Captured Omega

Chapter 38

Emmett

I groan as the bed shifts. Someone’s leaving, which shouldn’t bother me, but I feel the faintest sadness in my chest as I listen to the footsteps.

The sound of the birds outside chirp, and the sadness is soon replaced by the overpowering scent of lemongrass and cinnamon. With a hint of sunshine.

The groan that escapes me is a happier one as I pull my body closer to my mate. I bury my face against her chest, breathing her in and then I feel a heavy palm against my hip. That’s when I open my eyes and suck in a breath. Because on the other side of Auryn is the leader of our pack. Gage.

When did he get here?

I blink, remembering how Diego had shoved him in the bedroom last night, urging him to talk to Auryn, to fix their rift, and remember they’d left together. My cheeks flush because I remember that they were gone a while, and it was just Olly and me in the nest. Which should have been weird, considering most of the time Olly gets on my last nerve, but he’s not so bad when he’s passed the fuck out or when he’s touching my dick, apparently.

Which…That was weird. But not in a bad way. I’m not sure what I expected, I know the guy isn’t the most…comfortable with sex in general, but medically speaking, he’s sharp as a tack and cool as a cucumber. I know hands down, I wouldn’t have been able to make it through what happened last night, let alone through these last few days, without his expertise. I wish I could blame what happened between us on my omega chemicals, and maybe that’s partly to blame, but I know Olly’s not the first man to touch my dick in this place. I’m just surprised I liked it as much as I did, all things considered. I’m also surprised he didn’t come. Like…at all.

That’s either some hella strong restraint, or Olly’s more of a sapiosexual than I thought.

Though I probably shouldn’t think too much about it. Maybe he just prefers Auryn over me, which I do get.

My nose wrinkles, and Diego’s scent is faint, which tells me he wasn’t here last night, and I tense.

“Where’s Diego?”

I ask, panic rushing over me.

Gage groans as Auryn’s eyes flutter. “Hm?”

“Diego,”

I say, sinking my fingers into her hip.

And then I smell it. The thick, spicy scent of peppers and onions, of cheese and garlic, making my mouth water.

Auryn pulls me close as I relax and Gage murmurs. “Kitchen.”

Relief floods me as my body relaxes.

He’s okay. You’re okay. We’re all safe and okay…

Auryn must sense my tension. She pulls me closer, threading her leg through mine and pulling my jaw with her small fingers until her mouth is on mine, and something inside of me clicks.

I groan, relaxing into her kiss. I can hear Gage grumbling something, and a moment later I feel his hand on my hip again. He holds us both with one arm, and my shoulders loosen.

My hands travel down Auryn’s small frame. I can tell from the heady whiff of rain and dirt that she’s still wearing Olly’s clothes, which is what she’s been wearing since we brought her here because he’s the smallest of the pack, but they are still too big for her.

Auryn is a petite little thing, but she’s got bite. She may be small, but fuck if my alpha girl isn’t mighty.

Memories flash in my mind of that day she and Gage found me begging for death.

My stomach growls, and so do I. Auryn lets out a soft whine, and I regrettably push myself up. “I don’t know about you assholes, but I’m fucking starving.”

I throw my legs over the side of the bed and notice I’m already semi-hard from cuddling with Auryn. And while it’s not entirely comfortable, the pain I felt before is definitely less.

Which is a good sign. I think.

Auryn tries to get up, but Gage pulls her back into the nest with a growl.

“Five more minutes,”

he mutters. I look at the two of them, at the way his hand holds her close, and the faintest whine escapes my throat. Auryn looks at me curiously. I absent-mindedly adjust my cock, which is now completely hard.

“What?”

I ask, my voice coming out raspier than it should.

“No vanilla,”

she says with a frown. A perfumed burst of lemongrass fills the air.

Her omega is looking at me with dilated pupils, and Gage must scent her too, because his hand on her stomach slides down beneath Olly’s boxers.

My cock twitches, and I bite my lip. Fuck, I never thought I’d be so happy to be hard.

To know that I can still get hard. That I can knot.

That those bastards didn’t ruin me completely.

No vanilla…so that must mean…

“Guess I’m all alpha now,”

I say with a grin. Auryn’s mouth opens to speak, but the perfume speaks for itself as her body loosens, and I can smell the arousal on her. I watch as inches from me Gage’s hand moves underneath the fabric of her borrowed boxers, and I know without having to ask he’s got at least two fingers buried inside of her.

I probably should just leave them be, but fucking hell…I’m hard, and I want to come. I want to knot my girl again. And again until I can’t because I’m tapped dry.

Just knowing I can fuck her, that I can come through the pain, is an aphrodisiac all on its own.

So I lean back on the bed, grab Auryn by the throat and kiss her, thrusting my hardness against Gage’s covered hand.

“Five more minutes sounds good to me,”

I say, running my hands up beneath Olly’s shirt.

Auryn’s lemongrass scent mixes with Olly’s faint rain scent, and bourbon blankets the air. I know alphas can’t perfume, but it almost feels like Gage’s scent is stronger than it’s ever been. Or maybe I’m just noticing it more. Maybe it’s those last trappings of omega chemicals, or maybe it’s just knowing that I like that scent more than I ever thought I would.

I fully expect Gage to continue his assault on Auryn, but he removes his hand.

Rude.

I don’t let up on Auryn, though. I kiss her, squeeze her tits underneath her shirt, fingers pinching her nipples until she’s moaning in my mouth. Precum coats my cockhead, and I groan into her mouth, and then I feel him.

Gage grabs my cock and squeezes me, but it’s not hard like I’d expect his grip to be. Instead, it’s gentle. Like he’s afraid I’ll break. And I admit, I tense when I feel his thumb slide over my raised scar, which pulls me out for the moment, and I wince.

“Sorry,”

he says, pulling his hand back, but my own stops him.

No, you’re good, just uh…wasn’t expecting it, that’s all.”

Auryn buries her face in my neck and whines. I hold Gage’s hand in mine, my gaze locking onto his as I remember the last time he’d touched me he hadn’t been so gentle. My cock twitches in his hand at the thought.

“Just uh…don’t overthink it. Do what feels right. I’ll tell you to stop if I want you to stop.”

The words are foreign but also deeply comfortable. I’ve been in this pack for years. Gage has been my alpha for a long time. I trust him probably more than I trust anyone. Something shifts in his gaze, and he nods, resuming his motions on my cock. With my free hand I slide it beneath Auryn’s boxers, finding her just as soaked as I expected.

Part of me is aroused at the idea of making her come in Olly’s underwear, while the other part of me is aroused by all the things surrounding me. The smells, the moans, the nest and its soft blankets and pillows—the latter I am sure is some leftover stain from the omega chemicals, because I’ve never cared about fucking sheets in my life. Sure, I like clean ones as much as the next guy, but I swear the dirtier this nest gets the more I fucking love it. It’s going to suck when Olly does the laundry again…

Auryn purrs as she kisses me, and her gasp in my throat combined with Gage’s curse, lets me know he's not far off either. I scramble to get my bearings. He grinds against her from behind, pushing her onto my fingers and the bed squeaks as we chase our morning orgasms.

Together, which shouldn’t feel so…normal?

Gage’s hand pumping my wet, hard cock while I fingerfuck my alpha should not feel normal, but I swear it’s like it’s always been this way even if it wasn’t.

I grimace slightly as my knot fills, and Gage stops.

“Are you—”

“Just keep going,”

I grunt. “It’ll hurt less when I come.”

Auryn’s gaze darkens as she bites her lip. The scent of cinnamon enters the chat.

“Is that what my alpha wants?”

I ask with a smirk.

Gage’s hand slowly starts to move, apprehensively. His fingers avoid my knot, separating enough to give me space to inflate, but it’s not enough. I need to feel him. I need to feel her. I need to come or I’m going to lose my mind.

I’m vaguely aware I’ve never felt so impatient when it comes to sex, and I wonder if that too is some stain leftover from the omega proteins.

“You want Gage to make me come so you can watch?”

I bite at her bottom lip, and the pulse of her pussy around my fingers at my words is my answer. She nods and growls at me.

“Yes,”

she whispers.

“Louder, baby. So he can hear you,”

I whisper to her.

Auryn picks up my command and doesn’t argue, which is in itself, a fucking feat.

At least I know there’s one place she’ll listen to me.

Gage grunts while thrusting against her, and his rhythm starts to build again.

“You can touch my knot,”

I tell him, but when I feel soft, small fingers tracing over it, I think maybe this is better.

Auryn’s fingertips trace the swell of my knot while Gage pumps me, and seconds later, I’m coming just as hard as I did last night. I suck air in through my teeth because it does sting a bit, but it also feels insanely good.

Auryn’s pussy tightens around my fingers a moment later, and she whines in ecstasy. Gage curses, stilling behind her as he buries his head in her shoulder.

Silence fills the room, and my stomach growls, ruining the moment.

“Fuck,”

I hiss as my knot deflates. Auryn giggles. The sound is soft and feminine and makes my entire body warm like a fire.

She has a cute fucking laugh.

“We should definitely eat,”

I sigh. Auryn giggles again.

“I am rather hungry.”

The tone in her voice is so lustful I am considering starvation just so I might feast on her again. But the scent of peppers and cheese and fresh coffee is also tempting, and so when Gage lets go of me, I don’t hesitate to remove my fingers from Auryn and get out of bed. I take my time, heading for the shower. Auryn follows behind me, sans Gage.

Even though I'm good and clean by the time she enters, I stay. I wash her hair, massaging her scalp, and she purrs in contentment. She doesn’t fight me when I soap up her breasts or rinse her clean. She kisses me under the spray, and that warmth in my chest ignites once more. We kiss until the water runs cold, and her stomach is growling along with mine.

When we get to the kitchen, Diego and Gage are side by side, plating up their food while Olly sits at the table, looking over something on his phone. Knowing him, it’s probably research. The guy has no other hobbies other than work that I know of. Something about that saddens me as I realize I don’t either.

I guess, none of us do, aside from Diego.

Maybe I should learn a skill or something. But what would I even be good at? I can shoot, stab, and climb like no one’s business, but would I even be capable of doing something like reading or cooking? I don’t fucking know.

The minute we walk through the door, though, Olly looks up, wrinkling his nose. He looks from me to Auryn, then back at me with a curious expression. I grin victoriously.

Emmett one.

Olly…one, I guess. I’ll give the guy credit where it’s due.

At least, for now.

Auryn purrs, and I kiss her on the head. “Go. I’ll get you a plate.”

She looks back at me with a shy grin but doesn’t protest. She practically skips over to Olly and curls next to him like a fucking cat.

I watch them for the briefest moment and note the way his entire body melts when she sits next to him. His expression softens too, and he looks downright enamored.

I’ve never seen the guy look anything but nonplussed. He has a poker face that would withstand the fucking devil.

But Auryn is different. She’s different in so many ways, and she makes all of us different, too. I see that now.

So I head over to the counter as Diego and Gage take their seats and grab us our plates of omelets. I serve Auryn her plate first and then grab us some juice.

There’s a tense silence before Gage speaks.

“So … we need to discuss what we’re going to do about Sneed and the Orion pack.”

His clear blue eyes scan the rest of us, making sure we’re all paying attention. “Em, if you’re feeling up to it, I’d like to make a strike on that house of theirs by the end of the week. We need to eliminate Sneed and his knotless assholes, but more importantly, we need to rescue the omegas they have captive there.”

His gaze flits to Auryn, who breaks eye contact in favor of studying the omelet on her plate.

“Once we’ve taken out the Orions and gotten the omegas to safety–I’m thinking of taking them to the institute, if they don’t have homes of their own to go to–we should burn that fucking cursed house to the ground and dump the rubble into the basement. I don’t want even a single fucking cockroach to be left alive in that hellhole when we’re done.”

“Amen, jefe.”

“Now, we had mixed success with the full-frontal assault last time. Sure, we took a few of the bastards out, but I don’t doubt for one second that they were waiting for us, and they let us in. Next time won’t be so smooth.”

I snort and cross my arms over my chest. “Well, I don’t recommend going alone in the front or the back. Didn’t work out for Diego and me.”

“That’s why we’re not going in the front or the back.”

Everyone looks at Gage like he just grew a second head.

“Look, we’ve all been in there; we’ve seen how many alphas the Orion pack has. Does anyone really think Auryn could have escaped that basement and gotten out alive by exiting through the house?”

Realization hits as his words sink in, and we all look to Auryn as Gage continues.

“We’re going to find Auryn’s exit point and sneak in through there.”

We all start talking over each other in protest, but Gage holds up a hand to quiet us. “Now, I’m aware that Auryn’s a tiny thing, and we may not initially fit through whatever hole she found to escape from. I’m also fully willing to dig until that hole does fit us. If Sneed couldn’t catch Auryn on his own, then that means he doesn’t know how or where she escaped, so we’ll have the upper hand. Also, there’s a chance we could find and rescue the omegas without Sneed being alerted to our presence. Olly, that’s your responsibility. Once we’re in, I’m counting on you to get the omegas out through our entry point. Help them get away, and get them to the academy. Steal a vehicle if you have to.

“While Olly’s getting the captive omegas to safety, the rest of us will go further into the basement. We’ll take out as many of them as we can on the way to Sneed, but I want us all to promise Auryn something: Sneed is hers.”

That’s fair. Granted, Diego and I both have reason to hate the Orions, but Sneed’s done the most harm to Auryn; she deserves her vengeance.

We spend the rest of breakfast discussing fine details of the plan. Auryn reaches up behind her neck. I can see she’s bothered, but she doesn’t say anything, which I find odd.

Olly pulls her close until she’s practically in his fucking lap, murmuring something in her ear. No one else seems to notice, because a second later, Diego gets up, offering to clean up, but Gage smacks his hand.

“Absolutely not. You cooked; you aren’t cleaning up, too.”

My gaze roves over Auryn in her stolen sweats, and I get an idea. “Auryn, how do you feel about getting out and stretching your legs?”

I ask. Everyone turns to look at me.

Gage’s jaw tenses, and I shove my hands in my pockets. “What—”

“I mean, I don’t know about you, but I could use some new underwear,”

I say with a smirk.

Diego chuckles, shaking his head. “Dios mío.”

“And I’m sure my girl could use some of her own clothes.”

I shrug. “Not that I don’t like seeing you in Olly’s spares, but if you’re going to be a member of this pack—”

I look to Gage, knowing he’ll say something if I am out of line, but he only crosses his arms and raises a brow at me, so I continue. “–we should probably get you some more comfortable clothes.”

“I think that’s a splendid idea,”

Olly says, and I don’t miss the hint of sadness in his voice. I’m sure he loves seeing Auryn parading around in his clothes, even if he doesn’t say anything. He’s a beta, after all. In the hierarchy of things, the three of us pull rank over him on practically everything, and for a moment I almost reconsider. This might be one of the only places Olly feels he holds his own, and here I am trampling over the sliver of possessiveness he’s actually able to express.

But then I see Auryn’s eyes light up like fireworks, and I think Olly will have to find some other way to exert his claims.

I’m taking my girl shopping.

“It’s dangerous,”

Gage says cautiously. “To leave the compound. Sneed—”

Olly clears his throat. “It is dangerous, yes, but Auryn has proven she is capable of defending herself,”

he says cooly. “On multiple occasions.”

“She did dismember those alphas before rescuing Em,”

Diego says.

“And Em is still an alpha,”

Olly shrugs, his gaze flitting to me. “And he’s strong. Always has been. I’m not worried.”

Auryn hugs him. Really fucking hugs him, and he blushes something fierce.

“Olly’s right, jefe. It’s just a few hours; I’m sure they will be fine.”

Gage catches my glance. His jaw tenses, and he looks back at Auryn, chewing his lip.

“Fine,”

he grits through his teeth. “But I expect you both back here in no less than three fucking hours. Got it?”

“Yes, sir,”

I say, trying to hide the grin splitting my face, but it’s no use.

Olly kisses Auryn on the cheek as he gently lifts her up out of his lap—when that happened, I have no clue—and she runs up to me, throwing her arms around me and kissing me in front of our pack, and my insides turn to fucking mush.

This is shaping up to be the best day ever.

I take it back. I take it all back. Why did I think taking an alpha shopping would be fun?

Auryn and I have been to two stores, and all we’ve done is argue. I gave up trying to suggest things for her to wear after she nearly bit my head off when I suggested a white dress with little yellow flowers on it.

Still, all things considered, I think she’s having a good time outside of the compound. I don’t miss the way her gaze falls on the people walking through the store. Moms with their children. Teenagers goofing off. Men wandering aimlessly through the sports section.

I slide my hands in my pockets, waiting for her to come out of the dressing room. Our cart is already pretty full, and I think Gage is going to bitch about all of this, because of course, before Auryn even looked at anything for herself, she found about four shirts and outfits for the others, including me. I told her I really didn’t need new clothes, but she growled at me and told me to be good, or she’d punish me for being defiant.

When I say it took everything in me not to argue, I mean it. I know what rewards are like with Auryn, and I’m fucking dying to see how she punishes me.

Still, I know the difference between a playful alpha and a pissy one, so I keep my mouth shut. For now.

When she opens the door, I nearly gasp. I’ve been trying to get her into a dress all day, and I was convinced it was a lost cause. When she walks out in a long, tight blue dress with spaghetti straps, I have to fight a groan.

Her breasts look amazing, squished together and practically spilling out the top. I don’t remember them looking so full before, but then again, underneath Olly’s shirts some things weren’t as visible, I guess.

My gaze travels down her hips, noting the curves there. When we found her, she was practically skin and bones, but after a few weeks with us and Diego’s cooking, she’s looking fuller there, too. Healthier.

Her gaze finds mine, and she looks nervous. What the fuck does she have to be nervous about? A couple walks by us, a woman in a shorter dress. Her boyfriend’s hand rests on her rear, and he squeezes it as they walk past, and I see the look of worry in Auryn’s eyes, see the tense of her shoulder, and then I realize what she’s so nervous about.

She holds herself tight, the motion pushing her tits together to make some fantastic cleavage, but I push away the inappropriate thoughts because I can see she’s uncomfortable.

I take two steps towards her, that lemongrass and sunshine scent hitting me like a wave.

“Hey,”

I say, reaching out to run my fingers along her arm. “You look great. How do you feel?”

She chews on her lip, glancing up at me, and something in her gaze shifts.

“Better now,”

she says softly. I give her a grin.

“Now that your alpha’s here, right?”

She rolls her eyes. “And there it goes.”

I shake my head. “You must like me enough; you saved my ass.”

She shakes her head as she heads back for the changing room door. “And with every word, I am regretting it,”

she says, but her voice isn’t venomous. It’s sarcastic. Humorous.

“Yeah, yeah, you’ll be singing another tune when we hit the register, sweetheart.”

I don’t miss her curse or her insult and I smile, letting out a laugh of my own.

I don’t expect her to get the dress, but when she tosses it and a couple others in the same style—spaghetti strap, long, tight-fitting—into the cart, I smile victoriously.

The guys are going to lose their minds when they see her in that number.

I put everything on the counter. Auryn opted for several pairs of leggings—which I’m not complaining about one bit, because they make her ass look amazing—and sports bras, a slew of tank tops and long sleeves, and four dresses. I’d tried to put back the shirts and pants she selected for me, but she caught me. Twice.

And of course, we all got a few pairs of new underwear, seeing as with Auryn in the pack, that seems to be going like fucking hot cakes, and Olly’s been slacking on doing laundry.

Though I can’t blame him too much. I guess I understand. He’s been busy as fuck in and out of the lab, which is why I made a point to grab him some ice cream when we stopped at the store on the way back.

The Jeep is full of food and clothes, the sun is shining, and for a moment it feels like there isn’t the ominous threat of Orion hanging over us. For a moment, it just feels…right.

I park the car outside the compound, turning to see Auryn has not moved to get out.

I reach across the console and grab her hand, pulling her from her thoughts. “I had a really great time today,”

I say carefully. My thumb slides over her knuckles. She’d changed into a pair of jeans, a tank top, and some Converse sneakers at the grocery store, and just the change of clothes makes her look like a whole new person.

She runs her free hand through her dark hair, smiling back at me, and it’s genuine.

“It wasn’t terrible.”

I chuckle, leaning over the console and entering her space. She glances at my lips and then flashes her gaze up at my eyes.

“I’ll take it,”

I say, my voice a whisper, as I kiss her softly.

She settles into my kiss easily, whining and perfuming, and my heart swells. I think I love this girl. This alpha.

The words fall short of my voice, because as soon as I grasp them, I hear someone clearing their throat. The scent of rain and earth, mixed with heady bourbon, tells me exactly who is watching us right now. Who is watching me.

I break away, and Auryn blushes.

“Auryn, would you mind coming with me for a bit? I’d like to collect some new samples and—”

I sigh, pulling back. Fucking Olly. Doesn’t he know when to leave things alone for five seconds? We’re barely in the house yet!

Gage’s purr echoes through the space, and Auryn smiles, unbuckling her belt. “Of course.”

Olly helps her out, and she follows him with ease.

“I’ll just put all these fucking clothes and groceries away myself, thanks Olly!”

I yell, but he doesn’t acknowledge me. Instead Auryn slides her arm around his waist and starts talking his fucking ear off as they head into the compound, leaving Gage and me alone.

“I’ll help,”

he says as I unbuckle my belt and get out of the car.