Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
STONE
I sit in front of the house, contemplating what I’m about to do. It’s still so surreal that I’m moving in with Sasha and Levi, one of which shares a Kismet bond with my omega. Flynn Ryan; even his name has my cock hardening, begging to knot him.
When I know I can’t put this off any longer, I get out and get a box from the trunk. I know Levi isn’t here right now, since he messaged about a meeting he had to attend at his club, so it’s going to be just me and her .
Fuck, as if worrying about my dick getting hard thinking about my omega isn’t enough, I have to be around the fiery beta who makes it just as hard.
This is going to go swimmingly!
I make my way onto the porch and shuffle the box around in my arms so I can knock on the door. Most of the stuff I have in my apartment will go into storage, as I won’t have a need for it here. It’s still perfectly good furniture and I’m sure someone can put it to good use.
Before I can do anything, a male voice catches my attention just before I hear her laugh. Odd, Levi’s not here, so who is it? A surge of anger boils beneath my skin, but I need to keep my wits about me and assess the situation. Standing there, I take a moment to eavesdrop on Sasha, enjoying her happiness, a sharp contrast to what I’ve been exposed to. I press my ear to the door, trying to make out who she’s with when it finally hits me; it’s Matt Rife. She’s watching his stand-up comedy show. I stuff that away as shit to remember: she likes comedy.
I’m about to knock when I hear the faint thud of feet getting louder as they approach the door. I step back, not wanting to be caught spying, just as the door swings open and Sasha stands before me, dressed in sweats and a tank top, hair piled on her head in a messy bun, no makeup, and looking stunning.
She’s my perfect wet dream.
“Hey.” One word is all she says to me as she steps back, allowing me to enter her home. No, our home now. Fuck, that sounds so weird.
“I’m here to move in.” Shit, if this isn’t awkward as fuck.
“Yeah, the box in your arms, and the fact I knew it was happening, are a dead giveaway. How did the police force ever function, losing a sharp mind like yours?” She rolls her eyes and my hand itches to have her over my knee, spanking her bare ass as she begs me to stop. I send a prayer to whatever is above that since she's a beta, she won't be able to smell the change in my scent betraying my thoughts.
I go to say something, but bite my tongue, remembering that it’s me invading her space, turning her life upside down.
“I’m sure they’re doing fine.” Her eyes drop to the box in my hand and I swear I start to see a smile form on her face, but she catches it before it does.
“Let me show you where you’ll be sleeping and then I’ll get my shoes and help you move in, unless this box is all you have?” She leans forward, peering out the front door, before shifting her attention back to me. It dawns on me she’s checking to see if I had boxes on the porch.
“They're still in the car. I just have my clothes and things I need. All my furniture and everything else will be put in storage until I decide what to do with it. I’m actually meeting the moving crew in the morning to take care of that.”
“Gotcha. Well, you know where the kitchen is, and this is obviously the dining room.” She turns and heads down the hallway as I fall in step behind her. “This is a bathroom, the office—” she gestures toward them as she passes—“and this will be your room.” Opening the door, she steps inside and I’m taken aback by the size. It’s bigger than the bedroom I had in my apartment. The bed is huge, it has to be king size, and there’s an old dresser along the wall.
She moves over to the corner of the room. Wait! Is that a playpen?
I quickly sit the box down on the plush carpet and look around the room. I don’t see a baby. I don’t hear one. But that is most definitely a playpen that she’s folding down.
“You got a kid I haven’t seen yet?” I raise my eye at her confusion. She’s just bonded with Levi and neither mentioned having a child. While betas have children out of a bond, it’s still pretty rare and extremely frowned upon. Did she have another lover at one time? Did he get killed? Is this why she has such rage running through her?
Her face lights up with amusement at my question. Her eyes squint, a twinkling glint in them as her mouth stretches wide, baring her pearly white teeth. Her head falls backward and her body begins to shake as she erupts in laughter.
I’m left puzzled by her reaction, waiting for her to explain. I’m not blind; that is a playpen, yet I see no child. She finally calms and gazes at me.
“No, I don't have a kid. It's for my nephew. My best friend, Nadia, has a son and his name is Wulfe. As his favorite auntie and godmother, I watch him sometimes. He's my little badass baby friend.”
I smirk at her words. No kid, yet I have a strong desire to see her as a mother. With a male omega as my Kismet, it will be hard to have a child of my own. Something I crave. A little boy or girl, running around the house, calling me Daddy. In my vision, the little girl is a replica of Brenda, a way for her to live on. “You're something else, you know that? Badass killer, but a softie for a baby.”
“Yeah, I’ve been told that before.” She shakes her head, pulling us out of this little moment we’re having. “Let me put this in my room and I’ll help you bring in the rest of your boxes.” She finishes folding up the playpen, placing it in a carrying case, and leaves the room. Letting out a sigh, I take one final look at my new home and head outside.
Opening the passenger door, I pick up the box I left sitting on the seat. It contains all that I have left of Brenda, her pictures. Laying on the top is the last one taken of me and her together. We were at a cookout and my hand is slung around her shoulder as she leans in to me. It was the day she admitted to me that she had met someone. It was still early stages, but she had a strong connection to him. The next week she disappeared, without so much as a trace.
I head back inside, almost running into Sasha.
“Sorry,” I blurt.
“Is your car unlocked?” she asks, her hand resting on the door frame. I gaze past her, getting the first look at her room. Soft lighting filters through the large windows, draped in fabric that has a floral pattern. Against one wall, a luxurious four-poster bed beckons, layered in plush bedding and topped with a faux fur throw that looks impossibly soft.
She turns her head, following my line of sight and steps further into the hallway, shutting her door, cutting me off from the brief glimpse I had of her softer side.
“Yeah, it’s unlocked,” I tell her before scurrying down the hall, cursing myself under my breath for being such a fucking creeper. I’m ancient compared to Levi and her. To them, I’m more like a father figure than a pack mate. I wonder what Flynn will think of my age.
I set the box on my bed and pull out the picture, holding it gingerly in my hand. My fingers trail along her image, and my heart clutches in my chest, a searing pain shooting through it. I’d held on to the hope that I’d find her alive, but now I know I never will. It’s only made worse by knowing I’ll never be able to lay her body to rest, to have a place to mourn her.
“Shit, this box is heavy. What do you have in it, weights?” Sasha's voice pulls me from my mourning.
“Yeah, I do.” I clench my lips, fighting to hold back the laughter, but I can’t and it bursts free. She sets the box on the bed, letting out a huff, cursing the strands of hair that have fallen into her face.
“Seriously? Can’t you go to the gym like a normal fucking person?” She cocks her hip out, as she turns to face me.
“I’m kidding, it’s books.” She raises her eyebrow. “Brenda and I loved to read. Paranormal smut was our favorite. I just haven’t been able to open them since she left, but I couldn’t part with them either.”
“Maybe one day you can.” She steps closer to me, placing her hand on my shoulder and giving it a squeeze before leaving.
* * *
After Sasha helped me bring in all my boxes, she disappeared, leaving me alone to unpack. It took about an hour, but I finally have everything put away and all the boxes broken down, ready to go in the trash.
I take a moment to look around the room, my new home. There’s a sense of relief that comes over me, that things are heading in the right direction, but something’s still missing. No, someone. Flynn. We need to find him and make those bastards pay.
Stepping out of the room, I pull the door shut behind me and go in search of Sasha. I opt not to knock on her bedroom door and instead head downstairs toward the living room. Noise in the kitchen catches my attention and I find her at the counter, bobbing and shaking her ass.
I clear my throat, but she keeps going, paying me no attention. Stepping closer to her, I let out a cough, but still nothing. I place my hand on her shoulder and she jumps, whipping around, and punches me right in the fucking gut, knocking the air out of my lungs. With a hook like that, she could easily pass as an alpha.
“Shit!” she screeches. It’s then I see the cords hanging from her ears, connecting to the phone nestled in her pocket. She pulls them out, letting them fall freely. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t hear you.”
“It’s okay, you have some power in that punch.” I lift my hand, rubbing the spot on my belly.
“Hungry?” she says with a smile. “I was just making a sandwich.”
“Yeah, I am.” I bite my lip, my mind going back to Brenda and Flynn. This could be my chance to find out what she knows about Joey.
“What do you know about Joey?”
Her eyes go wide, a small bead of sweat popping out on her forehead, before she regains control. “Why?”
“I want to find out what he knows about my sister and my omega. I’m sure Levi has some questions for him as well.”
“You don’t need to worry about what Levi would want. Besides, Joey’s a dead end you need to drop.”
“I beg to differ. What do you know?” I ask again, stepping closer into her space.
“I told you he’s a dead end. Why are you being a broken fucking record? You know what, I'm suddenly not hungry. You can have my sandwich.”
She goes to move around me, but that’s not happening. Sasha knows something, and she’s not telling me. I don’t like secrets, especially not when it has to do with someone who can give me information on my omega and sister. I know Brenda’s dead, but I want to know why she was taken to begin with. Plus, I want him to pay for what he did. I grab hold of her shoulders, spinning her around so quickly we both get whiplash, and pin her against the refrigerator.
“I’m going to ask one more time. Tell me what you know about Joey,” I growl, getting right up in her face, coconut and lime filling my nostrils. I bear in mind Levi’s warning, holding back the urge to use my bark, even though it thrums just beneath my skin, begging to be unleashed.
She struggles against me, but she can’t break my hold. As strong as she is, Sasha is still no match for me.
“Just let it go. He’s no longer an issue,” she snarls.
“And how do you know that, Little Minx?” I inhale deeply, running my nose along the outline of her face, taking in her intoxicating scent. My body flush against hers, my rock hard cock pressing into her soft body.
She lets out a heavy breath, her tongue sliding along her lower lip. “Because, you dense moron, he’s fucking dead. Any secrets or knowledge he had died along with him.” She uses my distraction to lift her leg, kneeing me right in the balls. I drop my hold on her and she pulls away from me, moving toward the doorway. “You ever do that to me again and I’ll fucking gut you.” She storms away, her feet slapping on the wood floor as she curses under her breath.
Yeah, that didn’t go as planned. I’m sure I’m going to get an earful from Levi.