“Yeah?” Orion snapped as we reached the car. “And so are you. You don’t want to admit it, don’t want to face it, but if I shoved my hand down your fucking pants right now, I’d find you dripping for her. For us.”
“Don’t you fucking say it. Don’t you dare. You promised, Orion.” That sound, of an alpha breaking, it’d stay with me for the rest of my days. My body went perfectly still, because it knew it was witnessing something that was never allowed to happen. Alphas didn’t show vulnerability or cry or scream at anything, except to exert their will. “You promised me.”
“I promised us, and I’ll deliver, always. I swore that to all of you,” Orion replied. “There is nothing my father can do to pull us apart but this.”
Rhys’ hand stroked through my hair, over and over, the sensation soothing, even as the sounds they were making weren’t. Orion’s voice shook with it, with the conviction, with the surety, with love.
“I’ve always loved all of you. When you were still fighting me, thinking this was just some juvenile hook-up to ease our aching balls. When we were building things towards what we have now but assuming we’d be putting this to one side once we found our omegas. When we couldn’t keep our fucking hands off each other, waiting for them.”
Orion grabbed Marcus and threw him up against the car with a brutality that took my breath away and made my thighs scissor. I was an interloper, a cuckoo in the nest, unwanted and pushing all the swallows out without even realising it. But I was also an omega, and the sight of alphas crashing into each other with brutal passion was alwa
ys going to trip my trigger and make my traitorous pussy leak.
“I know,” Rhys mumbled, stroking me, stroking me, but never where I needed. “I’ll ease you, once we get somewhere safe. I promise. You’re OK, omega. Everything will be OK.”
“It won’t be OK,” Marcus groaned, sounding for all the world like his heart was being ripped from his chest.
“Get her in the car,” Orion snapped. “Bren, I need you to drive. I’ll get on the phone to Miranda, let her know what state Cyn is in and that we’ll keep her safe until her frenzy resolves or she makes a decision.”
“We’re doing this. We’re really doing this?” Brendan asked numbly.
“Nothing is certain, that’s what my father doesn’t understand from his bloody ivory tower. There is always a choice, even when you don’t think there is.”
That felt significant, something I had to hold onto and pore over, but my mind was done. It roared, the fire that I’d been holding at bay, my skin set alight.
“Fuuuuck…” Rhys groaned, more howl than human. “The suppressors are failing.”
Doors were slammed, I was slid across a seat, the leather feeling cold, too cold against my bare skin, as the motor roared to life.
“Strap in, fuckers,” Brendan said, “because this ride’s gonna be a rough one.”
“Alpha…” I panted.
“Here, omega. Right here for you.”
Chapter 17
“Don’t you fucking touch her,” Marcus snarled.
The command was so direct, so absolute, I didn’t know how Rhys moved, but he did. His eyes were soft, so soft, I could meet his gaze head-on, because they contained exactly what I needed. My seatbelt was off, and I was crawling towards him.
“This is all a trap and she’s the honey. You’ve had one little taste, and everything’s gone out the window since,” Marcus snapped from the front seat.
“It’s supposed to,” Rhys replied, palming my cheek, my eyes falling closed as a result. “You’ve never understood it, never wanted to after Jean bailed on us, but this is how it works, Marcus. I’ve fucked omegas, I’ve fucked you. It’s so bloody different, and yet they complement each other. You can take anything I dish out without a second thought and come back for more.”
“Fuck…” Brendan groaned.
“You can pin me down, hold me still, force me to submit until I’m screaming with the pleasure of it, but sometimes, I want something soft and sweet too. Sometimes, I want someone who needs something from me that only I can give them.”
A thumb brushed against my lips, parting them, my tongue flicking out to lick the salt from it.
“You think I don’t need you?” Marcus asked.
“You do, but it’s a choice, always, with all of us. That’s the beauty of us. Every day, we wake up and choose each other. But an omega? He or she knows an alpha can give them the thing they need deep down, and in return? They give themselves, wholly and solely, even if it’s just for a short time. We’ll have to be careful. Whatever plan you’ve got, Orion, it’s time to get it on the table.”
“Yes, Orion, there’s no audience to run home to daddy, so spill,” Marcus snarked.
“Not yet,” Rhys insisted, his hand shifting now, collaring my throat, the pearls pressing into my skin. “That’s what I was telling you. With omegas, there’s no choice. They need and we provide, and right now, I’m providing for her. I don’t give a fuck how we got here or how we get out of it, but we created this need in her and now I’m going to see to that.”