Page 36 of The Night Movers: Season One

“I feel exposed,” Ridley muttered, uselessly yanking on the piece of fabric Linus swore was a shirt.

He stared at his own pouting reflection, contemplating making a run for it. He’d been far more confident when it was just him and the beta in his shop. But now, sitting in his room, with his alphas inspecting him, his outfit seemed downright scandalous.

“You look…incredible,” Jensen said, his facial expression giving Ridley the impression he was surprised, which was a little insulting if he was honest.

“I concur,” Diesel said from where he lounged on Ridley’s bed.

Ridley had a bedroom now. It was just as old and dusty as the other unused portions of the sunken hotel, but it had a bed and a vanity with a mirror.

Earlier, Diesel had replaced the bulbs on the vanity so Linus could apply Ridley’s makeup, vowing he would take Ridley shopping to make the room his own.

They were already spoiling him.

That didn’t do anything to minimize Ridley’s current issue. “This isn’t even a shirt,” he whined.

And it wasn’t, really. He frowned at the mirror.

The ‘not shirt’ in question was a mock turtleneck—sort of.

A strip of fabric covered his chest, with a triangular cut exposing everything above his nipples, while the sleeves and collar connected awkwardly, with slits along the arms revealing his pale skin beneath.

It left his entire abdomen bare.

Literally.

Everything below his pecs was all skin. He stared at his reflection in the full-length mirror in the corner. He looked good. He knew he did. But this seemed so…over the top.

Diesel stood, crossing the room. He, Jensen, Ryker, and Steele were all there with him and Linus.

They all dressed very similarly. Tech pants, boots, and hoodies.

The only thing that differed was the color.

Jensen and Steele were in all black from head to toe like Ridley.

Diesel wore black pants with white accents and a snowy white hoodie with a black symbol scrawled across the front.

Ryker wore black pants and a red hoodie.

Was it some kind of uniform?

When Diesel reached him, he slid his arms around him from behind, his rough hands running over his flat belly. “You look so fucking hot, I kind of wanna bend you over and fuck you in front of this mirror, princess.”

Ridley watched Steele roll his eyes where he leaned against the wall beside the door, arms folded like he was only there as some kind of bodyguard. “Didn’t you get enough during his heat?”

“You only say that ‘cause you’ve never been inside him,” Diesel said smugly.

Ridley’s chest flushed scarlet, the color rolling up to stain his cheeks and burn the tips of his ears. “Stop,” he murmured, even as he leaned his weight against him.

“What? It’s true. He’s just mad at himself for not fucking you when you were begging him for it.”

“He’ll beg for it again,” Steele assured the room with a confidence that made Ridley’s lower half take notice.

If Steele made him so horny he ruined these pants, Linus would kill them both.

He’ll beg for it again .

Ridley shivered at his words. Steele was so hard to read.

He was either stoic, furious, or horny. It didn’t matter, though.

He was one of Ridley’s alphas. He was pulled to him, tied to him through blood.

He would beg again. Gladly. He’d probably beg now if he was honest with himself, right there in front of everyone.

Steele came across as a bit of a prick, but that didn’t make him any less fuckable… unfortunately.

Diesel chuckled in his ear. “What’s got you so hot and bothered, princess? My touch or the thought of hanging off Steele’s knot? Hmm?”

The alpha gripped his hips, dragging his ass back against his dick.

“Stop. If you get me wet, I’m gonna have to change again.”

“Okay, princess. For now,” Diesel said.

He started to drop his hands from Ridley’s waist, but he snatched his wrists, guiding him back to press his warm hands on his exposed skin once more. The alpha was always so warm. It was lovely.

“Cold,” Ridley murmured.

Ridley let his eyes fall shut, enjoying the heat, smiling a little when the alpha’s lips pressed a kiss to his neck, right over his exposed pack bite.

“That outfit is gonna start a riot,” Steele said, his voice neutral.

“He’s right,” Ridley said. “Isn’t this too much?”

Linus stood from where he reclined on the threadbare chaise that sat at the foot of the mattress. “It’s just enough,” he assured him.

Diesel stepped back as Linus reached him.

Ridley mourned the loss, shivering. Linus slipped something over Ridley’s head.

Ridley grimaced. Right. His collar. Once the chain was in place, the beta slid it so it was flush against Ridley’s throat but not tight enough to cause discomfort.

Though the chain pressed against the tight fabric of his shirt, the pearl dangling within the diamond webbing sat cooly against his skin.

“I’ll spill as much blood as is needed to let you wear what you like,” Diesel assured him .

“That’s just because you like to fight,” Steele said drolly.

“So do you,” Diesel countered.

Steele snorted. “No, I’m good at fighting—that doesn’t mean I like it.”

“I’m with Diesel,” Ryker chimed in, clearly amused. “I’ll fight for your right to wear whatever scandalous outfit you like, Strawberry. Your ass also looks amazing in those pants.”

Ridley twisted to check. He did like the way the olive-green pants hugged his hips and flared at the legs. Linus had tucked them into heavy black combat boots—more useful for kicking than fashion, which Ridley appreciated but hoped wouldn’t be needed.

“Thanks,” he muttered, unconvinced.

Linus patted him on the shoulder. “This is necessary, lovey,” he assured him.

“There’s a ridiculously prejudicial dress code in the underworld.

At night, omegas are prohibited from wearing anything but white, their only adornments are collars, leashes, and muzzles.

This flies in the face of all that. This is a huge fuck you. ”

“And if the whole place turns on us? On them?” Ridley asked, his gaze darting to the others in the room.

Linus looked genuinely surprised. “Oh, darling. You really don’t know who you’ve aligned yourself with. But you will.”

Ridley stewed on that statement for a moment. How bad could the six of them be out there? Sure, Titus has slapped him…twice. But it was more for show. Besides, in the right context, Ridley would have happily gone to his knees and let Titus do it again.

Jesus, what was wrong with him? Maybe it was all the alpha pheromones.

“You were gonna make a splash even if we dressed you in all white, Strawberry,” Ryker promised. “With that hair, that skin, those eyes…we would have been fighting anyway. We might as well use your looks to our advantage.”

What was the advantage, though?

Linus fussed with Ridley’s hair. He’d pulled the wild, wavy orange cloud into a half ponytail, with loose strands framing his face, softening his sharp features. He’d gone heavy on the dark eye shadow, giving Ridley’s gaze a feline edge, then painted his plush lips a deep mauve.

He looked pretty.

Ridley played with the pearl of his necklace.

Collar.

The door to the room flew open, drawing everyone’s attention.

Titus stormed inside, his perma-frown nailed in place. “Are we ready to go?”

Ridley caught his bottom lip between his teeth, his mouth flooding with saliva as he looked at his alpha. He was so fucking hot. Unlike the other four, Titus wore black tech pants with large pockets and a black shirt with an asymmetric hemline that left the point somewhere around mid-thigh.

Titus wore a long jacket that went almost to his knees and motorcycle boots with large silver buckles. He had his mask in his hand. Not the cloth one from earlier that had covered his lower face but the one he’d worn the day they’d met.

Ridley couldn’t stop staring at the bright blue face with its wide grin locked in place.

Would they all be wearing their masks tonight?

Was anonymity important? It couldn’t be.

Everyone seemed to know them. Didn’t they?

Maybe Ridley would get a mask, too. The anonymity might ground the butterflies taking flight in his stomach.

Some hero Ridley was shaping up to be. Did he want to be a hero? No. He just wanted to find his sister. He couldn’t forget that. He couldn’t ever forget that. The longer it took, the longer Ren suffered at the hands of a horrible alpha…or alphas.

Ridley shook the thought away.

“Do I wear a mask, too?” Ridley asked when his eyes found Titus’s.

“No mask,” Linus interrupted, not looking at Ridley but at the alphas. “No masks, no muzzles. No decorative jewelry designed to keep him quiet.”

Titus heaved a heavy sigh like this bothered him .

Ridley’s pulse shot up, his face contorting into a snarl. “Does that upset you?” he snapped. “Aww, I’m so sorry you can’t muzzle me like a feral dog, Alpha .”

Titus rolled his eyes. “Not as sorry as I am,” he shot back, thrusting his jaw forward, then giving him a smirk that was as sexy as it was infuriating.

“You are the literal worst. Are you even capable of not being an asshole? Like is that even a thing?”

Titus ignored Ridley, raking his gaze over him from head to toe before giving a sharp look at Linus. “Wait, is this what he’s wearing tonight?”

Fury bloomed hot in Ridley’s chest. “I’m right here. You can fucking talk to me.”

Titus made a show of turning to face Ridley. “Is that what you’re wearing?”

“Yeah, this is what I’m wearing. Why? What’s wrong with it?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Titus arched his brow. “Where’s the rest of it?”