Chapter 12 Secrets #2
Why hadn’t Bruiser heard, though? Maybe he had been distracted by the baby-seller’s phone. Since he and Zenith were both part of Doc’s trusted friend group, Ottis shrugged. “We found out today that my pup is also a dragonet.”
Bruiser’s eyebrows shot up. He glanced at Marcie, who was trying to grab the grape soda again. “So that’s why you were attacked.”
“Unfortunately,” Doc said.
“Damn it,” Bruiser muttered. “We keep trying to clear them out, and more keep popping out of the woodwork like worms.”
“Hence the phone hacking,” Doc said. “I’m hoping it’ll lead us to a source.”
Bruiser sighed and left the kitchen. “Give me some time.”
Maybe Ottis’ curiosity showed on his face. Doc scooped him up along with Marcie, carrying them back to the living room. Bruiser had the phone on the ratty coffee table next to a laptop. In the corner, Zenith was hunched over his notebook, furtively watching Bruiser as he scribbled.
Doc sat on the couch, arranging Ottis sideways on his lap. Ottis had to kick off his shoes so he could wriggle his toes on the couch cushions.
“I think you might fit in here if you shift,” Ottis said to Doc. “If you’re creative about where you put your paws.”
“I’ll tell you one thing,” Bruiser said. “This place won’t fit all three of us, shifted.”
The idea made Ottis burst out laughing. “It would be funny. The apartment would explode.”
“It wouldn’t explode,” Doc said.
“It would,” Bruiser retorted. “Or have you forgotten Nevada? The time we were trapped in that condemned office. Two of us shifted and accidentally took out so many load-bearing walls, the entire building collapsed.”
Ottis squeaked. “Were you hurt?!”
“Concussion,” Doc said. “Not much more than that.”
Ottis frowned. He hadn’t had the chance to look closely, but he vaguely remembered seeing other scars on Doc’s body, pale silvery shapes that were nothing like the scars on his face.
Bruiser glanced at Ottis. “Hijinks will dish all the dirt on Doc. Including the embarrassing childhood stories. He will cry happy tears for the chance to humiliate his boss.”
“Bruiser,” Doc hissed.
“You should let your omega know,” Bruiser said.
“I want to hear the stories,” Ottis blurted, his mind spinning with the possibilities. “Maybe not the embarrassing ones if they make you feel bad.”
He was not thinking about how good ‘your omega’ sounded.
Doc groaned and tipped his head back against the couch.
This left his throat completely exposed, from his masked jaw all the way to his collarbones, every single tendon and vein in full view.
When Ottis focused, he could see the steady beat of Doc’s heart in his pulse point; he could hear it too.
He could smell the faint sweat wafting off Doc’s skin, could almost taste it on his tongue.
No one bared their necks like this in front of a wolf. Not even an omega wolf. Did Doc really trust him this much?
What would it feel like, sinking his teeth gently into Doc’s throat?
What would it feel like, feeling the flutter of Doc’s pulse against his lips?
Ottis’ heart must’ve betrayed him; Doc turned his head slightly to study Ottis.
“You okay?” the alpha rumbled.
“Y-yeah,” Ottis croaked. “It’s just... You left your throat all stretched out like a log cake waiting to be eaten.”
Doc stared. Then he huffed, his abs trembling against Ottis’ arm. The other alphas snorted too.
Only then did it hit Ottis, what he had just said. He buried his face in his hands. “Not again!”
“It does look like a log cake,” Bruiser said. “A short one. Pipe some frosting on there, and he’ll be ready for Yule.”
“Food sex isn’t my kink, sorry,” Doc said dryly.
“No, your kink is lace underwear,” Ottis blurted.
Doc stared at him. Zenith and Bruiser both laughed.
Ottis shoved his hands over his mouth, horrified. “Not again!”
Doc chuckled then, shaking his head. “Oh, sweetheart. What am I going to do with you?”
“Plug me up,” Ottis said immediately. “I mean, my mouth hole. If I’m choking on you, I can’t stick a foot in my mouth.”
Then he realized how that sounded.
“Plug you more, you mean.” Doc grinned.
“Oh gods,” Ottis wailed. “Just bury me already.”
“He’s lovely,” Zenith rumbled in his corner. He turned to Ottis. “Do you have brothers? More of you in your pack?”
“I’m the only omega in my dads’ litters,” Ottis said. “Sorry.”
Zenith’s smile turned lopsided. “Ah, I should’ve guessed. Thank you anyway.”
And now Ottis felt bad for him. “I have some omega friends—” But most of them were happily mated. “I’ll ask around.”
Zenith cheered up.
“You’re not getting this one,” Doc growled, wrapping his arms around Ottis and Marcie. “Ottis is mine.”
Ottis’ instincts shivered.
Then he realized that, by going to live with Doc, Sevrian would eventually end up on Doc’s doorstep, threatening to destroy them both.
The longer Ottis stuck around, the more danger he put Doc in.
But Ottis also had nowhere else safe to go.
His stomach clenched.
If he told Doc about the threat... What if Doc decided that it was too much, and he kicked Ottis out?
He shoved it out of his mind.
“Relax, no one’s stealing your omega,” Bruiser said dryly. He sat up straighter, focusing on the laptop. “I’m in.”
Doc perked up, and so did Zenith.
Ottis thought about telling his friends that the phone hacking was kind of cool. Then he remembered Bruiser interrupting the maybe-kiss in the kitchen.
With a grudge burning, Ottis pulled out his phone.
Ottis
Psst psst PLEASE be around.
Uriel
What’s up?
Ottis
Doc and I are with Bruiser right now.
Uriel
Oh. So you’re Doc’s mystery omega?
The alpha chat was going nuts
And ugh. Why didn’t anyone else volunteer to hack that phone? At least you’re the one looking at Lizard Face, not me.
Doc laughed quietly in Ottis’ ear. He was reading the texts too; it was part of the kidnap contract.
Uriel
So, what do you need me for?
Ottis
I have a plan. If you call Bruiser rude names, I’ll take photos of his offended face
Make the insults increasingly terrible. I want to see him pop
Uriel
Ha! Sure, I’ll bite
The gecko needs to be taken down a peg or two, anyway.
Ottis
(laughing emoji) You call him a gecko, omg
Uriel
Insults incoming in 3...2...1
Ottis scrambled to get his phone camera ready. On cue, three phones buzzed in the living room.
Doc was the first to open the message. Zenith was flipping through his notebook thoughtfully, and Bruiser was typing away on the laptop.
He paused to check his phone, though.
His entire face scrunched up in fury. “What the fuck?”
Ottis took a picture. On Doc’s phone, Uriel had posted a message in the alpha chat.
Uriel
Is the gecko still hacking the phone? I know someone who can do it faster.
Ottis clutched his stomach and tried not to laugh. “Oh, burn.”
Doc shook his head. “Sweetheart.” He sounded chiding, but amused. His phone buzzed again.
Uriel
Might be those squinty tired eyes. Bruiser probably needs a million year nap. Can’t win any omegas if you suck, B. I have more omegas on my phone than you do.
Bruiser roared his outrage. Ottis took another photo and sent both to Uriel.
Ottis
[image sent] [image sent]
This is sooooo funny
Uriel
Haha!
Doc’s phone buzzed again.
Bruiser
Shut the hell up. You’re not even contributing.
Uriel
I’ll let you mess up first. Then I’ll come in and fix your mistakes.
“I HATE YOU,” Bruiser roared.
Ottis took a video this time, promptly sending it to Uriel. Doc chuckled quietly against him.
Uriel
HAHAHA. Thanks. That made my day.
They hated each other so much, it was unbelievable.
Then Ottis’ thoughts stuttered.
Enemies. To... lovers?
When he glanced over, Zenith was scribbling madly in his notebook, grinning in delight.
Holy crap.
Ottis’ heart pounded. Doc turned to him, eyebrows raised.
It was too risky to say it aloud, or write it in a chat. Instead, Ottis opened up the notes app on his phone, and typed.
I figured it out. Zenith is writing a book about Bruiser and Uriel.
Doc’s eyebrows crawled up. “How did you guess that?”
Z said he’s writing an enemies to lovers book. And we clearly know two enemies that everyone is betting on.
Doc huffed, glancing at Bruiser, then Zenith.
One of my brothers is paying Z to write the book.
“Who?” Doc asked.
Ottis thought about it. Probably Crush. He’s rich and he has an omega who likes to read. Heck, I too would commission a book like that if I had the funds.
Doc straightened up. “Would you like me to commission something for you?”
Ottis gaped. “Just like that? Seriously? But you just bought me an entire cart of stuff.”
“Those were necessities, nothing for the pure joy of it.”
“But I got a pretty diaper bag. And amazing blankets and clothes!”
“But those aren’t something completely unnecessary,” Doc pointed out.
Ottis wracked his mind. “Well... The last time I bought something for no reason... It was ice cream, but Mathlin ate it all. Titan paid me back for it, but I haven’t bought more yet.”
“Name something, anything. I’ll buy it for you.”
Ottis squinted at Doc. “You’d go that far for a kidnap victim?”
Bruiser’s head shot up. “Kidnap victim?”
“Oh yeah, he mentioned that,” Zenith said, flipping to another page in his notebook. “So, how scandalous was this kidnap?”
Bruiser opened and closed his mouth. He shot Doc an accusatory look. “You kidnapped Ottis?” And to Zenith, “You didn’t question it?”
Zenith shrugged. “Does Ottis look upset to you?”
Bruiser spluttered.
“It was a very exciting kidnapping,” Ottis said solemnly. “I have never been more excited in my life.”
Bruiser frowned. “Your brothers made it sound like you were stolen from your doorstep by the reapers of Hell.”
Ottis rolled his eyes. “They kept breathing down my neck. Wouldn’t you run away, too?”
“I’d probably punch them,” Bruiser said.
And that was all well and good, but it still didn’t solve Ottis’ actual problem: Sevrian would threaten the pack, and he had already wrecked Ottis’ leg too badly for Ottis to risk anything else.
Except now Ottis had made Doc a target, and if Sevrian hurt Doc instead, it would be Ottis’ fault.
His body must’ve betrayed him again. Doc tightened his arms around Ottis, nuzzling his ear. “You weren’t just running from your pack, though, were you? What else are you running from, sweetheart?”