An omega isn’t supposed to stand up to an alpha. Now that I have, it feels like I’m starting to lose Archer. If he’s the leader of Pack Muldoon, will he declare me a poor fit and send me away? I try to focus my attention on Ben, on the beautiful words he’s sharing with me, but somehow my mind keeps finding its way back to Archer.
If Pack Muldoon dismisses me now, Mother will surely send me to Fernando in their place. I have to try harder with Archer. I have to do better, or this entire game will be lost. My life will be over.
MILES
Watching Violet fly our plane is just about the sexiest thing I’ve ever witnessed. Sure, Noah is doing most of the work required to keep our vessel afloat while I’m seated behind her, only able to catch a narrow glimpse of her features as they narrow with concentration or twist in delight. But to see her take ownership of our favorite toy, to agree to conquer the skies with only minimal hemming and hawing, it tells me she belongs. Not just with me.
But with all of us.
Well, maybe notallof us.
At the very last minute before liftoff, Archer decided to Uber out, muttering something about catching up on work and telling us all to have fun.
We all know that’s bullshit.
But honestly it’s pretty nice without him here. There’s a reason I’ve pledged my loyalty to Archer, to Pack Muldoon—and it’s the same reason I will never betray him or question his command, no matter how obnoxious I sometimes find him.
He’s been my best friend for as long as I can remember, and that will never change. He knows all my secrets, and I his. When my dealer father died on the streets, it was Archer who took up his mantle so we could keep earning and support my mom and sisters. Even though we sold a bit of everything—whatever our customers wanted—Archer was especially smart when it came to marijuana. We were still in high school when Alaska became the third state to fully legalize the herb, but Archer was ready. He already had the connections, and he turned them into a network, making passive income off the contracts he himself initiated. We made our first million before even graduating high school.
Once we were certain our families were taken care of, we invested it all back into ourselves—starting our adventure tourism business and completing the paperwork required to become a legal pack.
In the past seven years, our fortune has grown hundredfold. We live pretty modestly, considering. Nowadays, you can hardly drive a block through Anchorage or the Mat-Su Valley without seeing a perky marijuana leaf advertising the wares of one of our former clients.
Yeah, despite our rough beginnings, we’ve made something really impressive of ourselves. Now that we have Violet, everything is perfect.
One part of me doesn’t want her to know about our unsavory past, but another larger part is damn proud of what Archer did for me, what he did for all of us. She deserves to know it too.
Eventually Archer will quit his brooding and learn to share. Noah and Ben don’t know him quite as well as I do. They don’t know how the drug empire he recruited them to join was erected as Archer’s way of saving my family after our sole provider died. They like the money, so they stay. I think they like me too, but sometimes I question their feelings on Archer.
And now with his presence notably lacking, our little group has fallen into an easy, happy harmony.
Ben sits at my side, studying Violet just as closely as I am right now. We both smile as we watch her learn the controls, and Noah finds little excuses to brush his hand against hers as he shows her what to do.
Violet smiles and laughs, I think. I can scarcely hear anything over the roar of the engine, even with the aid of our headsets.
This is Noah’s moment with Violet, and I am happy to sit back and wait my turn. Getting to watch, to observe, is more than enough… for now.
All too soon, though, it’s over. Noah eases the Cessna into a smooth landing, then wheels us back into the open hangar.
“Did you see that?” Violet exclaims as she exits ahead of me. “I just flew a motherfucking plane!”
She hops off the last step, then jumps up and down with glee. As soon as I step foot onto the linoleum floor, she jumps into my arms. “I flew a plane, Miles! I flew Bessie!” she exclaims with her arms cradling my neck and her legs clinging to my waist. Her sweet cherries beckon, causing me to lose all sense.
Noah needs some time to power down the aircraft, but Ben was coming just behind us. He’s probably already standing right here beside us, but all I can see in that moment is my sweet girl, Violet.
Mine.
And then the animal part of me takes over.
This is my mate.
And she’s every bit as excited as I am, sending out pheromones like there’s no tomorrow. Her body is pressed against mine, chest heaving, hips squirming. It would be so easy to thrust into her and seal our bond once and for all, if these pesky jeans weren’t in the way.
Instead I settle for what I can take in the moment.
A kiss.
Violet must be thinking the same thing, because as I lean forward, so does she. Our lips crush together, and she lets out a delightful little moan as my tongue slides into her mouth.