Page 9 of No Strings Attached (Omega’s Preference #4)

Olivia

I curl against Elias' side, spooning the full length of his body with one of my legs propped up over his thigh. The blankets are still tussled beneath us after Elias fucked us just the way we needed, just the way we’ve been dreaming about for years.

He’s more perfect for us than he realizes, than I think even Jamie realizes.

My gaze moves to my husband, his fingers moving across Elias’ bare chest, tracing the faint scars across Elias' stomach with a gentleness that makes my chest ache. My attention continues onto the slow rise and fall of Elias' chest, his breathing deep and even in sleep. It’s almost hypnotic but I can’t seem to let myself relax as I try to piece together how he’s been hiding as an Omega all this time.

That scent changer he uses—it’s strong, masking the stormy rain I only caught a whiff of when I held him earlier. How has he kept this up, parading as an Alpha or even a Beta, fooling everyone? How has no one seen the weight he’s carrying?

I should’ve recognized him right away. Elias, the YouTube adventure star, the face of Tristan’s crew at Hallis Films. I’ve watched his videos, not lately, but enough to remember the fire in his eyes, the way he threw himself into climbs and hikes with a passion that made my heart race.

His stunts always felt too reckless, like he was tempting fate, and they put me on edge, even through a screen.

But when he walked into this room, he wasn’t that guy.

He was weary, his green eyes shadowed, shock clinging to him like a second skin.

The man who stumbled up those stairs wasn’t the one grinning in his videos.

Something seems to be gnawing away at that happy Omega he used to be and it’s more than whatever happened this morning.

My fingers drift down his arm, careful not to wake him.

His skin is still flushed to the touch, the poor Omega nearly passing out a few hours ago.

Jamie was worried, about to call an ambulance when I assured him that this was normal.

That the deep slumber an Omega falls into is a testament to how safe he feels after sharing moments like these with his Alphas.

A sigh falls from my lips as I continue my descent, only pausing when I reach his hand.

I lift it gently, frowning at the tender, swollen skin on his knuckles, like he slammed his fist into something—or someone.

What have you been doing out there, Elias?

I glance up and catch Jamie’s eyes across Elias' sleeping form. His brow’s furrowed, his hazel gaze heavy with worry. “Who did all this to him?” he asks.

I laugh softly, trying to keep it light, to ease the tension in the air. “Babe, he does a lot of hiking and—”

Jamie shakes his head, cutting me off, his long blond hair slipping over his shoulder. “No, I’ve never seen him get hurt. His videos are fun. I didn’t know who he was until I saw all the scars. But I just… who did this?”

I don’t catch his meaning at first, not until he lifts Elias' other hand, turning it over in the dim light. The skin across his hand is just as red as the one I’m holding but it’s different.

Like something was ripped off it. One hand screams of a fight, a punch thrown in anger; the other looks like he clawed his way free from something. How did we not notice before?

My heart rate kicks up, a cold knot forming in my chest. I sit up a little, the blanket slipping to my waist, my eyes darting between his hands. What the hell happened to him? Who did this?

Elias groans, a small, broken sound falling from his lips, and my gaze snaps to his face.

He startles and bolts upright against the headboard, his green eyes wild.

His breaths come in quick pants as his hands dig into the pillows on either side of him, his gaze darting between us for several seconds.

I don’t understand his panic which just makes me feel worse about the entire situation.

“Hey, baby, look at me,” I purr, throwing an ounce of my Alpha voice into my words.

He calms almost immediately, those green eyes firmly locked on my brown ones.

“You’re here with us. You’re okay.” His nostrils flare in almost defiance as Jamie scoots a little closer to curl into his side.

Our presence seems to offer a calming effect but it’s not a permanent solution.

“What happened? You came in here in shock, but we didn’t…

well, this happened, and I love that it did, but did someone hurt you? ”

Panic flashes in his green eyes, like I’ve hit too close to something he’s hiding.

He pulls his hand back from mine and clutches it to his chest. His teeth sink into his bottom lip as he looks between me and Jamie.

“I shouldn’t have done it,” he whispers, his voice shaking.

“I should have just sucked it up. It’s fine. I’m okay. I just… what time is it?”

My heart twists at how flustered he is, Jamie’s touch keeping him anchored—just barely, his hand steady on Elias' chest, but it’s like Elias can’t figure out why our scents are settling him.

One moment, he’s calm; the next, he’s worked up again, his chest rising faster, his hands clenching the pillows a bit tighter.

Goddess, he’s precious, this big, rugged Omega carrying so much weight behind that fake Alpha grin I’ve seen in his videos.

I want to pull him close, to wrap him in my arms again and chase away whatever’s breaking him. I also want to bash whoever’s face in that made him this way. I’m rooting for it being Tristan, at the very least, and I would love for nothing more to show my claws wherever he’s concerned.

I lean closer, offering him a warm smile, trying to catch his gaze. “Elias, I need you to look at me. Breathe with me. You don’t have to tell me what happened, but I need you to breathe.”

His eyes snap to mine, uncertainty rushing through his expression, but he listens.

He matches my slow inhales, my steady exhales, his chest rising and falling in time with mine.

The panic in his gaze softens, his shoulders easing once again, the sweetness of his scent slipping out.

My heart calms with the moment as I reach forward to squeeze his thigh, to let him know that he’s safe right here between us.

His eyes darken, a flicker of lust cutting through the fear, and my own body ignites, heat pooling low in my belly.

I want him again, want to feel his hands on me, his dominance taking over like it did earlier.

But I know he’s not ready for more—not for the conversation that’s been circling in my head since we fell into bed. Mates .

“It’s just after 5 pm,” I finally answer. “We all kind of passed out for a bit. Will we see you this evening?”

Elias frowns, his brows furrowing. “What do you mean?”

Maybe we should have introduced ourselves before this moment but it’s too late to go back now. Elias glances over at Jamie who’s sat up a little bit, worry in his eyes. Elias looks back to me, running our username over his tongue several times before it clicks. “You’re… Dane Productions. Fuck.”

He scrambles from the bed as he fumbles to stuff his cock back into his pants and button it.

His scent blasts through the blocker, a soured version of the sweetness we’ve been enjoying.

He starts roughly running his fingers along his beard, mumbling something incoherent as he searches for his shirt.

Shit.

I pull the sheet with me and wrap it around my chest before climbing from the bed to soothe Elias again. “Hey, Elias, we didn’t seek you out. I promise. Maybe I thought your picture was familiar or not, but that wasn’t why we reached out. You have this charm about you and I…”

He cuts me off, his hands tightening around the shirt he’s just picked up off the floor. “How can I believe that?” he cries, like he’s fighting to keep it together. “Fuck, don’t tell anyone I’m an Omega. They can’t know. I’ll lose my job.”

The fear in his eyes tells me that his reaction has less to do with us and everything to do with where he stands in the entertainment world.

My instincts keep telling me to drag him back into bed and soothe his panic but I’ve never been good at that—not even with Jamie.

Sometimes my touch is just a tad bit rough but this is the first time I’ve truly hated what I’m incapable of.

Jamie sits up completely from his perch on the bed, his hazel eyes narrowing with concern. “What do you mean, sweetheart?”

Elias' nostrils flare, his cheeks flushing red, a mix of anger and embarrassment catching in his expression. “No one wants an Omega out there doing all those things, okay?” he says, his voice rising, cracking under the strain. “And if that…”

I step forward but then Elias cringes back, his shoulders hunching like he’s bracing for something worse.

I don’t even have time to feel hurt as Jamie moves past me, closing the distance between him and Elias in a heartbeat.

He lands a soft hand on Elias’ arm, their gazes locking together as the Omega calms once again.

His scent hardens and then sours before that sweeter, honeydew rain scent breaks through.

“I don’t understand why you can do that,” Elias pushes out. “It’s like when you touch me, everything else is gone. I don’t get it.”

I need to touch him. Hold him. Promise him that I’ll ruin the world for him. That I’ll get rid of the forces in his life that have tried to trample him. Those thoughts are irrational but there’s no mistaking that this beautiful Omega is mine , ours.

Testing my luck, I step forward again, this time offering my hand.

He hesitates, almost as if he’s not sure he can have this before leaning forward to nuzzle my palm, his nose dragging along my flesh as he soaks up my scent.

My heart skips, a smile tugging at my lips as I feel him relax just a little more.

“There’s nothing to understand when it comes to biology, baby. We either accept it or reject it.”

He doesn’t look at me this time when he speaks, still drinking up my scent. “I’m terrified of what that means.”

I hum in the place of a response, letting my thumb run alongside his beard.

I’ve never met someone more perfect than Elias but I also know he’s terrified—maybe of us, this dynamic, or maybe something else entirely.

Whatever it is, I won’t push. “Well, we’ll see each other tonight, yes?

” It was a gamble even asking the first time.

I just knew that production companies, up and coming actors, and marketing firms were invited.

It only made sense that Elias would be as well.

“Let’s enjoy the evening and revisit this tomorrow.

If you reach out, we’ll know this was more than just a one-time thing.

And if not, we’ll go our separate ways.”

Elias slowly pulls back, my body moving of its own accord as I step into his space, his arms moving to hold us against his chest. Jamie is in heaven, pure bliss radiating off his face as he buries himself into Elias’ embrace.

We stand like that for a while, a rumbling sound moving through Elias’ chest that takes me an embarrassingly long time to figure out what’s going on.

He’s purring for us.

Our Omega is purring for his Alphas.