Chapter 14
Fourteen
Kade
"Idon't like this. It's not a good idea," Jarek protests, crossing his arms by the front door.
Sighing, I run my hand through my hair. I have to keep my agitation in check because taking all this pent up energy out on my pack mates isn't fair. "Jay, she should get out of the house and I need her with me."
He grinds his teeth and looks toward the stairs.
We only have a few more minutes to argue about this before Vivie and Silas come down.
I sent them up to change fifteen minutes ago, hoping to spark some life into my omega.
She barely showed any kind of interest in my offering of ice cream and chocolate.
I'm convinced it's why she got out of her window nest to begin with though.
"Maybe I should cancel my meeting and come with," he says as he rubs his scruffy jaw.
I'm already shaking my head before he finishes his statement. "You can't. We need to figure out where the hell we're getting materials for the project this summer. It's coming up too fast to keep pushing it off and—"
"Fuck," he snaps and cuts me off. "I know, Kade. I know, but something is wrong with our omega and I'm fucking dying inside. Being five feet away from her puts so much strain on me I feel like I can't breathe sometimes."
Swallowing thickly, I watch my mate pace back and forth as he wrestles with his feelings.
Hell, I had the same meltdown yesterday.
Vivie's barely spoken a word since Wednesday.
Maybe we hovered a bit too much after Jarek and I saw her and Silas outside, but I about shit myself thinking we were about to experience a repeat of last week.
"That's why we need to get her out of the house, Jay," I respond softly in an attempt not to escalate the situation. "She's barely left the living room or even asked to go outside. I'm worried she feels like we're keeping her locked up."
Jarek's rigid posture deflates with my final statement. "You're right," he murmurs, sounding dejected and stressed.
I can't leave him alone in this so I grip the back of his neck and press my forehead to his.
Inhaling his lavender and cedar scent, I'm instantly soothed and want to sink into the feeling that is our calming alpha.
Jarek balances me out perfectly, and as much as I want to tell him to say fuck the meeting and come with us so we can have an easy pack date to the grocery store, he needs to figure shit out for work.
"I love you," I rumble and press myself against him. I'll never tire of his firm body and the way he gives me his weight. "Trust me?"
Those bright green eyes of his narrow at me, making me chuckle. "You know I trust you, Kade. Just hurry home, please. I'd rather not be sitting here twiddling my thumbs waiting for you."
"Who's twiddling who?"
A shocked laugh bursts from my chest and Jarek's. Vivian waltzes down the stairs with a cheeky little grin on her face. Fucking hell, that's a sight for sore eyes.
"I'm thinking you twiddled Silas and that's why it took you twenty minutes to change your shirt.
The bright blush and teasing is very welcome, though, baby," I coo and step up one stair to pluck her from her feet.
Twirling her around, I plop her on the ground in front of Jarek who looks like he's about to devour her.
Silas closes the door at the top of the landing and begins his trek down. While Jarek murmurs quietly with Vivian, I take in my handsome beta. He smirks at me, making my dick twitch. With his hair damp and swollen lips, Silas oozes confidence as he approaches me at the bottom of the stairs.
Snagging him by the waistband of his jeans, I tug him down the last stair and scent mark his cheek with my scruff.
"I don't know what you did up there, but whatever it was, thank you," I whisper in his ear.
He trembles a little, and his slight scent blooms with arousal.
"She made a joke on the way down here. I'll reward you later. "
I release him after swiping my tongue against his earlobe and chuckle when I see him adjust himself in his jeans as I turn away. Such a sexy man. Biting back a groan, I wrap an arm around my omega. "Ready, little Omega?"
Pleased when she wraps one of her hands around my forearm, I purr for her.
There's nothing that settles her more than the purr of her alpha mates. It may be biological, but I like to think the way Jarek and I do it is special—We’re always trying to press her against us as we purr so she can feel it too.
When she purrs, I practically melt like chocolate on black pavement.
I wonder about the science behind it. It doesn't matter, but damn does it feel nice.
"Ready," she breathes after a few moments of basking in my touch.
Jarek leans in and places a sweet kiss on her cheek then mouth. Humming happily, my omega tries to sway toward him. She's so blissed out and happy for once this week that I can't help but glance at Silas and wonder what the hell he did with her upstairs.
"Text me if you need anything," Jarek rumbles. "I mean it."
Vivian nods and kisses him one more time before I usher her toward the garage door. It's Friday evening. I'm dreading how busy the town will be, but we don't have anything for dinner. I've been slacking on feeding my pack so I need to remedy that.
"Oh!" Jarek calls out right before we make it to the door. "Get those microwavable breakfast sandwiches!"
Disgust and offense slam into my chest. "Absolutely the fuck not!" I shout and flip him off over my shoulder. Fucker knows I make the best breakfast sandwiches.
Vivian chuckles as I lift her into her seat. Waiting patiently for me to buckle her in, she grins. "How about Pop-Tarts?"
"Vivian," I snarl quietly. She snickers and settles back in her seat in the back. I boop her nose and close her in.
I'm a good ass baker. I shouldn't feel offended, and I don't, not really. Actually I'm fucking thrilled about the lightheartedness of the past ten minutes. Now I just need to figure out how Silas made it happen.
"You're telling me that all she needed was a good ass fucking?"
Silas punches my bicep and glares at me before quickly turning his attention back to Vivian in front of us. "No, you fucking dick. Christ, your knot really is louder than your damn brain sometimes, isn't it?"
Frowning at him and rubbing my arm I think about what he said. "You said you fucked her ass and she's been floating ever since."
"That doesn't mean that was all she needed," he snarls, surprising me a bit. "She needed me to take some control. So yeah, I topped her, pinned her to the bed and had my way with her tight hole. But that was just a release for her. Something else is going on. For now, just be happy she's smiling."
Studying Vivie's side profile as she all but skips into the grocery store alleviates some of my worries. She is smiling and I am damn grateful. Wrapping an arm around Silas' hip, I tug him into my side and kiss his temple. "Thank you for giving her some of what she needed."
He hums but doesn't pull away. I admit I was a bit distracted by how happy our omega was when I asked him what they did upstairs.
Of course sex isn't the answer to working through whatever is going on with her.
I lose sight of her around a corner and panic just a bit, but the bond stays calm and buzzy. Very buzzy actually. Excitement?
"Vivie!" I holler finding her in the chocolate aisle. She jumps just a bit but gives me a little smile once she realizes it's just me. "Remember the rules?"
Sighing, my sassy woman seems to force her eyes not to roll. She bites her lips, fidgets, and glances around before she simply nods.
I pick up on her discomfort and list them for her, mainly just to make myself feel better.
"We stick together or tell each other what aisle we're going to.
If you're alone, you keep your phone in your hand, not your pocket.
Text, call, or yank on the bonds as hard as you can if something's wrong.
Same goes for us. We're a pack. We keep each other safe. "
A younger alpha who overheard me looks at me with a mixture of shock and disgust. Sure, it might seem like overkill to an unbonded alpha, but once that gentleman finds his pack, there isn't anything he wouldn't do to protect them. Even if it sounds controlling and ridiculous to an outsider.
There are corrupt corners of the world, and sometimes you don't know if those corners have bled into your little slice of paradise until it's too late.
"Yes, Alpha," Vivie agrees easily.
She knows these things and is aware I'm always on edge when we're in town.
Maybe if we went out more I would be used to my omega and beta being stared at and around other people.
Silas can take care of himself, but Vivie?
She's five foot four, lives inside her head half the time, and her wavy auburn hair swings down to her ass like a beacon for all to find.
"Let’s go before he changes his mind and whisks us back to the car," Silas teases and grabs Vivie's hand. "Get the cart, Alpha!"
I grumble and grind my molars, but I do in fact, get the cart that's about to be weighed down by absolutely nothing healthy.
I do it all with a smile on my face.