Chapter 9
Caleb
T his is not how I thought my night was going to go.
Walker convinced us that we all needed a night out of the house. Between work and a new baby, I didn’t argue with him.
I wanted to go out to supper, maybe see a movie, have a fun guy’s night out.
Walker had other plans. A club. He wanted us to go to a fucking club. We’re too old for this shit, yet Walker seems to be having a hard time letting go of his youth. I think having Athena has had him trying to grasp at straws.
Since becoming parents, our lives have changed. In the best way, of course.
For the longest time, I felt like I had no purpose, just living day to day. Yes, I have my job, a job I love, but that's not enough.
I wanted someone to come home to every day, to love, to take care of.
An Omega would have been the best choice for that. It’s something I’ve always wanted. But it was never in the cards.
Before meeting the guys and forming our pack, I was married to my work. Still have been even after meeting them.
But my job is risky. Every time I put on my badge and uniform it could be the last time. I didn’t think it was right to put that kind of stress on an Omega. It would also have been a distraction knowing she would be at home, worried if I was going to make it back to her. Any distraction could be a death sentence. It’s what was for the best.
It’s the same mindset everyone in our pack had. Well, everyone but Jake.
The years went by, we grew older, and honestly, our lives still stayed busy.
Walker has a job where he risks his life every day as well. Leroy did as well until he retired from the army, but that was before he met us. Then he took on a job at Calling Wood University as a Beta bodyguard for their Omegas.
He worked there for a while until just a year or so ago. After the last Omega, Spencer, met his pack and he was no longer needed, he decided to retire.
That's how the idea of having a baby got brought up. None of us wanted to bring an Omega into our lives at this point. Not because we didn’t want one, but because most Omegas are already packed up and starting their lives. Plus, dating has never really worked out.
Our pack is purely friendship based, all of us are like brothers. We were more than happy to share the same Omega, but there was never the one , you know? And the idea of having more than one woman in the house wasn’t a smart idea. Omega’s are territorial and unless they are also in a relationship with one another, it could be a bloodbath no one would want to deal with.
Leroy suggested we hire a surrogate. That he would stay at home with the baby when he or she was born.
It didn’t take much convincing; we all wanted kids. We knew right away it was the right choice for us. We met with an agency and found the perfect match. We got a donor egg, mixed our little swimmers together, and the rest is history. Nine months later, Athena was born, and I fell in love so damn hard. She became my everything, my world. I never thought I’d ever feel so strongly about another living being in my life.
That is until tonight. When I stepped up to this sexy little Omega who is my scent match and has my cock rock hard.
It felt like everything inside me shifted, and now all I want to do is live for her. To breathe for her. To fucking kill for her.
I’ve never thought I’d be lucky enough to find my scent match. But here we are.
Sure, she’s a little crazy, but that just means she’s fun.
Part of the reason I was never actively searching for an Omega was because, for the most part, Omegas are sweet, kind, and loving. They want to take care of their Alphas, to settle down and pop out their babies. And that’s cool and all. But knowing me, I’d be bored. Maybe not if they were my scent match, not if this feeling coursing through me tells me anything about how intense these bonds are.
But fucking hell I’m so damn glad that it’s her.
Sure, there’s a dead body on the ground, but my Little Omega said he deserved it, and I believe her. I have no reason not to.
Okay, she’s a complete stranger, but my heart is telling me she’s right. And my heart wouldn’t lie to me, right? And my cock. My cock is very much telling me we agree with anything and everything she says, and he definitely wouldn’t lie to me.
He’s got a good head about these kinds of things. I bet if I said that out loud, my Little Omega would have laughed. I feel like she would understand my jokes.
“Wait...” she says, narrowing her eyes. “Did you say sister?”
“Yup,” I grin, my eyes unable to keep still. I just want to look over every inch of her body. My hands twitch with the need to reach out and touch her.
I don’t because it’s not only me that found my scent match, but the whole pack. Okay, not the whole pack, Walker and I. We still need to talk to poor Jake about this. He’s standing behind us, watching, listening. I’ll check on him in a moment because things have just gotten a hell of a lot more complicated. “Little sis by a good ten years.”
“I thought Jerry was her brother.” She gives me an adorable little frown.
“Jerry?” I ask, cocking my head to the side. “We have a brother named Jeremy.”
“Yeah, him.” She snaps her fingers and points to me. “I changed his name by the way. I like Jerry better.”
I chuckle. She’s so damn adorable.
I shouldn’t be outright speaking of my brother's name, it’s too risky, but I mean if she knows Daphne, then she already knows a hell of a lot.
If my sister’s clean-up crew is here disposing of a body, then I think it’s safe to chat.
I’m about to ask her how she knows him, seeing as how he’s been gone for a really long time. And the fact that he’s been undercover for years now.
“Wait, you didn’t tell us your name,” I point out.
“I did.” She grins. Little shit. I can already tell she’s a brat. And I love it. My cock jerks in my jeans.
Walker scoffs. “Don’t think we’re stupid enough to believe your name is Barney.”
“Why not?” she asks, cocking a brow at him. “What’s wrong with the name?”
I grin like an idiot. Oh, she’s just what Walker needs to get the stick out of his ass. His reasoning on not having an Omega is a whole other story that goes beyond work overtaking his life. But that’s his story to tell, not mine.
“What is your name?” he asks, stepping closer to her.
“Barney,” she says.
“You're full of shit.” Walker’s nostrils flare, getting irritated with the little Omega. Me? I think it’s love at first sight on my end.
“We all are.” She shrugs. “It’s how it goes.”
“Wait, what?” Walker frowns.
“Shit. Everyone has it in them.”
I can’t hold in the laugh that slips free, and Walker snaps his eyes over to me. “Don’t encourage her bullshit, Caleb.”
The sound of a car pulling up has us all pausing. Looking over, I see that it’s not a car but a limo.
Stopping, the door opens and out walks my little sister. I grin. I’ve missed the little pain in my ass.
You might be wondering how a cop can be so comfortable being related to a mafia boss. Easy, no one knows. And we help each other out. My sister kills the evil of this world, and I put it behind bars. It’s the same job, just on different fronts.
Have I killed? Yes, on the job. But I would be lying if I said the way she works didn’t pique my interest.
“Duchess!” the Omega yells, running over to her.
The two women start to talk, and I take this opening to check on my bestie. Looking over, I find Jake watching us all, his hands shoved into his pockets, a look of pain, confusion, and shock etched into his face.
Frowning, I walk over to him. “Hey, man. What’s wrong? I know this is like a big shock to us all. An exciting shock, but a big one. I know how you feel about finding your Omega, and man, we haven’t given up, and I won’t until the day that I die.” I lay my hand on his shoulder. “I promised you that. And I’m going to keep that promise. You don’t have to feel obligated to be with...” I frown. “I don’t know her name yet.” I laugh. “She said it was Barney, but I think she’s just fucking with us. She’s pretty, funny, a whole lot of crazy, but I mean, I think it’s hot.” I grin.
“Savannah,” he says in the softest voice, swallowing hard. His haunted eyes shift over to mine, shifting his attention away from Duchess and the Omega.
“Yeah, I know your Omega’s name, bud.” I think he’s in a lot more shock than I thought. “And we’re going to find her. When we do, we will make it work. We can still have a pack with two Omegas.” I have no idea if that's true or not, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. The way my Little Omega comes off, she would stab first and ask questions later.
“No.” He shakes his head. “Savannah.”
“Okay...” I frown. “I’m not understanding.”
“Caleb,” he croaks. “That...” he points towards the limo. “ Is Savannah.”
I blink at him, trying to process his words. “Savannah... as in the Omega we’ve been looking for for five years?” The Omega he lost and has been heartbroken over ever since.
“Yes.” Tears fill his eyes.
I frown harder. “I’ve seen her photo.” I’ve spent hours looking at photos of her, memorising every inch of her face. “She doesn’t have blonde hair.”
“She must have bleached it, but Caleb, that's her. I could smell her the moment we walked by the alley. That’s why I stopped.”
After spending less than an hour at the club, Walker suggested we leave, and we all agreed. We were done with that scene and found a nice little bar that wasn’t too packed. We had some drinks, played some pool, and just had a fun time.
We were on our way to get some takeout before calling a taxi when Jake stumbled to a stop. I thought it was because he saw the Omega with the dead body, but I was wrong.
“You're sure?” I search his eyes.
“By looks, no, but I know what Savannah smells like. I know my Omega’s scent.” He pulls his hat off and runs a hand through his hair. “Caleb, it’s her.”
“Holy fuck.” I blink, looking behind me at the Omega who’s watching us with curious eyes, then back to Jake. “We found her.” I let out a disbelieving laugh. “We fucking found her.”
“I think I’m going to be sick,” Jake mutters.
“Shit.”
“Is everything okay?” Savannah’s voice sounds from behind me, making my head snap backwards.
I don’t know what to do. What to say. I look at Jake, and he shakes his head at me with wide eyes. Okay, so he doesn’t want me to say anything.
There’s no recognition in Savannah's eyes. “Hi.” She gives Jake a beaming smile as she holds out her hand. “We haven’t met yet, I’m Barney.”
“Savannah,” Duchess calls out. “We have to go.”
“Okay, fine,” Savannah sighs. “My name is Savannah, but you can call me...”
“Savvy,” Jake whispers. “All your friends do.”
She frowns, most likely confused about how he would know that, but then she blinks a few times, eyes growing foggy, and I can see it wash over her face, the realization of who Jake is for her. “Alpha,” she moans, and I catch her swaying body. My eyes find Jake, and he looks like he’s going to cry or be sick. Maybe both.
Savannah never knew who Jake was to her, and this is how she’s finding out. Without even knowing who Jake is and their past together.
Jake hasn’t changed in looks since he was a teenager; one look at the guy and you’d know who he was even twenty, thirty, forty years later.
“I have to go,” Jake says, taking a step back. “I–I can’t do this. I can’t be here.”
“Fuck. Okay.” I nod. Savannah frowns.
“What? Why?” she asks, sounding hurt.
Jake turns around and takes off. “Shit,” I sigh heavily, not sure what to do. Do I go after my best friend, or do I stay with my Omega? I don’t want her to think we’re running from her. I’d never run. She’s everything I’ve been looking for, literally.
She’s the woman we’ve been trying to find for years. My best friend’s girl. Now, mine?
God, this is all fucked up. We found her with a dead body, and this is way worse than that in my eyes. My best friend is hurting, confused.
This isn’t how he saw his reunion with her going. And the fact that she has no clue who he is has got to hurt.
“Caleb, get him back here now. Or I will,” Duchess demands. “We need to leave. You are coming with me. We need to talk.”
“Shit, okay.” I nod, not liking the pissed off look on my little sister's face. She might be younger than me, but that woman could slit my throat in three seconds or less. She scares the shit out of me. I still stay up at night regretting all the times I used to pick on her, wondering if she’s going to feel the need for revenge and stab me in my sleep.
Reaching up, I cup Savannah’s face. “I’ll be right back, okay? I’m just going to get him.”
“Is he mad at me?” she asks. “Because I didn’t do anything.” She sighs. “Okay, I was found with a body, and I could see how that might freak some people out. But, just like tell him it’s not real. Maybe that would help him feel better.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “You’re amazing, you know that?”
Her eyes light up. “Really?” My heart fucking explodes with the way she smiles at me. “No one has ever said that to me before.”
Fucking hell. “Then I’ll just have to tell you every day, then, won’t I?” I wink before kissing the tip of her nose. “Be right back.”
It kills me to leave her as I jog in the direction Jake left.
I find him a block away, squatting against a wall, his face in his hands.
“Hey,” I say, slowing down when I reach him.
“It’s her.” He looks up at me with tear-filled eyes. “And she has no fucking clue who I am.”
“I know.” I crouch down next to him. “And I know it sucks. But Jake, what matters is that it's her. We need answers. We need to know where she's been, and how the hell she's here.”
“And why did she kill that man?” he whispers. “She works for your sister. Caleb, she’s a killer.”
“Yeah, I got that. But that doesn’t matter.”
“It doesn’t?” He laughs, but there’s no humor in it.
“Nope. Because she’s ours, Jake. She’s our Omega. Tell me you wouldn’t love her no matter what?”
“I’ve been in love with her since the moment she stood up for me all those years ago and told the mean girls to fuck off.” He laughs, closing his eyes as he tilts his head back against the wall. “She walked right up to them, told them being a bitch isn’t attractive, and then sat down next to me. The rest was history. So, no. I don’t think I care that she kills people.” He opens his eyes and looks at me. “Does that make me fucked up?”
“Maybe.” I grin. “But I’ll be fucked up right along side you. You know my sister, you know her rules. Whoever that guy was, he deserved it.”
“I wanna know,” he says, standing up. “I wanna know where she’s been and why she doesn’t remember me.”
“Then let’s go,” I say, standing too. “Our Omega is waiting for us.”
We walk towards the limo in silence. We’re almost there when it pulls up next to us. Savannah pops her head out of the top. “Get in, losers! We’re going shopping.” She laughs before ducking back down into the vehicle.
“I’m not sure what she was like when you two were growing up, but this Savannah? Yeah, I’m already obsessed.”
Jake says nothing as the door opens and we slide inside.
“I’m never suggesting a guy's night out again,” Walker mutters, arms crossed as he looks out the window.
“Good,” Savannah says, sliding up next to him. “Because I won’t let you.”
Walker’s eyes snap down to hers. “And why the hell not?”
“Because...” She smiles sweetly. “If I ever see another woman so much as look at you with lust filled eyes—and trust me, you’re all fucking pussy melting, so it’s going to happen—I’ll fucking stab them.” She bats her eyelashes at him. “You're all mine now, big boy. Get used to it.”
“Savvy,” my sister groans. “You're coming on too strong.”
“No, she’s not.” I chuckle. “She’s fucking perfect.”
Savannah gives me a bright smile. “I like you,” she says, leaving her spot next to Walker and taking a seat on my lap.
“Good.” I smile down at her, my hand gripping her waist. “Because I’m fucking obsessed with you.”