Chapter 40
40
brIAR
“What do you mean your apartment was broken into?” Ronan snaps, an angry shade of red slowly creeping up his throat.
“That’s where Landon’s been. I called him when I saw my door open and went inside?—”
“You went inside alone when you saw your door was open?” Jasper asks, still scolding but not as ruthless as Ronan.
I try not to waver beneath their worried words and keep strong.
If I let them railroad me now, they won’t know where my boundaries are.
“Stop ganging up on me, or I won’t tell you anything.”
All four of them keep silent, but it’s Ronan’s chest that won’t stop rumbling.
I take the small win and hold back a smile at his protectiveness.
It’s not a new development by any means.
“She went up to your parents’ apartment while she waited for me,” Landon says, eyeing the grumbling alpha.
“And I don’t think you’re in a position to be growling at anyone, considering you didn’t share that there are a pair of alphas dangerous enough to pose a threat to our omega lurking around.”
To Ronan’s benefit, he doesn’t look taken aback by Landon’s chastising.
Sure, his anger isn’t specifically directed at him, but it may as well be.
Landon’s like a dog with a scent, and after semi-successfully avoiding his interrogation on the ride here, I knew it was only a matter of time before he brought his questions and suspicions to the rest of the pack.
I do feel guilty for not sharing what happened with Sadie’s alphas with the rest of the pack, but it all happened so fast, and I didn’t think a text was the way to handle it.
In a way, I guess this is a blessing.
Landon’s taking care of it now.
I never thought I’d be able to say that after how things were before today.
“I only met the two alphas the other night,” Ronan says before glancing at Jasper.
“And I wasn’t the only one who knew.”
Landon’s energy shifts, his scent sharpening.
“So, both of you knew and didn’t speak up. You shouldn’t have gone anywhere you thought could have been dangerous without backup. We should have dealt with whatever happened together.”
“Would you have even come if I’d asked? And I didn’t set off to tell Jasper. He was up when I got home the morning after,” Ronan defends himself.
I lift a brow and stare down at him.
“You mean after you stayed parked outside of my apartment all night?”
His mouth slants into a smirk, knowing he’s caught.
“It wasn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last.”
I don’t know if he means to, but Landon clutches my hand with a python grip, as if he needs my support to continue this conversation.
“I know you don’t think much of me anymore, Ro, but yes, I would have come. You’re my family, and I’d do anything for any one of you, Briar included. Which is also why I’ve asked her to move in with us.”
“What?” Dash guffaws.
When I steal a look at him, he’s wide-eyed.
Is it really that surprising?
Or is he upset?
Some omegas move in with their scent matches after the first time they meet them.
My mom was mated and bonded a week after first scenting her mates.
“That’s the best call you’ve made in months,” Ronan tells Landon, inching forward and dropping his lips to kiss both my knees.
His eyes blaze when they meet mine.
“You belong here with us. Safe and cared for.”
“Yes, you do,” Jasper adds.
He’s sitting too far away, but the steady warmth of his hand on my back helps with the distance.
Dash doesn’t have a chance to say anything else before Landon’s bringing the conversation back to the break-in.
His leadership is shining through right now, and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t extremely sexy watching him take control of the pack.
“When I was looking inside of Briar’s place, I found a bunch of Harbour of Hope folders open. Most importantly, Sadie’s. It was empty. Now, is there a reason Sadie isn’t with her alphas? And why has Briar been brought into what’s going on with them? I need to know everything that happened the other night and over the last few weeks.”
“Thorne and Sebastian are the only two in the pack, but they’re not her alphas anymore. Not really. She already left them and has filed multiple restraining orders, with the most recent being heavily detailed. They’re not supposed to be within six feet of her, but they’ve been constantly appearing outside of the clinic and as of the other night, trying to get into her house. Our security does a great job of keeping them away while she’s at the clinic, but other than that, we have no jurisdiction,” I explain.
Landon hardly contains a growl.
“Which one of them is the father?”
Ronan strokes my legs in soothing movements.
“Thorne. He’s the one stirring the shit. When I drove Briar to Sadie’s the other night, it was him who was trying to get inside of her apartment. They’re bonded, and he feels like she still belongs to him.”
“His instincts aren’t going to allow him to pretend his baby doesn’t exist. He won’t leave her alone,” Jasper adds tightly.
Dash clears his throat.
“Briar needs to be our focus. Especially if they’re now targeting her.”
We’re pressed so close together that our arms and thighs touch, and when he grows stiff, I feel it.
He might doubt our slow-growing bond, but I know it’s there, and every moment we stay this close, it becomes even more apparent.
His scent is subtle but delicious.
Good enough to eat, really.
If he would only give me a chance, I know we’d be great together.
The small hints of his humour and jokester personality intrigue me.
Dash is like a glass of cold lemonade on a sweltering day, and I’m desperate for a long, refreshing gulp of it.
“I would say I’m a target less than I am just someone in their way. They want to know details about Sadie’s birth that we— I — refuse to give. For as long as she’s a Harbour of Hope patient, Sadie will have around-the-clock protection at the clinic and top-of-the-line care. That means Thorne can’t just walk in and demand answers. Yes, breaking into my place was a poor decision, but he’s desperate. This isn’t about me at all,” I say.
Landon forces out a harsh breath.
“It doesn’t matter if this isn’t about you. The moment he brought you into this, he made himself an enemy of the Montgomery pack.”
My heart lurches, wings flapping in my stomach.
Twisting, I peer up at him through my lashes.
“And what does that mean exactly?”
Jasper curls his fingers and draws five soft lines across the length of my shoulders while Ronan sweeps his hands up to the tops of my thighs.
Dash swallows and digs his eyes into the side of my face while shifting his hips and spreading his legs, a knee digging into my leg beside Ronan’s hot fingers.
My senses become overrun with their touching and the swell of scents around me.
I try to breathe in each one, but as I peer into Landon’s electric gaze, the best I can do is sip on hot air.
I wait anxiously for him to join his packmates in touching me, but he makes me wait for it.
My breasts heave, nipples hard and sensitive in my bra.
Every second it takes for him to put me out of my misery is another I can feel myself growing wetter between my legs, slick filling my panties.
When Landon finally brings an arm into the space between us, I’m parting my legs, inviting Ronan to slide his hands further.
For some godforsaken reason, he doesn’t.
I don’t realize why until Landon shakes his head and gently pinches my chin, a calloused thumb stroking the dip in the centre of it.
“The Montgomery pack is yours, Haven. Anyone who threatens, hurts, or so much as looks at you the wrong way won’t be given a chance to apologize. You’re ours to protect, and we won’t let you down. I won’t . Not again.”
A shiver runs down my spine.
A fourth hand joins the others, and I fling my head to the side to see Dash joining in.
The cautious, soft pressure of his fingers around my waist fills me with blinding pleasure.
I moan breathlessly, relaxing back into the couch.
Landon doesn’t allow me much space and strokes his knuckles down the side of my face, keeping the consistent fever running hot.
The bubble around us thickens, becoming impenetrable to everything outside of it.
“What do you want for your heat, love?” Jasper asks, his voice muted behind the sound of my pulse.
Landon uses the tip of his finger to trace my lips.
“ Who do you want?”
“It’s coming soon,” I whisper, shutting my eyes.
The burn simmering beneath my skin is only a taste of what’s to come.
And for the first time in my life, I’m excited for an incoming heat.
Not just for the endless pleasure that I know will come but because I’ll get to spend it with them.
My mates.
“Even I can smell how close it is,” Dash notes, his voice deeper, strained.
Jasper hums in agreement.
“We need to get the nest ready.”
“You need to decorate it, Petal. Fill it with everything you’ve ever wanted.”
“Jasper should take you shopping,” Landon says, his scent more cinnamon than vanilla.
“He knows the most about nesting. I’ve seen his bookshelves.”
Jasper’s fingers climb from my shoulder up my neck and twist in my hair.
“Dash knows more about designations than I do.”
“Not omegas,” Dash adds gently.
“I’d like both of you to take me,” I gasp when Jasper tugs on my hair hard enough for me to feel it between my legs.
“And all of you involved in my heat.”
“Even me?” Dash asks, almost timidly.
“You’re my scent match. I know you are.”
“Then we’ll all be there,” Ronan promises.
His hand slips along the inner side of my thigh, slowly crawling toward where I’m hot and damp.
The brief press of his pinky to my seam causes me to jolt.
“Easy, beautiful. What I said earlier stands. We’re going to wait until your heat,” Landon purrs in my ear.
Dash thumbs the pulse point in my wrist. “Think about what you want from us when the time comes. Not just sexually but emotionally. We’ve never done this before.”
“It’s an honour for you to be our first,” Jasper declares.
It’s Landon who gives me what I’m too scared to dig for.
He has a deeper insight into my mind than I could have ever expected.
“And only. You’ll be the only one.”
I force my eyes open until I can focus on each of them.
“Is that a promise? I take my promises seriously. If you say yes and then break it?—”
With a ferocity that muzzles me, Landon swoops in and kisses me.
He forces the worry from my consciousness and replaces it with a declaration of forever. “I promise, Briar.”