3. Caleb
3
Caleb
I feel like I kicked a hornets’ nest when I picked out the three Hearts guys. I’d simply been surprised to see them and curious why they weren’t listed as Hubert Russell’s pack mates, I hadn’t expected that it would set off all of this .
Mathew has been on edge ever since. For the last couple of nights, I keep finding him in his office after everyone else has already gone to sleep.
He’s been so focused on finding out why the Hearts would go after him now and how it’s all connected to Vera and me. It’s become an obsession for him.
Which worries me a lot.
Not just for his mental health, which is clearly not doing too well, but also for his physical health.
We don’t yet know if he’s pregnant or not, we won’t find out for another few weeks, but if he is, these broken nights and the stress on his body can’t be good. His body is already going through enough, with going into heat for the first time in a decade and all, and he doesn’t need this on top of it.
I glance at him from the couch in his office. He’s sitting at his desk, Vera in his lap, and she’s feeding him pieces of the pasta salad Eli made us for lunch as he’s intently reading something on his tablet.
He really doesn’t stop working once he starts, not even to eat. When he’s focused on something, he’ll see it through to the end.
I can see where he got his name ‘The Cleaner’ from, because once he’s got you in his sights, he’ll erase you from the face of the earth if he wants to, he won’t leave a single trace of you behind. He’s very intense.
It’s interesting but also a little scary at times. Especially how he seems to forget the rest of the world when he goes into that state of focus. It’s not healthy. But, I guess, if you don’t have much aside from your job, it’s easy to fall into these bad habits.
Jorge saunters into the office from the garden, his empty bowl in one hand, his phone in the other. “Let’s go out for dinner tonight.” He doesn’t say it to anyone in particular, it’s more a declaration of his intent than really a conversation about plans.
“Why?” Mathew’s voice is oddly tense as he looks up from his tablet and the bite of pasta Vera was about to feed him now hangs in mid-air as she stops moving, nervous.
Jorge shoots Mathew a look. “Because I feel like it and because people are wondering where you are. Especially since you usually go out for dinner multiple times per week and you’ve not been seen for at least three weeks.”
Three weeks, that’s when we came here. Mathew, Vera and I haven’t been away from this place since then.
Mathew has been getting people to come here to do things like measure us for new clothes and Eli goes out to get groceries or they get delivered, but we’ve not left the property at all.
“I prefer to eat at home right now. Fewer headaches.” Mathew starts reading on his tablet again, like this is the end of the conversation.
I glance at Vera, who’s also looking troubled. Taking on new mates and keeping us locked away while ‘his Omega’ is in heat is one thing, but changing his schedule so much that people start to become suspicious, that’s not good.
Especially not for people in Mathew’s line of work.
“Mathew.” I stand up, going over to him, leaning against his desk, waiting for him to look at me. It takes a few moments, but then he looks up at me reluctantly.
“You can’t lock yourself and us away. I know that there’s a lot going on right now, but this isn’t how an Alpha in your position would act. They would want to show off their new Omega. They would want to show off their brand new pack.”
“It’s too dangerous.” His voice is clipped as he glances away from me, his pheromones spiking just a sliver. “If we go out, I have no idea what could happen, who might be looking at us, who might be following us. I can’t risk it.”
“This isn’t you.” Jorge’s voice is soft. “This isn’t how you would normally act. The last couple of times there was a bounty on your head, we went out for dinner every night, and usually clubbing after that, just to show them that you’re not scared. Why are you hiding this time? It’s not like you, and people out there know that.”
Mathew carefully slides Vera off his lap before he stands up, putting the tablet down a little too forcefully. “Well, I’m not like ‘me’ anymore. I’m not the same person I was even a month ago. I have different responsibilities now. A different life. I can’t risk—” He stops, shaking his head, staring hard at the floor.
“You can’t risk, what?” Vera reaches up, sending comforting pheromones to him.
His shoulders sag. “I don’t want to put you in danger. Taking you out there with me, it puts a target on you. I can’t risk that.”
Oh, no. We’re not doing this.
We’re not doing any of this shit.
Just because he’s now got a pack doesn’t mean that the world is suddenly out to get us or whatever. At least, not more than it was before he knew us.
I grab his jaw, turning his head so he’s looking at me and I release some of my pheromones, letting him feel how much control I have as his bonded Alpha. “You might be the boss of this organisation, but you’re not the boss of this pack.”
Mathew snarls, trying to jerk his head away, but I keep holding on. “Fuck you.”
I don’t want to do this, but his reaction reeks of fear, it reeks of the fear of someone who’s finally found something good in his life and is terrified of losing it. His obsession with the Hearts and how everything is connected makes so much more sense now.
It’s his way of trying to stay in control of a situation he has no control over. It’s not that he’s scared of what the Hearts will do next, he’s been dealing with them for nearly two decades, he’s using them as an excuse because he’s scared to leave this protective bubble the four of us are in right now.
That’s not good and won’t make anyone happier or safer in the long run.
“You’re going to go against your Alpha?” I stare at him hard and his eyes widen for a moment.
I like how he’s surprised that I’m invoking my status over him. He might be the one with the power and the money, but that doesn’t mean he always knows best. And right now, he definitely doesn’t.
“Fuck you.” His voice is less harsh this time. “I don’t fucking take fucking orders from a fucking Alpha, bonded or not.”
“And I won’t let you lose everything you’ve built in the last decade because you’ve suddenly realised you’ve got something to lose. Stop hiding. That fear won’t go away just because you’re hiding us away in this fortress you’ve created. It will only make it worse.” I let him feel the calm certainty through my pheromones.
I know how he feels, I’ve been through it before with Vera. The fear of losing her, of potentially losing your mate, someone who’s more precious to you than anything in the world. But going into hiding isn’t the solution.
“You’re Mathew ‘The Cleaner’ Page. You’re feared because of your ruthlessness, because you take on jobs that other people think are too dangerous and you make it look easy. You make other people look like fools for being pessimistic.”
I pull him closer, whispering against his lips. “You’re the most dangerous person I know. And that’s what I like about you. Don’t lose that, it’ll get us all killed.”
He lets out a short laugh, before crashing his lips into mine, kissing me hard. When he pulls back, his eyes are full of defiance. “I guess we’ll see who’s in charge of this pack.”
See? That’s a challenge that I like. Or, at least, that my cock likes, a lot.
Okay, so maybe I shouldn’t have pushed Mathew to take us out for dinner…
I expected that we’d be going to some local place, you know, with large potions of food, plastic chairs and where everyone knows everyone.
If he goes out to eat multiple times per week, he would do that at a place that’s comfortable, right?
Wrong, apparently…
Because when does Mathew ever do things the ‘normal’ way?
I didn’t expect to have to wear a really expensive suit and act all proper and stuff.
Luckily, Derrick was able to talk Mathew out of making me wear those really fancy shoes, but instead let me wear the same ‘acceptable’ but functional boots the security team are wearing. Very happy about that.
Vera is wearing a stunning light purple dress that hugs her every curve without being too exposing, including hiding her neck so you can’t see her marks, and she’s got her hair all up in pretty loops.
She managed to get Jorge to pick her up some simple make-up while he was getting a ‘better’ suit from his place.
Mathew and Jorge are both wearing fancier suits than they normally do. And I have to admit, even though I know very little about suits, these do look more expensive and the way Mathew’s suit stretches across his body is very distracting.
Luckily, the restaurant isn’t one of those ultra modern ones where everything is white, steel or glass and where the food comes in shapes and structures that don’t look the way food is supposed to be, like frothy potatoes and stuff like that.
This place is one of those expensive ones that are more classic, with wood everywhere, the colours of the fabric all complementary to it and there are plants and candles on each table.
It’s not exactly comfortable for someone who isn’t used to money like this, but at least I have some idea of what to expect from the food and drinks here.
Derrick has the security team spread over a couple of the tables in the restaurant and before we left he ran me through the security team protocols all over again since I’ll be closest to Mathew all evening. It did make me nervous, but I guess it’s good to know that we’re not alone in here.
Once we got inside, Mathew and Jorge were immediately greeted and lots of people came over to congratulate them on starting a pack. That was very stressful for a couple of minutes, but then everyone stepped back and we were seated at Mathew’s usual table.
It’s been overwhelming, to say the least.
Mathew lets out a low laugh as he leans to me. “Try to relax. We’re here to have fun, not start a fight. You look like you’re ready to punch anyone who even glances in our direction.”
“Would it be bad if I said that that’s exactly how I feel?” I lean to him, the easy way he moves making me at least a little less nervous. This is his normal hangout, at his normal table, doing his normal things. This is perfectly normal for him…
I turn my head in his direction before I quickly turn back.
He’s wearing his pheromone-altering perfume again, and every time I get near him I automatically try to catch some of his real pheromones. I didn’t realise how used I’ve gotten to doing that, being able to smell him whenever I want, because I really can’t do that when we’re out in public.
Also, while two Alphas who are part of the same pack kissing isn’t too strange, Mathew is the one in charge here, so I need to let him lead, I can’t just start kissing him out of nowhere.
His hand slides up my arm, before he softly holds me. “If you manage to keep your cool, I’ll reward you at the end of the evening.” His voice is low and sexy and my pheromones spike for a moment. Yes, please.
I’d love to slowly take that suit off him, like I’m opening a very expensive present. “I’ll hold you to that.” I cover his hand with mine, grinning.
Then Vera’s sweet pheromones catch my attention and I look at her on Mathew’s other side. Her eyes are trained on someone who just walked through the door.
“Who’s that?” Her voice is soft, but filled with barely contained desire.
Mathew and I follow her gaze.
A tall and attractive female Alpha with long deep brown hair walks into view. She shrugs out of her long black leather jacket to reveal a beautiful dark red dress that expertly shows off the tattoos on her arms and back.
Mathew’s pheromones flare slightly, together with Vera’s, and I shoot a look at the two. Really?
We’re doing our best to keep Mathew’s pheromones hidden and he gets turned on so much by some Alpha that he’s about to undo it all.
Jorge chuckles as he leans over the table slightly, his pheromones all cheerful and pleased. “I’ll introduce you to her if you promise to keep your pheromones in check.” He eyes Mathew who gives him a short nod.
I let out a sigh as Jorge stands up and saunters over to the woman.
This evening was supposed to be simple and easy, but I have a feeling that things have just gotten a whole lot more complicated.