Pack Obsession (Love Knot War #3)

Chapter 16

Chapter

Sixteen

AXEL

T he SUV’s engine roars as Logan drives, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. The muscles in his jaw work overtime, and I know exactly what he’s thinking—the same thing I am. We should be home with Casey already, but the chase through the streets to shake off Julian’s men took fucking longer than anticipated. They’re like roaches and everywhere we turned, more popped up.

Now, Logan’s steel-gray eyes are laser focused on the empty highway road ahead.

I shift in my seat, trying to contain the restless energy coursing through me.

“Nash’s timing has always been lucky… the fucker!” Of course, between the three of us, he’s the one who ends up alone with Casey as she goes into heat. Fuck, what I wouldn’t give for it to have been me. “Remember the Davidson job? He waits until we’re halfway through the job to join us and stumbles over the culprit, taking him out like he’s the damn hero of the day.”

“Christ, don’t remind me.” Logan’s laugh is sharp but genuine. He pauses, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. “Speaking of jobs... middle of planning the upcoming heist for the Muso brothers, and our Omega goes into heat.”

“ Our Omega,” I repeat, tasting the words. They feel right in a way I wasn’t expecting. Something settles in my chest, even as another part of me bristles with protective urgency. “Never thought I’d hear us say that.”

“Never thought we’d mean it.” Logan weaves around a slow-moving truck. “Remember what we used to say about Omegas in our line of work?”

“Too risky. Too complicated. Too much potential for shit to go wrong.” I lean back, watching the woods blur past. “Casey’s different, though.”

“Different doesn’t begin to cover it.” Logan’s lips quirk up. “You think she has any idea what she’s walking into with us?”

I bark out a laugh. “Three Alphas with broken pasts turned high-stakes thieves sharing an Omega? Fuck no.” Sharing an Omega has never been an issue between us, and I’m ready to have one of our own.

“And yet...” Logan lets the thought hang.

“...she looks at us like we’re something for her to solve,” I finish.

“She’s brilliant. Completely fucking eager to take on any challenge, too. You should have seen her in the woods during our training. Spectacular. But then we have–”

“Julian,” I growl, and the name sits between us like poison.

Logan’s expression darkens. “Three missed calls from that piece of shit just today.”

“He’s going to be a massive problem.” I stare out at the bright full moon, my mind already spinning through scenarios. “The connections he has... Nash did some digging. They’re not the kind you walk away from easily.”

“Then we eliminate the problem.” Logan’s voice drops into that flat, military tone.

We ride in silence for a moment, both lost in thought, anticipation of getting home for Casey eating me alive. Logan clears his throat.

“Speaking of threats... back to the heist.”

“Yeah?”

“The risk–” Logan starts.

“Is too fucking high,” I finish. “Not with an Omega we care about, I don’t know if I want her to get hurt.”

His smirk is knowing. “We’re all so far gone over her, it’s actually kind of pathetic.”

“Speak for yourself,” I mutter, but there’s no heat in it. We both know it’s true.

Logan takes another turn, this time onto our private road. The trees crowd close, their shadows dancing in the headlights.

“You know what’s really pathetic? How fast we dropped everything when Nash called.”

“As if you wouldn’t have killed him if he didn’t tell you immediately.”

“True.” Logan’s grin is wolfish as he rounds the final bend. The house comes into view, warm lights glowing in the upstairs windows. Home. And somewhere inside...

Gravel sprays as Logan brings the SUV to a halt right at the front door. We’re out of the car in seconds, moving like demons to get inside.

I take the stairs two at a time, Logan right behind me, until Nash appears at the top landing. There’s something unusual about him, something in his expression that makes me pause. His hair’s a mess, his t-shirt is wrinkled like he just pulled it on, and his scent... fuck.

He had sex!

Jealousy twists inside… no hatred for him but that it hadn’t been me.

He presses a finger to his lips. “She’s sleeping,” he whispers, and that one sentence carries so much weight I almost stagger.

Logan mutters something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like lucky bastard as we follow Nash back downstairs to the kitchen. The familiar space feels charged somehow like everything’s shifted just slightly left of normal.

Logan heads straight for the fridge, grabbing three beers. The bottles clink as he sets them on the counter, the sound oddly loud in the quiet kitchen. Nash leans against the marble countertop, and that satisfied grin hasn’t left his face.

“You fucked her,” I state. Not a question. I know that look.

Nash’s grin widens, showing teeth. “Nothing in my life compares. Nothing.” He accepts the beer Logan slides his way. “The way she responded, the trust in her eyes... fuck, I wish I had better words for it.”

“That good, huh?” Logan downs half his beer in one go, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

“A hundred times better.” Nash runs a hand through his disheveled hair, making it stand up even more. He shakes his head. “She’s different. She’s everything.”

“We almost crashed twice getting here,” Logan grumbles, but the corner of his mouth twitches. “Could’ve mentioned you had it handled, and she fell asleep.”

“Would it have stopped you from rushing home?” Nash asks, eyebrow raised.

“Fuck no,” we both answer, and for a moment, we’re all grinning at each other like idiots.

“I’m starving.” Nash pushes off the counter, heading for the pantry. “Eggs?”

“You and your midnight breakfast,” Logan snorts, hopping up to sit on the counter. His legs dangle like a kid’s, completely ruining his dangerous operative image. “So... details. We want them all.”

“Every single one,” I agree, leaning back against the island. “Don’t leave anything out.”

Nash pulls out eggs, bacon, and bread. “You really want me to spoil it?” The pan hits the burner with a soft clang. “Some things are better experienced firsthand.”

I growl low in my throat. “Bastard.”

“Trust me,” he layers the pan with bacon. “You’ll thank me later. But I will say this—she’s absolutely fucking perfect for us. All of us.” He pauses, spatula hovering. “The way she tastes, feels, purrs… fuck, I’m hard just thinking of it. And she took my knot so well, like she was made for this. For us.”

Logan’s phone buzzes, cutting through the moment. Julian’s name lights up the screen, and just like that, the mood shifts.

“Four calls now,” Logan mutters, declining it with more force than necessary. “Persistent fucker doesn’t know when to quit.”

Nash turns the bacon, the smell leaving me salivating. He cracks eggs one-handed into the pan, showing off like always.

“I already refunded his money,” I snap. The memory of Casey’s fear when she talked about him makes my fists clench. “What more does he want?”

Nash drops four pieces of toast into the long toaster. “He wants what he thinks belongs to him.”

“She doesn’t belong to him,” I snarl.

“No,” Nash agrees quietly. “She’s ours.”

“We deal with him tomorrow and pay him a visit to end this,” Logan says.

“We make it clear what happens if he doesn’t back off,” Nash adds.

The kitchen fills with the homey scent of his midnight snack, so normal it almost feels surreal given the conversation. Sliding his eggs and bacon onto toast, he takes his first bite.

“You volunteering for fieldwork? That’s new.” Logan teases. Tilting his head, he studies Nash. “Usually, can’t drag you away from your behind-the-scenes work.”

“Casey changes things.” He shrugs, but there’s steel underneath the casual gesture. “None of us are who we were before her. Even if it’s been about a week since she joined us, I intend to protect her.”

“True enough,” I admit.

“Speaking of Casey, one of us needs to stay with her tomorrow,” Logan states, glancing at both of us.

“Me,” I say instantly, not even trying to hide my eagerness. Nash glares, and Logan chokes on his beer, laughing. “Hey, Nash practically volunteered just then.”

Nash still wears that insufferable grin. “You sure? I’ve got more experience with her now to easily keep her calm and?—”

“Not happening in this lifetime,” I cut him off. “You two get to play intimidation squad. I’ll stay with Casey.”

Nash just glares at me while devouring the rest of his meal. Then he sets his empty plate in the sink, turning to face us fully. “You sure that’s how we want to play this? I could try to dig up enough dirt to bury him quietly. No mess, no traces.”

“We try talking first because he’s the kind of bastard who will wriggle out of most shit. I want him out of our way now, not once things kick into motion. The job is over so he can now fuck off,” Logan declares.

My mind’s already spinning contingencies. Julian has connections in places we’d rather not stir up. The wrong move could bring down heat none of us need.

“But if he forces our hand...”

He glances my way. “Then we handle it.” Logan’s voice has a deadly calm. “Permanently.”

Logan slides off the counter, stretching. His dog tags glint in the kitchen light.

We share a look, the kind that comes from years of having each other’s backs. From knowing exactly what each of us is capable of. Nash might prefer his cyber warfare, Logan his precise military strikes, and me my more direct approach, but in the end, we’re all ready to do what is needed to protect one of our own—our Omega.

I stare back at the stairs, thinking of Casey sleeping upstairs, of how we are going to keep her safe… at any cost.

“She’s ours now,” Nash says quietly, reading my thoughts like always. “We protect our own. Do you both agree?”

“Agreed,” Logan states. He straightens, military bearing sliding into place.

“Fuck, yeah!” I answer.

“Tomorrow,” Logan confirms. “If he insists on pushing, he’ll be sorry.”

Nash’s grin turns sharp. We’re dangerous men who’ve done deadly things. But watching Nash rinse his plate and seeing Logan absently fiddle with his tags, I know we’re also family. And family protects its own.

Tomorrow, we deal with Julian. And if the bastard doesn’t like that...

Well, accidents happen every day.

“I’m staying with her tomorrow,” I add, breaking the tension.

Nash throws a dish towel at my head, then nods.

“Agreed,” Logan adds.

Just like that, we’re back to normal. Three of us in the pack bickering in a kitchen at midnight, planning a man’s potential demise between jokes. But what’s different is that upstairs, our Omega sleeps, safe, and finally where she belongs.