Chapter 2
Atticus
I watched intensely as the girl before me—my mate, fell unconscious, her distressed whine ringing in my ears.
Omegas had two main types of whines: a needy whine and a distressed whine.
A needy whine is most common during heats, and means the omega wants an alpha, and a distressed whine occurs when the omega feels unsafe or is physically at a disadvantage.
"Page Dr. Kaiser," I said, my voice cold like ice. "I want him here immediately."
Each of my brothers nodded, and as Matthias carried our omega out the door, I knew we were on the same wavelength.
I looked at each of them, my mind drifting into thoughts of how our omega would interact with my pack, if she would mend well into our dynamics.
All the omegas we'd met in the past had been gold diggers or snobby betas posing as an omega.
Our mate had to be willing to submit, otherwise this wouldn't end well for any of us.
We'd dealt with fake submissives all the time.
They would lie and cosplay as a submissive, and we could tell it was coming from a place of ulterior motives—not true submission.
Each one of my packmates had their own set of.
..interests. And if our mate wasn't as attracted to them as we were, then we'd have issues.
First, there was Xander. He was our hitman.
He was also our interrogator. Any time I needed someone hunted down for information, he was my guy.
The staff across our many businesses called him a playboy.
But I didn't think he was. I just thought he had a theatrical way of going about life.
He also was very openly a pleasure dom. He and Kade coexisted in that way.
Xander wanted to draw out every inch of pleasure from our omega's body, not stopping until he decided it was enough.
Then, there was Kade. He made our appearances.
Any public information about us came from him.
He went to galas and parties on our behalf, becoming the face of our pack, even if he wasn't the head of it.
And he loved to overstimulate his partners.
If they weren't brainless by the time he was done with them, then he wasn't happy.
He and Xander often paired up, putting their heads together to find new ways to make scenes more fun.
Next, Marcel. He was my head of security.
He watched security cameras and took care of shipments day in and day out, making our empire as fortified and safe as possible.
And he opted to chase his lovers. Being that he grew up in a household where it was taught to be completely in tune with your alpha, he often let his instincts guide him.
He isn't afraid to growl, rip clothes off, chase his prey.
And if he really had it his way, his mate would wear a collar and leash for him.
Then, Matthias. My second-in-command. He informed me about everything happening during the day, keeping me updated about our inner workings.
If I didn't know what call to make, he would help, offering a voice of reason and enforcing my commands.
He also wanted to care for his lover. He wanted to cut their steak for them, pick out their outfits, wash their hair.
Anything so they could be wholly reliant on him. Simply put, he needed them to need him.
Finally, me. The head. The boss. I made all the calls and final decisions.
As our pack leader, it was my job to ensure everyone was happy and satisfied.
Along with that, I craved control. I wanted my lover to give up all control to me, all the time.
I wanted them to sit at my feet, follow my every order, be confident in knowing that they were safe with me.
If it were up to me, they would crawl around the office all day in just their collar and leash, and it wouldn't matter to me if my employees saw it—ones I trust, of course.
They knew she was mine and that was all that mattered.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I cleared my throat and stood from my desk. "Marcel, make sure to let Dr. Kaiser in promptly when he gets here. The rest of us will be waiting in the guest room upstairs." He nodded and made haste, leaving to check his cameras so he could see when our doctor arrived.
I began walking to our guest room, Zade and Xander following closely behind me. "Why do you think she passed out?" Xander asked, concern evident in his voice.
"I'm not sure," I said. "But we'll know when Dr. Kaiser gets here.
" They nodded and we eventually made it to the guest room.
Matthias was pacing the room, his hair falling flatter than usual, like he'd run his fingers through it a thousand times.
I looked over at where Charity was laying on the bed.
Still unconscious, still pale as a ghost.
"Brother, sit. You won't be able to help her if your scent is sour and drenched in worry," I said, sitting on the end of the bed, my feet resting on the base of the bed frame. He wasn't actually my brother, but I thought of all of them as such, since we'd been through hell and back together.
He nodded and took a seat next to me, Xander and Zade following suit as they sat on the side of the bed opposite to the side Charity was on.
"What's her name?" Zade asked, and I noticed a soft twinkle in his eye as he looked at her, like he wanted to understand her entire soul, inside and out.
"Charity," I said. "Charity Ellis." I took a breath, trying to calm my thoughts as pictures of her father played on a cycle in my mind, anger filling me. "Her father tried to sign her into a dancer contract, but lied about her being a beta. She's clearly an omega."
"And she's clearly our omega," Matthias said, his scent hanging in the balance between longing, concern, and urgency.
"Yes. I think we can all agree on that," I said, nodding as I looked at Charity, anxiousness surging in my chest as we awaited Dr. Kaiser's presence.
And as if I spoke him into existence, he and Marcel walked in. He walked up to Charity and felt her wrist for a pulse. The fact that he touched her sent my alpha spiraling, but I tried my best to suppress him, knowing that this is what Charity needs right now.
Marcel wasn't so lucky. He growled, fury burning in his eyes. I glanced at Matthias, who grabbed his shoulder and turned him away from Charity and Dr. Kaiser.
"Please explain in as much detail as you can about what happened," Dr. Kaiser said, pulling a legal pad out of his briefcase.
"She seemed unwell upon arrival with her father. Pale and sluggish. Her father left, and it wasn't until all five of us were in the room that she went unconscious," I explained, hoping it was enough for Dr. Kaiser to get an idea of what was happening.
"And how old is she?" he asked.
"I believe she's 23," I responded, running a hand across my jaw.
"She's clearly an omega. Did she present late?
" Dr. Kaiser wraps his hands around her shoulders and pulls her to a more upright position.
I cross my arms and take a deep breath, not liking that another alpha is touching my omega, even if he's mated.
My pack mates feel the same way, and I hear a slight crack by the bed.
Marcel is now gripping one of the bedposts, the wood splintering beneath his hold.
I glance at him, narrow my eyes, and he lets off, promptly taking a seat by the window to calm himself down.
"I'm not sure," I said. Shame balled up in my throat, but I pushed it down, needing to stay strong for our omega. "But I do know that she's our mate."
Dr. Kaiser nods, understanding settling in his eyes as they flicker to Marcel fuming by the window and back to Charity.
"Well, right now, all I can assume is that she needs rest. She's clearly malnourished, and if she did, in fact, present late, I have an idea of what could be happening.
But I don't like to assume. Please contact me when she wakes up," he explains, packing his stuff back into his briefcase.
"We will. Thank you." Dr. Kaiser begins retreating towards the door, and before I realize it, I'm moving to stand between him and Charity, my body blocking most of his view of her. "If you'd like, you can stay in one of the lounges downstairs so you don't have to make another trip."
"That's very kind. I will definitely take you up on that," he said. He smiled, and the corners of his eyes creased. He turned and left, closing the door behind him.
I moved to stand over Charity, purring as loudly as I could muster in hopes that she would wake up.
I looked up at Marcel, who was still stationed at the window.
"Are you more calm? I understand it's uncomfortable to have another alpha touching our mate, but you can't go on a rampage every time our omega is at risk. "
"Yes, I'm more calm," he responded, standing and walking over to Charity, sitting next to her on the bed. "I shouldn't have acted out of turn." I nodded, satisfied with his response, but his guilt was still heavy in the air.
"Don't beat yourself up about it, brother," Matthias said, his soft spot showing. "We get it. Having an omega will take some getting used to."
A beat of silence passed between the five of us as an understanding of what our life was going to turn into dawned on us.
"How are we going to introduce her to our lifestyle?" Zade asked. I looked back at him.
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, we just focus on getting her healthy and feeling safe."
~~~~~
Charity
I could see light peeking between my eyelids. I slowly cracked my eyes open, and was met with the faces of the same alphas I had seen earlier.
"Charity. You're awake," one of them said. The same one that picked me up and carried me here. "Marcel, get Atticus and Dr. Kaiser." The one who must be named Marcel stood and fled, nodding as he left.
"Wh-who are you?" I asked, my voice quiet and hoarse.
"I'm Matthias, sweet girl," he said, a soft smile gracing his lips.
He pointed at the alpha with blue eyes and a half-buttoned shirt, scars adorning his skin.
"That's Xander." Then he pointed at the alpha with hazel eyes, who looked like he could be a celebrity.
"That's Zade. You may recognize him from the news since he's the face of our business.
" I nodded, realizing that I did sort of recognize him.
"Marcel just left, and Atticus is our head alpha.
He's the one you saw when your father brought you here earlier this morning.
" I blinked a few times, remembering his face, his chilling gray eyes.
"Dr. Kaiser is here to tend to you. I don't know if you recall, but you fainted.
" I nodded again, glad that they were considerate enough to get me medical attention.
The door to the room opened swiftly with barely contained strength, and in walked Marcel, Atticus, and Dr. Kaiser.
Dr. Kaiser smiled at me, setting his briefcase down on the bed and opening it.
"It's good to see you're awake, Charity.
I'm just here to figure out why you fainted, and how we can prevent that going forward. " I nodded, smiling softly back at him.
"Could you tell me your age and date of presentation? Your alphas told me you were 23, but I just want to make sure," he said, and I cleared my very dry throat.
"I'm 23, and I presented about a month ago," I said quietly, ashamed at the fact that I was a late bloomer.
His eyes snap up from his briefcase to look into mine, and a realization sets in them.
He composes himself and straightens, facing me with his whole body.
"Thank you for sharing that with me, Charity.
" He looked at each of my alphas before returning his gaze to me. "I think I know what's happening."
A smidgen of relief flooded through me at the fact that there's an explanation for this. My alphas moved closer, each of them either sitting on the bed or leaning against one of the bedposts.
"It's quite rare, but there are few cases every year," he began, pulling out a prescription pad.
"It isn't recognized as a full diagnosis, since it doesn't have very extensive research.
I believe you are experiencing a kind of withdrawal due to not being exposed to alphas.
Most omegas mate with the first three years of presenting, but you're presenting five years after you're supposed to, and your body is realizing how overdue you are for a heat cycle.
Some symptoms may include dehydration, hot flashes, muscle atrophy, and fatigue.
Can you give me a list of symptoms you've been experiencing that you think could be related to this? "
"O-of course," I said, thinking about all of the odd things my body had been doing over the past month.
"Muscle atrophy, mainly in my arms. I haven't been able to wash my hair in a week since I can't keep my arms up for that long.
Dehydration. My throat feels like sandpaper, and I'm always thirsty.
Fatigue. I've been moving slower and slower, and it takes at least a minute to walk down a flight of stairs.
And my body began rejecting solid foods about a week ago.
I can only consume beverages, like smoothies and juice.
" The doctor nodded, listing my symptoms on a legal pad.
I couldn't help but glance at the alphas surrounding me.
Their sweet scent had turned slightly sour as I had explained everything I'd been experiencing.
"That's very helpful. Thank you, Charity," said Dr. Kaiser.
"What do you recommend, doctor?" Atticus asked, his eyes like stone. He was the most intimidating of my mates, and something deep in my soul, in my omega, realized that I wanted nothing more than to submit. I wanted to please him, to make him happy. I wanted to please all of them.
"Above all else, the only remedy for this is for you and your pack mates to be around Charity as much as possible.
I would recommend physical touch, since proximity is sort of an all-around cure, but I do realize that you all recently met, so please take everything at your own pace," he explained, beginning to pack up his briefcase.
He looked at me tenderly. "By just being in the same area as your alphas, you should be able to stomach soft foods within the week, and then solid foods within the month.
But if you'd like to expedite the process, I also recommend wearing their clothes so your omega can get comfortable with their scent.
Omegas often nest with the belongings of their alphas, so I wouldn't be surprised if your omega wants to do the same thing. "
"Nest?" I asked, not familiar with the concept.
"Nesting is what happens when an omega meets their alphas and settles into their home.
Nests often thrive in warm, cozy places, and they basically allow you to let your omega take over and make the space hers.
They'll also be where you have your heats and where you may choose to sleep, but the nest will be yours and only yours.
Anybody else typically has to ask if they're allowed to enter, since omegas often get extremely protective of their nests.
But you'll figure that out when you make one for yourself," he said.
"So just talk things through with your alphas and figure out the best way to go about everything.
" He picks up his closed briefcase and heads for the door.
"Thank you, Dr. Kaiser," Atticus said, moving to stand between me and the doorway, where Dr. Kaiser now stood.
"Anytime, Atticus. I'm happy to help." He smiles and leaves, closing the door behind him.
My five alphas face me, and I suddenly realize my circumstances. I take a deep breath and clear my thoughts, preparing myself to face the life ahead of me.