When he’d regained his composure enough to stand, he pulled Genesis to her feet with him. He yanked her panties down her legs, his other hand already loosening his belt and pants. He lifted her from the ground, carrying her to the nearest stable surface, which happened to be the ladder to the loft. As soon as he’d set her on it, he lined his cock up with her entrance and shoved inside, finding her wet and ready.
Genesis cried out as he thrust into her again and again, hard and fast. He could feel everything in him unraveling, every piece of him crumbling and being put back together to make something new. He plunged deep into her pussy, gripping her ass as he drove into her, wanting to give her everything he had and everything he was and everything he would ever be.
“Oh, god! Oh, Luke!” Genesis moaned. Her pussy squeezed his cock, and his balls tightened, belly clenching as he gave himself over to sensation.
She came, drenching his cock, her pussy gripping his shaft like she owned it. And fuck if he could claim otherwise. He was hers. Maybe he had been all along.
Luke gave a last hard thrust before his swelling knot locked into place and he came with his face buried in her neck. It felt like any remaining emotion he hadn’t cried out was now shooting out in the cum he filled her with, leaving him lighter than he’d felt in ages. He inhaled her delicious scent as her pussy milked his knot, coaxing out every drop of his seed.
Luke reached around her, untying the rope around her wrists with practiced ease, before leaning back to unwind it from hertorso. He rubbed her arms and wrists, making sure he hadn’t bruised her or cut off her circulation. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, staring up into his eyes.
“Your packmates are right about you. You do choose jackassery every time,” Genesis said, that familiar snark back in her voice. “But for some reason, we love you anyway.”
Luke kissed her again and it felt less terrifying. It felt natural and right, like breathing. It felt like a new beginning.
Chapter twenty
Genesis
“Ican’t run this, Gen,” Everett said.
Genesis’s mouth fell open in surprise. She’d spent another month on her story, splitting it into a three-part series with one omega at the center of each and highlighting a different problem facing the omega community. She’d titled it “Disrespected and Unprotected: The Plight of Omegas in Modern Society.”
She’d started with Josephine and how familial greed, misogyny, and medical malpractice resulted in her death, connecting it to copious amounts of research detailing how such factors disproportionately resulted in higher mortality rates for omegas, as well as higher instances of chronic illness, among other health problems. Next, Evelyn’s story illuminated the alarming rates of violence against omegas, while Serenity’s wrapped up the series, tying it all together in her story of being a bartering chip for her fathers, never having proper medical care,and being sold into a trafficking ring. It was powerful stuff, and Genesis knew it.
She lifted her chin, ready to argue, when Everett held up a hand to stop her. “It’s too good forNewsFeed. As your editor, I would love to run it and reap the benefits. But as your friend, I can’t do it in good conscience. This is the kind of work that earns Pulitzers, Gen. You can’t waste it on a rag like ours.”
Everett reached out to connections at larger news outlets, who agreed wholeheartedly with his assessment of the story’s merits. After a bidding war, during which Orlando negotiated a sum with more zeroes than Genesis had ever earned, her series was published prominently via the largest independent news outlet in the country. This was followed by a surreal series of events over the next few months, including television appearances, a book deal, and nominations for awards Genesis had coveted for her entire career.
Pack Rossi was at her side the entire time, cheering her on and sharing her joy. The three-month mark came and went, and their courtship was still going strong. At the six-month mark, Genesis moved into a guest room in the main house, which she never slept in. By month nine, they decided it was time finally to move into the pack bedroom. After that, it wasn’t long before they made things official.
Genesis’s fathers were insistent that her old loft was hers to do with as she pleased. They were right that she could sell it for a substantial amount, considering its prime location and amenities. Secure omega housing was highly coveted and didn’t come cheap, and spots in her building didn’t open up often.
Orlando sold the place for well above market value to a business associate, who also happened to be Serenity Rhodes’ father-in-law. Genesis was delighted to learn that he’d purchased it for his youngest daughter, Lory. It would be the feisty young omega’s first time living on her own, whichseemed quite fitting considering it’d served a similar purpose for Genesis. She hoped Lory found as much happiness as she had.
Not long after they’d mated, Genesis and Gabriel combined their creative energies to design a brand-new exhibit for Pack Rossi’s art gallery. It featured Gabriel’s collages accompanied by excerpts from Genesis’s story, as well as several pieces by omega artists from all over the world. There was so much interest in the exhibit that they actually had to sell tickets, earning a tidy profit that they planned to donate to Serenity Rhodes’ charity for trafficking survivors. Not only did the tickets sell out in record time, but quite a few collectors had already placed bids on the artwork, sight unseen.
When Pack Rossi arrived at the gallery, Genesis’s mouth dropped open. The gallery’s director had set up a red carpet at the entrance, and members of the press who hadn’t managed to get tickets stood behind velvet ropes like they were at a Hollywood awards show. Genesis watched through the limo’s dark windows as a number of high-profile guests walked the red carpet, posing for pictures and answering the reporters’ shouted inquiries.
“What the hell?” Genesis asked, turning her stunned face toward her alphas. “Did you know about all of this?”
Orlando’s enigmatic smile, Gabriel’s wide grin, and Luke’s smirk assured her they had.
“You earned it, Buttercup,” Luke drawled, leaning back against his seat with his legs wide in that casually dominant way that still set her on fire. “We didn’t really have a choice given how much buzz there was around opening night.”
Orlando, who sat beside her, took her hand in his, intertwining their fingers and bringing them to his mouth to kiss her knuckles. Genesis shivered, caught by his molten amber gaze. It was like this every day—Pack Rossi captivated her, excited her, drove her wild. She knew without a doubt that she’d waited solong to mate because she was meant to find them, her alphas, at the exact right time. Neither she nor they had been ready before.
“Enjoy this moment, Tesoro. You’ve earned it,” Orlando told her in his velvet voice. “We are so proud of you.”
Genesis’s heart stuttered. She turned to Gabriel, who was watching her with his sweet puppy dog eyes. He took her other hand.
“This is your night too, love,” she told him. “I can’t wait for the world to see your collages. It’s going to be incredible.”
“Well then, what are we waiting for, Cariño?” Gabriel gave her the boyish smile that always melted her heart. “Let’s get this party started.”
Camera flashes and a barrage of voices greeted them as Gabriel helped Genesis from the limousine, followed closely by the rest of the pack. It was odd being on the receiving end of the media’s attention, but Genesis had gotten plenty of practice since publishing “Disrespected and Unprotected.” She smiled and posed with her packmates, answering questions about the exhibit, her story, and what they hoped to accomplish with their work.
Eventually, the gallery director appeared to usher them inside. Genesis barely had time to look around before they were led to the main space, positioned in front of Gabriel’s huge collages, and she was handed a microphone. Guests stood in loose clusters, waiting for Genesis’s remarks.
