Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
The Night Nest Bar, Haven
I t’s a couple of minutes until ten o’clock on Friday night and my date with Seven starts.
Excited, I wind through the grungy, atmospheric bar that smells of sex, sweat, and horny Alpha.
This is the bar, The Night Nest, where I normally party with Vito and my Beta resistance friend, Angel, when they’re able to drag me away from an evening in on the couch.
Tonight, I forced Vito to drop me off at the bar’s door.
He stubbornly insisted that he’d wait outside for me. I have exactly one hour to get to know this new Alpha.
Vito’s overprotective but he also has a point.
Unbonded Omegas aren’t safe alone at night, especially ones who are as close to tipping into heat as I am.
I take a quick sip of my cocktail to steel my nerves. The sweet, fruity and honey flavors burst on my tongue, at the same time as the strong alcohol tingles my nose.
It’s the Night Nest’s signature cocktail: A long, hard knotting on the beach .
I sigh, letting the cocktail relax me.
I smooth down my hair, which I spent way too long straightening until it looks like a slick, black waterfall.
Can I be blamed for wanting to look good tonight?
This may be a hookup that’s resulted from a dating app, but Seven has still come to feel like my Alpha, even if it is going to be just over my heats.
I’m wearing my favorite party dress that I saved up for all last year to have ready in time for the Christmas party. It’s leather, floor length and sleeveless. The back is low, and slits on each side reveal my thighs.
A huge, blue embroidered snake slithers down my curves, coiling around my waist.
My earrings are cheap but glittery. They match the blue of the snake and my eyes.
When Vito saw me dressed up like this, he whistled. “You’re going to send him into rut in the middle of the bar.”
I make an effort to breathe through my mouth and not my nose, against the strong scents. I’m wearing two patches on my neck.
I should have asked for somewhere less busy to meet, when Seven suggested The Night Nest. But it’s somewhere that I know well and am comfortable.
It’s also public, and that’s important for our first meeting.
I feel safe.
Safer.
The walls are scarlet and hung with glowing neon signs of giant lips and the tempting tagline:
Choose YOUR nest for the night.
Followed by a wink.
MISSIO’s “I See You” booms through the crowded room. It’s heartbreakingly beautiful. I find myself humming along to a song that’s been taken up by young Omegas across America as a way to subtly rebel.
They can listen to it and feel that they’re seen.
They can believe that they will be heard.
Perhaps, one day, we all will be.
I glance down at my phone.
SEVEN: Fashionably late I see, sweet venom.
I grin.
Typical.
SWEET VENOM: I’m here.
SEVEN: Where?
SWEET VENOM: We should have thought this through like wearing a red rose on our lapels or something.
SEVEN: What do you look like, SV?
This is fun.
I glance around, hoping that I can catch an Alpha scanning the crowds for me.
My brow furrows.
No one appears to be looking around themselves, as if they’re waiting to meet someone.
They’re dancing, chatting, and drinking.
I frown, before typing.
SWEET VENOM: That’s going to spoil the surprise. We agreed, remember? And we’re so close.
SEVEN: I’ll bring you to me. Follow my directions.
I smirk.
SWEET VENOM: How commanding.
SEVEN: You love it.
I chuckle.
I do.
We both know it because of the consent forms that we’ve already filled in with kinks, fantasies, and limits.
In some ways, I know more about Seven than I know about anybody else.
Seven’s dominant but caring.
I love that combination.
SEVEN: Can you see the booths at the back?
I begin to walk to the back of the bar.
At each step, anticipation builds inside me. I’m thrumming with it.
Will he truly be my scent match? What will it feel like?
I don’t believe the TV shows, where scent matches fall into each other’s arms, starry eyed.
But still… what if…?
I can at least do with some stress relief after the hell of this week, and Seven has always offered me that.
The last five days have been a blur of work and worry. After the lost cake commission, we’ve barely managed to stay afloat.
I came up with the idea to make a cake out of cupcakes for Leo. At least then he would still have something for this birthday. He has social anxiety and rarely manages to celebrate anything. I hated to think that Vito and I would have fucked up something for Leo, when he was showing courage.
At the same time, Vito and I spent our nights this week, sending coded messages to Lincoln in viper talk.
Lincoln’s messages are cryptic.
The male Omega doesn’t appear to be harmed but he is living in the basement.
Lincoln has told us that he wants to gain more information on something bigger .
I don’t know what.
I do know that my heat is now so close that a rescue may have to wait until after my heat has happened. My mind has started to become hazy. It’s tougher to think straight.
SWEET VENOM: I’m walking toward the booths.
I keep my eyes on my phone as I type. I struggle not to walk into the crowds of mainly Alphas and Betas, who are dancing and kissing.
SEVEN: This is like being in a Bond movie, only a porn version, You Only Knot Once.
SWEET VENOM: Is that a real film?
SEVEN : It could be.
SWEET VENOM: Isn’t this more of a romcom? You’ve got Knots …?
SEVEN: LOL, plural?
SWEET VENOM: Where am I going? I just walked into a wall.
SEVEN: Sorry, SV. Can you see a booth that’s shaped like a kiss? Insert joke about tonguing. Then a wink face emoji. It’s in the corner at the back.
I laugh, while blushing.
Hell, Seven can dirty talk in any situation. It’s a talent.
I know the booth that he’s talking about. The kissing booths for lovers are dotted throughout the bar.
I can see the one in the far corner. I’m glad that he’s chosen it because it should be quieter and less overwhelming for me.
SWEET VENOM: Got it. Coming, insert wink face.
I smile, striding purposefully toward the booth.
SEVEN: Just follow the gleam of red hair that matches the color of the lips.
Wait, what…?
I swallow.
I look up from my phone as I reach the booth. I catch the glimpse of the back of a man’s head… and his copper hair.
I know that shade.
I’ve obsessed over it.
No, no, no.
Drawn on, as if mesmerized, I’m unable to stop my feet from carrying me to the booth.
Then I stare down at the man who’s sprawled on the scarlet leather, cradling a glass of whiskey.
An Alpha, who’s as tall and good looking as a model with his long legs stretched out beneath the table, is wearing a dark green suit with iridescent tie and peacock cufflinks. He has sharp cheekbones, a chiseled jawline, and plush lips.
When he turns his cool gaze up, I’m caught in the depth of his aquamarine eyes.
“Tom,” I whisper.
Then I flinch.
My heart sinks.
How can Thomas be my scent match?
How can he be Seven?
The app must have fucked up.
Thomas’ pupils dilate. His tongue wets his lips. He seems to be struggling not to drop his gaze down my curves.
Satisfying.
He’s never seen me dressed up like this.
He looks primal and as close to being driven into rut, as I’d hoped by this outfit.
Too bad that it’s a waste of time now.
My head is reeling. I’m hot, sweaty, and dizzy.
I don’t know how I’m still standing, when my knees feel like buckling.
Fuck. My. Life.
For the last month, Thomas St Clair has been my sexturbation Alpha .
I bite my lip hard not to laugh hysterically.
Thomas’ expression becomes confused. “Miss West, are you okay? You don’t look well. Do you want to sit down?” When he stands up, I take an automatic step back. Cautiously, he sits down again. “What are you doing here? Are you alone? It’s not safe for unbonded Omegas to be in a bar like this. I’d chaperon you myself, but I’m…ehm, waiting for someone.”
He scans the bar.
He’s flustered.
It’s cute.
I mentally slap myself.
Bad Omega, no thinking that flustered deputy mayors are cute .
I can’t help studying Thomas, however, and being glad that he’s as nervous about meeting me, as I have been to see him for the first time.
He pats at his hair, checking it.
How long should I let Thomas go on not realizing that I’m Sweet Venom?
I could still leave.
But my heart clenches at the thought.
Thomas looks back at me like he’s as drawn to me as I am to him. “Miss West, if this is about what happened at the Dough Knot, then I’m sorry, but can you kick my ass some other time? I know that you don’t owe me anything, but tonight’s important to an Omega. This Omega needs my help. I want to make this experience special for her. I don’t think that she’s been treated well, so please don’t ruin this for her. I swear that I regret what happened, but tonight, I’m off duty for once. Now, who are you with? Or can I call someone?”
He places down his whiskey and reaches for his phone, which is laid on the table with the ABOinder app open.
I can just see my own pun about coming in contrast to the formal way that he’s talking to me now.
Yet my heart softens by the way that what he cares about is that this night is important to an Omega and making it special …for me.
He’s begging me not to ruin tonight for myself.
Wow.
I open my mouth and then shut it. I don’t know what to do.
Thomas has shown, however, that he’s the type of Alpha who’ll protect both versions of me.
That’s enough for me to give him a chance.
So, I sit my ass down on the leather seat opposite Thomas. “I’m with you.”
Thomas sighs. “Flattering as that is, and I assure you, it’s seriously flattering because wow, that dress…but actually, I’m meeting…” Then his mouth snaps shut, before he groans and bangs his head on the table, hard. I wince. “Sweet Venom, meaning Candy Snake. Of course, how clever. And I’m an idiot.”
“I think we both are.”
Thomas gives me one of those long stares that made me melt back in high school.
They still do.
“Why can’t I smell you?” He asks. “Or at least, not strongly. You’re my scent match.”
I point at the transparent patches that are stuck onto my scent gland. “You know about my condition. I didn’t think that I’d cope today without upping both the patches and my medically prescribed scent and pheromone inhibitors.”
Thomas takes a deep breath. He clutches his whiskey glass tightly.
His cheeks are tinged a pretty pink. “I wish that I could smell you, sweet venom. I loved your scent of blueberry muffin, when we were younger. I know that it’ll feel different, having started my ruts. Now that I can see you, I need it like this itch under my skin.”
He’s still calling me sweet venom…?
It makes something hot curl in my stomach.
I want to hear his pet name for me in his deep, commanding voice again.
I know what he means about needing the scent. It feels wrong to see him but to be unable to be scent matched fully.
It’s like being edged, and by the way that he’s shifting in his seat, hoping that I won’t notice, I know that he’s feeling it too.
It’s unnatural for scent matched Omegas and Alphas to have their connection be chemically suppressed.
I’m only allowed to control it because of my OHS condition.
Except, I can smell him.
My scent is enhanced, and it’s only the slightest whiff of sweet sugar cookie martini, but it’s delicious.
It’s fucking everything.
It makes me want to jump over the booth into Thomas’ lap, where I can nuzzle at his neck, sniff, and lick.
I place my own cocktail and phone down onto the table with deliberate care to distract myself because I am definitely not licking my delicious smelling enemy.
“Why did you call yourself Seven?” I blurt.
Thomas’ expression lightens. “I love a good pun. My full hookup name is Knot Your Average Hero 7.”
I can’t help it. I laugh.
“Why 7?”
“Six other guys with questionable humor thought of it first.” He takes a slow drink of his whiskey, and I watch the way his long, pale throat bobs. “It’s good to meet you at last. Did you get here okay? As I said before, Haven’s not safe at night when you’re unbonded.”
I stare at him.
He’s truly going to do this: Act like he’s Seven.
But he’s Thomas.
The man who I haven’t seen since high school.
The man who wrecked my shop on Monday.
“My brother walked me,” I say, my voice tight. “The Alpha who you terrorized.”
Thomas’ expression closes off. “I rang Falcon Knight and told him what happened. I said that if he wanted to beat anyone’s ass, then it should be mine.”
My eyes widen in shock. “What were you thinking? You called up a US Senator and gave him permission to kick your ass? Falcon’s scary!”
Thomas’ lips quirk. “Aren’t I?”
I reach across the table and stroke across the back of his hand; the action appears to startle both of us. “Don’t put yourself in danger again.”
Thomas’ gaze is assessing. “I can’t make that promise. Can I pay damages for your bakery?”
“Because we’re scent matches?”
“Because my pack acted like Alphaholes.”
“I’m not arguing. I don’t understand why you would, however, when your dad is trying to shut us down.”
Thomas’ smile is sharp; it catches me unawares. “My dad is, yes.”
“Okay.” I straighten my shoulders. Time to remember everything that I’ve learned as a Snake. I’m going to call his bluff. “Six hundred dollars should cover it.”
Your move, Thomas.
Thomas arches his brow. “How about we round it up to a thousand? After all, we should take account of emotional trauma.”
To my shock, he slides out a wad of bills from his pocket.
It’s the type of power move that my dad would pull.
Thomas casually counts out ten bills, before pushing them across the table to me.
I smirk at him, before rolling them up and pushing them down the front of my dress into my bra.
Thomas crosses his legs, adjusting himself. When he forces himself to look away, slipping the remaining bills back into his pocket, I’m cheering inside in triumph.
I have my own power moves.
Then Thomas’ expression sobers. He stands up and stalks round to slide into the booth next to me.
I stiffen.
Hell, was my last move too sexy? Have I genuinely pushed him into rut?
Normally, I only dress in dough smeared aprons but I knew that this dress would be like catnip for Alphas.
I shiver, when Thomas gently pushes my hair away from my ear. His strong fingers graze the shell of my ear, then his hot breath ghosts across my skin.
“I’m sorry.” Thomas’ words are hushed but sincere. His scent is so much stronger, when he’s this close. I struggle not to turn and nuzzle him. “You saved me once, and I’ve been trying to return the favor. Dad wants to take over certain businesses within Haven, however, and use the premises for his own shady companies. It’s always about money and ambition for him. I’d have done more earlier but I’ve been out of Haven. I didn’t know what was going on. That doesn’t change how sorry I am. I’ve protected your shop as much as I could, ever since you opened.”
I turn my head in shock.
Now our faces are so close that we could be kissing. “You’ve been protecting us…?”
“As Seven, I trusted you.” Thomas’ intense gaze never looks away from mine. “Can I as Thomas?”
He can’t.
Lincoln is working as an undercover agent with him right now. But at the same time, this is my best chance to find out the truth about Thomas and the Saints.
He’s being open.
I believe that he’s been secretly protecting Vito and me.
I’m not going to betray him.
As Seven, how many times did I call him a good guy ?
If what he’s revealing now is true, then the sense that I felt Thomas was a prisoner as much as OG, the male Omega, may be right.
But what if he’s also working on our side as a rebel?
My heart speeds up because that thought is fucking exciting.
I nod.
Thomas gives me a searching look.
He must find what he was hoping to because he continues, “Recently, I’ve been trying to protect the whole town. But it’s hard because that knothead Richard has been guarding me and reporting everything back to Dad. It’s challenging to fight exploitation, while pretending to be part of it.”
The filing…how hard he works and never sleeps…the dark shadows underneath his eyes…the bruises…
When I kiss him, chaste and quick, he freezes. “I’m sorry, I…”
He stops my words by kissing me back, slow, deep, and perfect.
He tastes sweetly of sugared cookies.
For a long moment, we stare at each other.
“That’s what all your work has been about,” I say, as if my heart isn’t hammering in my chest after the best kiss in my fucking life.
Thomas looks as undone as I am.
“Some of it.” Thomas reaches to brush his thumb over my lips like he doesn’t realize that he’s doing it. My skin tingles. “The rest is Dad punishing me with paperwork for rebelling against him six months ago. It’s effective. Who wouldn’t take thumbscrews over data entry? He even had me stay up until midnight one week filing the entire pack’s digital documents.”
“The monster,” I gasp.
Thomas draws back, looking thoughtful.
I watch the way that his suit jacket falls open. He looks effortlessly elegant and in control, even now. My mouth becomes dry at how his white shirt is pulled taut across the hard muscles of his chest.
“I wonder what it is about becoming a parent that makes someone into a monster?” He says, quietly.
I understand him more than I wish I did.
“Power,” I reply. “The chance to be a tyrant in your own home. But what if they were a monster before we were born?”
When Thomas’ heavy gaze settles on me, I know that he hears the we in that sentence.
I want him to.
He clasps my hand, raising it to settle on his lap.
“Now that you know I’m a Saint, I may not be your first pick…or eleventh…or even your last…but I still don’t have someone for my rut.” Thomas raises our joined hands to briefly touch my fevered forehead, and his own brow creases with concern. “And fuck, you’re burning up. You must be dangerously close to tipping into heat. All our paperwork is ready to go. Remember that fun evening we had going over kinks, along with limits and consent? Plus, if waking up and going to sleep to each other’s messages for a month isn’t enough to make us friends, then…” He breaks off in frustration. “You feel like my friend.” And he feels like mine. “I know that you need me for this heat. Kick me and my gorgeous knot out of the bed afterward if you want.”
He preens on the gorgeous knot , puffing out his chest.
I can’t help smiling as I roll my eyes. “Big words.”
“Big knot to back them up.”
“I can never tell when you’re joking.”
“Spend your heat with me, and you’ll find out for yourself.”
I bite my lip. “But you’re the Deputy Mayor of Haven.”
And Vito is going to be furious.
“Am I?” Thomas pats his chest. “Shocker. I hadn’t noticed.”
I run my hand down the snake on my dress. “And I’m a Snake.”
The Snake and the Saint .
Apart from sounding like an awesome romantasy book title, our two packs simply don’t mix.
“A snake?” Thomas cocks his head. “I think of you more as a baker with a trusty vibrator—”
I redden, slamming my hand across his mouth, forgetting — just for a moment — that this is Thomas St Clair.
Deputy Mayor of Haven.
An Alpha.
Not my brother or Lincoln, a Beta.
What the fuck am I doing?
To my shock, Thomas doesn’t growl or emit furious pheromones that would make me cower.
Instead, he steadily watches me, as if waiting for my next move.
He seems both excited and amused.
His breath is hot on my palm.
His eyes are bright.
Mesmerizing.
Is his scent getting stronger?
I want more.
I lean forward, sniffing along Thomas’ neck.
To my shock, he bares it, but there’s nothing submissive in the gesture. Instead, he’s giving me room to explore along his throat above the collar of his white shirt.
Am I getting hotter?
Finally, I remove my hand from his mouth. Then I lick across his scent gland, unable to resist.
I glance at Thomas’ crotch from underneath my lashes, seeing how hard he is in his pants.
“That’s it.” Thomas plays with my hair. “See? This’ll work. And if you hate me a little bit, well, a hate fuck can be the best type of sex. The chemistry will be mind-blowing between us.” He drops his voice; it’s still cold but now has a seductive drawl that’s making me melt. “Fast, rough, and primal. You can take out your frustrations and stresses on me.”
“I don’t hate you.” I blush. “Although, after hearing all that about hate fucking, I almost wish that I did.”
“Even better. I’m good at slow, sensual rutting too. We’ll have time over the twenty-four hours of the heat to give everything a go.”
My mouth becomes dry.
This is really happening. I’m going to spend my heat with Thomas.
What will Lincoln say? Thomas is his crush as well as mine.
Can I find a way to include Lincoln?
This is Lincoln’s dream, whether he’ll admit it fully or not: to have Thomas as our Alpha, even for one of my heats.
Thomas’ finger hovers over the snake tattoo on the back of my hand. “This looks good on you. Do you have any others?”
“I guess you’ll see, when I spend my heat with you.”
Thomas brightens, giving me the first genuine smile that I’ve seen.
Pleasure blooms through me in a way that I’m not expecting. I love that I’ve been the cause of his smile.
Thomas was always so serious and alone as a child.
Getting to know him as Seven was like seeing beneath his mask. I’m grateful that the app gave me a chance to know him that way, before meeting him.
I learned to adore Thomas’ soul, before I judged him for his family.
I fell for him a second time around as an adult, and with this second chance, I was able to do it based on his personality, rather than looks or scent.
Angel knew what she was doing, when she made the profiles private. Also, with the guidelines that people get to know each other through the app, before they meet.
Yet there’s something that I need to ask.
Suddenly, my palms are sweaty. My adrenaline spikes.
“So, you’re not already bonded to an Omega…?” I ask, carefully.
I hold my breath as I wait for Thomas’ answer.
Thomas shakes his head. “Dad wants me to bond to an elite Omega.” His gaze settles on my Rej bracelet, and uncomfortable, my shoulders slump. “He hasn’t let me bond with... He’s refused my suggestions because they were Rejects. I’ve managed to dodge offers from the elite set so far because they’ve felt more like dynastic alliances than love or scent matching.”
I feel sick. “Your dad won’t force you into a bond, will he?”
It’s illegal to be forced into a bond, but many people still are.
Thomas snorts. “ Monster , remember? He forced my sister, Mercy, into one.”
I gasp, tightening my hold on his. “I won’t let that happen.”
Thomas’ expression becomes soft for the first time. “Interesting. From enemy to defender. And what would you want out of a bond, since you appear to have dodged it all this time as well?”
I tilt up my chin. “Equality.”
See, I can be daring.
Take that Traditionalist.
“Equality,” Thomas repeats, and there’s a quality to his voice that I don’t understand. “Even more interesting.”
“As fascinating as I am, how about you tell me how this will work? I don’t imagine your Reject hating dad would be happy about me waltzing into Saint Hall for my heat.”
Thomas laughs. “Not quite. I’ll build a nest for you in my own house. The best nest that meets your preferences, likes, and needs that we’ve spoken about. I’ve always wanted to build a nest like that for an Omega. I have a private residence at the back of Saint Estate. There’s a secret entrance to it, which is guarded by men who are loyal to me. Dad and Richard don’t know about that entrance. They assume that once I’m in my residence, they don’t need to guard me further.”
“It’s a prison,” I breathe.
Thomas shrugs, going for nonchalant and not pulling it off. “Dad prefers to call it a home.”
He hasn’t denied it.
That does it.
I’m talking to Lincoln about this. Then we’re getting both OG and Thomas out of that cage.
“Your dad can go fuck himself,” I growl, surprising myself.
Thomas stills, blinking.
Then he laughs, deep and hearty. “This is going to be fun. The only thing that we haven’t discussed is whether you want a Beta present to help keep us hydrated and fed, when we’re deep in both heat and rut. They can be fully involved, if you want, to aid us. I have my own bodyguard now, Lincoln. I know how inseparable you once were. He’s been working well for me and settled in fast. I’m impressed. I hope that him working for me won’t wreck your friendship. I’d hate for him to lose his old pack because of me. When I saw his name in the academy, however, I wanted to save him. Those places are brutal.”
Thomas is kind.
I saw glimpses of this side to him, when we were younger. I’m seeing it even more now.
Thomas is clearly a dominant leader; his Betas are loyal to him. He’s also someone who went out of their way to rescue an old classmate, however, when he saw him in an Alaskan academy, no matter what pack he came from.
I’m acutely aware of our thighs touching.
I feel like I’m burning up.
“I want Lincoln there during the heat, if he agrees to be,” I say, knowing that this is Lincoln’s dream come true: his two fated mates together at last. I decide to be more daring. “I love Lincoln. I want him to be part of it. Is that okay?”
Thomas doesn’t look as surprised as I’m expecting. “Lincoln was like your bodyguard throughout school. Hell, the Destroyer of Alphas …? Did you know that he was legendary? The way that he kicked Richard in the balls is in my top three happiest memories of all time. Now, as a man, he’s earned my respect this week in a hundred small ways. I’m his boss, however, so gaining his consent the right way is important. I’ll ask but I’m certain that he’ll agree because it was obvious that he worshiped you.”
I blush. “I worship him too and I think that you’ll really like him. Please ask him.”
“As you wish, sweet venom. I’ve never met a Beta who feels more like…” He bites off what he’s going to say by kissing me.
I sink into the kiss but then, I begin to shake.
My hands are clammy.
A fever is ripping through my body.
Another wave of heat hits me. It’s stronger than before.
I whine, desperately scrabbling away from Thomas to the back of the booth.
Thomas’ brow furrows with concern. “Candy…?”
His scent is stronger than it was, sweet and addictive.
I’m drowning in it.
Please, please , don’t let this be happening now.
Not yet…
My heat shouldn’t be for several days.
Then my pussy gushes with wetness, and I know that it’s too late.
My heat is here early.
When my vision blurs to grey, my eyes flutter closed.
Then cool arms are catching me, as I faint.