Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
Attic, Battle House, The Alpha Underworld
W hen I wake up on Monday morning, I wrinkle my nose in surprise at the sweet, chocolate rose scent that cocoons me.
Why am I surrounded by softness like I’m lying in a nest? Why am I warm and not cold?
Someone has their arm slung loosely over my waist, and it’s too small to be Feral’s.
It takes a moment for my dream addled mind to catch up with the fact that I’m now no longer caged with Feral.
Laurent…
My eyes snap open.
Laurent is still sleeping. My heart softens at the sight.
Last night, he took pride in creating the best nest that he could for me out of the blanket, his designer gray jacket, and even his glimmering rose waistcoat.
I cringed at the way that he sacrificed his only set of clothes for my sake.
I can take a guess at how much they cost.
Yet Laurent stripped them off with relish, leaving himself in only pants and white shirt, tucking the clothes around us both to create the first proper nest that I haven’t destroyed.
It felt incredible.
Perfect.
Feral watched us closely.
I cast him a worried look.
Would Feral see the way that I rolled around in the nest purring as a betrayal of his own attempts?
Would it hurt his feelings?
Instead, Feral smiled, looking satisfied.
“Good Omegas,” Feral praised. “Th-thank you, s-sweet rose.”
Laurent blushed.
He actually blushed.
Impulsively, he crawled to the bars and held out his hand to Feral, who clasped it. “Kiss me.”
Feral didn’t hesitate.
He yanked Laurent against the bars and kissed him, sweetly.
I would have never guessed that Feral could be sweet with another man.
He wasn’t rough. He controlled his strength, remembering that Laurent wasn’t a trained fighter like I was.
When Feral moved back, Laurent still looked dazed, licking over his lips like they were tingling.
“We have to look after our Omega, don’t we?” Laurent said. “She deserves the best nest. When we get out of here, I’ll build her an entire Omega Chamber.”
Feral kisses Laurent again as answer, harder this time.
Then he settled down to sleep as close as his could to the bars between the cages like he was guarding our nest.
Now, I study Laurent’s sleeping face.
Like this, the sharpness is softened, making him appear younger… his actual age .
If Laurent has been trained since he was a kid to be a submissive but alluring Omega by the Alphas around him — a master at manipulation — it’s no wonder that he grew up too fast.
Was he ever allowed to be a kid? Did he have a real childhood?
Is that why he sees all life as a game?
If we do escape from here, I’m going to show Laurent that life can be fun.
I may have been trapped in these subterranean tunnels, away from the sun. But this world is wild and untamed. On the other hand, Laurent has been restricted, monitored, and controlled every day of his life.
The first day that Laurent tried to prove his freedom, Vinnie captured him.
I’m going to hand Vinnie his ass for that, and hand Dad his for ordering it.
I reach out and gently trace over the sharp line of Laurent’s cheekbone and then down to his chin.
He’s impossibly beautiful. But that beauty has made him a target.
When Laurent’s gray eyes open, meeting mine like he can see my soul, my heart jumps.
“Red flag behavior, Harley,” Laurent whispers. “Watching me as I sleep…? Are you feeling possessive? Or are you a secret serial killer?”
“I just really fancy you,” I blurt.
Then I redden.
Shit, what is it with this male Omega that turns me into a dumbass? His scent alone intoxicates me.
I blame the soulmate thing for turning my mind to mush.
I’m a tough cage fighter. I kick Alphas’ asses.
Can Omega soulmates turn you into a hot mess?
Laurent’s eyes dance with amusement. “I prefer it to be that than you wanting to wear my skin. Especially since I really fancy you too.”
I relax, cuddling closer to Laurent. “How did you sleep?”
He tightens his arm around my waist. “Better than I have in years. I’ve never slept in a nest with another Omega. I have Omega friends like Juliet and Bec, and being in snuggle piles with them is my favorite thing. Sometimes, however, I went months without being able to nuzzle another Omega. It was tough. But being in a nest like this with you is…”
“The best thing in the world.” I lick Laurent’s neck.
He nuzzles me sleepily, licking me in turn.
I shiver, purring softly.
Lying like this together in a nest with another Omega meets a need in me that I didn’t know I had.
This is something that I’ve been missing for years.
I feel safe in a way that I never have before.
I glance over Laurent’s shoulder at Feral, who is curled just behind us on the other side of the bars.
He’s still sleeping and lightly snoring.
He’s twice the size of Laurent. His neon-red hair falls over his face.
I relax back, knowing that I have my scent matched Alpha, as well as my Omega soulmate.
My Beta soulmate is just as much a part of our pack as well.
Just for a moment, an image of silvery hair flying wildly over sun-kissed shoulders, a tattoo of a howling wolf, and villainous green eyes shoots through my mind unbidden.
I grit my teeth.
Harbinger isn’t my Alpha. He’s an enemy.
He may be the most gorgeous Alpha that I’ve ever seen, but he’s a knothead.
Why the hell am I thinking about him?
I dedicate myself to licking Laurent’s throat more thoroughly above his shirt collar, and his breathing picks up.
I could write mutual licking into my morning schedule.
Maybe it is part of all Omegas’ routine in the Above…?
I should ask Laurent.
I pull back. “Do Omegas lick each other like this where you come from?”
Laurent stops nuzzling me.
“Only when they’re on first name terms,” he replies, dryly.
I ghost my fingers over Laurent’s high collar. “This doesn’t look comfortable. Why don’t you undo at least a couple of the buttons? I could lick you better then.”
Laurent drops his gaze, touching his shirt. “Why don’t I, indeed? Mom dressed me like this, prim and proper in polite society, while behind closed doors at her special events, I was barely clothed. In magazine shoots, the designer clothing was so flimsy, I might as well have been naked. But this suit felt like a shield. I know that’s bullshit.”
He hesitates.
My throat is thick with tears. “You don’t need to…”
“I want to.” He tilts up his chin, determined. “Not only for you but for myself, as well. Defiance and standing up against those who’d break us, doesn’t always take big protests and violence. Sometimes, it’s as simple as…”
He snaps open the top two buttons of his shirt, revealing the vulnerable skin underneath.
When Laurent puffs out a breath, relaxing against me, I realize how tightly wound he had been.
“I’m proud of you.” I kiss him, lightly.
“I’m rather proud of me too.” Laurent rubs his cheek against mine. “I’ve spent my life fearing a forced bond. You think that my world of elite packs is different to your outlaw world down here. But I don’t. What I believe is that this Underworld is simply more honest about their cages. They still exist in my world for Omegas but they’re invisible. We must fight them, invisible or…”
He taps the bars.
“They exist for Alphas too.” I glance again at Feral. “I’ve only spent a couple of years caged. But Fer was raised here. Dad made him feral by isolating him and then forcing him to suffer his ruts alone.”
“Apart from you,” Laurent points out. “Fer spoke about you. He worships you, along with that adorable, Italian golden retriever of a Beta. Does River always bounce around like that? I didn’t know that smiles could be infectious. Does he stay still long enough to fuck? I’d like to try that.”
I choke on my tongue. “Ehm, I haven’t… We haven’t…”
Laurent’s eyes light up. “We can try it together.”
“Yeah, I’d enjoy that.”
Laurent wraps his arm closer around me, kissing my forehead. “Fer also told me that it was River who took beatings from your sociopath of a sister in order to teach Fer to read and write. He didn’t call Allegra a sociopath. That’s me insulting her, to be clear. I’m not sorry. But should I apologize, since the bitch is sort of my sister-in-law now?”
I wrinkle my nose. “You don’t need to apologize about Allegra. She’s chased my dad’s approval by being harsh on everyone in the pack, including Riv, Fer, and even my adopted brother, Lion.”
“Is your brother an Alpha?” Laurent’s eyes become sharper.
I nod.
“You said before that he was in charge of the books and the business. Is he an ally or an enemy?”
“I don’t know. But he’s also Riv’s Guardian.”
Laurent’s eyes flash with fury. “An enemy then.”
My guts churn. “You don’t understand. Lion is a rival for the succession. He’s desperate for the position. It’s the only way that he’ll be safe . Lion is in many ways the same as Riv and you. I don’t know the truth of how, but he was torn away from his own pack as a kid and forcibly adopted by Dad. He has to perform perfectly or he’s beaten. Dad is hard on him. Despite that, Lion has spent his life protecting me. He’s worked so hard that he doesn’t have friends. He isn’t allowed his own pack. He’s convinced himself that he’s in love with Riv. But I think that Lion is only clinging to his best friend because Riv is the only person he’s been allowed to become close to.”
Laurent looks thoughtful. “Are you going to be able to sacrifice your brother in order to win the game?”
My chest tightens. Anguish sweeps through me.
This is the question that I’ve been avoiding.
“Do I have to answer?”
Laurent strokes up my back softly, but his words are hard. “Not to me, but you must work it out inside yourself.”
In the uncomfortable silence, I seek out the reassuring line of Feral’s strong shoulders and back.
I wish that we were all lying together in this nest.
Can I convince my brother to side with me, when I make the final move? Can I find a way through this where I don’t need to sacrifice him?
Laurent follows the direction of my gaze and smiles. “Fer has an incredible mind. He picked up chess theories in a couple of hours, which take most people months or years to get their heads around. I may mentor him. We’d be unstoppable in the online chess world together.”
“You’re still planning to keep your secret Alpha identity then.”
“I’m good at pulling it off, aren’t I?”
“How many masks are you wearing?”
“Do you really want to know?” Laurent brushes his lips against mine on each word.
He’s a seductive assassin.
Yet if I’m under his spell, I never want to escape.
Since he’s on our side, I feel sorry for our enemies.
Excitement rushes through me.
I thought that I alone was battling to break the mold as an Omega and go against the expectations of my dynamic.
Now that I’ve met this complex, mysterious man, however, I know that I’m not alone.
Laurent should come with a warning label.
I give a wicked grin. “It turns me on that I don’t know, Sweet Thorn. But I trust you, and more than that, I trust that with you on my side, we can protect our Alpha and Beta. We can show that as Omegas together, the brains and the fangs, we can be the…”
“Knights in shining armor?”
“The bloody avengers who rise up and no regrets.”
Laurent’s lips quirk. “Well, doesn’t that just sound like the perfect summer blockbuster? Count me in.”
My brow furrows. “But what’s our next move? Yesterday, my brother visited Dad with the books, showing him how well he’s been running the pack. He took accounts and business plans. I can’t compete with that. My sister did the same sneaky move, but showing off how strictly she controls the Betas and the household. On the other hand, Fer and I lost the last match of the season. I must be behind on the Heir Contest. Our strategy is fucked.”
“Our strategy simply needs to pivot direction. You’re indeed right that our focus must be on you becoming the mafia heir. We need a single, unexpected move that will turn the entire game. Something remarkable.”
“Riv had the same idea.”
“Great minds think alike.” Laurent lifts his eyebrow. “Who’s your dad’s greatest rival? Who does he fear? What’s his weakness? If you look like you’re trying to take out that rival, then he’ll want you as his heir. We just need to make the move bold enough. Your sister and brother are doing no more than showing him the work that he expects from them. You need to do something unexpected , which goes above and beyond. He’s a big picture risk taker. He’ll choose someone who acts like he does. He wants his child to remind him of himself.”
“The Hades.” My pulse races. Exhilaration rushes through me. “Dad’s rival is Vinnie. Dad believes that he’ll gain some control over him, if my sister marries him. Yet I have the sense that Allegra intends to strengthen the Hades. Vinnie is using Harbinger to try and become the Champion again. He wants to challenge Dad. If I break into the Hades estate and Vinnie’s office in order to steal their records, then it will give Dad a hold over Vinnie. Dad would be shocked and impressed that I’d dared to do that.”
Laurent’s eyes sparkle. “Take me with you, Harley. I can hack their computers and steal something truly useful.”
I’d forgotten that I had a criminal hacker nuzzling in my arms, while looking like a sweet elite.
Such a perfect man.
Yet I frown. “I don’t want to risk you. Vinnie doesn’t have much security because no one would be crazy enough to break into the Hades’ territory. The people who they’ve kidnapped try and break out of there, but they’re held—”
“I’m intimately aware of where they’re held,” Laurent says, tightly. Shit, I’d forgotten that Laurent had been held by the Hades for weeks. It’s fucking brave of him to be prepared to go back there. “It’s not near the office. I know the layout. I have a near photographic memory, which is useful for my chess. Also, useful for memorizing the layout of the biker gang’s estate who kidnapped you. So, I can lead you there, avoiding the security and cameras. Then I’ll hack those bastards. The revenge will be better than therapy.”
I nod.
“When your dad discovers what you’ve done, he’ll choose you as the winner of the Heir Contest. He can use the information to blackmail, extort, or control Vinnie. The Hades will be fucked.”
I whistle. “You’re dark.”
“I am, aren’t I?” Laurent sucks lightly on my lower lip. My eyelashes flutter. “Do you love it?”
“Uh-huh.”
I wrap my arms around Laurent’s neck, mindful of the fact that I can’t manhandle him in the way that I do Feral.
I drag Laurent closer, until his lithe chest is pressed against mine.
Finally, he pulls back.
Laurent’s forehead is still resting against mine, as he stares directly into my eyes.
He’s studying me like he’s about to reveal the truth behind a magician’s trick and is trying to work out whether I’ve already guessed it.
Laurent’s gray eyes become molten. “Do you want to know the secret play, which will put us at least five moves ahead of both Vinnie and your dad?”
“Please.” I can’t resist darting my tongue out along his sweet tasting lips.
“While they’ll be fighting and screwing each other over, focusing on the only information that they think we stole in order to make you heir, we’ll have performed a sleight of hand.” Laurent’s smile is mesmerizing. Has he been in control from the moment that he arrived here? “Because you’ve never actually cared about the succession. That was a distraction, just like getting the information on Vinnie is. When we’re in the office, I will also hack the codes to the main door. It's the only way to escape, you said. Except, no one will know that we have them or that we even wanted them.”
I stare at Laurent in shock. “You’re joking.”
“Do I sound like I’m joking?”
I squirm out of Laurent’s hold, sitting up in shock. “I warned you what happened to Vinnie’s Omega.”
“And I’m sorry for him.” Laurent sits up, smoothing down his shirt. “But we’re not blindly escaping in a panic. No one will know that we have the codes. Your dad will think that you’ve ruthlessly fought to become his heir. Meanwhile, we’ll be one step closer to bringing down this entire Underworld and leading every single person who wants to follow us back into the light.”
What the hell has he just said?
Laurent has worked out a way to secretly gain the codes for the main door in a way that I’ve never been able to on my own.
He wants to help save everybody.
My heart is beating wildly.
Hope surges through me.
This plan could work.
It could fucking work.
But does Laurent have any idea how dangerous this is?
The image of Laurent being dragged out of the birdcage in the pits and then being thrown into the octagon with Vinnie and Harbinger to be slowly taken apart, when he can’t fight at all to defend himself, makes bile rush up my throat.
Yet I’ve told him the risks.
I have to let Laurent make his own choice, otherwise how am I better than Dad, treating him like a weak pet?
I reach for Laurent’s hand, entwining my fingers with his. “Who the hell are you?”
He arches his brow. “Winner of the Omega You’d Most Want to Knot, according to Alphas Today magazine.”
“ Eww. ” I wrinkle my nose. “Is that real?”
“Unfortunately. But I also came second in Ass of the Decade.”
“Who won?”
“Falcon Knight, an Alpha and the youngest senator in America.”
“Seriously?”
Laurent laughs. “Seriously. More surprisingly, Senator Knight isn’t an Alphahole. He’s a liberal and…” He struggles for a moment, as if he’s not certain how to tell me something. It’s not like him. He chooses his words carefully. “In the world that you call Above, there is also inequality. Omegas don’t have the rights that they should. In fact, all the dynamics struggle to break free from expectations. Of course, some brave liberals fight against the Traditionalists who are trying to impose these controls on society. There is also a secret, illegal resistance, who rescue abused Omegas and plot missions to shake up society and bring lasting reforms in politics, sport, music, for Companions, and in the dance worlds. And we’re winning .”
My eyes widen. “ We’re…? ”
“I’m trusting you.” Laurent’s voice is hushed. He searches out my gaze. His expression is earnest. “In fact, I’m trusting you with my life . You wanted to know what was under the mask. I hate that I’ve been captured because I swore to dedicate my life to a resistance that will make sure all Omegas are heard. But Above, the President has issued an executive order that makes resistance members terrorists . If caught, I could be executed or sent to an Omega Institute, where I’ll be conditioned to act like a proper Omega and then auctioned to a pack.”
I shake, clutching onto his hands.
I risk my life in every fight. Laurent has also been risking his life, however, when I thought that he’d come from a life of safety, ease, and luxury.
I’ve been so wrong about him . He’s as much of a badass as Feral is.
No wonder the two of them get on so well.
“You’re fucking brave,” I whisper.
“So are you.” Laurent wraps his arm around my neck, stroking his fingers through my hair. “I will save you, Harley. This is my mission. I won’t let you down.”
“I won’t let anyone harm you ever again either.” I indulge myself by dipping my head to kiss along the delicious pale strip of skin, which is revealed by the newly opened top two buttons of his shirt.
Laurent has never felt comfortable opening those buttons before.
No one has kissed or touched Laurent before.
This is virgin skin.
I moan, licking and sucking harder. I delight seeing the way that I’m marking Laurent.
When I glance at him from underneath my eyelashes, his eyes are glassy. He looks down at me in wonder, while I leave claiming bruises and light bites on his soft skin.
“ Yes ,” Laurent hisses, throwing back his head.
I don’t bite his throat, no matter how tempting it is.
I can’t leave evidence of breaking this taboo — an Omega biting an Omega — no matter how much I want to show the world that he’s mine.
Laurent can hide my current marks by doing up his shirt.
When I finally lift my head, tracing over the imprints of my teeth, Laurent looks wrecked already.
“Until yesterday, I had never willingly been touched or kissed.” Laurent’s voice is breathy. “But I can be brave in this too.”
“Do you want more?”
Say yes…
Yet I’ll only go at his pace. I won’t push him. It’s important that he is comfortable.
His mom tried to steal his autonomy. He needs to take it back.
Laurent licks over his lips. “Show me.”
I thrum with desire. “Do you want me to take the control?”
Laurent thinks for a moment. “Normally, certainly not. But in this, between us, I’m in your hands.”
I swallow, realizing how big a responsibility this is. He’s already trusted me with his secrets and life. But this is different.
He’s trusting me to teach him pleasure. Also, handing over his dominance to me.
He’s never wanted this with anybody else.
He must have only used toys to help him through his heats.
The thought of Laurent writhing alone in a large nest of silk sheets, as he fucks a knotted dildo in and out of his slick ass, fevered and desperate for an Alpha, almost undoes me.
Yet he has chosen me to show him what it can feel like to give in to your true Omega instincts, as I do with Feral.
I can’t screw this up.
My gaze becomes determined.
I grab Laurent’s arm from around my neck in a quick grappling move, squeezing just hard enough in warning that he remembers how much stronger I am.
Laurent’s eyes widen, before he melts into my hold in submission. He even bares his neck.
If I was an Alpha, I’d be biting him by now.
Laurent’s pheromones become stronger, as if to appease me…or entice me.
I don’t know.
But I become wetter, as I twist Laurent’s arm in front of him, before I shove him harder than he’s expecting in the chest.
He stumbles backward, slamming into the back of the cage with a clang.
He whines but with pleasure and not pain.
Laurent’s eyes are blown wide.
I let go of Laurent’s arm but deliberately press my body against his, pinning him in place. “Be a good Omega and take out your pretty cock. I’m going to suck you now and show you why pleasure is mindblowing between Omegas.”
“I thought that I would be the one to pleasure you.”
“Do you think that I won’t be in charge just because I’m the one on my knees?” I slide my hand into Laurent’s hair and then twist his head back hard enough to make him gasp. “Didn’t I tell you to do something?”
“Impatient,” he mutters.
He edges his hands down to his pants, however, undoing the button and then pulling his cock out.
It’s half-hard already like I suspected.
It’s smaller than Feral’s, but then, I bet that most men’s are. I guessed right on the pretty, however, and it wins there.
It’s strange seeing a cock without a knot in it.
I like the fact that I will be able to fit most of it into my mouth without hurting my jaw.
I smile.
Laurent is seriously not ready for what’s about to come next.
When I tug on his long hair again, his cock twitches. Pearly pre-cum beads on the tip.
“Place your hands by your sides,” I command.
Obediently, Laurent drops his hands to his sides.
It sends a thrill through me that this brave, dominant Omega is choosing to be submissive to me.
I know that it’s an act. But it’s one that we’re both enjoying.
“Now, grab hold of the bars and don’t let go. If you do,” I warn, “you won’t be allowed to come.”
“Who’s the thorn now?” Laurent looks impressed, however, not even hesitating to grab firmly onto the bars behind him.
His knuckles whiten like he’s terrified of letting go in his pleasure and losing this treat.
No one has made him come before, right?
I don’t want him to miss out on this either.
Yet Laurent has had to hold himself together, pretending to be something that he’s not…in some cases, a literal Alpha…going against his dynamic his entire life.
He needs me to push him into his dynamic headspace.
He needs me to show him that he can be safe as an Omega.
He always will be in my pack.
I tighten my hold on Laurent’s hair one final time just to see the way that his face tightens and then softens.
Then I press my lips to his, and his mouth opens in welcome. “Close your eyes, good Omega.”
It makes my heart leap that Laurent doesn’t hesitate this time.
He closes his eyes. His long lashes fan across his pale cheek.
I release his hair, stroking down his tempting throat. His pulse is fluttering beneath my hand dangerously fast.
I pet Laurent for a moment longer, before I lower myself to my knees.
I’ve never felt this much in control before.
I lean forward and lick the head of Laurent’s dick.
He whines.
Then I tease around the sensitive glans. I grip his dick at the base to hold him in place, as I turn my licks into kisses, loving the way that Laurent is struggling to keep his hands in place and his eyes closed.
But he still obeys me.
What a good Omega.
I reward Laurent by sucking up and down his shaft.
I was right. His pretty cock does fit perfectly into my mouth.
Suddenly, I feel like I’m being watched.
I let Laurent’s cock slip out of my mouth.
I turn my head.
Feral is awake.
Silently, Feral is watching Laurent and me. His hand is working his own hard cock in his shorts. His light and dark eyes are intently focused on his two Omegas.
And I’ve never been so fucking turned on in my life.
Having our Alpha witnessing us together like this, is everything.
When Feral nods at me like an order to keep ravishing Laurent, something settles in my soul.
I knew that Laurent belonged to both Feral and me.
I soothe my hand over Laurent’s quivering thigh. His legs are close to buckling at these new sensations.
Then with new determination, since I know our Alpha is watching, I reach up and drag Laurent’s pants and underwear down to his ankles. Then I bend his legs and push them onto my strong shoulders.
He lets out a yelp of surprise but doesn’t resist.
His chest is rising and falling rapidly. He still clutches hard onto the bars, desperate not to lose his ability to come.
I expect Laurent to speak, but it’s like the three of us are caught in the silent intensity of this moment.
Laurent looks vulnerable and exposed.
He’s allowing himself to be for me.
He is being brave in this.
Elated with his trust in me, I begin to purr.
I nuzzle at Laurent’s revealed balls, and the vibrations of my purr, make him moan.
I work my finger behind his balls.
He jumps, when I trace my finger over his sweet rosebud, which has never been touched.
He’s dripping slick already.
Feral is going to love knotting our Omega.
I may have to train Laurent, however, before he’ll be able to take Feral’s knot.
Laurent gives a sharp breath. “ Harley .”
“I’ve got you.”
I draw my hand back, massaging his balls, while I suck his cock with renewed vigor.
He’s almost there.
Laurent throws his head back. “I need to… F-f-fuck… Your mouth feels incredible. I’m going to… Can I come?” Laurent’s eyelashes are wet with frustrated with tears. “I didn’t let go of the bars.”
I look up at him, as I work his velvety shaft.
He’s trembling with pleasure.
I knew that he’d focus on the deal aspect of this. He didn’t let go, so he gets his orgasm.
Fair.
This is Laurent’s first time experiencing this. His first time submitting. His first time willingly feeling like an Omega.
Yet is it a mistake to shift my hand to Laurent’s hip and pin him hard, as he howls my name and comes? To swallow his cum like it’s an offering? To watch him come apart, which somehow makes him more beautiful and not less?
I’m in love.
It hits me hard.
I’m more spellbound than ever with this Omega.
Yet we’re going to be risking our lives together.
Plus, if Feral and I don’t win Laurent in the Championship Special, the bonds that we’re building together now will be shattered.