Page 16

Chapter 16

Ava

After I accept the bid from Dante and his pack, the process of officially registering the courtship begins.

I’m grateful for it, in an ideological sense. It means that there’s less of a chance that some crappy Alpha will be able to sneak in through the system and get any Omega they want. I know that this is all for the safety of the Omegas, and I appreciate it.

On the other hand, it’s driving me nuts with impatience.

Getting a few moments with Dante and his pack has made me miss them even more. I long for their scents, their touch, their warm looks my way. I want to be surrounded by them again. And while I know this paperwork is important, I feel like I’m going to start clawing the walls if I don’t get to see them soon.

I’m kept away from the Alphas, in fact from any Alpha at all, only interacting with Betas and other Omegas. Cary explains that Dante and the others are going through paperwork on their end and are only interacting with fellow Alphas and Betas.

“The Alpha and Omega instincts can be heightened right now,” she warns me during one of our sessions as I fill out more paperwork. I swear, the pile of papers I need to sign is never ending. “We don’t want to risk you going into heat fully and bonding with the nearest Alpha out of desperation.”

I think about how I felt when I was with the men, the mood swings, how heightened everything was and how scared it made me feel. “What’s heat like?”

Cary takes a deep breath and thinks for a moment. “I know that books and movies like to romanticize it a bit…”

I shudder. Heat has never felt romantic to me. The idea that I’d be so desperate for sex that I would beg literally any Alpha in front of me for it is terrifying. I could end up bonded to someone who was awful, all because I was a slave to my body’s desires. That’s not very romantic to me.

“But heats can actually feel more like discomfort than anything else,” Cary continues. She might be oblivious to my anxiety, but she might also simply be ignoring it and pushing through it the way she’s done before. “If you don’t receive sexual satisfaction, it can feel like physical pain.”

“And I need a knot,” I add dully.

That’s the problem. Omegas who aren’t mated, or are too young to mate, can get artificial knots and hole up on their own, but I hear it’s not the same thing. But just rubbing one off won’t do. You need the feeling of being full that only a knot can give you.

“Mostly. You actually also need to feel the Alpha’s release, and your own orgasms. The knot is only one part of it. I know that’s the part that tends to get focused on and I understand why.” Cary smiles. “But your pleasure is important as well for the heat to be gone.”

“Is that why artificial knots don’t work as well? There’s no… Alpha release?”

Cary nods. “Yes. An artificial knot does help, since between that and the orgasms you have two out of three. But the release really does add that extra bit. It’s better if you’re an Omega to have someone else helping you through the heat since it’ll be hard for you to concentrate.”

Cary taps some paperwork. “This is why we have Alpha packs a lot of the time. Helping an Omega through a heat can be a lot for just one person.”

I read through the paperwork. It’s explaining the science behind heats. “Nesting gets worse?”

“Yes. You’ll have a compulsion to nest, as well as experience some mood swings that are stronger than usual. That’s all entirely normal. If you feel yourself wanting to cry, that’s okay. That’s why we’ll have an ORD representative check in with you.” Cary takes my hand. “We want to make sure if you are having mood swings or crying it’s because of your hormones, not because you’re being mistreated.”

“Thank you.” I take a deep breath. “So… the bond?”

“Ah. Yes.” Cary slides her hand away. “It’s important that you understand how powerful heats are. They can make you beg for a bonding bite even if you wouldn’t normally want it, so we need to make sure that you have Alphas who will not give in to temptation and understand when it’s the heat talking.”

I nod. Cary stays relaxed. “I know that you’re already starting to experience symptoms. I know that it can be scary, since you’ve been on suppressants for a long time. But don’t worry. I’m sure that your Alphas will take care of you. That’s what they’re there for, and it’ll be a good time to see if you’re as compatible as you all hope.”

I hope that we are too. None of the other Alphas made me feel the way that Dante’s pack does. The way my body reacted, and how much I keep thinking about them… none of the others measured up.

Cary watches me finish signing the paperwork. “Wonderful. That should be the last of it. And remember, we’ll be checking up on you. If you change your mind, or want to back out, we’ll come and get you no matter what.”

“Thank you.” I mean that with all of my heart. Cary was really good to me this whole time. I don’t know if I would’ve felt nearly as comfortable with any of this if she hadn’t been there the whole time, metaphorically—and sometimes literally—holding my hand.

But now, it’s time.

I left the house with nothing, and so I don’t have anything with me when Cary brings me out to meet the men again. They’re all waiting outside the facility. Ethan’s pacing and Garrett’s once again glaring into the distance. It reminds me of when I first saw them at breakfast, their unique energies and personalities so defined to me.

Caleb sees me and smiles. “Ava!” he calls.

Ethan stops pacing and Garrett looks over his shoulder at me, but Dante immediately moves to come up and take me by the hand. “You okay?” he asks again. As if something might have changed in the last few days.

“I’m doing better now,” I tell him honestly, feeling a sense of safety and relief now that I can breathe in his scent again.

“I’ll get the car,” Garrett says, sounding a little gruff. Like maybe he’s choked up.

The car itself is the same one Ethan picked me up and rescued me in, what feels like a lifetime ago. I know it wasn’t really that long, but it feels like a whole other life, a whole other Ava who experienced that.

The air is thick with anticipation. I can smell all four of them again and I just want to bask in it. I’m not even aware that I’m perfuming at first until I see Caleb shifting in his seat and Ethan inhaling hard through his nose.

I shiver. I know it’s logistically impossible in this cramped space, but my mind is suddenly filled with the ways I want them to touch me right here, right now…

Cary said days of sex. Days. Days of being touched… being fucked …

Wait.

“I might go into heat,” I point out. “That’s going to be days of your focus. You’ve got a business to run, is that going to be a problem? I don’t want to be a distraction, I know how important your work is to you.”

“You won’t be,” Dante says empathetically. He puts his hand on my knee reassuringly. “The four of us can do more work from home instead while you’re here. We’ve worked hard to build up our company, and that means we can reap the rewards too.”

His voice drops down into an Alpha purr. “Like taking the time to be there for our Omega.”

I shiver, my body flooding with heat and my heart with gratitude. The purr in his voice promises exactly what I’ll get when we arrive at their mansion, and I can feel myself starting to get a little wet already.

When we get there, Ethan helps me out of the car. “All of your clothes are still in the bedroom. We can talk décor, if you want. I know you’ll want to nest.”

He leads me up to the second floor, my hand securely in his. Talking décor already? They’re serious about me.

It warms me to know that this isn’t just an attraction to them. They’re serious about this relationship, about courting me.

“Your scent has been lingering in this bedroom since you left,” Ethan tells me as he opens the door to the bedroom. “It made me miss you even more every time I walked by it. I’m glad you’re back.”

He steps closer, his hands falling to my hips. He looks so handsome in his suit, and my body feels like it’s on fire just from this small contact between us.

“I’m…” I swallow. “I’m glad to be back too.”

“We’ll prove to you that we’re good for you, gorgeous,” he murmurs.

His hand comes up to gently curl under my chin and lift my head. I whimper. My body clenches. I want his scent, his body, everywhere.

Ethan groans slightly. “Are you getting wet, my pretty Omega?”

I nod. My hands slide up his chest, feeling the soft fabric of his suit. “You look good. All of you.”

“You have no idea what it was like to see you on the podium looking like this.” He toys with the strands of my hair, letting them flow over his fingers. “I was tempted to leap on stage and declare you mine in front of everyone. You were the most beautiful Omega there, and everyone knew it.”

I can feel myself blushing. “You’re biased.”

“Maybe a little, but I’m not lying when I say you were the most popular Omega tonight.” Ethan leans in, his lips brushing against the sensitive skin just behind my ear. “But while you do look beautiful in this gown…”

His fingers trail down my exposed back, playing with the buttons at the back of the dress. “I think you look just as good with a bare face and wearing those soft gray sweats you seem so fond of.”

I press myself against him, laughing, but it turns into a moan as I feel his body against mine. He’s so fucking hot, all firm muscle, and suddenly it feels like I’m going to burn up if I don’t have him inside of me.

My fingers clench around his suit jacket. “Ethan…”

He tilts my jaw up again, and then, he’s kissing me.

I melt into it, whimpering. I want this dress off of me ten minutes ago. I want his suit off of him. I want bare skin, and his scent, and I want… I want…

“My beautiful Omega,” Ethan murmurs, a purr in his voice. “Do you need me to take care of you?”

I do need him. I’m tired of holding myself back. There’s only one thing that will tame the fire building inside of me, and I know that’s Ethan.

“Yes,” I whisper. “Please.”