“I’ll always keep you safe,” he promised without looking away. The two men continued their workout as I did a bit of admin work at the desk. A couple other patrons walked in and scanned their cards before filling the other spaces. They eyed each one as if they were interrupting something private.
When an hour had passed they finally walked out, dabbing their sweaty foreheads with towels. I offered a customer service smile that they didn’t return.
“One of us will be here each shift,” Nik concluded as the door swung shut behind them. “They were watching you a bit too closely.”
Why would they be watching me?
Chapter
Twenty-Nine
Aries
It had been two weeks since the guys had moved in. We’d established a bit of a routine and it finally felt like my pack was here.
Work had been a bit strange. We’d had more than one newcomer pay for a guest pass, but they never stayed more than a session or two. No one made us feel as uneasy as that first set, but Nik stuck to his word that someone would be with me and I made sure Cassie was never alone.
Syrus assured me he was keeping an eye out, but for some reason I felt uneasy, like a storm was on the horizon and we were just waiting for it to hit.
Maybe that was my natural pessimism. Things in life didn’t go well or easy for me. There was always something waiting around the corner.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Luca asked. So far, he’d kept his distance. He was interested, I could tell that, but he was careful. It felt like he didn’t want to go too fast, especially with two otherstrong alpha personalities in the mix and the beta who had my heart before they arrived.
I pushed away the laptop I was barely looking at. It was my second attempt at browsing nest options but I hated them all.
“I’m not so good at being content, apparently," I deadpanned. “My anxiety keeps spiking like there’s something going on that I just don’t see.”
“I wonder if you’re picking up on our tension,” he said, looking worried. They’d been tracking this mole for the past weeks, but whoever it was had covered their tracks.
“Maybe,” I sighed. “Either way, I need a distraction or I’m going to lose my mind.”
“Leon should be up soon. Maybe we should go nest shopping? I found a few stores that aren’t far,” he said. “If we take the van, there will be plenty of space. The benches fold down in there.”
“I don't know. I haven’t had much luck looking online,” I admitted. Maybe my mother was right and I wasn’t cut out to be an omega.
“That’s not shopping. Come on, go get ready,” he directed, voice more firm now. “If we get there and you hate it, we’ll leave and do something else.”
He waited patiently for me to fight with myself internally before I finally gave in. My shoulders sagged and I nodded, but his answering smile lit up his face. Out of my alphas, Luca was the softest. He was quiet and watchful, but had a boyish quality to his face that was adorable.
Right now, his warm brown eyes were excited, even though he was trying hard to keep it under wraps. The control this group had was insane, their training must be brutal.
Unless the Crows were more of a trial by fire kind of group.
“You get ready, I’ll handle the rest,” he said, pecking my lips. The move seemed to startle us both, his eyes shocked andcheeks going ruddy. I didn’t want him to take steps back when my omega was already craving more of him, so I leaned in and kissed him back. Only with more intention.
Then I turned and rushed to get ready. I wasn’t an omega who loved shopping. Crowded places and people weren’t my thing. The only crowd I tolerated was weekend nights at Club 21.
I pulled on an oversized sweater I’d stolen from Leon and a pair of comfortable leggings. It was a very cliché omega outfit but I couldn’t help myself. I needed the comfort.
Not to mention every day I spent with my pack it felt like they drew her out more and more. How had I not realized how dormant she was?
Between my mother teaching me through pain that being an omega was a curse, and my designation being sold to the highest bidder through Gideon, at some point I’d shoved her far away where she was safe.
When I finally made my way downstairs, after a solid pep talk to myself, the guys were waiting by the door.
“Ready?” Luca asked. I could read between the lines. He was checking in, and from the worry in his tone he’d call this whole thing off if I said the word.
“Ready,” I confirmed, forcing a smile. They didn’t call me on my obvious lie as we piled in the van. Nik and Luca took the front, sandwiching me in the back with Leon and Ronan. My nerves settled as our scents mixed together, strong enough I didn’t even have to take deep breaths to breathe them in.
