Chapter 12
Hudson
My first night here, I slept alone in that enormous pack bed. They carried me in, tucked me under the duvet, then left me surrounded by space that smelled like them. Alex brought me breakfast this morning.
The four of us spent the day sprawled in front of the TV, just talking – families, childhoods, bits of the past we don’t tell many people.
I found out all three came from varying size pack families, that Mason had a fairly strict – and extremely unaffectionate – childhood while Alex and Des were super close to their big families.
When they asked about my family, I changed the subject. They don’t need to know why I learned early not to expect alphas to stick around.
I’ve had a blast being an omega. I highly doubt my alpha and beta siblings have people offering to pay them merely for their company.
Alex flirted until I laughed, Mason kissed my forehead, and Des brushed his fingers through my hair so gently like he feared I might break.
Then they left me alone in a bed made for a pack. Two nights of empty space and too much silence.
It was only the second night. I need to remember we’ll be spending a lot of months together; there is plenty of time to snuggle.
I should probably also come right out and request puppy piles at night. I’m an omega after all. I thrive on touch and attention from alphas.
Especially ones who smell so delicious and look like they were carved out of stone.
They told me last night they would be gone before I woke and that I was more than welcome to roam the house at will. Alex scheduled for one of the guards to escort me back to my apartment to get the rest of my clothing and a few nesting items I’m overly attached to.
Oh, and I’m supposed to go through some websites and make a shortlist of vehicles that interest me.
Will they want it back when this is over? Mason told me in no uncertain terms he wants the carrier of his child to be as safe as possible, but what about after I’ve given birth and return to my life away from them?
Definitely don’t plan on selling my Honda. Just in case.
Ella said she’ll meet me at my apartment to help me pack. Okay, she might have given me an earful and demanded she meet the alphas, but she really did say she’d help. I just have no doubt she’ll continue to argue all the reasons this is a bad idea.
Throwing my legs over the side of the bed, I go about my morning ritual. After a quick shower and jeans-and-tee combo, I pad barefoot into the hall. The house hums with distant movement, someone vacuuming, maybe one of the staff Alex mentioned.
It’s easy to get lost here. Three alphas built this mansion for a family that never came. Until I put up that ad on a whim.
In a few weeks, I could be pregnant. That thought sits warm and heavy in my chest – terrifying and somehow right.
But one way or another, I’ll be actively helping these three men achieve their dreams. Kind of a heady thought.
After a few minutes of roaming around, I find my way to the kitchen and slow to a stop. A beta woman who looks to be in her mid-twenties is standing over the stove, stirring eggs and flipping bacon.
“Um, hi,” I say softly so as not to startle her.
She glances over her shoulder and smiles. “You must be Hudson. I’m Amy. I’d shake your hand, but I don’t want to burn your breakfast. Have a seat and I’ll make you a plate.”
I smile back but feel a little…uncomfortable. Not that there’s a woman in the house, but because she’s behaving as though she’s my servant or caretaker.
“Are you going to eat with me?” I ask as I make my way to the six-seater table positioned in the kitchen near a set of French doors.
As she plates the breakfast, she glances at me quickly then returns her attention to her task. “Do you want me to?”
“I mean, I’d rather you not think you’re my servant. And I’m feeling a little…”
“Lonely? Out of sorts?”
“Yeah. That. Both.” Among quite a few other emotions.
Honestly, I’m a little disappointed the alphas left me alone, that they work all day and night while I’m expected to live here and spend my days by myself.
But they did tell me I could have Ella over any time, and they left me a credit card to go shopping whenever I want for whatever I want.
How long will the buzz of new possessions last, though?
Amy fills a plate for her then carries both to the table, sitting across from me instead of beside me. Even with the distance, I detect her soft pear scent drifting from her. She’s really pretty, too.
Did the alphas bother offering her the same arrangement? Suppose that would be weird to offer your employee money to carry a child. It could probably be seen as some form of workplace sexual harassment.
What’s really weird is the twang of possessiveness that turns my stomach at the thought of Amy having sex with Mason, Alex, or Des. Hell, I haven’t even had sex with any of them.
Okay, yeah. I received a mind-blowing blowjob from Alex, but that’s not technically sex.
Still…I don’t like the thought of sharing them with anyone outside the pack.
Maybe that’s why they prefer I don’t sleep around between heats, because they’re feeling that same possessiveness.
Or I suppose it could simply be fear I might contract something even after I told them I always use protection.
I tuck into my food while Amy does the same. I just met this woman yet the silence is fairly comfortable. We’re simply two people sharing breakfast together.
If Pack Anders is paying me for the use of my uterus, would that make me one of their employees, too?
I don’t like that. I don’t like the way that thought makes me feel. I guess it really isn’t much different than the alphas who paid me to sleep with an omega or the fact I’d put up an ad in search of alphas to pay to be with me through my heat.
“So you live on the property?” I ask.
“Guesthouse out back,” she says. “I can give you a tour of the full property later. The place is a maze.”
“That’d be great.”
She laughs. “Took me weeks to learn every inch. I handle most of the daily stuff – cleaning, errands, emergencies.”
“Emergencies?”
She catches the change in my scent and lifts her hands. “Not that kind. If there’s a dinner party or last-minute guest, I handle it. I’m not…with them.”
I smile as she speaks.
“I’ve never slept with any of them. I’m not remotely attracted to my bosses. Not that they aren’t handsome; I just don’t see them like…that.”
My smile grows wider as I realize she’s rambling in hopes of putting my mind at ease.
“It’s fine. Seriously. Even if you had slept with them in the past, it’s none of my business. We’re not in a relationship –”
I cut myself off when I realize I’m about to spill way more of their personal business than they might be comfortable with their paid staff knowing about.
Her quick, nervous explanation makes me smile.
Eight years. She’s worked for the pack for eight years. And they’ve never been intimate.
She’s actually extremely easy to get along with; maybe we can become friends. I know she’ll be working most days, but it’ll be nice to not be alone day in and day out.
Amy exhales, relief softening her face. “On behalf of Pack Anders, thank you,” she says. “It’s broken my heart to dust that nursery and playroom for eight years.”
Eight years. And they never stopped hoping.