Chapter 20 #2
“Fates,” I whisper. I cannot imagine being in his shoes. How he is still here, alive and functioning, I don’t know. I would have followed my mate into the grave.
“Losing Ren put me in a terrible place. Shiloh was actually the one who stepped in. He forced me into rehab in California, saving my life.”
Well, shit. It’s hard to hate that dick when he turns out not to be a complete asshole. If only he could channel that same energy into his relationship with Bea. We would all be better off.
“What’s this dish called?” Bea asks, snapping another picture with her phone. Likely to send to her family group chat. They love sharing food pics. It’s an homage to her best friend Omen’s lack of choices in childhood.
“Beef braciole.”
“Be jealous, bitches,” Bea cackles quietly beneath her breath as her fingers fly across the screen.
Orion and I chuckle, digging back into our meals. It’s great to see our Omega so happy after everything that happened last week.
After dinner, I offer to do the dishes. Orion accepts before disappearing for several minutes. Bea stares at the front door from where she’s perched on the kitchen counter. A little furrow in her brow.
When he returns, arms laden with clothes and bedding, her jaw drops. “What is this?”
“Your mate’s scents. For your nest.”
“You- but how?”
“I made a group chat and told the others,” I jump in.
Orion nods. “Yep. So I stopped by Shiloh’s-”
“Using a key to his apartment that O apparently has.”
Bea holds the pile close to her chest and breathes in deeply, eyes flickering between us as she half pays attention to our explanation.
“Creed gave us permission to use his neighbor’s spare key to grab stuff from his place. He apologized for the staleness of his scent and promised he would fix it when they return from their assignment tomorrow.”
It’s Bea’s turn to nod, her hands sorting through everything so she can smell our scents individually.
Pressing a black shirt to her face, she seems skeptical when she looks back up. “Lex gave you his clothes, too?”
Orion scrubs a hand over the back of his neck and peeks at me. “Uh, not exactly?”
I raise one brow, curious to hear how he got my roommates’ stuff. Lex didn’t leave anything behind, and I had planned to stop by our place later to grab it.
“So, before the FCDA found you, Shiloh’s brother Jericho did us a favor and got Ridley and Lex’s address off their boss at the DAU. Then we kind of sort of broke into their apartment. To help with your healing process.”
I stare dumbfounded. They broke into our apartment? After calling Donovan for our address? “But why? Donovan has an emergency key?!”
Orion pales, his brow furrowing like this is news to him. Our Omega cackles. Her hands wrap around her middle, and her upper body sways with the force of her laughter.
“Oh my Fates! That old bastard! He totally got you!”
We share a glance, the reality of Donovan’s antics slowly sinking in.
“Well, fuck,” Orion finally says, blowing out a breath. “I guess I owe you guys for the window I broke.”
Chuckling, I shrug it off. Honestly, being mated to Bea now, I have no plans to return to my apartment except to move my stuff out. And as much as he likes to pretend otherwise, I think Lex feels the same.
“No worries, man. It’s hilarious that the old man convinced you to break in. I bet he was laughing his ass off the whole time!”
Bea is panting for breath by the time her giggles fade, the biggest smile stretching her cheeks. “I love this makeshift family we’re creating! It’s going to be so much fun!”
Yeah, sunshine, it sure is.
We’re watching a movie—one Orion chose this time, thank goodness—when someone knocks on the door. The sky outside the windows is dark, and the clock tells me it’s nearly eleven at night. Bea pushes to her feet and wobbles over to answer it, ignoring my growl of protest.
I’m only a few steps behind her when she sucks in a sharp breath, the sound putting my guard up. I wrongly assumed it would be one of her other mates. Wrapping an arm around Bea’s shoulder, I pull her against my side, body angled to shield her.
Looking out the front door, I swear under my breath and throw my hands in the air. “No way! Get back on whatever plane, train, or bus brought you here! Before I get my ass kicked for sheltering you!”
Standing with a bag slung over her shoulder, hair braided off to one side, and a pair of shades on her eyes despite the fact that it’s fucking nighttime, is my youngest sister. The one who should be at the Omega Academy, not traveling unaccompanied out of state.
“You must be my brother’s Omega,” Sage says, sticking her hand out toward my mate. “I’m his baby sister, Sage.”
“Oh, I can tell. You two look like you could be twins! Come in, come in,” Bea gushes, pushing against my side until I relent and step back to let Sage inside.
“Do the parentals know you’re here?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest. My eyes quickly check her skin for bruises or bite marks, relief flooding me when I don’t find any.
Fates, after everything Bea just went through, you would think my sister would know not to travel alone.
She’s an unbonded Omega for Fate’s sake!
“Nope!” She pops the ‘p’ and tosses her bag down beside the door.
“What the fuck, Sage!” I growl out her name, trying to rein in the erratic instincts flaring to life in my chest. “There’s a breeding ring kidnapping people off the streets!
One I just had to rescue my Omega from! And you thought it was a good idea to sneak out of the Academy and visit me?
With no one even knowing you were gone?”
Sage pauses, one shoe half on her foot, and looks at me. “I just couldn’t handle-”
“And risking your life is worth more than dealing with academy drama?!” Anger radiates from me, my body shaking as every dark possibility flickers through my mind on repeat.
Warm hands grip my cheeks, nails digging in and forcing me to look down. Cool, midnight blue eyes capture me, staring so deeply it feels like she can see every terrified atom in my body.
“It’s okay, Alpha,” Bea coos. She draws my head down to press against hers, a soft purr sputtering to life in her chest. “Sage is here. She’s safe. And she’s not going to travel alone again.”
We can all hear the bite in my mate’s words, but I cannot see my sister’s reaction to them. I’m too close to falling apart to do more than soak in Bea’s purr and bury my face against her neck.
If only I could smell her.
My breathing eventually settles, heart returning to a normal pace. I grip Bea’s hip and squeeze lightly. A silent thank you for stepping in when I was losing my cool. She backs away, staying close by but allowing me to face my sister.
Sage is staring at her feet, hands wringing together. When I call her name, she looks up at me with watery eyes. Yelling at her makes me feel shitty, but I can’t have her putting herself in danger like this.
“Sorry, Ridley. I didn’t think about what might happen along the way. I was just focused on getting out of there.”
Holding my arms out, I hug her tight against me when she rushes into them. “I know, sis. I’m sorry for raising my voice. This world is a dangerous, disgusting place sometimes, and I see the worst of that every day for my job. I also know it’s hard to think calmly when you’re stressed out.”
After a few minutes, I pull back, placing my hands on her shoulders and giving her a hard look. “Now, you’re going to call Mom and tell her what you did.”
Sage’s bottom lip sticks out in a pout, but she stops fighting when Bea moves to lean against my side. My mate gives her the same narrow-eyed look, and my sister relents, grumbling the entire way to her bag.
“I correct my earlier statement,” Bea says, wrapping one arm around my waist and offering Orion her free hand. “Our makeshift family will be fun and chaotic.”
“Oh, sunshine, you don’t know the half of it.”