Page 33 of Toxic Revenge, Part Two (Mafia Omegas #2)

Chapter

Thirty-One

TALIA

West stood at the foot of my nest, arms crossed over his chest.

“I think I’ve been very patient,” he said, “but I need to know what Mira meant about killing Benjamin.”

To his credit, he had been very patient. I sighed, patting the nest beside me. “Come here, then.”

The day had been exhausting, but I loved being back in my own space. Finally having their scents properly marking my nest made it even better. Conrad was busy rolling around in the pillows, though he poked his head out at West’s serious tone.

Mercer lounged against the headboard, tracing the numbers on his knuckles absentmindedly. West came and sat on the edge of the bed beside his packmate, looking tense.

I crawled further into the autumn-scented chaos and patted the bed again. “Into the nest. Not beside the nest.”

“Can you please just?—”

“Listen to her, and we won’t have to wait anymore.” Mercer rolled his eyes. “I’d also like to know how killing her bondmate could be an option.”

West grumbled, but climbed into the nest. He brought a pillow to his neck and scent marked it, and I relaxed with a grin.

“Mira and Lavinia suggested something. An alternative to locking Benjamin up and throwing away the key. It’s a way you’d be able to bond me.”

The start of my explanation was met with hesitant optimism from Mercer, a grin from Conrad, and a frown from West.

“How? You’re claimed already. No bonding attempt would stick.” West glanced at Conrad. “He already tried, and nothing happened.”

“If we can find Benjamin and convince him to accept you all as packmates, then a bonding attempt would work.”

Only members of a pack could bond the same omega. If they weren’t in a pack bond with the first alpha to make their claim, other bonding marks would be blocked. Yet, packs weren’t set in stone. They could grow.

If they completed the pack bonding ritual with Benjamin, his claimed omega would become theirs.

I would become theirs.

“Where does getting rid of Benjamin for good come in?” West asked.

Ever practical—he wasn’t getting his hopes up. I sighed. “Once I’m bonded to you three, we kill him.”

It almost sounded simple when I ignored all thoughts about the aftermath.

Mercer didn’t miss the flaw I had yet to mention. “Your bond with him will still break, sweetheart. You could die.”

“My sisters found some research on it. The study observed omegas who lost an alpha but had at least two living alphas to help them through the loss. Ninety percent of the omegas survived and recovered from the broken bond.”

“And ten percent of those omegas died.” West shook his head.

I reached out and grabbed his hand, looking at him with pleading eyes. “I don’t want to have him in my head for the rest of my life. Dr. Jalisco can teach me all the coping methods she has, and they’ll never be as helpful as him being gone.”

He squeezed my hand.

I knew what I was asking of them—I wanted them to risk heartbreak and a broken bond of their own. If I died, they would have to live with the guilt of it forever, no matter how much it wouldn’t be their fault.

“Can you agree to the first part, at least?” I asked quietly. “Becoming packmates with Benjamin? Bonding me?”

“I would do anything to be able to claim you, princess,” Conrad said.

Most of his body was still buried in pillows and blankets, which was adorable.

West brought my hand to his lips and kissed it. “Bonding you, I can agree to.”

“At the first opportunity, we’ll claim you as ours,” Mercer agreed. “But I doubt Benjamin is going to pack up with us without a fight, and your fathers will never let you kill him.”

“That’s why Mira said we need to find him ourselves,” I said. “So I can make the choice, at least.”

Mom had said she would do her best to allow me my freedom of choice, but this might be the one choice my fathers would never allow. One of very few they would defy their wife over. They loved me too much to let me take the risk.

And I might not do it in the end.

I had options to blunt his impact, despite the initial hopelessness of it all.

We would have to wait and see.

“If we want to find him before your fathers do, the best option would be to look into Pops,” Mercer said. “The Benji he mentioned when Gears was at the warehouse has to be Benjamin. Pops met up with him, and I bet my father’s not as good at covering his tracks as your scent match is.”

“Lavinia definitely already has Emilia trying that angle,” I said. “With some luck, we’ll find him soon. There are only so many places he can hide.”

Capturing him was going to be a different story—but one for another day.

For tonight, I wanted to relish being home again. In my familiar bed, with the pack who felt like they should’ve been in here years ago.

“Can I get my alpha cuddles now?” I asked, tugging at West’s hand.

Mercer cracked a smile. “Desperate, are you?”

“Absolutely.”

Mercer stole me before West could tuck me under his arm, pressing me down into the mattress and laying beside me. Conrad emerged from the pillows on my other side, exuding a comfortable warmth. I laughed at West’s irritated growl.

“I had her first, but you two are stealing the omega cuddles?” he demanded.

“I need omega cuddles to heal.” Conrad made a big show of tilting his head to the side, showing off his neck bandage.

The doctor had checked him over earlier—he was perfectly fine. Alpha healing had almost completely closed the wound, leaving barely a scar. He didn’t even need the bandage anymore.

West knew that, same as I did. He glared at his packmate.

“I’m pack lead, doesn’t that give me first rights anyway?” Mercer asked with a smirk.

“You assholes.”

I rolled my eyes. Pushing myself up, I swung a leg over Mercer’s hips and pressed my chest to his. Our lips brushed together once before I sat upright and glanced over my shoulder. “It’s OK, West. I had a different kind of cuddling in mind, anyway.”

Mercer’s hands went down to rest on my hips, his cock already throbbing beneath me. I ground my covered pussy against his cock, eliciting a moan from him.

“I want to do naked cuddling,” I said in case they hadn’t gotten the gist.

“I’d better take your clothes off then.” Mercer’s husky voice sent a shiver of desire running through me.

He grabbed the hem of my t-shirt, but I stopped his hand.

“No, let West do it. Considering you were going to be rude and steal his cuddles.”

Mercer narrowed his eyes at West, but dropped his hands. A warm blanket of wool and smoke enveloped me from behind as West came closer.

Kneeling behind me, he grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled it up one pain-staking inch at a time. His thumbs traced along my stomach, then over my nipples, until finally my skin was bare and on display.

Conrad groaned. “Fuck, I love naked cuddling.”

West cupped my breasts from behind, his lips pressing to the back of my neck before he abruptly pulled back. “Sorry. That was too close to the mark, wasn’t it?”

He was so quick to realize his mistake and correct it, I’d barely noticed. I appreciated the mindfulness, but at the same time… Benjamin didn’t deserve to intrude on moments like this with my alphas.

Could it be different this time?

I knew what my reaction would be when he got too close to the mark, based on last time it was nearly touched. The feelings it brought up had been similar to ones I’d worked through with Dr. Jalisco.

What if I could breathe until those negative feelings dissipated and left only the pleasure of West’s touch?

Hesitantly, I tipped my head to the side and bared my bondmark, still covered by a bandage. “Can you try… kissing my neck? Please. I want to test something out.”

West’s eyes widened. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

He swallowed hard. I wasn’t sure if he would do it. I should have asked Mercer—someone who wasn’t as terrified to hurt me.

“Alright.”

I tried to relax as he leaned in, but my posture was stiff. The bite throbbed as West’s lips touched my shoulder, slowly kissing a line toward it. Fear and anger—remnants of the moment I’d gotten the mark—bubbled up, growing like a living thing.

Four counts in. I drew in a deep breath.

Hold.

Four out.

Hold.

I let the feelings grow. They reached a crescendo when West’s lips fluttered over the bandage, barely putting any pressure. Then he carried on his way back down to my shoulder, lavishing sweet kisses but not risking any nipping or sucking.

To my surprise, the fear diminished. Even once he’d made his way back to the mark itself, it didn’t come roaring back with the same intensity.

My anger was a different story, but that was to be expected. It remained simmering under my skin, directed at the horrible man who’d made it so I couldn’t enjoy this touch.

Not yet, anyway.

Lifting West’s head, I turned to claim his lips in a kiss. He groaned and leaned in, cupping my jaw to deepen it. I melted, slowly shifting my hips to grind on Mercer’s bulge.

When I pulled back I was panting, and all remnants of the emotions had been washed away.

“Thank you. It’s still not a place I like to have kissed, but I want one of you to be able to put a bondmark on my neck—on the other side, away from his. I was testing one of the skills the doctor taught me.”

“You’re welcome, sweetheart.” West kissed my nose. “Whatever you need, just tell us and we’ll do it. Anytime.”

“Right now, I need someone to finish stripping me down for naked cuddling.”

Conrad didn’t waste time in stealing me away. He grabbed my hips, lifting me with ease off Mercer’s lap. Kissing down my sternum and stomach, he peeled off my pants and underwear in one go.

Mercer stole me back with a faint growl, positioning me on all fours hovering over him as he laid on his back.

“The view down here is something else,” he grunted.

He grabbed my waist, rising up to take my nipple between his lips.

“What else do you want from us, princess?” Conrad stared at me reverently.

“Fuck me,” I demanded.