Page 41

It had pinkish lighting and a zigzag tiled floor that must have been an absolute nightmare for the considerably more inebriated. He padded to the end cubicle and shut the door.

Memories from that night over a year ago slipped into his brain, and he braced a hand against the door to stop his legs from wobbling.

He was fine. This wasn’t the same. He wasn’t drunk and he wasn’t being taken advantage of by a sex trafficking piece of shit.

He could leave anytime he wanted, which was what he intended to do.

Locking the door, he sank onto the closed toilet seat and pulled out his phone.

‘ You look like you need a referee, ’ he replied to Blake. ‘ I guess Monopoly’s off the cards for the foreseeable? ’

Three dots immediately popped up on the screen. ‘ And Scrabble. Val is an incredibly sore loser. ’

He chuckled. ‘ How is she? ’

‘ Not bad, but she’s complaining of stomach pains again. ’

‘ Oh no! I take it the medication hasn’t helped? ’ he replied.

‘ It did eventually. She’s asleep now. I’m just washing up. ’

Pember frowned and glanced at the time. Eleven o’clock. ‘ It’s late? ’

Blake replied with a shrugging emoji. ‘ We played a lot of board games. How’s it going? ’

Just then, the main bathroom door opened with a loud creak. There was a groan, followed by the click of high heels on tile and someone shushing.

“I know, baby. I know it hurts.”

Pember froze. It was Maya’s voice.

“It’s killing me, May. This dress doesn’t fucking help!”

Pember swallowed. Sal. There was another shush, followed by scraping and the sound of a zip. Quickly turning his phone to mute, Pember covered his mouth and tried not to breathe.

“Theeere we go. Better?” Maya cooed.

Sal let out another long groan. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s better. I know I need to keep it covered, but fuck me , babe, it burns. Could you wet some paper towels?”

Maya sighed. “Of course.”

Pember bit the inside of his cheek and slowly rose from the toilet, pressing his face to the seam of the door.

Being that he was on the far end of the row, he couldn’t see the two omegas at all.

There was a minuscule gap at the bottom of the door, so he quietly sank to his knees and pressed his cheek to the floor.

He could just about see Maya and Sal standing at the mirrored sinks.

Sal’s dress was unzipped at the back and she had one of her arms pulled out of the sleeves, revealing her shoulder and neck.

She was facing away from him, so he couldn’t see what the issue was, but Maya continued to fuss and coo as she pressed a bundle of wet paper towels to the crook of Sal’s neck and along the length of her shoulder.

“Better?” Maya whispered.

“Yeah, thank you. Just… give me a minute.” Sal let out a few shaky breaths and gripped the edge of the sink.

Maya leant in and kissed her. A full, open-mouthed kiss. Pember bit his lip and covered his own mouth. Isn’t Maya supposed to be dating David?

Shit, things were getting messy, and he thought about just revealing himself to avoid any more unwanted revelations.

“It’ll be better in a few weeks,” Maya said, stroking her other shoulder. “You’ll have your cast off, the meds will kick in and everything will be back to normal.”

“You think so?” Sal groaned.

Maya nodded, resting her head on Sal’s other shoulder. “I know so.”

“Shit, May, it still feels like my stomach’s fallen out of my arse.”

“I know. I know, baby,” Maya replied, kissing all the way up Sal’s shoulder and into her mouth. The two shared a passionate embrace, and Pember could do nothing but squeeze his eyes shut and feel like a total fucking pervert.

“Do you think Pember’s warming up?” Sal murmured.

Pember’s eyes popped open at the mention of his name.

Maya shrugged. “Dunno. He’s so difficult to read. One minute he’s friendly, the next he gets all defensive. It’s fucking annoying, to be honest.”

Pember gritted his teeth. That hurt more than it should.

Sal sighed. “Yeah, I got that too. Sitting him opposite Ru doesn’t help.”

“I know. Ru’s such a miserable prick. He’s so fucking ungrateful. We’ll move them around when Pem gets back. See if it doesn’t get him to open up a bit.”

It should have been endearing, hearing that they wanted to get to know him. But listening to them bitch about Ru made him feel like a walnut with a metal cracker squeezing him tight.

“Are you sure Pember’s a good fit for our group, May? Maybe after tonight we should just cut him loose. Keep it professional.”

Maya shook her head. “Nah, he’ll lighten up. When he’s at work he’s not too bad. We just need to turn up the charm. Worse comes to worst, we’ll get Leo to give him a night he’ll never forget.”

Pember’s stomach dropped, and he clapped a hand over his mouth. He might not have been able to see Maya’s expression, but he couldn’t mistake the suggestive tone of her voice.

Sal chuckled. “As if. Do you even know if he likes omegas?”

Maya shrugged. “Dunno, but he smells like he’s coming into heat soon. Even if he’s an alpha fucker, when estrus hits he’ll ride anything that’s put in front of him.”

Pember squeezed his eyes shut again and bit the inside of his cheek. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as he crouched on the toilet floor. Just then, his phone vibrated, and he pressed it to his chest.

“Did you hear something?” Sal said.

There was a horribly long pause as Pember held his breath.

“Nah. Come on, let’s get you dried up. I need at least another five cocktails if we’re gonna make this evening bearable.”

Can’t argue with that.

The tap sounded again, followed by the loud whoosh of the hand dryer. Pember’s jaw ached from clenching his teeth, but he took the opportunity to look at his phone.

‘ Do you want a lift? ’ came the message from Blake.

Pember swallowed and tapped a silent reply. ‘ Yes please. Could you pick me up at the bus station? ’

Because there was no way in hell he was letting Maya see him getting into Blake’s car.

‘ Twenty minutes. ’

‘ Thank you. ’

When the hand dryer fell quiet and the bathroom door clicked shut, Pember let out an almighty breath. “ Fuuuck ,” he whispered, getting to his feet. What a horrendous turn of events.

Brushing off his jeans and straightening his shirt, he stepped out of the cubicle to splash some water on his face.

He stared at himself in the mirror, long and hard.

He looked tired, as he always bloody did.

But there was something else in his expression that he had never seen before.

Hardness. Almost like… resilience. Clearing his throat, he straightened his shoulders and cracked his neck.

Teeth and tits. That was what Oliver had taught him. Chest out, big smile, and walk.

During his time in the bathroom, the music had been turned up and a few of the tables pushed to the side. Shuffling up to the bar, he ducked under a burly man’s arm and wound his way through the crowd. A few disgruntled tuts were lobbed his way, but he found it difficult to care.

The bartender caught his eye and trotted over. He ordered the cosmo, vodka martini and a shot for himself. If he was going to make a rude and unexpected exit, he needed a little Dutch courage.

“Excuse me,” a deep voice rumbled in his ear. “You might be a cute little science guy, but there’s a queue.”

Pember’s head snapped up, coming nose to nose with Taylor. His thick mane of chestnut hair hung foppishly around his face, and one of his deep amber eyes winked at him.

Pember blanched. “O-oh, sorry, I didn’t?—”

Taylor waved the comment away, turning Pember back to the bar by his shoulders. “I didn’t know you came here, little Pember. All on your own?”

Taylor’s chest was pressed tight against his back, the warmth of his body radiating through Pember’s shirt. Then another large presence appeared at his left shoulder. Johnny.

“Howdy,” he said, tipping an imaginary cowboy hat. His shirt was so tight it was practically sprayed on. “Fancy seeing you here.”

Pember swallowed, the overwhelming presence of the two alphas making it difficult to think. “H-hi, guys,” he squeaked, turning his head and staring directly at the bar. “Busy day at the office?”

“Pff, please,” another voice spoke to his right. “These tool bags wouldn’t know a busy day if it jumped up and slapped them in the face.”

Samantha. Oh good, three alpha police officers penning him in. Taking a long breath, Pember pressed his hands to the bar. “Hello, Samantha.”

Johnny smiled. “It’s one of the only police-friendly places in town. Just a shame it’s right next to that shithole.” He inclined his head towards the Nock and Ore.

The bartender dropped the vodka shot in front of Pember, and he drank it without so much as a backwards glance. The alcohol burned his throat, and Taylor whistled in appreciation. Then, an idea struck him. With a totally fake smile, he turned to Taylor and ran a hand up the length of his forearm.

“You know,” Pember said, looking up at him through his eyelashes. Taylor swallowed and leant into him. “We’re having a party over there. Why don’t you and the others join us?”

Taylor glanced over his shoulder at the table, then back at Pember. “Oh shit, is that Maya?”

“Uh-huh, and a few other omegas.”

Pember nibbled his lip before letting it pop out again. Taylor’s breath puffed across his face, his pupils dilating ever so slightly.

Samantha raised a brow and narrowed her eyes, as though mentally taking notes. Taylor glanced over at Johnny, who grinned, then at Samantha. She scowled.

“You go,” she said, flicking her eyes to the table. “The missus will fucking kill me if I come home smelling of omega. No offence.”

“Sure,” Taylor said, squeezing Pember’s hip. “Lead the way.”

With that, Pember paid for the drinks and plucked them from the bar. As he ambled over to the table, Maya’s eyes darkened when she saw him approach with the two alphas. “There you are. I was about to send out a search party.”

Pember gave her the biggest, toothiest smile he could muster. “Sorry, the bar’s rammed.” Then his eyes slid to Ru. “Can I borrow you for a sec? I need help carrying the drinks.”

The other omega looked up from his empty glass and nodded.

“Mayaaaa,” Taylor called, sliding his big body into the booth.

Maya snorted, reaching for Pember’s hand, but he only turned and let Johnny in behind him.

“Now it’s a party!” Leo said, standing to give the alphas more room. Maya looked like she was about to say something, but Johnny grabbed her hand and kissed her fingers.

With the distraction solidly in place, Pember grabbed Ru’s hand and tugged him out of the booth. When they were safely around the other side of the bar, Pember led him towards a side door.

“Do you want to get out of here?” he asked, only to be met with Ru’s downcast expression.

“I-I can’t,” he stuttered, voice so quiet it was hard to hear him above the beat of the music. “I’m sharing a lift home with Leo.” Ru’s eyes drifted to the side, his gaze unfocused. Pember noticed that he had a couple of small bald patches at the back of his head. Alopecia?

“I can give you a lift,” Pember said, gripping his shoulders. “Someone’s picking me up at the station in ten minutes. No offence, but you look like you’re having even less fun than me.”

Ru let out a breath and licked his bottom lip. “I said… I said I didn’t want to come, but they…” The words trailed off, and Pember squeezed his shoulders.

“Come on, I’ll get you home. Are you local?”

Ru nodded, his thin mouth twitching.

Pember gave him a lopsided smile. “Let’s go.”

Grabbing Ru’s hand, he guided him towards the door, and then out onto the busy street. University students poured onto the pavement, a few of the younger ones shouting slurs and trading shitty looks.

“Can I put my number in your phone?” Pember said, turning to the side and letting a group dressed in golfing gear slip past. “Text me in the morning?”

Ru looked at him with watery eyes before handing him his mobile.

They were only a few metres down the road when a sharp voice called out. “Hey! Oi, Ru. Where the fuck you going?”

They both whirled round, only to find Sal and Leo standing on the edge of the pavement. Ru flinched, his hand suddenly gripping Pember’s.

They stared at each other before Sal and Leo parted to let Maya through. She walked towards them, her movements so graceful she almost seemed to glide across the tarmac.

Pember’s wolf clenched its teeth and snarled.

“Where are you going, Ru?” she said, tipping her head as her dark eyes bored into the other omega. Ru’s hand began to tremble.

“N-nowhere, Maya. Just getting some air.”

“Really? Didn’t look like you were just getting some air. It looked like you were leaving.”

Her gaze slid to Pember, cutting into him with that horribly hard expression. The ground felt like it was shifting beneath his feet, and a burning lump formed in his throat. He was about to drop his head and apologise when he realised where he’d seen that expression before.

His mum.

The realisation hit him like a tonne of bricks, bringing an unexpected bubble of laughter to his throat. He snorted, then covered his mouth with his other hand. “You’re right, we’re leaving,” he said, entwining his fingers with Ru’s.

The gesture wasn’t lost on the others, and Maya’s eyes narrowed. “Come back inside, Ru. Everyone’s waiting.”

Ru whimpered and pulled his hand away. “I have to go,” he whispered. Pember went to grab him, but Ru turned his body. “I have to go with them.”

“Oh, Pem, you off?” Leo said, walking towards him with open arms. Maya lingered behind, chin tipped as she waited for Ru to rejoin them. “So nice to meet you. Come out with us again soon, okay?”

Pember nodded but kept his eyes on Ru. “Uh-huh. Nice to meet you too.”

Then, Leo pulled him into a tight embrace. “Take care of yourself,” he said, nuzzling his face into Pember’s neck.

Which was when he felt it. A swelling over Leo’s abdomen.

Pember’s gaze slipped to the other omega, and without thinking he wrapped his arms around him. Leo drunkenly clung to him, snaking his arms around Pember’s neck and pulling him closer. “Hey, Pem, you’re honestly so fucking cute, do you want to?—”

“Mercury,” Pember whispered in his ear. “Sushi contains high levels of mercury and should be avoided during pregnancy.”

Leo blurted out a laugh, pressing a wet kiss to the side of Pember’s mouth. “Oh, honey, sushi’s the least of my worries.”

He abruptly released him, letting Pember go and pushing him gently away. “Well go on then! Go and catch whatever carriage is waiting for you, Lord Pemberton!”

Sparing one final glance at Ru, Pember turned on his heel and ran towards the bus station.