Chapter 16 – June

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

JUNE

I woke up this morning in my own bed — well not mine — the guest bed .

After the disaster in the kitchen yesterday morning, I tried to beg off, to pack, or at least isolate myself, but Seth coaxed me into sitting with him and Bennett to solve a puzzle, then watch TV. It was very reminiscent of the first night here — with absolutely no one else around. When it was appropriately late enough, I dragged myself upstairs and Seth left me with a kiss on my forehead.

It’s been quiet this morning.

Bennett offered to make me an omelette and Seth suggested going out again, but I can’t fathom it. My stomach keeps twisting into knots, shooting pain radiating through my lower half. Some of the pamphlets the center sent with me said there are small moments of symptom spikes before heats set in.

The worst feeling is how horny I am.

I feel like I could grab the nearest person and sink my teeth into them.

As I stare at the bookshelves in the living room, my phone vibrates. Pulling away from a murder mystery, I fish it out, glancing down at Janet’s name in shock before answering it immediately.

“I know I said I wouldn’t call.” Janet clears her throat. “But I got confirmation from the publisher your tour dates are postponed until we can navigate this.”

My heart tugs as I stare at the books, wrapping an arm around my torso. “Okay, that’s probably for the best.”

“I… don’t think it’s wise for us to make another statement to the press, but I wanted you to be aware that there have been a lot of calls. It’s kind of out of my wheelhouse, June.” Janet sounds a little tired. “I’m only here to represent your books, but a lot of these people have an interest in you now. I can put you in contact with one of my friends in LA who’s a publicist. I’m not sure what the publishing house wants, but it might be worthwhile for you to speak, or talk about what’s happening when you’re ready. It would certainly keep your books selling— as it is right now, they’re flying off the shelves and they’ve sold out online. We’re rushing another printing so the shelves aren’t empty for too long.”

“ What ?” I freeze, shock rocketing through me. After a moment, it clicks that people are probably very interested in a once-beta author, now suddenly an omega who cancelled her entire tour and was photographed leaving a designation center with two men.

I’d eat that shit up if I was home on the couch with a pint of ice cream.

“A publicist could at least help you navigate the future and coordinate some of the larger scale interviews. You were going to need one before the movie goes forward —”

Janet’s words continue, but I’m not listening as the smell of rich fudge, dense and chocolatey, enters the room. I turn, my mouth watering as Seth walks in, his hands in his pockets. The closer he gets, the more the smells mix, layers of chocolate coated over orange, like Christmas treats and candy. He stops partially behind me, pulling a hand out of his pocket to touch my back.

“June?”

I shake my head, swallowing thickly as I mutter to Janet on the phone, “I’ll consider it. Thank you for letting me know.”

“Of course.” She pauses. “And I hope you’re okay. I really do. I can’t imagine the stress.”

My skin heats as Seth’s fingers slide up. I swear I can feel them scorching me through the fabric of my sweatshirt, burning straight through to my skin, making my mind go blank as they dip down. The pads of his fingers snake under the hem of it, skin against skin as they press against the small of my back. I want him to take the phone from my hand and throw it onto the ground. I want him to grab me by the hips and bend me over. I want his hands in my hair and his tongue buried in my cunt —

“We should meet when you’re back in the states.”

“O-Okay.” I get caught on the word, turning my head sharply to look at Seth as my mind goes fuzzy around the edges. I manage to end the call without making an idiot of myself, my hands shaking as he gives me a shit-eating grin.

“Don’t hang up on my account.”

I swallow, staring at him. His lips look so soft , his hair pulled back to expose the silver scar on his throat. My body thrums at the thought of Bennett sinking his teeth into Seth, making sure everyone who ever sees him knows he belongs to someone else. He’s claimed .

Seth steps closer, his voice soft. “You okay?”

I blink, shaking my head, trying to clear it.

He lifts his hand from my back, pressing it against my forehead. “You’re warm. Is it…?”

“No.” My voice is a little rough as I flush, leaning away from him. “I think it’s just a flare, or spike, or whatever they call them —” I push my sleeves up, trying to get air as I turn and stare at the bookcase, fighting back the urge to throw him against the shelves and give him a matching mark on the other side.

I didn’t think omegas had urges to bite — but my teeth ache — I want people to look at Seth and know he’s mine too. He’d look so pretty with my hand on his throat and my teeth marks in his skin.

He’s quiet for a moment before he pushes my hair back. I startle, glancing at him as he gives me a soft smile. “You’re going to watch the movie with us tonight, right? It’s pack movie night.”

I frown, my heart stuttering. “Seth…” I’m not part of this. He isn’t mine.

“Don’t start.” He tilts his head, his smile lingering. “You’re invited because I’m inviting you, right now.” Seth pokes my nose. “So, Junie, what snacks do you like to consume rabidly while mindlessly watching TV?”

My lips twitch. “Junie?”

“June Moon?” He bounces, his hand lingering on my hair, twirling it around a finger. “June bug? Junie Moonie.” He snaps his fingers at me, grinning.

I laugh, despite myself, shaking my head, and his smile widens, overtaking his entire face.

The living room seems smaller, more intimate. It didn’t feel this way when it was only Bennett, Seth, and I in here, but I feel very aware of its square footage now that the TV is on a menu full of movie options and every seat will be full.

The bookcases on the far wall extend the full length. The only furniture is a three seater couch and two oversized armchairs to either side. Seth already has the coffee table piled high with snacks, and he turns, grinning at Arin and Theo as they linger in the doorway.

“I picked a classic for this evening’s showing.”

Arin glances at me, his eyes soft as he chuckles at Seth. “I’m sure you did.”

My heart flutters as I make my way around the coffee table, toward the farthest armchair, but just as I reach it and touch the arms, Seth pipes up from the couch.

“Where are you going?”

I hesitate, looking over at him. “Taking a seat?”

Seth shuffles on the couch, leaning back into Bennett and making space between the tangle of their legs. He bends forward, drumming his hands on the sliver of couch cushion visible, smiling. “Come sit with us?”

I look behind him to Bennett, his gaze snaring mine. Bennett dips his chin in a little nod, his voice gentle. “Only if you want to. If you’re more comfortable over there, Seth can cuddle Theo.”

“No, Seth cannot.” Theo’s voice startles me as he grabs a handful of popcorn and tosses it into his mouth.

The way Theo says it, the deadpan and the fact his lips turn up into a little grumpy snarl, makes me lose it. I giggle, covering my mouth immediately. He stops shoving popcorn into his mouth immediately, his eyes darting down to me, searing. I think I imagine it, but there are creases in the corners, pinched like he’s fighting a smile, and I tear my eyes away, scurrying over to the couch.

Seth grins and I don’t even get a chance to sit before he wraps his arms around me and tugs me down between his legs, making a pile of the two of us laying on top of Bennett.

“I win.” He mutters the words as I watch Arin take the chair closest to the door, leaving Theo to finish his walk around the coffee table to the other armchair. His hand slides over the fabric on the armrest, his body rigid, like he’s holding himself back before he turns and shakes his head, folding his massive body and sitting down.

Seth snatches the remote. “Okay, everyone shut the fuck up, it’s movie time.”

Bennett scoffs, it turning into a light chuckle that transfers through Seth’s body into mine with how we’re lying together. I smile, turning my head slightly to glance up at Seth as he weaves an arm around my torso and presses play on The Alpha of the Rings . It’s early enough we might get to its two sequels, but I like the prequel too, The Omega .

Seth is warm and smells like the shower and a mixture of his and Bennett’s scents. The first ten minutes are barely over before I find myself sinking into him, unconsciously nudging closer and resting my head against his chest. His fingers run up and down my arm, almost absent-mindedly as everyone snacks and grabs whatever they want from the coffee table.

Just as the movie gets into the first act, my phone buzzes.

I jerk up, fumbling to pull it out and freeze when I see the screen, unable to process it.

“Juniper?” Arin says my name, the question hanging in the air.

I blink, making sure I’m not hallucinating, but the screen still says MOM across it. Quickly, I answer it, self-conscious of the audience in the room as I mutter, “Mom?”

“There you are.” Her voice is chipper, like I’ve not been trying to contact her for four days straight, or that her last message to me was an outright dismissal. “I wondered if you would pick up, it’s quite late here, but I thought, ‘ Oh, I should call Juniper .’ How is your little signing going? Have you met any nice betas?”

“It’s been days.” I stare at the coffee table, my voice barely above a whisper. “I’ve been trying to get you to call me back for days .”

“I heard you the first time.” She scoffs. “It’s not ladylike to repeat yourself. Now tell me when you’ll be home again? Your father and I think you should come to the club with us, start attending regular meetings like you used to as a kid. Sundays are just better when I’ve been.”

My mind spins as I try to figure out what the hell she’s talking about.

“I had to cancel my tour.” I spit out the words, my throat raw with the admission. “I’m not allowed to fly home until after the first heat passes.”

She makes a noise in the back of her throat, soft and admonishing. “Cancel it? I hope you realize how many people you’ve probably disappointed for that. Don’t they plan these things far in advance? Sell tickets? Juniper, I raised you better than —”

“I couldn’t go!” I snap at her, at my breaking point, fully aware of how quiet the living room is and the four men around me. “I had to cancel. I told you, I’m…”

“Don’t you take that tone with me.” She interrupts me sharply. “This omega play-acting you’ve done is extremely distressing, Juniper. Rhonda from the club called your father and asked if we’d be taking a trip to London, and I said, ‘ Now, why would we do that, Rhonda? ’ Because, honestly, you know how she is — and then she said that you were telling people that you aren’t a beta? And I told your father that this is exactly what we tried to prevent you from doing when you started writing those books about…” She pauses, making a distressed noise. “ Packs .”

“I’m not lying.” I clutch my phone. “I was at the designation center, my blood is golden. I’m an omega.”

“That’s not possible.” My mother sounds faraway, and I hear her talk to someone else before she puts the phone back to her ear. “Your father is beside himself, we tried to call the designation center in London and they told us that your records were sealed to us.”

Closing my eyes, I press a hand against my head, my voice soft. “Why would you need my records?”

“How am I supposed to believe you’re telling me the truth? How am I supposed to know this isn’t just you wanting to sell your stories to anyone who will listen to them?” She pauses, then sighs, like I’ve asked her for the moon and the stars.

“We’ve had a lot of calls, Juniper. If you…” She trails off. “Well, if you are an omega, it’s our job to make sure you pair with a good alpha, one who can provide for you and ensure the life of you and your future children is built on solid foundation. Of course, there is the issue with your age — there aren’t many men who will want an old omega, but that’s outside of my control. How much do you weigh right now?”

My eyes flutter open as I stare at the paused TV, my throat burning, unable to think of anything to say to that.

“The center at least said you were no longer in their care. Where are you, Juniper? We can have an alpha come pick you up, one has already offered — he’s a part of the club and apparently in town.”

I blink, looking over at Seth, my heart pounding as he reaches out, his face full of concern. His hand lands on my arm, grounding me.

“No.” I clear my throat, my eyes flickering from Seth’s face to Bennett as my mother lets out a noise of surprise on the other end of the line.

“Juniper, this is not the time for your wildly liberal ideas about packs. I wish you’d given us time to prepare, but if this is what we need to do, we’ll help — it is our responsibility. If you’re an omega, your father and I will make sure that you go to a suitable alpha. I’m sure they’ll be eager to have you pregnant before the end of the year, but we can figure that out after you’re home —”

“Absolutely not.” I cut her off, my hand tightening on my phone. Arin shifts in his seat, drawing my eyes, as I flounder. My mother has always had strong opinions, but I’m having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact she’s so eager to sell me off to the next alpha she speaks to, rather than letting me, her grown daughter, make my own decisions.

She makes a harried noise. “Please don’t tell me you let this center place you with multiple alphas. God help us, please tell me you aren’t with a pack of them. You can be comfortable with someone we’ve approved, none of this… shared omega ideology — it’s disgusting .”

Anger, white hot, and flaming, licks up my spine. It’s potent and wrong — rising in my chest at the way she splutters. Instead of being happy I’m safe — she’s more concerned with the optics of me being with a pack. When all Seth has done is make me feel wanted , when all Bennett has done is take care of me, and all Arin has done is welcome me.

My eyes fall on Theo, unbidden, but instead of finding scorn, he’s glaring at my phone like he’d like to rip it from my hand and throw it against the wall. He’s the outlier — but the fire in his gaze says more about his actual opinion of me than anything that’s come out of his mouth since I’ve gotten here.

“There have been offers for you. There is an alpha in London who called us and he could come get you now. He sounded just fine. You need to tell us where you are and you can come home — he’ll have to bite you and bond you before you can fly but —”

“Oh my god .” I recoil, nearly dropping my phone. “I’m not telling you where I am so some strange alpha can come to the door and bite me. Are you insane ?”

A deep snarl cracks through the room and I look up sharply, unable to place which of the alphas it was.

“Well you aren’t staying there —”

“Yes, I am.” I spit the words out. “I’m staying here , because I’m safe .”

My mother fumbles, like I’ve actually stumped her. In the next breath, she gathers herself. “I forbid it.”

I laugh, bracing a hand on Seth’s leg, needing to feel the warmth under my palm as I shake my head. “You have no right to tell me what to do, like you said, I’m old. I’m over twenty-five, the omega guidelines don’t apply to me. Legally, you can’t make the decision.”

“If you let one of those alphas you’re with bond you — or God — all of them —”

“Maybe I will.” My fingers tighten on Seth’s leg, my voice sounding cold, even to my ears. “Maybe I’ll let them all take a bite just so I’m tarnished and bitten and used . Isn’t that what you always say about pack-bonded omegas?”

“There might be more alphas than omegas in the world, but that doesn’t mean you can spread your legs for any one that walks by you, giving it up and bending over for multiple men —”

“And I’m not letting you sell me to the highest bidder.” I cut her off. “What have they offered you and Dad so far? What alphas have come knocking? The ones who won’t pack up because no one else can tolerate them? Who think they own a female omega because they see a walking womb, willing or unwilling? I’m not letting you hand me over to some alpha who will slap me around when I open my mouth, or — like you said — expect me to be barefoot and pregnant by the end of the year.”

“Juniper Walden —”

I hang up before she can finish, my entire body shaking as I stare down at my phone.

“June.” Seth leans closer, his voice breaking.

“I need a minute.” I push up from the couch, walking out of the room without looking back, my feet taking me to the kitchen because it’s the closest room and I don’t know where else to go.

Blinking rapidly, I try to compartmentalize. This is the same woman who didn’t want me to go to college. This is the same woman that told me a degree in English would get me nowhere. This is the same woman who never congratulated me once for publishing my first novel, or any of the others thereafter. This is the same woman who told me when I was sixteen that I’d be her biggest regret if I was just another beta like she was.

I grab the fridge door and jerk it open, staring blankly as the cool air wafts over my overheated skin, my heart in my throat as I suck in lungfuls of breath, trying not to hyperventilate.

Footsteps from behind me make me jump. I spin, letting the fridge shut as I press my back against it, freezing when I see it’s Theo — out of all the people in this godforsaken townhouse.

“If you came to yell at me, can you save it? I’ve had enough today.”

He stares at me from the entry to the living room, raising an eyebrow. “Are we bartering now? What do I get if I lay off for the evening?”

I scowl at him, crossing my arms. “You get to continue living without my foot up your ass.”

His lips twitch, his head tilting slightly. “Is that any way to talk to your host?”

“Host my ass,” I spit back at him. “ Seth is the one who invited me here and Bennett is the one who has fed me and Arin is the one who’s made sure I’ve gotten sleep. What have you done?”

He holds his hands out to me, then takes a step closer. I press back against the fridge, eyeing him warily as he nears me. He doesn’t slow until his chest brushes mine, reaching above our heads to the cabinet over the fridge. His shirt pulls and stretches over his muscles, cords of them under the tattooed skin of his arms. My mouth goes a little dry, and my stupid body betrays me, cataloging every tiny little twitch of his body as he leans over me, blocking me from leaving the tight space. After a moment of searching, he pulls down a bottle of red wine.

My eyes flicker to the label when he holds it in front of my face.

“What are you doing?”

He reaches back up, and there’s more clinking as he grumbles. “There’s a bottle of white up here, but I think Bennett normally cooks with it, it’s not as good as this one.” At that, he sloshes the bottle of red. “Normally we have a bottle of Seth’s rum, but I don’t think they’ve been to the headquarters here in the city to pilfer a crate.”

I scowl at the bottle as he shuts the cabinet above our heads. This close, he smells like fresh rain on grass, like being dunked underwater and inhaling air after breaching the surface.

“Is it poisoned?” I glance at the label — but it’s in French and I can’t read it.

Theo makes a noise. “It’s not poisoned .” He flicks the wax seal. “Arin would kill me, and I have a lot to live for —” He shifts. “Apparently.”

I snort, snatching the bottle from him to look at it closer, but the seal is untouched. He’d have to be a psychopath to poison it and then put it back in the cabinet. Still, I can’t help myself, I look up at him, craning my neck, as I grumble mockingly. “What happened to the whole ‘ born and raised ’ asshole schtick?”

He tilts his chin down, the smallest of smiles tugging at his lips. “Is that what I sound like?”

“Yeah.” I scurry around him, putting the bottle on the counter and hunting for a corkscrew. “Grumpy for no reason, completely inhospitable, and mean enough to make my mother look like a goddamn saint.”

He makes an amused noise behind me, and I glance over my shoulder as he grabs the fanciest wine glass I’ve ever seen from an upper cabinet.

Recoiling, I raise an eyebrow at him. “Is that crystal ?”

Theo holds it between two thick fingers, the stem looking positively fragile in his grip. He glances from it to me. “It’s what we have.”

I gawk at him. “I’m not drinking from that. I’ll look at it wrong and it’ll shatter.”

Theo places it on the counter next to the bottle. “Then I’ll buy a new one.”

I balk. “How expensive are they?”

“I don’t know — fucking expensive, probably.”

“I’m not touching that.” I glance at the bottle. “Or that. How expensive is that ?”

“It cost what it cost .” Theo stalks closer and boxes me in against the counter, heat in his gaze. “Seth has the movie paused for you . You need a drink after that conversation, and I’m going to pour you a glass. Is that understood?”

I raise my chin, narrowing my eyes at him as I open my mouth. “Where do you get off?—”

“No.” He cuts me off with a little growl, grabbing the bottle and popping it open. “If the next words out of your mouth aren’t thank you , I don’t want to hear them.”

I glare at him, setting my jaw. “Why? What’s going to happen?”

He pauses. Theo’s movements are precise as he slowly lifts the bottle, staring at me as he pours a glass of red wine, then sits the bottle back onto the counter next to me.

“Do you want the answer you expect, or do you want the truth?”

I lean back, my eyes locked on his. “You don’t scare me.”

Theo shakes his head, and I swear his eye twitches.

I prickle when he leans closer. “What are you?—”

He picks up the glass and holds it out to me.

I eye it, and him , warily. I almost expect him to do something childish, like pour it over my head, or throw the glass against the wall and tell Arin I started shattering crockery so he’ll kick me out. But when we just stare at each other in silence, I finally relent, reaching for the glass.

His other hand comes out in a snap, snaring the back of my neck in an instant, collaring me.

“ Omega .”

I make a noise, half shock, half whine as my body reacts before my brain, my throat arching as I stare up at him, my mouth dropping open as Theo holds me and the wine, dipping his head lower, his eyes narrowed. My hindbrain scrambles, the basest part of me wanting to go limp in his touch, skin on fire and heart racing.

He could lift me with one hand onto the counter. He could push me down and rip my leggings in half. His thick fingers could gather the sudden slick between my thighs and shove into me while his thumb circled my clit —

“ This is what happens to brats who talk back to me.” His head dips lower, lips caressing the shell of my ear. “I don’t need to make you fear me to get your heart rate up, princess. Now take your wine and go back to your beta. No more talking back, you’re going to enjoy the rest of your evening.”

I flush, head to toe, my fingers catching the glass as he pushes it into my hand. Turning sharply, I dart under his arm, his hand falling away from my neck as I race back into the living room, making a beeline for the couch as Seth sits up.

“Finally.” He looks up at me, his eyes slightly wide, but it’s Bennett who catches my eye from behind him. The alpha’s eyes narrow, lingering on my, no doubt, reddened face, then looking at the glass in my hand as I clear my throat and resettle on the couch between Seth’s legs, using him as a buffer as I raise the glass to my lips and take my first sip of the wine.

A hum rises from my chest. It’s so goddamn tasty.

“It tastes like pomegranate.”

“Oh, Theo grabbed you the good stuff.” Seth grins down at me, picking up the remote as the aforementioned alpha walks back into the room, sliding a glass into Arin’s hand before retaking his seat with his own.

My eyes follow him, something in my chest flaring at the practiced look between Arin and Theo. They rotate around each other, but Theo relents to Arin — I quickly down another long gulp as Seth starts the movie and drags me back against his chest.

I shouldn’t think about Theo’s hand on the back of my neck, or Arin’s arms around my waist, or Bennett’s touch on my bare skin, or Seth’s hungry look.

I need to behave .

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