Gold Rush (Golden Omegaverse #1)

Chapter 22 – June

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

JUNE

The townhouse is very quiet when it’s only Arin and I.

After Theo stalks out, I wipe my eyes and stand on the steps, wrapping my head around both the call from my mother, and the way the alpha charged down the stairs like he was going to personally reach through the phone and throttle her.

Honestly, I might let him.

She left me a string of nasty text messages about hanging up on her, and I mute the thread, pushing it out of my mind as I try to find something to do with myself. I only see Arin once when he walks past the living room while I browse the shelves of books.

I miss home — I miss my book collection, my shitty secondhand desk with a wobbly leg, and the urge to be productive. This tour wasn’t supposed to be long, which is the entire reason I left my laptop at home, but now I itch to do something with myself and to distract from the miserable feeling simmering under my skin.

My original flight home was scheduled for three days from today.

The thought is sobering as I stare at the book in my hand. Is this my life now? Is my new life just isolation and emotional outbursts, untrusted to be alone, or be able to go where I’d like because of danger? The thought is crushing , and I push the book back onto the shelf, turning when I hear a noise down the hall.

I wander out of the living room and into the kitchen, finding Bennett unloading brown paper bags of groceries. Soundlessly, I join him, unpacking various ingredients and putting them onto the counter for him, careful to watch where he stashes everything.

He flashes me a little smile, then pauses, a line splitting his brow. “What’s wrong?”

I snort, picking up a block of cheese. “Is it really that obvious?”

Add no poker face to my fun new omega life.

He takes the cheese from me and throws it into the fridge without looking. Then he steps closer, his hands sliding over my forearms as he looks down at me, softly cataloguing my features before he whispers, “It probably isn’t to someone on the street, but to me? Yes, it’s obvious something is bothering you.”

The words make my lip tremble as I stare at his chest, unable to meet his eyes. “My mom called.”

“Ah.” He leans in and kisses my forehead, bringing with it his orange scent, enveloping me in it as he rubs his cheek against my hair, squeezing my arms. “I bought the ingredients for risotto.” He pulls back, finishing unpacking the groceries. “I think Seth will be home soon.”

Home .

The way he says it so casually, including me in it, in this place makes my heart clench.

But my mother’s words echo quietly in the back of my mind — disgusting, a disappointment .

“June!” I jump as Seth’s voice echoes through the house, the front door banging open. “Where are you? Come see what I bought!”

I blush, glancing at Bennett who rolls his eyes. “Go out there before he wakes the dead, please.”

Wrapping my arms around myself, I step back out into the foyer, stopping short at the sheer amount of bags covering the marble flooring. There are so many labels and packages that I can barely take it all in.

After a moment, I gasp his name, scandalized. “ Seth , what have you done?”

He whirls, looking up at me with a wide grin, then dances over, avoiding stepping on bags as he wraps his arms around me and picks me up , spinning us in a little circle. “Do you want to unwrap it all down here? Or we could get Bennett and Arin to take it all upstairs and show you the nest.” He bounces a little, his joy infectious as he looks down at me. “You have to see the nest.” I feel the warmth of Bennett’s presence behind us just before Seth jerks his head up and shouts. “ Arin! ” I jump, but the beta keeps his arms around me, chattering my ear off. “You’re going to love it. It’s all the way upstairs, but we can make them carry all the shit up, you don’t have to lift a finger.”

“Oh?” I tilt my chin up at him. “That doesn’t seem fair.”

“It’s biology, June bug, it’s what they’re made for.” Seth pecks my nose, kissing the tip before he leans to the side and makes a face at Bennett. “Come here.”

The alpha laughs, but relents. And in only a second, I’m squashed between the two of them, Bennett’s warmth at my back as he leans into Seth and kisses him once, gently, pulling back before Seth can get carried away.

I flush when a throat clears.

“You rang?”

Seth pulls himself away, leaving one arm draped across me as he looks over at Arin, motioning to the bags. “Grab as much as you can carry, we need to show our omega her nest.”

I open my mouth to correct him, but Arin’s eyes snag mine. With one look, I acquiesce, pressing my lips back together as the four of us move upstairs, past the second floor with my room and Seth and Bennett’s, all the way to the third. In the light of day, I can see the couch where I sat the first night, confused and overwhelmed. To the left of it is the short hall that leads to Theo’s room, the door firmly shut.

I wonder where he went. Seth motions to the other side of the hallway. “Theo’s up here, but you knew that. He took the room furthest from everyone because he’s a grumpy dick.” He tugs me over to the opposite end, where a narrow hallway ends on a single door.

Arin casts Seth a look and Seth slows to a stop, holding my hand as Arin brushes past us. There’s an unspoken shift of power as Arin steps to the door and twists the handle, letting it swing open, not stepping inside, and instead giving me space to walk past him.

“Consider this room yours, you dictate who’s allowed in.”

My throat closes as I let Seth’s hand go, slipping past Arin into the room.

It’s plush . The carpet and decor is starkly different to the rest of the house. Instead of the wooden parquet throughout the other areas, there’s a thick carpet that I sink down into, my bare feet being swallowed by it. A mattress is set into the floor in the center of the room, cushioned walls around it.

I stop as I near the huge mattress, big enough for multiple people to sleep on it. It’s bare, and there are no pillows either, but the low ceiling and the soft, dark heather gray walls make the space feel cozy. Can lights line the ceiling, recessed and on a dimmer, not a window in sight.

I turn in a slow circle, spotting another door on the far wall.

“That’s the nest’s private bathroom.”

I jump, turning to look at Arin, remembering that I’m not alone. Seth crowds the doorway, looking at me eagerly as Bennett hangs back behind them both.

I glance at them, confused. “Why aren’t you coming in?”

Arin opens his mouth, then closes it.

“It’s generally up to the omega to decide who’s allowed into their nest.” Bennett’s smile is soft as he speaks from behind them. “Invite only. We’re respecting that.”

“But it’s your house.” I stare at them, my eyes wide.

Arin’s smile is gentle. “And this is your space, for as long as you’d like to be.”

It’s the tiniest shred of control, and I grasp at it, my chest feeling tight as I look at the three men, my eyes snagging on Seth first. “Come here.”

He nearly knocks Arin through the wall in his haste to jump into the room. Seth throws his arms around me in an instant, humming as he presses his lips against the side of my face, peppering me with kisses as he mutters, “I knew I was the favorite.”

I laugh, shaking my head at him even as I lean into the feeling of his lips against my skin. It takes me a second, surrounded by the chocolate smell of him, before I turn and look at Bennett and Arin hovering in the doorway.

“Will you come into my nest, alphas?”

Arin looks like I kicked his knees out from under him. His eyes go wide and his face flickers between shock and awe before he strides directly into the room, heading to the door to the bathroom and opening it for me.

My eyes dart to Bennett, my heart flipping when I realize his sole focus is on me . He doesn’t waver on the carpet, instead he reaches me, slides a hand across the back of my neck, holding me in place before bending down and giving my forehead a scorching kiss that I feel down in my toes. He turns his head, capturing Seth’s lips again, and butterflies explode in my stomach as he pulls back and glances down at me, something darker in his gaze.

I lick my lips, biting my tongue as I whisper, “Which part did you like more, being invited in, or called alpha?”

“Behave.” He leans closer, staring at me like he can see right through me. “Go to our prime before I completely lose the last bit of my sanity, Juniper.”

I grin, unable to help myself as I scamper away, going straight to the bathroom where Arin is lingering. The tile is warm under my feet as I look down at it in awe. Arin motions to the huge space — a tub fit for multiple people sunken into the floor — and a large glass shower that’s more like a room than a bathroom fixture.

“It’s a little brighter than the nest, to help when you’re in the middle of the heat and” — he clears his throat — “keeping clean.”

I watch him adjust his glasses, biting my tongue as he so clearly fidgets. “It’s very nice, thank you for letting me use it.”

Arin tilts his head, eyeing me. “You’re welcome. We should have let you use this space from the beginning. Let me know if there’s anything else you need, I’ll get it, no question.” He clears his throat, hesitating for a breath before leaning closer. Arin’s warm voice glides over my skin. “I’m looking forward to our dinner tonight.”

I stare at him as he brushes past, leaving the room.

I lose track of the sheer amount of trips it takes for Bennett and Arin to bring all the bags up both flights of stairs and to the nest. Seth provides input and commentary as I pull each item out, touching blankets, pillows, sheets, and all manner of other soft, cushy things. We manage to get the sheets on with Bennett’s help and only a little laughter when the corners keep snapping off.

“We knew that there was a nest when we bought this place, but obviously we’ve never used it or needed it.” Bennett shakes a pillow into a case, handing it to me so I can put it exactly where I want it on the bed. They keep doing that — helping up to a point, but deferring to me to make the final decision.

“And Theo wanted the room on this level for himself, but other than his moping and crying himself to sleep, it’s very quiet up here.”

I give Seth a look, my lips twitching. “Stop making fun of him.”

Seth holds his hands up, grinning back at me. “It’s not making fun of him when it’s true.”

Bennett pauses as he holds a pillow. “Theo doesn’t have to be a part of the heat — whatever you decide is perfect .”

I ease them both with a little smile, wringing my hands together as I look around the room. “It’s nice in here.” I whisper the words, feeling an uncomfortable itch under my skin as my fingers twitch, eyeing a few of the blankets. It smells like… nothing, just stale air from being shut for so long.

All the fabric is very nice. The pillows are plush and were clearly expensive and meant for nesting. The blankets and sheets were pre-washed and completely ready for setting it all up. But it’s all neutral, there isn’t a hint of me on any of it.

And I think I’d really like it to smell like chocolate and oranges and mint… and rain.

My eyes land on Bennett as I chew on my cheek. “Are you sure it’s okay if I add a few things?”

“Yes,” Seth answers first. “Like Arin said, this space is yours. Tell us what you need and we’ll get it.” He motions at me. “And none of us will darken the doorstep unless we’re invited, like well-behaved vampires.”

I laugh, looking over at him with a wry smile. “I find that hard to believe.”

He grins at me, but Bennett speaks softly. “Is there something missing, Juniper?”

I glance at the bedding again. Seth did well, its neutral colors, soft browns and earthy greens, nothing shocking or vibrant. And it all feels luxuriously soft.

“I would really like something that smells like each of you.”

Bennett smiles slowly, and it devastates me. “We can do that, can’t we, Seth?”

“Absolutely.” He answers quickly, moving with Bennett toward the door. Before he can leave, he spins and kisses me, stunning me as he whispers, “I’m going to steal Bennett’s best sweatshirts for you.”

I laugh as Bennett tries and fails to grab him. “No, you aren’t. You’re not going to clear out my entire closet.”

Seth darts around him and down the hall, shouting over his shoulder. “Says you!”

Bennett curses and runs after him.

Their laughter echoes up the stairs and a smile tugs at my lips as I linger in the hallway. I glance over my shoulder at the nest again, taking it in, letting myself get used to the idea of coming in here and not leaving for a week. I want it to feel safe, and it… does.

The thought shocks me as I hear rustling. Turning back around, I peek down the hallway and find Theo manhandling bags into his room at the opposite end of the house.

I watch, silent as my brain reconciles this side of him — the alpha who comforted me in the foyer, demanded I not answer my phone — with the other — the alpha who barked at me, who refused to welcome me into their house. Which one is the real Theo? Which one should I trust? I know what my heart says, but I also know it’s a fickle thing and too easily swayed by the sparks I feel every time I look at him.

You can be attracted to someone and know they’re still a bad idea.

The omega part of me, new and unfamiliar, is quiet for once. There’s no input from my hindbrain — and I can either take that to mean there’s nothing to see here, or that there’s no reason to fear him.

Or maybe we’ve all lost our goddamn minds.

Seth comes barreling back up the stairs, shouting with an armful of fabric. “Take it before he kills me! Grant me the safety of your nest, omega!” He falls into me as I stumble to hold onto the armload of sweatshirts and bundles of shirts. They all smell like they were doused in orange juice, and I burst into giggles as Seth grabs onto my hips, stabilizing us both as we fall backwards into the nest.

Bennett’s footsteps pound up the stairs as he shouts, “Seth, god damnit, get back here! You can’t leave me with only underwear!”