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CHAPTER ELEVEN

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snap.puffin: Vance Lennon is one of the greats of Formula 1. So how TF did his granddaughter fly so far under the radar? How come I’ve never heard of her?

agirlandherpigs: IDK. Because you weren’t paying attention?

swallow_iniquity: Or she sucks.

thewellreadnurse: Notice how only men are asking this question?

What Grayson called the theater room was exactly that. A projector shining onto one large, blank wall. A wheel and pedals like the simulator I had at home rested near the same wall, along with a myriad of gaming systems and everything you could need for entertainment. Couches lined the walls, but there was also an enormous futon covered in pillows in the center of the space. “Not a nest, but close enough,” Beck said.

“That’s for the best,” I whispered. “If I go into a nest with the four of you, I don’t know what I’ll do.”

“Whatever you want is on the table there,” he said. “As fast or slow as you want. But…”

“But?”

“But we’re all hanging on by a thread, so I agree. A nest is a bad idea. Though I can’t promise this will be much better.” I stared at him, and his mouth quirked in a grin. “What? You didn’t think we’d want you?”

“No, it’s not that. You just seem very calm for someone who’s hanging on by a thread.”

He set me down gently in the center of the futon. And then he was on me. Body stretching over mine and pinning me down. His hands on my wrists, lips at my ear, hips pressed where I desperately wanted them. Every bit of tension was now on the brink of bursting out. His scent strengthened and wrapped around me, his voice dropped even lower. “I can show you how close I am if that’s what you want, love.”

My mind blanked out and all I felt was heat.

Beck kissed the skin beneath my ear, softly and slowly. “But I don’t think you’re ready to unleash the four of us quite yet.”

I twisted out of his hold and sank my fingers into his hair. It was more than long enough for me to grip, and the low groan as I pulled it mirrored everything I felt. With my legs now wrapped around his hips, I smiled. “This is going to be fun.”

He smirked. “Want to play with fire?”

“Maybe.”

One twist and he’d pulled me onto his chest and settled me comfortably, half on top of him. It felt natural. Beck chuckled when my body relaxed instantly. “See?”

Beck had a point, even if it made me grumpy. “Doesn’t mean I’m not ready for anything,” I mumbled, and he laughed softly.

Elias hit the futon beside us and pulled me to him, unleashing a whole new wave of mouthwatering scent. “If he’s being boring, I can take care of you.”

“I’m not boring. I’m just making sure she’s fed and comfortable.”

I smiled at the grumpiness in his tone.

Like he’d called it into existence, my stomach growled with hunger. It had been a long day, and we’d been so busy that I hadn’t eaten. There might have been a protein bar that Annika shoved at me, but it was a vague memory.

Beck used the opportunity to bring me back to him—with us sitting up this time. “My Omega is hungry.”

I looked down at my hands, the words making me flush. “I like that.”

“What?”

“I’ve never been someone’s.”

He sucked in a breath, like he’d been shocked, and his arm tightened around me before his lips brushed my temple. “You’re ours now.”

“What should we watch?” Elias was across the room grabbing a remote. “Should we see what they’re saying about you?”

I made a face. “I don’t know.”

The projector on the wall suddenly blared to life with one of the sports channels, and Lars Bachman’s face was there. Sitting in the press room, eyes hard. They were replaying it, and the reporter was in the middle of a question. “—obviously a surprising choice. Did you know? Are you looking forward to it?”

Lars worked his jaw before he spoke. “No, I didn’t know. I found out just before all of you. And… I don’t speak for team management, so I can’t comment on why the choice was made. I have my reservations, of course, and I’m prepping to fight a one-man war in the Constructors Championship this year.”

There were two championships in Formula 1. The Drivers Championship, which was each individual driver battling it out to win. But there was also the Constructors Championship, where the teams competed for the win. The Drivers was for glory, but the Constructors was for money, and winning—hell, every place you could climb in the ranks—gave the team a huge financial advantage.

So Lars saying he would be fighting a one-man war was as good as saying I was useless. Dead weight on the team. Not fit for the place.

“Lars’s face has been begging for my fist for years.” River appeared carrying bags of food, Grayson appeared with even more. “Maybe this will be the season I actually get to hit him. With my fists. Not with a car.”

I leaned back into Beck. It hurt, but I also didn’t want River to get in trouble. “He’s saying what most people are thinking. Can’t really blame him there.”

The show was replaying the last few laps of the race I’d driven last season, when I overtook someone on the final straight to move up one more place. Seventh.

Most people outside of racing didn’t understand why finishing in a place like seventh was a big deal, or even a good thing. But that was the beauty of Formula 1. You only scored points if you finished in the top ten, and that was harder than you’d think.

There were drivers who’d gone their entire careers without winning a race or even getting on the podium. Hell, there were some drivers who’d never even made the top ten and finished their careers without any points at all. So getting seventh in my debut race was a big fucking deal.

On the screen, my stats were listed, and already, they used some of the new photos that had been taken today. The Paragon team worked fast.

“I absolutely can blame him,” River said, still glaring at the image of Lars. “Can you imagine him saying that with anyone else as his teammate? No. He would have said something about looking forward to the competition or being ready for a solid fight. Not dismiss them entirely as if they weren’t even going to be a contributing member of the team.”

I smiled, but said nothing. It wasn’t anything I hadn’t heard before. This was something they would have to get used to.

“That’s going to be tame,” I said. “Compared to what some will say.”

He sighed and set the bags down. “I know.”

“But to actually answer you, no, I’d rather not know what they’re saying yet. My phone has about a million notifications on it and I’m pretending they don’t exist.”

Elias grinned. “I’ve got the perfect thing.”

He navigated away from the sports news, instead going to one of the streaming services and to the documentary about Formula 1. Documentary was a loose term given how much drama they managed to inject into everything, but it was entertaining—especially when you knew the truth behind the scenes—and everyone had already seen it. “Watching Baby River.”

River lifted his middle finger, making us all laugh. I glanced at Grayson. “Is Paragon participating this year?” We hadn’t discussed it because being in the documentary wasn’t an element of my contract with the team. It was separate. I was sure the show would want to cover my season, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted that much additional scrutiny.

“That choice is up to you,” Gray said. He sat on one of the couches that lined the walls, pulling out more takeout containers than any of us could actually eat.

“It might have been,” I said. “Until this morning. Cause I know we’re not talking about it right now, and that’s fine, but when our scent match comes out, they’ll be all over it. So no, it’s not just my choice anymore. Because it will be all of us. And… did you order the entire world?”

River laughed under his breath. There was so much food, all different kinds. Gray smiled, and I swore there was a flush to his skin. “I’ll order less when I know exactly what you like.”

It didn’t sound like he was only talking about food.

The show started, and we all grabbed what we wanted. I found a butter chicken that was incredible, and pretty much inhaled it. Usually I was good about eating—preparing for the season I kept my diet strict—but today I could give myself grace given everything that had happened.

River from four years ago came on the screen and introduced himself. The others teased him, but I just watched him. He didn’t seem embarrassed by anything, just enjoying it. When he caught me looking, the smile changed. Deepened. I felt it. Now it held heat that I couldn’t ignore.

These men were mine .

That was wild. I didn’t fully understand it yet. How could I? The last thing I expected when I woke up this morning was getting a pack. And now…

With all four of them so close, every inhale was perfect. Now that I was full and warm and safe, I was sinking back into that place of dizzy delight. The feeling was quickly becoming addictive.

That same sense of overwhelming exhaustion hit me. I wanted to be with them, but my Omega was also telling me to rest where I was safe. Not having had this made it worse, in the sense that there was no way for me to fight the instincts when they were so new and strong.

River came with me when I stretched out on the futon, lying beside me so we were face to face. He pulled me against him, and I got lost in his mint chocolate scent and the way we seemed to fit together perfectly.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“Why?”

His fingers flexed against my back, momentarily deepening his hold. “Because I’ll have to pretend like I don’t know you. I won’t be able to sneak any looks or touches when we’re in different garages. And that’s probably going to make me a pain in the ass when I do get to touch you.”

I gasped in mock surprise. “The great River Daniels is a pain in the ass? I never would have guessed.”

“Sassy Omega.”

“I don’t know how to tell you this, but we’re both racers. I can, and will, be just as big a pain in your ass. I might even have as big an ego as you do.”

He grinned. “I highly doubt that.”

“Guess we’ll see.”

“Yes, we will.”

I opened my mouth to say something else, and no words came out. River crossed the small distance between us and kissed me slowly. Softly. That hand on my back slid down to curl over my hip and make its way back up underneath the sweatshirt so he could feel my skin. “Fuck.” The single word was muffled between us.

Heat and desire and pure comfort dragged me down. What had been a burst of tiredness before was now heavy weights pulling me down. It was ridiculous that one of my Alphas was kissing me and it made me want to go to sleep. I hoped River knew the truth about what that meant. “I need to warn you,” I murmured between his kisses. “I’m touch-starved.”

It was the first time I’d said the words out loud.

A soft laugh. “I think we can take care of that.”

“No, I mean,” I moaned into his mouth. “If you do have the chance to touch me when we’re in public, you can’t. None of you can. Because this is what happens. Or will until I’m used to it.” My eyelids were heavy.

“Nes?”

Nes. It sounded so natural coming from him. “I like that.”

“What’s wrong?” He sounded concerned.

“Nothing.” I curled myself into his chest, finished fighting it. “It’s just been years with no touch. So all of you…” I started to drift. “My Omega. Being close.”

Elias sounded nearby. “The elevator makes more sense now.”

“Sorry.” I was pretty sure I said it out loud.

A slow, steady purr answered me, and more whispered words. “Don’t be sorry, baby. Never be sorry for that.”

He didn’t stop purring, and I felt myself being lifted. Moved. But I didn’t care, because I was safe, and they were mine. And nothing could change that.