Chapter 34
Desmond
“He shouldn’t be in our omega’s room,” I say as I lean back in my chair and roll my neck. Every muscle feels tight.
“He’s not ours,” Mason grumbles.
“Well, you marked him. And I marked him,” Alex says as though it’s as simple as that.
“And as soon as it’s safe, we’ll pay to have the bond dissolved. We promised him we wouldn’t. We told him his life was his own. Just because we lost ourselves to our –”
“I wasn’t lost to my hindbrain. He asked for my bite,” Alex says, cutting our pack lead off before he could repeat the same shit he’s said every time either Alex or I argue on behalf of keeping him as our omega.
“He’s also hormonal, asshole. You took advantage of him.”
The look on Alex’s face is nothing short of murderous. When he tenses in his chair, I wonder if I’ll have to lunge forward and put myself between the two of them before they start fist fighting in the middle of the office. That’s the last thing we need, especially as the firm partners.
“I will never deny Hudson anything. If he wants the bond dissolved after he gives birth, I’ll support him. If he wants to keep it, I’ll support that, too. And if he’ll agree to stay with us –”
“We discussed this before we ever started our search for a surrogate,” Mason says.
“Ten fucking years ago. Can you seriously tell me you feel nothing for Hudson? Can you seriously tell me you haven’t thought about how empty our home, our fucking lives will feel when he returns to his life before us?”
Mason’s lips part but nothing comes out. After a few tense moments of them staring each other down, Mason curses and grumbles under his breath then turns back to his computer. “We have too much to do to worry about this right now.”
“Can we please get back to the subject of another alpha in our omega’s bedroom?” I point out.
“Kane said Hudson told him to hang out in there so he could chat with his friend without an audience,” Alex says with a wave of his hand.
Oh, he can act as though he’s not bothered, but the way a muscle jumps in his jaw tells me everything I need to know – my mate is no happier than I am.
Hudson’s room will now carry hints of the guard’s signature, his scent, maybe even his pheromones.
“Okay, but it’s been hours. You don’t think Hudson should have headed back to the house by now? Or that the guard should no longer be spreading his pheromones all over our omega’s room?”
“He’s not our fucking omega!” Mason’s bark explodes throughout the room.
He literally barked at me as though it would do a damn thing. Just because I’m quiet, a little on the shyer side, doesn’t mean I’m any less dominant than our pack lead. The only reason he holds that title is because neither Alex nor I wanted it as we each joined.
I’m not one who enjoys violence. I’m not afraid of it, but I don’t relish in throwing fists or even cursing someone out.
But this is one of those moments I have to fight my alpha instincts to lunge across the room and throttle a man who’s held my heart in his hand for years.
Rolling my chair away from my desk, I push to my feet, stretching to my full height and glare at Mason. “I’m going to his apartment. I’m dismissing the guard for the night. And I’m bringing our fucking omega home.”
I don’t bother with tidying my desk. I don’t exit out of the digital evidence I was reviewing on my computer. I don’t even bother pulling my suit jacket back on. I simply grab my phone, pull up a ride share app, and order a car to arrive immediately.
Yeah, I could take Mason’s Maserati, but that would be a bit of a dick move. I can Uber to Hudson’s place and the two of them can take Mason’s fancy ass car back home when they’re done for the day.
I don’t even care that I might have made their workday longer by leaving. We have plenty of junior partners as well as other lawyers who can help carry some of the load, just like we did when Hudson went into heat.
By the time I step off the elevator in the lobby of the building where our office resides, the rideshare app says my ride is three minutes away. A perk of working downtown – plenty of cabs and such in the area.
A soft growl works up my throat as I frantically scan through emails and contacts while looking for Hudson’s address. I haven’t been there, but two of my guards have.
When I can’t find anything, I send a group text to both Kane and Dane, asking if they know the omega’s address since they’ve both been there.
The moment I climb into the backseat of an Escalade, I’ve received an address to give the driver from Kane.
Because he’s still there.
Is the guard lying on Hudson’s bed? Is he covering himself in Hudson’s perfume?
Does my omega find him attractive?
Has Kane touched my omega?
The deep, rumbling growl spilling from my mouth has the beta driver glancing at me in the rearview before refocusing his attention back on the road.
I don’t know why I’m surprised Hudson chose to live downtown; he’s really never come off as the outdoorsy kind of guy. I’m sure he would have been fine with the suburbs, too, but definitely not a countryside, isolated type of omega.
That’s fine with me. I’ve never been much into camping or any of that, either. Not that my parents didn’t still make us kids join in all the family adventures growing up.
When the Escalade stops in front of a tall apartment building with balconies lining several stories up, I hit a button on the app for his tip, thank him, and push from the door.
I need to get upstairs. I need to see Hudson. I need to find out why he’s spent over ten hours at the apartment instead of returning home.
Problem is the man who stops me at the entrance, asking who I’m here to see and whether they’re expecting me.
I could lie. I know I can. I can also tell the truth, tell him my pregnant omega is upstairs and I’m concerned about him.
Except he’s not mine.
Mason’s right. Technically.
He’s Mason’s omega. He’s Alex’s omega. But he doesn’t carry my mark.
Yet.
I won’t do like Mason and lose myself. I won’t force my mark on Hudson when he’s completely lost to his hindbrain.
I’ll wait. I’ll follow Alex’s lead, make Hudson want me, make him want my mark on his flesh.
“I’m Desmond Anders of Pack Anders. I’m here to see Hudson…” My mouth does that fish out of water thing as I realize…I don’t know Hudson’s last name. I’m sure I knew it. I’m sure I’ve heard it.
But for the life of me, I can’t remember. And doesn’t that make me feel like a complete and total jerk.
The doorman lifts a phone and hits a few numbers before saying, “Mr. Anders is here to see you, sir.”
Sir? Why does someone calling my omega ‘sir’ make my dick twitch in my pants? That is not a natural reaction to a man simply doing his job and being respectful to one of the tenants of this building.
“Yes, sir.” The doorman sets the phone into its cradle, then waves his hand for me to fully enter the building.
Honestly, though, I could have easily shoved past him. He’s not only a beta, but a small, older man, standing maybe five feet six inches tall and is very thin. Not quite frail, but getting there.
“He’s in apartment 7A. Take the elevator to the seventh floor and his door will be to your right.”
I nod and smile politely, struggling to keep my legs from sprinting for the elevator. I have to keep my cool. I have to remember who I am, remember I’m not the impulsive alpha of the pack.
The elevator feels as though it takes a damn year before the number seven lights up on the screen above the door. My movements feel jerky as I continue to fight the urge to run, to shoulder through Hudson’s door.
Instead, I straighten my tie, smooth my button down, then raise my fist to knock three times.
I don’t hear any conversation going on behind the door, but that doesn’t mean much. Could be well insulated walls. Hudson and his friend could be snuggled on the couch watching TV. I’m sure the poor omega is practically touch-starved with as much as we work.
When a shadow passes over the peephole, I make sure my face is fully visible.
Except it isn’t Hudson who answers, but Kane.
My brows slam together, and I step forward, forcing Kane to either move back or end up chest to chest with me.
I’m not sure why him answering the door has my hackles up – it’s his job to watch over the omega. That was part of the deal from the start.
“Where is he?”
“He said he was going to take a bath, so I came out here. No chance am I staying in there when he’s naked in the tub.”
Kane crosses his thick arms over his chest and stands with his feet shoulder width apart. His military days are so deeply ingrained in him even standing in this living room looks more like he’s either awaiting his assignment or sizing up his enemy.
“Stay out here,” I say as I make my way toward the hallway, following Hudson’s potent tonka bean and sweet plum.
I swear his scent is like a beacon. I’m pretty sure I could find him anywhere simply by sniffing at the air.
And now I feel like a dog, like a bloodhound tracking someone.
What the hell is wrong with me?
I’ve cussed more in the past month than I have in a year. I’m becoming more and more…aggressive isn’t quite the right word, but I feel like I’m constantly swallowing back a growl when it comes to Hudson.
Possessive. I’m becoming possessive when I have no right to be.
Unless, of course, he’s willing to join our pack.
What if Mason truly wants that bond dissolved? What if he truly feels marking him was a mistake and he doesn’t want the omega permanently tied to us? Then what?
Losing Hudson feels as though I’ll be losing a piece of my heart or soul. But there isn’t a chance in hell I could ever walk away from Mason. He’s owned my heart for almost two decades.
Maybe this whole situation was a bad idea. Yes, I want a child. I’ve wanted to be a father for as long as I can remember. I’ve wanted to watch my mates hold a baby, to rock and sing to them.
But at what cost? I really didn’t believe this would ever become an issue. None of us have been interested in adding a member to our pack. Not once.
Sure, we’ve met beautiful omegas and betas. Yet not a single one of them lured us away from the pack, not one of them has interested us enough to want to integrate them into Pack Anders.
Until now. Until this beautiful omega with the most addictive scent, the sweetest smile, and…yeah, an amazing body. He isn’t soft and curvy like the females. And for some reason, that’s all the more appealing.
I do love that he’s small enough to lift into my arms, that I can pick him up and let him wrap his legs around my waist.
Damn it. Now my dick is growing harder under my slacks and there will be practically no way to hide it.
The door to Hudson’s ensuite bathroom is closed. I could walk in but don’t want to be rude. Tapping my knuckles lightly on the door, I call out, “Hudson? It’s Desmond.”
“You can come in,” he says back, his voice muffled through the barrier between us.
Taking a deep breath, I turn the knob and push inside, my eyes touching on him only a brief moment before taking in the rest of the bathroom.
Of course I want to stand here and ogle him. I want to swipe the bubbles from the surface so I can see all of him. I’ve barely seen that beautiful body since his heat ended. And I’ve craved it.
I’m not sure there will come a day when I don’t want to feel his skin under my hands, when I don’t want to see his toned muscles flex as I take him.
When was the last time I made love to him?
When was the last time I made love to either of my packmates? It feels as though I’ve become celibate and I’m not really sure what has caused this self-imposed dry spell.
Finally turning to look at Hudson, my brows draw together. Something’s off. His eyes don’t hold that sparkle. He isn’t smiling as though happy to see me.
He looks damn near shut down.
“Are you okay?” I ask, completely ignoring the fact he’s naked and crossing the room to sit on the side of the tub.
“I’m fine,” he says.
I hate that word. Fine. Any time someone says they’re fine, it always means the opposite. But it’s also a surefire way of knowing there’s something they need to discuss but don’t want to discuss. And I can’t push him if he isn’t ready to open up.
However, I need to know whether there’s something I’ve done, something one of my pack has done to make his scent slightly cloying and a little bitter. If we’ve done something to upset him, we need to make it right.
“Tell me what’s wrong. Tell me how I can help,” I say, reaching forward and pushing a damp tendril of hair from his face.
A purr bursts from my chest when he turns his cheek and nuzzles against my hand.
“I’m going to stay here,” he says so softly I have to lean forward.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m going to stay here for the rest of the pregnancy. After I give birth, I’ll step away so you three can raise your son or daughter and have the bond dissolved. I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to this arrangement. The last thing I want is to come between you three.”
“You’re not –”
“I heard you all fighting, Des,” he says, finally turning his honey-colored eyes up to my face. “I’m coming between you. You three…I won’t be the reason you guys fall apart.”
“We won’t fall apart.” My heart is racing now. Yeah, we offered to allow him to stay in his apartment with all expenses paid.
That was before. That was before we got to know him. That was before I became so used to having him in our home.
But can any of the three of us really blame him? Not like we’re there. He’s stuck at home all day alone in that massive house with nothing but Amy and the rest of the staff to keep him company. Even his friend has a job and can’t spend every day with him.
Goddammit. We’re failing him. He might not technically belong to Pack Anders, but he’s our responsibility. We promised him the world, knocked him up, and then returned to our lives and expected him to simply behave like some pampered house omega.
Thing is, I can’t blame him for wanting to move back to his own home.
And my heart feels as though it’s being crushed in his fist as tears burn the backs of my eyes.