Chapter 7 West
seven
West
“Dammit, Jellybean, let go!” A voice that I kind of recognize but can’t quite place echoes down the hall.
A man’s voice.
I’m in the kitchen, trying to decide if I want to try to cook something for dinner or not.
It has way more amenities than any home I’m used to, and it’s hard to not feel intimidated.
By the whole house, really. It’s not as big or opulent as Hayden’s dad’s or the Bowen residence, but there’s a…
quiet sort of wealth. Everything looks homey, but it’s obviously top of the line.
A door slams, making my brows shoot up, and Turnip pops her head out of the little box I’ve set up for her on the kitchen counter, chittering nervously.
“Jo, what are you doing?!” Declan’s voice orders, and, my curiosity piqued, I glance at Turnip.
The little rat has already scurried out of the box and is standing on her hind legs next to me.
I try not to think too hard about the fact I just checked for a rat’s opinion on the situation as I scoop her up, leaving the kitchen and head to the living room, where I’m greeted by the delightful sight of Jo dragging Rory to the couch with a death grip on his ear, and Declan following angrily behind her.
When Jo aggressively flings Rory into the couch and puts her hands on her hips, I have to put my hands in my pockets to physically restrain the boner the sight gives me.
It quickly dies when the tinge of her upset scent reaches my nose.
As a beta, I shouldn't be able to scent the changes in anyone’s emotions, but true scent matches have a way of getting around the rules.
“Damn, what did he do?” Hayden whispers behind me, and I jump a little in surprise before shrugging.
“Not sure, but the psycho held a gun to Sam’s head during our rescue mission, so I’m not sad to see a little retribution.” Turnip squeaks in agreement.
As if summoned by the magical fairy of divine vindication, Sam appears at the top of the stairs, a grin on his face. Kole pops up behind him with raised brows and a smirk.
“What have you been doin’ to Mabel?” Jo demands, a furious expression on her face. None of the sharp, Southern charm or bravado is present, only unfiltered rage. “Why does she have your scent all over her, and why does she seem to be completely unaware of it?”
“Oh fuck,” Hayden gasps behind me. “Fireball’s gonna kill him.”
“Do we stop her?” I whisper feeling conflicted.
Hayden snorts. “As if we could.”
Sam moves next to me. “Declan will put a stop to things if they go too far.”
Kole, now behind him, nods once. “We are guests on his territory. We must play by his rules.”
Rory’s eyes go wide, and I quickly look to Declan, who now looks just as murderous as his sister. “Your scent is where?”
The beta holds his hands up. “Okay, that sounds bad, but it’s not what it looks like—”
“Where is your scent, Rory?” Declan snaps, taking a menacing step forward.
“On a sweatshirt he snuck into her room.” Jo crosses her arms.
I frown. That doesn’t seem like enough of a reason to get this upset.
“Where else?” Declan hedges.
“Her hair.” Jo seethes. Man, if looks could kill, Rory would be a very dead beta on our couch. “I couldn’t place it at first when my traumatized-as-fuck baby sister was sobbin’ into my arms, but when I handed her the sweatshirt she had been wearin’ to cover her scars, I caught it full-force.”
Something in me stirs at Jo being familiar enough with another beta’s scent to be able to discern it on someone else, but I push it down. A jealous man is the last thing she needs to deal with.
Maybe if I had been present for Jo’s heat spike in the back of the van last night, I wouldn’t feel so possessive.
“Explain. Now,” Declan growls, and in the blink of an eye, it’s not Jo’s brother I’m looking at. No, I’m staring straight into the face of the head of the Irish Mafia.
Rory runs a hand over his face. “Okay. I’ve never, ever touched her like that. You know me well enough to know that, right?” He looks between Jo and Declan. “Right?”
“I know,” Jo admits begrudgingly. “That is not the point though.”
“Right,” Rory nods, letting loose a breath, “so, it all started when we brought her—and the other omegas—home. There’s something about her, something that makes me unable to stay away from her.”
Sam stiffens next to me, and I curse internally. Jo hadn’t meant to keep it a secret from the rest of the pack, but I have a feeling the idea that Declan’s pack might be Mabel’s true scent matches is about to become public knowledge.
Rory keeps talking, even as Jo’s face turns slightly pale.
“When we got back, she was still unconscious, and Dec put me in charge of moving her, since I’m a beta and she has alpha-related trauma.
” His throat bobs. “I swear, I smelled…” Then he shakes his head.
“I just kept guard at first. I slept in the tree outside her bedroom window, just to make sure she was safe.”
“You know that nobody gets within a mile of this house without me or Aidan knowing about it,” Declan snaps, irritation showing on his face. Though I’m not sure if it’s irritation at Rory’s actions, or at the fact Declan didn’t think of it.
“Yeah, but I couldn’t help it!” Rory throws his hands up in frustration. “I needed to know she was okay. And then…” He trails off, looking guilty as hell.
“And then what?” Jo hisses.
“Right.” He shakes his head to clear it. “She has…PTSD or something. Makes it hard for her to sleep. So Doctor McFadden prescribed her some sleeping medication. Only thing is…well, it makes her have night terrors.”
Jo’s frown deepens. “She hasn’t said a single word about that.”
Rory sighs. “That’s because she doesn’t know about it.
The first time it started, I was…leaving my sweatshirt for her because…
because I heard her talking on the phone with you about hating her scars and having to look at them.
So when she started thrashing around and screaming in her sleep, my first instinct was to go to her.
As soon as I touched her, her body relaxed, and the nightmare stopped.
So…I…” He chokes, tears lining his eyes as he looks up at Declan.
“You don’t know how she sounded, man. I’ve heard some shit, and I’d never heard a scream like that.
So I climbed into bed with her, and laid on top of the covers. ”
My omega’s expression screws up in anger. “I told you to stay away from her. Until she was ready. Until I knew for sure—”
“Until you knew for sure, what?” Rory explodes, bolting to his feet. “What aren’t you telling us?!”
Hayden and Sam let out low rumbles of a growl, but Kole holds his arm out. “This is Jo’s fight. The beta will not hurt her.”
They take a step back, but I can still hear Hayden grumbling.
“She is broken, Rory!” Jo shouts, her voice cracking.
“She spent the first six months of her omega-life with a pack that made her fall in love with them, only to turn around and force-bond her durin’ her first heat!
Then she was abused for a year and a half before she killed them to protect me, and then she was tested on for three years after that!
She’s been here two fuckin’ weeks! She needs time to heal, not to be sniffed at by the first pack that comes across her after bein’ rescued.
You don’t have the right to stomp all over her boundaries just because you’re her—” Jo’s lips snap shut, her eyes wide as she realizes her mistake.
But they heard her. We all did.
“He’s her what?” Hayden whispers loudly, making Rory, Declan, and Jo all glare at us.
Hayden shrinks back, and Declan turns to Jo. “I want to know as well, Jo. He’s her…what?”
Jo’s lips tighten again, her eyes screwing shut as she shakes her head.
I was happy enough to hold Jo’s confidence when she didn’t know for sure one way or the other, but based on the fact that Mabel has been healing remarkably fast, and it seems that Rory sleeping in her bed is what’s helped that to happen…it’s not fair of Jo to keep this from them.
“Jo…” I say gently, and her eyes fly open, landing on mine.
“No,” she shakes her head, taking a step back. “Mabel should know before anyone, and—”
“We’re her true scent matches, aren’t we?” Declan’s expression is filled with disbelief and hurt. When Jo doesn’t say anything, keeping her eyes on the ground, Declan snaps, growling. “Aren’t we?”
Even my hackles raise at that. But it’s Sam who breaks away and pulls her into his side. “Watch it,” he growls right back. “She may be your sister, but she’s still my omega.”
“Yes.” Jo looks up, meeting Declan’s eyes. “And this is exactly why. You feel like you have a right to her just because she’s your match. But what about her? What about what she wants? She needs to choose you without the pressure of the scent match. And that is why you will not tell her.”
Rory’s expression turns hopeful. “But if she knows, she’ll—”
“Run the absolute other fuckin’ direction,” my omega snaps before turning to Declan.
“You think she doesn’t like you now? It’s because she feels like she can trust you implicitly, and last time she trusted her instincts, she ended up force-bonded.
If you tell her what you suspect, you will lose her forever.
Besides, you can’t know for sure. Not until we fix whatever went wrong with the injections Thornfield’s been givin’ her, and she can scent you for herself. ”
“But whether or not she can scent you, your scent, your pheromones being near her is helping her heal.” I don’t mean to speak out. I really don’t, especially considering the way Jo glares at me.
“Sneakin’ into her bed is crossin’ a line,” Jo scowls, turning back to Rory. “Leave her all the sweatshirts you want. Pants. Shirts. Fucking socks. If it will help her get better faster, keep doin’ that. But you, under no circumstances, are to sneak back into her bed, Rory.”
The beta huffs, crossing his arms. “And what if she starts screaming again? You’d let her deal with the night terrors?”
“If she starts with them, she’ll become aware it’s happenin’, and then the doctor can figure out a change in medication or somethin’.
” Jo mirrors Rory’s stance. “This is my sister, Ror. Dec may be my blood, but I’ve protected Mabel since before I could walk.
I’m not gonna stop now—even if it’s from the four of you. ”
“So what do we do?” Declan asks bitterly. “Just…hope she stops hating me?”
“You give it time.” She sighs, running a hand through her hair.
“Let her get to know you, no expectations and no talk of mates. Maybe…maybe if she falls for you beforehand, she won’t run when her sense of smell comes back.
But you can’t do it yet. She needs more time.
Weeks. Months, probably. I wouldn’t be shocked if it’s even longer than that. ”
“I’ve also volunteered my services,” I add, stepping forward. “For Mabel—as a beta mated to her sister, I’m about as little of a threat to her as possible. This was all before the talk of scent-matches, so that’s not why I’m doing it.”
“You knew about this?” Kole hisses, and I smirk, shrugging.
“Right.” Declan sighs. “Time. Something we’ve got plenty of.”
“Are you going to tell Nolan and Aidan?” Jo asks, tilting her head.
“Aidan is…Aidan.” Declan shrugs. “I don’t think he’s even noticed her existence at this point. Nolan…well, he hasn’t mentioned her, but if he does I’ll tell him. For now, it’s for the best that it’s kept between the three of us.”
Hayden clears his throat, and gives a little wave. “Hello? What are we, chopped liver?”
Declan rolls his eyes. “Fine, the…” he mentally tallies the number of men in Jo’s pack, “the…seven of us.”
“Great,” the pyro claps, rubbing his hands together. “Now that all the messy business is out of the way, how does a guy go about getting pizza delivered? I’ve had a craving since yesterday.”
Turnip chirps in agreement, and a small smile tilts at Jo’s lips when she sees the little rat on my shoulder.