Chapter 15
Omega Chamber, Devil Estate
Excitedly, I string another fairy light along the wall of the Omega Chamber.
Kai kept his word.
Yesterday, he sat with Lark and me, while we had free rein to choose from a specialist company that designs nests, which is the only one run by an actual Omega called Didier.
The site was the most incredible thing that I’d ever seen.
Lark and I sat wide eyed, purring in delight, and may have gone a little overboard spending Kai’s money on products for our heat.
I’ve never been able to do that before.
I didn’t feel bad though because Kai glowed with happiness at each purchase.
Kai truly is prioritizing me.
The items were shipped as a rush order (it helps to be a billionaire), and Lark and I dived into unwrapping them this morning like it was Christmas.
So, we’ve been thrown away like trash and locked up.
Now, we’re being hunted.
We’re outlaws, fighting for a new world.
But we can still come together and steal this morning of pure joy.
We deserve it, right?
I fix the end of the fairy light more firmly to the wall. The lights are shaped like leaves and strung on the green walls. They make it feel like a forest inside.
It’s primal.
The Omega Chamber itself is circular and without windows. The entire ceiling, however, is made of glass and opens up to the sky.
It’s spectacular.
I crane my head back to look up at azure sky, which is cloudless. A single bird swoops across it.
During a heat, it will be as close to rutting out in the open as you can get.
Lost in the wildness, it will feel like returning to an earlier time.
I love that thought.
Of course, that doesn’t mean Lark and I didn’t include modern technology in our nest.
Lark in particular was insistent on us having a fully stocked fridge with Gatorade and snacks to keep us fed and hydrated, during the twenty-four hours that we’ll be caught up in the heat.
Antonio, as the Beta (which means that he won’t be caught in heat or rut), will need to look after us.
I hope that Lark won’t fall into heat at the same time as me because I sense that Antonio may be good at feeding us, as he was when he were in the cell, but on the other hand, may suddenly become distracted by something villain-esque like burning down…well, everything.
Funny, I find that attractive in him.
The room’s scented with a diffuser, which Lark and I chose that could cycle through our favorite scents.
Right now, it’s Gabriel’s choice: Devil’s chocolate cake.
My scent.
He whispered to me this morning that it was a running joke in the barracks to have a slice of cake or pudding already on the table for him every time that he sat down for a meal because he always chose it.
He never explained to the other cadets or soldiers why.
But it was so that he could smell it and never forget me.
I glance at Gabriel who’s next to me.
Gabriel’s stripped down to only his jeans and bare feet. His tanned chest is streaked with green paint. There’s a single streak across his cheek like war paint.
He looks like he’s ready for battle, and fuck, he looks hot.
He spent the entire morning painting, and now this afternoon, is putting the finishing touches to my reading nook.
How could I have a nest without one?
Fletcher thought that Omegas shouldn’t be distracted by reading.
It made my heart soar, when Kai suggested a book corner.
A man seriously after my own heart.
Something broke and then mended inside me, when I chose the fluffy faux rabbit fur bean bag chair and a book case shaped like a tree but one covered in velvet from the nest catalog.
I reach and trace my hand over the bookcase’s trunk. I shiver at the soft sensation.
It’s been hard making this nest.
Bitter sweet.
I know that I may die in my next heat. It’s the same for Lark, if he has one.
Broken Bond Syndrome can damage an Omega and turn them into Non-Heats.
What if Lark’s never able to have heats again? At least then he’ll be safe.
I may not survive.
Although, if I’m cared for well by a pack with multiple partners who rut and bond with me, then I have the best chance of survival.
I don’t know if Gabriel fully understands or is prepared to accept that.
It’ll break his heart.
So, it’s better to enjoy this time with him, no matter how long we have together.
Then I’ll enjoy the best final heat that I can.
I’ve beaten the odds before. Now, I truly have a reason to live.
If anyone can survive, I can.
Gabriel briefly rests his hand softly over mine. “Do you like it?”
“It’s incredible,” I reply. “Everything in here is sensory. This is why Omegas should run companies. They understand what we need. Didier is a genius.”
“Well, it’s a small company, and since we bought up pretty much everything that he sells, then we’ve definitely supported him.” Gabriel slots the last piece of the bookcase into place.
See, this is how I know Gabriel’s ex-military; he fitted together a flat-pack without help or cussing.
I turn to watch Lark, who’s happily rolling around in the biggest bed that I’ve ever seen.
It lies in the middle of the Omega Chamber, low to the floor.
It was our biggest purchase, and the best thing that I’ve seen in my life.
The bedding is made up of every soft fabric that you could imagine woven together, but the mattress is functional and waterproof. What I love best about it is the silk rope around the edges that comes with it, which means that you can tie on your pack’s clothes and add them to your nest.
The Alphas’ scents make me feel safe.
Lark is sprawled on his stomach, weaving Gabriel’s polo necks and Kai’s smart suits around the bed to raise its sides into a proper nest.
Antonio pointedly arrived an hour ago with a wink and an armful of his own silk scarves, which he wound around the bed with a flourish.
I love that it smells of the whole pack.
It’s perfect.
Now, Antonio’s kneeling next to a large oak chest, which is padlocked shut with a number lock next to the bed.
He’s been trying to break the code for the last twenty minutes with intense concentration.
I squeeze Gabriel’s shoulder, before strolling past him to the bed.
I itch to dive onto all those snuggly blankets.
Who am I kidding?
I long to dive onto Lark, pin him down, and kiss the pale column of his throat.
He looks delicious in his new suit.
The clothes that Kai ordered for us arrived as well today.
To be fair to both Alphas, they offered that Lark and I could keep sleeping in the guest room, until we’d made the final decision about bonding.
I already have.
I want to be part of the Devils.
I’ve loved Gabriel for as long as I can remember.
I’m falling for Antonio.
I know that I can love an Alpha like Kai.
But this is harder for Lark.
I can see the spark between Antonio and him. The fact that they’d both die and kill for each other is already obvious.
Plus, they look like they’re eye fucking, every time that their gazes meet.
Yet Lark has deep wounds around Alphas and he needs to get to know both Gabriel and Kai at his own pace.
Out of Omega solidarity, I supported him by sleeping in the guest room with him.
Plus, he’s possessive.
He needs some alone time to sleep with his arms around me and his cock snug inside me.
I need that too.
I find that I love the familiar feel of Lark inside me, as I sleep.
We both wake up, feeling even more deeply connected. Our morning kiss in the quiet underneath the warmth of blankets is becoming my favorite moment of the day.
This morning started even better, when after the kiss, we discovered that Kai must have got up earlier than us to leave yet another courting gift spread out on the end of the bed: A set of new clothes.
Kai had left a note with the clothes in a beautiful, calligraphic hand:
FOR MY BELOVEDS X
I smile, running a hand down the satin material of my dress.
It’s a sensual, designer cocktail dress. It’s calf length and has a tight ruby corset that makes me feel sexy and powerful.
It’s exactly the type of thing that Fletcher would have hated and never allowed me to wear, which makes me love it even more.
It also makes me wonder if Kai partly bought this as an in-joke with Gabriel to make me match the dragon that he bought as his first courting gift.
Honestly, that makes me feel honored.
Gabriel never wanted to be the knight to slay the dragon. He dreamed of living in a world with dragons, and now, he can.
I’m here.
I can’t resist it any longer.
I leap onto the bed next to Lark, rolling myself up in a faux bear skin blanket with a happy purr.
Fuck, this feels amazing.
I rub my cheek against the faux fur, taking a happy sniff of the nest, which smells perfectly of the whole pack’s scents.
I need its comfort because I’ve been feeling unwell all day like I’ve been going down with a cold.
It’s hard to tell because with the Broken Bond Syndrome, I have a near constant throbbing in my temples, and none of my sensations are quite how they used to be.
I’m sweating. My skin feels too hot and over sensitive.
Lark sends me an indulgent smile. “Having fun? Look, pup, she’s inside your bear. Do you think that’ll happen?”
Antonio sits back on his haunches with a snort. “No way. Bear’s all down for equality outside the bedroom but inside, he doesn’t allow anyone inside, even our Lucifer. It’s a shame because it would be hot to watch that. Actually, it’d be even more fucking hot to watch you peg him, mia amata.”
“Do your own dirty work.” Gabriel’s voice is twice as cold as when he talks to me, and it snaps Antonio to attention. “Don’t try and get our new Omegas into trouble, do you understand?”
“Would I do that?”
“Yes.”
Antonio laughs. “You know me so well.”
When Gabriel crosses his arms, Antonio ducks his head, but his eyes are dancing with amusement.
“Hey,” I reach to run my hand over the sleeve of Lark’s new suit. “You look amazing, songbird.”
Kai is observant and thoughtful. He’s tried to match Lark’s style as closely as possible.
The designer suit is jade with a waistcoat that’s decorated with silver threaded birds. It’s in the same style as Lark’s old suit but even more stylish.
It’s gorgeous, but not as gorgeous as Lark looks in it.
He never needed expensive clothes to look like the most beautiful and masculine Omega who I’ve ever met.
But dressed like this, I can hardly stop myself pushing him onto his back and enjoying the extreme flexibility that makes him such a phenomenal lover.
Thank you, gymnastics.
“Do I clean up nice?” Lark allows himself a pleased smile. “I forget that you’ve only seen me in dirty, ripped clothes, or someone else’s shirt…”
“Or naked,” I add, dreamily.
“Which is best, of course.”
Antonio waves his hand in the air. “Can I vote that Omegas are naked all the time?”
“Vetoed,” Gabriel barks.
“Killjoy.” Antonio focuses back on the lock. “Come on, stop keeping me in suspense. What’s the combination?”
Lark arches his brow. “What was all that boasting about your skills? Shouldn’t you have broken it already?”
“I’m a hacker. Give me a computer, and I can hack into any network in the world. I’m a tech guy but not a safe cracker. Being a criminal doesn’t magically give you every talent from lock picking to charm. Although, that’d be cool. Maybe I could set up a Mafia School to teach Criminal Skills and run it as a side gig. Then I’d be a real professor for our role plays, although I’ve been fantasizing about Lark in that role.”
Lark tries to look bored, but I can tell that he’s trying not to laugh. “Really, you can’t even lock pick…? Disappointing. Here I was imagining that it was like this supernatural initiation into the mob and bam, you can money launder.”
“Nope, it was my aunt who ran the money laundering.” Antonio fidgets with excitement. “Please? I need to know what’s inside here? It’s too small for a body.”
“It freaks me out a little bit that you went straight to that,” I say.
Gabriel wipes his paint smeared hands down his jeans. “Go on, put him out of his misery. He’s like an excited psycho puppy. He won’t give us any peace, until you do.”
Lark sits up, settling himself comfortably in the center of the nest like he’s the Scottish Omega King looking over his subjects.
I can just see him being that.
I become instantly wet.
“You should have guessed what I chose,” Lark drawls. “It’s 666.”
That’s badass.
Antonio whoops. “Awesome. We are the Devils!”
Gabriel studies Lark. “There’s more to you than meets the eye, isn’t there?”
Lark coolly studies him back. “I’m sure there is to you as well.”
These two men that I love are more similar than I’d realized.
I hope that they see it too.
Antonio doesn’t see the interplay going on over his head, however, because he’s too busy crouching over the lock and opening it.
“This is the Mystery Kink Chest from the catalog,” Lark declares, before Antonio can wrench open the lid. “I honestly don’t know what’s inside. I added it for all of us. I had an idea that you’d like it.”
Antonio casts him a mischievous grin over his shoulder. “It’s like we’ve known each other our entire lives. Plus, who wouldn’t like a Mystery Kink Chest? No good Omega Chamber would be complete without one.”
Then he throws aside the padlock and swings open the lid.
I crane to see past him.
When Antonio peers inside, his eyes widen. “Fuck, this is like all my birthdays have come at once.”
Dramatically, as if he’s a salesman, Antonio starts taking out each of the sex toys.
And there are a lot of them: Coils of silky ropes, vibrators, butt plugs, anal beads, floggers, and lube.
Some of them, I don’t even recognize.
Is that one a metal cage for a cock?
“Let’s not take everything out at once.” Gabriel prowls toward the bed. “We’ve only spent the entire day getting this nest orderly.”
Gabriel’s eyes are sparking with dominance, as he grips Antonio by the hair. He drags him away from the chest and throws him onto the bed.
Lark bristles, until he notices how widely Antonio’s grinning.
Lark lets out a breath of understanding.
This is what Antonio needs.
Loves.
“You know me, I’m a bad boy,” Antonio murmurs.
Gabriel crawls onto the bed like a deadly panther. “Bad Beta.”
Immediately on instinct, both Lark and I scramble in front of Antonio.
I can’t help it.
“Do you mind being called bad?” I stroke Antonio’s silver curls.
Antonio enjoys my attentions, while shooting Gabriel a smug look.
Gabriel kneels up, crossing his arms. His expression is tight.
Finally, Antonio shakes his head. “Bad is a badge of pride. But I love that you’re checking in, mia amata.”
Lark glances between the two men. “I won’t let you punish him. I’m the one who encouraged him to open that chest.”
Carefully, Gabriel shifts on the bed, until he can cup Lark’s cheek.
Lark holds himself still. I can tell that he’s fighting not to flinch.
Gabriel caresses his cheek. “I’m sorry that I made you think I’d punish Toni for real. You clearly expect an Alpha to discipline their packs for every broken rule, and no amount of promises that I won’t hurt any of you will help, until I can prove that I’m telling the truth. But this is how Toni and I play. It’s our dynamic. If it’s too triggering for you, then I’ll try to remember that.”
“Play?” Lark says, softly.
Gabriel nods. “It’s what Toni needs and wants. But none of you have anything to fear from me. I hate that an Alpha must have hurt you severely to make you feel like this.”
“Not an Alpha. Many.”
“I’m sorry. All I can only say is that Alphas have hurt me too, despite the fact that I’m an Alpha myself. I’ve been neglected, beaten, and sent away. I’ve been forced to fight in a military unit with the strictest discipline, where I was taught that I wasn’t allowed to show any emotion. I spent many years without love or even friendship. Until Kai and then Antonio, I never thought that I’d find it again.”
Lark’s expression gentles. “I know how that feels. I didn’t even understand what romantic love was, until I met Mercy. I thought that it was a lie, a fantasy peddled in books, movies, and fairy tales to make Omegas comply with pack bonds.”
Gabriel glances at me.
My chest is tight with emotion both at the love in his expression, but also, the rawness in Lark’s tone.
My songbird didn’t believe in love, until me.
Gabriel brushes his thumb lower along Lark’s jawline, and I don’t know if Lark is aware of it, but he’s leaning into his touch now. “I knew that romantic love was real all my life because I was raised alongside my scent match. But then, I was torn away from her. I hope that now I’ve found Mer again, I can also find my own connection with you. We already have something in common: We both love Mer more than life itself. That’s a starting point. We have good taste.”
Lark laughs.
Then Gabriel’s cheeks pink, when Lark turns his head and presses his plush lips to his palm in a kiss.
“Indeed we do,” Lark purrs. “We also both love our bad boy Beta. So, we have doubly good taste.”
Then it’s Antonio’s turn to blush and look flustered.
I think that it’s at both being told that he’s loved and Lark calling him bad boy.
He likes that.
Antonio scoots even closer to me on the bed, fiddling with his scarf. “You don’t need to be worried about Gabe punishing me outside play. He can fuck me into the mattress, while I’m bound head to toe, and I’ll be calling out for more and harder. Well, as long as I’m not gagged. But the Alphas in my family would punish me by ignoring me. As a kid, I’d forget a chore and so, they’d forget me. They’d pretend that I didn’t exist, sometimes for weeks. Hands up, maybe that makes me crave attention, both bad as well as good. At least then I’m not ignored.”
I feel sick.
It’s possible to think that only Omegas are treated cruelly or that a family needs to be violent to be toxic.
It’s not true.
I grip Antonio’s hand, entwining our fingers. “You have a pack who love you now. How could anyone forget you? We’ll never treat you like that. I promise, if you need someone to hear you, just come and find me. I’m always happy to give you the good type of attention.”
“Me too,” Lark says. “But if you’re craving the other type…”
“You can come to me,” Gabriel adds. “Or I have a feeling, Lark here too.”
Lark and Gabriel exchange a glance that contains a sudden understanding.
Antonio’s a lucky guy.
But also, had better watch out.
Antonio appears to think the same thing.
He hesitates like he’s debating whether to drop on the good or bad side of the divide, before his eyes glint with wickedness, and I can tell that he’s made up his mind.
“Of course I can,” he agrees. “Because Lark must be at least forty or something. I mean, he’s old enough to be my daddy.”
Fuck, he’s really going all out.
Lark splutters in outrage. “I’m only eight years older than you, pup. You know that.”
Antonio attempts to look innocent. “Do I, old man?”
“That’s a declaration of war.” Gabriel’s voice becomes clipped and dangerous. “Accepted.”
“Oh, shit,” Antonio mutters under his breath but he’s panting with excitement.
My skin is tingling. I’m thrumming with anticipation.
“Strip, Toni,” Gabriel commands. “No more talking, unless it’s your safe word.”
To my surprise, Antonio obeys instantly with a joyful abandon, ripping off his scarf and then his blazer. He tosses them over the side of the bed without bothering to fold them.
Gabriel rolls his eyes.
Antonio doesn’t even attempt to make a show of stripping, although I’m enjoying the sight of every sliver of his skin being revealed, since he’s too eager to get naked.
I can hardly look away from the delicious sight, when he is.
Gabriel is trying to look unaffected, but by how hard he is in his black jeans, he definitely is. “Lie down in the center of the bed.”
Gabriel stalks off the bed and scoops up several of the items that Antonio dumped out of the chest.
He deposits them on the bed next to me. Intrigued, I turn them over.
“Lube and a vibrating plug,” Gabriel explains. “This type drives him crazy because it pushes directly onto his prostate. Put it on the highest setting.” Antonio shudders at Gabriel’s sentence. “Lark, why don’t you take the lube and prepare him with your fingers? We want him nice and desperate for our good Omega here to take apart.”
Lark smirks. “I’d love to.”
He picks up the lube and moves between Antonio’s thighs.
Antonio is the only naked one in the bed, when the rest of us are fully clothed.
It makes him look vulnerable but also, his submission is braver.
He doesn’t look weak but fucking strong.
I’m not used to this willing submission.
It’s heady.
I want more of this.
It makes me even wetter to see Lark, an Omega, caressing his hand up a Beta’s naked thigh, before slowly circling his tight furled rim.
Antonio whines. “Fuck, that feels good.”
I wrench my gaze back to Gabriel. “Why?”
Gabriel winds his hand into my hair and pulls me into a kiss that takes away my breath.
I sigh, kissing him even deeper.
Finally, he draws back, but his lips are still touching mine. “Because I want to show Antonio that he’s fully seen and accepted by all of us. A Beta will have an equal place, even within a nest, in my pack. Some Traditional packs won’t allow them in an Omega Chamber. But that won’t be how we do things. And you, Mer, will always be my good Omega. But don’t you want to find out what it’s like to take control? Toni wants this. I know that it’ll be hot as hell to see my good Omega playing like this with my bad Beta. But it’s your decision.”
The way that Gabriel talks about Betas and Omegas feels revolutionary.
“You know me so well.” I kiss him again. “But what if I want to take you apart?”
Gabriel tilts his head. “Then I’ll have a new experience, won’t I?”
My heart beats quicker.
He means it.
He fucking means it.
An Alpha as dominant as Gabriel means that they’d give up control to an Omega.
Gabriel grips me by the shoulders, however, and guides me firmly toward Antonio. “For now, however, set your mind on deciding whether to show Toni any mercy or not.”
My lips curl into a smile.
Now, there’s an idea…
Antonio is also slicked with sweat and whining.
He’s doing well not to speak.
Lark is fucking two fingers in and out of Antonio. He makes Antonio jerk and shake, as he rubs over the sensitive bundle of nerves.
He’s driving him mad.
“Be still,” Lark orders, adding a third finger and working Antonio open.
Antonio’s toes curl. He clutches onto the bear blanket, struggling to obey the order not to move.
I’m impressed.
Antonio’s pretty dick is already hard and beading with precum.
Lark exchanges a smile with me, sliding his fingers out, which are well slicked with lube and drying them on the bedding rather than get the liquid on his new suit.
Then he resettles himself by Antonio’s head.
He strokes Antonio’s damp curls back from his forehead with a gentleness that’s at odds with the sharpness of his orders.
Gabriel lounges on the other side of him, watching avidly.
I bite my lip.
I can do this for Antonio.
For myself.
I pick up the small plug, which has a realistic looking silvery cats tail hanging from it.
It suits Antonio perfectly.
I stroke over the silky tail that reminds me of Antonio’s curls. “Good kitty.”
Antonio isn’t.
He’s more like the spitting kitten who attacks a dog that’s twice his size but once he’s petted, becomes playful and puts away his claws.
The only thing that he can’t do as well as me is purr.
Antonio’s eyes widen, as he watches me. “Fuck.”
I squirt a large dollop of lube onto the plug, rubbing it along its length. I soothe my hand over Antonio’s leg, kissing his sensitive inner thigh.
I look up at him, and he’s watching me with a heated look and trust that makes my breath hitch.
With deeper confidence, I pull aside one side of his cheeks, revealing his pretty little hole and slip the plug into his ass.
I watch in fascination, as the tail twitches at the smallest movement.
Immediately, I switch the tail plug onto its highest vibration setting by a button at its base.
Gabriel told me to, after all.
The vibrator whirs loudly.
Antonio gasps in surprise, jerking his knees up like somehow that will help.
“Fuck…” His eyes flutter shut.
“Too much?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “A lot but not too much. I need to come.”
And this is my moment.
I steel my expression, before I cage him.
I lean down to kiss Antonio, and his eyes snap open. He kisses me desperately like he can distract himself from the vibrations that way.
When I pull away, he follows me with his mouth.
I push him back with a hand on his chest. “You can’t come yet.”
Antonio’s brow furrows. “I don’t think that I’ll have a choice.”
“But this is the mercy game. You need to prove yourself to me.”
His hips are humping up and down now, desperate for friction. “How? Anything.”
“Prove you’re mine.”
“You could take my Soul right now.” Antonio’s shaking, leaning into Lark’s touch, as Lark caresses his cheek.
“Then only come, when I tell you.”
All of a sudden, Antonio cottons onto the game.
He lets out a broken laugh. “You cruel devil. I love it.”
I hoped that he would.
Gabriel’s palming his crotch, as he watches us together with dark eyes.
I lie on Antonio’s hard chest, enjoying feeling the vibrations as they travel through him, even in the way that he trembles and struggles with the decision of whether to rub his dick against me or to move as little as possible and so hold back from coming.
He loops his arms around my neck, but his own neck is thrown back.
He’s caught between heaven and hell, but by the way that he’s smiling up at the ceiling, it’s just where he wants to be.
“Please…” He whispers.
“No.”
I lower my hand to stroke along the tail, jostling the plug.
He chokes, lowering his head to my throat. He sucks and nibbles on my skin, as if to control himself.
I shiver at the sensation.
Fuck, I’m close to coming myself.
I’m hot and feverish.
Antonio moans against my neck. “Please, please, please, Mercy…”
Is he calling mercy or my name? Still, it’s not his safe word.
I kiss his nose.
“No mercy for you.” I can’t keep the laughter out of my voice.
To my shock, Antonio pushes my dress up and delves beneath it to find out my clit, rubbing over my tights like he’s trying to drive me toward an orgasm, while I’m denying him his.
I sigh in delight.
Antonio’s eyes are glassy and unfocused. “I can’t…I’m almost…”
Lark catches my eye, and I nod.
Antonio has been a good Beta.
And good or bad, they get to come.
I lean down, letting my lips graze Antonio’s, “Mercy.”
Antonio turns his head, burying his face in my neck against my scent gland, as he groans.
He arches up, blissed out, and on my name, he comes.
But suddenly, something is wrong.
I can’t move.
Someone is calling us good and praising us.
Someone else is wrapping us both in blankets.
But everything feels faint and a long way away.
I’m shaking.
My hands are clammy.
A fever is now ripping through my body.
What’s happening?
A wave of heat hits me.
This isn’t a cold.
It’s not merely the remnants of the fever that I suffered in the cell.
My pussy gushes with wetness, and I know that my heat is here.
The heat, which could kill me.
I’m not ready.
I try to talk but I can’t.
My eyes flutter closed.
Then I collapse onto the bed.