Chapter 10
10
RONAN
Someone is going to call the cops on me at this rate.
“Hello, Officer. There’s been a strange man parked outside of this apartment building for the last three days. Yeah, he’s a fucking weirdo and won’t stop lurking on the street,” I say to myself while leaning my forearms on my bike.
I’m in the exact same spot I have been every evening, still hulked over my bike with my helmet perched in my lap.
It would have been smarter to use the SUV for my stalking, but Landon’s had it at a shop getting detailed for the last two weeks.
At this point, it better come back with black leather instead of white and that new car smell I fucking love.
My phone vibrates in the pocket of my jacket, and I ignore it again.
I dipped out of the arena and onto my bike before the others could catch up to me, so I know it’s Dash calling.
The mother hen can’t stand when he doesn’t know everyone’s whereabouts.
Somehow, I’ve kept my evening plans to myself.
If any of my packmates knew what I was doing, they’d be hauling me back home by the scruff.
Landon would try to lock my bike up just to keep me from trying to find the omega again.
He’s the reason I haven’t said anything to anyone about what happened the first time I scented her last week.
And possibly before that.
Fuck no.
I’ve convinced myself that my gut feeling is wrong.
That I hadn’t smelled her before, especially not on my fucking pack alpha.
Landon’s a dick most of the time, but he’d never betray us like that.
To hide an omega from us would be the worst thing he’s ever done.
I remember scenting something fruity and tart on him the night he came home covered in dinner, but there was so much going on it could have belonged to anyone.
It doesn’t mean shit that I reacted to the scent then.
Nothing made sense that night.
The trauma Landon carries from his childhood has kept him firmly against the idea of welcoming an omega into our pack.
It used to be easy to ignore that when we knew we had decades ahead of us to open him up to the possibility, but we’re already one down with no hope in sight.
Going behind his back tonight feels wrong, but what other choice do I have?
I need to find this omega on my own so he doesn’t have a chance to intervene.
I’m not risking losing out on her.
Not even my loyalty to Landon matters more to me than she does.
I didn’t need to so much as to see her face to make that decision, and that’s terrifying.
My phone buzzes again when I spread my legs wider around the leather seat and plant my heels on the concrete.
Most of the apartments facing out on the street have lights shining through their windows, but that doesn’t help me at all.
I know nearly all of the residents by name from my time visiting my family, and not a single one of them is my omega.
Hidden between the two buildings across the street, I blow out a pitiful breath and grab my phone.
The number of missed calls would be concerning if they weren’t all from Dash.
His text messages are what have me sitting straighter, the back of my neck prickling.
Why aren’t you sharing your location with us?
Are you cheating on us with another pack?
ANSWER ME RONAN.
Fine.
I’m coming to look for you then.
The last text was sent fifteen minutes ago before he called me twice more.
It’s only a ten-minute drive from the pack house to?—
Bright headlights fan out over the street as a sleek black car crawls to a stop in front of the entrance to the alley I’m trying to blend into.
I squeeze my handlebars and scowl at the man who hops out of the driver’s side and rounds the hood.
“Why are you hiding in the alley? You look like an absolute creep,” Dash shouts.
“I don’t need a babysitter.”
“You sure? Because from where I’m standing, you’re about an hour away from having the cops called on you.”
“I’d be gone by then.”
“What are you even doing? Are you here to see your mom?”
He tucks his hands into the pockets of his jeans and strolls toward me.
The teal Rayton Riptides hoodie he’s wearing has a giant bleach stain on the pocket, and his light-wash jeans are ripped at the thighs and knees in very Dash fashion.
He’s always brightly coloured, while I make sure all of my clothes are dark or neutral.
I clear my throat and release the handlebars, stretching my fingers to work out the stiffness in them.
Maybe it would be easier to start the bike and drive off past him.
By the time he got into the car to follow me, I’d be long gone.
My feet stay planted on the road.
“I was just leaving.”
“Liar,” he says, calling me out.
“I wanted to take a ride. Get some fresh air.”
“And you had to do that alone? I’d have joined you after practice.”
“Wanted to take the bike.”
“Right.”
“You can go. I’ll be home soon.”
He jostles a shoulder.
“Nah. I’ll chill with you for a bit. It’s a nice night.”
“Dash,” I grumble.
“Yes, Ronan? Are you sure there isn’t another reason why you’re here in this alley instead of at home with your pack? I know for a fact that Coach picked on you more than usual today. Is that why you needed space?”
He was harder on me because I was sloppy.
I have been for days, nearly costing us our last game because I couldn’t focus on anything other than the memory of the omega.
Fuck, that game was a disaster.
Trapping a groan inside, I stare past Dash at the apartment building, pleading with I don’t even know what for her to appear out of thin air.
“I already told you there wasn’t a reason I was here,” I mutter.
He turns to the apartment, his head tipping one way, then the other.
“Who’s inside, Ro?”
“How am I supposed to know that?”
“You’re here every weekend visiting your family. Don’t tell me you haven’t been paying attention to everyone who lives there. You’re the most protective alpha I’ve ever met.”
Something tells me that he’s looked in my room and found the list of tenants I keep in my desk.
He calls it protectiveness; I call it doing my due diligence.
What if a criminal was living in the same building as my mother and sister?
That wouldn’t be acceptable.
“I don’t know everyone,” I say, not having to lie this time.
If I did, I’d have a name or apartment number for my omega.
It seems the list of tenants I have is outdated.
I’ve scanned it a thousand times since I saw the omega here, and not one of the names on it spoke to me the way I know hers would have.
Instead, I only have the lingering image of her walking away and the memory of her smell that’s had me spending more time in the shower than anyone should.
Wrinkled skin and aching balls are my new normal.
Dash hums, leaning against my thigh.
He kicks a leg out and crosses his ankles, staring down at me with a sly smile.
“Are you waiting for someone by chance? Is that why you’re being so shady? Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen you in the gym the past few nights.”
The sound of tires crunching over the rock-sprinkled road distracts him before I’m forced to answer.
With a lifted brow, he eyes the gleaming blue car that pulls up in front of the apartment building.
I lurch forward on my seat, causing the bike to rock with the sudden adjustment of my weight.
There’s a sense of rightness stroking my chest, calling my heart forward to pound at my rib cage.
Her voice is a gentle twinkle in my ears.
I toe my kickstand down and stumble off the bike, drawn to the sound.
“See you tomorrow, Clove. Love you.”
Suddenly, it doesn’t matter that Dash is here.
I shove past him, our shoulders knocking as he grunts at the impact.
Painted in the beams of dull streetlights, my omega spreads her perfect, apple-red lips into a delicate grin and waves at the woman behind the wheel.
She’s perfect, all beautiful, gentle features and a curved figure that my fingers burn to explore.
It was a tease only seeing her from the back the first time I laid eyes on her, but also a blessing.
I’d have never survived these days without her had I seen her like this.
I gasp a tight breath and move closer, stepping out from between the buildings.
She’s so close, yet too far for me to catch a hint of her warm lemon scent.
My alpha drives me toward her at the same moment the car that dropped her off disappears down the street.
She spins on her heels and starts up the sidewalk, walking away from me again.
Only I’m not leaving here without getting a chance to get close to her this time.
With a brief look for oncoming traffic, I jog across the street, my feet smacking the concrete in time with the raging pulse in my ears.
The omega is only a few steps from the door when Dash calls after me.
“What are you doing, Ronan?”
I don’t look back at him, but the omega does.
With a fearful squeak, she lunges for the door handle and whips her head back.
Blue eyes so pale they’re nearly grey flare wide when they connect with mine.
I freeze with a foot on the curb, my thighs pinching tight from the effort it’s taking not to plow her down.
With only a few yards between us, I can make out more of her features.
Like the small dip in the centre of her chin and freckles flecked over her nose and forehead.
She has a stud in the side of her nose with a diamond that sparkles even in the low light and starry sky.
The T-shirt dress she’s wearing beneath a denim jacket reaches just above her knees and, even with its boxy shape, doesn’t swallow all her curves.
They’re not as obvious as they were the other day, but I’ve memorized the image of them in my mind so often over the last week that I don’t need another look.
The only thing I need is .
. . I don’t know.
Everything feels like the most appropriate answer.
She doesn’t run from me.
I doubt I look all that warm and inviting, yet she hasn’t spun around and run inside.
Cautious of every move I make and the potential repercussions of each one, I step forward with my right foot and wait for a reaction.
The omega’s fingers readjust their grip on the purse strap hanging from her shoulder.
“Do you live here?” she asks, her voice an enchanting song that I want to hear again and again.
It’s hard to breathe, let alone speak.
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out of it.
My tongue lies limp, the useless fucker.
The omega pulls a short breath in between her lips.
“Or . . . are you visiting someone?”
“My family lives here,” I croak, lifting a weak arm toward the building behind her.
“Oh. Are they expecting you? We’re not supposed to let strangers in.”
Smart girl.
Pride clangs in my chest. My omega can take care of herself.
Now she won’t have to.
Not anymore.
“I was leaving.”
The corner of her mouth twitches, a spark of humour appearing in her expression before she forces it back.
“Then why were you running back?”
Smart, gorgeous, and clever.
How lucky am I?
I take two steps forward, unable to help myself.
The omega watches me, on edge but not appearing fearful anymore.
Maybe she feels the same curiosity that I do.
And fuck, if I’m lucky, the same draw.
“Consider me interested.”
“In what?”
I swallow a possessive growl, keeping my lips flat.
“You.”
She sways forward at the claim in the word.
So do I.
A light breeze curls around my ear, carrying my scent toward her as it grows stronger with our closeness.
I’m helpless to the spike.
All I want to know is if she likes it.
And me. If she doesn’t .
. .
“Me,” she echoes.
The grass is smooshed flat beneath my shoes as I continue to eat at the space between us.
She buries her teeth into her plump bottom lip and brings her head back to keep our eyes locked the closer I get.
Releasing her purse strap, she drops her hand, letting it hang limp.
“I’m Ronan,” I force out.
Her lashes flutter. When I breathe in, a low rumble explodes in my chest. Grey-blue eyes fill with black as her pupils swallow the colour, a soft noise escaping her.
The sound of her distress flays me open.
She shivers, every inch of her body quaking.
“Ronan.”
“Your name,” I groan, my clothes growing so tight to my body that I lift a hand to paw desperately at my shirt, wanting it off.
“Tell me your name.”
Oh, fuck .
Lemon shortbread fills the air in thick puffs, creating a cloud of her perfume around us.
Yeah, she’s my omega alright.
My fucking omega.
I don’t have to be the one to go to her.
Once I’ve closed my eyes, trying to rein myself back in, I feel her come toward me.
I snap my eyes open and focus every ounce of my attention on her.
The pink tint on her skin is a beckoning, but the tiny pink tongue darting across her lips is a warning.
If I kiss her right now—when we’re both in this daze—I’ll never get another shot at capturing this moment.
Once and done.
“Please, Petal. Your name.”
She steals all the air between us in a sharp inhale.
“I like Petal better.”
“You can have both,” I declare.
“Briar.”
My cock throbs, cum making my briefs sticky as I swallow past the dryness in my throat and nod.
“Briar.”
She puffs out a breath, a whine following.
My entire body reacts to that sound.
I feel like I can’t breathe as I reach a hand out, holding it in the air.
The heat from her cheek crosses the space between her skin and my palm in a silent plea for me to shift it just an inch.
Leaning forward, she brings her nose to my chest and inhales deeply, nuzzling her cheek into my hand.
The immediate sizzle where we touch encourages me to take a better hold of her, palming her cheek with a sturdiness I wish I felt in my legs.
Briar shuts her eyes.
The immediate trust she’s gifting to me cranks the dial on my protectiveness.
We’re out in the open right here, and I know we’re not alone.
There’s so much to be discussed.
Does she know what’s happening, or is her omega driving her right now?
Is she in control of herself at all?
A cold rush drips down the back of my neck.
“Ronan?”
The male voice flips a switch inside of me.
Driven by pure animal instinct, I use my hold on Briar to pull her against my chest and snarl at my packmate, warning him to back off.
He gawks at me, jaw unhinged.
There’s a rattling in my chest as I stare him down, my arms bracketing the omega in my arms.
Mine .
I blink, my packmate’s face slowly registering.
He’s not a danger. He’s pack.
A beta.
“Alright, Ro. I’m not going to take her from you,” Dash murmurs, slowly lifting his hands into the air.
“You can trust me.”
I nod stiffly, bringing my nose to Briar’s hair and sucking her scent into my lungs.
“Who is she, Ronan? You can tell me that, yeah?”
“Mine,” I grit out between my clenched teeth.
She releases another noise, this time higher in pitch.
It causes my knot to swell wider, nearly painful in size.
“Briar.”
It’s muffled in my shirt.
I stroke the back of her head, trying to remind myself that Dash is pack.
Realization dawns on me at the same moment he slides toward us.
His hiss of breath isn’t as startling as the tensing of Briar’s body against mine.
She pulls herself out of my grip enough to blink up at Dash, wonder lighting her eyes.
“Are you . . . You too?” she whispers.
Two words and she’s confirmed what I knew from the moment I saw her.
We’re scent matched.
All three of us.
Which means that the odds are .
. . Jasper and Landon too. Fuck.