Page 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

“ Y ou already know?” Posie’s chocolate-brown eyes widen, and her breathing becomes shallow as she pushes me away. My Alpha demands I hold on and not let go, so my arms tighten, keeping all her fuckable curves tucked against me. Her gorgeous skin pales, and I know I’ve fucked up. Big time.

And she doesn’t even know about the stalking.

There’s no hiding now—I can only hope the instinctual pull between us is enough to have her overlooking my keeping this from her for the last seven years. It was always a risk—but I still think it was the only choice I had, given the situation .

“I’ve known since the accident,” I confess, allowing the admission to flow freely. There’s no hiding now. “But I didn’t know what to do about it. You were too young, and everything was all wrong. It was so confusing and fucked up. My parents had just died…”

She shoves against me again, wriggling, her body begging for space. Gritting my teeth so hard that pain shoots through my jaw, I finally coax my arms open, allowing her to slide off my lap. She moves to stand, but I grip her thighs to keep her next to me. Smooth, silky skin heats under my palm, and my flaccid cock perks up, noting how amazing our mate is and wondering why we don’t fuck it out instead of talking.

Bad idea? Or…

Posie’s lip trembles beneath her teeth, her eyes going blank as she relives every detail of what she thought she knew. Her silence is deafening, and my palms become slippery as I wait for the condemnation.

“Is that why you always fled from every room I entered?” she asks in a monotone, as though in a daze. “I thought it was because you couldn’t bear the sight of the person who killed your parents.”

Fuck it all to hell. Her sweet scent turns bitter, and I ache to soothe the pain away. How many little hurts did I create just trying to survive?

“No, Puff. I swear on my life I’ve never blamed you.”

The loud slamming of a door outside, combined with masculine shouts, startles me, and my head whips toward the window.

“Was that Owen’s voice?” Posie asks, hysteria rising. She yanks her leg away, rushing to the front-facing window in her room. It’s covered with blackout curtains, but she shoves them aside. They flutter silently around her when they fall back down. Her long hair is a mess, tumbling in waves down her back that just skim the top of her juicy ass.

Another door slams, and she spins away, looking like a wild animal backed into a corner.

“My brother and his pack are here,” she hisses, causing my blood to pump faster. There’s so much we need to talk about to clear the air and move forward into our forever.

“Shit. What the fuck are they doing here? We’re supposed to have two more days,” I snarl, fury building in my belly. They were supposed to be hours away. “It’s fine. We can head to my apartment.”

“What? No,” she squeaks, rushing into the bathroom. She sprints back out, a gloss of sweat shining on her ample chest, wielding a can of de-scenter spray. The button depresses with a loud squeal, sending a liberal mist into the air. “You need to go back to your room. They can’t know.”

And fuck it all, she’s right. My best friend can’t find me in his sister’s bedroom. If I go to him and talk it out, maybe I’ll be able to save our relationship—but finding me here, cock flapping in the wind with his barely dressed baby sister, that’s the road to hell.

“Shit.” With a last glance at my beautiful mate, I leap from the bed and sprint into the room across the hallway. Without stopping, I spring onto the bed and wrestle with the blanket, yanking it over my shoulders just as the front door opens with a bang .

My heart races, and my breathing comes in rapid pants as I slam my eyes shut and pretend I don’t want to run right back into Posie’s room and claim her for all to see.

“Shhhhh, be quiet, you fool. They’re probably still asleep.” Owen’s irritation floats up the stairs.

“Should we wake Miller and let him know he’s off babysitting duty?” Damien asks, and I bare my teeth even though they can’t see me. Nothing’s making me leave her side. It’s too late now—I’ve let my Alpha out. We won’t be satisfied until Posie bears my mark.

“Nah. Let them sleep. Let’s start some coffee,” Crimson chimes in, his voice growing softer as they walk deeper into the house. “I wish Niko had come home with us.”

Their footsteps fade, and I take a few deep breaths to steady myself. Straining my ears, I listen for any movement across the hall, but there’s nothing, just the faint metallic fragrance of the de-scenting mist. Sighing with frustration, I sit up, more confused than ever.

What do I do?

All I know is that lying here won’t bring any answers. I might as well go find out what’s going on.

The muttering from the living room gets louder when I step off the landing, and a grouchy mood overtakes me. Although a part of me is concerned for my friends, since something is obviously wrong to bring them home so early, a bigger part is so fucking mad.

My knot’s still half swollen from this morning, refusing to go down until I bury it deep inside Posie’s virgin pussy. It chafes against my athletic shorts. The thought of it locked deep inside her, milked as orgasm after orgasm ravages her body, nearly brings me back to full-mast, and I shift, trying to get it under control before seeing the younger Pack Moore.

“Miller?” Owen’s voice calls from the kitchen. With my nerves dancing a two-step, I walk into the room.

“Hey. Heard you guys come in. Jazzy didn’t go into heat?” It’s the obvious assumption, though it doesn’t make sense. Even if she didn’t, they could have still enjoyed the brief vacation and fucked her to their hearts’ content. If they’re seriously considering her for a pack omega, they might as well spend some time together in and out of the bedroom.

After all, not everyone gets lucky enough to find their scent match.

The coffee pot is calling my name, so I make a beeline toward it, grabbing a cup from the cupboard. I lived here for almost a year after my parents died, and nothing has changed places since then. Mama Rosa is fastidious about everything being in the right spots—it’s part of her omega nature.

I grin, excited to get a better glimpse into what makes Posie tick. Although I already know so much about her, living with someone day-to-day is different, and here, her omega instincts are more muted in deference to her mom.

The coffee sloshes as I pour the aromatic liquid into my mug, and the surrounding silence snaps me out of my musings .

“What’s going on?” I ask, taking a sip and letting my eyes dance between my closest friends. They glance awkwardly at one another as if unsure, and for the first time, I feel like an outsider. A cold sweat breaks out across my back, and my stomach clenches as I pretend to take an unbothered drink from the black tar in the mug.

Do they know already? Are there cameras in the house?

Fuckity fuck fuck. Dread spirals around me, but I grit my teeth, knowing I won’t give up, won’t leave Posie without a fight. There are three of them, but I’m scrappy. No matter what they do, she’s mine.

Mine to love. Mine to mate. Mine to keep— forever .

My muscles coil, ready for them to spring forward and attempt to pound me into dust, but instead, Crimson flops onto a chair dramatically.

“Jazzy turned out to be a big ol’ bitchhhhhhhhhh,” he complains, and all the wind blows out of my sails. Not that I don’t want them to know, but the timing needs to be right—Posie and I need to discuss it before—not sneak around like teenagers.

“Whatcha mean?” I ask, joining him at the table. Sliding onto the wooden seat, I pull my phone out of my pocket. I’ve been texting Posie since I left her room, but she still hasn’t answered—we’re gonna have a serious chat about that when I get her alone.

Me

It’s Owen, Crimson, and Damien. Apparently, Jazzy was shitty.

No bubble. No answer. But I leave it face up, anyway .

“She was in early heat when we got there,” Owen explains, slouching down with his cup. “And it all seemed fine… until Niko walked in.”

Frowning, I wait for more information. Niko isn’t the most social person, but he’s a good dude, so I don’t fully understand the issue. He tried out to play college ball with us but never excelled, so it wasn’t a surprise when he dropped athletics to focus on other ventures. The Alpha’s super smart and ended up creating a sneaker brand that sells the most comfortable damn shoes in the universe. He makes bank on them, probably more than any of us do as pro-baseball players.

“Then that freaking bitch started up with a whole world of drama,” Damien shares, his eyes flashing with fury. He’s the most coolheaded member of Pack Moore, so I already know it’s going to be bad. “She didn’t like the way he looked. She didn’t like the way he smiled. He wasn’t dominant enough. We could stay, but he had to go.”

“Which is ridiculous because she knows nothing about him,” Crimson chimes in. “If she did, she would know he’s the most dominant of all of us.”

My eyebrows raise. That’s news to me, but I’ve avoided learning too much about their pack dynamics or sexual proclivities.

“We weren’t going to stay if he couldn’t, so we all left,” Owen jumps in, his face red with anger. “Niko kept insisting we should, and that he was fine being left out. Kept saying the omega’s comfort is most important. But fuck if I’ll do that to my pack mate. ”

“Of course you did. That’s bullshit,” I agree, with a grimace. Niko isn’t as muscular as the other guys, sporting more of a dad bod than a six-pack, but there’s nothing wrong with that.

“It just doesn’t make sense,” Crimson growls, standing up to pace the floor while tugging at his hair. Of all of them, he’s probably closest to Niko. “And it’s the second damn time, too. I’m worried he’s going to leave the pack and go rogue.”

Holy shit. The idea of their pack breaking apart makes me squirm. I prefer being a lone Alpha. It’s in my DNA, but leaving a pack can seriously fuck an Alpha up; doing irreparable damage. My heart hurts for them, and I sense the desolation in the room.

“He probably just needs some space. And you need some better-quality omegas,” I say slowly, noting their slumped shoulders and sullen expressions. “Do your best to make sure he knows why he’s an important piece of your pack.”

Sensing their defeat, I try not to be the most manipulative asshole ever, but I can’t help but add, “Maybe you should be with him right now. I have everything handled here.”

Please leave me here.

Crossing my fingers, I wait for them to jump at the chance to do the right thing, but when Owen’s eyes narrow, my mouth dries, hoping I haven’t overplayed my hand. He stares at me as though trying to read my mind and ferret out my secrets. Thankfully, I don’t turn into a puddle of flop sweat.

“Nah, he’s off touring one of his factories. He didn’t want to come home, so we’re all good to stay here. Unless there’s a reason you need to be alone with my sister?” he asks like he already knows the answer, and I can sense his Alpha rising .

Our eyes lock. Two dominant bulls, ready to smash horns. Shit’s about to get bloody, and I hope the other Alphas of Pack Moore don’t jump in—three might be a bit more than I can take.

“Wow. It smells tense in here. Everyone all right?” a loud voice booms from the hallway, echoing into the room. Both of us jump and whirl toward the intruder. An enormous man stands in the doorway dressed in black, wearing bright-yellow sneakers.

“Niko!” Crimson shouts, launching himself across the room. With a last glare, Owen goes to welcome his packmate, and I slip out my phone to check it once again.

Not a single damn word from my mate upstairs. Slipping out of the room amid the commotion, I take the stairs two at a time. The need to get eyes on her is completely overwhelming.

Her door’s ajar, and I shove it open further until the metallic hit of de-scenter smacks me in the face. It’s even thicker now than before, and suddenly, I know, without a shadow of a doubt, she’s gone.

Where are you running off to, my girl?

Fortunately, I don’t need to wonder long because I have an app for that. Pulling it up, I tap my foot on the ground impatiently until the little blue dot appears. It’s moving quickly, probably in a rideshare—heading straight for Emma’s apartment.

Gotcha.