Chapter 7
I have enough pizza here to feed an army, or rather my pack. Pacing as I wait for them, I rake my fingers through my dark curls. I’ve been keeping this secret for almost a year. Caelin is right, we don’t keep things from each other, but I fucked up badly.
How do I tell them this?
“Yo, I was a little busy, Aiden. What’s with the nine-one-one text?” Evan asks, banging through the door to our home.
My gaze swings wildly in his direction as I watch him swagger in with a grin. There’s a relaxed look to him, which means he definitely got laid or choked a beta with his thick cock. I can smell the scent of cheap perfume on him as he comes in and my nose wrinkles in disgust.
Evan and Domh enjoy fucking pussy as much as they like men, so our rule is that they can chase as much beta tail as their dicks can handle. I’ve never enjoyed one night stands, and that’s all they can be.
I’ve been holding out for the chance to meet my scent match for years but I fucked it up. Badly.
“Go shower before dinner, please. I can smell you from here, and I would rather not smell cheap perfume while telling you about the pack’s scent match,” I sigh tiredly, rubbing my eyebrow tiredly.
It’s been a busy fucking week, and to find out Aisling is dating is a punch in the knot. Cian no longer discusses anything about his daughter with me, not since he beat the shit out of me for being disrespectful to her.
It was as if I couldn’t fucking help myself.
The words came out like vomit, even though I knew they’d hurt her. Aisling started to avoid me, but I didn’t know why.
Why doesn’t she know she’s mine? Yet, Caelin is having the exact same experience, which means something else is going on. Aisling is the most unique omega that I’ve ever met. She’s confident, yet vulnerable. I’ve also noticed she’s a lot more sexually mature than I expected an omega that I would scent match with, which is where I fucked up.
I assumed too much. I shouldn’t be like this. I’m a bi-sexual alpha who kills regularly and is a made mafia man. I tell societal norms to go fuck themselves regularly. Yet, I teased Aisling over buying sex toys and then I stole them.
I don’t understand the full extent of the damage I did, but Cian quietly beat the shit out of me and then told me to never speak to his daughter again.
He also told me she was the only reason I was still alive at all. I’m willing to bet if I fuck up again with her, that I’ll be eating the barrel of a gun without consent.
“You’re kind of freaking me out,” Evan says softly. “You found your scent match?”
“Caelin too, and it’s the same person,” I explain. “I only want to do this once, yeah? Off with you.”
Blowing out a breath, he walks backward until he hits the staircase and jogs upstairs to do as I asked.
Now, while it’s not an exact science, if two out of three alphas are scent matches in a pack with a beta, the third may be as well. If they aren’t, then we work together to all be accepted by her or him.
Pack Hayes has been looking for an omega for a long time, but our efforts have flagged with how busy we are.
And then Aisling happened almost a year ago, and I stopped the search completely, telling my pack that our life was too dangerous at the moment to bring in an omega. It was a bullshit excuse.
It opened up Evan and Domh to fuck off several times a week to find beta pussy, while I’ve silently died in shame.
Omegas won’t scent match with a beta, but Evan is part of us. He’s just as obsessive when he has a reason to be, just as possessive, which is why he won’t go back for seconds. No attachment, no chance for an obsession to grow. The girls he and Domh find know the score. They aren’t lying to anyone.
And then they both scrub themselves raw before coming into a room with Caelin or I. We’ll look the other way, but don’t want it flaunted in front of us. Fuck!
“Hey, give me a second and I’ll be back down,” Domh says as he comes in, eyes cast down. A part of me wonders if he only goes off with Evan so the beta won’t be alone. At this moment, his heart doesn’t look like it’s in finding a new lay several times a week.
Domh has the softer heart when it comes to his pack, though the outside world should be scared. He’s Cian’s favorite ruthless shark for business purposes. Domh went to law school, paid for by the boss man, so he could be Cian’s in-house lawyer.
Contracts, business opportunities, or getting someone out of trouble with the law, he’s the person Cian reaches out to.
As a pack, we all have a job, and it’s given us this plush life. None of us have to worry about money, our house is paid off in cash. Life would be perfect if only…
“What gives?” Caelin asks, walking inside as I sigh.
“Hey, Domh and Evan are cleaning up. They were at the bar,” I explain as his lips twist in disgust.
“I’ll grab a slice of pizza then while we wait,” he says with a grunt, sliding off his fancy shoes and yanking up the sleeves of his shirt.
God, this man is a fucking God. Swirls of black ink in the form of a compass and our pack name crawl up his arm in a full sleeve, though you can’t see any of it when his shirt sleeves are down.
He can look nerdy and respectable when needed, or broody and dangerous. I force myself to breathe as I ignore my cock, remembering my promises to shove him to his knees to suck it.
It’ll have to wait.
“Yeah, okay,” I mutter, beginning to pace again.
“Sit, Aiden,” Caelin barks out, and I move to sit next to him because my mind is racing.
Handing me a paper plate and a slice of my favorite pepperoni and ham pizza, I take a bite by rote. If I don’t eat now, I probably won’t. Caelin holds in his questions even as his left leg jiggles from side to side with nerves.
He knows better than to push me, because I won’t say another word until we’re all together.
My jaw moves thoroughly as I chew, barely tasting my food as I finish each bite before taking another. It’s fuel and necessary, but I’m not enjoying it. I don’t deserve to with the conversation I need to have with my pack.
Evan and Domh race back down the stairs at the same time, pulling down T-shirts over basketball shorts. None of us plan to go out again, unless there’s an emergency. Tossing my empty plate onto the coffee table, I slowly and methodically wipe my hands with my napkin, gathering my strength and composure.
Picking up a bottle of water on the table, I open the top and drink, my throat working as I swallow before standing.
“Why does it feel like someone died?” Evan asks, slowly sitting down. He doesn’t reach for a slice of pizza, his caramel gaze focused on me as he throws out a heavily tattooed arm, as if to tell me to get on with it.
God, we’re all so dramatic.
“No one died,” I grumble. Evan shrugs, folding his arms, letting me stare at the scruff on his face before I blow out a breath. “I owe you all an apology, though.”
Domh snorts, raking his fingers through his blonde slicked back hair. His tatted digits curl into a fist, though, the increasing tension affecting him. He can handle almost anything, but being at odds with us or fighting within the pack sets him off.
“For what?” Domh asks hoarsely. “What did you do?”
“I fucked over Caelin and my scent match almost a year ago,” I sigh. “She’s Cian’s daughter.”
“What? What did you do?” Caelin asks, eyes wild. This is how I die. Thank God only he and I have weapons on us right now.
I didn’t have a chance to put them up, and I wouldn’t ever use them on my family.
“I don’t know how badly I fucked up,” I say with a wince. “I’m no longer allowed in the room with her. I found her in Minneapolis in November of last year, because I recognized the birthmark on her hand. Her mother also enclosed an older photo of her with the letter the boss found, but there was no doubt in my mind that it was her. Remember, Cian’s wife chose to hide the letter, which was just really dumb on her part.”
At their nods, I continue. Cian was infuriated, and I helped kill her soon after we began looking for Aisling. There was no way that bitch was going to live in the same house as her and Cian.
“I followed her, and unfortunately scared her, because the wind brought her scent right to me. I got really territorial and growly, because I never expected the boss’ daughter would be meant for me. It was a cool day, and she had bags with her,” I say.
“It was her eighteenth birthday. Her shit went all over the sidewalk as I pinned her to the wall, but she held a knife to my throat. Fuck, all that blonde hair, with an attitude miles long. She was incredible.”
“So what’s the problem?” Domh asks slowly, seeing I’m not done.
“There were clothes, a blanket, and sex toys amongst her purchases. I got irrationally angry when I saw them,” I admit. “She didn’t show any sign that she knew I was her scent match, while I was dying to tell her. Except, I was there for the boss. Everything was changing too quickly for her as she spoke to him, and she ran.”
“You’re a big guy,” Caelin mutters, gazing up at my six-foot-five frame. I work out every day to stay in shape since I do a variety of jobs for Cian. My pack hasn’t ever complained, but I can see why I scared the shit out of Aisling.
She was alone for a long time.
“Cian and I convinced her to come to stay with him, but I was a dick the entire time she packed her shit. Everything about her tiny apartment pissed me off,” I grumble. “She had the smallest closet you could imagine, and shared the place with two other omegas, though they weren’t around when we went by.”
“You felt protective,” Caelin says slowly.
“Yes,” I growl, making the men in front of me shiver. I’m the largest alpha in our pack, and our pack leader. The shame that’s crawling through my body is cloying and claustrophobic. It feels as if it’s trying to asphyxiate me.
“I was so damn angry that this is how she was living. Homeless, unprotected, working two jobs.”
“Fuck,” Evan mutters, shaking his head. “What happened to her mom? No one ever talks about it.”
“It’s not a pretty story,” I tell him. “She was sick, which is why she reached out to Cian. Not long after, Aisling came home and found her dead. I guess it was an aneurysm. She picked up another job immediately, but didn’t tell anyone her mother had died.”
“Nope,” Domh grunts, standing. “I’m going to need to kill someone, aren’t I?”
“Her landlord kicked her out,” I rasp. “She was sixteen fucking years old. He let himself in because he hadn’t seen her mom recently. The landlord said that even though the rent was paid up, she wasn’t on the lease, and the police backed him up.”
“That’s not entirely the way the law reads on this,” Domh growls. “I’m sure he’s broken a million other laws. I want to make him choke on his mistakes.”
“Go wild,” I sigh. “I can get you the address and his name. I’m not done yet, though.”
Domh starts to pace as he nods. “It’s already awful,” he mutters. “Keep going.”
“She slept in a park for I don’t know how long,” I continue. “She showered in the public restrooms, worked two shifts at different jobs, and eventually ended up in that tiny apartment. Aisling was alone for two years. So, I was all twisted up, angry, and resentful that she didn’t know who I was to her.”
“She didn’t know who I was either,” Caelin says softly, raising his hands to placate me. “Aren’t there scent blockers on the market? I started to think about it, and it would make the most sense.”
“What jobs was she working?” Domh asks, his mind already working.
“A coffee shop during the day and a bar at night till close. I actually met one of her bosses. I didn’t mind him much. Looked like he watched out for her,” I admit.
“The bartenders tend to use pheromone alpha scent blockers as a trick of the trade,” Domh grunts. “Pills, nasal sprays, gel under the nose. It all works so they can think clearly.”
“She’s not working anymore, so why is she using it?” I ask.
“The pack she met tonight smelled rancid,” Caelin snarls. “I wanted to clear my sinuses the second I left. There’s lots of reasons why she may still be using it. Bottom line, it’s not personal, Aiden.”
“Fuck,” I mutter. “I want to climb under a rock and never leave.”
“There’s more though, isn’t there?” Evan asks. He’s been a little quiet, but I know he’s been soaking in every word. His tendency to obsess about things also means that he is very observant as well.
As Caelin’s fingers twitch due to a need to keep himself still, I nod. I know he has to want his laptop so badly that he’s crawling out of his skin. He was a brat earlier, which means this is another way I’m punishing him for it.
Though, I’m the one who is going to need to grovel. Aisling’s father ordered me to never go near her again. As scary as that alpha is, keeping my pack from their omega is worse.
“There is,” I grunt. “When I brought her shit up to her room, I looked down at the bag filled with sex toys, and I was so fucking mad. I basically called her a whore to her face.”
“The pack she met with called her a whore, too,” Caelin snarls, and rightfully so. I’m never this righteous and stupid when it comes to sex.
People have a right to their own decisions, which is why I look the other way while Evan and Domh go out to drown in pussy. It’s because she was mine and I couldn’t have her that I reacted the way I did.
Her lack of reaction to me felt like a slap in the face.
“What did you do?” Domh asks. “The rest of the shit we can fix. Why do you look like the end of the world happened?”
“I stole her toys,” I rasp. “I did some other shit too that I’m not proud of. Essentially, I fucked up. I don’t know what happened, but Cian was so fucking pissed. What if she went into heat and was alone? Would Aisling have told him about this? All I know is that the doctor comes to the house once a month, and every time his face becomes more and more sour and angry.”
Memories of the note I left and the pocket knife fill me with disgust for myself. What if she had decided to use it on herself? I don’t even know why I left it, except that it’s one of my favorite pieces, and I wanted her to have something of mine. My delivery sucked.
“I get the feeling she’s dating so she can have someone see her through her heat,” Caelin says. “From what I understand, it’s painful to go through it alone. If she went through a heat without any help—”
“She may be traumatized by the experience,” Domh whispers. “Fuck.”
“But why is the doctor coming every month? I don’t know of any reason why an omega would have a doctor intervene during a heat, if that’s why. Dr. Fields, Cian’s physician, is a beta,” Evan says slowly.
“I was a dick when I asked why she’d need a doctor,” I groan. “It’s like I can’t fucking help myself. I’m only alive because Aisling said that he shouldn’t kill me. So whatever happened was really terrible.”
“Holy fuck,” Caelin says. “You kept all of this to yourself. Why?”
“Shame,” I grunt. “And now, she’s your scent match and she’s actively dating for a pack to take care of her during her heats. How the fuck are we going to get a chance with her?”
“I need my laptop,” Caelin insists, jumping up and running upstairs for it. “Keep talking, but loudly!”
My lips twitch despite myself. “I need to know what types of alphas she’s looking at. If whatever she’s been doing for her heats isn’t working, which may be why the doctor looks so damn upset every time he comes to the house, then her father would tell her to try anything else within reason,” I say.
“I’ve never seen Cian the way he is with Aisling. It’s this overpowering adoration. He’s so patient with her.”
“How do you know this if you’re practically banned from seeing her?” Evan asks.
“I sneak in from time to time, making sure my path won’t cross with hers,” I explain. “I still work for him, take care of his day to day shit. I even still drive Cian everywhere, unless he’s going to be with Aisling. It’s as if there’s a line between us now.”
“Fuck,” Domh says as Caelin hurries back down the stairs.
“She’s dating through an app called Cupid’s Call,” Caelin says as he crosses the living room to sit on the couch. “That’s Hollis’ app. She’s got some pretty heavy firewalls up, but she’s someone who works on the fly, so I may be able to clone her app. In layman’s terms, I can find out when her next date is.”
“Are we hijacking her date?” Evan asks, amused. “What kind of guys is she meeting with anyway?”
“Boring ones who judge her forward thinking,” Caelin says. He doesn’t realize what he said, but the last part was a stab to the chest.
I’m only twenty-nine years old. Why am I such a stick in the mud when it comes to her? I’m the oldest in our pack by six months, while Evan is a year younger than me. We’ve always clicked well, which was a part of all growing up a few doors away from each other.
“No one tell my mother about this, please,” I groan, pulling on my curls. “She’ll fucking castrate me.”
“While you may deserve it this time, you have a pretty dick,” Evan jokes. “We have to fix this. Does anyone have a photo of her?”
Like the creeper I am, I open up my phone and hand him a photo I took when she wasn’t paying attention. She was out on the back deck with her dad, smiling as she cuddled under the blankets. For the record, I’m jealous of those too. I’m a fucking dickhead.
“Wow,” Evan says softly.
Domh stops pacing to glance over, his beard covered lip parting in surprise. “We’re done fucking betas, man,” he says. “I want her.”
“Yeah,” Evan rasps, swallowing hard. “But, what if she doesn’t want me? Or us?”
“The only one she wouldn’t want is me,” I mumble. “If you’re hijacking her date, I can’t be there. Sweet talk her, get her to another location, and then I’ll step in. I’m not sure my apology will go over well.”
“Are you going to throw her over your shoulder to fuck her into submission?” Domh asks, chuckling. “I don’t think that move is gonna work.”
“I feel like a fucking caveman around her,” I admit, watching as Evan practically drools over my phone.
No matter what, Aisling Sullivan has to be ours. My pack already wants her, whether they’re biologically matched or not. Hollis is going to be pissed at us too, and her father is a mafia man as well.
I’m not so sure we’re gonna make it out unscathed, but for her, it’ll be worth it.
Evan
My intrusive thoughts are screaming at me to sneak into Cian’s home and kidnap this little omega. She can wake up handcuffed to my bed with my dick balls deep inside of her. I don’t have a knot, but I do have a nice, thick cock.
“Stop thinking with your dick, Evan,” Aiden says, shaking me from my daydream.
“What does she smell like?” I ask instead.
Caelin smirks, well used to my antics. “Our poppet smells like sugar cookies,” he says. He already has a nickname for her, which means she’s fucked anyway.
We’re all being pulled into her orbit, and she has no idea. I can’t wait to see her as soon as possible.
“Good thing sugar cookies are one of my favorite desserts,” Domh growls. My lips twist because they actually are.
Huh. That’s some trippy shit.
“Focus, kids,” Caelin says, his hands flying over the keys. “Pack Dayton has a social media account. It’s surprising what these assholes will post publicly. There are three of them: Frederick, Taylor, and Harold. Look at that, they got a stomach bug after going on a date, and there’s a check in at the hospital.”
“They posted all of that?” I ask, disgusted.
“Mmhmm,” he grunts. “I just hacked into the hospital records, which is easier than Hollis’ damn app, and it says between the three of them they have broken wrists, arms, cracked ribs, and concussions.”
“Car accident?” Domh asks, confused.
“The restaurant staff has been watching over Aisling whenever she goes in,” Caelin says. “The owner’s name is Nico, and he was angry at the way Pack Dayton treated her. There was talk about selling Aisling to Ophelia at her auctions. The pack felt insulted by everything Aisling stands for, when many other omegas look for the same. While I was pretending to be Aisling’s brother, he texted a buddy of his that’s in a crew.”
What do you get someone who did your girl a solid like this? A fruit basket doesn’t feel right. There’s a feeling deep in my chest that demands I reward these people who punished Pack Dayton for us.
It doesn’t matter that she’s not my scent match, I’m just as insane as the other assholes in this room that I also claim as mine.
“They wanted to sell her?” I growl. “Ophelia is a fucking menace. I wish we would shut her down for good.”
“It didn’t happen,” Caelin reminds me. “She’s okay, and Pack Dayton had a really bad fucking day.”
“She didn’t have a guard,” Aiden muses. “Her father would have asked that specific protocol be followed. He wants to give her independence, yet doesn’t want to lose her because they were both reckless.”
“He’s a smart man,” I remind them.
I’m Cian’s muscle for his family members. His parents are very active, his sister and her daughter also occasionally need guards. Between them all, I spend my days running all over Minnesota, but it means every moment is different.
Scratching my face where my goatee itches, I wonder why I’ve never been Aisling’s guard. Is it because Aiden is my alpha?
“You’re obsessing,” Caelin warns. “I can feel it from here. Reel it in, okay? We’re going to make sure she’s safe. What is everyone doing tomorrow?”
Going through our schedules, it’s found that I have more downtime, since tomorrow is Saturday. Cian’s parents are going out to dinner, but I’m free till then.NôvelDrama.Org: text © owner.
“Looks like you’re on stalking detail,” Aiden says with a sigh. “Do not approach her, Evan, unless absolutely necessary.”
“Depending on the situation, you can speak to her, just don’t be memorable,” Caelin says. “I know you can handle this. I am going to trail Hollis while I’m in Minneapolis tomorrow. I need to catch her when she’s not paying attention. We know of her but haven’t met her, which means she won’t be suspicious if I bump into her.”
“What else do we need?” Domh asks. He has a few contracts to take care of, but will also have time to help.
“Find out who she spends time with,” Caelin says. “I want to know what’s important to her, what makes her happy. Get me a full run down.”
Aiden slowly nods as he agrees, probably realizing how little he knows about her at the end of the day. Glancing back down at the little omega, I memorize everything I can about her. My dick is hard as I gaze at the swells of her breasts in her thin sweatshirt. It’s clear her blanket just happened to slide down at the right time.
I fucking approve. I want to watch her walk, find out if her ass bounces as her hips sway. I need to know what she’s passionate about, if her tits will bounce when I’m fucking her, and if she snores in her sleep.
I’m aware my thoughts seem disjointed, but that’s how fast my brain is firing off ideas. I need it all.
“I’m on it,” Domh says. “Anything else?”
“I want to steal whatever pheromone blocking product she’s using,” Aiden growls, sounding possessed. His intense blue eyes gleam with a promise so strong, I can feel his need from here.
“Anyone object?” I ask, to put it to a vote. If this blows up for one reason or another, I need a moment to reference where it could have all gone sideways.
This time, we all claim responsibility for whatever happens next. We rise and fall together.
“None, I want her to know she’s mine,” Caelin rumbles.
Well, I guess we’re embracing our psychotic tendencies. I fucking love this bonding moment.
“Aye,” Domh says, his Irish brogue creeping out. It happens during times of high stress or desire, and I think this merits both.
“I’m in,” I murmur. “In for a penny, in for a pound. If we’re going to stalk and catch an omega, may as well go all in. We are going to get to take her, aren’t we?”
I never whine, but this was awfully close.
“Yeah,” Aiden says. “When the time is right, we will be. Cian could kill us for this.”
“Not if we play the fated card,” Domh reminds him. “He had a scent match of his own once.”
“I want to fuck her, mark her in my cum, and then plug my little poppet up while one of you fuck her other holes,” Caelin says with an almost cruel smirk. “I don’t plan on getting anything less than that.”
“I bet she’ll look gorgeous when we claim, bond, and fuck her,” Domh rumbles.
Looks like the obsessive bastard train is pulling away from the station. I plan to be on it.
“I need to know when her next date is,” I tell Caelin, finally reaching out for a piece of pizza. Most of us haven’t been able to eat due to needing to know what the emergency was.
Thankfully, the pizza is still pretty warm, and I take a large bite, humming happily.
“I’ll be working on it,” Caelin promises. “Sometimes, Hollis’ app will do mystery matches. Aisling may be desperate enough to try it after her last few dates. Nico said they’ve all been busts. If she’s doing this so she can have a pack to ride out her heat with—”
“Then it fucking needs to be us,” Aiden finishes. “No one else is going to see how pretty she breaks during a heat other than us. Ever. She can fuck us through it, but at some point, Aisling Sullivan will need to speak to us.”
“She could fuck and leave,” Domh says, though he flushes in anger at his words.
“Absolutely not,” Aiden growls. “I want her fucked, bonded, and packed up with us by the end of the week.”
Leaning back, I smirk at his words. I don’t care how amazing our dicks are, I highly doubt we’ll be able to make all of that happen. I’ve always loved a challenge so…
Game. Set. Match. Run, little poppet, I like the chase.