Pack Fever: Omegaverse Romance

Chapter 13

Thirteen

Sitting on the semi-circle couch with the pack, surrounded by their comforting scents mingled with the aroma of Chinese takeout, things feel surprisingly normal. Even if this is the furthest from normal for me. Right now, I’m engrossed in my divine orange chicken and fried rice, a delicacy I haven’t enjoyed for far too long. The last time we ordered takeout was when Dad was still alive. My chest squeezes at the memory of us around the family table, laughing and thinking that life couldn’t get any better.

“Danica,” Jasper says, pulling me out of my thoughts, and I glance up with a planted smile.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Don’t think she’s been hearing a thing we said,” Reed says, then digs back into his noodles.

“My head was just elsewhere. What did I miss?”

At the other end of the semi-circle of couches, Seth sits, legs spread and leaning forward as he eats his stir-fry. He’s also studying me with a tilt of his head, his smile reassuring, even if he’s been super angsty since yesterday when he discovered about the media talking up our supposed engagement.

“I was saying that tomorrow, we’re getting samples of our tour merch for a final check,” he begins. “Then we need to distribute quantities from the manufacturers to our final tour locations to sell. I thought it might be something you could help with to familiarize yourself with how things work. We also need photos of each item to add to the tour website.”

I shrug. “I can do that. Doesn’t sound too difficult. It’ll give me something to do other than just sit around.” It’s gratifying to feel needed, so maybe this new role and helping the band won’t be so bad after all.

Jasper’s next to me on the couch, and I catch the way he’s constantly glancing over at me, leaving me smiling but also wondering if there’s something wrong with how many times he stares.

Reed’s sitting on his other side, quieter than usual, his eyes drifting to the TV screen and back to his box of food in his hand.

Seth, on the other hand, doesn’t stop talking. It sounds like nervous chatter to me as he keeps checking his phone, all while rattling off the list of cities on the tour. It’s slightly overwhelming, so I just nod and try to concentrate on my food.

This past week, my heat cycle has been calm. Unless I’m touching one of the Alphas or in super close proximity, I seem to be able to remain tame.

Seth’s phone rings. He’s on his feet in a flash, leaving his meal abandoned on the coffee table.

“Rick, what have you got for me?” His voice booms through the room as he heads toward the corridor.

A hushed silence falls over us, our attention on where Seth vanished. I catch Jasper’s eye.

“Rick’s our record manager at Wing Music,” he whispers, then offers me another egg roll from one of his three boxes of food, which I quickly take since they’re delicious.

“Thanks. I haven’t eaten this much in years. I may not fit into my pants at this rate.” I giggle when Jasper scoops another egg roll into my meal.

“We need to order more eggrolls,” Jasper announces.

Reed, from the corner of my eye, is shaking his head. I’m not going to let him get to me. I made a promise to ignore him. Even though this morning I woke up in his bed after sleepwalking again! Mortified, I snuck out before he even noticed me.

I need a plan to deal with that.

For now, I swallow the food in my mouth, grinning at Jasper and listening to Seth’s voice, although I can’t make out what he’s saying.

Part of me can’t believe where I’ve ended up.

A new life with three Alphas.

With the pack Fever.

Reed keeps glancing at the doorway of the living room while Jasper’s knee bounces with nervous energy. The anticipation sits heavily on me, and while I know it’s not my fault we ended up in this predicament with the record label, I can’t stop guilt-tripping that my decision to stay with them brought on this problem. My stomach knots up the longer we wait for Seth to return.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, he enters the living room. We all simultaneously lean forward to hear him out.

The slight curl at the corners of his mouth is unmistakable—it’s good news.

“They bought it,” he announces, a hint of triumph in his voice. “They accept that Danica is our new band marketing manager, especially since they’re aware I fired the last manager we had for stealing from us, and we were overdue to also hire a marketing manager. If anything, Wing Music is excited to use this as an opportunity to promote the upcoming launch of our new album and tour. Starting with our first song from the new album this week to help take attention away from this drama.”

“Hell, yeah!” Reed booms.

I can’t help smirking at his excitement, then I remember I don’t like him and pull back my grin.

“This is exactly what we need,” Seth states.

“Which song are we doing first?” Reed booms, grinning widely.

“Tell Me Your Lies,” Seth announces, his smile wider. He’s beaming and looks absolutely irresistible. Just seeing him smile, practically bouncing on his toes, has me jittery, too.

Jasper howls, setting his food down, and bursts into a display of air drumming, humming the tune to a song with infectious enthusiasm.

I haven’t heard the song, but I already know I’m going to love it just by his tune.

“Fucking love that song,” he states. The three of them are chatting wildly now, hands all over the place, while Reed suddenly leaps over the coffee table.

“This calls for a celebration.” He vanishes into the kitchen and returns seconds later with four glasses and a bottle of whiskey under his arm.

I’m caught up in their hype, already on my feet, cheering with them, a huge relief washing over me that they won’t be sued. Whatever guilt I experienced earlier is gone.

Reed unscrews the bottle top.

Jasper’s standing near, watching me like he’s going to pounce on me any second now.

Then Reed pours our glasses haphazardly, spilling some all over the floor and some on my bare feet. He grins at me, knowing he did that on purpose. Then he raises a glass.

“To the start of a fucking amazing new album, a kickass tour, and us hitting number one on the charts!”

I’m cheering with them, caught up in the moment, clinking glasses, and feeling like, somehow, I’m special too just by being in their company.

I sip my smooth, strong whiskey and hiss through my teeth as it rushes down my throat. Reed and Jasper are miming using their instruments, booming with the song’s tune. Reed’s up on the coffee table, and Jasper’s hopping up on the couch.

Seth grins, the tension I’d seen on his face since yesterday melting away. He strides over to my side, raising his glass to me in a silent toast.

“Are you still okay to do this, then? Go on tour with us?” he asks, the intensity behind his stare as powerful as his touch. “We’ll ensure you’re safe, so no one will even know you’re in your heat cycle. I’ll give you my word.”

I blink up at him, appreciating his words. I try not to let the arousal simmering inside of me show, especially with how he’s now placed his hand over mine. Fire unleashes up my arms, and I swallow hard, keeping my gaze locked on the corded muscles of his neck. How much I want to reach over and touch them, to kiss them.

“Of course,” I finally answer. “You have no idea how ready I am for this, for a change in my life, to do something other than sit indoors.”

“Good.” He squeezes my hand, and there’s a tightness in my chest I can’t ignore. “Tours can be insane, and fans are crazier. Girls will be all over us, and to help disprove the rumors, we have to be seen embracing their attention.”

There’s a twinge deep in my gut at his words. “That’s fine,” I say with a wavering voice, not liking the sound of that.

“It’s all for show,” he adds, clearly seeing my discomfort.

Except, we’re not exactly a confirmed couple, and in truth, I don’t know what’s going to happen between us, so I shouldn’t be jealous.

“All good,” I assure him. “I don’t own you three. You’re doing me a solid by protecting me from Nexus and helping me with my heat cycle…” My voice trails off as a heaviness settles inside me. My thoughts drift to my heat cycle and how it will make me crave them, make it unbearable… Am I sure I want to do this?

“Danica,” he murmurs. “There is so much more between us. You realize that, right?”

I’m unsure how to take that, but then Reed and Jasper join us, howling the song.

I’m wearing a brittle smile, but I can’t back down. I need them as much as they do me, so I’ll worry about everything else later. First, survive the upcoming tour.

Jasper

The buzz of my phone disrupts the hum of the car’s tires as we rush down the freeway. It’s evening, and I’m in the back of the SUV, being taken home by our driver. Reed and Seth are still at the interview at the TV station. I couldn’t take it any longer, so I left it to them. There’s only so much prodding and fake smiles I can take.

Plus, I miss Danica and want alone time with her.

Glancing down at the message on my buzzing phone, it’s from the bar manager who runs our rooftop bar for private events.

“Jas, your new guest is up here for a meal, but she’s having a problem with one of our guests. Want me to kick him out, which may mean we lose this account?”

Danica! She’s taken to grabbing meals on the rooftop bar, which serves warm meals. Most of the time, it’s empty, but occasionally, we have events. It completely didn’t cross my mind that we had a booking today. Fuck! I should have told her.

“Tod,” I bark out at the driver. “Step on it. I need to be back home yesterday!”

“You got it, sir,” he answers, and suddenly, we’re zipping down the lane.

Angrily, I type back a response. “Get her away from him. I’m coming now.” Stuffing the phone into my pocket, I grip the door handle, knuckles white, my heavy breath steaming up the window.

“Fuck, fuck!” All I can picture is her struggling against the bastard I’m about to murder, each passing moment strangling me. We never should have left her alone, but she insisted she was fine.

My gut aches as I stare at the city we’re entering, the traffic. I want to rip all these fuckers out of the way. After what feels like a torturous eternity, we’re pulling up at the rear entrance of our place to avoid the crowding fans at the front. Before the car comes to a complete stop, I leap out and dart to the door. Using my pass, I slap it on the security panel and punch in the numbers. The door unlocks with a click.

I rip it open and drag it shut behind me. Roaring through the building, I make my way to the front foyer for the main elevator that will take me to the rooftop.

Someone’s calling my name from across the entrance area, and by the female giggles, I can only assume they’re fans. I glance at the building manager at the reception desk and nudge my chin toward the fans.

“Take care of it,” I growl, then I step into the opening elevator.

Alone, I slam the close button. It’s agonizing how slow this is taking. I better not be too fucking late to save her, or I’ll go psycho on everyone.

In moments, I burst out into a corridor and charge to the door that leads me straight onto the rooftop.

My feet pound the floor, anger blazing inside me as I scan the large standing crowd for Danica. Most are males in business suits. We rent out the space for extra cash, which we divide among all workers, which means they get a big fat salary every month. They keep this place in order, running without much input from us. It helps keep our privacy while the right wing of the building is shut off as our residence.

But now, seeing all these penguin assholes, it’s killing me to know why Danica stayed out here.

The rooftop’s crowded, the business function in full swing, music thundering so loud, I can’t hear myself think. No sight of my Omega. I weave through the cluster, my gaze searching frantically.

A few people grab my shirt, calling my name. I hear the word Fever on their lips, but right now, I’m so brutally furious I’m not a band member. I’m a man so desperate, he’s going to murder someone.

Finally, I spot her blonde hair in a far corner of the rooftop where we have storage sheds, away from the crowd where light barely breaches the shadows. A fucker has her cornered, and all I see is them from a side view. She’s shoving her hands into his chest, but the bastard snatches her by the hair and drags her into one of our rooms.

Fire thunders through me as an explosion of protectiveness slams into me. Fists clenched, jawline grinding, I run full-bolt across the rooftop, away from the party.

Savage wilderness comes over me, raw and fierce.

I reach them just as the asshole’s about to shut the door. My hand shoots out, grabbing the edge of the handle, and I rip it out of his grasp. The door slams back against the wall, and he’s whipping around, eyes blazing with shock, with fury.

Good, bring it on!

I’m heaving for breath, my gaze swinging to Danica behind him, wide-eyed, face white, halfway through grabbing a hammer she found in the storage room.

Oh, she’s my kind of girl, fighting and not being a pushover.

“Leave this to me, little mouse,” I tell her, wanting nothing more than to collect her into my arms.

“Hey, back off,” the dick barks with putrid, drunk breath. “I got her first, so wait your turn.” He stands as tall as me but is wafer-thin, and I’m going to break him in two.

“What the fuck did you just say to me?” I holler.

He goes to shove a hand into my chest to throw me out, but my instinct, my protectiveness, takes over. I seize his wrist in a vice-like grip. With a swift motion, I harshly twist it backward. The sharp, unmistakable sound of breaking bone cuts through the air, followed by his explosive cries.

There’s a part of me that understands that low-life scum like him only knows the language of force to make him stop. When it comes to some Alphas, and even desperate Betas, when they see a pretty girl, someone they can overpower, something snaps in their minds. They think of only their dicks and that she’s their means to that release.

Danica gasps, standing there in shock as the man stumbles into the room backward, gripping his hand and howling. I throw my leg out, my heel connecting with his groin, shoving him all the way into the storage room. He flies into one of the shelves before tumbling to his knees, whimpering.

My attention pivots to my beautiful Danica. I grab her arm and drag her to me, her body so soft, it melts against me. Those beautiful breasts call to me. She stares up at me like a frightened doe.

“God, I don’t know what happened. One second, I decided to head back downstairs, then his asshole snatched me.”

“Hush,” I say, placing my finger on her mouth. “Now, hand me that hammer in your hand, and go wait for me outside. Don’t go anywhere else, understand?”

She stares at me stunned, then glances at the crying man, and there’s no pause in her handing me the hammer. There are no questions, even if her jawline clenches tight. As requested, she slips outside.

I shut the door after her. Then, lifting the hammer, I turn to the fucker who’s staring up at me, terrified.

“Now, you were saying something about taking turns with my Omega?”

The room’s dark, with only the faint light from the blinds of the rooftop lights in the distance, showing me exactly where the man huddles.

“I-I… Man, I had no idea she was taken, or I would have never.” There he goes, whimpering again, and the sound coming from a full-grown man is absolutely pitiful.

I never said I’m a good guy or that I won’t implement justice when someone’s done something to hurt me or those I care about. Far from it. I’ll maim, break, and do whatever the hell is needed, but it’s not something my gorgeous little mouse needs to see.

I step toward the man. “Let me show you what happens when you touch what isn’t yours.”

He starts crying, and I roll my eyes, already swinging the hammer in his direction to ensure those hands don’t touch anyone for a long time.