Brandy Snap, Part Two (Suck It Up (Omegaverse) #3)

1. Melanie

Melanie

I adjusted my dress as the car pulled up to the house. I thought Sin would come to pick me up, or maybe even prepare me for this party since they hadn’t exactly gone above and beyond for the first one, but no.

My phone pinged with a message from Sin’s assistant this morning to tell me a car would arrive to take me to the stylists, but that was all I got. At least Sin didn’t expect me to let them into my nest like last time.

For a pack that was trying to convince their family I was their scent match, they were doing a seriously poor job.

I hissed as I picked the skin around my nail too roughly, quickly slotting my thumb in my mouth to stop the blood.

It had been two days since Zania had invaded my nest, and I hadn’t slept. It was as if I’d gone insane, and not the same kind of crazy I felt after I bit Kai.

My omega instincts were demanding I clean my nest nonstop, struck with mania.

I’d cleaned my nest for a solid day, furiously scrubbing everything, drowning my nest in bleach to scour out Zania and the alphas’ scents. It didn’t need to smell of brandy—it just had to stop smelling like her .

I’d laid there awake for hours, running through all the places I’d cleaned to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. And, when I couldn’t remember if I’d cleaned a certain spot, I had to jump straight out of bed to scrub it again.

I had to breathe through my mouth for days because I kept imagining I could smell hyacinth.

When I left my nest to visit Mum, I constantly bit and picked at my nails, trying to keep myself distracted, wanting to stay calm even though all I felt was anger, fear, and pain.

Even now, when I was attending a party at Zania’s own house, where she definitely would be, I was scared she might send people to invade my nest.

I fumbled one-handed with the clasp of a sparkling clutch. A smear of blood would show up on the light green satin that matched my dress.

I popped it open, fishing around for my compact mirror.

“We’ve arrived, Ms Sanderson,” the driver said, peering at me in the rearview mirror.

“Thanks, just one more thing.” I gave him an awkward smile, but he returned it with a sour look.

I chalked it up to more assumptions about who I was. From the way people had behaved at the last party, I wouldn’t be surprised if rumours had spread.

Flicking open the compact mirror, I glanced at my face.

Kai’s stylists really were amazing, even if they were the same people Sin said worked for Zania. There was no way they were going to leave the cut and bruise from Zania’s harsh slap exposed.

The deep blue had faded to an ugly purple, and it was obvious from the sharp red line on my cheekbone that I’d been hit.

Through all those hours of cleaning my nest, through all the rage that built up towards Zania, I’d told myself I wouldn’t hide anymore. I wasn’t going to back down. I wouldn’t let myself be so defenceless that she could invade my nest and get away with it.

So I licked the underside of my thumb, my gaze hardening as I lifted it to my cheek. One firm wipe against my tender skin, following the line of the gash she had left with her rings. I could still feel the echo of the impact and her sneer afterwards.

The stylists had to layer the concealer on thick, but it took a few quick circles to make it look as if the bruise was so heavy it had shown through my makeup.

“Ms Sanderson,” the driver pressed, and I gave him a nod.

“Okay, I’m going,” I said, more to myself than him.

I’d been preparing myself for this so furiously that I forgot to be nervous until the driver went to open my door.

As soon as I rose from the car, cameras flashed, instantly blinding me. I raised my hand, covering my eyes. Startled, I went to escape, instantly turning away. But the driver was already back behind the wheel, ready to go.

They kept shouting and flashing and asking questions I couldn’t hear. I needed to get away, but they swarmed around us.

There were alphas lining the path, keeping the cameras back. I couldn’t bolt. I had to stand tall.

I dug my fingers into the clutch, swallowing a dry breath as I stepped forward.

I’d gone from a house of bleach and brandy to having scents, sounds, and light thrown in my face.

“This way, Ms Sanderson.” The only thing I could see was the black suit of the man at the gate ahead of me who motioned to follow him. I kept my head high as we passed through a tall iron gate which looked like a smaller version of Knottinghill Spa’s.

“Reporters are forbidden from entering Risler House. If they even touch the fence, the guards will apprehend them, so please do not worry. You are safe here,” he tried to reassure me as his gaze hovered on my bruise.

He turned away before I could give him a look. That speech might have worked on anyone else visiting, but there was no way anyone could convince me this place was ‘safe’.

When Sin’s assistant sent me the details, the second I saw ‘Risler House’, a bolt of energy went through me. And I wanted to make the most of this.

Obviously, there was still Zania’s threat hanging over my head, because she might actually have me killed. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I’d have to deal with a death threat, but I’d prepared for that, too.

I’d already used over half of the money to pay for three years of care for Mum, so now I could focus on getting back at Zania.

Her precious son still needed me to pretend to be his mate for reasons they hadn’t made one hundred percent clear to me. And I might not get another chance to reach her, so I planned to go all out.

The flashes cleared from my sight, and, in the run between the arch and the front door of the house, I saw them again.

A sigh shuddered through my whole body, and I stopped so I could feel the relief that flooded me. Only to be followed by the dense weight of disappointment that sunk through me as my gaze clashed with Kai’s, and I realised the bond with him was gone.

He was too far away for me to see his reaction. I didn’t know if he noticed or cared. Maybe he was over the moon that he didn’t have to feel me anymore, or maybe I mattered so little to him he’d have the same indifferent look he did when Zania attacked us.

I bit back the sting of the memory, reminding myself I wasn’t here for that. I didn’t just come for them, even though my heart rate picked up, the thumps growing louder with each click of my heels against the smooth stone pads which wound towards the front steps of the house.

All three of them wore suits: Sin in a stark black, Caspian dressed in steely-blue, and Kai in blood red, buttoned to the waist to expose his bare chest.

I wanted to dip my chin and hide away from them, to push my hair so it swept over my cheek.

I was so confident a minute ago when I exposed the bruise. But as I got closer to see two scowls and a blank expression, I was already doubting myself.

Until Sin broke away from his pack, and I froze as he strode through the bright garden to meet me halfway.

“Never answer them,” he murmured as he reached for me.

The back of my dress plunged to my tailbone. I gasped as a soft glove stroked my lower back, twitching as I met his serious gaze.

As soon as he touched me, my heart settled. The anxiety which had almost ruined me released enough that I could take a deep breath without feeling like I was being choked by an imaginary scent.

“W-What?” I stuttered, taken aback by the sudden contact. I expected them all to be angry and distant after how we left things.

But Sin moved in, pressing his chest against my arm, fingertips sweeping up the curve of my spine, instantly driving me wild. Sparks danced through my head as he nudged my ear with his nose.

“The reporters,” he answered in a hard tone. “No matter how they shout at you, they don’t warrant your time.” He pulled back to meet me with his sharp purple eyes and his shock of white hair. “You’re a mate of the Risler pack. You are the only one who decides who deserves your attention.”

He said it with so much confidence that I almost forgot I was only pretending to be their mate. And the photos that might end up online didn’t matter, because I’d leave them as soon as the Selection Ceremony was over.

But the way he held me, how he rubbed himself against me, how his scent carried a hint of lust… It was all how an alpha would react if he hadn’t seen his mate for days.

“Um… Excuse me? Sin?” I placed my hand on his waist, leaning away from him. “Are you scent marking me?”

I was going to ask ‘Here? Right out in the open?’ but I didn’t know if it was immature to get embarrassed by things like that.

Would a real omega complain about her alpha nuzzling her when cameras flashed behind them, capturing a shot through the archway which led to one of the most expensive houses in London?

“Indeed.” He nodded with another serious look. “Last time, I made the mistake of marking you without my omega present, so I factored that in.”

I peeked around Sin’s arm to see Caspian and Kai, both standing there with their arms crossed, staring daggers straight into Sin’s back.

I didn’t think doing it in front of them made it any better…

With Sin’s closeness, my omega instincts were already stirring, and knowing Caspian and Kai were so near made it even more difficult to think clearly.

In between the sheer insanity of the endless cleaning, there had been desperate bouts of longing and horniness as I tried to forget them while reliving every moment of them as well.

If Sin was scent marking me without even saying hello, how far might they go to prove I was their mate before we even entered the party?

It was something I’d been wondering since I accepted the invitation. Would they be willing to try it again?

I reached up a shaking hand, sliding my fingers to the back of his neck, asking him to bend down so I could whisper in his ear.

“What if there was an even better way to scent mark me?” I asked with a coy smile, and heat flashed in Sin’s gaze in return.