55. Jeremy
Chapter fifty-five
Jeremy
Willow’s teeth punch through my skin. I gasp at the sudden flash of pain, but on its heels comes a cool flowing sensation, like water trickling through me. The pulse is so beautiful, it takes my breath away.
Delicate as spider silk, it flutters, conveying all her desperate hope. It’s almost like I can hear her voice in my mind as she offers me a gift, begging, “Please don’t turn me away, alpha.”
I pull her higher on my lap, tears blurring my vision. “Oh, my sweet omega,” I croon, holding as much of her as I can.
She’s so frightened her scent’s charred, like a fire burned down her Jasmine plant, and she shakes uncontrollably. I don’t even know what’s scared her so bad, but now she’s crawling to me like I’m her safe space.
I’ll never let her feel alone again.
I shift her hair off her neck with trembling fingers, searching for a place to return her bite.
“Here,” Joel husks out, lifting her hand. “You should cover this one.”
Between his fingers sits an old scar. Of course, how did I not put two and two together when she admitted she’d had a bond once before?
I lift her wrist to my lips and kiss the site. “Willow?” I rasp, thick emotion lodged in my throat. “Are you sure you want my bond?”
She nods, the motion tearing at my skin where her teeth are still lodged. The fragile bond between us hums with her need.
I smile and massage her back with my free hand.
Glancing up, I find Joel’s gaze locked on me over her smooth skin.
His anticipation roars through me, as desperate as Willow but far more potent.
His scent darkens and as I watch, his lips peel back, my older brother quivering with his fierce need to bond his omega.
His desire fuels my own.
I press another kiss to her wrist and bite down. I hate causing her pain, but like mine, it will be replaced with something better. And as the flowing water sensation turns back toward my omega, I vow in my heart that I’ll always be worthy of her, always be here to protect and lift her up.
The flutter turns into a gust as the bond snaps into place.
Willow’s emotions wash through me like a tsunami, full of rage and grief.
Her sense of bitter worthlessness makes me groan.
The depths of her pain steal my breath all over again as I try to anchor her.
She looks so capable on the outside, that’s it’s a shock to see how absolutely tattered she is inside.
That’s what survivors do; they go on with a smile until they can’t any longer.
Behind our omega, Joel hyperventilates as the full force of her distress hits him second-hand.
He arches his back, so physically affected it shakes him as he takes her load.
With a groan, he leans over the bed and bites down on the comforter, shredding it with his teeth. The room smells like a desert.
I reach past Willow to grab his shoulder.
Fuck, he’s burning up with the need to bond his scent-match.
Joel latches onto my hand like it's a lifeline, battling with his rising alpha nature.
Moments later he gasps in a breath, finally getting himself under control.
As the need settles, his fierce love swells into its place, along with a determination learned from his past mistakes to never let go of Willow.
The sheer strength of his resolve squeezes at my chest.
Willow feels it too.
Alessandro grips Joel’s belt with one hand, and Willow’s waist with his other, much of his bodyweight pressing on my knee. A tear spills down my cheek as the pack gathers around our precious, hurting omega, to shoulder her pain.
We’re here for her.
Strong enough to bear it.
We’ll never let her bear her burden alone again.
Willow sobs a lifetime of tears, her slender body jerking with the force of it. And ever so slowly, the ebb in the bond turns back, carrying our love directly into her heart. Her guttural cries even out to bitter sobs, which eventually settle to wet, tearful whimpers.
Joel regains his composure first. He clears his throat and sits up, stroking Willow’s hair. “Thank you, baby, for trusting us. I know how hard that was for you.”
Willow sniffles and nods, her eyes swollen. She leans away from my chest to rest her head under Joel’s chin, and my brother hugs her fiercely.
“Yours too,” she whispers. “In for a penny, in for a pound.”
My brother’s eyes light up and he lifts her other hand to his mouth. “You . . . want my bond, Willow?”
He shivers, alpha intensity billowing to full force. The look on his face stirs a sense of wonder in me. Has Joel ever desired anything in his life as much as this craving to make Willow his?
“Yes, alpha,” she whispers.
He groans, the sound rolling deep in his chest. Maybe it’s even a purr. “I promise I’ll never use this against you, Willow. And I’ll never, ever abandon you.”
He lifts her delicate wrist to his mouth.
She nods and Joel bites down. Her soft gasp pains me, but a moment later she bites him back on the shoulder.
My bond with her fills with wonder as she gets a direct link to her scent-match alpha.
Joel rocks her gently, all his attention turned inward to the new direct bond.
His heart swells with more affection than he can contain.
Willow lets out a deep sigh. Her love for Joel is different, somehow more primal, but no less strong. When she glances my way, her reddened eyes shine with trust. She squeezes my hand and then scoots toward Alessandro.
“Your turn,” she whispers.