Chapter 11
Jake
T he sweet, comforting smell of candy apples fills my nose. I sigh contentedly, burying my nose into the source.
I remember the first time I scented her.
Savannah was the senator's daughter, bright, beautiful, and popular. And I was just the scholarship kid who didn’t fit in. At least not until she came into my life. Even then, people only tolerated me because Savannah didn’t put up with anyone’s shit when it came to me.
I was in awe of her; to see someone stick up for me when everyone else brought me down. I never took our friendship for granted.
Savannah and I were good friends at that point. Always hanging out at school. Only, we had never been to one another's houses before.
When we were teenagers, senior year of high school, one day Savannah and I were hanging out. She ended up spilling something on herself and needed to go home and change.
She wasn’t allowed to have people over because of privacy reasons, but her parents were out that weekend, and she invited me in, saying she would be quick.
I waited downstairs for her, playing on my phone, trying to mind my own business even though everything in me wanted to go snooping.
That was until I heard her scream. Thinking she was hurt, I rushed up to her room, threw open her door, and my whole world changed.
Her scent hit me like a ton of bricks. My DNA rearranged itself right in that moment for her.
I knew she was an Omega; she’d presented a few weeks prior, even missed a bit of school because of it.
I’d never gotten a whiff of her scent because her father had her wear a scent-blocking spray as well as Alpha blockers outside the house for her own safety. She couldn’t smell any Alphas, and Alphas couldn’t smell her.
But I was in her personal space, her bedroom. Of course, there wasn’t anything hiding her scent in here.
When I saw her coming out of her bathroom, wrapped in a towel, clearly okay, I took off running, going back downstairs to wait for her.
After a mini freak-out, I made the decision not to tell her. Because even though it killed me knowing my best friend was my Omega, my mate, I wouldn’t be able to have her.
She had dreams, which she talked about all the time. Dreams of finding her perfect pack, one that would whisk her away from the world she grew up in and give her a normal life.
I couldn’t do that for her. I didn’t even have a job, how was I supposed to give her the life she deserved?
It wasn’t easy to keep it to myself. I craved her every second of every day, but I never crossed the line. I stayed by her side, being the best friend she needed.
After time went by, I knew I was in too deep. But I couldn’t tell her. If she knew I was lying all these years, it would ruin everything we had. Even though it killed me watching her with other people, dating other packs, I still didn’t say anything.
And the day she went missing, I knew I’d regret not telling her for the rest of my life.
For the past five years, I’ve had this dream. One I’m all too familiar with.
Her in my arms, naked, my face buried in her neck, her scent invading my nose like a drug I’d happily stay strung out on.
It’s one that I find myself looking forward to more than is healthy to admit. It’s not normal to resent being awake when I could be sleeping, dreaming about her. My Omega. My everything.
Only this dream feels different. The smell is stronger, more potent. It has my body lighting up, my cock growing thick. Sure, I’ve had wet dreams every now and again when they would grow detailed, but never have they made me feel so alive like this one.
Shifting closer, I take another inhale and wiggle my nose when something tickles it.
My hand inches forward, meeting a warm body. Smiling to myself, I splay my fingers, covering the warmth with my hand. The soft skin that meets my palm feels so real.
A little whimper has my brows furrowing. The sound rings loudly in my ear, making my grip tighten.
“Hey,” someone hisses. “Loosen your grip, would you? You're hurting her.”
My brows furrow deeper. Caleb? What’s he doing in my dream?
The grip against my hand has me jolting out of my dream. “What the hell?” I murmur.
“Shhh,” the voice hisses again. “You're going to wake her.”
Wake her? Wake who?
Bringing my hands up to rub at my eyes, I start to wake up more.
The warmth against my body is still there, as well as the strong smell of candy apples.
Blinking my blurry eyes open, I adjust to the dark space. “Caleb?” Why is he sleeping next to me? I mean, we’re close, but not that close.
Then I look down, and my heart stops.
Sucking in a breath, my eyes widen as the reality of last night comes crashing in.
Tucked between the two of us is the woman I’ve spent years looking for. Years spent worrying, believing I’d never find her, but I never gave up, and here she is. Next to me, in my arms.
“Caleb,” I say softly, afraid if I speak too loudly, I’ll wake up and this will all have been a dream.
“It’s real,” he whispers, the words ringing loudly in my ears.
I blink, still in shock. “She’s real? Really here?” I whisper.
He chuckles softly. “Yeah, brother, she’s really here. We got your Omega back. Our Omega.”
Shit. That's right. She’s not just mine anymore.
I have no doubt that this was all meant to be. What are the odds that she would also be scent matched to the members of my mismatched pack? She’s not scent-matched to Leroy because he’s a Beta, but I saw the way he looked at her. Her scent was as enticing to him, almost as much as it is to us Alphas.
“Let’s leave her to sleep. I have to talk to my sister and see what the fuck is going on,” Caleb whispers, carefully getting up.
Looking around, I see we’re in a cramped space. The closet. Fuck.
The look on her face when she admitted she can’t sleep in open spaces broke me.
I know Omegas love their nests, it’s their safe place. It’s normally only meant to be big enough to fit a bed and an Omega’s pack during her heat. A confined space that's comfortable and safe.
Nests aren’t meant to be the main sleeping space for an Omega. They usually sleep in a pack bed, in a pack room with their mates outside of heats.
Something tells me that’s not going to be the case with Savannah.
I believe her when she says she can’t sleep in the open, and if I take the time to really think of why that is, I know it’s going to make me want to rip the world apart more than I already do.
“You go,” I tell him, not wanting her out of my sight.
“She’s going to be fine,” he tries to reassure, face softening. “We won’t be long. Come on.”
I want to argue, but we really do need answers on what the fuck is going on, how my Omega is here, and why she’s been here for months but no one told us.
Oh, and the fact that she’s a serial killer who doesn’t remember her past. Doesn’t remember me.
That part hurts the most. As fucked up as it is, I’ll look past everything because it doesn’t matter to me who she is or what she does as long as I have her with me, in my arms.
But knowing she doesn’t even remember me, doesn’t know who I am, what we were to one another before she was taken... it has my mind a mess.
I’ve dreamed about the day she found out I was her Alpha, how I’d tell her why I kept it a secret, and that I never meant to lie to her.
Her life was complicated, and I didn’t want to make it worse by adding this to her plate. I thought I was protecting her.
Now she knows, and the look in her eyes says she wants me, at least physically.
I should be happy about that, but I feel a little guilty. Because what if she remembers me and this isn’t something she wants?
I’d be taking that choice away from her, right?
“You're thinking too much. I can smell your brain overworking from here. Get up. Come on,” Caleb says, opening the door.
Sunlight streams in, making Savannah mumble, turning over, and burying herself into the spot that Caleb just left.
Knowing she’s fast asleep, I get up and follow after him, and we quickly get dressed.
Every step away from her makes my chest tighten, the need to run back threatening to consume me.
“Hey.” Caleb places his hand on my shoulder. I jump, head whipping around to look at him. He gives me a sympathetic smile. “She’s going to be there when we get back, I promise.”
Swallowing hard, I nod. I want to argue with him, but I don’t, and follow after him.
I’ve never been here before, but based on the way Caleb walks through the building, I’d say he has.
We find ourselves in the kitchen, but we’re not alone.
“Morning, little sister,” Caleb greets, interrupting the two women in the room. An Omega sits on the counter, Caleb’s sister, Daphne, stands between her legs as they kiss.
Daphne groans, sighing heavily as she breaks the kiss and turns murderous eyes Caleb’s way. The Omega blushes, biting her lip to hide a smile.
“What the fuck do you want? I‘m busy.”
“I could tell,” Caleb snarks back, hopping up on the counter next to Lucy. “Hey, Lucy-Lu. How’s my second favorite Omega?” he asks, leaning his head against her shoulder.
“I thought I was your favorite.” Lucy laughs. “Who’s taken my place?”
“Get the fuck off my Omega,” Daphne grumbles. Caleb just grins, pissing his sister off some more by keeping his head on her shoulder.
“Not until you tell me about mine.”
“Wait?” Lucy says, looking over at Caleb. “What do you mean?”
“Ohhhh.” Caleb laughs. “Keeping secrets from your Omega now, are we, little sister?” he chuckles.
“Listen, you might be my brother, but I’ll still fucking kill you,” Daphne growls, taking a step forward.
“I’m so scared,” he taunts, popping his head off Lucy’s shoulder with a massive grin on his face.
“Hold the fuck up.” Lucy jumps off the counter to step between the two. I swear, when these two are together, they act like a couple of kids.
She’s not joking, though. Caleb has pissed her off enough in the past that he earned a knife to the thigh.
And of course, my crazy best friend laughed it off, ripped the blade out of his leg, and licked the blood off the sharp edge before handing it back to her.
It’s times like those that remind me Caleb isn’t all there in the head.
“Who are we talking about?” Lucy asks. She looks at Caleb. “You have an Omega?”
Caleb swings his legs, nodding like an eager puppy. “Yup. She’s fucking perfect. Smells like heaven. My cock has never been harder.”
“Oh my god. I don’t wanna hear about your cock, Caleb,” Daphne groans.
Knowing there’s no point in interrupting right now, I lean against the door frame, hands in my pockets. I struggle to pay attention when my mind is back upstairs with Savannah. My Savvy girl is home. She’s here. How is this even real right now?
“Seeing how your bestie is my Omega, I bet she’s gonna tell you all about it when I finally have her.” Caleb chuckles.
Lucy’s eyes widen. “Savannah is your Omega?”
“Caleb,” Daphne growls. “If I find out you pressured her into doing something she doesn’t want to, I really will fucking kill you.”
Caleb’s face drops. “I’d never fucking force myself on her.”
“I’m so confused,” Lucy sighs, placing her face in her hands.
“What these two keep dancing around is the fact that Savannah is Caleb’s Omega. Not just his, but Walker’s and mine too.”
“Well, holy shit.” Lucy blows out a breath. “Congratulations! Oh my god, Savannah is having a field day with this, isn’t she?” She laughs.
“Focus, please,” I say. “Can we get to why no one told us that Savannah has been here for six months?”
Lucy drops her eyes, and Daphne sighs. “Because if Caleb knew, he would have stormed in there and ruined everything, getting himself killed in the process.” Caleb goes to open his mouth, but Daphne holds her hand up. “No. You know I’m right. Look, I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you once she got settled in, but the more I got to know Savvy, the more I wasn’t sure if you finding out that she was with me was a good idea.”
“Why the fuck not?” Caleb asks. “Were you just planning on keeping her as your little killing sidekick?”
“No.” Daphne shakes her head.
“Then what was your plan?”
“To help her get her revenge. Savvy... she isn’t the girl you remember,” Daphne says, looking my way. “Sure, she’s kind and sweet, but...” She swallows hard. “Let me be blunt, Savvy isn’t all there. As you know, she doesn’t remember her past, and that's because of the trauma she endured from years of—” She cuts herself off, and my stomach flips.
“Years of what, Daphne?” Caleb growls, demanding to know what she was going to say.
Daphne scrubs her face, sighing heavily. “What I’m going to tell you isn’t going to be easy, but I think if you're going to have any sort of relationship with her, you need to know what you're getting yourself into.”
“And that is?” I ask, not liking where she’s going with this conversation.
She looks at me, face softening. I hate all the pitying looks I’ve been getting lately. “Savannah was kidnapped and held captive for years.”
“We know that,” Caleb growls.
“By Corbin.”
“Something we also assumed,” I add. It doesn't come as a surprise; we just never were able to get the proof we needed. After Savannah’s dad messed with his business, he’s been careful to keep his name and ties away from anything shady, having everyone else do his dirty work for him.
“Don’t play dumb,” Daphne growls. “You know the kinds of things that monster did to her.”
We all go quiet. My stomach sours, and bile rises in my throat. It’s something I was in denial about. Something I could never bring myself to think about without puking. Because the idea of someone hurting my Omega like that without me being able to protect her killed me every second of every day.
“Are you able to get past that? Are you able to look at her and not have pity in your eyes? Because I’ll tell you right now, she doesn’t want it. She will stab you if she thinks you believe she’s weak. She’s not. She’s one of the strongest people I’ve ever met. Savvy’s mind doesn’t work like ours. She blurts things out, with no filter at all. She’s blunt and has no shame. She tells you like it is and doesn’t think twice. She’s funny, sweet, kind, and playful. But she will also slit someone's throat in the blink of an eye. We have no idea if she will ever get her memory back, if she will ever be the same person she was before. But in my professional opinion, I don't think she will. Years of therapy won’t fix her.”
“She doesn’t need to be fixed,” Caleb growls. “I want her just the way she is. Crazy and all.”
Daphne snorts out a laugh. “Sure, that's how you feel, but what about the rest of your pack?”
She turns her attention to me. “Can you accept her for who she is? That she kills people? That her life’s goal right now is to end every single person who played a part in hurting her? You have a baby. A sweet little girl. I saw how Leroy and Walker were. I could tell they wanted to accept her, but they were thinking of Athena. And of course they were, that's what parents do. But are they going to deem her a danger?”
“Is she?” I ask. “If she’s as unhinged as you say she is, do you think she has it in her to harm a child?”
Daphne’s face goes dark. “She would rather gut herself than ever harm a child.”
Relief washes over me. “Then I don’t see it being an issue. I want her. Just the way she is, however that might be. Even if she never remembers me, I’ll fall in love with who she is now. Because that Omega upstairs is mine. I haven’t given up on her all these years, I sure as fuck am not going to start right now. I’ll talk to the others, get them on board.”
My chest is heaving by the time I’m done. Every word I just said was the truth. I might not know who this Savvy is, but I know in my heart that as I get to know her, I’ll love her just as much as I always have.
“You're really okay with being mated to a killer?” Daphne asks, raising a brow. Caleb goes to open his mouth, but she holds up a hand. “Yes, we know you are, and you have a hard-on about it. She’s literally your perfect mate. I’m not talking about you.”
“It’s going to take some getting used to; I won’t say it’s going to be easy, but I’m not going anywhere. Sure, she’s my scent match, but she’s also my fucking soulmate.”
Daphne is quiet for a long moment before nodding.
“If you're going to be with Savvy, know this: Don’t judge her. Don’t make her feel stupid for the things she says or does. Don’t try to control her. You take things at her pace. If she wants to go from zero to a hundred and you’re on board, awesome; if she wants to go slow, you go at a fucking snail’s pace or I’ll chop your dicks off.”
I nod. I’m not going to argue with her. I’d never pressure Savannah into anything.
“She’s not the best with social cues and is still getting to know the world around her. Think of it as she’s experiencing everything for the first time. While something might be obvious to you, it might not be to her. She doesn’t remember things like going to the movies, driving a car, or walking on the beach. Her knowledge is limited to the things she’s seen in movies and things she’s been doing since getting here, while needing to stay out of the public eye until she can confidently do her job. She’s changed her looks as you can tell, so I’m not afraid of her being recognized if she’s to go out in public. But I know she will turn some heads wherever she goes, it’s just who she is.”
Savannah’s hair might have changed, and yes, to someone else, you wouldn’t be able to see the resemblance between the old Savvy and the new Savvy. But me? Just one look into those baby blues, and I knew it was her. That and her blinding scent.
“You're still in shock.” Daphne doesn’t ask, she tells me. And she’s right. My mind still hasn’t processed this, and I know I’ll break down when I do. That doesn’t change the fact that I meant everything I just said.
“We’ll be fine,” Caleb says.
“You say that now,” Daphne growls. “But Savvy isn’t some sweet little Omega. She’s wild, free, not all there in the head. You say you can handle her now, but what if she becomes too much for you? What if you feel like you’ve taken on too much? If you reject her, you will kill her. And she will snap. She won’t be able to handle it. Not after everything she’s been through. You don’t understand. The dream of a pack is literally the only thing that helped her keep going in that cage. The idea of Alphas specifically for her, to shower her with love, to make her feel wanted, needed, cherished. If you can’t give that to her, walk away now.”
My heart clenches. I’ve never seen Daphne so worked up before. To the world, they see this stone-cold persona. This bad ass mafia Queen. But there are tears in her eyes, and I can tell she cares deeply for my Omega.
I step closer, placing my hand on her shoulder. “We won’t hurt her. We will do everything in our power to be the best Alphas for her. We won’t give up if it gets too hard. I know it might seem out there for us to agree to something so bizarre, to not think twice, but you know better than anyone the power of a scent match that you would do anything and everything for your Omega. So if we have to look past a little murder, I think we can do that.” I smile.
She laughs. “I should have known better than to second-guess your pack. You might come off as average people with your normal as fuck lives, but you’re all a bunch of freaks.”
“Hey,” Caleb scoffs. “They’re normal. I’m the freak.”
I roll my eyes, smiling. “If we can look past what Caleb does for a living, we can look past this, too.”
“Not me,” Caleb counters. “I want in on it.”
“What?” I furrow my brows.
“Fuck yeah. I’m gonna do anything and everything my Little Omega needs. She wants a killing partner, I’m there. She needs me to keep watch, I’ll ca-caw like a mother-fucking bird the second I see someone.”
“Yay,” Daphne says sarcastically. “More time with you.”
“Ahhh, I knew you missed me, little sister.” Caleb wraps his arm around her shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.”
As the two of them argue like your typical siblings, I stand back and think.
Maybe I’m crazy for agreeing to something I know nothing about. But I don’t care.
Savannah is mine. Nothing will ever change that.
She might be broken, she might never be able to put her pieces in their rightful spots again, but that's okay. Our pack will fill those missing spaces.
Savannah will never know pain again as long as she lives. Until my dying breath, I’ll make sure that it stays that way.
Our lives just got turned upside down, but we will find a way to adapt. We always do.
All I know is I’m never losing my Omega again. Over my cold, dead body will I let someone take her away from me.
Even if that means leaving my pack to be with her.
I just hope Walker and Leroy come around. They don’t have as much of a personal attachment to Savannah as Caleb and I do.
He’s been by my side for years, working her case and trying to get her back to me.
If I know my pack mates well enough, I know that after they process all of this, they’re going to love Savannah just as much as I do.
I hope.