Chapter 10
TEN
JADE
I woke up to the distinct scent of plum and moscato surrounding me like a cloud. It was safe and comforting, like a warm drink on a cold day. I blinked my eyes open and registered the smell properly with a jolt.
Jewel.
Why the fuck did it smell like Jewel in my bedroom?
I was fully awake in an instant, sitting up and looking around.
Everything was just how I left it last night.
Except…there was an extra blanket on my bed that I’d never seen before. It had been tucked carefully around my feet, though the scent seemed to be coming from every bit of fabric on my bedding.
I scrambled out of bed, checking the apartment in case he was still here somewhere.
There was a picture of him left on the counter, signed and with xoxo scrawled on the bottom. It seemed Jewel had scent marked it as well. I threw it in the trash with a growl.
Then I took my phone out and dialled him. I switched it to speaker while it rang so I could glare at it properly. He better pick up.
He was awake, and I knew because of this stupid bond.
Seriously, it told me way too much. I’d had a front-row seat to how horny he got last night. It had haunted me with a mental image of him jacking off in his nest.
I mean, if I had opted into it, sure. I could see how that could be kind of fun.
And hot.
But he knew I didn’t want this bond, and he should have been more considerate.
Who was I kidding?
Considerate?
Jewel?
The call connected.
“You know you’re one of the four people I will tolerate phone calls from?” he mused by way of greeting.
“Did you break into my apartment last night?”
There was a pause.
“Break in is such a harsh way of saying it. I didn’t ‘break’ anything.”
“Again, what the actual fuck, Jewel?”
“You know, if it makes it any better, it’s all a bit of a blur,” he said lightly.
“You're psychotic.”
“God, you sound just like that shrink Laurel sent me to.”
I blinked at the phone. “You saw a shrink?”
“Yes, can you believe it? He said my hormones and instincts are unbalanced. I'm fine.”
“No, wait, go back to that. What did he say?”
“Oh, I don't know. Something about my body transitioning out of survival mode? I mean, come on. That doesn't even make sense. Then he tried to tell me I need alphas to make everything better. No fucking thank you!”
I wanted to bang my head on the counter. Whatever. We’d gotten off track.
“Jewel. You cannot break into my house and scent mark all my bedding.”
Boundaries.
I needed boundaries.
What a fucking joke.
“Well, what am I supposed to do? Casey’s telling me yes, you’re telling me no—”
“Casey told you to do this?”
“Hmm. Well, not exactly. He told me I should trust my instincts.”
“He obviously didn’t mean break into Jade’s place and rub your scent all over it.”
“I was going to ask him, but we got a bit busy last night. Though, perhaps you noticed—?”
There was a full five seconds of silence as my brain completely crashed and rebooted.
Did he mean—?
Last night?
Had they—?
“Did you fuck Casey RIGHT AFTER YOU PROMISED TO LEAVE HIM ALONE?”
“Oops, look at that. Gotta go. Ta-ta, angel.”
“JEWEL—!”
He hung up on me.
He hung up on me!
That fucking lying, conniving bastard!
What the actual FUCK?
He’d gone too far this time.
He wanted to play games?
I could fucking play games. I was going to make his miserable ass suffer and enjoy every fucking second of it through this unwanted bond.
?
JEWEL
Now that I had both of my betas bonded, I felt much better. Maybe I’d call that shrink back to rub it in his face.
Look at me. Doing fine without alphas, thank you very much.
I’d had a busy day ahead of my scent-match event next week. I hadn’t seen Jade or Casey today, but I felt them. It had made me so at peace, and I didn’t know how I’d existed without these bonds before.
I certainly wasn’t planning on giving them up now that I had them. There was the itty-bitty problem that the bond wasn’t permanent, but as soon as I snagged Hugo, that would all be fixed.
I smiled as I poured a bowl of sugary cereal and sent another text to Casey. Jade’s messages had all been left on read, which was very rude of her.
She had seemed a teeny-tiny bit mad at me for hooking up with Casey.
Pfft.
As if she didn’t know where this was heading. She’d slept with Hugo, I’d slept with Casey, and soon we’d all be together.
It was spelled out in the stars.
Despite that, I kept hitting snags. I was busting my ass trying to build our dream pack, and so far, only Casey was showing any kind of appreciation.
I threw my bowl into the dishwasher and hesitated at the kitchen island. Usually I’d head to my bedroom and spend time on my laptop, but the closed door of my nest was calling me.
I mean, I didn’t need a nest. It’s not like I’d use it for heats, seeing as I didn’t get them. It was just a room, really.
A room that Casey had poured his care into, and one that was saturated in his scent. It wouldn’t be a big deal to use it instead of my bedroom.
I was surprised to find my heart racing as I reached up to open the door. How ridiculous.
Still, the feeling that swept over me when I stepped inside was amazing.
The warm orange and purple lights were calming, and it had large windows along one side that reassured me I wasn’t underground.
The rug was soft and fluffy under my feet as I walked over to the bed and ducked under the princess canopy.
Seriously, anyone who saw this room—omega or not—would be so jealous. I mean, I literally had shelves of jewelry and gemstones.
The thought of showing Jade my nest made me so happy, my toes tingled. She deserved every inch of luxury and comfort. I’d already ordered a bunch of skincare and spa products, so we could treat ourselves here.
I stretched out on the covers as I felt a faint simmer of arousal from Jade.
Maybe I should go knock on her door and seduce her again. I was already hard just thinking about her. An unmistakable pulse of pure lust flared through her bond.
I opened my phone and sent her a text.
Me: Need some company? ;)
I saw the read receipt under the message. She was definitely getting more turned on.
My phone buzzed, and I finally got a reply from her.
I froze as I saw the picture.
She was in her living room, middle finger raised. Her bedroom door was ajar, and I could see a stranger inside, his back turned to the door. He was toned and had short dark hair, but I couldn’t make out any other features.
Panic started in my chest, a fluttering of my pulse and a tightness that gripped my chest and squeezed.
Um, no.
No fucking way.
Lust was still pouring through her bond.
She was with someone else.
Fucking someone else.
A strangled whine tore from my mouth.
Casey. I needed Casey, but he wasn't here. I pulled out my phone with fumbling fingers and called him.
It went to voicemail.
I tried again, but there was nothing.
Hugo?
I shot him a text, but the minutes stretched by, and I got no answer.
Just me, alone in my nest, feeling every second of pleasure someone else was giving Jade.
Stop, I thought, stop stop stop, but it didn't. I struggled out of the bed, chest heaving. I found myself tangled in the canopy, and I couldn’t find the fucking edge, and I was stuck—there was a tearing sound as the fabric ripped off the curtain rod.
I hit the ground hard, staring at the ruined curtain. It was satin, light and feathery smooth, and a beautiful dark blue.
I shoved the fabric off me, looking up at the bar that had held it. It was bent, the gaping hole and wonky angle wrecking the beautiful nest Casey had helped me make.
It was so ugly dangling over the bed like that.
I let out a pained snarl, pulling at the curtain on the other side to try and get rid of it.
The whole thing came crashing down, but now it was uneven.
I grabbed more curtains, one after the other, struggling until they ripped free and lay in a pile on the ground.
But everything in here was wrong, now, and I didn’t know how to fix it.
I had to fix it. This room had to be perfect because I was going to bring Jade here.
I had to make it perfect for her. I snarled as I shoved things around, trying to fix it, but it just got worse and worse, and I couldn’t stand it, and Jade was fucking some random guy in her room right now.
Then I pounced on the bed, drawing my knife from its thigh sheath. A twisted cry came from my chest—part scream and part sob—as I shredded blankets and sheets to ribbons.
When I was done, I crawled through the mess until I found Jade’s shirt. I curled up with it and closed my eyes, a terrified purr rattling to life in my chest.
I needed it to stop, I needed it all fucking gone, and I was going to kill them.
Whoever Jade was with, they were fucking dead.
?
JADE
I flicked off the lights in my room and threw myself onto the bed. My tablet was fully charged and ready, and I was gonna watch a show or two before bed.
My mission to get revenge on Jewel had been a success. The picture had been old, taken to show a different douchebag ex that he didn’t own me. It had actually come in handy a couple of times now.
Then I’d had a wonderful shower, getting off to memories of Hugo, fantasies of Casey, and yes, admittedly, to Jewel as well.
Judging by the wild panic surging through the bond, Jewel was not handling things well. Served him right for bonding me in the first place.
Movement on the tree outside the bedroom window caught my eye, and I froze as I saw a hand grab onto a branch.
Instinctively, I froze and turned off my tablet so I couldn’t be seen.
What the fuck?
A beautiful face popped into view as the intruder hoisted himself up onto the branch near my window. His golden eyes were glinting in the lamplight, and his face was set in a murderous scowl.
Jewel was breaking into my apartment.
Again.
God, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at this point.