Page 9

Chapter 9

Ava

I wake up with my nose buried in heaven.

I moan a little, my body online before my brain, as my nose is flooded with a cacophony of delicious scents. It’s overwhelming in the best way, and at first I can’t even pick out or name any individual scent, I just know that it’s all around me and in me and it smells amazing .

My hips grind down against the mattress as my mind comes back to itself. I begin to identify the various scents: spicy clove, cinnamon, sweet apple cider, and smooth caramel.

Dante, Ethan, Garrett, and Caleb.

Their four scents mixing together into the perfect cocktail. It’s homey and intoxicating at the same time. I feel completely, utterly safe for the first time in years, possibly my entire life.

But I also feel wildly hot all over.

I blink and push myself up a little, looking around. Last night comes flooding back to me and I wince with humiliation. I have no idea what my friends and everyone else at the club think of me now but I don’t think it’s anything flattering.

And now here I am, in the house, no, the mansion of four Alphas. Four gorgeous Alphas. Four gorgeous Alphas who smell amazing .

I look down. I’m wearing Caleb’s shirt and boxers, that must be part of why the scent is so strong. And the sheets too. Even though they washed them and this is one of their guest rooms, the scent of this pack is in the entire house. It can’t truly be erased from anywhere.

Now it’s enveloping me. Tempting me. Calling to me.

I know that I shouldn’t give in to it, but I press my face back into the pillow and inhale deeply. My toes curl and my body shudders with heat as I spread my legs and picture them sliding into bed with me.

My hand moves down between my legs, under the boxers, and I whimper into the pillow. Oh, god, it’d be so perfect… they smell so good …

I’m still half-asleep, and my eyelids drift closed as I drag my fingertips slowly over my clit. It’s already swollen and throbbing, more sensitive than usual, just from the way I’m thinking about the four gorgeous Alphas who live in this house. I bite down on my lower lip, letting the soft flesh slide between my teeth as I slip my fingers downward a bit more, sliding them between my folds to gather my wetness.

Ethan’s incredible scent of cinnamon and toasted marshmallow still lingers in my nostrils, and as I start to breathe harder, it’s as if I’m inhaling more of him. My mouth is practically watering, and my legs move restlessly beneath the blankets as I find the little nub of my clit again. My fingers slide easily over the sensitive bundle of nerves, and I whimper softly, scrunching up my face as I recall the solidness of Ethan’s body as he held me against him last night.

He was so strong, so tall, so purely masculine .

The breathtaking tilt of his lips as he smiled down at me filters through my mind, and I move my fingers faster, imagining him pressing those lips to mine.

How would he kiss me? Would it be flirty and teasing, the same way he talks? Or would it be hard and ravenous?

Maybe he’d switch back and forth between the two, teasing us both until he couldn’t hold back any longer, and then sliding his tongue into my mouth like he wanted to fuck me with it.

How would he fuck me?

That thought rises up above the others, and before I can stop myself, I’m lost in a fantasy of him crawling up to hover over me on the bed, his lean hips settling between my legs.

I can imagine the slick glide of his cock through my folds, and I shudder in response, circling my clit faster as I arch against my hand.

And his knot…

Fuck . What would that feel like?

The heat in my veins rises up even higher, and I suck in a gasping breath as I alternate between sliding my fingers into myself and working my clit. My toes curl against the sheets, my free hand reaching up to squeeze my breast through the borrowed shirt I’m wearing.

The shirt that smells like Caleb.

Rich chocolate, smooth caramel, and toasted hazelnuts join the spicy and sweet scents that make me think of Ethan, and suddenly, there are three people in my fantasy instead of just two.

“Oh my god,” I whisper softly, licking my lips.

My imagination is going haywire, full of too many enticing thoughts to sort through them all. In my mind’s eye, I see Ethan pull out of me, his cock slick and glistening with my arousal. He looks over at Caleb and grins, then moves to one side to make room for his pack mate.

Caleb is the one I imagine sliding into me this time, and I clench my thighs hard around the hand that’s buried between my legs, the same way I’d squeeze them around his waist as he buried himself to the hilt inside me. I think of the way he looked at me last night, the softness and warmth in his gorgeous blue eyes, and something sweet spreads through me, radiating out from my chest and heightening every sensation.

He would kiss me slow and deep, I bet. So deep that I could drown in it, that I could lose myself in it entirely .

A muffled whine escapes my throat, and I press my lips together to keep myself from getting too loud.

The hand between my legs isn’t enough anymore.

I’ve gotten used to taking care of my own needs, since I haven’t dated anyone or even kissed anyone since my Omega status revealed itself. Usually, I can get myself off in just a minute or two, a perfunctory kind of thing that keeps me from going mad from lack of sexual release.

I know exactly how to touch myself to make myself come… but this morning, my body isn’t satisfied with any of my usual tricks. It’s desperate for more, so I give my nipple one sharp pinch through the shirt, then slide that hand down to join the one between my legs. Keeping up the pressure on my clit, I slide two fingers into my wet pussy, curling them a little to find the perfect spot.

There. Oh god, there …

The scents of bourbon, honey, and clove linger in the air, along with the scents of a burning fireplace and sweet apple cider that practically made me want to climb Garrett when I got a whiff of him last night. I can smell all four of the men as if they’ve imprinted themselves on my skin from the limited contact we had last night, and I drag in a deep breath through my nose, wanting more of it.

Four Alphas. If they all decided to claim me at once, how would that even work?

Once again, my imagination is only too happy to fill in the answer to that question. I increase the pressure on my clit as I imagine Caleb moving aside to allow Dante to have a turn.

Dante would take the lead, I think . Dominant and powerful .

I imagine him hitching my leg up toward my chest, opening me up more for him, holding me in place so that he can give me his cock in just the way I need it. I imagine the muscles in his neck straining as he fucks me into the mattress.

I’m so wet by now that I can feel it trickling over my hand as I slide my fingers in and out of my core, and I can hear the sounds of each movement in the quiet room.

I’m close. Fuck, I need to come so bad .

Everything else has faded from my mind, banished by the arousal that blazes through me like a forest fire. I’ve forgotten where I am, forgotten everything that happened last night. In the fantasy playing out in my mind, there’s nothing but me and the four Alphas who smell like sex and comfort. Their scents surround me like a blanket as I imagine Dante nodding sharply to Garrett.

The burly, rugged man with hair so dark it’s almost black moves toward me in my mind—and unlike last night, this version of him doesn’t seem to have any doubts at all about having me here. The desire that burns in his rich brown eyes is hot enough that it feels like it could scorch me, and I imagine the way he might slide his own fingers into me to make sure I was ready to take him.

My hands are working at a fever pitch now, my breath coming in choppy inhales and exhales, and I moan quietly as I imagine Garrett impaling me with a single, smooth stroke.

“Fuck!” I hiss, my hips bucking upward.

That last image was too much for my needy, sensitive body to take, and it pushes me over the crest of my orgasm. My body shakes as pleasure bursts through me, my clit throbbing beneath my fingertips as my inner walls clench around the intrusion of my fingers.

I work myself through it, filthy thoughts of the men decorating me with their cum running through my mind.

My body slowly relaxes, melting into the mattress as the rapid thud of my heart peaks and then starts to slow. My chest rises with a slow breath, and I slide my fingers out from beneath the waistband of the boxers. I blink my eyes open, staring up at the ceiling of this unfamiliar room.

But as the afterglow of pleasure fades, all of my fears return, and horror hits me like a cold splash of water.

I can’t believe I just did that . I’m not supposed to be giving in to my instincts like this and letting them rule me. I’m not one of those Omegas. I can control myself.

This was just a small slip-up, I tell myself. I’ll be fine. This is fine. I’m going to have some self-control and not do it again. I was half-asleep. I had a stressful night last night. It’s all fine.

Getting out of bed takes forever. The little pocket of warmth under the blankets feels like a haven, and I’m terrified of what’s going to happen today. These men gave me a safe place to sleep but are they really going to let me stay? I don’t know, and I have no backup plan.

There are also the more long-term concerns. Even if this pack is willing to hide me, it can’t be forever. I can’t go back to work. Athena and the others know the truth of what I am now and they must know I’m not registered. If they don’t, they’ll figure it out quickly.

Ethan covered for me by acting like my Alpha, but I don’t know if anyone who works with me will actually buy it. I keep to myself to protect anyone from figuring out the truth. I’ve never had any coworkers over to my apartment in case they saw my nest of a bed or caught my real scent. It could be enough for them to buy that I’m just private about my personal life. Or it could make them even more suspicious and sure that I’m hiding something.

I don’t know, and that not-knowing could spell doom for me.

Well, you’ll never figure out a plan if you don’t go downstairs and talk to them, I tell myself. I stay wearing the clothes I had on, since my dress needs to be repaired in the zipper, and try not to feel exposed as I head down to the kitchen.

My brain is screaming at me that I’m wearing Caleb’s clothes and that I smell like all four Alphas from the bed. I probably look like I’m doing the walk of shame. It makes heat crawl up my neck.

When I get to the kitchen, delicious food fills my nostrils with its scent and I nearly collapse in joy as hunger smacks me in the face. I hadn’t realized just how hungry I am.

I enter, to find all four Alphas there. Dante’s at the stove, cooking sausages and eggs. Garrett’s sipping coffee and staring out the window like the morning sunlight has personally insulted him. Ethan’s futzing with the fanciest espresso machine I’ve seen in my life, and Caleb is eating quietly at the table.

All four of them freeze as I enter, their heads shooting up to look at me. I can see their nostrils flaring and I know they’re smelling me.

A sly look slides into Ethan’s eyes. Dante looks triumphant. Caleb’s blushing as he stares down resolutely at his food.

Garrett’s not even looking at me, after that first quick instinctive glance. But I know he can smell it too, because just like all the others, he’s purring with satisfaction.

I can see heat burning in their faces, every last one of them. Their scents change too, becoming sharper, headier. I feel dizzy with it. My body responds, heating up, and I know that they can sense the change in my scent as well.

They know what I just did in bed. They know I touched myself.

My breathing comes in little pants. I want them to pick me up and press me between them. I want to be pinned by their broad, muscular bodies. I want them to lick into my mouth and between my legs until I’m screaming pleasure, and then I want them to fill me…

Something sizzles in the pan and Dante yelps as hot oil gets on him. Ethan bursts out laughing and Caleb snorts into the back of his hand. Even Garrett’s smirking as he turns his face away, trying to hide it for either his dignity or Dante’s.

The tension breaks, and Dante waves his hand at the food on the stove. “You want some?”

“Yes, please,” I say meekly.

They’re still purring as Ethan gets me a plate and Dante loads it up with sausages, eggs, and toast. Ethan pours me a coffee. “Sugar? Milk?”

“Two sugars and two splashes, please, thank you.”

“So polite,” Caleb says from the table, grinning at me.

I take my food and sit down. I take my first bite. “Holy fuck.”

This is better than anything I’ve ever eaten before. This is gourmet. I sip the coffee and moan a little. Oh my god. I’m scarfing the food down like a maniac. I’ve never had anything this good.

Dante’s purrs get a little louder, his satisfaction in feeding me well obvious to everyone in the room. Caleb watches me with a soft smile on his face. “Good?”

I nod, my mouth full of food. I swallow. “Sorry, I feel like a toddler, where are my manners—it’s just really, really delicious. Holy crap.”

Ethan chuckles and refills my coffee. “We’re the kind of guys who like only the best, and luckily we can afford it. And we like to take good care of each other.”

“Like all packs should ,” Garrett mutters, continuing to stare out the window.

“Ignore him, he’s grumpy in the mornings.”

“You say that like he’s only grumpy in the mornings,” Caleb points out.

“Well, he’s grumpier than usual.”

“He wouldn’t be,” Dante says, still over by the stove, “if he would eat breakfast.”

“I said I’m not…”

“Hungry,” the other three men all say at once.

“But you’ll feel better once you do,” Dante adds while Ethan simultaneously silently imitates exactly what he’s saying.

I laugh. “I’m guessing this is an everyday kind of argument?”

“It’s not an argument, it’s them being wrong.”

“Sorry, so this is an everyday them being wrong?”

Garrett points at me. “She thinks she’s funny.”

“I know I’m funny. I’m hilarious.” I bat my eyes at him.

Ethan and Caleb struggle to muffle their chuckles in their coffee.

Dante loads my plate up with some fluffy blueberry pancakes and then pours some syrup over them, and gives me a side of bacon. I feel like a princess. I haven’t been spoiled like this in… well, ever, actually.

“So, Dante cooks,” I say. “Who else does what?”

“Caleb does the laundry,” Ethan volunteers.

“Only because you turned all our clothes pink.”

“It was one time!”

“He bleached my shirt,” Garrett adds.

“You told me you wanted that stain out, so I got the stain out.”

“With bleach .”

I grin as I tuck into my pancakes. They’re all smiling as they banter with each other, lighthearted, the arguments clearly well-worn and lacking any real sting. They’re a family. A real family, one that cares about each other and supports each other, one that’s actually there instead of being constantly checked-out and distant.

Something in my chest howls with yearning for that.

“Seriously,” Caleb says, changing the subject, “we’re going to have to keep feeding you if you’re this impressed.”

“Hey, at least she’s impressed.” Ethan grins. “Some people are just critics.”

“Some people,” Garrett says mildly, “didn’t grow up thinking pizza for breakfast was gourmet.”

“And some people were born with silver spoons up their asses.”

“Garrett likes my cooking,” Dante says. His tone is mild but Ethan and Garrett both shut their mouths with an audible click .

I have to admit it’s pretty sexy, seeing Dante do that. These men are all so in sync. I wonder if I could ever—

Nope. I shut down that train of thought. There’s no reason for me to be thinking like this. I don’t want that, and I haven’t fought against the Omega fate for so many years to give up now. I’ll have to do something drastic like move across the country if I want to stay unregistered, and that’ll mean I don’t get to stay in touch with these men.

And that’s fine. It’s how it should be.

Caleb’s watch goes off. “Time to go.” He gets up.

Dante nods and gestures at Ethan, who starts to clean up the various dishes. Seems he gets clean up duty.

“Where are you going?”

“We have to go into the office,” Caleb explains. “We’re launching a product soon and that means it’s all hands on deck.”

Dante nods in agreement. Caleb presses his hand to my shoulder, squeezing gently. His scent fills me again, and I feel calm and safe. “We won’t be gone long, though. And Ethan and Garrett will be here to look after you.”

I glance at Dante, wanting reassurance from him too, even though I hate to admit it. I don’t say anything out loud, just smile and nod at him. “Thanks for the breakfast.”

Dante nods back at me, serious, focused, and then gestures for Caleb to follow him out of the room.

Odd. Garrett’s at least consistent in his gruff manner. Ethan and Caleb seem happy to have me here. Dante feels… more hot and cold. I can’t get a read on him.

I stand up to help Ethan with the dishes but he waves me away. “You keep eating. I’ll take care of this.”

I settle back down and do as I’m told. I’m not fond of the idea of someone else doing all the work while I sit here and be pampered. Ethan seems to sense this, because he waggles his eyebrows at me as he starts up the sink. “Not used to being lazy, hmm?”

“Not used to someone else taking care of things.”

“You’ve been on your own for a long time.”

I nod.

Garrett finishes his own food. Even though he protested, he wolfs it down like he hasn’t eaten in days. He deposits his stuff in the sink and walks out without a word.

“Don’t worry about him,” Ethan says. “Garrett’s rough around the edges but he’s got a big heart, trust me. I’ve known the guy for a decade.”

“You all have been without an Omega for that long?” It startles me. But then I want to clap my hand over my face. “I’m sorry, that was a rude question.”

“No, you’re fine. It’s natural you’d wonder about it. We all have our reasons why we haven’t really been ready to find an Omega.”

Ethan doesn’t elaborate, and I don’t pry. I don’t want to press them on anything they’re not willing to talk about, especially when there’s no need. I won’t be here long. The less we get intimate, the better.

I finish eating, give my dishes to Ethan and thank him, then I’m left with literally nothing to do. I work at the shelter all the time. It’s my entire life. Now that I actually have a day off but can’t leave the house—or rather, the mansion—I’m at a loss.

Finally, I settle on watching a movie in the home theater. It’s fine, like having a total movie theater all to myself, and it keeps me out of the way of Ethan and Garrett. I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes.

The credits are just rolling when I hear my name being called. “Ava?”

I emerge. “Ethan?”

He’s at the front door, grinning over a pile of boxes. “So… don’t be upset.”

“Why would I be upset?”

“I decided it would be too risky to go back to your apartment. Maybe I can go back there to get some keepsakes of yours, but I figure, for your clothes, it’s best to just get you some new ones so that you don’t have to worry about someone following me back here and finding you.” Ethan gestures at the various boxes. “So I went shopping for you.”

He went shopping for me. Normally I’d worry about a man trying to pick out my clothes, but Ethan sounds confident, and the clothes he’s currently sporting look great on him: a dark blue cashmere sweater with the sleeves rolled up, and a pair of black jeans that hug his legs in all the right ways, showing off how muscled he is.

“Here.” Ethan hefts up a box like it’s nothing. “I’ll carry them upstairs for you.”

I’m not about to be outdone by an Alpha. I pick up a box myself and follow Ethan. I can’t let myself get used to someone being around to do things for me. This isn’t going to last. As soon as I can get out of here and out of the city, I’m gone for good.

We get my clothes up to the room I’m staying in, and I start unpacking them. My jaw drops open and I can feel my eyes going wide.

“Ethan. I can’t possibly accept these.” I pick up a purse. It’s Bulgari. This has to be at least three thousand dollars. “This is all designer.”

“You’re not putting us out, I promise.”

I pull out a silky blouse that looks like it costs more than my entire month’s expenses. Everything in here is beautiful, and in colors that compliment my dark hair and curvy body. And there are multiple boxes of them. I’ve never owned this many clothes in my life, and I have no idea how I’m going to pack them all up again and get them to my new place when I leave.

“This is…” My voice trails off as I look at him. “Ethan, really.”

“Hey, you’re going to be starting over.” Ethan shrugs. “Figure now you have one less thing to worry about. Hell, go ahead and sell them for extra cash if you want, when the time comes.”

Tears prick at my eyes and I sit down on the bed, still holding the silky blouse. This really is the end of my old life. I can’t go back. My job, my friends, my apartment… it’s all gone now.

“Hey.” Ethan sits next to me. “It’s okay.”

“Is it?” I whisper. “Some asshole decides that Omegas don’t matter, and now my whole life is turned upside down.”

“Trust me,” Ethan mutters. “If we ever get a hold of the person who made those placebos, we’re going to make sure they regret being born.”

Ethan’s so cheerful and charming that his fury takes me aback. But unlike when Marcus would be angry, I don’t feel threatened. Ethan’s angry on my behalf. He’s being protective.

It makes me feel safe.

Ethan’s hand lands on my back. His touch is tentative at first, like he’s not sure if I’ll be okay with it, but when I don’t move, he rubs my back in slow circles. “You’re clearly someone who values her independence,” he murmurs. “It takes a lot of inner strength to go it alone the way you have. Whatever happens, I believe that you’ll be able to find the life you want for yourself.”

I wipe at my eyes. “That means a lot.”

“Well, I truly mean it.” He stands with a gentle smile. “I’ll let you have some time to yourself.”

Part of me wants to beg him to stay, but I also feel embarrassed crying in front of a near-stranger, even if it’s one that’s been so kind to me.

So I just nod. “Thank you.”

Ethan leaves me alone, and I turn my attention to the unpacking.

Some of the clothes he bought me are so soft that they feel like clouds against my skin. I tug off the clothes Caleb lent me last night and pull on a pair of pants, a bra, and a nice top, then put the rest of the things away in the closet and drawers.

Everything is well-made and luxurious, and I almost want to make a pile and roll around in it. Which is an odd thought, actually, now that I think about it. I’ve never wanted to just roll around in clothes bef—

“Ah!”

I double over as a wave of heat rushes through me, and a cramp punches me right in my lower gut. I grab on to a box and try to steady myself. I feel like I can’t move, like even breathing is going to bring me more pain if I’m not careful about it.

What—what’s happening? Why—

I breathe in deeply and carefully. I’m not sure exactly what’s going on, but I suspect…

This might be the start of my first-ever heat.