16. Colby
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
COLBY
I t wasn’t often that my omega was rendered silent and wide-eyed. As we followed Ronan through the town, I watched him objectively while Talya stared after him with wonder. He was large, even as far as alphas went. Bulky. Silent and broody. There was an underlying darkness just beneath the surface, something that made people wary.
This was obvious as we walked around the island. He was closely watched, and while no one was actively moving away from him, they naturally gave him a wide berth. They’d tense innately, keeping their eyes on the biggest threat. Just in case.
My eyes flickered to Talya, who continued to watch him in the complete opposite way. Not with unacknowledged fear but with attraction.
In all the time we’d visited alphas and packs, I’d never seen her look at anyone but me that way. Interest. Curiosity. Want.
It wasn’t a lustful want, though that was there, too. It was a different kind of want, something that was deeper and more emotional. Something that came from her omega instincts more than anything she could consciously name.
I supposed that the only reason I wasn’t jealous and unreasonably possessive about the way she watched him was because we’d been looking for a pack for so many years, I was giving up hope that we’d find one. That any alpha at all would be of interest to her. That there’d be an alpha out there that would treat her right, the way an omega should be treated.
But these men, this pack of alphas and betas who were forced on an island as a result of unimaginable circumstances, had consumed us both into their fold as naturally as if we’d always been there. It was light and easy.
I never released Talya’s hand or left her side as we walked through the shops, quietly observing the way Ronan brought her to exactly the kinds of nesting items she was drawn to. Her face lit up each time before she traced her fingers over the textures of fabrics and plush. I smiled at her enthusiasm when she dragged me down aisle after aisle, and I noticed how Ronan quickly picked up what she’d been most interested in. The quiet alpha watched her with silent reverence.
Ronan and I were carrying countless bags when we made our way back to the house. Talya’s free hand fidgeted with the tassels at the ends of her new scarf. As soon as we were in the house, Ronan and I set the bags down outside the door to her nest so she could set it up however she wanted.
I lingered in the doorway for a few minutes as she pulled each item out and ran her fingers over it or rubbed it against her cheek. She sighed, a small smile of contentment on her lips.
Backing away, tightness gripped my chest at the thought of leaving her alone. Out of my sight.
She’s safe here , I reasoned, even though my heart beat so loudly I could hear it banging in my ears like a drum. No one will harm her.
It hadn’t been long since we were taken and tortured. I didn’t have to learn to live without her in my sight yet. This wasn’t mandatory.
Ronan came back around the corner with a glass of lemonade. He paused when he saw me, tilting his head to the side. Could he see how I was sweating? How I was beginning to panic?
Fuck, I didn’t need to move down the hall.
He smiled, small and unassuming, but I could see understanding in the expression. He offered me the glass that he’d intended to bring to Talya.
Taking a breath, I shook my head. “It’s okay,” I whispered. “You can bring it to her.” I nodded in the direction of the nest. From my position, I could barely make out my omega by her shadow moving on the floor.
Ronan stepped closer to me. I was surprised when he placed a big hand on my chest, his dark eyes locked on mine. “You can feel her. Even when you can’t see her.”
My bond. I closed my eyes and reached for her, feeling the brightly burning sunshine in my chest that was Talya. Her calm, happy presence that, for the first time since our kidnapping, didn’t feel stressed or wary.
With a deep breath, I exhaled slowly before opening my eyes. “Thanks.”
He inclined his head and offered me the glass again. Letting me be the one to bring it to her under the pretense of making sure she was taken care of when really, I needed to see her for myself. But I shook my head, returning his smile. “You bring it to her.”
His smile stretched. Though it was far from being considered wide, it was certainly larger than I’d seen it since we’d arrived here. Pretty sure I just gave him permission to pursue my omega, and hell, I wasn’t even upset about it.
More than anything, it was clear that Ronan understood.
As I forced myself to turn and walk away, I realized that his understanding of what I was feeling and knowledge of precisely what to say to bring me back down was probably a direct result of something he’d been through. My feet paused, but no, this wasn’t the time for that. And on the off chance that I was right, I was sure he didn’t want to be asked about it.
My feet brought me into the family room where Emerald and Kasen were on the couch. Kasen leaned against Emerald’s side, tucked under a blanket, with Emerald’s arm around his shoulders. Their eyes snapped to me when I stepped in, but their reactions were not at all the same.
Emerald smiled and remained relaxed, but Kasen jumped upright, sitting straight. Looking at me with wide eyes, he squeaked, “Hi.”
I grinned, unable to help myself. Emerald pulled Kasen back, murmuring, “Relax” against the side of his head after he finished chuckling.
Kasen didn’t relax. Instead, he watched me, studying my every move. With a smile, I sat in the chair perpendicular to them, still half concentrating on the feeling of Talya in my chest, assuring myself that she was fine. Not in distress. Safe and cared for.
“How’d you enjoy shopping?” Emerald asked.
I hummed, leaning my head back against the chair and closing my eyes. “It was nice. You’re right that this isn’t like many places I’ve been.”
“No, it’s not. Probably because we're a small island community, so we kind of live outside of the reality of the big world,” Emerald said. “We have instincts that drive us like everyone, but when you grow up with the same families for generations and know everyone around you, some of the practices and habits of larger bodies of people get lost.”
“And everyone’s friendly. Smiling and welcoming. To me and Talya.”
“I bet they moved around Ronan like he was going to electrocute them, though,” Kasen said.
I laughed. “Yep, that’s exactly what they did.”
“It’s his resting ‘I’m going to kill everyone’ face,” Kasen said, and I could hear the smirk in his voice. “He’s kinda sexy like that, no?”
“Big, brooding, and threatening?” Emerald asked. “Yeah. I mean, there’s certainly sex appeal in that.”
“Oh fuck yes, there is,” Kasen agreed. “Those big hands that could squeeze a neck so hard that their head would pop off, manhandling you into position. Fan me, Em.”
I laughed, shaking my head as I picked it up again to look at them. “Does he know you talk about him like this?”
“Yep. And you should see his murderous expression,” Kasen said, grinning at me. “It’s boner-inducing.” His face flushed, and he quickly turned into Emerald’s shoulder. “I can’t believe I just said that to him,” he murmured.
Emerald laughed. “I always told you your mouth was going to get you in trouble.”
“Why didn’t you stop me?” he whined.
The smile on my face stretched so wide that I could feel it in my muscles. Kasen was fucking adorable. The way his ears reddened at the tips as he tried to climb inside Emerald’s chest to hide made me stir to pull him against me. Hold him and purr to him that he’d be fine. It was cute.
I was startled when Emerald purred, cooing to Kasen as if he had the same visceral reaction to comfort and soothe him. And then his scent changed, taking it from the calm eucalyptus to strong lemon. Citrus. Alpha.
Emerald turned to me and laughed again at how I was looking at him. His purring stopped, and his expression turned shy. “Sorry. It happens before I realize I’ve done it.”
“Don’t apologize,” I said, shaking my head and holding up my hands. “Really. I was just… taken off guard. You read as beta to me, so feeling the shift in you was surprising.”
“I don’t always know I’m doing it,” he said sheepishly. “With Ainsley, I’ve learned just to be me. Beta. But Kasen tends to make me a little more alpha.”
“And so does your omega,” Kasen said, peering at me from under his lashes. “Make him go alpha, I mean. It’s really hot, too.”
Emerald shrugged, but he dropped his eyes. The tone of his smile made it clear that he was self-conscious about it. I found myself smiling again, the warmth of Talya’s glow in my chest pulsing with my heartbeat.
“That’s okay,” I said. “I’m happy that there are good alphas around her. All the ones we met were… less than stellar.”
Kasen perked up, shifting so he could look more fully at me. “You mean through Pack Listing?”
I nodded.
“They were awful?”
“That’s one word for it,” I said, bemused. “Probably one of the nicer words. Honestly, I’m not sure that any omega would choose 90% of the alphas we met. Then again, it could have just been their reaction to me that made them act like trash, but—” I shrugged.
Kasen made a face. “I always wanted to go on Pack Listing. Just to see it.” He hesitated before continuing. “I may have tried to get onto Omega Registry…”
Emerald snorted in laughter. “Of course you did. I’m not surprised, little diva.”
Kasen looked at him shrewdly. “No! It’s just because I was curious about Pack Listing. But unless you’re an alpha within a pack or a registered omega, you can’t even look at the packs.” He pouted.
I chuckled again.
“I was just curious,” he insisted. “But it didn’t matter. I found an alpha anyway.” His look was triumphant when he glared at Emerald.
“Two,” Emerald said.
Kasen’s brow scrunched before he understood what Emerald meant. “No, I meant before I was forced here. And he was a big, dreamy guy, too. Just like Ronan.” His smile turned wicked.
“Then why aren’t you with Ronan if that’s your type?” I asked.
He shrugged. “No reason except that we’re just not like that. He only cuddles me on occasion, though I suspect it's because he needs the cuddle more than I do at those times. I never turn down cuddling.”
“It’s his biggest craving,” Emerald said, pulling Kasen into his side again.
“Kasen’s or Ronan’s?” I asked, trying to keep my grin contained.
Kasen side-eyed me. “Mine, alpha.”
I didn’t have to imagine the invitation in his tone nor the way he blinked at me, all flirty. For the first time in forever, someone other than my omega had me interested. My omega who was still burning brightly in my chest, safe in the other room, while I looked at this beta in a way that I knew I had only ever looked at her.
Well, that was new.