Chapter 22
Chapter
Twenty-Two
DOMINIC
I ’ve seen Alphas around their Omegas—I’ve just come from Siderno and his—and while I had a fair understanding of the semantics associated with being a man obsessed by their welfare, nothing properly prepared me for the seismic change that occurred within minutes. And shit, she hasn’t even said if she’s interested in me or not.
The change currently realigning every cell in my body towards her does not abate the wild possessiveness I have for Hendrix and Ryder. In fact, what happens is that a part of me changes to allow the space for her to become a priority.
A huge fucking one too.
Hendrix’s fingers fall to her waist as he comforts her, and I catch a twitch of pain marring her beauty. In the very next blink, it’s like it never happened. Except I saw it, and given Ryder arranged this appointment for me to speak with her about an attack at the hospital, I can’t ignore it.
Literally.
A deep rage ignites my designation, making a scarlet haze blur everything in my vision. My feet move as if I’m a puppet pulled by strings. I end up in front of Hendrix, my hands fisted by my sides. I’m ready to knock him into tomorrow if he causes her any more discomfort in any way.
I’ve never reacted like this.
“Dom?” Ryder’s voice rings clear and cuts through the haze induced pounding in my ears.
I shouldn’t be surprised he is the voice of reason. He has always had that ability to soothe whatever it is that lurks inside me. My father is responsible for awakening and inciting the beast, while Hendrix taught me what love is and gave me the courage to tell my father to go fuck himself. Ryder was solely responsible for getting me to accept not all darkness is pitch black.
“Dom,” he says again. And his voice continues to drain the aggression that had taken hold.
I go to step away, but I’m stopped by the softest brush against my side.
And the fallout continues to be overwhelming.
I thought Hendrix and Ryder were the only people capable of tempering my storm. But one touch from her and I realise we’ve been pretending to have my impulses under control.
It’s like she is a dowser capable of finding the very source of the rage before her magic curls around it, taking me to a place of quiet stillness.
Everything is happening so quickly. I don’t even know a thing about her, but I feel like I do. Or maybe it is that I know learning everything about her isn’t a choice.
I’m so thrown, so not myself, I seriously consider that there’s the possibility I’ve fucking lost my grip on reality and am in the midst of a manic episode where I’m imagining everything. Except when I look at her, no shit, it’s like the clouds part. And the angels are at long last sleeping.
I am not the poetic sort. That title falls to our singer/ songwriter, but when I look at Ryder, his eyes are full of awe. Because of course he wouldn’t have missed it happening.
“Don’t doubt her. Sin unleashes my muse every time I think of her. I haven’t stopped writing, but by the looks of it our sweet Omega may have the opposite effect on you.”
Ryder has always spoken the truth. Irrespective of whether you want to hear it or not. He is eloquent, a true romantic at heart, but his sledgehammer delivery can sometimes be difficult to bear.
Not today.
Today, I feel I am sharing another part of my soul with him. Perhaps we are, because how he spoke was better than I could ever voice.
“She’s hurt,” I tell him.
And in doing so, I probably scare her off, sounding like a fucking cave man—only capable of grunts and growls. All the logic and reasoning in my head vanish, leaving only the stillness. I finally get the draw Edward had towards Bella.
Her fingers bury further, and I look down at her to find her staring deep into my soul. A gentle smile on her lips rips my control apart, and I start fighting all over. This time though I have to direct all that control, to stop myself bending down to kiss her.
But the truth is this is not the first time I have met her and for months and months I have been pining for her on a primal level.
“I am okay. What about you?”
Jesus, even her voice is like a balm. Her little claws not so much, but even then I’m fooling myself. She could scratch me up and make me bleed, and I’d be the happiest man alive.
Except I know she’s hurt.
“Are you?”
Her eyes fall away, and she doesn’t rush her answer. I get little dots on the periphery of my vision as I hold my breath, waiting for her answer. Using his eyes only, Hendrix snags my attention and looks at me, asking what the fuck.
Clearly Ryder hasn’t updated him on why he arranged this meeting between her and me today.
Her awareness includes him though, and she pushes back against him, anchoring Hendrix while continuing to hold me.
“I had a run in with Brody.”
The sound that rips from Hendrix would haunt some people. He tries to cover it up. “You didn’t want to let me know, Simona?”
She spins in his arms, her hand going from me to him. And I watch surprised at the strength I witness as she pulls his face to hers, making it impossible for him to pull away and shield her from his emotions.
“I messaged and told you I was okay, Hendrix. I need you to have a little more faith in me.”
The way she looks at him has me envious until she turns back to me, and I get the same attention he did. “You heard me say, I am okay, right?”
I nod in agreement, and I get a small smile in return before she continues. “Perhaps though, you could get me a drink. And then I’d like to hear how you all know each other.”
For someone so slight, she’s got a way about her. In time, and if things keep down the direction we’re already travelling, I suspect I’m going to find it near impossible to ever deny her anything. Hendrix’s expression goes from trying to get answers, to caring mode, in a snap.
He swoops her up in his arms, making her glare. I follow behind but only after rechecking that the front door is locked and the building’s security system is engaged. And then because my protective urges are going off like rockets, I call down to security, telling them not to let anyone in without my permission .
I savour her, inhaling deeply. Her scent is cookies and cream, exactly how I remembered it to be. I knew I hadn’t gotten it wrong. Admittedly though, I hadn’t gotten it entirely right either. My fever made me miss how sugary, sweet and multi-layered it is—it’s complex but natural, like everything in her is wholesome and ideal.
Her cookies and cream perfume evokes my senses and strokes against parts of me—I feel happy from the bottom of my feet to the top of my head by simply being in her proximity. Another inhale of her scent before I go to ask questions about those injuries only reinforces the joy and calm that I associate with her.
I can’t stay out here forever, trying to inhale every lingering trace of her scent. Still, I savour the way her fragrance trails into my office.
Hendrix took her to my office instead of the boardroom where I was initially going to meet her, but this is no ordinary client meeting anymore. Walking in, I’m surprised to find her curled up on my reading chair by the window and not on his lap or one of the chairs in front of my desk. The unimpressed look on his face suggests he’s not happy about her decision.
Opening the door to my small kitchenette, I trust my screaming instincts and prepare a warm drink. Plus, a small plate of nibbles from the snacks I keep on hand for when I’m working late.
Without turning around, I know she’s watching me. It feels similar to Hendrix’s attention, softer if you will, but the intensity matches. Carrying the biggest, frothiest hot chocolate I’ve ever made—complete with floating marshmallows—the coy smile I get when she sees it, is evidence of how well I picked the drink.
I go to place it next to her, but she reaches out, her hands touching mine, and I pass it to her, feeling as bashful as she just appeared .
“Thank you. This is perfect. How did you know this is what I needed?”
“Lucky guess,” I murmur, watching as she takes a sip.
A small moan escapes her lips. But her eyes fly open the very next instant when she realises, and she blushes a delightful pink. And I pinpoint the colour of her eyes—blue-hazel—like the Aegean Sea.
Jesus, can she be any more perfect?
Hendrix clearing his throat only makes her blush more pronounced.
I gather the rest of our refreshments, and also my suit jacket to drape over her shoulders. I’d hate for her to go into shock as we work through the way she’s inadvertently become each of ours without any of us realising.
I pour a healthy splash of Scotch for both Hen and me, and he winks at me before he knocks his back and then holding it out for a refill.
“You know how upset I am that I’m not there with you guys. Dom, link me to the big screen so I can see you all. I’ve got an hour before I need to do a sound check.”
Hendrix moves before I do, and he locates the remote and moves through the motions of linking us up. We’ve done it countless times, and I don’t need to coach him through the complicated firewall we have on our electronic devices. Instead, I get to watch her.
She keeps sipping her hot chocolate, and I can see the hundreds of questions building. Her eyebrows tip when Hen disappears into the other room attached to my office, but it’s not nervousness I see when her eyes come back to mine, it’s realisation.
“You’re packed,” she says softly.
Her eyes search mine for answers, and I’ll happily explain everything to her, but Hendrix and Ryder deserve to be included in that discussion because we very much are pack. Everything we do is for each other, and that will include explaining our relationship to her.
Ryder’s face fills the screen, and my gaze goes to him. With his hair still damp from the shower—and I know for a fact he only had one because he, Hen, and I were all talking while he did—he looks thrilled with the fact his Sin is the same woman Hen is having an affair with, and the woman I’ve been searching for.
He’s watching me, but she’s still focused on my face, watching me intently. I turn back to her, comfortable, we were all able to speak and hear each other now. “Ryder, Hendrix, and I are more than pack. We’re lovers. Partners in everything we do.”
The blue of her eyes overtakes the green, and she doesn’t hide her surprise. But when she takes another sip, her eyes fall away. I reach for my drink, Hen doing the same, and it’s surprisingly peaceful as we each work through the shock of this morning.
“Sin.” Ryder interrupts us after a few minutes. I shouldn’t be surprised that he’s eager to keep the discussion flowing, it’s his nature.
She looks back at the screen, and I completely misjudged the situation. She’s got tears brimming and ready to fall.
He tips his head and moves closer to the camera. His presence looms even over the distance, and I swear I get the subtle hint of his sweetened-honey scent. “Please don’t jump to conclusions without hearing from us first. The three of us have been honest with each other about you since the moment we crossed paths. We each found you on our own. Surely that has to be the most beautiful coincidence in this.”
My throat constricts, disappointment in myself that I completely misjudged her. I’m her scent matched Alpha and I couldn’t read her distress. I feel blindsided by my failure. Frustration pumps through my veins .
“Don’t.” Hendrix’s hand clamps down hard against the back of my neck. He drags me to him until the familiarity of his thunderstorm inspired scent fuels my equilibrium. “Our mate is very good at doing what she does. Focus on the fact that she’s showing us her true feelings.”
Hen’s mouth brushes against my forehead, doing more for my frayed emotion than a glass of Scotch ever could. And then he turns his focus back to her as he leans forward, resting his arms on the tops of his thighs, demanding her attention.
“Why do you feel bad, Simona?” Hendrix’s voice is loaded by his designation.
“Selfish,” she whispers. “I feel so guilty.”
“Why? We’re all adults, and my pack knew you and I were starting an ‘affair’.” He uses his fingers to emphasize the word.
After blowing out a long, shaky exhale, she raises her chin as she speaks. “And what about Rye? He didn’t know about you, and you didn’t know about him.”
“I’m not sure you and I have had the chance to speak about much yet, Ryder included, considering you only got back late last night. And as for Dom, I know he’s been looking for his Omega because Rye and I have been helping where we could. I’m with Ryder, how the three of us each found you is an incredible feat, which only reaffirms how perfect you are for us.”
She goes to answer but she looks at me instead. “I walked in here and I knew it was you.”
“Me?”
Shaking her head, her gaze drops away. I’m beginning to realize that her looking away isn’t defiance, nor is it true submission. It’s a learned response—something taught.
She must realise it because her eyebrows draw together before she pulls her shoulders back. Her lips curl upwards into a teasing smile. “If you tried to take that awful scratchy brown blanket away from me, I would probably claw your eyes out.”
Instantly I know what blanket she’s talking about because I nearly didn’t use it to wrap her up in it. I nearly took it for myself as a reminder of her mouthwatering scent.
“Does that mean I’m going to lose my favourite jacket?” I ask, somehow keeping a straight face.
“Probably,” she confirms with a small shrug. “I’m a mess. I’m all over the place.”
Hendrix stands, scoops her off her chair, and then sits with her in his lap. He shuffles around so she can see Ryder on the screen before he reaches for my suit jacket and drapes it over her.
“Simona, before we marvel at our meeting, I’d really like to hear why you were meeting Dominic this morning.”