Florence nodded, and then scurried from the room, returning a beat later with a full tray that she set in the middle of the table. Hunter watched me closely as I settled into my chair, swirling the golden liquid around his glass. “It’s time to eat, little omega,” he said, nudging the silver tray toward me. “You won’t be leaving this table until I’m satisfied that you’ve had enough.”
It was such a Hunter line, and since Kellan wasn’t here, I had to be the one to say, “Is that an order, Daddy Alpha? Because I don’t remember asking for a keeper.”
He dropped his glass with a thud, and a choked gasp escaped me when he wrapped his claim around my throat, capturing me inhis way. He leaned in closer, his voice a purr of dominance. “You have a keeper, Babygirl. You are kept. Owned. Claimed.Mine.” His voice lowered even more, and as I melted into my chair, he released me just as suddenly, retrieving his drink once more. “And don’t you ever forget it.”
There was literally no way, outside of a lobotomy, to forget Hunter Reeves and his claim.
The intensity eased up at the clomp of boots, and I wasn’t surprised when Slade entered the room, but he also had… Finley… right behind him.
This was the first time I’d had dinner with either of these alphas, and Hunter ignored them completely, his attention burning into the side of my face. He’d issued an order to eat, and despite my thoughts earlier that I would choke it down no matter what, Florence’s sorrow fueling mine had me sick to my stomach again.
“Why haven’t you eaten anything, Emmeline?” Slade asked, looking between Hunter and me. “You’ve been sitting here for a few minutes drinking wine, but no food was touched.”
My brow furrowed as I glanced up to the ceiling again, searching for cameras. How did these alphas keep stalking me so thoroughly when I never saw a single camera. “It’s Reeves technology,” Hunter told me, and when I met his gaze this time, the burn deep in those stormy depths almost undid me. “You’re never going to find the hardware.”
These stalking assholeswouldhave been pushing on my last nerve, but Kellan had me fully occupied worrying about him. I’d deal with the rest of my pack another time.
The alphas watched me closely, even Finley, expression closed off but not angry. I was well aware that they’d wait forever to make sure I ate first, and as frustrating as they were, this was the part of being with a pack I loved the most. The care and consideration.
The little gestures meant the most to me; I’d never had anyone care before. Living or dying, hungry or full, as long as I stayed out of the way, no one gave a shit.
These alphas gave a shit, and it was disconcerting.
Leaning closer to the tray, I breathed in the delicious scents, touched that Florence and Gerry had included all the starters that I’d ever shown an interest in: bacon-wrapped chicken,turkey meatballs, beef skewers, prawn cocktails, and an array of cheeses. Not a single fruit or vegetable touched the delicious meat selection, and I tried very hard not to cry again at the thoughtfulness.
No one cried over cheese, and this was about way more than that, but the cheese was nice too.
Grasping one of the serving tools, I took a selection and then shoved the tray toward the boys. None of them touched the food until I lifted a chicken scroll and took a bite. My stomach cramped immediately, and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to eat, until the salt and juice of the meat hit my tongue, and my stomach eased up.
I closed my eyes to savor that taste, having learned not to make any sort of appreciative sounds while in the room with these alphas. Food would be enjoyed in silence, lest I caused their beasts to go a touch feral. It was a scented-mate quirk, and nothing to do with me personally.
At least not for two of the four alphas in my pack.
When I finished the scroll, I opened my eyes to hunt out my next selection, pausing at three sets of blazing gazes locked on me. “I didn’t moan,” I blurted out, looking between them. “I didn’t make a single sound.”
Finley averted his eyes fast, taking a gulp of his beer, while the other two didn’t even attempt to look away. “We can feel your enjoyment,” Slade told me, and there was an intensity in his voice that he rarely let himself reveal. I had no idea where my coldly contained dragon was, but this alpha was all fire. “Your emotions are potent. I can’t imagine the strength of it when a bond is completed.”
My mouth fell open; I was thankful I’d already swallowed my food. “Even unbonded you canfeel me?”
I couldn’t sense their emotions, outside of dominance and scent. Okay, and that slight tugging in my chest as our beastsattempted to drag us together, but again, that wasn’t akin tofeelingtheir emotions.
Hunter nodded, and as he tilted his glass, I was stuck on the strong lines of his throat as he swallowed the last of his whiskey.Goddess be damned.“Yes, alphas can feel their scent-matches’ beasts. That’s how the four of us knew we were meant to form a quintet. It’s a draw that supersedes everything else. The four of us bonded through a magical connection ceremony, because we’re brothers and decided that the bite wouldn’t join us. Not until we found our fifth. We all sensed the final of our quintet would be a female we’d share. So, you’ll be the only one we bite, which will make you the core of our quintet. The… heart, if you will. As an omega, once you bond with all of us, you’ll feel us more intimately.”
Fighting the urge to fidget on my seat, my body heavy and throbbing, I considered what this truly meant for me. And my future.
It wasn’t that I hadn’t thought of sharing the four alphas sexually—it was the only real quintet experience I’d grown up with, so while my mom’s had been a toxic setup, it didn’t feel odd. But I didn’t know about them being able tofeelmy emotional upheavals. “My mom was bonded with a full pack of alphas, and they never acted like they could feel her emotions. Or at least they didn’t care about them if they did. She was there to serve them and their needs.”
Actually...I’d never even seen themofferher food, let alone wait for her to eat first.
No wonder my pack continually took me by surprise. They were smashing every one of my preconceived notions of an omega with four alphas right out of the water.
They observed me in silence, and I realized I’d just spilled a fairly private detail about my mom and her pack dynamics. Information I didn’t usually freely offer.
“If what you say is true, then your mom’s pack could not be true alphas,” Finley said finally, shaking his head and taking another swig of his beer. “They’re a pathetic example of our designation, and shouldn’t have been blessed with a quintet, let alone an omega.”
I blinked at him. “You… you think an omega is a blessing? I mean, you’ve hidden itreallywell.”
He hadn’t done anything tonight to deserve my sarcastic response, but parts of me were still bruised and battered from his previous attitude.
