24. Colby
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
COLBY
S ince talking to Talya the other morning about what we’d been forced to walk away from, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. In the heat of the moment, when we were told we’d need to leave everything and everyone behind, my sole concern had been my omega. For good reason, mind you. Not just because she was my omega but because of what we’d gone through.
In the days that followed, we’d been running on fumes, trying to catch up on sleep and regain our strength as we navigated a brand new life surrounded by new people.
I was confident we’d only been here for a short time. Had it been a month yet? Three weeks? There was something about being here that felt like it’d been so much longer. This kind of comfort and sense of home was unusual, especially so quickly.
That meant something though, right? It meant that we’d finally found where we were supposed to be in life. This was what it was supposed to feel like when you found your pack… wasn’t it?
Even being somewhat confident in that, the invasive thoughts of my parents kept running through my head in every quiet moment. I could only imagine the phone call they’d received, being told that their son and his omega were missing.
They were going to go their entire lives not knowing that we were alive. They were going to wonder, waiting for any news at all. Would they stop looking? How often would they think about us?
Chewing the inside of my lip, my eyes strayed to Talya and Kasen, easily catching sight of them from my position on the porch. The two of them were curled up together on a lounge chair under a blanket. I could just hear their laughter reach me as they tucked their heads together and whispered.
A smile touched my lips. In so many ways, Kasen was like Fenton—an instant friend and companion. They were comfortable with each other almost right away.
The primary difference was the physical closeness. Fenton rarely liked to cuddle. In fact, he didn’t like to be touched much at all. That barrier didn’t exist between Kasen and Talya. Was it because there was a distinct difference between besties and family? This was a family. A pack. While we’d talked about creating a pack with Fenton, we ultimately decided against it, which I supposed probably spoke a lot to the relationships we’d shared with him.
Knowing Talya adored him, I’d taken care of him as if he were one of my own, and I knew without a doubt that Fenton cared deeply about us. But it was all strictly platonic. There were zero romantic or sexual feelings between us.
I was fairly confident that Talya was in a very different place with Kasen. A lover without being a lover. That was a thing, right?
Her mother would have loved to see her finally find the pack she deserved. I couldn’t even imagine what was going through her head, knowing her omega daughter had been abducted in the night.
Everyone grew up knowing that the world could be a scary place, but no designation lived in fear quite like the omegas. To a good percentage of alphas, omegas were a possession, something to be had and kept and used. Worse, some even considered them a prize that came with status, and the fact that you had one meant far more than how you treated them.
“Colby?”
I jumped and spun around, my heart racing in my chest. Lohtus and Blakely were just stepping outside the door. Both froze as I caught my breath, but thankfully, I recovered quicker than I had the first few times they’d startled me.
“We’re going to start wearing bells,” Blakely said.
Snorting, I let out a heavy breath. “Sorry. Once again, deep in thought.”
“We’re sorry,” Lohtus said. “We’re not generally quiet, though I suppose we don’t have heavy footfalls like the horses.”
“We can try that though,” Blakely said.
I smirked and turned back to face the field and my omega with our beta. Ours. That’s a new word in my vocabulary. I was glad to be trying it out in my head before saying it out loud. I had a feeling I would like it, but I wasn’t completely sure.
The alphas joined me at the railing, flanking me like they had so many times.
“What’re you thinking about?” Blakely asked.
Sighing, I said, “How often my parents think about us and whether we’re alive or dead.”
“Ah,” Lohtus said, nodding. “I think that’s something we can all relate to.”
“I feel like it would be kinder to tell them we’re dead. Just so they don’t wonder for the rest of their lives what happened to us, you know? I keep trying to imagine what I’d do if my child and his omega disappeared in the night. I think it would drive me absolutely insane.”
Blakely nodded. “This is going to sound heartless, but it’s for your own mental health. Try not to think about it.”
I huffed.
Lohtus gently pressed his shoulder to mine. “It’s easier said than done. We know that. We’ve all had moments where we can’t stop ourselves from thinking about those we’ve left—holidays, birthdays, big moments. Sometimes even just a Tuesday because a scent triggers a memory or we’ve cooked someone’s favorite dish. It’s hard, and I’m not going to pretend it gets easier. You just learn to live with it after a while.”
“Because we’re alive and safe,” I said. “That’s the trade-off.”
“It is,” Lohtus said. “Sometimes that doesn’t seem like enough, and then there are days when we’re convinced that the danger has long since passed and we’re likely forgotten about so surely we can show up again in the world or at least make contact.”
“But then?” I prompted.
“I’m sure karma or something is watching because we almost instantly get news—from the television, a phone call, whatever—that there’s been a spike in something specifically related to what we’ve been through. Recently, when it happens, we’ve had this running joke—okay, who’s been thinking we’re safe?”
I smiled.
“Either way, whatever it is, it’s a constant reminder that the people who do bad things don’t just let their victims go. At the very least, we weren’t supposed to survive, right? What’s the pirate saying? Dead men tell no tales?”
“Then there’s the Great Lakes saying—they don’t give up their dead,” Blakely said.
Lohtus nodded. “All directly applicable to the dark underground that we’d been caught up in.”
For the first time since we’d arrived, I wondered what they’d been through. Was it the same as us? Something different?
“Want to go for a walk?” Lohtus asked.
I glanced at him then looked back out at Talya and Kasen.
“Ronan is right inside, watching out the window,” Blakely said.
I raised a brow and glanced behind me. “Is he?”
Both men chuckled.
“Yes. I haven’t seen him this much since he got here. It’s been nice having him around more,” Lohtus said.
His comment stirred another question inside me. How long had they been here?
“He really likes Talya, huh?” I asked.
Blakely gave me an amused look. “He’s just what we call him. A big grumpy bear. But more than that, he’s very detached. Withdrawn. He’s here when we need him or directly request his company, but otherwise, he’s a lone wolf. He’d much rather be literally anywhere than with other people.”
“Until you two showed up,” Lohtus said.
“Alphas aren’t lone creatures,” I mused.
They shook their heads. Lohtus opened the screen door and poked his head in. “Would you mind keeping an eye on our babies?” he asked, nodding his head in Talya and Kasen’s direction.
“Of course,” Ronan’s gruff voice said. “I already was.”
“We know, but we’re going to go for a walk.”
Ronan appeared in the door a second later and stepped outside. He met my eyes, and I was afforded a small smile. Not quite shy but… as if we shared something. A secret.
Or an omega.
I smiled in return.
With a head tilt, Lohtus gestured which direction he wanted us to go, which was further onto the property. I followed, finding myself sandwiched between them.
“This is a big island,” I observed, glancing back at Talya and Kasen. They hadn’t moved. Ronan had taken up residence on the porch, sitting in a chair where he wasn’t even remotely pretending not to watch them.
“It is. Ten miles or so in diameter at its widest point. We’re part of an island chain that makes up almost 10,000 square miles. Not huge but it’s a good size.”
“How much of it is owned by the government?”
“Almost a quarter. We live on one of the mid-sized islands and take up most of the farmland available,” Blakely said.
“Huh,” I answered as we walked along the freshly mown grass toward the back of the farm where the horse ranch was. Or whatever it was that dealt with the horses.
“We wanted to talk about how you’re feeling. How’re you settling in?” Lohtus asked.
“I think we’ve both compartmentalized the shit we’d been through in favor of dealing with something far more pleasant,” I said.
Blakely snorted quietly, nodding. I had a feeling they all understood that.
“Her nightmares are less frequent,” I said, glancing back again.
“And yours?” Lohtus asked.
A sad smile curled my lips. Sometimes I wondered if Talya’s were the same. They weren’t so much about reliving the drugs but feeling my omega die while being helpless to stop it. To get to her.
“Probably as frequently as hers,” I said.
“Other than the nightmares?”
“I’m… thankful. I cannot tell you how many packs we’ve visited or how many nasty alphas we crossed paths with. It’s more than a relief to know that there are actually good people in the world. Good packs.”
“A pack meant for you,” Blakely said.
I nodded.
“How’re you doing with your omega being courted?”
Laughter bubbled out of me. “This is going to sound ridiculous, but I’m fucking ecstatic. Do you have any idea how frustrating it is not being able to give your omega what she needs and deserves, knowing that you’re the reason why she doesn’t have it?”
“That’s not fair,” Lohtus said.
“No. It’s not, yet it’s entirely fucking true. On the one hand, none of those packs were good people, so I’m confident Talya wouldn’t have had them under different circumstances either. But I was the obstacle every single time. Packs on Pack Listing are looking for an omega, not an omega who’s already bonded to an alpha.”
“Wow,” Lohtus said. “That’s… shit.”
I snorted. “You have no idea. So yeah, I’m thrilled. Talya is an amazing woman and a remarkable omega. She deserves the world, and I just couldn’t give it to her—not on my own.” I looked between the two of them. “But you accepted us both right away, and… Yeah. I can’t tell you the level of relief I feel.”
“Good,” Lohtus said, then his hand curled around my wrist. “Now that we’ve talked about Talya, let’s talk about you.”
Raising a brow, I glanced at him, amused. “What about me?”
Blakely sighed. “I’m shit with patience and sometimes words.” When I faced him, he stopped and stepped into my space, wasting no time before he pressed his mouth to mine.
I was shocked into stopping, partially stumbling, then my eyes closed. He brought me flush against him as his tongue vied for entrance into my mouth, and fuck if I didn’t eagerly allow it.
Beside us, Lohtus chuckled. Blakely pulled his mouth from mine, leaving me feeling slightly dazed and still a bit startled. He pressed his thumb to the pulse point on my neck as he rubbed his nose on my cheek, a prelude to marking me with his scent. A thrill raced down my spine.
“Since Blakely has no chill, I’m not going to ease us into this conversation apparently,” Lohtus said.
“I’m not sorry,” Blakely said.
“We’re interested in courting you , Colby,” Lohtus said as he stepped into our sides and pressed against us. Blakely adjusted our positioning to include him, and before I completely registered what they were saying and this situation, I was embraced between them. Enveloped.
My breath caught as warmth spread through me. I was wanted. I had no idea how that would affect me.
“I think you’ve been trying to take care of your omega all on your own for a long time, haven’t you, alpha?” Lohtus murmured, his lips brushing against my jaw.
I groaned, sagging into him slightly. Somehow, it felt as if he were lifting a weight from my shoulders. I nodded.
“You’ve done an amazing job, but you don’t have to do it alone anymore. You don’t always have to be the one carrying the burden.”
“She’s not a burden,” I feebly argued. It wasn’t that I didn’t mean the words, but the way they were holding me made my entire body feel weightless, like I was suspended between them. Were my feet even touching the ground?
“No. She’s not a burden at all. No omega is and especially not yours. But that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been a struggle. Does it?” Blakely asked.
I shook my head and closed my eyes. “It’s so hard,” I admitted. “To give her everything when it’s just me.”
“No more, alpha. We’re happy to take care of Talya with you. We want to,” Lohtus said. “But you know what else we want?”
“What?”
“ You , alpha. We’d like to court you with the intent that you become our mate,” Blakely said. His lips brushed my neck, and I shuddered at his touch. A trickle of arousal bloomed in my core. “I want to bite you right here, sweetheart.”
“We’re going to help you take care of Talya, and we also want to take care of you,” Lohtus said, his lips at my ear. His tongue brushed the shell, sending another wave of arousal through me. I caught the first sweet notes of it in the air between us and nearly groaned. “What do you think? Are you interested?”
I took a deep breath, trying to clear away the fog that this moment was creating. How did I become so limp in their arms? I was confident that they were, in fact, supporting my weight right now.
“Yes.” There was no question whether I wanted it. I wanted what they were promising me, and I wanted it from them. “What about your beta? Is he going to court me too?”
Both of them chuckled. “He will try like fucking hell if that’s what you want, alpha.”
“In all honesty, he’d love to be a part of this,” Lohtus said, “but no one will put that pressure on you. He is a beta.”
I flinched. “I don’t know what I said to him exactly, but I’m sorry to have made him so uncomfortable.”
Lohtus shook his head. “Nah. He’s okay. He’s stuck between wanting to be as close to you as you’ll allow him and not making you uncomfortable.”
“He doesn’t. In town the other day, I was definitely itchy. It felt like they were closing in and making my alpha restless and defensive. Ronan’s presence helped, but I’m not in a hurry to be surrounded by betas anytime soon. Kasen doesn’t make me uncomfortable.”
I could see it in their faces that they wanted to ask, just as I wanted to ask them, but there was a mutual understanding that if we were to share, right now wasn’t the time.
“Kasen doesn’t make me feel that way.”
“I’m glad,” Lohtus said. “But getting involved with him is different than being comfortable in his presence.”
“I know. He’s adorable, and I love when his cheeks redden. I’m…” My laughter surprised me because this entire situation wasn’t something I was anticipating. Disbelief and so much fucking excitement filled me. “Yeah, I’m interested. In all three of you.”
“Good. We’d make it work otherwise, but this will be even better,” Lohtus said. His hand ran up my spine until he cupped the back of my head. “I think you’re going to enjoy being the one taken care of, alpha.”
Before I could answer, it was his mouth on mine this time. A groan grew in the back of my throat as they started to purr. Blakely kissed along my exposed neck, his hand on me gently petting.
Lohtus wasn’t wrong. I was definitely going to enjoy this even despite how strange it felt already to be doing it without my omega.