“Brynn.” Fury snaps, “This is not your land, and you know it. The Council would have your tail for your trespass. I’ll give you one pass on this because we have had an accord for so long, butif I find you here again, sniffing aroundmymate, I’ll send you back without your balls.”
Oh.That should not be as attractive as it is, the possessive snarl to my Alpha’s tone curling hot in my belly even after the sated heat spike. Lucas pulls me a little closer, covering the thick cocktail perfume with his own fresh breath of the seaside. The last thing that Fury needs now is for the rival pack to be riled further by my scent, setting them off fighting again when Atlas is his only backup. Or… Birds shoot up from deeper in the trees towards the ranch, the roar of an engine accompanying the fright as we all turn towards the source of the noise. Clay shoots from the trees on an ATV, the blinding lights catching the wolves in the clearing and illuminating the rest of my pack as they stand together below us. Tires spin up dirt as he turns side on, ready to floor it back into the trees if things go south, but also to give Teddy some space. Said Beta is perched on the back, his thighs hugging the seat behind Clay's massive form, the long barrel of a shotgun pointed off to the side. Brow low over his eyes, he searches for a moment before Lucas flicks his tail and catches his attention. I watch the minute relaxation on Teddy’s face before he squeezes the grip and raises the shotgun a fraction.
Fury steps forward again, gesturing Atlas to his side until they’re toe-to-toe with Brynn beneath the tree, “Here’s how this is going to go. My second, and my Omega, are going to come down from the tree, and if any of your wolves so much as twitch a whisper in their direction, either Atlas will have their throat out, or Teddy will have a shell in their skull.” Icy blue eyes drift over the other wolves, “Felix, tell your sister congratulations on the pup. I’ll be sure to send a basket.”
Tension descends like a thick fog, and I feel the words for what they are—a threat. Fury would never harm an innocent, that much I’m certain of, but maybe reminders that he knew these wolves and their families would be enough. Brynnresponds with a guttural noise, a muscle in his jaw ticking as he steps back towards his pack, letting out a low whistle.
“We’ll leave, Anthony. But just remember that your little mate is free game until she’s bonded… And maybe even then,” With that, he shifts, tearing into the form of a shaggy gray wolf, taking off into the bushes with his pack following. To my own wolf's pleasure, I note the limping forms that Atlas took out in his first charge and the stained fur where his teeth had broken skin. To myOmegas’pleasure, on the other hand, the sight of my pack defending me and the dominance rolling from my Cardinal in waves sends little flutters through my belly and chest. They had come for me without a second thought, followed my call, and successfully protected me from another pack.
My feminism is curling up and dying under the want to present and let them claim me.
But the warm peters out as I meet Fury’s burning gaze, his namesake clear in them as he narrows them on me. Tugging at his cheeks, a dangerous smile tilts his lips up, and he calls me to him with the curl of a finger.
“You.” He points to me, still in the tree, “Have been a very naughty Omega, Miss Kerris, and I think it’s time we lay down some ground rules with you. Since you’re so keen on running, though, we may need to do it whilst you're tied to the bed.” The fear that would have overwhelmed me just weeks ago is absent now, though the wariness about them changing their mind rises instead. Yet my body betrays me with a hot flush of wetness slicking my sticky thighs, and a petulant little whine creeps from my throat. My Alpha grins wickedly, fangs bared, as Lucas drops me. I screech, feeling nothing but air rushing beneath me, until I’m caught in a freshly shifted Atlas’ arms. Lowering me to the cold ground, my toes scrunching in the dirt, I lick my lips and eye the exits. My heart is thundering at the pack around me, and I want to bolt again. Predatory and powerful, Fury circles me,thick cock bouncing with each step and flashing those terrifying piercings as he moves. So unlike Atlas and Clay's thick builds, he’s lithe, a swimmer’s build rather than a brute. There are droplets of sweat, catching in the dusting of black curls across his chest and abs. He’s a vision in the dark, a warrior inspecting his spoils. Stopping behind me, I’m too jittery to look, frozen by the weight of his judgment. A shiver rattles down my spine as his hot breath puffs across my neck, followed by his lips, tracing from my ear to the join of my shoulder until his mouth is there with just the barest press of teeth. The suction of his mouth draws a soft moan before he pulls away and leaves nothing but the wetness catching the chill of the breeze. Replacing his breath with a firm hand collaring the back of my neck, he pushes me forward, marching towards the house in formations. The ATV lights the way through the broken trees, Atlas following, then Lucas, back in his Jaguar form, slinking his way behind.
“As much as I’d love to chase you again, it’s not safe tonight, so you’ll have to wait until we’re home to be punished.” Perfume clouds our group, much to the frustrated groans of the pack, and I pout up at him.
“Hasn’t stopped you before,Alpha.” I humph, dragging my feet ever so slightly until he swats my ass and scoops me up, “That is unnecessary.”
“What is unnecessary, little Omega, is you calling the whole damn shifter population of the area down on top of your small pack. Brynn won’t take that slight, and I have a feeling there are other things at play.” He’s actually letting me know what’s happening; he’s including me in pack business, in his worries. But his next words have ice forming in my veins, a soft whimpering rising as I throw my arms around his neck, “The bear’s been showing up here. I swear, Skye, if you run again, you’re going to put me in a difficult position. If your heat rises, you have five mates who are more than happy to help youthrough it. We need to be able to trust you. You’reourOmega. This isn’t for the short term, and if we could bond you outside of a heat or spike, we would. But until then, we have to keep you safe.”
It takes me a moment of spluttering up at him before he stops and looks at me properly. His eyes are haunted pools in the dark, his hair draping across us both in dark sheets. “You want to bond me?”
“More than anything, Firecracker,” His use of my nickname warms me again, and I feel less like I’m being told off now. He leans down to nuzzle my face, peppering kisses across my nose and cheeks until I sniff and shake my head, both laughing, “You’re our scent match, our ride or die here, and we’ll spend a lifetime showing you that if you’ll let us. You’ve not had anywhere near the attention and care you should have. Let us shoulder your troubles for a little while, show you that we can give you everything for a chance.”
Atlas chirps in from in front of us, grinning at me over his shoulder, dimples clear under his five o’clock shadow, “We can carry the world if you’ll let us.” It hasn’t skipped my notice that the massive Alpha has a whole atlas tattooed across the breadth of his upper back, in what looks like gray and black watercolors. He flexes his biceps, his whole back rippling with muscle.Very cute.
“It’s just hard for me,” I shrug, crossing my arms the best I can over my chest, “When all I’ve had is shitty treatment from shitty Alphas, passed off and sold at auction because my dad is fed up with me, how can I expect any different? That’s on me… But I need you to be patient with me if I agree. I’m going to fuck up. I’m going to want to run and hide, or fight when I’m cornered, and I need you to be there fighting with me.”
Something like wonderment gleams in Fury’s glassy eyes as they bounce between mine. This time, the smile that graces hisface is genuine, and with a playful raising of his brow, he asks, “Well then, Omega Skye Kerris, as Cardinal of the Amberwood pack, I request that you allow us to court you proper until your heat, when we may choose to complete the bonding with a bite. Do you accept?”
“I accept,” I hum, and there’s a chorus of quiet purring around me, “With a consideration.”
Fury’s grin widens, and his chest shakes from the effort of holding back his pleased laughter, “Go on, Omega.”
“I don’t want to be punished.” I tip my head back and look down my nose at him, sniffing indignantly as he bursts into guffaws of laughter, echoed by the pack around me. There’s even an amused huff from above where Lucas follows closely.
“Oh, little Omega, my Firecracker. There ain’t nothing you can promise me or my pack that will stop me tanning your ass once we get home.”
Lucas
“We’re about an hour out now, ‘Kay, Lukey?” The voice on the phone is bright and cheery, and it does bring a small smile to my face. Not only is it always wonderful to speak to my old pack, but being able to speak Portuguese with Prue is the highlight of my days.
“See you soon,pássaro. Tell Bex that Fury has missed him.” I hear her repeat it in English, and there’s a masculine groan in the background of the call. Prue giggles, followed by some muffled whispering. Surprise raises my brows as I realize that I don’t recognize the voices. The last time I spoke to Prue, she was still living the same life she had since our pack had broken up. She and Beckett—my third—had gone together in their grief, living together and looking after one another when Fury had picked me up after I found his bar one night, looking to drown my own guilt. Our scents had mixed, and the recognition in my soul had sparked brightly when I laid eyes on the other Alpha. He’d clapped me on the shoulder and hugged me so tightly that night, letting me cry into his chest until he took me home after. I guess I just never left after that. Prue and Beckett had silently sworn off Omega seeking too, driving into work with everything that they had, with each other at their backs. As far as I was aware, they were never together. Bex wasn’t interested in women, but it was good to know they still had each other when I found a new family.
“Luc?” Prue’s light voice brings me back, and I grunt an acknowledgment to her, only to have another laugh crackle through the speaker, “I know when you aren’t listening, idiot. I’m bringing… well, the rest of my pack, will that be alright?”
“Prue, you know you never need to ask. The invitation extends to you and any family, but you know we’re in trouble here, so as long as you’re willing to risk them… Or they can help, they’re welcome.”
She scoffs, “Lukey, you know me better than that. I’ll introduce the new guys when I get there. Don’t be too hard on them. I think at least one of them might be a… Solution to your problem.” With that, we say our goodbyes, and I hang up, tipping my head back against the headboard of the bed, and closing my eyes. There’s a warm finger tracing across my chest, doing circles around my nipples, then drifting around to the other one before bumping down across my abs. Muscles clench as she follows the edges of my navel, tickling with the light touch. Since last night, when we finally returned, Skye has been plastered to my side. It’s been unexpected, to say the least. Creaking an eye open to peer down at her, she’s lying on her side, watching the rise and fall of my chest as her touch dances across the expanse of my abdomen. Nothing is arousing in her patterns at all, but the closeness and sweetly bright scent of her still rouses my cock, and I almost snicker as she frowns down at the sheets tenting. Batting at it like an annoyed cat, this time she does get a low chuckle and finally looks up at me.
“Who was on the phone?”Ah.Her jealousy would be almost cute if I weren’t currently in the protective Alpha stage. Having been the first to knot her and start the pack bonding, I’m a little sensitive myself, with my old pack leader emotions rising again.
“My old pack,amorzinho,we have a barbecue every few months in the warmer weather, they’re coming for a visit, and as extra muscle in case Brynn feels like a little revenge.”
I should have been expecting her possessiveness, “Have you fucked her?”
“I have,” When she starts to move, I cuff her wrist, pressing her hand against my stomach and sliding it down until her fingers slip beneath the sheet, “but my cock only wants you now. You’re my Omega, as much as I fought it, and I wish I didn’t want you so much. But you’re mine, and I’m never letting you go now.”
