I stopped in my tracks, head swiveling to clamp eyes on our peacefully snoozing Omega.Fuck, I just didn’t want to leave her, not even for a minute. Even stepping away to take a shower was torture.
“Sorry,” I growled, turning around, stomping a few feet away, and then wrapping my arms firmly around my middle. I did our stupid therapist’s box breathing. Then the birthday candles. Finally, I felt my Alpha calming.
Maybe itwasthe fact we hadn’t marked her yet. Maybe itwasthe fact we weren’t truly mated.
But that didn’t matter, even if it was the truth. Because we weren’t going to rush her, even if waiting was killing us. The other guys wereright. They were managing to be patient.What the fuck was wrong with me?Jesus, I felt more at peace than I had in almost two years; yet having Tessa here and not claiming her completely was almost worse than spending eons pining for the woman I couldn’t find in Seattle. I turned back around, feeling mostly back in control. My dick throbbed, as if reminding me that I was kidding myself.
“Funny that you’re the one walking the cliff now,” Dixon almost smirked.
I didn’t like that he was turning the tables. “Shut up, Dickhead.”
He shrugged. “Just nice to be on the other side of things.”
“So, I know we decided to rank cat dads by size, but if we go with temper, is Ryder Cat Dad Number One now?”
“Cat Dad Piss,” Dixon chortled.
“I still claim Cat Dad Shit for short,” Tray did a ba-dum-tss drumroll on his knees, capping off the joking exchange.
I felt hot, face blazing. This was the first time me and my pack brothers had been at odds since that brutal battle when our Alphas had to make peace with sharing.
“Do any of you give a shit that Tessa will be fully exposed if she goes? Do you want her to be in the papers? Want gossip written about her?” I bit out the words, knowing I wasn’t being fair. They all cared about our Omega just as deeply.
“You aren’t being rational,” Mac’s voice cut through the noise in my head. “We all give the upmost shit about Tessa, and to imply otherwise is simply choosing to be hurtful.”
“Then why the fuck can’t you guys?—”
“Stop fighting.” Tessa's sleepy voice cut through my words and the tension. Her Omega scent suddenly clouded the air—rich with the normal notes of her chemistry, but also laden with chamomile, valerian, passionflower—it completely cooled my anger. Alpha aromatherapy, there was no other way to describe it.
"Ryder,” I was close enough that she could reach out and tug on the hem of my shirt. "I said I'm going, and I am. End of discussion. Now be quiet so I can sleep.”
Her blue eyes were still dream-fogged, but her voice was determined. Even wrapped in that ridiculous blanket half-awake, she had a stubborn set to her jaw. That look of hers was becoming all too familiar. None of us could fight against it. We could only say ‘yes’ to her.
"Tessa, you're still in heat." I walked quickly to her and dropped to one knee beside the sofa. Gently, I pushed hair out of her face. Maybe if I reasoned with her directly, she’d realize I was right. "The Vault will be packed. Your identity will be exposed. Cat’s made sure your existence stayed under wraps so far, but we can’t keep that up if you go. It's just not safe."
She snorted, squirming inside the blanket to push herself into a sitting position. After rubbing her eyes for a second, she looked at me. I swear to God her eyes looked bluer than ever. They were the ocean in Greece during summer, impossibly vibrant.
"Ryder, I survived how long on the streets? Alone? Sometimes in heat, with no one to help me. I think I can handle a fancy concert with four big, bad, famous Alphas watching my back." She lifted her small hand and pushed fingers through my hair. I closed my eyes, overwhelmed by her touch like I was starved for affection. I kept myself from groaning with need. Tessa gripped my hair firmly, giving my head a little shake before dropping her hand away. “Besides, I want to see you sing again, Ryder.” She looked past me, looking at the other guys. “I want to see Dixon step under the spotlight, front and center, to give an epic guitar solo during ‘January Judas’. I want to see Mac, perfectly-in-control Mac, losing himself during ‘Requiem for Rage’. And I want nothing more than to see Tray slamming on the drums like his life depends on it.”
“Because it does,” Tray quipped, getting up and bouncing around the sectional again. He leaned over and wrapped his arms around Tessa. She wriggled happily and he hugged her tighter.
“So, I’m going.” She said yet again, wide awake and that stubborn set to her jaw back.
No one said anything for a while. I risked a glance at Cat, who was staring at Tessa with appreciation. I sighed. This was a battle I was bound to lose from the beginning.
I tenderly rubbed the back of my neck, like I’d sustained a bruise from the defeat. “Fine, you win. We'll all go to the show, but—” I pointed at Tessa, who was now wearing a victorious smile, “—you stay with one of us at all times. No wandering off alone.”
"Yes, Alpha,” she said with a mock salute, but her scent shifted to something warm and appreciative. She understood my concerns, even if she was fighting them.
“You’re incorrigible,” I frowned at her.
“I quite possibly am,” she teased back.
“Cat,” I stood up, facing our publicist, “beef up security at the venue.”
Catalina grinned. “Already done.”
“I’m in the mood for pizza,” Dixon suddenly announced, standing up and pulling his cell from his pocket. “Veggie for Tessa,” he made a ‘yuck’ face, “and kitchen sink for everyone else?”
