Page 18

18

Luther

Blake’s heat is riding him hard. As adorable as he is, he’s also miserable, his skin flushed, and those gorgeous brown eyes constantly shifting around the room. He’s searching for Luca, that much is for sure but there’s nothing I can do about it. And despite how irritable he is, when I told him I had to leave for the company, he looked at me like I’d suggested ripping his heart out. He wasn’t getting left at home. Not even while I was meeting with Hudson.

Everyone agreed it was a terrible fucking idea. Which is why we turned it into a family affair.

Grayson and Maceo are coming, ensuring Hudson doesn’t try anything stupid. Not that it would stop me from putting him in the ground if he so much as breathes wrong. But having them there means I don’t have to waste my energy worrying about who’s watching my back and who’s making sure Blake behaves.

Blake shouldn’t be coming with us, but trying to leave him behind was pointless. His body is too wound up, his instincts too locked onto me, making it impossible for him to be more than a room away. I tried to sit him in his office once we got in, but he wouldn’t have it.

"I need to be with you," he had growled, his fingers clawing at my shirt. I don’t usually give in but those puppy dog eyes made me fold immediately. I had forgotten how demanding Blake could be during a heat and how equally soft I could be in return.

Now he’s sitting in my office, curled up in the chair closest to mine, restless but present. Grayson smooths a cream under Blake’s nose, the scent dulling the worst of his heat-driven instincts. It won’t stop it, but it’ll keep him from lunging at Hudson the second he sees him. Or equally ripping one of our pants open and stuffing himself on our cock—not that that isn’t a fantasy I’ve had more than once.

However, the moment Hudson steps into my office, everything shifts. One of the new officers I hired after Hudson’s first visit, bows his head and steps outside, waiting for when I ultimately dismiss this Alpha from my office. His presence soaks the air like something rancid, his scent making me bite my tongue to keep from snarling. Blake shifts a little closer to me, eyes wide before his nose scrunches up in disgust. God, I love him.

Hudson scans the room, his gaze landing on me for only a second before flicking over to Blake. Then his mouth curls into that smug fucking smirk. "Where’s my Omega?"

Blake moves before anyone can stop him. He launches out of his chair, his entire body coiled tight, his scent spiking, his instincts slamming forward in full force. "He’s not your Omega," Blake yells. "He’s mine ."

Grayson grabs him by the scruff of his neck, firm fingers wrapped around the back before Blake can move further, yanking him onto his lap. His growl rumbles through the space, warning our Omega not to try that shit again. "Stay put."

Blake trembles in his grip, his body still fighting, his need to defend what’s his, overwhelming everything else. As much as I love that he’s standing up for Luca, I don’t trust Hudson not to react. The Alpha’s hands are already fisted at his side, the man stepping farther into my office. I don’t really want him in here but this was the only place that I could control, the only place that didn’t have wandering eyes, and the only place the police wouldn’t be currently watching.

Hudson shouldn’t be anywhere near me or my family and I’m still out on bail, Hudson under investigation. No part of this meeting should be happening but I need answers. I glance over at Grayson wrapped around Blake, an adorable pout on his lips despite his glare. Maceo is a few feet away, standing against the wall, arms folded across his chest. There’s a rumbling growl, barely audible coming from him, and I can’t help but be proud of my family.

It'll be even better when Luca is back in my arms.

Hudson clears his throat, irritation kicking up in his expression. “Well? Where the fuck is Luca? You called me in here to talk, to what? Taunt me? And don’t pull some bullshit that he’s at home. You would have never left him there alone.”

I lean back in my chair, forcing my body to relax when all I want to do is wring the truth out of him with my bare hands. I tilt my head slightly, meeting his glare with an even one of my own. “I’d like to ask you the same damn thing. Grayson called Hearthstone enough times to ask. They won’t give us an answer. Police won’t say a thing, but I’m not entirely sure he’s still there. My only question, really, is what did you do with my Omega?” I don’t mention the feeling Blake described to me from a few days ago. Hudson doesn’t need to know that.

Hudson’s entire demeanor shifts, barely contained rage simmering beneath his expression. “I don’t fucking have him.” He grits his teeth, finding a seat to fall into before leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees. “I visited that shit hole and found out that he’d left somehow. That he was gone. Or they were hiding him from me. I’m not sure.” His eyes darken. “All I know is that he’s not where he’s supposed to be and the only one dumb enough to remove him would be you guys.”

Blake tenses against Grayson’s lap and I catch the sharp twinge of fear flowing through the bond and then my little Alpha’s surge of warmth right after it. “Where’s Luca?” Blake asks in a small, broken voice. “Where’s my Omega?”

Hudson’s gaze darts back over to Blake, Blake’s stupid enough to glare at him head-on. However, the moment Hudson’s lip starts pulling up in a snarl, I’m not having it. I stand and walk around my desk, catching the Alpha by the throat and hauling him to his feet. His eyes widened in surprise as I thrust him back against the wall, shocking that smug look off his face. “Let’s get one thing straight, Hudson. I didn’t back down in the station because I was out of options or I was afraid of you. There just wasn’t a reason to fight when I knew my family would be taken care of. However, your bullshit has made it very clear that you’re not playing fair so I’m done trying to be nice.”

Hudson lets out a bitter laugh, wrapping a hand around my wrist as he tries to loosen my grip. “Keep your Omega in check, Luther. He’s going to get himself killed one day, looking at an Alpha like that.”

“If you were an Alpha worth looking at, I’d let him know. I only called you in here to ask where Luca was, where you took him but it seems that even with all your connections, he slipped through your fingers.” I lean in a little closer, throwing a snarl at him that rivals anything he’s ever shown. Every instinct in my body is telling me to dig my fingers in, fully cut off his air supply and give him a taste of his own medicine.

No, a taste of his own medicine would include digging my teeth into his shoulder and ripping out his flesh until he couldn’t stand from the pain and blood loss. I won’t do that, though, because then I will be in jail and there won’t be a damn thing anyone can do to save me.

Hudson’s face slowly morphs back into that arrogant asshole expression. “I like how you keep saying he’s yours but a bite during a heat means shit especially when his last name is still Ellis.” And then the fucker spits in my face. I’m not sure what he hoped to gain but it wasn’t respect and it wasn’t me releasing him.

The growl that rips from my throat is nothing short of animalistic as I drag him forward and then slam him against the wall again, my face inches from his. “If you think for a fucking second that I care about his last name, you’re wrong. He’s never going home to you, Hudson. You don’t deserve that sweet Omega. He’s mine. My Omega. My bond mark is on him, and I dare you to try and prove otherwise. I’m sure you’ll find that I’m a lot more resilient than I look. But keep trying, I might enjoy it. Now, get the fuck out of my office.”

I thrust him toward the door, still seething as the security officer opens the door to guide him back downstairs.

“Make sure he actually leaves the building, Derek.”

The man nods, Hudson rubbing his neck as he leaves. I hope I’ve made my point as I head back to my desk, eyes trained on the parking lot through my window. Silence filters into my office as I wait, Hudson appearing moments later. His shoulders are tense as he heads for his car, and I have to wonder if he was lying to me or if he truly has no clue where Luca is.

Because the fact that he had access to Hearthstone when he shouldn’t have? That’s a problem. I let out a sharp exhale, turning back toward the table where Maceo and Grayson are waiting. They’ve shifted to sit around the small conference table and I join them at the head, frowning when I feel something at my foot. My brows furrow as I look down to see, laughing at my beautiful Omega curled up at our feet, tucking himself into the space beneath the conference table like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

He shifts closer, resting his head on my foot, other parts of him reaching out to touch Grayson and Maceo. I stare, completely bewildered. Grayson snickers, leaning back in his chair, arms crossed as he takes in my expression. “Told you,” he says, amusement flickering in his voice. “He’s been leaning more into his instincts lately. He can’t help it.”

Blake lets out a soft hum, nuzzling against my calf, his body relaxing further. I glance back at Grayson, still trying to process this version of Blake. “I don’t remember him being this… needy? That’s not the right word. I thought he was going to attack Hudson a few moments ago and now…”

Maceo cuts into my confusion. “With the suppressants flushed from his system, his biology is slowly taking over. The closer he gets to his heat, the more he’ll search for comfort or one of us to soothe a spike.”

Grayson leans forward, propping his chin up on his hands. “And we both know, Luther, how wild that one heat was. Get used to it.”

I nod, bracing myself for how things are changing before coming back to the issue at hand. “I wouldn’t put it past Hudson to lie about this but he wouldn’t have come all the way here if he had. So, if Luca really left Hearthstone, then someone helped him. But who? And why? And where the fuck did he go?”

Grayson lets out a heavy sigh. “Hudson said he went to check on him and was told he was gone. If that’s true, someone at Hearthstone knows more than they’re saying.”

“And Hudson shouldn’t have even had access to begin with,” Maceo adds.

That part bothers me the most, because it means someone let him in. Or that Hudson has some connection to Hearthstone that precedes Luca. I lean back in my seat, folding my hands behind my head, working through our options. I have no idea where to start aside from calling Ward and giving him what we know. Even then, I’m not sure how much he’d be able to do.

Grayson opens his mouth to say something before a slow grin spreads across his face. I have no idea what just changed until Blake’s need slams through the bond, a whine splitting into the air. There’s not even time to prepare as I feel Blake’s fingers sliding up my thighs, his lips closing around my cock through my pants. “Jesus Christ, love, sweetheart .” A groan tears from my throat as I reach down to pry Blake off, Maceo’s laughter catching me off guard.

“ Alpha ,” he purrs, “Seems like someone’s caught you in their net.”

I want to throw some retort back at him but one of Blake’s hands crawls up my stomach, fingers curling into my shirt as the other starts working my pants. I should stop this. I should grab Blake up in my arms and take him home. But there’s some part of me that loves this, that loves Blake as needy as he is, unashamed to take what he wants in front of us. It’s probably his Omega telling him to stake his claim after Hudson was in here and the longer Blake sucks on me through my pants, the less control I have.

Reaching down, I thread my fingers through Blake’s before dragging him up to straddle my lap. His brown eyes are glazed over, his lips parted, his scent in full bloom. And then there’s another one of those needy moans as the scent of his slick hits the air. Even if I wanted to cart him home, we wouldn’t make it before he needed a knot.

He’s already scratching at my pants, yanking them down to get what he so desperately wants and I let him, those little frustrated growls drawing my purr from my chest. It isn’t until he’s shucked his pants and planted himself back on my lap, sliding down my knot that he finds relief. Maceo and Grayson are both locked on Blake as he swivels his hips, alternating between snarls and whimpers. God, he’s gorgeous.

I tuck him into my chest, my knot thrumming with the need to lock my Omega. “You’re going to be amazing, love. Your heat is going to be everything. I’ve got you, baby. Take what you need,” I murmur in his ear.

He reaches a hand out toward Grayson, the Alpha moving closer as Blake whines for a kiss and then he does the same to Maceo, needing the three of us to pull him out of this haze. And then he’s falling apart as I thrust up, filling him with my knot, spilling inside of him. He sags against my chest and we all laugh as he mumbles, “This is bullshit.”