Chapter 6
Nova
With Petunia snuggled up in Nick’s lap in the passenger seat, Ian in the driver’s and me sitting in the middle of the back seat, poking my head between them to see out the front window, we head towards the guy’s house.
I’m both nervous and excited. Less than a month ago, I was at the lowest I’ve ever been in my life. Now, I’ve got myself a pack and a new start far away from my old life.
Still, I have no idea what this new start means. It’s going to be a change, a big change. And honestly, I fucking hate change. It’s why I put up with so much from my ex, because it was easier to ignore it than to leave him.
Cowardly thing, I know, but I’m an Omega. We crave stability. And even though I’ve been taking care of myself since I presented, and even for a while before that, I still find myself enjoying the bits and pieces of what they’ve been doing to take care of me.
Was it a healthy start? No, but I mean, what relationship doesn’t have its hardships? Hey, at least they’re not fucking my mom, that's a plus.
If they did, or if they fucked around with another person, I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment to chop off their cocks. There’s only so much a girl can take before she snaps, you know?
As Ian turns off down a winding road, Will keeps going straight.
“Where’s he going?” I ask, watching the white van disappear from sight.
“He’s going to drop off the merchandise with our men,” Nick grunts.
“Oh.” That makes sense. They don’t seem like the kind of men to be stupid enough to bring a van full of stolen goods right to their house. “How’s he gonna get back?”
Nick looks at me over his shoulder with a raised brow. “Worried, Princess?”
“No.” I glare at him.
Nick’s lips twitch. “Mhhm.”
“Shut up and pet your opossum.” I narrow my eyes.
His face drops, his glare pointed at me. “It’s your fucking rat. The only reason I’m holding it is so it doesn’t hurt itself, because if that happened, I’d never stop hearing you bitch and complain,” he growls.
I bite my lip, trying but failing to hold back a smirk.
When the vet handed Petunia over with her newly casted leg, she was immediately stressed in my arms, trying to claw at me.
Nick, in what I think was his way of trying to protect me, grabbed her from me, and she instantly settled in his hold and curled into his chest.
The vet said it was crucial that she stayed calm during her healing, and right now, Nick seems to be the only person she relaxes with. I’m trying not to be offended because hello, I’m the one who saved her, and this is the thanks I’m getting?
But honestly, it’s pretty damn cute how much she likes him, and he can’t fucking stand her. It’s like I’ve gained someone else to join me on the ‘piss off Nick’ parade. It’s fun.
“Sure, sure. Whatever you need to tell yourself, big guy.” I pat his head mockingly.
A growl rumbles in his throat, eyes filled with murder, but fuck if it doesn’t have me clenching my thighs together.
Just to push a little more, I ignore his growl and reach up, running my finger through his smooth blond locks.
“Tell me, Saint Nick,” I murmur, my nails scraping against his scalp.
His face softens, and his eyes close with a low groan.
I swear he starts to purr at my touch. Oh, I like this.
“Are you going to cuddle with me again tonight like a good boy, or will there be another battle of wills?” I bite the inside of my cheek.
His eyes snap open, and his glare is back on me. “Fuck. Off,” he growls, turning around in his seat.
I sit back laughing, but it wanes when I see that we have pulled up to a gate. I watch in awe as it opens, revealing a driveway with a fair-sized house at the end of it. Beyond it, the bright moon, its light sparkling on the ocean’s water. “Whoa,” I say, nearly breathless.
“Pretty awesome, right?” Ian asks, parking the truck. “Just wait until you see the inside.”
Nick throws his door open, removes Petunia from his lap, and places her on the seat.
I watch as he storms towards the house, leaving us behind.
“Rude,” I mutter, getting out and going to the front to grab Petunia.
She hisses at me, and I frown. “Enough of that. It’s either you let me bring you inside, or you stay out here.
Your choice.” She hisses at me again but doesn’t struggle. I take it as a win.
“I got Duchess,” Ian says, opening up the back door and grabbing the cat carrier.
“Do you think these two will get along?” I ask Ian as we walk side by side to the house.
“Give it a few days, and I’m sure they will be best friends. They have mutual hardships to bond over. That's always something that connects people.”
“True,” I agree, looking up at him. “What are your hardships?”
He blinks down at me. “Other than an abusive father and a mother who left me there to grow up with him? Not much.” He shrugs, and my heart breaks with how casually he says it.
My mother might not have been the best mother, but she wasn’t so bad before my dad died. And she stuck around.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He smiles. “I had my big brothers, and they raised me pretty damn well. I’m only slightly deranged, so there's that."
We pause before we reach the front door. I cock my head to the side, looking up at the Alpha looming over me. “Will hinted at something, and I’ve been curious about it ever since.”
“And what might that be, my Little Doe?” Ian murmurs, lifting his hand to brush his fingers along my face. Butterflies erupt inside my belly. I’m really not sure if I’m ever going to get used to a man treating me with this kind of affection. It’s foreign to me, but I like it. Maybe too much.
Trying not to let my damn libido run the show, again, I focus on what I’m about to ask him. This is probably not the best time or place, but it’s been on my mind since Will brought it up. And, if I’m going to be living under a roof with more than one killer, I’d like to know.
“Have you killed people before?” He blinks at me, like he’s not surprised by my question.
“The truth?” he asks, his lips twitching.
“Nah, lie to me. I love that.” I joke back.
He chuckles. “I have.”
“Because of the life you used to live?”
“For the most part.” He nods. “Being part of that MC, living with those kinds of men, killing came with the territory.”
“Will said it was something you enjoyed.”
“He wasn’t wrong.” Ian nods. “When it was someone really deserving of death, I’ve gotten enjoyment out of it.”
“Have you killed anyone since leaving that life?”
He nods slowly. “Yes.”
“Who?” Why am I asking this right now?
“Let’s just say that our side hustle brings us into a different kind of dangerous world.
If I see someone truly evil along the way, I’ve been known to.
.. deal with them. And yes, I do get enjoyment from wiping that kind of scum from this earth.
” He cocks his head to the side as my heart starts to race. “Does that scare you, Little Doe?”
Slowly, I shake my head. “Surprisingly, no.” I huff out a soft laugh. “Not sure what that says about my mental state.”
“I think it says you are the perfect Omega for our pack. Hand-picked just for us. You're smart, kind, and resilient. You match each of us in different ways. And yes, I mean Will and Nick, too. You don’t push Will, you seem to realise he’s a harder nut to crack but you are willing to take the time he needs.
With Nick, you fight back. You push and poke.
And even though he acts like he hates it, he doesn’t.
” Ian grins wider. “He gets off on it. The both of you do. You keep him on his toes and bring excitement to his life. I see a spark inside him that I thought died a long time ago. So, thank you for that.”
My lips part as I stare up at him in shock, not sure what to say about that.
So, I shift the attention to him. “And what about you? What do I offer you?”
He steps closer, cupping my cheek. My heart pounds in my chest, a warm feeling settling around me as his scent wraps me up like a warm blanket.
“You give me what I’ve always wanted: An Omega to love, to spoil, to obsess over.
You don’t fight me when I want to care for you, you don’t push me away when I get a little too clingy.
You see me for who I am, and you don’t question it.
Even though we’ve given you every reason to run for the hills, you’re still here. ”
Licking my lips, I try to ignore the burning in the back of my eyes.
I’ve never wanted to join a pack. Never wanted Alphas of my own. It wasn’t just the kidnapping part that had me fighting the scent match bond.
It was the fear of being controlled, of losing myself to be at the mercy of my Alphas. The thing is, apart from the bullshit fighting between Nick and me, the more we get to know one another, the more I see that they haven’t really tried to control me at all. Or change me.
Nick’s comments about me being annoying and his little nitpicking doesn’t bother me.
Because from the way he held me last night, the look in his eyes, the small things he does for me, I know he wants me despite hating that he does.
Still, slowly, I seem to be winning him over, even if it’s going to take some work.
I’m still me; loud, sassy, stubborn and independent when I want to be. They haven’t tried to put a stop to it.
For the most part, I say and do what I want, apart from leaving. I think that's the only thing they would challenge me about. They won’t let me leave. I’m with them for life. And if I tried to leave, I have no doubt they would find me and lock me up in their fucking basement or something.
As long as I don’t try to run, I can be myself, live the life I want.
That doesn’t sound too bad.
“Ian,” I whisper, voice wavering as he leans down and kisses me.
I moan into his mouth, letting his tongue slide in over mine. We stand here for a long moment, kissing like we need our next breath.