Chapter 15
Fifteen
KAELEN
Ambient light filtered through the dark curtains as the smoldering ash in the fireplace sizzled. The final dredges of sleep released me, and a slow warmth seeped into my limbs. A small weight lay on top of me. My precious omega slept soundly, her tiny frame rising and falling with every breath.
My dick stirred at the vision, and as much as I wanted to wake her up with me buried inside that sweet pussy of hers, I willed it to calm down. I had too much to do today. Besides, my girl needed to rest. I didn’t want to wake her. Not when she looked so peaceful.
Fuck, she was perfect like this. In my bed. Sated from my knot.
Careful not to disturb her, I combed my fingers through her hair, pushing it behind her ear. She moaned an adorable, sleepy sound at my touch. Willow’s omega accepted me, and I hoped it wouldn’t be long before she did too. She was close, but I sensed her hesitation to give in completely.
A snarl bubbled beneath the surface as I remembered the scars on her body. I understood why she was so uncertain around me. I wondered if she had ever seen a healthy relationship between an alpha and omega.
William Sterling was a bastard who abused his daughter.
While I didn’t have proof yet, I was confident he was the reason for his wife’s health issues. What a pathetic excuse for an alpha, manipulating the omegas in his life. Once I proved it, I would help Isabelle Sterling.
I would care for her like my own mother.
A cold, hard fury settled in my gut, remembering the crisscrossing lines and burns that marred Willow’s delicate body. My blood turned to ice, splintering into jagged pieces that made it hard to breathe. A man who was supposed to protect her… injured her, marked her.
My omega.
I closed my eyes, my fists flexing as I pictured his smarmy face. The scowl twisting my features morphed into a violent sneer, envisioning how I’d peel that smirk from him, and watch him piss himself as he pleaded for a mercy that would never come.
He’d bow in front of the devil, and I’d murmur a haunting sound, enjoying his cries of pain.
Eventually, he’d beg for death, and I’d show him the same amount of compassion that he’d shown his daughter.
My heart hammered. I sucked in a sharp breath, burrowing my nose in her hair and drinking in her scent. It doused the blazing rage in my veins like a summer’s rain damping a bonfire—still there, but quieter.
A bright blue light lit up on my phone from its spot on the end table.
I groaned, easing Willow until she was curled up beside me, tucked safely under the blankets.
Immediately, I missed her body snuggled against mine.
I left my adorable omega under the comforter while I reluctantly hopped into the shower.
I turned the water a touch too hot, appreciating how it scolded my skin, mirroring my simmering anger. Water dripped off as I slipped into a pair of joggers. I dried my hair, leaving it down as I walked back into the room to get changed.
At my entrance, Willow sat up, her half-lidded eyes roaming over me. The most beautiful creature ever crafted waited in my bed, the sun haloing her head like the angel she was. Her eyes darkened, nipples tight.
My alpha roared at my omega’s approval, and my chest puffed with pride. I never cared about what omegas thought of me, except for Willow.
The blankets pooled around her hips as she stretched with a cute mewling sound, her tits bouncing slightly. Fuck. She was pure sin. And the loose sweats around my hips did nothing to hide how sexy I found her. She giggled the most beautiful, melodic noise, covering her mouth.
“What’s so funny, Omega?” I asked, my eyes narrowing as I prowled toward her, my palms pressing into the mattress.
“Trouble, Alpha? Do you need my help?”
A pretty pink tongue darted out to wet her lips and I was tempted to find out how gorgeous she’d look on her knees with my cock in her mouth. Memories of her pussy squeezing my knot made me growl. She’d be my undoing.
My phone dinged again. I hissed, dragging my tongue over the points of my teeth. Reluctantly, I turned my attention away from her, irritation prickling at my nape as I read the message on the screen.
“As tempting as you are, I have to get to work.”
Her mouth twisted into an exaggerated frown as she tried to get up. Something pinched in my chest. I gripped her arm, gently holding her in place.
“I’ll go back to my room.”
My thumb feathered over the swell of her lips, my head shaking.
“This is your room. I’ll have Aileen move your things this afternoon. We’re courting. You belong in my bed, Willow. Now, be a good girl and go back to sleep. It’s still early.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but I silenced her, pressing my finger to her lips.
“Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be in my office if you need anything. Aileen can make you breakfast, and I’ll make sure I’m wrapped up by dinner so I can join you.”
For a second, it looked like she might fight me on it. And then the most beautiful thing happened. She smiled—an open and unguarded one. My heart forgot how to beat for a moment, and I felt like a young boy with a crush.
“Okay, Alpha,” she said, her eyes shining as she shimmied.
A pale pink blush spread over her chest as she rocked up to her knees. My painfully hard dick jumped. Her tits bounced with the motion, and she reached out, running her nails through my still-damp scruff.
Before I could pounce on her and pin her to the bed, my omega pressed the sweetest kiss to the corner of my mouth, tapped my cheek, and fell back into the sea of pillows.
“Sleepy,” she mumbled, tugging the blankets over her breasts. “Is this alright?”
“It’s everything. You’re everything.”
And she was. My lips rested on her temple as she fell back asleep, her chest lifting in slow, steady beats. Visions of Willow naked in my bed every morning rooted in the recesses of mind, making their home there.
Reluctantly, I pulled away from her and dressed.
I messaged Erik, my contractor, to give him the day off. While I wanted the nest for Willow done sooner than later, I didn’t want anyone disturbing her while she rested. We were on a precipice, and I had to handle her carefully so I wouldn’t spook her.
She may have accepted relocating and turning my space into our space. But I had a feeling that if she found out I was having a custom nest built for her, it might send her running.
The house was quiet as I walked into my study. It would be half noon before Liam woke up, and I expected Aidan and Torin would wander around shortly. Both were early risers. Not as early as me, but still.
Aileen had a small suite that she stayed in when she didn’t want to go home.
After she told me her townhouse was too big for her, I made sure she always had a place here.
She was the closest thing I had to a mother since my ma passed.
I fiddled with the crucifix around my neck.
I was never a religious person, but it was my ma’s, and I liked to carry a part of her with me.
My phone buzzed with a message from Robert Sweeney, the Head of Medicine at Mass General. He was a family friend and agreed to personally look at Isabelle Sterling’s medical history for me.
I dialed him back, grunting his name when he answered. “Sweeney.”
“Mr. Finnegan, thank you for returning my call so quickly. I have reviewed Isabelle Sterling’s records, and unfortunately there is not much to go by.
Her results appear to have been tampered with.
All that I can deduce from what’s included is that she suffers from anxiety manifesting as physical ailments. ”
“Bullshite,” I hissed, slamming my fist. “Sterling is fucking with her.”
“Possibly,” Sweeney said.
Man had fucking ice in his veins. Most people had the sense to shudder when I raised my voice, but Sweeney wasn’t easily intimidated. That’s what I liked about him. It also helped that my family donated thousands to his research and hospital annually.
“I need an untainted blood sample to do my own testing. Any way you could bring Mrs. Sterling in for an appointment?”
I ground my teeth. “Not possible.”
Not without killing her worthless husband, and I promised Willow.
“I can do without seeing her in person if you can get me a fresh blood draw that I can test. The doctor of record, Angelo Hart, has a host of ethics violations and I can’t use anything he’s collected.”
My nails dug into the supple wood.
“If he has ethics violations, why is he allowed to practice still?” I spat.
“Deep pockets,” Sweeney said.
“Mine are deeper. Fix it, Sweeney. Get his license yanked. Ensure that Isabelle Sterling gets seen by a credible doctor.”
He sucked in a slow breath, and a vein in my neck pulsed.
“It’s not that simple, Mr. Finnegan. He doesn’t work for me.”
“Make it simple,” I cut in, the threat in my tone unmistakable.
“I will work on it,” he answered, defeated. “But it will take time.”
“Fine. I will see if I can get you a blood sample in the interim.”
Without waiting for his answer, I ended the call. Falling back into my chair, I pushed my cell across the desk as I booted up my computer, finding the contracts Dimitri sent over last week.
I spent most of the day digging into all the fine print. I didn’t trust him not to sneak something in. After I finished my review, I would send them over to our attorney, but I always liked to do a first pass myself.
I picked at the food Aileen dropped off.
Every so often, my focus drifted to Willow, wondering what she was doing. She was the most beautiful distraction, and more than once I thought about fucking off and finding my sweet omega. My pants tightened at the image of her sprawled out on our bed, naked and reading.
“Fuck,” I grunted when I knock at the door interrupted my increasingly filthy thoughts. “What?!”
Unbothered by my outrage, Torin pushed open the door. Standing in front of me, he crossed his arms, his face pinched.
“Boss,” Torin said. “Massimo Rossi is at the gate, requesting a meeting with you.”
Massimo Rossi. The only son of Vittorio Rossi. Vittorio had a daughter around Liam’s age. I rarely heard of her, surprised he hadn’t married her off yet. Seemed the type to use his children to solicit his own power.
While Vittorio was a bastard, Massimo had always been respectful in any dealings I had with him. Based on his body language, he didn’t always agree with his father’s action, but like the loyal son he was, kept his feelings to himself.
At least in public.
“What does he want?” I snapped.
“Said Vittorio sent him to negotiate terms.”
Alarm bells went off. Something in my gut didn’t sit well with the surprise visit. Massimo wasn’t stupid, not like his father. Coming into my home, even if he had an army at his disposal, would mean certain death. And Vittorio wouldn’t risk his only heir on some half-arsed suicide mission.
“How many men does he have with him?”
“One.”
My fingers stilled as they circled the rim of my glass.
Usually, we’d meet somewhere neutral. It took balls to come to my home with only one guard.
I had more respect for Massimo Rossi than for his father.
And my curiosity got the better of me. It had been weeks since I had left the head of one of his men on Vittorio’s doorstep.
What was so urgent now that we had to meet?
“Bring him. Strip their weapons. If he refuses, send him away.” Torin nodded, about to leave when I stopped him. “Where is Willow?”
Under no circumstances would I let them anywhere near my omega.
“Last I checked, she was still in your room, reading a book by the fire. Aileen brought her a snack before dinner.”
I adored the image of my omega eating in our room while cuddled up by the fire. The only thing that would make that picture better would be me there with her, feeding her. My lids grew heavy, imagining slipping my fingers into her panties to find her hot and wet for me.
“It’s her room now too,” I corrected, and Torin smirked.
“Yes, Boss.”
He didn’t even try to stifle his laughter as he left the room.
Bastard.