Chapter 46
Igrabbed the strawberries Cade had just plopped in the basket, keeping step with the cart Rafe was pushing.
“You have to keep your nutrients up,” Cade murmured against my ear. I turned to look at him striding right next to me. “Omegas are too delicate.” He said this as if he were reciting something he had heard.
“Ah, all of a sudden we’re too delicate.” I raised an eyebrow. “Did you learn that at an academy?”
All Alphas and Omegas were required to take courses on the care and nuances of Omegas. There were all sorts of different schools, but some sort of education was mandated by the Council.
“We did our training online. And no, Cade was asleep with the computer open half the time,” Rafe said.
I laughed, shaking my head. There were different ways to go about it. Attending an academy, the classes were built into schedules, or there were classes hosted at the ORD, while the last resort was an online course. Cade was still glaring at Rafe.
“Did you take his test for him?” I looked over my shoulder to meet Rafe’s brown gaze. He seemed so . . . relaxed recently.
“Dorian did,” he responded with a chuckle.
“Whatever,” Cade mumbled.
We passed the aisle stocking slick pads, and period pads for Betas. I slowed, eyeing the items and weighing whether I’d need some slick pads.
“You don’t need those, baby, I’ll lick up all the slick you produce.
” Cade’s arms went around my waist and he nuzzled my neck.
I snorted, tucking my chin lower and writhing in his arms from the ticklish sensation.
“Fuck, I forgot,” he suddenly said and let me go.
“I’m going to grab some vitamins. I read they’re good for Omega immune systems.” He veered to the right and down an aisle.
I blinked after him, catching my breath.
Sometimes that man gave me whiplash.
Rafe angled the cart down the empty lane, and I snapped out of my daze, catching up to him. A male Beta standing behind the cashier grinned and said, “Did you find everything you needed?”
“Yes, thank you.” I started placing the items on the belt.
Rafe’s head was swiveled to the side, but I couldn’t see what he was looking at. He fished inside his jeans pocket and handed me a sleek metal card.
“Here, I’ll be back in a sec.” He disappeared around the endcap, and I focused on getting everything out of the cart. It didn’t take him long to return, his legs eating up the tile.
“What’s that?”
Rafe held a book tucked against his side. I reached for it, and his lips thinned, but he didn’t fight me grabbing it. Flipping it, I read the title: Cook for your Omega.
How . . . sweet.
He cleared his throat, and his eyes kept skidding to the side. Gingerly, he took it away and placed it at the end of the moving belt. Red flushed his cheeks, and I didn’t think my heart could melt any more.
Instead of continuing to pester him, I turned to the payment pad, waiting for the cashier to finish.
I fiddled with his debit card. “Your name is Rafael?” His eyebrow twitched, and he gave me a small smile. “Rafael,” I repeated.
He lifted my hand and kissed my wrist, right over the faint scar from the zip ties.
The Beta behind the cash register breathed in, his moon eyes staying on my Alpha. Humor echoed to me from his side of the bond. Did he think him fluttering his eyes was funny?!
Rafe’s smile widened even more, and he met my eyes. He was laughing at me. He felt my jealousy. I cleared my throat sheepishly and made a show of looking around. “Where’s Cade—” He swept me close, his lips catching mine, and he kissed me with fervor, turning me boneless.
I hurried down the hall to the living room and opened the door for Rafe and Cade who were currently collecting the bags from the car. They hadn’t let me grab even one, so I’d rushed inside to at least have all the doors open for them.
I entered the living room to Dorian whirling. As soon as his eyes clapped on me, he glared. He came at me so fast that I caught myself from stumbling away from him.
Something was wrong. It was still early. He didn’t usually come out of his office until around lunchtime. “What is this?” Dorian shoved a screen near my face. I blinked at the brightness and waited for my eyes to adjust.
A screenshot stared back at me.
“You created a profile on our app?” His words were low and threatening. I raised my eyes to his emerald ones. The hurt was unmistakable, and it swirled with anger.
“I made it after I left you with Susanna,” I spat and raised my chin. “I didn’t know what was going to happen, but I wasn’t going to be some pitiful Omega waiting for the Alphas that rejected her.”
He exhaled and closed his eyes. “I know how we made you feel. I am sorry.” His remorse was clear through our bond.
“An even better question is why were you on HeatLink?” I didn’t stop my accusation. He drew straighter like he was offended.
“I wasn’t. I had someone search your name so they could scrub your existence from the internet. We can’t have you in danger for being connected to us, and this came up.” Dorian was much more subdued, the anger having fled. Bags rustled from behind us.
“What’s going on?” Cade asked, lowering the paper bags onto the floor.
“Asking her about this.” Dorian lifted the screen, and it took Cade literal seconds to connect the dots.
His head slowly turned to me. “What?” Cade choked out, his eyes were so wide it looked like it hurt. He was shaking his head over and over again. He was suddenly inches away before dropping to his knees, hands clutching the hem of my shirt. “Don’t leave.”
A tremble coursed through his shoulders.
“Cade—”
“Don’t leave!” he roared and suddenly lunged at me.
I staggered, and he caught me before I slammed onto the carpet, then propped me on the floor with care.
His face hovered over mine, and he trembled.
“Please. Eva. Please. I’m sorry for everything.
For hurting you. For not saving myself for you.
For everything.” He sucked in a breath. “I’m sorry. ”
Liquid dripped on my cheek. Was he crying?
I was stunned and silent, watching him fall apart.
His trembling hands slid into my linen pants.
He yanked so hard, it dug into my waist and tore.
He got rid of my panties the same way and spread my legs.
“I-I’ll show you. No one will please you like us.
” Cade already had his cock in hand, the tip shoving against my entrance.
With a twitch of his hips, he seated himself inside me. My lips fell open with a gasp. I arched to fit his knot inside me the entire way. The wet thwap of our flesh meeting drove me mad, and I met Cade’s frantic thrusts.
He buried his face against my neck, and his warm pants kissed my ear. “Please don’t want anyone else,” Cade breathed.
I shivered, turned on by his desperation. It sounded like he thought I’d made the account recently.
“I—”
He slammed inside me again, cutting my explanation off. I could tell him after; his claim felt too good. My head rolled to the side, my back rubbing against the carpet with his harsh thrusts.
Rafe had come in, and Dorian was next to him, speaking too low for me to hear. They fled my thoughts with the pumps of Cade’s hips, sliding into me with fervor. My brain became mush, and I reveled in his jealous, desperate possession.