OMA during an Omega’s
training. Did they explain how to smooth the awkwardness of a first heat
together? Conversation was out. I couldn’t form coherent thoughts, let alone
sentences.
With the nest set, I turned to my men with wide, unassuming eyes,
unsure of what to do or how to start. I’d never done this before.
A whine broke free, stricken and dismayed.
“Easy, Sweetness.” Jamison purred, and I settled. “Invite me in.”
“Like a vampire?”
He chuckled. “A nest is sacred to an Omega. No one should be allowed
to enter without her permission. You’ll feel better if you invite me to join
you for this heat.”
Right. Because that wasn’t awkward at all. You’re invited to come fuck
my brains out for the next three to five days. Please RSVP and don’t forget
to check whether you’d like the chicken or the steak to be served during our
intermittent food breaks.
Apparently, I’d rambled that out loud because Thane choked on the
water he’d been drinking, nearly spewing it across the room. He swallowed
and coughed, and he wasn’t the only one. Eli and Leo chuckled and Hades
was grinning like a madman. Knox’s eyes were surprised, and Jamison…
Jamison arched a challenging brow, not the least bit rocked by the
unscripted ravings of a heat-drunk Omega. “I accept.”
He prowled forward, and I whimpered, absolutely losing it.
Yes. Yes. Yes. I didn’t care if I had embarrassed myself as long as he
moved closer. So close I didn’t know where he ended and I began.
“Present for your Alpha,” Jamison commanded, his timbre gritty and
untamed. The rawness of his need made me whine, but I obeyed, flipping
onto my hands and knees and lowering my chest to the ground, ass up,
knees spread, fully on display. “Good, little Omega. Just like that.”
Large hands landed on my ass, kneading and stroking but never
touching me where I needed it most.
So close, yet so far.
“Please, Alpha.”
“There are some things we need to cover first, Sweetness.”
“No,” I cried.
“Omega.” Jamison’s tone boarded on a bark, and it froze me in place,
sealing my lips together. He softened some. “I need you to hear this. Say
‘Yes, Alpha’ if you’re listening.”
I rested my head on my folded arms, looking at him in my peripheral.
“Yes, Alpha.”
His fingers flexed on my ass cheeks, dimpling them. Holding himself
back. I hoped he was as affected as I was, that this little time-out drove him
as mad as it drove me.
“You’ve been through a lot, Demi. We know that, but what we don’t
know are specifics. I’m not asking you to divulge all of that here and now
because this nest is a sanctuary. Your safe space. But if we do anything,
anything at all, that triggers you, I want you to tell us, and we’ll stop.
Immediately. No fucking questions. Do you understand?”
“Like a safe word?”
“It can be a safe word if that’s what you’re comfortable with.”
I’d never had a safe word before, but I’d read about them in my
romance novels.
Nodding, I answered, “Monet.”
“As in, the painter?” Leo cocked his head.
“Mm-hmm,” I murmured, desperately trying to gather my thoughts and
make them stay instead of wandering off so I could explain. “His paintings
are some of my favorites, and the colors in the nest remind me of Garden at
Giverny.”
“You’re just full of surprises.”
“Alright,” Jamison confirmed. “‘Monet’ it is. You utter that word, and
everything stops. Agreed?”
“Yes, Alpha.”
His purr flared again, and I went to putty in his hands.
“You’re beautiful, Sweetness. So soft. So ready.”
 “Look at her,” Knox growled. “Already dripping for us.”
Another cramp seized my abdomen, and I groaned. “I want you to fuck
me. It hurts. Make it stop.”
“I’d drive myself into your tight little cunt right now if I thought you
were ready for it, but we need to warm you up first.” Jamison shifted
behind me, his hands always caressing, never leaving me. The touch helped,
but it wasn’t enough.
I wanted to tell him Eli had already warmed me up, first at the boutique
and again in the tub, but I didn’t get the chance. Before I knew what he was
doing, I felt it.
Hot breath washed over my pussy, and he growled so possessively my
toes curled. The flat of this tongue was a shock and a relief all in the same
breath. I moaned. Long. Loud. Greedy.
“Oh, yes!” I hissed, ready for more.
“Fuck. You taste like honey-covered berries, Sweetness. Give me
more.” His demand made me gush, another wave of slick coating my sex on
command. What was this magic? He spoke and my Omega rolled over and
panted, eager to obey. He had full control over me, and I ceded it happily.
He licked me again, one long, glorious swipe from my clit to my ass. I
should’ve been embarrassed, but my back arched into his giving mouth. As
I said, my Omega was a thirsty hussy.
Jamison’s talented tongue went to work, swiping over my clit and
circling my entrance. There was no part of me left untouched. Untasted. He
knew what he was doing and he didn’t hold back. It was the same level of
commitment he gave to everything—his business, his pack…
His Omega.
It’d only been minutes, but I was already dying to be his. I craved his
claiming bite more than I needed my next breath. If I felt like this already,
there was no question I’d be begging for it before my heat was over.
Gripping my hips, he yanked me back into his face roughly. His nose
brushed against my rosebud. I should’ve been tense. I’d never cared for
attention in that area before, but to my surprise, it felt good.
I gasped as he consumed me, growling against my wet, heated flesh. He
took what he wanted and drew out my response in return. His tongue
speared into me. Unintelligible syllables fell from my lips. The rest of my
modesty burned away, leaving only the Omega behind. The feeling of
release hung just outside my grasp. Arching my back, I rocked onto his
tongue, riding his face.
“Oh—oh!”
“That’s it, Sweetness. I know you’re aching for more than my tongue.
Come for me. Let go and I’ll fill you so deep, my knot will be branded on
your godsdamn soul.”
The tip of his tongue gave me pointed pleasure, flicking over my clit so
fast I couldn’t breathe. I squealed, my pussy clenching tightly. My orgasm
wasn’t subtle. It crashed over me so fast and hard that I collapsed on the
soft floor of the nest when it was over.
Jamison’s heat disappeared, and I heard his belt coming undone. He
returned naked, his long, hard cock jutting against the defined ridges of his
abs. He was huge. Veins ran the length of him, adding texture to the velvety
steel. He fisted his length, stroking. I whimpered.
“Easy, Sweetness. I know the first release wasn’t enough.”
He was right. The edge that’d been taken off my heat barely spanned the
break between rounds. I was already shaking with the desire to be filled.
He took his spot behind me again.
“Thane.” Jamison nodded toward some pillows, and the other man
responded, tossing him a few. Lifting me gently, he shoved them under my
hips, helping me settle just right.
Gripping his cock, he slid the tip along my slit, coating himself in my
slick, getting it nice and wet. Fitting himself against me, he pressed inside,
agonizingly slowly.
“Jamison!” My pussy fluttered, stretching to accommodate his size and
getting used to the feel of him.
His arms were braced on either side of me, and they shook with the
restraint it took to go slow. But I didn’t want slow and careful.
“I’m not breakable,” I promised. “And I need you. Please, Alpha.”
With a growl, he thrust deep.
My toes curled, and my fingers clawed into the soft blanket below me.
“Yesssss.”
“That’s it, my little Omega. Look how well you take me. Ahh—fuck!
The way you feel should be godsdamn illegal.” He pulled out with a
torturous drag, then plunged back in with a satisfying hiss. “Addicted to this
tight little cunt. Brace yourself, Sweetness, because I’m going to give you
exactly what you need.”
 I panted, anchoring myself as best I could. Something unlocked within
Jamison, unleashing the torrent of built-up sexual tension between us. He
rolled his hips, making me see stars as his cock stroked against that
delicious spot on my inner wall. The angle he’d created for us was
delicious.
The light scrape of springy hair abraded my back as he draped himself
over me, the pressure of his body against mine making me squirm. I didn’t
think I’d like feeling pinned, but here in my nest, knowing I was with good
men who would stop the second I commanded it, I found I loved it. His
weight was a comfort—and a turn-on. Having him close, his scent
surrounding me, made me tremble.
“What a good Omega. So fucking responsive.” Jamison murmured
praise in my ear as he fucked me, and I preened.
Every stroke made me delirious with pleasure. I was tingling with it.
Desire snapped tight, making me ache for the impending release.
Long and curved just right, Jamison felt like he was made for me. We fit
so perfectly together, tears formed in my eyes.
Sex had been many things for me—cold, brutal, detached, shameful,
forced, humiliating—but it had never been like this. I didn’t know it could
be like this. Jamison was powerful, a force, and though his thrusts were
strong, they didn’t steal anything from me. Instead, they gave me
everything.
He was everything.
This was everything.
I felt his love and adoration in each grunt, each curse. His muscles
shook because of me. I was drunk on the effect I had on this controlled,
potent Alpha. And the feel of him taking me in a way no one ever had
before—strong, yet gentle, possessive, yet without taking my power or
choice away—awakened a part of me I hadn’t known existed.
I felt cherished. My Omega was happy, basking in the pleasure her mate
provided.
Mine. Mate. I knew it in the deepest part of my soul. These men were
mine. Perfect scent matches. I wanted them. I wanted them all.
Suddenly, it wasn’t enough. I was thirsty. Aching. Absolutely delirious
with heat.
His knot began to swell, pressing against my entrance. I was pinned
under Jamison, but I rocked back into his thrusts as best I could, wanting to
take every last inch of him.
“You want my knot, Sweetness?”
“Yes! Gods, yes!”
“Beg me for it,” Jamison growled, dragging his tongue up the side of
my neck.
Light flashed behind my eyes at the scrape of his teeth. He locked them
around me, high on my neck where the world would see his claim if he bit
hard enough to draw blood and mark my skin.
“Alpha!”
“He needs to hear you say it, Honey,” Leo prompted. My gaze trailed to
where he sat against the wall of my nest, legs spread out and crossed in
front of him. His cock was hard, the top button and zipper of his jeans
undone. It strained against his boxers, a small wet spot near the top
darkening the fabric. His shirt was gone, all those hard abs on display.
Each of my men watched me from the edges of the room, and their
attention finally registered. It fanned the flames of my lust. I burned
incandescently hot for them.
“Please, Alpha. Jamison! I need your knot. I need to be filled by you.
Completely filled.”
Jamison snarled, licking the bruise his teeth had undoubtedly left on my
throat. “You’re mine. Say it.”
“I’m yours. Take me. All of me!”
With a string of curses that resembled a prayer, he thrust impossibly
deeper. The pressure at my entrance had me rethinking my decision for a
split second before he buried himself to the hilt. His knot swelled, locking
us together, pressing against all the sensitive places inside of me. I threw
my head back into his shoulder, riding the consuming waves of bliss.
Fireworks exploded behind my eyes, and I screamed.
Jamison braced himself on taut arms, rocking into me over and over and
over, torturing us both with every little movement. My pussy was a vice
around his knot, the fluttering waves of my neverending orgasm milking
him until his own release hit with force. He swelled indelibly larger,
stealing my breath as he filled me with his cum.
“Fuck. Fuck!” he roared and reared back, taking me with him. I leaned
into his hard chest, impaled on his cock, my thighs splayed on either side of
his as he knelt in the center of the nest.
 Still hard, he pumped into me, using what little leverage he had to set
off mini aftershocks, one after another. He ground me down over his cock,
setting a sinfully carnal rhythm. His knot throbbed and pulsed with his
heartbeat. One hand went around my throat, the other cupping a breast,
pinching and tweaking my nipple. Cum leaked out from where we were
joined, dripping down his balls and onto the blankets below.
I hoped they had a lot of blankets and sheets because we were going to
need new ones before the day was over.
Locking eyes with Leo again, I held out my hand, beckoning him and
the others into the nest. Hands touched me everywhere, grazing across my
ribs, sliding up my thighs, teasing the sensitive spots along my neck.
Knox stole the spot in front of me, his hand cupping the back of my
neck possessively. “Is our pack leader making you feel good, Sunshine?”
I hummed my answer, too pliant to form words.
“I like seeing you blissed out on my knot,” Jamison purred, the rumble
making me more boneless than I already was. I was nothing but a sleeve for
his cock, filled to the brim, my heat sated for the moment. It wouldn’t last
long, but I enjoyed the reprieve and endorphins from the most intense
orgasm I’d experienced yet. These men, they just kept outdoing each other,
bringing me to new heights of pleasure.
“I think it’s my turn to get a taste of you,” Knox purred, dropping down
my body.
“Knox… You don’t—” I didn’t get to finish the weak protest. His
tongue snaked between my folds, uncaring that Jamison was still knotted
inside of me. It was absolutely filthy, and I loved every second of it. He
latched his mouth around my clit and sucked.
“Ungh!” I threw my head back, eyes flying closed. My pussy sang from
the attention, coming all over again in tight little spasms.
“Fucking hell,” Jamison grunted, his hips losing their steady rhythm. He
fucked up into me like a wild man, only stilling when he came, giving me
more of his seed. His knot released slowly, letting him slip out.
“I think you just sucked my soul straight out of my body.” I shivered,
reaching for Knox as Jamison passed me to his packmate.
He wrapped me up in burley arms and grinned smugly. “Serves you
right for making me so damn hard all the time.”
“That sounds like a you problem,” I teased. “I’m just over here, living
my life.”
 A sharp swat landed on my ass, and I squealed. “Sounds like someone is
getting cheeky. Are you complaining about my mouth on your little clit?
Because here I was, thinking you’d want a repeat.”
“No complaints.” I crossed my heart. “Only praise.”
He captured my mouth, proving he could steal my soul in other ways
too. Our tongues danced as he spread me out on the mattress, settling over
me. Leaning to one side, he braced most of his weight on his forearm, using
his free hand to roam over my collarbone and down between the valley of
my breasts.
He pulled back, eyes searching. “How did it feel with more than one of
us touching you at a time?”
“Is that a trick question?”
“It’s an honest question. We don’t want to overwhelm you.”
I wanted to laugh from happiness. These men were so sweet. They truly
had no idea.
“Please. Please, overwhelm me. I don’t want to think. I don’t want to
make choices anymore. I just want to feel. Just want to be with you.” I
gazed lovingly around at each of the others. “All of you.”
“Good answer,” Thane purred, prowling closer. His body was
something straight from Greek mythology, honed and golden.
And suddenly I was hungry again. Pebbled nipples strained for someone
to touch them, and my back arched with another cramp, warning me that if I
didn’t get another knot soon, the pain would be unbearable.
“Don’t worry, Darling,” Thane soothed. “We’re right here, and we’re
going to take good, good care of you.”
thirty-three
THANE
THE DESIRE in the air was almost palpable. Demi’s scent surrounded
me, driving me out of fucking mind. Every beautiful curve was on display,
and my gods, she was the most stunning woman I’d ever seen. I wanted to
spend every second of her heat exploring her body, learning what she liked
and disliked, and finding new ways to bring her to the edge of pleasure—
repeatedly.
I lifted her arm, pressing kisses to her fingertips, her wrist, and the
inside of her elbow. Her skin was physically hot to the touch telling me she
was deep into her heat fever. It would come in waves, and she’d need to be
filled with a knot through each one.
I was dying to get inside of her, aching to feel her pussy hug my knot as
she wrung the cum from my body.
A shiver slid down my spine and settled in my balls.
I took a place at her side, and Knox did the same on her other. Together,
we worked in tandem, each of us kissing the sides of her neck, sucking little
marks across her collarbones, and cupping her breasts. Teasing her like this
was torture when I wanted to be buried inside her sweet cunt, but I had to
pace myself. Her heat would most likely last for days. There was no rush,
and I wanted to make this as good for her as I’d promised.
I was nothing if not a man of my word.
Leaning over her, I circled her nipple with my tongue before taking it
into the wet recesses of my mouth. I sucked, nipping at her lightly, enjoying
the fuck out of the tremble that worked itself through her arms and legs.
Lithe little fingers dug into my hair, holding me against her.
Fuck yes. Take what you want, Darling. I’m all yours.
When we had her nice and aching, Knox and I exchanged a look, trying
to decide who got to do what first. Gods, I didn’t even care. I just wanted to
hear her moan for me like she had the other night.
Knox nodded at me, and I shifted over top of her, placing a wet kiss
over her clit that made her gasp and mewl in surprise.
I could’ve spent an entire day between her thighs, tasting her, drinking
her down. She was better than fine wine, the perfect amount of sweet and
savory. I decided then and there that I needed access to her perfect pussy for
the rest of my life. This woman, this smart, sweet, sassy woman just had to
be mine. Ours. I couldn’t imagine having her like this, spread out beneath
me like a buffet, soon to be buried in her beautiful cunt, only to lose her. I
was already in—deep. The gods couldn’t be that cruel. I had to believe that
we’d work out the obstacles before us because there was no way this
Omega wasn’t going to bear my mark someday. And someday soon.
I worshiped every inch of her as I made my way up her body and nearly
died when those curvy legs wrapped themselves around my waist. My hard
cock was already pulsing, the head slicked with precum. It mixed with her
juices, creating a sweet slide that poets should write sonnets about.
Her hands landed on my pecs and trailed downward, scraping over my
sensitive nipples. I hissed, loving that she explored me.
Get your backpack and your map, Darling. I’ll be your landscape any
day.
“You’re beautiful, Thane,” she whispered, and my heart expanded.
“No, Demi. You’re beautiful. I’m just the lucky bastard who gets to
stand next to you.” Hopefully, for the rest of my life.
Her hips canted into mine, notching my cock at her entrance. I nearly
swallowed my tongue. Holy shit.
I felt breathless, her scent going straight to my head like I took a damn
good shot of tequila. My whole body was warm and buzzing, all my
attention zeroed to where we were almost joined.
“Please, Thane. Need you.”
She didn’t have to beg me twice. Her hands slid up my arms and around
my neck, toying with the short hair at my nape.
I pressed into her, and it felt like I was coming home. Nothing had ever
been this right.
“Godsdamn, Darling. You’re so hot and wet for me.” I tested a few
thrusts, groaning as she took another inch and then another until my balls
smacked her ass. Fuuuuck me.
My knot began to swell, but I had time. And I needed that time. There
was no fucking way in hell I was gonna thrust one or twice and lose myself
like a green Alpha experiencing his first rut.
Demi hummed, arching into me. “You feel so good.”
My stride stuttered, jerked, and my heart rate kicked up a notch.
Her eyes flew open, gaze flitting between my eyes as she studied me.
 Pussy like a vice, she clamped down around me like she was trying to
pull me inside and never let me go. Instead, I dragged myself out, loving the
intensity of her clinging walls. Fuck she’s tight. A sharp hitch of my hips
had me ramming into her hard enough to make her boobs bounce. Green
eyes glazed and her mouth popped open.
“Yes! Just like that. Gods. You’re so big. You stretch me so well.” Demi
rained praise down on me, and I fucking shook.
Was this a thing that I liked? Yes. Yes, it fucking was.
She cooed to me, mumbling how much she liked the way I fucked her.
Sweat built across my brow and I groaned, thinking of anything I could to
keep my dick from blowing. Not yet. It’d just gotten to Nirvana, and I
wanted to say a little longer.
I started running through recipes just to keep myself in check.
Knox moved to Demi’s side, cupping her flushed cheek and stroking his
thumb down the center of her lips. “Think you can take more than one of
us?”
Oh, fucking hell. Recipes weren’t going to cut it. Godsdamn, I was
definitely going to come before I was ready.
Demi’s eyes darkened further, and she nodded. “I can try.”
“Trust yourself,” Eli encouraged, appearing on her other side. He ran his
knuckles lovingly over her other cheek. “You’re an Omega, built to take
your mates. You’ll be surprised what you can handle, how much you can
take. And trust us as Alphas to know the best ways to please you. It’s
nature. Instinctual. Especially for scent matches. We might not be bonded
yet, but you’re part of us, Love.” His free hand rubbed over his bare chest,
directly above his heart.
And he was right. I felt her in my chest like a living, breathing part of
me. I hadn’t claimed her with a bite, but I was already bonded, so far over
the edge for this girl that I was falling. Absolutely. Fucking. Gone.
I shifted to make room for Knox, and the angle of the new position let
me thrust deeper inside Demi, brushing against new parts of her she liked if
her breathy moan was anything to go by.
“Open,” Knox commanded. She whimpered, gushing all over my cock.
“Godsdamn, she liked that.”
“Good, because there’s more where that came from.”
Her lips parted, and Knox angled his cock at her mouth. Watching her
tongue slip out and lick him like a lollipop had me missing a beat. I jerked,
my strokes going short and choppy as she tentatively took him into her
mouth.
“Why is that so fucking hot?” I didn’t know, but I wasn’t really
questioning it. Demi didn’t just belong to me. My pack brother’s happiness
was my happiness too. There was no jealousy or angst in this, just
unadulterated need shared between the three of us.
“That’s it, Love. You’re doing so well. Look how hard he is for you,”
Eli praised, and Demi flushed, the color rising up her chest and into her
cheeks, highlighting all her dark little freckles.
Knox thrust gently, letting her guide how deep she took him.
I reached down and stroked her clit with my thumb, loving the way her
back arched off the cushions as she moaned. The sound muffled around
Knox’s cock, and I could just imagine how those vibrations felt. I couldn’t
wait to try her mouth, her ass—I wanted to experience everything with her
and bring her as much pleasure as humanly possible.
She pulled him out of her mouth, panting, her attention fully on Knox.
“You taste so good,” she purred. “I want more. Don’t hold back.”
“Demi—” Knox hedged.
“Don’t. Hold. Back.”
I tipped my chin at Knox and arched a brow. “An order’s an order. You
gonna disobey our Omega?”
He growled, used to being the one in charge.
“Are you really going to disobey when we’re talking about the woman
of your dreams choking herself on your cock,” Leo teased, voice hoarse as
he awaited his turn. Being a Beta, the bastard had the option of fucking her
hard and fast through her orgasms, rolling from one right into the next
without the complication of a knot.
Sure, having a knot was great. He probably wished he had one from
time to time, but there were benefits to both sides. People gave Alphas too
much credit, and Betas far too little.
Demi licked the length of Knox’s shaft with her seductive green eyes
locked on his.
“What do you say, Alpha? Choke me.”
“Holy. Fucking. Gods,” I breathed. I gritted my teeth, willing myself not
to fucking explode. No. Not yet. Not fucking yet.
With a growl, Knox thrust into Demi’s waiting mouth, groaning like a
dying man when she swallowed. He entered her throat, inching deeper until
his balls slapped her chin.
“What a good Omega,” Jamison purred from across the room. “Taking
his cock so deep you could swallow his godsdamn knot.”
Knox jerked, panting, eyes closed, head hung low as he cursed his way
through the overwhelming pleasure.
We took turns pulling out of her body and thrusting back in, giving her
dual sensations. She cried around Knox’s cock, tears leaking from her eyes,
but her hands held onto him, guiding him back into her throat every damn
time. Her moans fueled us, nearly driving us into rut. Her throat worked,
and I tipped my head back, closing my eyes. With a growl, I unleashed
myself, fucking her so hard the only sounds in the room were the way our
bodies joined.
She writhed between us, taking all we had to give.
My knot ached, and with one last, long pump, I buried it inside of her.
“Oh, fuck—Demi!” It was too much. Too fucking much. I came with a
shout feeling her pussy convulse around me as she dove over the edge with
me. She squeezed me impossibly tight. I couldn’t fucking breathe. My balls
drew up, tingling and heavy, and electric pleasure shot down my spine all
the way through my legs.
The intensity made explosions go off behind my eyes and every rock of
my hips shifted my swollen knot inside her tight channel. Fucking heaven.
Nothing—absolutely nothing—could be better than this.
thirty-four
KNOX
I PRESSED into Demi’s throat as she came, depriving her of air, and
forcing her pleasure to grow sharper, sweeter. Her eyes watered, but they
were so damn trusting as she gazed up at me. I got off on that trust, needing
her to see me as a protector, a provider. I’d never do anything to hurt her,
and knowing she understood that infused me with pride.
“What a good girl,” I praised, adding my hand to her throat and
tightening it. I could feel my cock filling her, gave a little pump just to feel
the motion.
Fuck. If I didn’t have so much self-control, I would’ve spilled my seed
into her belly already. As it was, I wanted to see it added to the mixture
dripping from her swollen, pink pussy. Then I wanted to collect it all and
shove it back inside her where it belonged.
The idea of Demi rounded with our child made my cock throb.
Pulling out, I gave her a breath, then buried myself to the hilt again, my
swollen tip pushing against the back of her mouth and into her throat. I
watched the bulge of my cock sliding as deep as it could go. She gagged,
her throat tightening. Fuck, yes! Then she swallowed. I almost met the gods.
“Oh—fuck! Yes, Sunshine. That’s my good Omega. Take me deep,” I
growled, demanding everything she had to give. Her nails dug into the back
of my thigh, holding me against her mouth. That she wanted this as much as
I did blew my mind. She was a gift. “My perfect Omega, my mate.” She
moaned and whimpered, the vibrations adding another layer of sensation.
Her throat worked hypnotically and the pressure almost did me in.
Thane rocked into her, enjoying the aftershocks. Finally, his knot deflated
enough for them to separate.
A keening whine muffled around my shaft when he pulled out, and the
sound went straight to my own knot.
“Ah, Sunshine, you’re about to make me come.” I tore from her mouth
before I could spill, squeezing my fist around my base like a cock ring to
stave off my release.
Reaching for me, she whimpered. “More! Wanted to taste you.”
 I tipped my head back and swallowed hard, trying to resist the siren’s
call to return to the haven of her mouth and give her what we both wanted.
But there was one thing I wanted more. I shook my head, finding my
willpower to refuse. “Not this time, Sunshine.”
With a growl, I laid down, pulling her over me until she was straddling
my hips. In one swift movement, I impaled her on my cock, the mess of her
pussy and my glistening dick making the glide easy. The length and girth
stretched her as I held her steady, letting her adjust.
Her palms went to my pecs, bracing herself. Eyes glazed, swollen lips
parted, she rocked tentatively over top of me.
“Ride me, Sunshine. Take everything you want from me. I’m fucking
yours.”
Her body was gorgeous. Curves in all the right places. Dusky nipples
standing at attention, begging to be touched. I cupped her breasts, tweaking
those little pebbles, pinching them to make her make those breathy little
mewling sounds. Like a kitten.
I lived for those sounds. For the way she rocked over my cock, her
pussy sucking me in like a vacuum over and over and over.
Scooping some of her slick up with my fingers, I reached around and
spread her cheeks, teasing her rosebud, getting it nice and wet. “Soon.” The
rasp was a dirty promise of future pleasure. For both of us.
It didn’t take long before I was straining below her, tortured by her
perfect pussy. Her arms shook and her head rolled on her shoulders. The
temperature in the room had been rising, and I realized belatedly how hot
her skin had become.
“Fuck, I think her heat is overwhelming her.”
“Knox,” she gasped deliriously.
Large hands gripped her hips as Hades appeared over her shoulder.
“Lean back into me, Baby. I’ve got you.” He took control, guiding her
over me, helping her ride me. My balls were aching to be emptied, and my
hand went to the apex of her thighs. I strummed her clit with my thumb as
Hades lifted and dropped her over my straining arousal.
“Yes! I need to come. I need a knot,” Demi blissfully whined, calling to
my Alpha.
“Give her to me.” I took her from Hades, draping her over my chest. I
gripped her hips and slammed her down on my knot to the sound of her
blissful cries.
 Her head lulled back on a breathy moan. “Oh thank you, thank you,
thank you!”
My head spun, my breath stuttering in my chest, my lungs refusing to
fucking work.
“Ungh! Godsdamn—” My knot was being strangled by wet warmth. My
fist had nothing on her pussy. It was like comparing dirt to chocolate.
“Heaven, isn’t it?” Thane commented smugly, stretched out like a cat
with his head propped in his hand, watching me lose my shit.
I tried to pull back so I could fuck her through it, but sharp pleasure
seized me, the knot holding me in place. It swelled more, the tight clamp of
her walls fluttering wildly with every little movement. Close. She’s close.
Bending my legs and bracing my feet on the mattress, I used what little
leverage I had to fuck into her. An uncontrollable tremble rolled through
me, making my abs twitch and my cock ache.
“Gonna come, Sunshine. Come with me. Now.” It was almost a bark,
but it fucking worked.
Her release went off like an atomic bomb, exploding outward. She
screamed, my name on her lips sending me off like a charge.
“Fuck!” My eyes rolled back in my head, my hips pistoning fast and
hard. Each sharp pump rocked my knot against her fluttering walls, sending
fire licking up my balls. I came so hard my head fucking spun. It leaked
down her thighs, her pussy unable to contain it all.
Filling her with my seed was a power trip, and it set me off.
“Sunshine. Gods. Need you. Fuck!” I rotated and flipped her onto her
back, capturing her in the cradle of my arms. I couldn’t stop. Couldn’t
fucking stop. I pistoned into her so hard it was almost painful. Her breasts
bounced rapidly, her thighs spread wide.
“Oh. My. Gods.” She moaned each word on a pant.
Can’t. Fucking. Stop.
“Knox,” Jamison barked in warning.
“Can’t. Fuck. I think”—I dropped my head to the crux of her shoulder
—“I think I’m in rut.” I trembled, the vibration going straight through her
and into the mattress.
Desperation drove me to the brink of control, but I grabbed onto that
line, determined not to cross it. Ruts could be dangerous, but they could
also be beautiful. I was determined it would be the latter.
“Help me. Don’t—don’t let me do something I’ll regret.”
 “Couldn’t,” Demi breathed, still lost to the fever of her heat. “Trust you.
You won’t hurt me.”
I blinked back the emotion clogging my throat and threatened my eyes.
This woman. This godsdamn woman.
“Give me everything, Knox. Don’t hold back.”
“Maybe hold back a little,” Leo warned, his eyes wary as he joined me
at her side.
“We’re here. We got you. Both of you,” Thane promised.
I lost myself in the frenzy with the knowledge that my pack was nearby
to keep me from fucking this up.
I sat back on my knees, giving the others room. Thane stole Demi’s
mouth, drinking down her cries while Leo tended to her breasts, sucking
them to a deep pink shade.
I wrapped my arms around her thighs and adjusted our position.
Pumping wildly, my knot catching on her pubic bone, grinding into her G-
spot, I let go of my restraint. A roar of pure need shook the room as I
pounded into my Omega, rocking as much as our locked position would
allow.
“Ye-e-esss” Demi keened. Her thighs shook. Her nails dug into my
chest, leaving long, red marks down my pecs and abs. I wore them with
pride, never wanting this to end.
The world went white with the first spasm of her orgasm, and I
exploded like a grenade. Sharp. Fast. Devastating.
I collapsed as the rut sated, barely able to keep from crushing Demi. I
rolled to the side, the others making room automatically. Still locked
together, I bundled her against my chest, feeling her satisfied sigh as much
as I heard it. She nuzzled into my chest, her nose brushing back and forth
through the light dusting of hair. I stroked her head, purring for her.
“You did so well, Sunshine. So fucking well.”
“Like your roughness,” she murmured. “I like it all. Soft. Hard. Gentle.
Rough. So many flavors to choose from.” I chuckled as she yawned, her
lids already heavy. The rut must have sated something in her for now. Her
skin was already cooling from fevered back to uncomfortably hot. It was
normal for her temperature to remain high until her heat was over. We were
days away from that, I was sure.
“Rest now, Demi. Sleep while you can.”
“Tired,” she muttered, eyes already closed.
 “I know,” I kissed her head. “Sleep.” A little bark went a long way, and
she slipped under, finally at peace.
And with my Omega in my arms, I was too.
thirty-five
DEMI
I WOKE up to the long stroke of fingers on my pussy. Stretching, I bit my
lip, loving the tender touches and the way my clit buzzed from the slow roll
of pleasure.
“Welcome back,” Eli purred, using his fingers to gather the wetness
cooling on my heated skin. He pushed it back inside of me, fucking me
gently with his fingers. “Don’t want to waste a single drop.”
A whoosh of breath rushed from my lungs. Good gracious, that was hot!
“You want me filled with your friends’ come?”
“Mmm, you know I do. Got to make sure we all get a turn, fill you up
so much we won’t know whose baby you’re carrying when we get you
pregnant.”
“Eli!” I gasped, slapping his hand away and closing my legs up tight.
He chuckled, and he wasn’t alone.
“He’s not fucking wrong,” Knox rumbled from my other side, just
waking from sleep to eavesdrop on our conversation.
Jamison smirked but didn’t contradict his packmate’s declaration.
“Here”—he offered me a hand up, helping me sit. “You need to drink and
stay hydrated.” A cold glass of water was passed into my hands, and I
closed my lips around the straw, sucking in deep, long pulls. The cool liquid
sluiced down my throat, cooling me down. I was parched, overheated, and
kind of sticky from all our extracurriculars.
If I thought the heat would subside long enough to allow me to shower,
I’d jump on that option so fast it’d make heads spin. Unfortunately, I
already felt the itch of my heat rising. The low ache in my belly which
never quite went away grew worse.
I didn’t say anything, wanting us to have this small reprieve for as long
as possible. Fucking was exhausting, and as much as I wanted to claim the
other men with my body, I relished the break.
“I think I need to up my cardio when this is over. Except running.
Anything but running.”
“You’re perfect the way you are,” Hades countered, “but if you feel you
want to increase your stamina, I can help create a healthy routine for you.”
 “I think I’m going to need it to keep up with all six of you.”
“You’ve got it all wrong.” Leo shook his head, his messy brown waves
bouncing with the movement. “I think it’s us trying to keep up with you.”
I flushed. “Maybe right now, but what about after the heat is over?”
All the men’s attention focused on me, and I froze.
“What did I say?”
“Nothing, Baby.” But Hades' voice was a raw rasp.
“Just that you’re already thinking about after the heat is over,” Eli
supplied helpfully.
Panic seized me. “Should I not?”
“Baby,” Hades barked, drawing my attention by force. “Fuck. Sorry.”
I whimpered, and Jamison moved closer, cupping my face and capturing
my gaze. “We’re courting you, Sweetness. Of course, we want you to think
about life after the heat. We want to claim you. It’s taking all our self-
control not to sink our teeth into your throat when we bury our knots inside
you. We’re giving you time. A choice. But we know what we want, and
that’s having you as our Omega. Long-term.”
“Forever,” Hades corrected.
The idea of their bites ringing my throat made my perfume spike and
my slick gush.
“I want that too,” I whispered. “But not like this. I won’t have your pack
getting in trouble—legal trouble—because we claimed each other without
permission. When you bite me, I want to be yours. Out loud. Not a secret
you have to hide.”
“Good girl.” Jamison’s thumb stroked tenderly along my jawline.
“When your heat is over, we’ll go to the OMA and find a way to make our
courtship official.”
“And when you’re ready”—Eli vowed—“we’ll bite you.”
“Claim you for the whole fucking world to see.” Hades' warm brown
eyes glittered with possession.
They made it sound so easy. So uncomplicated. Was it possible it could
be that simple?
I looked around for Thane, realizing for the first time he was missing
from our conversation. Hell, he was missing from the nest entirely.
That same panicky feeling that had subsided reared its ugly head again.
“Where’s Thane?” Insecurity and wrongness swamped me until I was bent
in half, hugging my arms around my stomach. The Omega in me was
internally freaking out, mourning him like he’d up and left us for good.
“Shhh, Demi. He’s just getting us food. We ordered takeout so we
wouldn’t have to be separated from you to cook. He left just before you
woke up. He’ll be back any second.”
As if he could sense my distress from half a house away, Thane burst
through the door, carrying bags and bags of takeout. He was panting, eyes
wild. The scent of burnt chocolate wafted into the room, canceling out the
delicious smell of salty food.
“Fuck that’s a trip. I could barely leave the suite before my Alpha was
raging at me to get back to the nest.” He dropped the food to the ground and
shoved a hand through his golden locks. Deciding something, he strode
across the nest and dropped to his knees before me. “Can I hug you? I think
it’s the only way to settle myself down.”
“I thought you’d never ask.” I opened my arms, and he practically
tackled me. Nose skimming my throat, he inhaled, breathing me in.
I did the same, and my Omega calmed.
“This scent harmony thing is powerful. I’ve never been soothed by
scents before.” I drew in another breath. “It’s nice.”
“There are many benefits to scent matches,” Eli said, already digging
through the bags of food. He passed around containers of Chinese, and
together we ate.
I stared at the white box in my hands, debating if I was truly hungry. My
stomach rumbled, but it also twisted with the rising tide of another wave. I
picked at my lo mein and chicken and broccoli, nibbling here and there, all
the while anticipating the cramp that snuck up and tightened my belly.
I clawed at my stomach, my perfume spiking.
Eli was there in a flash, divesting me of food containers and rubbing my
back. “Need more?”
“I shouldn’t. This is crazy.” Another pang contorted my ovaries.
“No, Baby Girl.” Hades took my hand and squeezed reassuringly. “It’s
normal.
I squeezed back, only releasing him when Eli pressed me back onto the
nest. Cozy blankets caressed my skin, soft like velvet. My Omega preened
as Eli covered me, exploring my body and finding every sensitive spot, like
the one on my side and the ticklish area behind my knee. He laved his
tongue over each one, driving me mad. It didn’t take long to have me
panting in his arms. Under his mouth. Against his tongue.
With a panty-melting purr, he grabbed my hips, lined himself up, and
slid home. The sigh that left my throat was purely orgasmic.
His cock was less girthy than Knox’s and Jamison’s, but boy was he
long. I could’ve sworn he hit my uterus before he repeated the motion,
warming me up to another round of mind-blowing sex.
I don’t know why I was surprised by the line of control Eli maintained.
Each thrust was measured, steady, and sure. His confidence was sexy. He
fucked me with practiced movements, bringing me to the edge only to ease
off when my orgasm drew too close.
“Eli!”
“You’re not going to come yet, Love. Not until I give you permission.”
Hot damn. I could get behind his dominance if this is what it got me.
It took being here among this pack to learn to love the lack of control. I
raised the white flag, surrendering and letting him do whatever he wanted to
my body because I knew he’d take care of me. In the end, the torment
would be worth it, the suffering so, so sweet.
Eli fucked me with the same steadfast pace, refusing to speed up or
slow down, making me take it even as I begged for more, faster, harder.
Cuffing my wrists with his grip, he pinned me to the nest. Being held down,
unable to move, sparked something in me.
The need for them to hold me down and fuck me until I was dripping
with all of their cum rode me so hard I almost didn’t recognize who I was
anymore. The idea of being pinned down, knotted, lost to the haze of my
heat should terrify me. But here with these men—my men—the dark
triggers were far, far away. Safe. Pack. Mine.
The orgasm built like a tidal wave slowly sucking in all the ocean
around it. It became monstrous, looming, ready to decimate.
“I can’t hold on. Eli! I’m gonna—”
“Hold it, Demi,” he ordered, pressing the dominance of his Alpha into
his voice. The use of my actual name added extra weight that settled in my
core. The Omega part of me wanted to please, to obey.
The bliss sharpened, every sensation somehow becoming more as I
clung to the last dregs of my control.
How was it possible that the feeling of every thrust intensified?
“That’s my dirty girl. You like getting fucked, don’t you?”
 “Yessss,” I hissed, his dirty talk gasoline on my fire. My sex fluttered,
and I bit my lip, trying to hold off.
He groaned, the song of it pure sex. “Shatter for me. Right the fuck
now. Come.”
One more deep plunge was all I needed. Eli buried his knot in my pussy,
the pop, the pressure on all the delectable spots inside setting me off like a
shot.
The release was dynamite, shattering me so hard I didn’t know if I still
existed.
Eli shouted as he came, and my legs squeezed around his waist as his
warmth flooded me. We came together one more time before his knot
shrunk enough to let me free.
“Bloody hell,” he murmured. Releasing my wrists, he braced himself
over me carefully, kissing my face and tucking my hair back behind my ear.
“You’re stunning all the time, Love, but watching you come apart is the
most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
“It really is,” Leo agreed, taking a spot on one side and letting Eli
disengage and roll to my other. “And I want to see it again. Can you handle
more, Honey?”
I smiled coyly. “I’m an Omega. Of course, I can. Besides, I don’t think
my heat will give me another break until I’ve had all of you.”
Leo’s eyes sparkled with naughty intent, and he kissed me so
thoroughly I felt it in my bones. These men had become a part of me,
embedded so deeply I’d never get them out.
“Look at you.” Leo ran his hands down my thighs, spreading me wide
for him. The abused pink flesh of my pussy was on display, dripping with
cum and slick. “Absolutely filthy with us.”
“But I still need more. I need you.”
Leo grinned, that boyish glint in his eyes shining with playful intent. “Is
that right? You want this Beta cock? I don’t have a knot.”
“Since when has that mattered to me? I don’t care that you’re not an
Alpha, Leo. You’re still mine. My Beta. Designation doesn’t matter when it
comes to matters of the heart.”
“You sayin’ you’re mine, Honey?”
“I am. And you’re mine.”
“Damn right, I am.” Leo pinned my thighs to the mattress and slid his
length against my dripping slit. The head brushed over my clit,and I sucked
in a breath. “So sensitive.” He did it again, making me jolt. “So
responsive.” Bending over me, he latched his mouth to one of my nipples,
sucking it to glistening. “So fucking sweet. I knew you were ours the
moment I laid eyes on you. I told you you’d take my Alphas to their
godsdamn knees, and look at them now. So fucking gone for you.”
I dragged my nails over the decorative ink on his chest and arms, loving
the shiver that crept through him.
“Stop teasing me and fuck me, Leo.” I don’t know when I’d gotten so
bossy, but Leo just chuckled from my needy squirm. I could barely move,
held down by him.
“Hold on tight, Honey, because I’m going to show you what a Beta can
do.”
Pulling my legs into the air, he pinned them together with my toes
pointing toward the ceiling.
Pressure pinched my clit, making my head swim dizzily from the
overload of bliss. His head teased my entrance before plunging inside,
staking a claim on my pussy. Growling, he worked himself deep, slamming
into me. Without the swell of a knot, he sunk all the way in on every glide,
his balls smacking my ass obscenely. He ravaged me, holding nothing back.
“Ohmygods—ohmygods—ohmygods—” I chanted, never wanting this
to end.
“You’re clenching me so tight. Fucking you is my new favorite thing.
Give me more, Honey.” One tattooed arm wrapped around my thighs,
holding me in place. Silver-blue eyes pierced straight through me, holding
me just as captive. “Give me everything.”
Leo rutted without the haze, fucking the ever-loving shit out of me.
The orgasm didn’t build so much as it crept in like a ninja. One second,
I was holding on for dear life, enjoying the ride, my pussy sending thanks to
the gods, and the next, the most incredible feeling dropped on me and stole
what was left of my air.
“I’m coming!”
“That’s it, squeeze the fuck out of my cock, Honey,” Leo ordered with
that dirty, dirty mouth of his.
The orgasm dragged on, rolling from one right into the next as Leo’s
hips pistoned, never slowing, never stopping.
“Oh—fuuuuck!” I squealed, my pussy spasming like it’d been jolted
with a thousand watts of electricity.
 Leo hooked my legs over his arms, practically folding me in half as he
drove relentlessly deeper.
“I can’t! I can’t!”
“You can. You’re gonna. Take my cock, Honey, because I’m nowhere
close to being finished with you.”
My back arched, and I cried out, riding every wave until I was a
twitching mess beneath him. Finally, having mercy, he pulled out, never
having come himself.
“Leo,” I protested, but he leaned in and kissed me, fucking his tongue
into my mouth before dragging himself away.
“Don’t worry. I’m not done with you yet, Honey. I just needed to warm
you up for the main event.”
“Main event?” The expression on my face was incredulous as were the
high-pitched notes in my voice. “I think you killed me, Leo. I can’t. I’m
tapping out.” My hand thudded twice on the soft mattress, but we both
knew I was lying.
The heat in my gut wouldn’t settle. Leo had fucked me to within an inch
of my life, but I still needed a knot. How did Omegas survive this? All I
wanted to do was melt bonelessly into the bed and sleep for twenty-four
straight hours. But as tempting as that sounded, my belly cramped and I
curled into the fetal position.
Hades was there, curling around me, rubbing my stomach gently.
“Come here, Baby Girl. I’ve got you.”
I rolled into his beautifully inked chest, letting him kiss the ache away.
His seeking tongue explored the recesses of my mouth while he lifted me
on top of him. My thighs settled on either side of his abdomen. His cock
tapped my lower back, leaving a smear of precum on my skin. I balked,
tensing so hard I trembled. All my muscles locked as I twisted to see the
anaconda that’d just said hello.
“Ho-ly fuck. What is that?!”
Hades chuckled and shrugged one large shoulder. “The main event.”
thirty-six
DEMI
I MIGHT’VE BEEN drunk on pheromones, but I wasn’t out of my mind
enough not to recognize the challenge Hades' cock presented.
“There is no way that’s going to fit. And ohmygods, it’s pierced?” He
had a fancy peen, with a row of piercings on the underside of his shaft and
one through the top glans. A Jacob’s Ladder and a Prince Albert piercing?
An involuntary shudder swept through me.
Oh, yes. Yes, please. I was prepared to try to take him just so I knew
what it felt like before the angels took me home.
A low snarly sound brought my attention back to Hades, who looked
two seconds from going into rut.
“If you keep looking at my cock like that, Baby, I’m going to lose all
my hard-fought self-control and rut you into the nest. And that can’t
happen, because I’d rather die than hurt you.”
Be still my heart. I cupped Hades' angular face, then leaned down and
kissed him. I sucked on his bottom lip, enjoying the rumble in his chest and
the flex of his fingers on my hips. I gloried in the way he topped from the
bottom, letting me know exactly who was in control. It was him. All him.
He kissed me masterfully, leaving me dazed, tipsy, and saturated in his
scent. My fingers absently traced the ink I wanted to spend hours studying
on his chest. Someday, I’d take my time and lick every swirling line.
“There’s a reason we made Hades go last.” Thane grinned wickedly.
“He’s got an unfair advantage.”
“And accessories,” Jamison murmured with no small amount of
amusement.
“You might think being—uh—girthy”—the man in question stammered
—“is a blessing, but it’s honestly a curse.”
My brows furrowed with confusion as I stared down at him. How could
it possibly be a curse?
“I think he’s trying to say that mere mortals can’t take him, which
makes sex unsatisfying,” Eli offered with a shrug.
Hades sighed. “Let’s just say intercourse hasn’t always been an option,
so I’ve gotten good at other endeavors.”
 My mind went wild with speculation, my heat fueling all kinds of
absolutely filthy fantasies as I tried to imagine the talents Hades had
perfected. Then again, a stab of jealousy speared my heart, making it ache. I
hated the idea of him—of any of them—with other women. But that was all
in the past. History. Just like my previous pack.
“So you haven’t—” I fished for an explanation, doing my best to hold
off the inferno of my heat so I could focus. I felt like I was on the cusp of
something important.
“I mean, I’ve tried. I’m not, you know, inexperienced.” Hades stumbled
over his words in the most endearing way, a hint of pink working into the
angular lines of his handsome face.
“Only his Omega is built to take his cock, Honey,” Leo supplied. “Only
you.”
“Are you… are you saying you’re a virgin?” I gaped at Hades, my mind
completely blown.
Hades groaned and bent an arm over his eyes. “Fuck. Did you have to
say it like that?” He peeked out long enough to throw a scathing look at
Leo. “I’m not a virgin, per se, but there hasn’t been a woman I could sink
inside of, which is—”
“Unfulfilling,” Leo added, helping his best friend out.
“Sooo, you’ve never been fully inside a woman.” I let the question hang
in the air, needing to make absolutely sure I understood.
Hades swallowed and shook his head.
The Omega in me sat up and positively shimmered with excitement.
Fuck all those other women. I was an Omega and this was my mate.
Sheer possessiveness overcame me and I groaned. “Good.”
“Good?” Hades balked.
“Mm-hmm.” I slid backward, resettling over his legs. “Because this
cock is mine.”
Without giving him a chance to process, I dipped down and licked a hot
line up his monstrous cock, giving it my own greeting. The flavor of citrus
burst over my tongue, and when I got to that drop of precum at the tip, I
lapped it up greedily, swearing I could taste the bubbles of a Sunrise
Mimosa.
Hades tensed. His hands dug into my hair, holding me firmly where he
wanted me.
 I breathed a sigh of contentment, submitting to the dominance rolling
off him.
“I don’t understand why you taste so good.” I licked my lips and closed
her eyes, savoring him, craving more. “It never has before.”
Six deep growls ricocheted around the room, only slightly dampened by
the padded walls and soft mattress beneath us.
My eyes flew open, snapping to Hades' gaze first as he choked off the
sound. “Sorry, Baby Girl. Our Alphas have trouble reconciling your past,
especially in the middle of your heat when we’re particularly possessive.”
“Oh.” I flushed. “Sorry. I understand. I can’t say my Omega was happy
hearing about your experience with other women either.”
“It’s all in the past. My body, my heart, my fucking soul—they all
belong to you, Demi Leigh. You’re the air I breathe, the water I drink.
Everything holding me to this earth tethered itself to you the moment I laid
eyes on your beautiful face and drank your scent into my lungs.”
“Hades.” Tears gathered in my eyes and I blinked rapidly to keep
myself from crying. That was the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to
me. It wove into my heart, anchoring me to this moment. I wanted to
remember it forever. To cherish this feeling of pack and love and belonging.
“You’re our center now, Sweetness,” Jamison promised with all the
authority of being the head of their pack. “And we can’t wait to make it
official.”
I whimpered at the idea of them sinking their teeth into my neck,
needing that bond, that claim, more than I could say. My heat spiked,
making my skin feverish again, and since biting wasn’t an option right now,
I kissed Hades' hip, content to distract myself.
“The fact that our cum tastes good to you is a perk of being scent
matched. You’re pretty pussy is just as addictive for each of us.”
And thank the gods for that. Really, I needed to find an offering to the
gods or the fates—whoever was responsible for helping me find my way to
this pack. My mates.
I licked and sucked, getting Hades as wet as I could before I attempted
to ride him into the sunset. His hands tightened in my hair, pulling
deliciously at the strands. He guided me over his cock, cursing as my lips
suctioned over his piercings, my tongue massaging them each time I
withdrew him from my mouth. I played with the piercing on his tip, loving
the way his legs jolted and he hissed.
 That’s right, Big Boy. You’re putty in my hands. I reveled in the
powerful feeling I got from making him shudder for me, but it only lasted
as long he allowed it to. The more precum that spilled from his cock, the
more of his control slipped.
Pulling me off him to the tune of my avaricious whines, he straddled me
back over his cock and eased in that first inch.
The stretch was out of this world. I braced my hands on his pectorals
and threw my head back, already lost to the newest wave of heat. Despite
the intensity of the stretch, I was gluttonous for more. I ground against him,
taking another inch, then another. The piercings popped inside, one after
another as my pussy swallowed him down. Ribbed and cool, they massaged
my tender walls in new and unexpected ways.
“Fuck, Baby Girl. Fuck!” The muscles in Hades' neck were delineated,
corded things, so taut I thought they’d break. But despite the way he
strained, his fingers remained gentle, letting me take this at my pace.
Surprisingly, the stretch felt good instead of painful. I forged forward
with a renewed sense of accomplishment.
I’d never felt more Omega.
I was built for this. Created to take anything and everything my Alphas
gave me. I burned—my body a searing ball of energy and light.
With a knowing deep down in my soul, I took a deep breath and released
the last threads of doubt, ridding myself of any hesitation I’d had about my
abilities. Sinking down on Hades, I impaled myself on his thick arousal. He
filled me and filled me and filled me.
So fucking full.
“Baby! Fuuuuuuck,” Hades growled and panted, his muscular chest
heaving, his fingers readjusting on my hips as his cock jerked like a feral
beast. I squeezed him, testing the fit, the feel. “It doesn’t hurt, does it?”
Genuine worry radiated from him as he studied my face for the truth.
I bit my lip, glazed and heady from having my last mate buried to the
hilt. “No. Just… full.” Full didn’t even begin to cover it. Holy shit.
Nails dug into his shoulders, biting at his skin, leaving crescent-shaped
marks behind.
His rumble vibrated everywhere, making my clit nice and buzzy. It was
so strong it vibrated his shaft. And the piercings.
Oh. My. Gods.
 I did my best to bounce on his cock. The stretch was intense. Hades
gripped my ass, giving me light spanks and rumbling praise. I whined,
loving his gentle roughness. I rode the edge between pain and pleasure,
gasping at the ribbed feel of those piercings pressing against all my shiny
spots. Shimmering light danced in my vision, my pussy fluttered, and
Hades took over, lifting and dropping me over his monstrous cock with the
sexiest groans I’d ever heard.
“Baby Girl,” he ground out. “It feels soo good. Too fucking good. I
never thought—Holy shit! You’re gonna make me come.”
“That’s the idea, Big Boy.” I grinned, loving the way he growled at my
sass.
“Not yet, it’s not. We’ve got plans for you.” He pulled me down to his
chest, stroking my sides while Leo knelt behind me, settling between Hades'
legs. The guys were always so good about making room for one another,
flowing around each other like a pack should.
“Oh fuck…” Visions of how this could go played out in my mind. My
perfume thickened, my slick gushing at the very idea that they—that we
might—
Could I really take more? It seemed impossible, but my inner Omega
rolled her eyes at me. That thing Eli had said about trusting my Omega to
know how much I could handle and trusting their Alphas to know how to
please me, resonated. I let go of all my preconceived notions and let myself
fall into a place of utter trust and confidence.
Suddenly, I needed those visions to become a reality like a dying man in
the desert needed water.
Leo gripped my ass and kneaded my flesh, then spread my cheeks and
spit on my rosebud.
A whole-body shiver racked me. He did not just do that! Holy hotness,
Batman.
Hades distracted me thoroughly while Leo massaged me there.
“I have to warn you”—I tensed, worrying my bottom lip—“This has
never been particularly pleasurable for me in the past.”
Hades growled, but it was soft and caring instead of angry. “Is what
Leo’s doing uncomfortable?”
“I mean, only a little. He's being gentle and taking his time.”
“Does it feel good?”
 I took a minute to answer, forcing myself to relax. I melted against
Hades' chest and let Leo keep going, his fingers circling new nerve endings
that weren’t used to being touched. Honestly, it felt good, just as it had
when Jamison had licked there earlier. I told them so.
“Let us work you up to it, but if you hate it, or if you decide it’s too
much and you don’t want to do this, say the word and we’ll stop,” Leo
promised.
I bit my lip. I could do this. “Okay.”
Leo’s fingers worked magic on my ass while the others crowded
around, hands stroking down my back. I kissed Hades, then Thane, then
Knox, getting drunk in their kisses to the sound of Jamison telling me how
beautiful I was and how well I was doing. I flourished under his praise
while their scents surrounded me like a comfortable blanket, easing away
any fear or apprehension that tried to creep in.
Emotion glowed in Hades' eyes. Acceptance. Protection. Fierce
possessiveness. And something akin to love.
If we weren’t there yet, we were getting very, very close. The heat
bonded us, but I knew the truth. I’d been falling since the day I’d met them,
affection blooming into something so much stronger.
I savored the reverence in his gaze as I met his thrusts. As gentle as he
was being with me, each press of his cock in my pussy felt life-altering, like
galaxies were breaking apart and reforming.
My brain shut off, and I allowed myself just to feel. Leo had worked a
finger into my ass, and I keened, more full than I’d ever been before. But,
still, my greedy Omega wanted more. By the time I was rocking between
them, dragging Leo’s finger deeper, his precum was dripping down my
asscheek and onto my upper thigh.
“Fuck, Demi,” Leo rasped, removing his finger and replacing it with his
cock. Hades stilled, and Leo gripped my hips to anchor me in place. “Relax
and breathe out for me.” I did as he asked, and then sweet, agonizing
pressure was all that existed.
I panted, dropping my head to the crux of Hades' neck and shoulder.
Strong, gentle hands stroked my sides, my hair, my thighs. He pressed
inside, and I shook like I was the one vibrating. All my focus narrowed to
where the cocks inside of me were buried. Cocks. As in plural. Two. Dos.
Oh gods.
 I’d died. This wasn’t my life. I wasn’t impaled on the most perfect
cocks I’d ever seen like some sex goddess. And yet—
The sounds I made were primal. “Full! So fucking full!”
“That’s our brave girl. Taking their cocks like a good little Omega,”
Jamison soothed, tugging my hair to guide my face upward, stealing a kiss
like he was starving again before moving away. The others gave us our
space, watching the show with their hands on their cocks. Stroking.
Enjoying.
Hades' hands slid down my ribs, dipping at my waist, then flaring over
the curve of my hips. Rough palms abraded my skin, the texture of hard
work and dedication. His palms slid around to my ass, gripping tight, his
fingers dimpling my flesh as he spread me open for his best friend’s thrusts.
They took turns, one pulling out while the other plunged in. Over and over.
The fire in my belly grew, becoming a raging wildfire—raw, untamed,
and destructive.
With my hair wrapped around his fist, Leo angled my head back and to
the side, claiming my lips. His hungry, eager mouth merged with mine in a
kiss so indecent it would make the gods blush. He nipped the length of my
shoulder when he was done, knowing it would drive me insane.
Nonsensical words lifted from my lips like I was speaking in tongues,
and all the way through it, my men never stopped. The pace they set was
incendiary. My Omega was completely awake and utterly mesmerized by
her mates. All our pleasure merged until we were one sensual beast, all
moving in harmony.
The bulge of Hades’ knot brushed my entrance with every tantalizing
cant of his hips. His cock was so thick and so deep, being fucked by him
was a spiritual experience. I wiggled my hips, trying to burrow his knot all
the way in.
“Do you need another knot, Baby?” His voice was a dark purr that
stirred the burning hot embers of my heat. Crazed with lust, I nodded,
whining for it. “Let me take care of you.” It was half a command, half a
plea, sounding just as sex-drunk as I’d become.
The two men communicated silently over the curve of my shoulder, and
Leo stilled. Hades' rhythm intensified, and he fucked me with abandon.
“Damn that’s intense. I can feel your piercings from here.” Leo tensed,
shuddering, giving a little thrust for effect.
 I whimpered and my sex clenched tight. Between the two of them, I was
stuffed so full the rub of those piercings made me see stars.
“Holy Jupiter,” Leo cursed airly, his grip on my hips bruising. I wanted
the shape of his fingerprints on me tomorrow as a reminder. Hell, by the
end of my heat, I was sure I’d be covered with evidence from all six of my
men. “You’re going to make me fucking come.”
I didn’t know if Leo was talking to me or to Hades. Most likely both,
but the idea of the two men getting each other off made me savage.
“Shit,” Hades growled. “Hold on. Both of you.”
A brutal storm brewed within me, electrifying the air. “I-I can’t!”
My orgasm struck like lightning scorching the earth. I incinerated,
overcome with wild, blazing energy. Emerging like a phoenix, I’d come out
the other side stronger and more beautiful because of the flames.
My thighs clenched, trying to hold them both in place. Hades slammed
his knot home and I evaporated. I was glitter, pretty and shiny and fucking
everywhere at once.
“Oh, yes!” Leo grunted, his hips becoming an uncoordinated buck as he
filled my ass with warmth.
Hades took charge and rocked me between them, his knot setting off
mini explosions that prolonged my orgasm. The throb of his cock pulsated,
and his knot swelled to the point of constriction.
“Full. So, so full!” I moaned my bliss, letting them know exactly what
they made me feel.
Hades' entire body went taut, his mouth falling open with a sexy groan
that tingled over me from my head to my toes.
“Ah, Baby Girl. You’re pretty cunt is milking the cum straight out of my
balls. I’m gonna fill you up so fucking full.” His cock wrenched, making
good on his promise. His cum coated my insides, one spurt after another.
I went boneless, collapsing on Hades' chest in a heap of satisfied
Omega.
“That’s our perfect girl.” Leo’s palms slid over my back in a sweet
caress, massaging aching muscles that were totally spent. But I’d never felt
so damn happy in my whole life. I wanted to bottle this feeling and keep it
forever.
Jamison, Thane, Eli, Knox, Hades, and Leo. I’d taken them all.
Utter contentment glowed in the center of my chest, and though I was
floaty and tired, the last thought I had as I drifted to sleep was how badly I
wanted to do it all over again.
thirty-seven
DEMI
THERE WAS a delicious ache between my thighs as I stepped out of the
shower. My heat lasted four long, wonderfully exhausting days. As
incredible as it had been, I was wrung out both emotionally and physically
after our sex marathon.
My body had refused to be sated, and my mates had taken me every
which way, mixing our pairings, each enjoying my body in every possible
way. Together, separately, we’d done it all. I’d been insatiable, wringing
every last drop of pleasure from them, and through it all, they’d met me
thrust for thrust, orgasm for orgasm.
I’d crashed—hard—when the heat finally settled. All the emotions had
caught up, and I’d sobbed while the pack held me through it. A still, small
part of me whispered that I didn’t deserve such incredible men, but I pushed
that bitch to the background and told her to zip it.
Jamison, Thane, Eli, Knox, Hades, and Leo had told me in no uncertain
terms that they wanted me as their Omega. Moreover, they’d shown me as
much throughout my heat, letting their bodies say what words failed to
express.
I felt loved. Cherished. Wanted.
My reflection stared back at me in the steam-covered mirror, and I
marveled at the happy woman I saw. I looked like a new person, truly
reborn from the flames of my heat.
I turned this way and that, catching sight of the light purple and blue
marks that covered my skin—tiny bruises that commemorated our
explosive time together. Smiling, I toweled off, then dressed in one of my
cute new sundresses, compliments of Eli’s shopping trip. It hugged my
breasts and torso, flaring attractively at my hips. The skirt floated around
my thighs, and the white-and-green floral print set off my eyes, making
them mossy.
Hair dried into soft waves, makeup applied lightly, I double-checked my
appearance, taking extra care to look nice. I wanted to look fresh and dewy
for our plans today.
 I practically skipped down the stairs when I was finished, grinning and
flushing when all six guys turned and drank me in.
“Demi, you look beautiful,” Jamison purred, his sapphiric gaze blazing
with heat.
“Thank you.” I blushed but propped my hands on my hips, trying to
appear stern. “But none of that. You can’t tell me you want more sex
already.”
Eli grinned and waggled his brows. His hair was dark and damp from
his own shower, and a lock fell across his forehead, nearly hanging over the
frame of his glasses. “We’re men, Love. We always want more sex.” Taking
my hand, he steered me into the kitchen. “Besides, you’re our mate. We’ll
never get enough.”
Butterflies fluttered in my stomach at the word “mate.” There was a part
of me—albeit, a very tiny part—that had worried the words we’d spoken
about solidifying our bond through official channels had only been ‘heat
talk.’ But over breakfast this morning—our first home-cooked meal all
week—they’d confirmed they’d been completely serious. So serious, in
fact, that Knox had already called his sister, Kimber, and set up an
appointment to meet with her today at the OMA. They were ready to get
our paperwork in order using proper, legal channels. They were going to
make an honest woman out of me, and—knots and bites aside—there was
nothing I wanted more.
It was strange to feel like my dream of a pack and a family was within
reach after so much misery.
Still, nerves ate at the edges of my happiness like acid, worried my
father would find out. Or worse, Anton, Reed, or Huck. But I couldn’t hide
out forever, as appealing as that might sound at the moment. Confrontation
terrified me, but with Jamison and the pack at my back, I could do this. I
could.
Leo stepped into my path, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear.
“Everything is going to be fine, Honey. You’ll see.”
“Believe it or not, we’ll be officially courting you by dinnertime,”
Hades followed up with a promise I wanted so badly to believe.
“We better be.” Thane snatched the keys off the counter, tossing them to
Jamison. “We’ve got reservations at Le Vo’s. I know the owner and we’ve
got prime seats. Their lobster ravioli is to die for, and after a week of
takeout, I’m ready to feed Demi something gourmet.”
 I didn’t need expensive meals, but I kept that to myself in the wake of
Thane’s excitement. The guys had given up their lives to see me through the
heat, and that meant everything from jobs to working out to hobbies—like
eating expensive food and enjoying a social life. He wanted to introduce me
to his world, and the Omega in me preened at the idea of being the woman
on his arm.
They talked on their way to the car, and I floated in the happy chatter,
not contributing, just being. Knox led me outside with a hand on my back,
pausing to lock the door. Before we could join the others at the SUV in the
drive, he pulled me to a stop.
Gripping my chin lightly, he tipped my face up with gentle guidance.
“You okay, Sunshine?”
I rubbed at my chest, breathing out a breath laced with too many
emotions to count.
“Nervous, I guess. A little scared. Definitely excited. I’m all over the
place, honestly.”
“It’s okay to feel afraid, but you have nothing to worry about. We’ll be
with you the whole way. I’m going to be by your side for every damn step.”
My eyes watered, and I sniffed before pressing to my toes. Bracing my
hands on his chest I leaned into Knox, finding a haven in his arms. I kissed
him. Softly. Sweetly. With a growl, he deepened it, wrapping me up in a
crushing embrace, one hand banded around my waist, the other cupping the
back of my head. The scruff of his facial hair abraded my skin, and I
cupped his face, holding him as closely as he held me. His cock hardened
against my belly, and I hummed appreciatively. The kiss turned intense,
brutish, and claiming. He reminded me of a hero from a viking novel, just
having returned home from war.
“Fuck, Sunshine,” he rasped. “If we don’t stop, I’m going to be a
barbarian and fuck you right here in the front yard.”
“Don’t threaten me with a good time.” I nipped his bottom lip, pulling
on it with my teeth before letting it free.
The rumble of his growl chased me as I pushed out of his arms and ran
for the car, squealing as he threatened, “Don’t run unless you want to be
caught, Sunshine. Because I will catch you and then there will be
consequences.”
Biting my lip, flushing from the salacious thoughts running through my
mind, I taunted, “Like spanking?” We still hadn’t done that. Not really. And
I was curious.
“Gods, she’s going to be the end of me.” Knox adjusted himself and
scrubbed a hand down his face and over his bearded jawline.
Leo threw a hand over his heart, fingers clawing his chest. “But what a
way to go.”
I went to him, stealing the baseball cap he wore and putting it on my
head instead. He grabbed the rim and pulled me in for a kiss before swatting
my ass playfully.
“Come on. Let’s go or we’re going to be late.”
I settled in the middle seat of the SUV, nestled between Leo and Thane.
Needing the extra legroom, Hades was in the front with Jamison, who
drove, and Knox and Eli were in the bench row behind us. It was a tight
squeeze with all seven of us, but none of us wanted to be separated to take
two cars. I didn’t mind in the least with the remnants of my heat still
messing with my moods. Having them all close calmed the hormonal storm.
The combination of their scents soothed me as we got on the road. I
placed Leo’s hat back on his head, and he sent me a wink, those silver-blue
eyes sparkling like sunlight on the sea. I rested my head against his
shoulder, laughing at the story Thane was telling about Jamison and their
childhood. He was doing it to distract me, his hand drawing intricate
patterns on my upper thigh while he wove his tale. I shuddered happily.
This kind of peace didn’t just exist, did it? How had I gotten so lucky?
It made me wonder if scent matches were more common than people let
on. Or was the system broken? Forcing Omegas into facilities, making them
match with packs using a binder of scents that probably faded or grew stale
over time. Besides, not all packs actually registered with the OMA. How
many Omegas had been deprived of their scent matches because of a bunch
of rules we were forced to comply with? As broken a road as it had been to
get here, I was happy I had found my mates in the wild. Fate, as Thane
would say.
I stared out the window at the passing scenery. The nearest OMA office
was located in the larger city of Serenity Valley, a forty-minute drive
through the quiet, hilly countryside. Despite its name, my apprehension
churned and grew with every mile. I contented myself with counting the
lines on the road, willing myself to stay calm and remain hopeful.
This is going to be great. Stop worrying.
 It was easier said than done. I was already over one thousand when I
leaned forward, spotting a dead bird in the road. It was small. Poor thing.
Probably hit by a car.
But then, there was another. And another. If the guys noticed, they
didn’t say anything, their conversation flowing around me like water.
“Why are there so many dead birds?” I murmured the thought to myself,
so quietly I wasn’t sure anyone heard it.
Leo leaned in and nuzzled my ear, drawing in my scent. “What’s
wrong?”
“I don’t know,” I hedged, unsure if I was making things up.
I spotted another, leaning so far forward that the seat belt locked and bit
into my shoulder. “Are those sparrows?” The small winged frame, brown
feathers, and white, streaky-breasted chest gave it away. I was almost
positive I was right.
“Sing for me, sparrow,” Huck taunted. “No one can hear your cries.”
I gasped, tears blurring my vision as the flashback hit. I almost didn’t
notice the dark Hummer that had pulled up behind us, or the two dark
sedans trailing farther back, all in a row. The Hummer swerved into the
other lane, gaining on us.
“Jamison!” I grabbed for his seat, my fingers digging into the leather.
The car went silent, then erupted with curses. “What the fuck?” Knox
growled while Jamison’s eyes stayed riveted on the road and the emerging
threat. His knuckles bled white as he gripped the steering wheel so hard it
was a wonder it didn’t break.
The Hummer pulled alongside us, effectively trapping us. Trees dotted
the other side of the car, too close together to offer any escape.
Jamison hit the gas, trying to pull ahead while I peered past Leo and
into the darkened windows. I couldn’t see a thing, but I knew. I just knew.
The dead mouse. The dead birds. They were too surreptitious to be
coincidences.
It was like they knew I’d be heading to Serenity Valley today and had
left the trail just for me. But how?
The sedans gained on us, staying on our tail, and the Hummer matched
our speed, riding dangerously in the other lane as we sped down the
winding highway side by side.
The cock of Knox’s gun stole my focus for one second, my protective
police officer shifting to the inside window seat with murderous intent. I
hadn’t even realized he was carrying, but I was fucking grateful for the
forethought.
“Hang on!” Jamison floored the gas in a last-ditch attempt to shake our
pursuers, but it was futile.
The Hummer reared farther away, then slammed into our car, sending us
careening off the road.
I screamed, my seatbelt snatching me back against the seat. Leo and
Thane threw their arms out, shielding me and trying to pin me between
them as the car went airborne. Metal crunched and glass shattered, the
sound of screams and grunts and cries of pain making my ears ring. My
neck whipped around, my arms flying up to block my eyes from flying
debris.
Panic shot through me like a bullet, pumping adrenaline into my veins.
The world spun and rotated, and I didn’t know if I was dizzy from the
influx of pain or if the car was still rolling. We smashed into something
solid, the car rocking back on its mangled wheels so hard my teeth vibrated.
Smoke poured into the air, making it hard to see.
I groaned, gasping for air that didn’t come easily. Everything hurt.
Terror clawed through my chest as I tried to check on my men. Leo was
still. Far too still, and Thane? The car was totaled, but the damage was
worse on his side, the metal twisted and crushed inward. Blood poured
down his face. Or was that my blood? My ears were ringing so loudly it
was hard to hear anything else. I reached a hand up and touched my aching
head, and my fingers came away red and sticky.
I whimpered, but the sound stuck in my throat.
Jamison’s eyes were closed, his head lulled against the headrest, and I
couldn’t see Hades. Where had my giant teddy bear gone? Was he even still
in the car? I couldn’t tell. The windshield was nothing but jagged, broken
glass.
I tried to turn to check on Eli and Knox, but my neck screamed at me. I
could move. Fumbling for my belt, I tried to click the button to release
myself, but it wouldn’t work. Jammed. It’s jammed.
The smoke was so thick, I coughed, and somewhere, metal screeched.
Hands grabbed me, a knife shoved roughly against my shoulder, nicking
my skin as it sawed through the constraining seatbelt.
I was lifted, hauled over Leo, and dragged into piercing sunlight before
being shoved back into the dark confines of another car.
 I struggled, swinging, but one of my arms wouldn’t respond. Blood loss
made me woozy, my new sundress coated in red. Dots coalesced at the
edges of my vision, but I forced myself to focus enough to use my good
arm to claw at the man behind my capture. My nails raked across his cheek,
the deepest gouge welling with blood.
He snarled, ripping his pocket square free to dab at his skin, then
backhanded me so hard I fell at his feet with a pained cry.
Tears poured unchecked down my cheeks at the first scent of
overcooked, charred marshmallows.
“Well, well, well, pet. What trouble you’ve caused.” He sneered down
at me. “Have you forgotten all your training? What way is that to greet your
Alpha?”
“Anton,” I growled the name that haunted my nightmares, my heart
turning to stone.
He smiled cruelly, the twisted expression swimming in and out of focus
as the car began to move. I scrambled for the door, yanking the handle
fruitlessly as I got my first glimpse of the twisted metal that used to be an
SUV.
My pack!
My mates were in that car. No! No, no, no. This couldn’t be happening.
Anton kicked me back to the floor of the vehicle like a dog, leering at
my tears.
“No one is coming to rescue you, Demi Leigh. I’ve made sure of it.”
I closed my eyes, refusing to believe a word he said as darkness dragged
me down, down, down….
Visions flooded me of the intense way Jamison watched me; of the
dimples that formed when Leo smiled; of being in Knox’s protective arms;
of Thane making me laugh; of Eli taking care of me; and of Hades'
drugging kisses as he promised me the world.
I reached for them, but their images wafted through my fingers like
smoke.
Devastation weighed down my chest as their faces faded, and I realized
I loved them. Maybe it was soon, but I didn’t care. They’d crashed into my
life and turned everything around, giving me a future and a family. My
heart knew the truth.
I need you to live, I pushed the thoughts into the universe, hoping
somehow, someway, they’d feel them. That they’d fight for themselves.
That they’d fight for me. For the promise of us. Because imagining a world
without them in it was as unfathomable as the thought that I’d never get to
tell them those three little words.
I love you.
I fell into the void where everything was peaceful and nothing hurt
anymore.
No one is coming to rescue you. Anton’s words taunted me from the
darkness, threatening to smother my will.
But that’s where he was wrong. From deep within arose a primal need
to fight, and with my last bit of consciousness, I latched onto it with every
fiber of my being.
Stepping out from under Anton’s clutches had taught me just how
strong I was.
I was Demi Leigh.
Omega.
And believe it or not, I’d find a way to rescue myself.

To be continued….
 afterword

Thank you so much for reading Believe It or Knot. I absolutely loved

writing the first part of Demi’s story, and I hope you enjoyed reading it, too.
If you did, I would love for you to leave it a review!

I’m already hard at work on the second part of this duet, which will release
soon! For updates on Part Two, bonus material, exclusive artwork from the
series, and other announcements, sign-up for my newsletter and come join
me on social media!

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 Coming Soon…

By day, I’m a maid in the castle, serving the five Dragon Princes of
Revelore.
By night, I’m one of the few women chosen to compete for their hearts.
If the rumors are true, they need to wed to break the curses that plague them
before it’s too late.
But I’m not here to win a royal. I have secrets of my own, and they’re just
as deadly.

Pre-order Thunder of Wings Today!

 also by harper wylde
*All ebooks available exclusively on Amazon and free to read with Kindle Unlimited*

RUNAWAY OMEGA
Believe It or Knot: Part One
Believe It or Knot: Part Two (coming soon)

REIGN OF CURSED DRAGONS

Thunder of Wings (The Rejected Realms 1)

PHOENIX RISING
Born of Embers
Hidden in Smoke
Spark of Intent
Forged in Flames
Blaze of Wrath
Changed by Fire
Beauty from Ashes
Glimmer of Cinders

THE VEIL KEEPER

Shadow Touched
Blood Bound
Tethered Magick
Rising Darkness

A COURT OF GILT AND SHADOW

Within Obsession and Lies
Through Illusions and Deceit
Amidst Secrets and Shadows
Upon Crowns and Bones (tbd)
 THE HUNTRESS
An Assassin’s Death
An Assassin’s Deception
An Assassin’s Destiny

THE REJECTED REALMS

Co-written with A.K. Koonce:
Hell Kissed (The Rejected Realms 1)
Written solely by A.K. Koonce:
Fire Kissed (The Rejected Realms 2)
Soul Kissed (The Rejected Realms 3)

STANDALONES
Goddess of Chaos