23. Marcus #2
But before we can reach Felix and Theo, movement from the garden house catches our attention. The door opens, and an omega emerges, followed by four alphas. They're all slightly disheveled, their formal wear rumpled and their hair mussed, and the scent that hits us is unmistakable.
They've been knotted. Recently and thoroughly, if the satisfied purrs coming from the alphas and the blissful expression on the omega's face are any indication.
Belle's scent spikes with something sharp and unexpected that it takes me a moment to identify. Jealousy. She's jealous of the omega who just spent time with multiple alphas, who experienced the kind of pleasure and connection that Belle has been denying herself.
"Lucky her," Belle mutters under her breath, but I catch it.
"Being with alphas doesn't have to be all bad," I say carefully, watching her reaction.
She glances up at me, and there's something vulnerable in her expression. "Doesn't it? Because from where I'm standing, it looks pretty terrifying."
"What looks terrifying about it?" I ask.
"The loss of control. The vulnerability. The way they're all looking at her like she's something precious they want to protect and possess at the same time."
"And that scares you?" I ask.
"That scares me," she admits quietly.
We reach Felix and Theo, and I can see them both cataloguing Belle's appearance, taking in the stained dress and the tired expression and the way she's holding herself like she's expecting another blow.
"Belle," Felix says softly, and there's so much warmth in his voice that it makes my chest tight. "How are you holding up?"
"I've been better," she says with a weak smile. "But I'm here. That's something, right?"
"That's everything," Theo says, and the certainty in his voice seems to surprise her.
We arrange ourselves in a loose circle near the garden house, close enough for conversation but far enough apart that Belle doesn't feel trapped or cornered.
The scent of night-blooming flowers mingles with our combined alpha pheromones and Belle's sweet omega fragrance, creating something that smells like possibility and hope.
"So," Belle says, looking between the three of us. "Who wants to start?"
I step forward slightly, taking the lead the way I always do in business situations. "I'll start. Belle, you're our omega. Our destined mate. And we've been looking for you for three years without knowing we were looking for you."
Her scent spikes with surprise and something that might be fear. "That's impossible."
"Is it?" Felix asks gently. "You felt the connection with Theo that night at the library. You felt it with me tonight when we danced. And you're feeling it right now, standing here with Marcus."
She can't deny it because we can all smell the way her scent responds to us, the way it becomes richer and more complex when we're near. Her suppressants might fool other alphas, but they can't hide the biological recognition that happens between true mates.
"But I'm on suppressants," she protests. "You shouldn't be able to smell me at all."
"Suppressants work by masking omega pheromones," I explain, keeping my voice gentle and educational rather than predatory.
"They create a chemical barrier that most alphas can't penetrate.
But true mates have a deeper connection, one that goes beyond surface chemistry.
We can smell you, Belle, because we're supposed to smell you. "
"That's..." She struggles for words. "That's not how it works. That's not how any of this works."
"Isn't it?" Theo steps closer, his military bearing softened by genuine care. "Belle, how many alphas have you been around since you started suppressants?"
"Dozens. Hundreds, maybe,” she confesses.
“And how many of them could smell your scent?" I ask.
She's quiet for a long moment, processing the implication. "None of them. Until you three."
"Because we're your pack," Felix says simply. "Your alphas. The ones you're supposed to be with."
"I don't believe in supposed to," Belle says, but there's less conviction in her voice now. "I believe in choice. In making decisions based on logic and compatibility, not on biological imperatives."
"Then choose us," I say, and my voice comes out rougher than I intended. "Not because biology says you should, but because we're good for you. Because we make you laugh and feel safe and want to eat chocolate in palace libraries."
"Because we see you for who you really are," Theo adds. "Not just the helpful librarian or the accommodating friend, but the brilliant, passionate, caring woman who deserves to be cherished."
“We want to build something beautiful with you," Felix finishes. "A life where you never have to hide parts of yourself, where you're valued for everything you are."
Belle is quiet for a long moment, her scent shifting through a complex array of emotions. Fear, hope, longing, uncertainty, and underneath it all, a growing warmth that speaks of recognition and want.
"This is terrifying," she whispers finally.
"We know," I say gently. "But Belle, we're not going to force anything. We're not going to claim you or pressure you or try to override your choices. We're asking you to consider the possibility that what you're feeling isn't fear of us, but fear of how much you want this."
"What if I'm not ready?" she asks, and the vulnerability in her voice makes all three of us step closer unconsciously.
"Then we wait," Theo says simply. "For as long as it takes."
"What if I'm never ready?" She asks.
"Then we spend the rest of our lives proving to you that you're worth waiting for," Felix says, and the sincerity in his voice makes her breath catch.
She looks between the three of us, her eyes bright with unshed tears behind her mask. "You really mean that."
"Every word," I confirm. "Belle, we've been incomplete without you. We didn't even know what we were missing until we found you. But now that we have, now that we know what it feels like to be near our omega, we're not giving up. Even if it takes years to earn your trust."
"I want to trust you," she admits quietly. "God, I want to trust you so much it scares me."
"Then start small," Theo suggests. "Trust us with tonight. Trust us to keep you safe, to respect your boundaries, to be honest with you about what we want and why."
"What do you want?" she asks, and there's genuine curiosity in her voice now.
"Everything," I say simply. "Your laughter, your stories, your terrible jokes about library science.
Your passion for helping people, your chocolate obsession, your way of making everyone around you feel important.
We want to be the pack that supports you, protects you, loves you the way you deserve to be loved. "
"We want to give you a home where you never have to pretend to be smaller than you are," Felix adds. "Where your intensity is celebrated, not tolerated."
"We want to prove that not all alphas are like the one who hurt your friend," Theo finishes. "That some of us know how to control ourselves, how to put your needs first, how to love without possession."
Belle is crying now, tears streaming down her face behind her mask, but her scent is shifting toward something warmer and more hopeful.
"I'm so tired of being scared," she whispers. "I'm so tired of hiding and pretending and convincing myself that being alone is safer than taking a risk."
"You don't have to be alone anymore," I tell her, stepping close enough that she can feel the warmth radiating from my body. "Not ever again, if you don't want to be."
"But what if…”
She's cut off by a sudden change in the air pressure, a shift that makes all of our instincts prick with warning. The temperature has dropped at least ten degrees in the past few minutes, and what started as a gentle evening breeze has become something stronger and more insistent.
I look up at the sky and feel my stomach drop. The stars that were visible when we came outside have disappeared behind rapidly moving clouds, and there's a greenish tint to the air that every alpha in tornado country learns to recognize.
"Shit," I mutter, pulling out my phone to check the weather alerts.
The screen lights up with emergency notifications just as the first tornado siren begins to wail in the distance, its haunting cry cutting through the night air like a knife.
"What's that?" Belle asks, her voice tight with new fear.
"Tornado warning," I say grimly, scanning the alerts. "Severe weather moving in fast. We need to get inside, now."
"The palace has a basement," Felix suggests, but I'm already shaking my head.
"Too far, and too many people. I know a better place.
" I look around, orienting myself in the gardens.
"There's an underground shelter about fifty yards from here.
Built during the Cold War as an air raid shelter, reinforced concrete, completely underground.
It'll be safer than anything else on the property. "
The wind is picking up now, strong enough to whip Belle's dress around her legs and send loose petals and leaves swirling through the air. I can hear the distant sound of the tornado siren growing louder, joined by others from neighboring towns.
"This way," I call out, taking Belle's hand and pulling her toward a section of the garden that looks like nothing more than decorative landscaping. But I know what's hidden underneath the artfully placed shrubs and ornamental stonework.
Felix and Theo fall into step behind us, their military training and security experience making them natural guards for our rear flank. The wind is getting stronger by the minute, and I can hear something that might be hail starting to fall in the distance.
"Marcus, are you sure about this?" Belle calls out over the increasing noise of the wind.