Page 21

Chapter 21

Thorne

The crash of waves against the shore should drown out their sounds, but somehow Freya’s cries of joy cut through everything else. Because I’ve sat on the balcony trying to listen to the ocean and not the sound of Miller and my brother fucking her. But they are and I can slowly feel my resolve slip. I want to join them. I want to feel her body underneath mine.

I don’t understand it. It’s not because they are pounding into her. I’m certainly not jealous of my pack enjoying her. I envy her moans, that I’m not there helping to make those sounds.

Listening as she begs for more. But I hate myself for it.

Conflict tears at me—wanting her so badly while knowing I shouldn’t. But why is every breathless gasp that carries through the house making my hands grip the bottle in my hand tighter?

“Open up,” Miller grunts.

My jaw clenches as I fight the primal urge to go to her.

Her whine cuts through the wind that comes from the sea. And the cool night air does nothing to calm the heat building inside me. Nothing can.

I rattle the bottle of scent blockers in my hand. Just one more to stop her strawberry scent from seeping from the room, down the staircase, like it’s searching for my nose. I glance through the transparent casing. Looking at the little white pills as they mock me, while promising relief from this torment.

I can’t stand it. It's not knowing if her perfume is real or fake. But luckily for me, only the strawberry scent is prevalent right now—and one scent is not enough for me to believe her just yet.

If she had the strawberry with the lime and tequila combination, then that would be hard to ignore. Luckily, she doesn’t.

“Come for me, omega.”

I groan at hearing Miller’s words and despite my better judgement; I unscrew the bottle, tip it, and shake a tablet into my palm. Then stare at it before I close my eyes.

I could let her smell me, but until she is honest with her scent, how can I be honest with mine?

I inhale deeply before I slam my palm over my mouth and swallow back the very thing that will stop me from believing that she might be telling the truth. The sharp taste lingers on my tongue, a reminder of my cowardice, and my desperation to escape this war going on in my head.

It’s not Freya. She’s not my mate. She can’t be. Yet, her scent calls to something primal in me that no blocker can fully silence.

“Zane.” Her voice calls out as flesh smacks against flesh.

I just hope he and Miller don’t go into a rut tonight, because she might beg for their bite, and we promised each other we’d only claim the ‘one.’

Is she the one?

My hands ball into tight fists as I stand and walk to where Stone is sleeping in the bassinet just inside our home. I lift him up with tender care, cradling his tiny body against my rib cage, before strolling back to where I was on the balcony.

Standing against the glass fence, I reposition him, holding him securely in one arm and rocking him slowly, rhythmically. It’s strange, but I find some comfort in the steady motion.

I gaze down at his sweet face—at this perfect little baby in my arms. His features are so peaceful in sleep, unmarred by the problems of the world he was born into. And for a moment, as I stare at him, everything else fades away.

“Oh yes, alpha!” Her voice carries over the ocean, breaking the spell this baby seems to have on me.

I grind my teeth as I listen to her desperate pleas, each breathless cry carrying across the night air like a taunt directed specifically at me.

“Is your mommy doing this to hurt me?” I whisper to Stone. Glad he is unable to know the emotions wrestling inside me.

Sometimes, I think she might be telling me the truth. But she can’t be.

But why have my pack mates fallen for her so quickly? So easily. It makes little sense why Miller and Zane can be so thoroughly enchanted when everything about her has screamed fake to me.

A growl rolls up my throat, rumbling deep in my chest, but it’s not anger I feel right now. I just don’t know how I feel, though. Confused. Protective. But is it for her or for this little boy in my arms?

I wish I knew, but until I do, I grab my phone and send a message to Maya:

Cancel looking into Freya Rose.