Chapter 24
Chapter
Twenty-Four
SIMONA
T hree words but by god they have been so heavy to carry by myself. Too heavy. Once my terrible secret passes my lips there’s an increasing pressure in my chest. It hurts so much it feels I might break.
At the precipice though, when I think I will crack under the pressure, come softly spoken words, reinforced by arms that band around me, shaking as much as I do. “I got you.”
A sob breaks from deep inside my soul.
One sob turns into a river of ugly tears and howling pain. I don’t do anything to stop the tears or hide how sad I am, but he doesn’t try to stop them either.
I push my back against his chest, fighting the onslaught that rips free. And all he does is hold me to him while his scent rains down.
I spend a lot of time crying and explaining. Releasing myself from the shackles that have bound and sharing maybe more than I should but the words that keep spilling. The tears that won’t stop.
Time becomes irrelevant and I only measure it by where Dominic sits. He sits because I stay tucked in his arms. We travel across his office, chasing patches of sunlight, but he won’t let me go for a minute. Not that I want to leave the haven he provides.
I tell him everything about my family, how we found out I was bark sensitive, about growing up in the founding family world, about Brody hating me since before I could talk to discovering he would be my Alpha and the heartbreak of what he did in a fit of misplaced rage. I go through in awful detail the things Brody has done since—no matter how big or small it seemed. I talk about how thrilled I was to attend Unity, how distressed it makes me feel having to keep things from my Scorned Girls, before I explain how on top of everything else, I am so riddled with guilt about being as deceitful as I have been. Especially anything to do with Lawson.
Dominic doesn’t interrupt, or add anything, he just holds me tight and listens. There comes a point, hours later, where my words come to an end, and the pain of remembering everything numbs enough for me to just sit in stillness. Time stretches, and I follow his deep, steady breathing until he finally speaks.
“Rest now.” His voice is firm but tender. He wraps me in a smaller ball on his lap, tucking his jacket around me tighter before both his arms wrap around and hold me.
My eyes close. I switch off and pass out.
I drift from sleep to wakefulness, but I linger in the quiet, not yet ready to open my eyes. An arm curls around me, and somehow, the soft plume of paper and ink scent finds me, even though I’m still cocooned.
I’ve never fallen asleep in someone’s arms, so I’ve never experienced the immovable sense of stability before. It’s peaceful. Shifting in his arms so my nose is pressed against his shirt I stay hovering in light doziness breathing Dominic’s scent—which has been with me for what feels like forever .
There’s movement to the stillness though, and when I peek out, aside from a small lamp on his desk, darkness is everywhere else. He’s working. I realise that’s what I could feel.
When I sit up, he doesn’t jump into asking me how I feel. Instead, he pulls a tray full of snacks and drinks for me to reach. My tummy rumbles appreciatively but my bladder presses urgently.
“Bathroom?”
He swivels his chair, and a small light guides my path. I’m stiff as I make my way, and by the time I’ve returned, I’ve got a pounding headache and a tiredness that is bone deep.
“In you go,” he says without looking at me.
And I don’t really realise what is the ‘in’ he’s referring to until he points to his desk. Well, under his desk. He picks up his phone and flicks the torch on, keeping it away from me but showing me what he has done. A huge duvet almost completely hides a mattress made of pillows. To the side of his desk there’s another pile of smaller throw rugs.
He has made me a nest, a place to recover, and find some of what I lost.
“I will watch you as you sleep, Simona.” Dominic’s voice is full of his designation, but it doesn’t come across as an Alpha bark.
I move, driven by pure Omega instinct and need for comfort. And when I crawl deep into the space he’s made, I’m greeted by the scent of them—Dominic, Hendrix, and Rye’s perfume is ingrained in each feather and every fluff of down that fills their comforter. Sunshine warm honey, a thunderstorm in all its glory, and a library of beautifully bound pages—fills my lungs and curls around me as I collapse face first into the wall of pillows and blankets.
It is perfect. There’s not one lick of hesitation or question when I wiggle as deep as I can into the nest he made. This is nothing like any other nest I have been in, and from this second on, no other nest will ever compare.
The fact he made this for me makes it even more memorable.
I poke my head up, bopping my head lightly on the underside of his desk, and he moves whip-quick to check on me.
“How did you do this?”
“I told Hen we would be staying here tonight. He dropped what he was doing and delivered this a few hours ago. Your food might be cold. I can heat it up when you’re ready.”
“And what are you doing?”
“Writing notes after listening to the bravest person I have ever had the privilege of meeting.” He places the tray on the floor at the entrance of my nest before rolling back his chair and filling the space. Making me feel infinitely safer.
The low light in the room adds to the sanctuary he offers. Dominic’s steady breathing along with the scratch of his fountain pen keeps me in the present, and the wrung out, but happy, relief humming through me continues.
Left alone, I shuffle in my scent cave until I’m snug as a bug. Reaching for the tray Dominic left for me, I open lids and sample what Hendrix brought. There are slivers of roast chicken dipped in decadent gravy, mashed potatoes whipped to silky perfection. Another plate has fresh ribbons of crisp cucumber, avocado, and crunchy lettuce bathed in a French vinaigrette so tart it makes me squint, but it’s delicious. I find a sample dish of tiny cronuts, so many different varieties I never knew existed. I should feel bad for taking only a nibble out of each, but I’m too tired to care.
Eventually I push the food away and settle back in my dome. Their individual scents tease me with reminders of them. Together it’s like the best medicine around, soothing my frayed edges until I fight to keep my eyes open .
I’m so close to falling asleep but something is holding me back. Too tired to figure out if I should or shouldn’t, I toss the blanket aside.
“Dominic, will you hold me, please?”
I think he doesn’t hear. I go to say it again, but the soft light in the office dims even more. Dominic swivels his seat, toes off his dress shoes, and another wave of happiness makes my head all swirly.
I scoot over, making room for him under his mammoth desk. It’s a surprise we both fit as he climbs into my hideaway. We wiggle around until he finds a way to keep his back to the room. He wraps me in his arms, enveloping me, and I know he is showing me he is my protection tonight. My shield from any nightmares that threaten.
I drift off to the very distracting, but soothing rhythm of his fingers running through my hair and his slow steadying breath warming the back of my neck. The tears in my eyes this time aren’t from old wounds.
I wake up on top of Dominic, in full child’s pose.
My legs are tucked either side of him, my face pressed against the skin of his neck. Which is mildly embarrassing, but I’m mortified when I look down and see what I did in my sleep—apparently, I ripped his business shirt wide open.
Before I can figure an explanation for him, his soft snores cut through my mild panic. Being careful not to wake him, I twist around so I can see him better. Dominic is an incredibly attractive Alpha when he’s tussled by sleep. Well, I think he is, and I am swooning.
But swooning is not going to get me out of the mess I’m still facing. I don’t regret telling Dominic what happened—if I’m honest I’m beyond grateful being able to tell someone. I literally have no idea what to do next though.
Dominic starts to stir; his arm comes to settle around my shoulder, and I can feel him stretching under me. He doesn’t let me go, but I don’t move either.
“What are you thinking about?” Dominic asks.
“Wondering what to do next. I honestly don’t know,” I admit while also making a deliberate decision to stay on top of him where I am. He’s like a furnace, making me toasty warm.
There’s no doubt about the intimacy we share. Even now, how we are physically, isn’t normal for strangers, but last night I obliterated the boundaries people who barely know each other have. I understand timing played a big part in what happened—I needed to tell someone—but I also believe it only happened because of the innate level of trust already established between us since we are scent compatible partners.
For a long time, his scent has given me comfort—and confidence. And now I’ve met him, I’m not surprised everything about Dominic makes me feel the way I do. He radiates trust.
Perhaps I’m looking at him with rose coloured glasses, but I’d put money on him never spilling one of my secrets. Even with his pack. Which is another issue entirely. One I’d like to spend lots of time exploring, but first I need to focus on what to do about Brody.
“I need to do something, don’t I?”
As Dominic considers my question, he trails his fingers softly up and down my spine like feathers. It’s in complete contrast to the Dominic most people would see—the man is intimidating in every sense of the word—except when he’s your scent match, apparently.
“I think you do, but this is about you, Simona. I’ll give you the power to make your own decisions and provide you with the legal means to ensure you get what you want. You’re a very intelligent woman, and I want you to remember that. As your lawyer, I have outlined several courses of action we should discuss because I do believe he is escalating. And I don’t believe he will stop abusing you any time soon.”
“Only as my lawyer?” I ask boldly.
His hands stop moving, all of him stills, but it’s only for a bare fraction of time. “If I get to refer to our obvious connection, and the bond we share as part of my argument, then I would tell you before we do anything else, I want to lock you safely in my home while I take Hendrix and Ryder with me in order to give Mr. Henderson a healthy dose of his own medicine. Perhaps even an overdose of it.”
I lean up so I can look in his eyes.
“You want to beat him up?”
He tips his head to the side unapologetically. “I want to rip him into small pieces before burning each piece to ash. Then I’d scatter his remains in four rivers on different continents for what he did to you,” he says sincerely. He doesn’t hide the rush of his Alpha from me.
It’s a big moment. The both of us know it. I’m trapped about the situation I am in, but coming face to face with Dominic’s Alpha side is worlds apart from staring at Brody’s.
The air in my nest hangs heavy, there’s most certainly a hint of danger in Dominic’s challenging stare. But being this near to him, I don’t get a sense of personal danger.
“As someone who is interested in exploring our scent match bond, I’d ask if you would trust me enough to show me the bruises so I could tend to them like I desperately want.” He rises up so I can’t misread his expression in the low light. “The flipside of what I am saying, Simona, is you could tell me no, and I would respect your answer. I wouldn’t start to play games and pressure you to reconsider or ridicule you later. I would be proud you answered me honestly and would find another way to care for you.”
“We don’t know each other. I don’t even know your middle name or when you were born,” I whisper, barely catching myself from leaning in more.
“I have a feeling, similar to what I felt when I met Hendrix and Ryder, that ultimately, we will know everything about each other. This,” he waves his hand between the space we share, “isn’t a done deal, set in stone. But I want you to know that given half the chance, I’d dive headfirst into exploring the draw we share. If we decide not to pursue anything outside of what’s happening right this second, I will respect your decision and treasure the chance we had. Included in our journey is me looking after you. Tending to your pain and lending you my strength until you regain yours.”
I truly believe every word he speaks.
Holding his gaze, still full of tender care but also the determination I’m slowly starting to associate with these Alphas—Ryder and Hendrix included—I scoot out of the nest and show him.
Watching as he witnesses for himself the bruises I’d already told him about isn’t as difficult as I made it out to be in my mind. While a gamut of emotions flickers over his face, he keeps blitzing my senses with his scent, giving me praise without saying a word.
Dominic rolls out of my nest and approaches me slowly. I watch his sock covered feet as he nears. And as odd as it might be, it’s watching him wiggle his toes when he’s in front of me that confirms the peace I am feeling inside is as real and tangible as he is.
“So,” he says, while steering my chin up so I can’t avoid looking at him. He also has my top and helps me dress. Once my head has poked through the neck, he guides each of my arms in. “I have a confession; I really want to hurt him now.”
“Okay,” I say, taking his hand. He leads me back towards my nest but changes his mind and picks me up so I sit on the edge of his desk.
“I’m not a doctor, but I have had experience with similar injuries. I think some warmth on those bruises will be enough.” Dominic is attentive but careful in the way he helps, keeping his designation well contained so it’s like a low soothing hum. “How do you feel about us working through some of my ideas about what you do next?”
“We can do that.”
As soon as I agree, his shoulders relax slightly, and he heads to the kitchen area in his office. I watch as he makes a hot chocolate for me and pours himself a cup of black coffee. He also fixes another plate of food from containers similar to the ones from last night.
“On my desk next to you are some ideas of what I was considering.”
His notebook is where he said, and I get a pleasant puff of his scent when I lift the top onto my lap. Unable to stop myself, I lift the whole thing up to take a better smell of his notebook. Like everything else in his office, there’s a subtle reminder of him ingrained on the pages. A small sniff and I’m ready for the next part which is reading his suggestions.
Dominic’s writing matches his personality. Each letter has been penned with impeccable precision, each word perfectly spaced. There’s no dramatic embellishment in his style but he doesn’t need it either. There’s elegance and ego hidden in the preciseness. Once I start reading his notes, my attention shifts to what he wants us to discuss.
He leaves me in peace to read. I know he’s right next to me; I feel his presence brush over me every now and then, a gentle reminder that he’s there. His scent wraps around me.
I like that he hasn’t reverted completely back to only being my lawyer. The lines between us are blurred anyway, so when he sits on his leather chair and pats his lap, I don’t hesitate to climb on.
“Now it’s time for the warmth therapy I was referring to,” he says from behind me.
My feet dangle awkwardly until he reclines back and lifts his legs, lifting mine with them. He rests his feet on top of his desk and hands me the mug of hot chocolate before moving his closer to the edge of the desk, and then he buries his hands under my clothes and settles them on the worst bruises. It is instant bliss, and like holding a heat pack against the dull aches.
He starts talking, and I simply relax and enjoy the tranquil moment.
“I remember best by writing detailed notes. No one ever sees them,” he says as I hold the sheet up for us both to read.
“Why do you want me to tell my girlfriends I have a stalker?”
Out of all his options—and a lot of them have merit—introducing a stalker was the strangest.
“I already get a sense, Simona, you are a very private person. You share only so much with people, and I’d say not many people know the real you. Even your best friends.” I get a small press of his hands against my skin, and I know it’s his reminder of how much I shared with him and his promise to keep my secrets safe. “Until we know more of Brody’s real motivations, including why he was at that hospital, telling your friends you have a stalker keeps them safe and allows you more freedom to hide.”
“You don’t think I should tell them it’s Brody?”
“Would you? Particularly when he has already made verbal threats against people and things you hold dear. He told you on several occasions he’d burn or destroy what makes you happy. He’s burnt your pet rock; he trashed your bedroom after finding you had hidden things from him. ”
Dominic is right though. I wouldn’t tell my Scorned Girls because if they knew what Brody had done, and what he was capable of, they’d go after him. If they saw him at Unity, or out on the street they would likely attack him without provocation. Brody is too dangerous, too vindictive to forgive something like that. I would be dragged home and never heard from again. If that wasn’t bad enough, I have no doubt Brody would return when the girls least expected it and torment them until they broke.
Telling them I have a stalker would make them aware of a dangerous situation. Keeping the stalker as an ‘unknown’ threat would also mean they would handle the whole situation differently. In any situation regarding a stalker, they would run and hide instead of stay and fight.
“I know Hendrix spoke to you a while ago about guards watching you. That has now become a non-negotiable. If Brody is aware you have a pack of Alphas intent on packing you, we risk inciting his volatility to dangerous levels. Until we know his motivation and have everything we need lined up, pretending you don’t have a pack of Alphas ready to defend and/or save you in any situation gives us an edge. You should know.”
I twist around to look at him. It seems I need a lot of verbal reassurance these days. “Know what?”
“We will be dealing with this little cunt while we will be courting the absolute shit out of you.”
“How?”
“Nice of you to ask. It’s rather simple, Amore Mio, we will all be having a salacious affair with you individually, but also as a pack. Make no mistake about our interest in making you our Omega, packing you, biting your body with our claims, asking you to take our name.”
I blaze under the determination in his calculating gaze, it warms me as much as his hands on my body do .
He might share the same colour eyes as Brody, but they are nothing the same. Nothing at all. Dominic’s eyes are like smouldering pots of melting chocolate—decadent and full of wicked promise.
I turn until I am straddling his lap, my knees pressed against the back of his chair, caging him in. And then I do what I’ve wanted to do since I first rubbed my face on that god-awful scratchy blanket: I cup his face and kiss him.
Kissing Dominic feels like free fall, leaving me unsure of what is up or down. All I know is how right it feels just being with him.
Each time I tease his tongue with mine, I ache. He takes control of our kiss, and we go from smouldering to scorching under his practised seduction.
“Open,” he demands, his lips barely moving, but I know he’s happy. I can see joy in his eyes and scent his arousal.
He keeps his eyes open, watching to see what I like and what I love.
He drags my bottom lip through his teeth. I jump in sheer surprise at how wickedly good it feels. His love bite hurts because I startle. His bite clamps harder and my teeth latch down. Right on the tip of his tongue, nipping sharply.
Dominic makes the most salacious rumbling sounds of pleasure and desire as the faint taste of copper mixes in with our desperation.
It’s like finding the key to a lock—something clicks open inside me… relief and freedom floods through all the empty, lonely spaces.
And everything twists.
It’s nothing mysterious, just holy fucking momentous.
One drop of blood exchanged between us, just one, and Dominic becomes my Alpha and I become his Omega.