Zoinks! Nice Pack, Bro

8. Slow it down

CHAPTER 8

SLOW IT DOWN

Cameron

Cameron

Walking in now. Thanks for not shutting the door in my face.

Baby Brat

Like you wouldn’t have just walked in

S lipping my phone in my pocket I pressed my thumb to my lips, feeling the way they curled into a smile. This girl has slipped past whatever walls I had and is working her way right into my heart.

Her scent.

The way her whole apartment smelled when I walk inside. The way her slick filled the room with that sweet peach scent and heavy musk as she made a mess of my jeans.

I should have made her come on my fingers and then my tongue and then my fingers again.

It should have been terrifying to feel like this but I don’t feel that way at all.

I just want Sadie.

Letting people in isn’t something I was particularly fond of doing. I lived with the three guys who had become my brothers in the Army. The only people in this world that I trust and believe in.

I don’t date or try to make connections with people, just like Sadie. I work out, work on whatever project for our business, work on cars and bikes for fun. Work was what kept my head on straight and all the bad memories couldn’t come in if I was too tired to conjure them.

But there was Sadie, baby brat, all bad attitude and sad eyes.

And my omega. My scent match. My sweet girl.

God, having her in my arms, pouring herself out so freely with me. It had baffled me; Sadie had been so closed off with us, so sure that she didn't want anything to do with anyone and when she had flinched pulling away from me I knew it wasn’t us that she had a problem with but someone hurt her.

The rage surprised me.

Usually my emotions were in check. I knew how to control them and what to do if they got to be too big.

Which gave me an idea.

Cam

Do you want to go to the gym with me tomorrow before I take you on a ride?

Baby Brat

No.

Cam

You can punch me.

Baby Brat

In the face?

Cam

Your arms aren’t long enough, little brat

Plus, you like my face

The slick stain on my pants proves that

The gym is a boxing club

Baby Brat

And I can box with you?

Cam

Yes, I’ll even let you get some hits in

Baby Brat

Okay.

“Why are you out so late and why are you happy?” Ant’s voice makes me look up. I didn’t notice him when I first walked in. He is in front of the TV, his game paused as he stares at me trying to figure out what is going on.

Was it so clear on my face?

Since we were the closest in age, Anthony and I were together a lot. He was more extroverted than me, wanting to go check out clubs and trying to get me to be his wingman. He had better luck bringing Paxton along for that shit. Maybe because Paxton thought he was going to get in trouble and went along with him to be a bodyguard to avoid jail.

I would rather be working on my latest bike upgrade or playing video games from the safety of our home.

He was staring at me, awaiting my reply and suddenly I felt territorial over Sadie.

She wasn’t mine and I knew all the guys had some degree of attraction to her outside of her being our scent match but there was this sense that she had trusted me and now I needed to protect her, like everyone else in her life has failed to do.

Mine to protect. Mine to keep safe. My Sadie.

But I trusted the guys with my life and if I could trust them that meant Sadie could too.

I was going to go in a rut from the way she was consuming me. I could already tell that I was barely holding on as it was.

Shit .

“Are Pax and Jace asleep?” Ant nodded his head in confirmation, his eyes looking me up and down. It was just past one am so it made sense since they both got up with the birds. “I was with Sadie.” Ant straightened up at this, “I’m taking her boxing tomorrow. ”

“Pax is going to lose his mind.” Ant warned, which was a fair and true statement.

Paxton had been the first one to find the boxing club, a hole in the wall dirty joint that he had gone to to relieve stress. One by one we all joined and eventually when the old man sold it we bought it as our first business venture outside of our construction.

It was Paxton’s baby. It was more of his club than any of ours but since we were pack he had made it so that we all had a piece of everything to be fair.

And as much as he acted like he wasn’t affected by baby brat, there wasn’t a chance in hell that he was going to be able to ignore her while she was working out in his club.

All the alpha pheromones usually stunk up the place. Paxton had installed new air diffusers but I was still worried that if she started sweating her sweet omega scent would bleed out and we wouldn’t be able to get it out.

I’d have to find new filters.

It would be a good time for people to see that she was mine if Paxton even let other people be there when I brought her.

Ours if the guys all came with us. Maybe they could come and we could show off our omega.

But she needed a safe space to beat up her demons. Something I understood. And this could be her safe space. I wanted this to be a place she would be able to breathe. There had been so many times that I needed to breathe.

“If she likes it and starts going we can all see her more.” I offer up but Ant shakes his head at this.

Paxton is legendary for his dad temper tantrums.

It’s not so much the yelling but the silence and slammed doors. The passive aggressive things that he does and how he will go out of his way to make you not only know but feel how pissed off he is with you. And just when you think it’s going to blow over that’s usually when he confronts you and lets you know whatever you did was stupid.

Gonna be a lot of slamming doors after tomorrow.

“Do you think she’s going to understand we all want her?” Ant says this like we’ve talked about it before, like we’ve all sat down and thought about the four of us with one person.

We’ve shared before.

Basic primal needs sort of thing but it’s pretty clear right now to me that Sadie is not just an itch we’re trying to scratch. Jace would have no problems talking about it and Ant obviously doesn’t seem to either. It’s me and Paxton who they think are too emotionally stunted to handle this.

To have an omega.

A week ago I would have dipped out.

But after tonight? I’m all in with my baby brat.

I like the way she’s tough but that soft side of her, the walls breaking down tonight for me. Being there for her, being the person she let hold her. That did something to me that changed whatever wiring issue I was suffering from.

Now I want her and I won’t stop until she’s ours.

“I think she needs to get to know us all but yeah. I think she’s going to be okay with it. She’s our scent match. I think it scares her but we can all show her who we are.” I grab my phone, flicking through texts and emails, pausing to make an appointment at a clinic tomorrow so I can give her a clean bill of health.

I’m pulled from the medical survey I’m completing by Paxton’s voice.

“Which one of you idiots didn’t put your groceries away?” I’m leaping over the couch just in time for him to dump the bag out and pause. Paxton is now glaring at Anthony for what is now covering the kitchen counter.

Baby brat wanted to be safe so I stopped at the drug store and spent two hundred dollars on a safe planning measure, which are now laid out on the counter in all their safe sex practice glory.

She must have been on suppressants if she is so concerned about pregnancy. They can throw off her heats and make her more fertile at different times.

Since we are already scent matched it also makes the risk of having a baby get larger.

What would it be like to have a baby with her? Her growing our pack baby. Rounded and full of part of us. Growing a new life for us to raise together. Taking care of our girl. Spoiling her as she makes our baby for us.

Didn’t know I had a breeding kink.

But from the way my cock feels like it’s going to add another stain to my jeans, I do.

“Keep this shit in your bedroom, Anthony.” Paxton snaps as Ant smirks, looking at me. That mother fucker is going to be a rat. Paxton goes to get a glass of water from the fridge.

He’s going to want to have his water and go back to bed. It’s going to make him so mad to be kept awake with this shit.

“I do keep things in my room. It seems our boy Cam-Cam here had a good first date with our little scent match and decided to make sure he’s safe for their second date tonight. Is that her slick I smell on you?” Anthony is teasing as I shove the boxes back into the bag. Cleaning up the mess in hopes that they just leave it alone.

The way that tension rises makes me prickle.

I have nothing to be embarrassed about and yet my ears tinge red. I’m going to kill Ant.

Paxton’s hand tightens on the glass and I expect him to say something about not caring. His jaw works as he grinds his teeth, a flash of annoyance rushes across his face before he can slam it back down again and then he turns, meeting my eyes with such heat that I step back not wanting a fight.

Oh shit.

It’s all alpha heat in the room now.

Her juices are still on my jeans and I’m sure he can smell her. I’m going to keep them in my bed to help me sleep. The idea of her scent around me makes me want to go to bed now.

Is she sleeping wrapped up in my scent?

“Did you fuck her?” It's a question I would like to say yes to but at this moment with Paxton’s anger radiating off him at 105 degrees I’m thankful it’s a no.

So many slammed doors are coming.

“She tried to cancel our date so I showed up at her house and she cried.” I rush to explain .

“WHAT?!” Paxton slams the glass down way too hard. It shatters because he has no sense of his own strength and he is losing his ever loving mind.

This is not good.

I’m so getting metaphorically grounded.

Maybe I should have gone to bed at 9PM.

“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN SHE CRIED?”

And it was at that moment that Paxton could no longer pretend he didn’t care about Sadie being our scent match. Because as he lost his ever loving mind it was very clear that she was holding space in his crazy head.

The yelling being obscenely loud, woke Jace up. He was coming down stairs and looking around to see what the hell was happening. His hand rubbing at his eyes as he surveyed the scene to try and put together pieces.

Jace was the calm one, the broker of peace. The one who was stupid enough to not care when Paxton was mad or maybe the best at pretending she didn’t care.

“Are we out of ice cream again?” Jace jokes, yawning as he looks at the clock that is now coming closer to three am. He doesn’t seem bothered about being woken up by the temper tantrum going on in the kitchen.

Isn’t the first time something like this has happened. There was the Thanksgiving of 2020 when someone decided to talk politics at the table and a turkey may or may not have been punched.

The year of the sandwiches.

Jace and Paxton probably won’t go back to sleep after this. I’m sure Ant and I will have no problem sleeping in. Something that is not going to help Paxton’s mood.

“He was at Sadie’s house.” The finger gets pointed at me, literally by Paxton, who is now looking at Jace like he wants him to somehow make sense of me going out with someone.

It’s not making sense to Jace either who blinks so Ant decides to jump in.

“And she cried so now Cameron has a bag full of rubbers.” Jace’s gaze falls to me with his eyebrow raised in a silent question. He needs someone to decipher the clown speech that is being thrown around.

This is all going to hell so quickly.

It also feels like I’m about to get a sex talk from them which I don’t want to happen.

Paxton starts pacing and Ant leans against the wall like he is watching a circus and this is suddenly his favorite act.

Asshole.

I should start explaining what happened but I can’t. I’m so lost at how they’re all reacting and I can't understand why they’re being like this.

“Is Sadie okay?” Jace asks, prompting Paxton to stop moving as I nod my head in acknowledgment, “Okay, that’s good. Now, can you please start from the beginning and tell us everything that happened?” Jace’s voice is calm as he cleans up the mess that Paxton made on the counter.

He’s in the fridge grabbing water to hand out so we all know we’re about to sit here and have a conversation.

I set the bag on the table, pulling out a stool, and setting my phone down on the counter just as it buzzes and I see ‘baby brat’ light up the screen. Ant sits down next to me and Paxton across from me as I decide to ignore the text. And then it buzzes again…and again…and again…and…

“Is she texting you right now?” Jace’s eyes are on me as I swallow dryly.

Leave it to the brat to not even be here and she still gets me in trouble.

“We need to talk about how Paxton is about to have a stroke over not being the first one with our girl.” Ant jokes but it doesn’t feel funny because it seems true enough.

I flip over my phone, thankful the texts have stopped, and look at Jace who just looks around at us all. Before he nods at me and I explain my night with her. How she cried. How she was hurt. How she wanted more but had rules so I made an appointment.

All of it.

Paxton calms down when he hears the story but his hands are in fists when I talk about how she is currently tucked in her bed in my hoodie. He wants to stake a claim on her but doesn’t know where to start.

As pack lead, a lot falls on Paxton and I know he doesn’t want to mess anything up. Not only for himself or Sadie but for us. Courting our omega and making sure she is taken care of in the right way means a lot to him.

“Our poor girl. Are we doing this?” Ant asks excitedly like he wants to know that we’re all in again. He already spent time with her the other day and I know he wants more of her.

Seeing Paxton get this upset definitely pushed up the timeline on things.

How do you talk with your three closest friends about how you all want to love the same girl? How do you talk about thinking it’s the best possible thing for her because Sadie doesn’t deserve just one person she deserves us all adoring her. She deserves to be cared for and loved in a way I’m sure all of us can do.

I didn’t grow up in a pack.

My parents were betas or at least that's what my nan said. She raised me when they had left me. Something about them being drug addicts or something.

I had been left.

That’s all that I really heard. Everything else was just an excuse as to why I hadn’t been good enough for them to stay.

Now that I was in a pack, I wanted what I felt I had missed out on as a kid. Sure, we all loved each other but not how we would love Sadie. How we would put her as the center of our pack and worship our omega.

She’d be our glue.

“I think it would be good for her. Someone or someone obviously hurt her before. She deserves to have all of us take care of her.” Usually I don’t speak up like this. So when I do they listen and I like how they seem to trust me on this.

“I did save the little darlin’ the first day so I think it’s clear where I stand.” Jace teases us because we all know Paxton had been the one to lurch forward to get her first but Jace had just been closer .

There was a slammed door on the car ride home over that.

Paxton is quiet. Not making eye contact. He’s overthinking the situation. Hands twitching as he holds them on the island, fingers moving as he comes up with a plan. When he finally lets out a sigh that feels like the world was put on his shoulders we all know that he is ready.

“One month. We can see where it goes for one month and then we decide.” his eyes lift up to look around, “And it’s either we all have her or none of us. She needs to know that so no one gets hurt. If she isn’t comfortable we don’t do it. I’m not about to hurt the princess.” And as soon as she has a nickname he admits he is just as fucked as we all are with her.

Jace takes a heavy breath but just as he goes to talk, my phone is buzzing again. This time I turn it over and see it’s all missed texts from her.

“Those are tits.” Ant deadpans from where he is looking over my shoulder and sure enough there are tits.

Baby Brat

I can’t sleep.

This is your fault so if you want to make it up to me you’ll play hooky with me.

If you need inspiration

ATTACHED IMAGE

You’re not getting your hoodie back.

This is your fault. Getting me all worked up. And you scent marking me.

Also your fault

ATTACHED MOVIE

There’s a fucking movie. And from the looks of it her hand is definitely in her panties .

“Hit play.” Ant mutters and I gulp as the 30 second clip plays or her rubbing her clit. Wet sounds as she touches herself and breathy moans fill the kitchen as we all stare at her getting off.

All four of her alphas watched the object of their affection.

Her slick is coating her fingers and I want to suck it off. Get down on my knees and lick at her until she is coming all over my face and begging me to knot her. She would look so pretty on her knees, presenting for me as I feast on her.

Arousal is pumping through the bond as we all just stare at the tiny screen.

We all sit quietly for a second because what do you say when you know everyone is hard for her?

“Is there more?” Ant finally asks and I scroll further into the conversation.

Baby Brat

Okay, that didn’t help me get tires so I’m going for a walk

tired*

And since you’re not answering I figure you’re asleep. So if you text me and don’t here from me in the morning here are pictures for my body recovery or missing persons case

hear*

I swear I can spell…most of the time.

proof of life

ATTACHED IMAGE

ATTACHED IMAGE

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Paxton is the first to react .

“We’re going to get her. She’s not walking around at three in the Goddamn morning herself.” He’s already headed to get his shoes on as we all follow him. “Call her and tell her to get her ass home because she isn’t going to like it if I have to get her there.” Paxton warns as we head out to his truck.

And that’s when the real trouble starts.

Because I call once and it goes to voicemail. The same thing happens again. And as we pull away from the house I have to drop the news to the rest of the pack.

“She’s out alone and her phone is dead.” The words just make Paxton drive faster as we all get quiet.

Sadie is about to get a crash course in being ours.