Chapter Eighteen
Milo
“L eave me alone,” I groan, pulling the pillow over my head. “I’m sleeping.”
Eric chuckles, slapping my ass and pulling a squeak from me. “Get your ass out of bed, beta. It’s after nine, and your other alpha is eager to see Remy again.”
Rolling my eyes, I glare at him before seeking out Victoria. She’s no longer in the bedroom, but I can see her pacing along the seating area just outside the open door. “How long has she been doing that?”
“Since she got out of the shower an hour ago.” Eric shakes his head, and I realize he’s already showered and dressed. “You might enjoy sleeping in, but the rest of us prefer to start the day before noon.”
“It’s well before noon, asshole.” I glance at the bedside clock, seeing it’s literally five minutes after nine. “Ugh, the two of you could’ve gone down without me.”
“We wouldn’t do that,” Victoria says as she sticks her head into the room. “We haven’t seen him since the first day. I will not show up with one of my pack mates still in bed.”
It’s not like I’m going to be able to go back to sleep anyway, so I roll out of bed and head for the bathroom.
“You’re lucky I love you,” I call over my shoulder.
There’s no way I’m showering this morning since I think the plan is to hang out by the pool. I’ll just have to wash the chlorine out of my hair later.
Ten minutes later, I’m half awake but fully dressed.
“Thank you, Milo.” Victoria wraps her arms around my neck and tugs me toward her so she can kiss me.
My hands fall to her hips without a thought, pulling her firmly against me as her tongue dances with mine. I hum into the kiss.
Kissing either of my alphas never gets old.
“As hot as it is to watch the two of you kiss, we should probably break it up unless you want to be even later.”
We pull apart to find Eric standing beside us, hunger in his eyes as he glances between us.
Damn, I wish that was an option I could actually choose.
“No, we need to join the others.” Victoria takes a deep breath as she runs her hands down her flirty summer dress that covers her bikini that I know matches the turquoise sandals she’s wearing. It might be winter, but we’re in California so summer wear is year round as long as the sun is up.
Eric and I have thrown on T-shirts with our swim trunks and flip-flops. Of course, I add my fedora because my hair is a disaster since I didn’t bother to style it. There isn’t much of a point if we’re going to end up in the pool.
When I go to follow Victoria out of our suite, Eric twines his fingers with mine. I send him a smile over my shoulder.
Fates above, did I get lucky finding these two alphas. I was with Victoria for three years before we met Eric, but we’d known he was meant to be part of our pack as soon as we met him. While she’s nearly ten years older than us, she never treats us like we’re younger. Instead of expecting less from us due to our age, she expects more. She really does make us the best version of ourselves.
Sadly, not everyone we’ve met has felt that way.
It should be easier for us to find an omega, as Victoria wants a male omega—something Eric and I have agreed to. She just isn’t interested in women sexually. Personally, I think she’s missing out, but what do I know?
While the amount of omegas is lower than it has been in previous years, there are still more male omegas than female omegas. That should’ve increased our chances of finding a compatible omega, but it was very discouraging to find out that many of the male omegas didn’t want female alphas.
It makes no sense to me, but I’m not an omega—and I’m damn glad about that. I love all the designations, but I wouldn’t want to be an alpha or an omega. They have far more instincts to overcome than I do as a beta.
When I found out Heated’s fourth season would feature a male omega, I begged and pleaded with my alphas to apply. I’ll admit to being obsessed with the show, watching it every week and even broadcasting it at the bar. I knew whoever the omega they chose, he’d be perfect for us. Luckily, they listened, and I was right.
Remington Montgomery is our perfect omega.
Now, we just have to convince him of that.
That’s why Victoria is acting the way she is. She feels like this is her last chance to find an omega since she just turned forty. She hopes that having an omega will make it easier for her to get pregnant. Eric and I have tried our best, but so far, there hasn’t been a baby.
Victoria will make a good mother. I just wish I could give her everything her heart desires. There’s no guarantee that bringing an omega into our pack will make it easier for her to get knocked up, but I’m not going to rain on her parade.
I love her with all my heart and soul. I will do anything for this woman.
If it just happens to mean getting a tasty male omega like Remy in our pack? Well, that’s just a win-win situation right there.
We find the doors to the dining room closed just as a beta comes hurrying up. “Sorry, I had to run to the bathroom. Breakfast is being served on the back deck this morning.”
“That’s quite all right. Thank you for letting us know.” Victoria offers him a soft smile, and I can see him practically melting before my eyes.
I know I’m an attractive man, and so is Eric, but damn, people really do forget we exist when Victoria is around. She’s exceptionally beautiful, and she hates it being pointed out. As Eric likes to say, she won the genetics lottery. I know she sometimes wishes she wasn’t as attractive as she is. It’s drawn a lot of attention to her, and not all of it has been good.
Once we make it onto the back deck, I realize less than half the suitors have made it down so far, and Remington is nowhere to be found.
“He’s still in his session with Finn,” Carter says as he approaches us. “Tessa told me to expect him any time now.”
“Were we that obvious?” I ask with a grin, letting my eyes run over the beta’s body. I don’t know exactly how old he is, but I think he’s older than me, and he looks damn good.
He shrugs. “Or maybe I just wanted to come talk with you, Milo.”
“And so it begins,” Eric’s voice is gruff as he rolls his eyes.
“So what begins?” Carter turns his smile to Eric.
Eric gestures to me. “Milo becoming the center of attention. Victoria is the one who draws them in with her beauty, but it’s this guy who keeps them hanging around. I should warn you, he’s a bit of a flirt.”
“Guilty,” I admit, stepping closer to the beta. “But I usually wait until they flirt with me first.”
Carter chuckles as I run my fingers down his bare chest. “You know what, Eric? I think you have your hands full with these two.”
“Damn straight.” My alpha grins at him before his eyes stray to Victoria. “Everything okay, Vic?”
Victoria blinks her eyes as she smiles up at Eric and nods. “Yes. I was just thinking. How’s the breakfast this morning, Carter?”
“Divine. It’s on the lighter side, but there are fresh croissants and fruits, plus muffins and some bacon. I think that’s because of Remington. Someone told me he’s obsessed with bacon.”
“It was me,” Brooke says with a laugh, popping up beside Carter. She’s wearing a tiny bright green bikini that bares a lot more skin than it hides. “I told him Remy was obsessed with bacon. I’m intolerant to pork, so it was an entire conversation we had during our first breakfast.”
Victoria eyes the redhead beta coolly. Brooke made it very clear to my alpha that she was interested in being more than friends with her. Since Victoria doesn’t swing that way, she’s been doing everything she can to make sure she doesn’t send the wrong signals. I told her she made it clear the night we met Brooke, but Victoria will have to see it with her own eyes to believe me.
“Milo, Camila made me wake up early.” Brooke pouts as she slides her arm through mine. “She’s too awake. I know you’re a night owl like me. Please come sit with us so you have to suffer through her cheerfulness, too.”
Shaking my head, I glance at my alphas. Victoria seems relieved that she’s no longer the center of Brooke’s attention. Eric’s eyes are already on the food.
“Yeah, okay, but I need to get some food and coffee first.”
Brooke bounces up and down as she claps her hands, and my eyes immediately fall to her tits that are moving with her.
Look, I try to be respectful of women, but when they’re bouncing in my face like that, there’s only so much I can do.
Laying my hand on her shoulder, I chuckle. “Better be careful, Brooke. You don’t want to fall out of your top.”
“Huh?” She glances down, and I can tell when the realization hits her. “Oh. No, that’s not something I have to worry about. My boobs are too small for that, but thanks for looking out. Did they look nice, at least?”
I snort, pushing her toward the food table. “Stop it, trouble. I need food and caffeine to deal with you right now.”
Eric and Carter’s laughter follows us as I quickly make myself a plate, leaving my alphas on their own. They’re used to it by now. Of the three of us, I’m the social butterfly. Victoria doesn’t tend to open up to people until she knows them, and Eric isn’t much of a talker.
Brooke leads me to the table where the twins sit on either side of Camila. She smiles as I sit beside Brooke.
“Good morning, Milo. I hope you slept well.”
I shrug. “As well as I can be, considering my alpha woke me up at nine.”
She gives a cute snort of laughter. “Oh, the horror.”
“It was horrible. I prefer sleeping until sometime after noon. Being here is a bit of a chore since we’re expected to be awake earlier than that, but Remy’s worth it.” I glance toward the house, finding the doors still shut.
Camila nods. “He is. I wonder if he has anything planned for today or we’ll just be hanging out?”
I shrug, having no clue. My head jerks up when the doors swing open, letting out a sigh when Riley and Quinn step out. They join Carter and my alphas, who have finally made their way to the food table.
Continuing my perusal, I find Santiago, Lee, Nolan, and Daniel sitting not too far from us, chatting quietly as they eat.
“It seems I’m not the only one who’s a late riser,” I comment, turning my attention back to those at my table. “Where is everyone?”
“Probably waiting for Remington,” Alexei says with a shrug. “Why be out here when they can be in bed?”
“And yet, you’re all down here.”
Nikolai jerks his head at Camila. “She said we come early, so we come early.”
“So, Camila is the boss of you?” I ask with a laugh, but neither of the twins laugh.
“Camila is friend. We do not know these suitors. Until we are sure she safe, we protect.” Nikolai glares at me, as if I’m going to disagree with him.
I hold up my hands in surrender. “Good. I’m glad she has you looking out for her. Bet you didn’t anticipate gaining a set of hot bodyguards when you came on the show.”
She shakes her head. “Sure didn’t, but I can’t complain too much.”
This time when the door opens, Remington steps outside with Aubrey, Taylor, and Ian trailing behind him.
“Good morning, suitors,” he calls out with a smile. His brown hair looks like he’s been running his fingers through it a lot. It’s a good look on him, but I can’t help wondering why. Was his session with Finn that stressful?
Remington makes his rounds, saying hello to everyone before coming to join us. “Good morning, everyone. I hope you’re having a good day so far.”
“Except the being awake part, I’m doing great,” I tell him with a grin that he easily returns.
“Not a morning person. Noted.” He relaxes into the chair as he gazes at the pool. “As I was letting everyone else know, I was hoping once Rhys and Gracie join us, we could all sit together and chat for a little while. I know it’ll be hard with so many of us, but I thought we could do some icebreakers and get to know each other better. Then everyone can enjoy the pool to their heart’s desire. I don’t know how long I’ll make it outside, though. I’m not a big fan of the sun.”
“There is always pool downstairs. There is not sun there,” Alexei offers as he leans forward. “We can still use pool, but you will be more comfortable.”
Remington beams at him. “That’s a wonderful idea. I hate to drag everyone inside, but maybe for those who want to get out of the sun? We’ll see.”
Brooke glances over her shoulder, frowning. “I wonder where Rhys and Gracie are. As far as I know, Gracie was planning to be down here pretty early this morning.”
“I can check with Taylor and see if she knows about Gracie, then I can run upstairs and check their rooms, if you’d like?” I offer.
If I don’t get started moving soon, I’m going to end up falling asleep right here, and that’ll be a little embarrassing. If I can get the other two down here, then it’s less likely to happen. Plus, I just like feeling helpful.
“Yeah?” Remington perks up. “If you wouldn’t mind, that would be really awesome.”
“I’m on it.” I toss the last of my croissant into my mouth and wash it down with the last of my coffee before heading for Taylor.
She’s sitting at a table alone, tapping her nails on the table as she eats.
“Hey, Taylor.”
“Good morning…” She wrinkles her nose as she tries to recall my name, which is adorable. “Milo, right?”
I nod. “That’s me. I’m sorry to bother you, but Remington has sent me on a mission to find Rhys and Gracie. I believe you’re her roommate, so I thought I’d check with you first.”
She makes a face, her eyes drifting to Remington before returning to me. “I didn’t tell Remy because it’s not my business, but she never made it back to our room last night.”
Huh. That’s interesting…
Oh. Oh!
I nod, finally catching her drift. “I’ll go check Rhys’s room first, then. Thank you, Taylor.”
“You’re welcome,” she calls after me as I’m already moving toward the doors. It’s not that surprising that Rhys and Gracie might have slept together last night. They’ve been all about one another since they met, but part of me wonders what they’re thinking.
You know what? It’s not up to me to judge their decisions. They’re both adults, and if this is what they want, then this is what they want. But I’m going to make it perfectly clear to them if I find them in bed together, that they need to tell Remy. This can’t be something they hide from him.
Finally, making it to the third floor, I hurry to Rhys’s door in the back corner and knock on it. No one responds, so I knock harder until the door flies open.
“What?” Rhys’s eyes are wide as he steps into the doorway, trying to block my view of the room inside.
I take a step back as the scent of sex rushes over me. I might only be a beta, but there’s no missing what they were just up to.
“Look, dude. I know Gracie’s in your room. Clearly, the two of you were having sex, and that’s cool, but Remy is downstairs waiting for the two of you.”
Rhys’s face falls as Gracie appears beside him, wrapped in a sheet. “I need to get back to my room.”
“Just get downstairs when you can. And this?” I gesture between the two of them. “Needs to be explained to Remington. You’re putting me and Taylor in a weird position by us knowing about it.”
“You wouldn’t know it if you didn’t come knocking on my door,” Rhys growls, and my eyebrows shoot up.
He is trying to alpha me right now?
Gracie lays her small hand on his chest. “Stop, Rhys. Milo did nothing wrong. We’re here for Remy, and he’s looking for us. Plus, Milo’s right. This isn’t something we should keep from Remy. There’s no reason to.”
“Look, I’m going to leave you to it, but maybe don’t come at anyone else like you just did me.”
Without waiting for a response, I spin on my heel and head for the stairs. This is the first time I’ve seen Rhys respond in any way that screams alpha to me, and maybe I wouldn’t be so annoyed if it was being directed at someone else. All I know is that I don’t appreciate being spoken to like that.
My annoyance continues to grow as I brew over the conversation, something my alphas immediately notice when I step onto the deck.
“Milo?” Victoria cocks an eyebrow, and I’m sure she’s confused by the feelings running through our bond right now. A glance at Eric shows he’s just as worried.
“All good,” I tell them, waving off their concern. There’s nothing they can do to make it better, anyway.
Remington is still sitting at our table, so I beeline toward him and drop into my seat. “They’ll be down shortly.”
“Sleeping in, were they?” he chuckles.
“Yeah, something like that,” I mutter, trying to rein in my shit. There’s no reason to be this upset, and I definitely shouldn’t take it out on the omega my pack is hoping to win over.
A hand lands on my arm, and when I look up, I find Remington staring at me. “Hey, are you okay? You seem upset.”
Running my hand over my face, I shake my head. “I’m fine. Let’s just say I’m not the only one who’s grumpy when they’re woken up.”
Okay, that’s not exactly why Rhys was annoyed with me, but it’s close enough to the truth that I don’t feel like an asshole lying to Remington.
“Ah, yes, another night owl. Got it.” He pushes to his feet with a smile. “Since they’ll be here soon, I’ll go grab what I need so we can start as soon as they arrive.”
We all watch as he goes, but I startle when I feel another hand on mine. I’m even more surprised when I realize it’s Nikolai touching me. “They were together?”
“They were.”
He hums. “Not surprise. They were rude to you?”
“A bit, but it’s fine. Rhys just didn’t appreciate me sticking my nose in their business.”
Alexei bares his teeth. “It no fine. He give you hard time again, you tell me. I take care of.”
“That’s sweet, Alexei, but I can take care of myself.”
“So can I,” Camila says with a snort. “That hasn’t stopped them yet.”
“You do nothing wrong. I do not like he upset you. You are kind beta. Always friendly. No reason for anyone to be mean to you. We will not accept.”
My eyebrows are so high at this point, they’re likely hiding behind the hair falling across my forehead. “Ummm…thank you?”
Camila is full-out laughing now, almost falling out of her chair. “Welcome to my world, Milo. They are a nature unto themselves.”
“What’s so funny?” Victoria asks, her hands landing on my shoulders. She digs her thumbs into the muscles at the back of my neck, and I feel the last of the tension I was holding onto fall away.
“It seems I now have two new protectors.” I moan as she continues her ministrations. My alpha is so damn good with her hands. It won’t be long until I’m putty in her hands.
Eric grunts. “And why do you need more protectors?”
“Rhys was rude to your beta,” Nikolai spits, although it’s clear his disgust is with Rhys and not Eric. “All because he knows what he doing is wrong. Not fair to Milo. He is sweet man.”
“Awww.” Victoria leans down, rubbing her cheek against mine—totally scent-marking me. “Have you been adopted by the twins?”
I shrug, turning my head so I can kiss her. “Hey, if two hot men want to be my protectors, who am I to say no?”
“Now that everyone has joined us.” Remington’s voice ends the teasing as we turn toward him. “I’d like us all to come together and get to know each other. I have some ice-breaker questions we can all answer and then we can just spend the rest of the day relaxing.”
It takes a bit of shuffling around, but we push the tables out of the way and form a circle with the chairs.
“Before we get started with the icebreakers, I wanted to let you know how you can expect the week to go with the dates. Tomorrow, I’ll be doing a solo date with Daniel. Tessa and Bree are ready to help you with planning as soon as you need them. On Tuesday, Pack Hawthorne, you’ll be up. On Wednesday, it’ll be Nikolai, Alexei, Rhys, and Gracie. Santiago, our solo date will take place on Thursday, and that leaves the last group for Friday as Riley, Carter, and Taylor. After we’re finished here, you’re welcome to get with each other to make plans.”
Remy is holding a stack of papers that he turns to face us. It says favorite childhood memory on it. “Now, you always have the option to skip a question, but remember, the more you skip, the less we learn about you. I’ll go first.”
I hang onto his every word as he talks about a summer he and his sister spent with their fraternal grandparents’ pack. The look he gets on his face when he talks about his sister is breathtaking. He clearly loves her. Honestly, I think he could talk about anything, and I’d be happy to sit there and listen to him.
For the next hour or two, we all go around the circle, answering the questions Remington gives to us. We each talk about our family and growing up. We talk about our favorite colors, books, movies, and food. We even cover sexuality, and my poor alpha, she’s the only one who isn’t bisexual. Some answers I already know since we’ve been here since day one. But I’m surprised by more than one answer.
My favorite answer is when Nikolai admits his passion for reading romance novels. Who would’ve thought that the grumpy alpha spends his free time reading? Certainly not me.
Once we wrap up the questions, Remington admits he needs to get out of the sun for a bit and invites us to join him in the basement pool. I love the sun, but I’d much rather be near Remington than out here without him.
I’m not even surprised when everyone relocates to the basement with Remy. As we head down, I catch up to Gracie and Rhys.
“You need to talk to him.”
Rhys grinds his teeth as he glances at me. “I’m aware.”
“Stop it, Rhys,” Gracie admonishes, smiling sweetly up at me. “Thank you for looking out for Remy, Milo. You’re a good man. We will talk to him now, I promise.”
I nod, falling back as Rhys sneers.
Damn, he’s like a completely different man than the one we met on day three.
“I will kill him,” Nikolai tries to push past me, but I block his path.
“Ummm, yeah, let’s not do that, okay?”
Nikolai’s exasperation is clear as he gapes at me. “He was rude again. He cannot do that.”
“He can, and he did. It’s not worth it. You know you’ll be kicked off the show if you hit him, right?”
“Fine. I will not hit him.” Nikolai doesn’t look happy to be agreeing with me, but it makes me smile.
Once we’re all resituated in the basement, I dive into the water. It feels amazing against my skin. When I pop back up, I see that Gracie and Rhys have pulled Remy aside.
At least they kept their word.
I feel kind of like a dick for making them talk to him, but I’m not going to lie for them. I’m sure Remington will be happy for them.
“What’s going on over there?” Brooke asks as she swims over, and I shrug.
“They’re letting Remy know they’ve already connected with one another—or at least, that better be what they’re doing.”
Brooke swims over to the edge, holding herself in place as she stares at them. When she glances over her shoulder, I see fear in her eyes. “He won’t be mad, right? He said we could make connections among one another, but I know it’s an omega’s prerogative to change their mind. Gracie is so sweet. I don’t want her to get hurt.”
“Ummm…” I blink at her, wondering where the confident woman I’ve come to know is. “I don’t think Remy is going to get mad about something like this. Are you okay, Brooke?”
I watch as a tear skims down her cheek, even more confused.
“Yeah. I just…It’s fine.” Without another word, she swims away, and all I can do is stare after her.
What the hell was that all about?