Chapter 15
Walker
“S o, are we all like a pack now?” Caleb asks, leaning in and not so subtly whispering.
I stand on our back porch, watching my Omega as she looks around our backyard in total awe.
Something about seeing the pure joy on her face as she admires the landscape of our property does things to my damn heart.
To think she’s been held against her will, forced to do unspeakable things to the point that the trauma caused her to suppress her past, makes me physically ill. I’ve never been one to condone taking a life, but I’ve been considering getting in my car and finding that motherfucker who thought he could put his hands on my Omega.
Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath, fisting my hands at my side as I try to calm down.
This whole thing is fucking bizarre. I’m mated to a goddamn serial killer, for fuck’s sake. At first, I was worried. But if I’m being honest, it had nothing to do with the fact that she kills people for a living, and everything to do with my daughter.
Knowing that she’s not in any danger around Savannah has all my worries evaporating.
Do I like what she does? Not at all. Am I going to fight her over it? No. Because the people’s lives she takes deserve what she dishes out.
She said her life’s mission is to end every person who played any part in the hell she was put through. And I have no plans on getting in the way of that. If I could, I’d offer to help, but I know I’d never be able to take another person's life.
Caleb, on the other hand, I know has a hard-on any time he thinks about the things this little Omega does.
I watch as Savannah leans forward, presses her nose against a rose, and inhales. Her smile goes wide, and with her eyes still closed, she tips her head back. The sun shines down, illuminating her in this ethereal glow. She looks like an angel.
An angel of death would be more accurate, but an angel nonetheless.
While she might be small and feminine-looking, there’s nothing delicate about this woman. Something I admire about her.
“I have no plans to walk away from her,” I grunt. “So, yeah, we’re a pack.”
“Okay, good.” He lets out a breath. “I love you guys like my brothers, but I’d be packed up and moved out in an hour if you decided you didn’t want her as our Omega. I’d take you to court for one week on, one week off with Little Bug. Or I’d use my scary little Omega to force your hands. Glad it didn’t have to come to that.” He claps me on the back and I huff out a laugh, shaking my head, knowing there's a fifty-fifty chance he’s being serious. “It’s going to be a little bit of an adjustment, but I’m choosing to see this as an adventure. Something to spice up our dull lives.”
“Our lives aren’t dull.” I glare at him. “I run into burning buildings for a living, you risk your life every day taking down bad guys, and Leroy used to guard Omegas with his life.”
“All while Jake wrangles little crotch goblins five days out of the week,” he adds with a smirk.
I can’t help but smile. “Yes, but he is also a positive influence on them, too. You and I both know having a teacher you can trust can help a lot more than most think.”
He nods his head. “You're right.” His eyes flick over to mine. “How are you doing with all of this? Jake and I have reasons to be on board with this so quickly. But I know you and your past.”
“I’m excited. Feeling some unease. Nervousness. A whole lot of things wrapped into one. I think knowing she’s my scent match and having every cell in my body screaming she’s mine, that I need to protect and care for her, helps a lot.” I run a hand over my hair as I continue to watch Savannah. “She’s not like the others, you know? She doesn’t want or need anything from me outside of what our bond demands. Not my money or the power my family name holds. She doesn’t even know about any of that. She wants me, because I’m hers.”
“She’s not like any Omega out there.” He grins, turning his attention to her. “She’s fun, exciting, and I can’t wait to get to know her, to explore something I didn’t know I was missing. She’s everything I could have ever wanted in an Omega.”
“She scares me a little bit.” I chuckle. “She’s unpredictable.”
“Yeah, but harmless.” He waves me off.
I raise a brow at him. “How is it that you keep forgetting about the dead body she was trying to cover up?”
“Okay,” he chuckles, amending his previous statement. “She’s harmless to anyone who isn’t a disgusting human being.”
“And any woman within a hundred feet of us,” I add in.
“Her jealousy is hot as fuck and you know it.” He nudges my shoulder with his.
“Yeah,” I sigh. “You're not wrong.”
I shouldn’t find her threat to slit a woman’s throat for so much as looking at us so attractive, but I did and it made my cock hard.
“We need to court her, you know,” Caleb says. “Just because she’s our scent match, doesn’t mean we get to bypass all of that.”
“I agree.” Jake comes to stand next to us, his eyes fixed on our Omega. “With everything she’s been through, I think she could use a little fun. To be spoiled.”
I nod. “We could do that.” My hand rises to his shoulder. “How are you holding up?”
He lets out a breath as his eyes flick over to mine. “My head’s a mess. I can’t be away from her for too long without thinking this is all a dream. We spent so long looking for her, it’s hard to believe that she’s right there.” He nods his head. “Am I sad she doesn’t remember me? Yeah. But what matters the most is that she’s here, safe and alive.”
“Daphne said not to go easy on her, not to treat her as if she’s damaged goods or could break in our hands. She doesn’t want pity for the life she was living. We need to be understanding and go at her pace. If you think things are moving too fast, let her be the judge of that.”
“She’s touch-starved,” Leroy interjects, joining us, Athena strapped to his chest in one of those baby carriers. “I could tell by the way she trembled at my touch. Being alone for years, I don’t blame her. My suggestion would be to offer her physical touch. If she doesn’t want it, I’m sure she will tell you.”
“Good. I’d glue myself to her side if I could,” Caleb comments. “It’s been hard enough to keep my hands to myself for this long.” He takes off, jumping off the back porch and jogging over to Savannah.
We watch as Caleb stops next to her. She looks over at him with a smile on her face, points to a flower, and says something to him. He slides his arms around her, turning her to look up at the massive willow tree.
Looking up, her body leans back into his touch as he speaks, telling her about the tree house we’ve already built for Athena.
“She doesn’t look so scary like this,” I murmur. I have the urge to do everything in my power to see her smile.
“She’s just a girl who went through hell and back, and did what she needed to do to survive,” Leroy says. “And as her pack, it’s our job to give her the best life. She deserves it.”
“First things first, we need to get rid of Ashley,” Jake says. “I say we pack up her things and take them to a storage unit. Then get her a hotel for a few weeks while she gets back on her feet and finds a place.”
“I feel bad,” Leroy sighs. “Not that she’s leaving. Just that after everything she’s done for us, we spring this on her so last minute. We’re uprooting her life out of nowhere.”
“I say we take her back to the agency. It’s their job to take care of things like this,” I grumble. Ashley has been good to us, but lately the way she’s been acting has been making me uncomfortable. I haven’t said anything to the guys, but she’s been acting too friendly.
And what really has me more than okay with letting her go is the fact that I caught her referring to herself as Mama to Athena last night when she was giving her a bottle.
None of us see her as anything more than a friend. But now? It’s time we cut ties.
I have appreciation for her after everything she’s done for us, but that's where it ends.
We shouldn’t have kept her on after the baby was born. She wasn’t even a nanny, not really. She begged us to stay on, that she needed this job because she lost hers due to taking time off towards the end of her pregnancy, and she still had a mountain of student loans to pay back, not including the money she needed for the classes she was currently taking.
We felt obligated, even a little bit bad, for her.
But all of that changes now. Savannah is our Omega. She and our daughter come first. The women in our families are one thing; I would never disrespect my Omega by having another woman outside of that in our lives.
We head inside, leaving Caleb to keep Savannah occupied while we pack up Ashley’s things.
I have a feeling that if Savannah were helping, she would just end up burning everything, which kind of makes me laugh when I think about it.
An hour later, all of Ashley’s belongings are in boxes and brought out to Leroy’s truck.
“What's going on?” Savannah asks. Looking over my shoulder, I find her stepping out the front door with Caleb in tow.
“We packed up Ashley’s things for her, thinking it would be better not to have her come back to the house,” I answer.
Savannah’s spine straightens, her arms cross, and she gives a nod of approval.
There’s this pull towards her that has my feet moving. Before I know it, I’m in front of her, towering over her tiny frame. She tilts her head back, her baby blues blinking up at me. She’s stunning, so damn beautiful.
Raising my hand, I gently cup the side of her head. She lets out a contented sigh, and her eyes flutter closed as she nuzzles into my palm. It takes everything in me not to start purring. I like the feeling of her warm skin against mine. Fuck. She smells so damn good it has my cock twitching in my pants.
“I’m gonna be gone for a little bit. I have to bring this stuff to the agency that we used to hire Ashley. But I’ll be back. Will you be okay with the guys?”
She licks her lips, her eyes filling with some apprehension, but she doesn’t argue with me. “I’ll be fine,” she tells me, puffing out her chest as if to remind me she’s a killer and is perfectly capable of being on her own if needed. But that's the thing, she doesn’t need to be on her own anymore. She has us.
My lips twitch, a smile threatening to break free. “Good girl,” I tell her, my voice a soft rumble as my thumb brushes against her cheek.
Her pupils dilate as she sucks in a shuddering breath. I bite the inside of my cheek to hold back a growl as her candy apple perfume fills the space around us.
My mouth waters, demanding I find out if she tastes as good as she smells.
She liked the praise, being called a good girl. I’m going to have to remember that.
“Is there anything you’d like me to pick up for you while I’m out?” I clear my throat, voice thick with need.
Her eyes blink the cloudiness away. “Like what?”
“Something to drink, are you hungry? I can get us some takeout.”
A smile forms on her pretty face. “Really?”
“Of course.” I laugh, my hand still in its place, rubbing against her cheek. I can’t get enough of her.
Her lower teeth sink into her bottom lip and all the blood rushes to my cock.
What is wrong with me? I’ve never been this bad. I’ve always had a healthy sex life, something I never plan on telling Savannah.
Knowing her, she would track them all down and kill them for daring to touch me. And now that thought has my cock throbbing. I’m fucked up. This is all so fucked up.
Yet, I find myself excited to start this new part of our lives.
Last night, I was freaking out because how were we supposed to handle a new Omega and a new baby?
But it’s life, and we’re a pack. We can handle this together.
“There’s this place down the street from Salvation. I don’t know what the name of it is. But they sell these amazing potstickers,” she moans. “They’re so good. Like I could eat twenty of them. Oh! And just down the block from there, there's a coffee place that sells sugar cookie iced Frappuccinos, but I never get the chance to try them because they’re always closed when I leave the house.” She pouts.
I saw this woman with a dead body, so how can her pouting be so damn adorable?
“You want it, I’ll get it.”
Her brow raises. “Really? Like anything I want?”
My lips curl in amusement. “What do you have in mind, Little Omega?”
Her eyes fill with mischief. “That's a dangerous thing to ask me, Alpha.”
Fuuuck. I’m nearly cumming in my pants at her calling me Alpha. She can see the fire burning in my eyes, which has her grinning wider. I suck in a breath as she reaches down and cups my erection. “What if I said I wanted you to fuck me right here, right now.”
Breaths coming in heavy, I grab her wrist gently, pulling it away before I fucking blow my load in my pants. Bringing it up to my mouth, I kiss her wrist. I can feel her pulse beating against my lips. This, this is where I’ll sink my teeth into her, marking her as mine when the time comes.
She moans as my mouth presses against the skin of her wrist before I let my tongue poke out, having just a taste of her tempting skin. “I’d say you're not ready for me, Little Killer,” the words rumble out of my chest in a low growl. “But don’t worry. You will be soon.”
Leaning in, I kiss her forehead, leaving her panting.
I’m smirking as I walk to the truck, thinking I’ve stunned the little killer.
“Don’t be surprised if you're strapped to a chair, waking up to me riding your dick!” she calls back. “I love a challenge, big boy!”
Chuckling, I shake my head. Oh, this Omega is going to be a handful. I can’t fucking wait.
A s I drive towards the agency, I call Daphne.
“Walker, how's everything going?”
“Good. I think,” I grunt as I glare at the traffic in front of me.
“You think?” she laughs. “Has she made any of you cry yet?”
My eyes flick down to the screen where I have her on speaker. “Us cry? Why would she make us cry?”
“You’ll know when you know.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” I sigh. “But no, no one has done any crying yet. Not even Athena.”
“How did she react to the baby?” Why does Daphne sound cautious right now? Was she worried about Savannah being around babies? If so, she should have given us a heads-up. She said she would never hurt a child. I believed her. So why does Daphne not sound so sure?
“We had a situation. Not with the baby. Savannah seems to really like Athena. But there was some difficulty with Ashley.”
“Fuck’s sake, Walker,” she hisses. “That woman is still in your fucking house? Did you not think to get rid of her before bringing your new Omega over?”
“It’s being handled,” I mutter. “I’m on the way to the agency. I called Ashley to meet me there so I can give her her things.”
“So she’s still alive?”
“Who? Ashley? Yes.” I frown.
Daphne laughs. “Well, I guess miracles do happen. How did you convince Savvy not to slit her throat?”
“Caleb asked her nicely?”
“You got that girl dick drunk already?” she laughs. “Good, maybe it will mellow her out, make her a little less stabby.”
“You think so?”
“Fuck no.” She bursts into laughter. “Sorry, but you’ve got not only a blood thirsty girl on your hand but a sex crazed one too.”
“Lovely,” I sigh.
“Walker, you better not make her feel bad about her sexual appetite. After the things I’ve seen, I’m surprised she even has one.”
My body stiffens. “Seen? What do you mean, seen?”
“Nothing. Forget I’ve said anything.”
“Daphne,” I growl. She knows something about my Omega and I wanna know what that is.
“Look, you don’t wanna know. Trust me, you don’t. All I can say is I have the best hackers in the world working for me. They uncovered so many things on Savannah while she was down there. It’s not good. It’s fucking disgusting and horrifying and is the biggest reason I’ve trained her to do what she does. When and if Savvy feels like telling you about her past, she can. Don’t ask to see the videos, you will never be the same again.”
My stomach rolls, my mind racing with all the possibilities of what she could be talking about. Are they videos of her being tortured? Raped? Fuck, I’m going to be sick.
“You're right. I don’t wanna see them,” I growl, my hands gripping the steering wheel so tight, I feel like it’s about to snap.
“If everything is okay, is there a particular reason why you're calling me?” Daphne asks.
There actually was. “Savannah asked for a few things while I’m out. She said she didn’t know the name of the restaurants, but they were a few blocks from your place. Only thing is, when I try to search it up, there’s a ton of places nearby selling the same things she’s asking for.”
“For the coffee, go to The Bean Pot. For the pot stickers, go to LA NightLife.”
“How did you know what she wanted?”
“I know everything,” she laughs. “Tell Savvy to call me later. And let her know Thor misses her. Also, good luck.”
With that, she hangs up on me.
“Who the fuck is Thor?” I snarl, glaring at the phone.
I’m about to call her back and demand answers when I realize I’m at the center.
Pulling into the parking lot, I find Ashley sitting on the bench outside. She looks upset, and I feel bad.
Parking the truck next to the building, I get out. A few men from the agency come around to the back of the truck and start unloading her boxes.
“Why?” Ashley asks, sniffing as she gets off the bench and walks over to me. “After everything I’ve done for you, you're just going to toss me to the side like I’m nothing?”
“It’s not like that, Ashley. You're a really sweet girl. And we truly appreciate everything you’ve done for us. You gave us the greatest gift of our lives. But this was only ever a job to us.”
“How could you say that?!” she cries out. “I spent months living with you. Getting to know you all. We hung out. We spent time together. I thought... I thought I meant more to you.”
I don’t see it the way she does. Sometimes she would sit at the table and eat with us after she was done cooking. We were friendly enough, but nothing too engaging. If anything, she was the one prying into our lives, asking us questions we didn’t want to answer. It was all too personal for our liking, but we thought she was just being friendly.
I’m not sure what she means about hanging out, other than the times she insisted on helping when Athena wouldn’t stop crying. But we’ve never gone out, never sat down and watched a movie together.
Our lives were too busy to do anything but work, come home, eat, sleep, and spend time with our daughter.
I’m not sure exactly what Leroy has been doing while he’s been home the past few months, but Ashley is in her early twenties, and I know he wouldn’t have tried anything with her.
“We will always be thankful for everything you’ve done. I’m sorry things are ending like this, but you know how this world works. Savannah is our Omega. We will not disrespect her by having another woman in the house.”
Her face grows angry. “She’s crazy! She tried to kill me. If you kick me out for her, I’m going to go to the cops and press charges. You can’t be with your Omega when she’s behind bars.”
Something inside me snaps, the need to protect my Omega consuming me.
Growling, I take a step forward, causing her to stumble back against the wall. She looks up at me with fear-filled eyes. “Don’t fucking threaten my Omega,” I snarl. “You have no fucking clue who I am. If you push me, I’ll make you disappear. I’ll make sure you regret being alive. Do you understand me?”
“Y-yes,” she stammers, tears spilling down her cheeks.
I can’t believe I felt sorry for this woman. We did everything right to keep this professional. It was her who took it too far, making shit up in her head that wasn’t true.
“I swear to god, Ashley, if you fuck with me or my pack, I will make your life a living hell,” I warn with a growl before stepping away from her.
Getting in the truck, I slam the door shut and peel out of the parking lot.
She better not start shit, because it’s not going to be me or the guys she has to worry about. My Little Killer can handle her all on her own.
Only, I don’t want her to have to. Not when she has us at her side now.
By the time I make it across the city, I find myself eager to get back to her.
As I’m driving to pick up the food, a store catches my eye. “Fuck,” I mutter, then yank the steering wheel to the left into the store’s parking lot.
Our house is not ready for an Omega, especially since we never planned on having one. We have some extra rooms, so her not having a place of her own won’t be an issue, but there are things Omegas need.
Grabbing my phone from my pocket, I make a phone call.
“Walker, my boy, it’s been too long,” my mother’s sweet voice sounds from the other side.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Is that Walker?” I hear my little sister Laura ask. “Put him on speakerphone.”
“You're on speaker,” Mom tells me, and I sigh.
“Why? The nosy little brat doesn’t need to listen.”
“Yes, I do.” Laura laughs. “And so does Ari.”
“What are you both doing at home? Shouldn’t you be at school?” My twin sisters, Laura and Ari, are twenty-three and attend a university not too far from where we live.
“Came home for the weekend, duh. Our dorms don’t have a swimming pool.”
“Right.” I roll my eyes. “How could I ever forget?”
“How’s my grandbaby?” Mom asks.
“She’s fine. Better than ever. Growing every day. But that’s not why I’m calling.”
“Okay, so why are you calling?” Ari asks.
“Not to talk to you,” I grumble.
“Walker, honey,” Mom says softly. “Are you okay?”
Stepping into the store, I grab a cart.
I close my eyes and sigh, knowing they are going to lose their shit here in a second. “I wanted to ask, what kind of things do Omegas like, want, and need?”
“Oh my god!” Laura lets out a high pitched squeal that has me moving my phone away from my ear to save my damn eardrum from bursting. “You have an Omega, don’t you?”
“It’s about damn time,” Ari says. “Are you sure you wanna spend all this money on her, though? What if it doesn’t last? Knowing you, it won’t.”
“Little brat,” I mutter. “It’s going to last,” I growl.
“Honey, are you saying what I think you're saying?” Mom asks, excitement in her voice.
“Yes, Mom. We found our scent match.” Another round of squeals has me groaning.
An hour later—way longer than I wanted to be—I’m leaving the store with two full carts.
As annoying as they are, my sisters were very helpful. Being Omegas themselves, they told me everything she might need. Not wanting to get it wrong, I just bought everything. Anything she doesn’t like, I can always return.
A few grand later, I’m back in the truck to pick up something Savannah actually asked for.
Every second I spend in traffic, I find myself ready to plow through the cars with the need to get back to her.
Last night, the separation was overwhelming. That same feeling is back.
Is this my life now? Unable to go a few hours without seeing her?
How the hell am I supposed to leave her to go back to work tomorrow?
And how the hell am I already Omega-whipped when I haven't even spent more than an hour with the woman?
But as I pull into the driveway of my house, I see her rushing out the front door with a smile that could light up the world, and I know I’m more than okay being fully gone over this woman. Even the fear of being hurt again dissipates deep down in the back of my mind.