Page 17 of A Twist of Luck (Shifter City Fated Mates #2)

CHAPTER 17

EMME

T he next few days were a blur of sleep, worry, and pacing Kellan’s room. All of the pack sat with him at times, but I was the only consistent one. Afraid to leave his side.

Almost literally. I slept beside him, monitoring his breathing between my fitful bouts of rest.

A week after we’d returned, I woke to find myself surrounded by the most delicious warmth. It reminded me of waking with Slade’s hand on my stomach, and even though my period was finished now, and I didn’t need the dragon-pain-relief, it was nice to feel the comfort of an alpha.

Prying my eyes open, I was hit with all four alpha scents. I had no idea who was at my back, snuggling me into Kellan—until I glanced down to find the early morning light highlighting a familiar tattooed hand resting against the base of my throat. Hunter’s other arm was draped across my stomach, pulling me back into his big body.

He must have crawled in with me during the night, and I’d been too wiped out to even notice. Where were you on that one? I directed at my wolf, who lazily yawned.

She’d made it clear long ago that we belonged with a pack, and if I chose to ignore the goddess’ design, then I would have to deal with the consequences of it. With zero help from her.

After sleeping alone my entire life, I’d never have expected to enjoy the sensation of being squished between giant shifters, and yet… here we were. Absolutely enjoying it.

Enjoying it so much it was difficult to even consider sleeping alone ever again.

Not wanting to disturb Hunter, whose breathing was deep and even, I moved nothing except my eyes as I checked on Kellan, relieved to hear a steady heartrate and pulse.

As I lifted my gaze farther, I took in the large male slouched in the chair beside the bed.

Slade.

The dragon was awake, his eyes darker than usual as he observed the three of us asleep, as if he had been keeping vigil. When our gazes met, there was a spark in his, but he never moved or spoke, just let this tense moment extend between us.

The intensity was broken by a raspy snore, and I lifted my head just enough to find the second chair at the foot of the bed. Finley was asleep and looking uncomfortably squished into a chair that wasn’t designed to take his full height or weight.

All four alphas in a room with me while I slept would have been my worst nightmare a few months ago, but I felt no unease or concern by their presence. If anything, it was comforting, which was another very unexpected outcome of finding my pack.

My bladder started to protest around the time Hunter stroked his hand across my stomach, and then I was filled with a surge of other emotions. Mostly need, desire, want, arousal.

As his left hand stroked my bare skin under my shirt, with sparks of energy following in its wake, his right shifted higher to slot perfectly around my throat, like it had been made to claim me.

“How’d you sleep, little omega?” he murmured. The huskiness of his voice had heat seeping into my skin as my core ached.

This couldn’t happen next to Kellan . And with two other alphas in the room.

“F-fine,” I stuttered, trying to fight how desperately I wanted to capitulate to his dominance.

Just. Like. Mom .

Thinking of her was a bucket of ice water thrown over heated skin, and I shot up in his hold. The entitled alpha let out a low laugh from behind me, and while he could have easily stopped me as I scrambled over him, he didn’t.

I raced out of Kellan’s room like my ass was on fire, but before I reached my room, Hunter appeared in the hallway, calling out my name. Turning slowly, I took in his dark, tousled hair and the breadth of his bare chest. The tattoos along his arms twitched as he leaned against the frame. “Remember what I said, little omega,” he drawled, his dark gaze locked on me in a way that suggested he would very much like to chase as I ran. “No touching yourself in the shower. Your pretty pussy belongs to me. I will be the one to bring you pleasure.”

Slade appeared beside him, and my cheeks were so hot, I knew they were a red flashing signal, even in the dimly lit hallway. “Since Kellan isn’t here to point it out,” the dragon shifter added, “let me be the first to remind you that Snow belongs to all of us. Even her…” His gaze grew heated as it dragged slowly from the top of my head to my toes. “… pretty pussy .”

I died. I was now a puddle of death on the floor.

Hunter’s dirty mouth had been my undoing from about the first day I met him, but… Slade.

My breaths huffed in and out like I was asthmatic, and with a squeaking sound that resembled a mouse and not a wolf, I darted into my room and slammed the door closed. I heard low, deep rumbles of laughter from outside, and was almost tempted to poke my head back out to see if that was from Slade too.

I’d grown a touch obsessed with hearing all of them laugh. Kellan was the only one to freely chuckle with real humor—I’d barely even seen Finley crack a smile, and would no doubt die of shock if he ever laughed in front of me.

It’d be the apocalypse if that happened anyway, so at least I wouldn’t be dying alone.

With my back pressed against my closed door, I tried to regain composure, but my body was just too worked up. Damn them . Damn these freaking alphas and their obsessive dominance that I was exhausted from resisting. It was a task I continued to fail miserably at, and I doubted I’d even get points for trying these days. They kept infiltrating my life and thoughts, and I kept letting them .

How was any sane, red-blooded shifter supposed to fight the insane draw I felt for them? Who could fight this long term? And with Kellan injured and possibly dying, I couldn’t leave or escape either.

Locking my door, which would do absolutely nothing to keep an alpha out, I hurried into the bathroom to get ready for the day. In the shower, my fingers skimmed over sensitive skin as I washed myself, and I was rewarded with a deep throb in my center. I was tempted to test out Hunter’s ability of knowing if I touched myself, but even as I glided a fingertip across my clit, I found no satisfaction in my own touch. Even my body rejected anything other than an alpha. Traitor .

With everything going on, I needed to run my wolf this morning or I’d end up losing my mind. I decided to call Cora and see if she was free to shift with me. We’d need alphas too, of course. None of them would let us go on our own.

When I was dressed in a loose pair of black sweatpants and hoodie, I unlocked my door and headed down the hall in search of my phone. It was a relief to find the bedroom empty of everyone except Kellan, even though we weren’t supposed to be leaving him alone. Most likely the guys had just ducked out to get dressed, so I quickly searched for my phone, finding it on the desk next to a few loose scraps of paper.

There wasn’t clutter in here anywhere except on his desk, where Kellan had clearly been scribbling while he chatted on the phone or read a book. I liked seeing those little personal touches, and his terrible renditions of wolves and stick figure shifters. It reminded me of the joy I felt when Kellan was awake and healthy. I missed him so much.

Forcing myself not to dwell and cry again, I dialed Cora, and it rang twice before she answered.

“Oh, my freaking goddess, Emme. I’ve been so worried about you.”

In my head, I pictured my friend, looking as per usual ethereal and elegant. “Sorry it took me so long to get in touch,” I choked out, pain still threading my voice. “It’s been a rough few days.”

Cora released a low sob, her voice just as broken as mine. “Warrick and I tried to visit yesterday but Alpha Hunter said you were asleep. I just wanted to make sure in person that you were okay. I can’t believe what’s happening to Alpha Kellan.”

Kellan might not be the entitled alpha of our quintet, but he was dominant enough to garner the respect of the title. Especially when he’d acted like a complete hero and saved my life.

“It’s killing me,” I whispered, shaking my head at how weird it felt to have a friend to share my burdens with. “He intercepted a spell meant for me, and now he’s possibly never going to wake up. How is this happening? I can’t lose him.”

“He’s going to be okay,” Cora said, her voice less shaky now. “Trust me. He’s strong, and we have all the council and our magical connections working on it. Warrick hasn’t stopped since he got back. They’re figuring out how to go after this pack without creating a war between cities. They will pay for this.”

I’d been too focused on Kellan to even ask what had been happening with the council and Mom’s old pack. Hunter would have told me if they were either dead or in custody, which meant they were still out there being evil assholes—searching for the next omega to power their alpha energy. The Alpha Council clearly hadn’t gone after them yet either, playing the politics game.

I hated that fucking game.

“Do you have any time for a run this morning?” I asked, as I rubbed my sternum to try and counter the mounting pressure in my chest. “I need to get out. I need to escape from these relentless emotions for just a few hours.”

“Yes!” She answered so quickly I suspected she’d been hoping I’d ask to catch up. “War and I can be at your place in twenty minutes.”

“Thank you,” I sighed, a flicker of relief piercing through me. “I’ll see you soon.”

“See you soon, bestie.”

When Cora hung up, I was surprised by the burst of warmth, chasing away the ice in my heart. I’d never had a best friend. Hell, I’d never really had a friend until I met her, and I’d clumsily called us best friends. Despite my awkwardness, there’d been nothing but comfort and ease between us, and I was forever grateful to have a Cora in my life.

Pocketing my phone, I leaned down and pressed a kiss to Kellan’s cheek. “I’ll be back soon, Golden Boy. Don’t go anywhere, but feel free to wake up.”

Breathing in his cinnamon and caramel scent, I couldn’t wait for the day it was no longer tainted with that hint of sulfur. Leaving him was hard—I held a genuine fear that he’d deteriorate while I wasn’t with him—but if I didn’t run, I’d be no use when he needed me.

Downstairs, I followed the voices into the kitchen hoping to find Hunter. He was there, along with Slade, Finley, Florence, and Gerald.

Florence rushed over to me with a breakfast sandwich already plated. “Eat, sweetheart,” she said, thrusting it toward me. “You look pale.”

With a smile, I thanked her and took a bite of the sandwich, my stomach no longer protesting regular food. The alphas had made sure of that.

Hunter placed a cup of coffee, perfectly doctored to my sweet, creamy preferences, right in front of me. “Here, little omega. You look like you need this.”

“Thank you, sweet coffee gods,” I moaned, grasping the cup and taking a sip, finding it was the perfect temperature too, as if he knew how often I burned myself with my first, impatient sip.

“Hunter will suffice,” he drawled, sipping from his own cup of unsweetened tar.

I paused, shaking my head. “Is that a thing you do now? You make jokes?”

He lifted one of his broad shoulders. “If the situation calls for it.”

I supposed that without Kellan, someone had to step up and bring the humor. Might as well be Hunter—he was practically cheery compared to the other two.

“I’m going on a run this morning with Cora and Warrick.” My blunt announcement had all three alphas pausing, even as Florence and Gerald continued cooking and cleaning around them. “I need to get out before I go crazy and start scratching up the furniture.”

“Scratch all you want,” Slade said, lifting one eyebrow. “Just don’t pee on it.”

Okay, now he was making lighthearted comments too. What the fuck was this? The Twilight Zone .

Hunter shook his head. “We’ll all come with you. Kel’s brothers just messaged to say they’d be by to sit with him again.”

I barely acknowledged that, too busy trying to come up with a snappy response for Slade. Nothing worked quite right to match his wit. Dammit . No doubt I’d stumble upon the perfect zinger in two or three business days. He’d just have to be patient.

Wait… Had Hunter said the whole pack?

Despite my every intention not to look his way, I glanced at Finley, surprised to find that he wore a neutral, unaffected expression as he ate through two sandwiches and drank his green glass of death.

Was I really about to go on a run with three of the four members of my pack?

Holy shit.

A real pack run.

If only Kellan could be there with us.