9. Lia
Chapter nine
Lia
I put on my lip gloss and force myself to smile at my reflection. Ranger would say I look pretty. I smile but a sick feeling lands heavily in my gut. I know that image, and I don’t want to see it.
I look like my mother.
I wash the makeup off and dry my face. I’m not dressing up for this. Whoever said this was a good idea was an idiot. I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to meet someone else, and have them try to compete with the silent memory of the Mirakill Pack. They will fail.
So, why am I doing it?
Oh, that’s right, I’m proving a point. Pride. stubbornness. Anything at all to get their attention.
I’m going on dates because Zaden Mirakill is a grade A piece of arrogant assholey asshat. And I don’t want to do this! I breathe heavily and lean against the door frame.
Why did I do this?
I can’t do this!
The nerves explode in my stomach. What if he’s a serial killer? What if he hurts me? There are a million what ifs, and they drown out my logical voice in a flurry of anxious screams. What if he kidnaps me?
I tug my top down and straighten my shoulders. We’re just going for a picnic in the park. Nothing will happen there. There are people everywhere. Nothing is going to happen. I’ll have my phone, and it will be fine.
I’ve just managed to talk myself into a good zone and gotten my courage up, when the doorbell rings. Fear swallows up the feelings I was trying to create. Nerves explode in me, and I end up almost choking as I inhale too quickly.
Forcing myself to walk to the door takes a lot out of me, and I have to wipe my face quickly to get rid of a few beads of sweat. I pull it open and force myself to smile. It’s a sick smile, but it’s there.
The man I expected isn’t here, thankfully, and instead, a vision of Mills fills the door frame. Have I imagined him? Conjured him here? Is he my date? Oh, my god, am I being catfished? I look past him, searching for my date. I discreetly check the time on my phone. Yep, it is the right time. Is he my date?
Mills leans on the door frame, and I inhale sharply, my eyes drawn to the stretch of his top across his chest. His tattoos stretch out from under the material along his arms and his shoulders. He melts my brain. He’s so pretty. Especially when he leans in and smiles just like that. I inhale and catch the scent of black tea. It’s nice and doesn’t seem out of place, but it puzzles me.
“Hey, babe. How are you?”
I narrow my eyes. “You came over to ask me how I am?” Okay, so not my date, and I’m not being catfished. Why am I so disappointed?
“Yes.” Mills smiles even wider. “You look really pretty today, Lia.”
I feel the blush even when I curse myself for my reaction. He leans in, and I mirror him, helpless.
These men drive me out of my mind. I went crazy for them years ago, and now I’m just helplessly pining, waiting for a crumb.
“I’ve missed you,” Mills purrs.
Oh, that’s a very good crumb. My heart flutters, and I want to go sit on the couch and fan myself. “You have?”
“I have.” He stares at me, winks, and then steps back. “All right, have a good day.”
I watch him go, feeling doubly confused and annoyed. What was that about?
I step back into the house and close the door. And then I wait and wait. But my date never arrives.
It’s been three days, but I determinedly set up another date. My other one has disappeared off the face of the planet. He’s deleted his socials, deleted his profile, and he’s changed his number. I sent a few messages, but they were all returned. It seems a bit of an overreaction to blowing off a date, but what do I know?
I checked the internet, and it turns out that this is pretty common with dates these days, it’s called ghosting. So, completely normal. Advice, move on to the next date. So, I did just that, reaching out to Ryan.
I twirl in my pretty dress. It’s baby blue with white polka dots, tight at the bust and flares out at my waist.
I hear the doorbell and yank the door open, my smile fading but returning more naturally. Hell, I can feel the glow from here. I don’t know how they don’t see how pathetically I need them.
“Hi, babydoll.”
I clear my throat, looking around him, but no date.
“Ianto? What are you doing here?”
“I missed you.”
He steps towards me, pulls me into a hug that melts my mind, and then lets me go as abruptly. He steps back and slowly smiles.
“You look beautiful.”
I take a step after him, but he turns and vanishes.
I’m so confused and bemused that I don’t really notice that my date never shows.
My next date is the following Friday, almost a week later. This time, I am determined to see it done. I’m ready early and waiting. I actually manage to see him approaching the house. With a last check in the mirror, I smooth my hands down my jeans and wait just behind the door.
This is it. I’m going on my very first date. Why do I feel so ill?
When the doorbell goes off, I open the door and find Valen grinning at me madly.
“What are you doing here?”
I blink and look past him, going so far as to step onto the porch and check.
“Fuck me!” he says and looks me up and down. I’m back in my pretty dress again.
His words draw my attention back to him, and I forget about my date. The heat he’s looking at me with could set water on fire. I hum softly and study the small scar on his chin while I fight to get control of my faculties.
He walks into me, placing his hands on my hips and smoothing his hands up my body. I press against his shoulders as I moan, helpless. I look like a cat, arching into his caress .
“Fucking hot,” he breathes in my ear.
“Valen,” I moan, I pant, I attempt to pull myself together. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh, I came to say hello.”
“You did?”
“I did.” He slides his hands down over my ass and squeezes my cheeks, pulling a squeak from me as I tumble into his chest.
“There, that’s where you belong,” he murmurs in satisfaction. He slaps a kiss to my forehead, and then lets go, stepping back.
I’m dizzy and confused, and my ass has scalding handprints where I can still feel his grip tingling.
But he’s leaving, and my heart’s screaming no. So, when he turns away, I follow him. Soundlessly padding down my stairs and keeping just out of sight. It becomes evident in seconds that he is not going back to his mansion. He’s walking around the back of mine.
I follow and turn the corner. Through a space in the trees, I see Ranger pacing angrily. He glares at the ground and then snarls something. Valen appears, then Ianto, and finally, Mills.
What are they doing here, and why are they not coming to speak to me? What is this? My confusion just increases as I move unseen towards them.
I edge closer, and my eyes widen when I see my date, if his profile is correct, hogtied on the grass.
“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING TO MY DATE?”
My furious shout is louder than even I can imagine. Valen snorts a laugh. Mills puts a hand on his face and groans. Ianto simply stares at me. My ears still ring, and my temper hits a new high.
“We’re making him disappear,” Ranger says happily.
I blanch.
My date’s eyes widen, and he starts pleading through his gag. He is quite attractive in a good boy kind of way. Too bad I’m not attracted to that.
No, I reserve all my stupidity for the happily tatted up, leather-wearing meat heads smiling in front of me.
I glare at Ranger, and then open my mouth. A tirade of fury pours from me. They listen in silence. Still, I unleash everything on them, my fury cleansing me and leaving me acknowledging that most of what’s wrong with me is that I’m hurt.
I stop for air, I’m trembling and so cross I could scream.
“What’s going on here?”
I turn and spot Zaden approaching with a frown. I don’t even properly check him out like I usually would. “As if you don’t know. ”
He looks at the guys and then down at my date, then back up at the guys. “Really?”
“He’s not good enough for her,” Mills growls. “Look at this cowardly little worm.”
“And the other ones?” I snap.
“Others?” Zaden growls. He glares at one after the other. His pack glare back defiantly. “What others?”
I lift my chin and glare at Ranger. Daring him to lie, daring him to cover it up.
Valen shrugs. “Oh, well, jig’s up. Let’s just make this clear, babydoll, if you want to date, you can.” I start to smile. “If they can make it past us.”
I gape at him. “You can’t do that.”
“Actually, we kinda can,” Ranger says with a grin. “Sorry not sorry.”
“This is my life! So, I’m not allowed to have friends? And now, I’m not allowed to date?”
“You can have friends, but you’re not having dates,” Ianto says coldly.
“Are you serious?” The words echo in my head, but they come from Zaden. “You can’t do that. It isn’t fair.”
“I’m not interested in being fair,” Ianto growls. “I’m interested in keeping idiots like this one alive. Because if anyone of them touch you,” Ianto strolls towards me, stopping right in front of me and brushing my hair back off my face. “If any man or woman, alpha, beta, or omega touches you, I will kill them.”
I open my mouth, but there are no words. I feel dizzy, and why is it so hard to draw a deep breath?
“You’d kill someone for touching me?” Why is this so sweet? Why is my heart floating and pounding?
“No, babydoll, I wouldn’t kill someone for touching you,” he pauses, watching my face intently. “I’d kill everyone who touched you.”
I exhale roughly, my whole body tingling.
“What he said,” Mills agrees and drags my date towards a waiting car.
“What are you doing with him?” I finally ask, recalling the situation. This is not romantic, not even a little bit.
“A little chat, and then we’ll let him go.”
“Promise?”
Ranger snarls and stalks towards me, elbowing Ianto out of the way.
“Are you worried about them? Do you like them this much?”
I shake my head. “Not at all.”
“Then what’s this worry about what we do with him?”
“Because I want to talk to you.” I trail off, my cheeks burning. “I’ve missed talking to you.” Damn, I sound so pathetic.
My date groans. It sounds like defeat.
Ranger’s smile is slow to bloom, and then it is my sun, my light, my gravity.
He reaches up, cupping my cheek. “You are the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen, you know that?”
Zaden growls.
I glance at him. and then look down at the ground. I’m not scared, but he’s about to blow. and I do not want him aiming anything in my direction.
“Take him home and get back to the house. We need to talk.”
Ranger sighs and lets me go, flipping his attention to Zaden.
“This is not our plan. This is not okay,” he growls.
“What plan?” I ask before I think better of it.
Zaden growls louder and turns on me. I back up, nervously stepping back, being driven by him all the way back to my porch. and he’s pushing open my door for me. Holding it in expectation.
“Go inside and stay there. Stop causing trouble. and stop being a pain in my ass.”
“I’m not being anything of the sort. I’m trying to move on.”
Zaden freezes. He glances back at me and glowers. “Don’t do that. either.”
“You can’t stop me from-”
“I think, Lia, that you’ve just discovered that we can do whatever the fuck we want and stop you doing whatever we don’t approve of, so how about you go inside, while I still have control of myself, and let me go and save your date before he ends up dining with the fishes.”
I gasp. “You told me to date!” I shout at him.
He closes his eyes and then suddenly snaps his arm out and grabs my t-shirt, dragging me back through my doorway until I’m almost touching him.
“Zaden!” I gasp.
“I told you to date, I’m telling you now don’t or they will end up dead.”
“But-”
“If you want to be responsible for the death of innocent people, then by all means, test my willpower, but I’m not a good man, Lia, and I have no control over them when it comes to you. Now, go inside. Stay in there. And stop causing trouble.”
My hand is on top of his. I try to pry his fingers loose, but in the end, I nervously clear my throat and glance down at his fist.
“You, uh, have to let me go.”
Zaden glances down and lets out another deep growl. I shudder and feel a tingle go through me.
He leans in closer and inhales .
I stand stiffly, and then he abruptly lets go, spins, and stalks off, leaving me panting and distressed on the porch behind him.
I watch as the car drives away. Ianto and Valen walk back with Zaden and disappear into their mansion.
Finally, it's all quiet, and I don’t know what to do with myself. My resolute plans were a distraction, and now all I can think about is the fact that they are right there. So close and so far away.
And what does it mean that they won’t let me date? Does that mean they want me? Does it mean they like me?
Or is this just a territory thing?
My confusion only grows as the night deepens. They didn’t come back. There’s been no word. I don’t know what that was, and I’m, I’m angry.
And confused.
I toss and turn in my bed until dawn. But in the moments where the sun starts to steal across the sky, the memory of Ianto’s words, Ranger’s threats, and Zaden’s strange behaviour turn into something else.
In my dreams, they touch me, their voices tell me I’m a good girl, they peel my clothes from me and kiss me where I’ve dreamed they would a thousand times before.
They tell me that I belong to them.
And only them.
They tease until, even in my sleep, I’m begging and weeping for them.
And then they sink their teeth into me.
“My omega.”
I wake up hours later to the scent of marshmallows. My hair is a tangled mess, and I’m exhausted and confused. My body doesn’t feel quite right, and I think I’m running a low grade fever. The dream haunts me. I want to be theirs so badly that I’d gladly, willingly wish to be an omega. How pathetic. How sad.
I wait all day.
No one comes.