Chapter 20
Beck
The storm’s hitting harder now, the rain coming down in sheets, turning the roads into rivers.
I can barely see the taillights of Ford’s truck through the mess, but I don’t need to.
I can hear the growl of the engine, feel the storm pressing in on us, thick and suffocating.
And it’s not just the weather that’s got me tense.
Lo’s in the truck beside me, quieter than usual, her scent mingling with the smell of damp earth and rain. She’s agitated and trying to keep herself contained, but I can smell it. That low, simmering tension.
I try to keep my focus on the road, but every time she shifts in the seat, every time her scent spikes just a little too sharply, I feel that pull deep in my gut. She’s close. Closer than she’s been in weeks, and I don’t know whether to be grateful or terrified.
She’s luring me in, demanding I pay attention to her, and I notice how her pulse quickens when she’s near me, how her breath hitches when Ford or Hayes says something. This Omega is a force, and one I can’t ignore.
I was shocked when Ford and Hayes both approached me with what happened on the date.
I hadn’t even realized how long it had been since I’d had a decent amount of time with my pack until I realized all of the things swirling around us that we hadn’t spoken of.
Hayes and their kiss. Ford and his back alley fun that I was already jealous of.
Me, and the way I brought her into my space with my sister and my niece the instant she crashed into that parade float.
It all seemed obvious once we finally sat down and talked.
This Omega is ours.
And yet, I can’t shake the feeling that she’s about to bolt again. About to leave me in the dust once more.
I flick my eyes over at her, catching the sharp curve of her jaw, the way her shoulders are drawn tight, as if she’s trying to hold herself together against the pressure building inside her. I wonder if she even knows it. If she knows how much she’s affecting me.
Affecting all of us.
I can’t stop the flood of thoughts that come with it. The pressure inside me, the instincts, and the need to keep her safe.
We pull up in front of Ford and Hayes’s place, and I kill the engine. The rain’s still coming down in torrents, but my focus is on Lo. On how she hasn’t said a word since we left her place. I glance at her again, watching the way her hands tighten into fists in her lap.
I know what she’s doing. She’s holding it all together, pretending everything’s fine.
But it’s not.
She’s not.
I step out first, the cool rain slapping my face, and for a moment, I just stand there, letting it hit me, trying to clear my head. I need to be steady. I need to be the one who takes control of this situation, not the other way around.
Ford and Hayes get out as well, their faces set. But I can see the same battle bubbling underneath the surface for them, too.
I walk up to her side of the truck, but she’s already out before I can get to the door.
I keep my distance for now, watching her as she steps onto the slick pavement, her boots making little noise against the wet ground.
I move closer when I see her stagger just a little, her foot catching on a rock.
“Lo,” I say quietly, reaching for her arm, steadying her.
My fingers graze her skin, and the warmth of it hits me. A shock to my system. There’s nothing subtle about the way my body reacts. I feel the pull. A hook in my chest, dragging me closer to her.
She looks up at me, her eyes glassy and tired.
“I’m fine,” she says quickly, brushing me off with a wave.
I don’t buy it. “Come on, let’s get you inside.”
She doesn’t argue, for once.
The house feels like a tomb as we step inside. The storm’s still roaring outside, but it’s quiet here. Too quiet.
Lo’s standing in the middle of the living room, looking lost. She clearly doesn’t know where to start. The air around her is thick, charged, and it’s all I can do to keep my distance, to not reach out and pull her into me.
My Alpha instincts can hardly stand it.
Things seem to be getting worse for Lo as time goes on. I can’t help but notice how her shoulders are drawn up, how her fingers curl into fists in her lap, the tension in her body is a taut string ready to snap. I feel it, too.
Is she… itching to nest?
I can see it in the way her eyes keep flicking to the corners of the room, her movements restless. As if she’s searching for something to make her feel safe. She’s trying to hold it together, but it’s too much.
Too much pressure building inside her. Her scent is flaring with distress.
She needs a nest.
Ford’s already moving around the house, tidying up, clearing a space in the spare room for her.
He’s always been the type to take charge, methodical and calm.
It’s the way he moves when he’s focused.
Each movement purposeful, trying to do something to take the load off her.
But I can see the way his eyes linger on her, the same wariness that’s creeping into my chest.
Hayes, on the other hand, is already putting the kettle on, making tea, because that’s what he does when he wants to give people space, to soothe them. He doesn’t talk much, but his presence is a quiet anchor.
And right now, we all need something to calm us down.
I stay where I am, close enough to watch her, to be there in an instant if anything makes her feel unsafe for even a second.
Lo glances at me, her eyes locking with mine for a brief second, and everything shifts. I can’t even explain it, but I feel it. An electricity, a spark. Her pulse quickens; I can see it beating at her neck. Her scent is deepening, ripe fruit on the edge of bursting, invading my nostrils.
“Lo…” I murmur.
Her lips press together, and I see the way she fights it, fights me… fights the connection that’s already growing between us, that’s been building ever since she came back.
“I’m fine,” she says quickly, but there’s no conviction behind the words.
She’s lying, but she knows I can see through it. The trembling in her hands, the way her body shudders every time she moves too fast, it all tells me that she’s anything but fine.
I take a step closer without thinking. I can’t help it.
I’ve never been able to stop myself when it comes to her. Every instinct tells me to move, to protect her, to claim her scent and make everything right again. My skin burns with the need to touch her, to have her close and help her build her nest.
But I can’t. I’m barely holding on to my control. I need to stay steady, to give her space, even if my Alpha urges me to do the opposite.
That’s what the pack talked about: giving her space. Letting her come to us.
I’m now beginning to wonder if that was the wrong move.
“Lo…” I repeat, this time firmer. “Come on.”
I can feel the desire radiating off her now, as powerful as the storm outside, only this time, it’s in her. The storm rages inside of her, and I can see it behind her panicked eyes.
I want to soothe the panic away with a mark to the nape of her neck.
I watch as her eyes flick to the corners of the room again, her pupils dilated, her body shaking slightly. The air around her is charged, almost crackling, and it’s so damn thick with her scent I can taste it.
God, it’s wildfire.
And I can’t deny it anymore, my body knows exactly what it wants. My pulse races in my ears, and my teeth are clenched so tight I’m afraid I’ll shatter them. The pressure is unbearable, building faster and quicker, dragging me close to a point of no return.
She aches for me, too, for all of us. I can see it in her eyes. It’s there, that fragile line between holding it together and giving in, and right now, she’s just waiting for the moment she can let go. She wants to.
I can see it.
I can feel it.
The connection between us is undeniable, a force pulling us together, and I can’t fight it anymore.
I just can’t.
My Alpha sweeps over me, taking control.
In one swift motion, I close the distance between us. She flinches, her breath hitching, and I reach out to touch her arm, to steady her. The burning of her skin, the scent of her Omega, floods me. It’s too much.
I pull her gently toward me, and I don’t think. I just act.
I crush my lips to hers.
It’s a kiss of desperation. A kiss of need. My body is burning, my control slipping like sand between my fingers, and I have to kiss her, have to claim her, even if it’s reckless, and even if it’s wrong.
My pack’s words echo in my head. We have to give her time. Let her come to us.
Fuck that.
I can feel her body freeze under my touch, but she doesn’t pull away. Not immediately. Her lips are soft, trembling against mine, and I feel the way she’s fighting herself, holding herself together. She’s afraid that if she gives in, everything will fall apart.
But I don’t stop. I can’t stop.
The taste of her is intoxicating, sweet and wild, and everything inside me, every instinct I have, screams that this is what I’ve been waiting for, what I’ve needed, what we both need.
I pull her closer, my hands sliding into her hair, my fingers curling around the nape of her neck, holding her in place.
My tongue laves along the slit of her lips, and then she’s not fighting me anymore.
Her lips part, and I claim what’s mine, licking into her mouth until she melts against me.
She feels it, too. I can tell by the way her body presses against mine, by the soft, breathy moan that escapes her lips. Shit, I’ve wanted this for so long.
But even then, part of me knows this is dangerous.
Ford and Hayes are still here. They’re watching.
I’m sure they smell it. Smell us.
All too soon, and much to my inner Alpha’s dismay, I break the kiss.
My breath pulses against her lips, breathing the air she affords me, but I don’t move away.
My forehead presses against hers, my hands still tangled in her hair, my chest rising and falling with the strain of holding myself back.
She belongs on my knot. She belongs in her nest.
She belongs with us.
Lo’s eyes are wide, her lips parted in a breathless gasp. She looks at me, seeing me for the first time. Maybe she’s finally realizing how much I’ve been holding back, how much we’ve all been holding back for her sake.
I shouldn’t have kissed her in front of them. Hell, I shouldn’t have kissed her at all. Not with the agreement I have with my pack.
But now that I’ve done it, I’m not sure I care anymore.
Ford and Hayes are still here, in the house. They’re standing in the background, but it feels like they’re right here, in the space between Lo and me. Their presence looms over us, their eyes heavy with their own needs and instincts.
The air is thick with it. She’s in our shared space.
In our pack home. I want to add her scent to the walls of this place.
Our combined scents are rich and raw, laced with a desire that leaves me breathless against her.
It’s intoxicating. And I can feel it, can’t ignore it, the unspoken bond we share, that we all share with Lo.
Their scents are growing more potent with each passing moment, thick with the same lust, the same drive to claim, to scent, to mark.
They want her just as much as I do.
But I can’t let my instincts control this. Not like this. Not with them here.
I capture her lips in one last soft kiss, my nose sliding against hers.
I could have sworn I felt a whimper of hers hit my tongue, but it’s gone in the blink of an eye.
I don’t want to overwhelm her. I don’t want to trigger her Omega instincts that make her run.
I want her to run toward me, not away from me.
My forehead pressed against hers as I gaze into that terrified stare of hers. But there’s something else in her eyes now, beneath the terror she seems to always walk around with. It’s deeper than the fire burning between us.
Has she ever felt safe?
The Alpha inside of me roars with a desire to keep her safe.
“Lo,” I whisper, trying to steady my breath, my heart. “We need to talk. We need to know what you want.”
Her chest rises and falls quickly, her fingers still trembling. She glances over at Ford and Hayes, their presence as palpable as the tension between us, and I can see the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. It’s not just me anymore. This is bigger than me.
“Lo,” Ford speaks up from the side. “We need to know that you’re making this choice for you. It’s your decision, and we’ll respect it.”
“We’re here for you, Lo,” Hayes agrees. “All of us. But we’re not going to push you into something you’re not ready for. You need to decide what you want. What you need. And whatever that is, we’ll provide it.”
“Always,” Ford says with a conviction I’ve never once heard in his voice before.
I can feel their respect for Lo’s autonomy. They’re giving her space. But that’s the thing, they’re all here. They’re all in this, no matter what she chooses.
We’re pack, even if she leaves.
She’s ours, even if she pulls away.
Lo looks between us, between me, Ford, and Hayes, and I see the battle playing out behind her eyes. The desire. The confusion. The fear. And the need.
Then, I see the change.
I see the flare of her nostrils before the softest little whimper escapes from up her throat.
“I… I want you,” she says before she swallows hard. “All of you. Now, please.”