Chapter 14
Auryn
Warmth surrounds me, but it isn’t the same warmth I’ve become accustomed to during my heat. It’s…different.
Comfortable, almost.
My body still aches, likely spent from the exertion and the crash after the euphoria. I curl closer to the body next to me. Diego’s eyes are closed, and he’s breathing steadily, but every nerve in my body tells me to be on alert.
I tense.
“Cálmate, princesa,”
he says, his voice husky and low. It’s not quite a purr, but the tone is…
Soothing. I don’t dislike it, though I know I should. And all at once, that warmth rushes over me again, lighting up my insides, and I let out a sound of contentment beyond my control.
I hate it.
But it also feels strangely…good.
Though instinct tells me to activate my self-preservation, and that is the drive that wins out. I regrettably force myself away from Diego’s warm, cozy side, until I’m on the other side of the bed completely. I pull my naked legs up to my chest, wrapping my arms around my knees as the contentedness fades. I press my legs together to quell the desire already starting to form from looking at him.
He still smells like Gage, but…
Now he smells different, too. Like spicy peppers and bourbon and lemongrass. It’s a chaotic sort of scent, but it isn’t bad.
But it’s currently making me think of Gage, and my mind is a mess of thoughts that don’t add up.
“Stay there,”
I say as he leans over just a fraction. He stops, his dark gaze meeting mine.
Part of me wonders if he’ll listen. If he’ll keep his distance. He should.
But there’s also a part of me that wants him to disobey my order.
My order.
Something about that word hangs in my thoughts, feeling substantial, though I can’t understand why. Omegas aren’t supposed to give orders, and alphas certainly aren’t supposed to adhere to them. It should be the other way around…
But there’s also a part of me that longs for that disobedience. That craves him in my space.
That’s the part I try to fight. I know nothing good can come from this, and now that he’s had his fill of me, will he push aside my pleas and take what he thinks I owe him now?
His dark gaze settles on me and I can’t help but see a hint of sadness there.
“Princesa…”
The door opens before he can continue, and all at once, that thick scent of smooth, sweet bourbon hits my nostrils.
My blood heats, and my pussy throbs with need as my mouth waters. I whine in frustration.
Isn’t this suppressant supposed to stop this heat? It’s been two days, and every time Olly gives me the shot, it helps stave off the symptoms for what feels like minutes. An hour, maybe?
Don’t they have anything stronger?
I tear my gaze from Diego, feeling Gage’s eyes on me. The heat in my body surges, and I feel my body shake under his gaze, knowing he’s sizing me up.
How can he not? He’s an alpha, and I’m an omega in heat. Naked, freshly fucked.
I know all too well how having another alpha’s cum on me or inside of me can elicit their competitiveness. How they’ll fight to be the one to erase it with their own.
A strange thought pervades my psyche as I imagine Gage doing the same thing. Trying to erase Diego’s markings. Rutting me and pushing it in further before filling me with his own.
My cheeks heat as my pussy throbs, and it’s only then I hear Diego curse. My attention is pulled away, and I can see he’s already hard, adjusting himself. Panic surges as well as desire.
My omega wants more. Greedy little bitch that she is.
But I don’t know if I can take another round. My heart is beating too fast, I’m tired, and I’m sore.
Before I can say anything, before I can protest, Diego gets off of the bed and grabs my clothes first, then his own. He slides my sweats across the bed, his brown eyes meeting my gaze.
He doesn’t say a word, but his eyes say everything.
I reach one hand out and grab the clothes quickly, so he can’t grab me and pull me back into his space. So he can’t hurt me.
“I’ll take it from here, Diego,”
Gage says, pulling both of our attention.
“Yes, boss. Of course.”
While they talk, I dress myself, knowing they are distracted. The sweats are warm and soft against my skin, and the immediate relief is palpable.
I watch as Diego dresses himself, watch the way the muscles in his back tense and the way the light from the room casts shadows over his hips. His form is… exquisite.
He’s not overly muscular, just enough that the definition is noticeable. His tawny skin catches the light, dark hair smattering his arms and chest that elicits my omega all over again. The desire to sink my fingers into his hair, to bite and suck that sweet, tender spot on his neck I somehow know exists even if I haven’t tasted it.
I look away when he turns, catching my gaze. He smirks but doesn’t say anything. Instead, he saunters over to me with a lazy grin and takes my hand. I let him, unsure of what to do or what to say with all the thoughts running through me right now.
It would be so easy to clamp down on his hand and pull him in. Twist and throw him up against this corner like I had with Olly.
Olly…
The name is like a splash of cold water to my system. I need to apologize for what I've done. I’d tried earlier, but he didn’t understand.
He said he was fine, but I know all too well what it feels like to be thrown up against the wall and objectified.
I could see the discomfort in his eyes, despite the hardness of his cock.
I can’t explain it. Yes, I was feeling the brunt of my heat—but it wasn’t the same feeling of desire I get with Gage or Diego. It was…different.
Primal, almost. I needed him.
My beta. I shove the thoughts aside, reminding myself Olly isn’t mine. He isn’t anyone else’s either, I don’t think. He doesn’t smell like a bonded beta, not that I have a lot of experience with those. But I know a bonded beta usually bears the mark of an alpha like an omega does, and from what I could see of Olly’s neck, it looked pretty clear to me. Though I supposed I could have missed something when I…
I kissed him.
Without his consent, but…
He kissed me back. That has to mean something, right?
I shove all thoughts of the beta doctor aside as Diego brings my hand to his lips and gently kisses the back of my hand before taking his leave.
I watch with bated breath as he stops, he and Gage sharing some sort of whispered conversation that makes me feel anxious and suspicious.
It’s not that I expect them to tell me everything, but…
I feel a strange sort of anger that they are discussing something so hushed.
Probably what to do with me.
I’m no fool. I know they likely work for Orion. For Sneed.
Which is all the more reason I know I should keep my distance. I should not let any of them in.
They are the enemy. Their arrival after my breakout is telling enough. I don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know the two are connected.
A deep growl escapes me at the thought of whatever they are planning.
Is that why Diego fucked me? To get his fill before they return me to those terrible alphas? Or perhaps, kill me?
My omega whines, telling me Gage would never let such a thing happen, and Diego wouldn’t hurt me. She’s still reeling off the chemicals from our rut, most likely, and isn’t thinking straight.
No, I can’t trust that they won’t do exactly that—send me back to Orion with my proverbial omega tail between my legs, used up all the same.
The thought makes me feel queasy.
Gage approaches my cage. Because that’s what it is—a cage. I’ve only traded one prison for another.
Though as I look down at my sweatpants and the socks Diego had given me, the word feels wrong.
But I’m kept behind bars, still. No matter how many pairs of socks and sweatpants they bring me, nothing will change that I’m locked up in here, in this cage, with nothing but a bed, a table, and a cold floor.
Gage stands in front of the door, making no move to open it. His gaze settles on me for a moment, and neither of us speaks. My omega is practically chomping at the bit when I get a whiff of burnt wood and cherries. He smells like Emmett. I wrinkle my nose because the scent makes my mouth water. The hint of peppers lingers there, too, which makes me blush. Diego’s words from earlier reverberate in my brain.
They are omegaless. Because they don’t have an omega to breed, they lay with another, which should disgust me. The thought of an alpha knotting another alpha is…
Well, I’ve never heard of such a thing, but the thought of Gage knotting Emmett or even Diego makes a whimper escape my throat.
Along with a strange part of me that feels some sense of possessiveness over the idea.
Those knots belong to me.
I blink, forcing my gaze away from Gage if only because I don’t know how to process that thought.
“Auryn,”
Gage says, pulling my attention once more.
“Gage.”
I say his name carefully. “What do you want?”
He smirks at me as he slowly punches in the code into the cell, and the door opens.
Immediately I tense, worried he’s going to wedge his way in here and erase Diego’s scent, his markings from our tryst.
But he doesn’t set foot in the cell. Instead, he just looks at me curiously.
“Come,”
he says solidly. It’s not a question or a request. It’s a command.
I growl at him. “You are not the boss of me.”
He snickers, pushing away from the door.
“Suit yourself, then,”
he says, walking away.
“Hey!”
I call out. “Where the fuck do you think you’re going?”
Without thinking, I take a step forward.
He doesn’t answer me, just gives me his back.
“Gage!”
I bite out, taking another step. “I’m talking to you, asshole!”
I yell, but he doesn’t turn around. My feet pick up the pace, and I run, catching up to him just as he approaches the exit. I don’t think twice about grabbing him by the arm and pulling him. He turns around, his eyes alight with surprise and interest, and it’s only a fraction of a moment before I see the glaze of mischief in his gaze.
He pushes me back against the door frame, cocking his head to the side.
“I thought perhaps we could go for a little stroll,”
he says. “A tour, maybe.”
I’m acutely aware of the weight of his body pressed against mine. His sweet, sticky bourbon scent blankets me, and I have to fight the moan. My body flushes with heat.
“Is that such a good idea?” I ask.
Gage smirks. “Well, perhaps we both could use a…distraction.”
A distraction.
That sounds more than dangerous, but when I look up at Gage and see the warmth in his gaze, I settle, if only a fraction.
“And then, if you behave—”
he says, licking his lips. “You will be rewarded.”
I scoff, wanting to look away from him.
“I don’t need your rewards, Gage,”
I nip. “I don’t need you for shit.”
He laughs. “Oh, I think you’ll like this reward,”
he says, and with that, he pushes off of me and opens the door. He holds it open, his gaze catching mine as I try to catch my breath and remember how to breathe. My pussy is already throbbing, desperate to feel his weight on top of us.
I know what he’s doing, and part of me wants to protest. Argue. Defy him.
But there’s also a part of me that’s more than curious, and that’s the part that wins out.
Diego brought me out earlier to the kitchen. I hadn’t seen much other than the long stretch of hallway, enough to know this place is pretty big. Though I don’t know what reason Gage would have to show me around if I’m going to be leaving. If he plans on returning me to my rightful owners.
Which I’m sure is what he was discussing with Diego.
Still, I find myself walking through the door after him. I’m surprised he doesn’t cuff me. Instead, he lets me follow, and something about that feels strangely soothing and settling.
“Diego showed you the kitchen already, I take it,”
he says with a smirk, and I catch up to his side.
“How do you know that?” I ask.
“There’s nothing that happens in this compound, Auryn, that I don’t know about.”
The darkness and thickness of his voice tells me all I need to know, and suddenly I feel even more on the spot than when he found me and Emmett at one another’s throat.
I scoff. “So, privacy doesn’t exist here, either.”
He twists his lips. “Is that what you want?”
I keep my pace beside him as he points to an open door. “Gym there, and attached to it is the snack kitchen. Though it’s a little sparse these days as we haven’t had a stock run in a while—”
I look into the space as we pass.
“Doesn’t everyone want privacy?”
I ask. “Aren’t your little alpha pets bothered by the lack of—”
Gage shakes his head. “There’s a difference between private and safe, Auryn.”
I shake my head. “No, there isn’t,”
I snark. “Not when alphas are involved.”
“Well, here, I can assure you there is a difference.”
He comes up to a large white door, and immediately I smell him before I see him.
Rain. Sweet, sweet rain and earth.
Olly.
The quiet gasp that leaves my throat makes my heart race. I look in the window, without thinking, pressing my hand against the glass. I can see Olly moving about, and my insides warm.
“Olly…”
I whisper his name. The scent of bourbon assaults me, and I realize Gage is behind me.
“This is Olly’s lab,”
he says, his voice alight with humor.
I see a flash of another body, a bigger, rougher body that also makes my blood rush.
The scent of burnt cherries hits me, and I growl.
Gage purrs behind me. “Easy, Auryn.”
I turn just as Gage opens the door, my heart in my throat. What is he doing? What is his game here?
“Auryn,”
Olly’s voice is the one that calls my name. Emmett only stares at me.
“Just giving Auryn the grand tour,”
Gage says smoothly.
Emmett glances at him, his eyebrows furrowed.
“Tour?”
Olly asks, blinking as he stares at me.
“Mm-hm.”
Gage says as I take a step inside. Emmett tenses, but I ignore him for the moment.
“Find anything interesting yet?”
Gage asks, coming in after me.
Emmett stays frozen, his gaze fixated on me as I look around the lab before I find my way to where Olly is standing in front of a large machine. He glances from me to his machine, then back.
Am I making him uncomfortable again? I don’t want him to be uncomfortable, I want…
The whine that escapes my throat echoes in the space as Emmett curses. It’s only then I realize I’m in front of Olly, the only thing separating us the giant machine between us.
He flashes his amber eyes at me and moves aside.
“Would you like to look?”
he asks, his voice smooth. Soft.
“At what?”
I ask, my gaze settling on his lips. His rainfall scent fills my lungs, and I want to purr. I want to soothe his anxiousness, because I can feel it.
“Your blood,”
he says, and it’s then I feel his hand at the small of my back, guiding me towards the machine.
“My blood?”
He nods. “This is a microscope. Look through here,”
he points to the large device, “and you’ll see all the bits and pieces that make you…you.”
I do as he says, peering through the viewer, and see a multitude of shapes and colors, and I gasp.
I’ve never seen anything like this.
“There’s a protein I’m trying to isolate,”
he says, his hand on my back warming my skin through my shirt. “But it’s weird.”
“Weird like how?”
Gage asks as he comes to stand beside me.
“Weird like it keeps disappearing and reappearing,”
Emmett says. “I wouldn’t have believed Rain Man over here if I hadn’t seen it myself, but it like…comes and goes on its own.”
“Is this protein what’s responsible for her reaction to the suppressant?”
Gage asks.
Olly’s grip on me tightens as I watch the colors shift under the microscope.
“Likely, yes, but I won’t know why it’s metabolizing so quickly until I can get a handle on what the protein is. Once I break it down, I’ll understand.”
I pull back, turning to look at Olly with concern.
“There’s something wrong with my blood?”
Emmett steps forth, and I tense. “No,”
he says. “There’s nothing wrong with you, you’re—”
My gaze catches his, and a silent, unspoken tension builds between us.
“I’m what, Em?”
I ask, bristling under his gaze.
“Nothing,”
he says, licking his lips, turning away from me.
“I think what Emmett is trying to say,”
Gage says briskly, “is there is nothing wrong with you or your blood, Auryn. You are just—”
“Different,”
Olly says, his words soft. Understanding. I meet his gaze. “You’re just different, and different isn’t a bad thing.”
His words settle on me, but I don’t miss the glaze of sadness in his eyes.
He says the words like they hurt him. I don’t think twice about reaching out to touch his cheek, and they pinken immediately from my touch. Emmett curses.
“Christ, can you perfume somewhere else,”
he mutters.
Gage settles a hand on my hip and pulls me.
“Come on, Auryn. We’re not done, yet.”
I let out a strangled sound that is some mix of a whimper and a growl, and Olly swallows. Hard.
“It’s okay. I’m okay,”
he says, giving me a faint smile. Something tells me he isn’t, and I feel awful.
“I’m sorry, I—”
He grabs my hand, squeezing lightly as he pulls it from his face. He lets out a heavy breath.
“Promise. Go with Gage. I’ll see you later, okay?”
I nod as I catch Emmett’s pained glare. His eyes glisten too, and he looks sad.
Not jealous. Sad.
“Actually, I have some things to do. I was hoping, Emmett, you could show Auryn to the guest room. Where she’ll be staying from now on.”
I turn to Gage, my eyes wide with shock.
“Guest room?”
Gage grins as Emmett curses, and Olly says, “I beg your pardon?”
“She is a guest after all, isn’t she?”
Emmett is beside us in a flash.
“Of course,”
he says. Gage grunts.
“Good. Olly, text me if you learn anything new.”
“Of course,”
he says, his voice breathless.
And with that, Gage leaves me with the alpha and the beta, and suddenly I long for the cage.