19. Peony
19
PEONY
MEANING: ANGER; APHRODISIAC; BEAUTY; brAVERY; HAPPY MARRIAGE; HEALING; ROMANCE; SHAME; SHYNESS; UNREALIZED DESIRES
MICAH
________
I watched Cam take Ocean to the cake and followed at a distance. All wrapped in frothy lace, she looked more delicious than the cake. And with her sweetness permeating the air, she was the only thing I wanted to take a bite out of.
Raina walked next to Everett and I. “Do I even want to know why we’re keeping Frank and Laura away?”
“Unless you want to feel Alpha rage right now? No. You don’t.”
“Fuck,” she muttered.
“That about sums it up.”
She turned and looked at us. “When you said you were getting married because of the board, I didn’t expect this.”
“What?”
Her smirk told me what was coming. “Don’t pretend. You look at her like she’s… the only thing in the world.”
Everett chuckled. “I’m glad you noticed. She hasn’t yet.”
“She will. Now go get your bride.”
Raina retreated to her own pack, her Omega embracing her when she reached their table. Raina looked at him the way we looked at Ocean. Unfathomable love.
Another breath of Ocean’s scent had me turning back to my Omega where she stood at the cake with wide eyes. Cam lifted his hand to us, but I was already moving. I touched Ocean on the shoulder. “Sorry, beautiful. We’re here.”
She looked up at me so fast her curls bounced. Her eyes were such a dark brown they were nearly black, and I didn’t think I’d ever seen any eyes like them. I could get lost in them. She mouthed a word, and it took me a second to realize she’d repeated the word beautiful . Like it was alien to her.
How much damage had her aunt and uncle done to her that she didn’t think she was fucking stunning? It had already been the goal, but my entire life’s mission shifted to make sure Ocean knew how perfect she was at any given opportunity.
The photographer was already looking at us, so I took her hand. “Ready?”
“I—” she squeezed my fingers and whispered, “please don’t smash cake in my face.”
Cameron slid his arms around her waist from behind and pulled her in. I watched her eyes flutter as her Omega gave in. Her Omega knew. Somewhere deep down, even if the scent match couldn’t be recognized yet, she was ours. “We’re not going to do that,” he said quietly. “None of this is about embarrassing you, and especially after you’ve asked us not to.”
“Thank you.”
The photographer smiled at us. “Should I count you down?”
“Sure.” All three of us put our hands on Ocean’s, and we slid through the cake together. There was no smashing as I fed her a piece of the cake, entranced by the sight of frosting on her tongue and the barest brush of her lips on my skin.
“That’s amazing,” she said.
“Whatever’s left we’ll have taken home. Hell, if you love it, I’ll have one made for you every week.”
Ocean laughed. Really laughed. It was the first time I’d ever seen her face that open, and I realized how on edge she’d been this whole time. How reserved. Even speaking to her friends earlier, she was holding back.
“Having a wedding cake made every week would be a bit impractical, don’t you think?”
“Not at all. If it makes my wife happy, then it’s the perfect thing to do.”
She still smiled and lowered her voice. “Your fake wife.”
“We signed the license, beautiful. You are very much our real wife.”
“For now.”
I glanced at the others where they stood behind her. We couldn’t fault her for thinking that. It was the deal we’d proposed. But it wasn’t the truth. Ocean was our wife, and if there was anything we had to say about it, she would stay that way.
Holding out my hand to her, I bowed a little. “Will you dance with me, wife?”
She stared at my hand for a breath before she took it. “Yes.”
Our guests quieted as I tugged her onto the dance floor. She looked around like she was nervous, but I guided her against me. “It’s just us. No one else.”
Music floated from somewhere, wrapping around us as we danced slowly. Everything in me wanted to purr and make her relax. Feel the way she would melt into my arms. But Cameron was right. None of this was about embarrassing her, and I knew as surely as I knew she was my Omega that she wasn’t ready for that in front of people. She barely believed she should be standing next to us, let alone us purring for her. That could come later.
Or sooner.
“How are you feeling?” I asked her.
“I’m fine.” When I raised one eyebrow, she smiled again. “Everything is beautiful, and I can’t believe you did all of it.”
“But?”
“But nothing.” She still smiled. “I know why we’re here. We need the pictures for when you announce everything. So whatever we need to do, we’ll do.”
I kept the frown off my face. “We want you to enjoy yourself, Ocean. If you’re not, then we don’t have to stay.”
Something flashed in her eyes, and I couldn’t read it. Fuck, I wished we could bond her right this second so I could feel what she felt and soothe whatever fears she had. Finally, she whispered. “I am. Promise. I know I’ll never have anything like this again.”
“All right,” Cameron said, his hand coming down on my shoulder. “Enough monopolizing our wife. It’s my turn.”
She laughed as I spun her into his arms, but my heart ached. I retreated to Everett. He knew. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s…” I blew out a breath. “It’s so much deeper than we thought. She says she’s having a good time, but I don’t believe her. Because I don’t think she believes this is for her. She just thinks it’s a wedding, and she’s playing a role. Hell, she said she knows she’ll never have anything like this again.”
Everett scrubbed a hand over his face. “Do we leave now?”
“No. There are still people we need to see.” We’d kept the wedding small, but Ocean wasn’t entirely wrong about us needing to keep up appearances. It was real to us—so fucking real—but there was still the reason we did this in the first place. “But let’s start ticking them off.”
We did just that. We smiled our way through the crowd while Cameron danced with the Ocean, and he took over the socializing when Everett spun her away. When it was finally my turn again, she seemed dazed. “You ready to go, beautiful?”
She bit her lower lip, and I wanted to free it, if only for the chance to kiss her there. “I feel bad for leaving.”
“Why?”
“Because everything is so stunning, I don’t want to waste it.”
“Geneva will make sure everything that can be used again is either donated or brought home for us. I’m more worried about you.”
She leaned on me a little more. “I’m sorry. But yes, I think I’m ready.”
“Okay, beautiful.” There was doubt in her eyes again, and like hell was I going to have her doubting herself every time I called her that. But it would take time for her to believe it. “What’s your favorite flower?”
She tilted her head. “Why?”
“Humor me.”
I craved that tiny smile. Hopefully, in time, she’d give us her real one. “I have a lot. I know that’s not really how favorites work, but it’s true.”
“What are they?”
Ocean shook her head slowly. “Probably too many. Roses, of course. Lilacs. Bluebells. Certain kinds of lilies. Cherry blossoms.”
Hmm, nothing that quite rolled off the tongue. An idea popped into my head. That could work. “Would you mind if I called you princess?”
That little crease between her eyes appeared. I already knew it meant she was confused and puzzling something out. “Why call me that? You can call me by my name.”
“You’re my wife,” I murmured. “I want something to call you that no one else gets to. There are lots of things I want to call you, actually. And every time I call you beautiful, you look at me like I’m lying.”
Her mouth opened and closed. Her throat moved in a swallow. “What else do you want to call me?”
Still moving us gently around the dance floor, I leaned down to whisper in her ear. The way she shuddered had me wanting to sprint with her to the car. I needed to feel that shudder everywhere . “I want to call you beautiful. I want to call you my wife. If you’ll let me, sometimes I’d love to call you baby girl. But I understand that those might be a lot. So princess will do for now. Is that all right?”
She nodded. I felt it where her cheek pressed against mine. “Yeah.”
“Good.” I moved back, but only far enough to kiss her. She melted beneath my mouth, the sweetness of frosting still lingering and beneath that, the sweetness that was her .
“Let’s go, wife. I want to take you home.”
She bit her lip again, and that only made me move faster.
After the photographs of us getting into the car in a shower of pale purple rose petals, the four of us were nearly silent as we drove. Ocean looked out the window. I kept her hand in mine, and she didn’t seem to mind, but I also knew it was strange for her.
The gates to our estate opened, and I breathed out a sigh of relief. Here we could be ourselves, and hopefully Ocean would feel the same. It was late in the afternoon and trending toward evening. We could take our time and do what we liked.
I knew what we wanted to do, and we’d already told her we wanted the marriage to be real, but I wasn’t sure she was ready.
“Your things are all here,” I told her as the driver pulled up to the door. “I don’t think all of them are unpacked yet, but the staff will take care of the rest of it tomorrow. I know Ruby made sure all your clothes are put away.”
“That was nice of her.”
Our Omega sounded tired.
Everett helped her out of the car and kept his arm around her as we went inside. I couldn’t help but look at our home the way she might. Would she like it? Our place was almost the exact opposite of the Caldwell Estate. The place was beautiful, but very traditional. Dark woods and elaborate trim. Stately, almost. Ours was light and modern, open and airy when it called for it.
“We’ll give you a tour, of course,” Everett said. “But do you want to take off your dress first?”
“Yeah.” She laughed. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ll ever wear, but it’s not easy.”
“No, I imagine not.”
“Just tell me where to go,” she said, though we still walked with her. “And I’ll meet you for… you know, the wedding night.”
Cameron and I shared a look. Just the thought of a wedding night with Ocean was enough to make me hard. But not if it wasn’t something everyone wanted. None of us knew how to respond, so we didn’t, guiding her up the stairs to the wing where all our rooms were. Her room took up a large corner of the floor, with windows overlooking the coast and her namesake. There was a hidden door to the nest as well.
Cameron opened the door first. Plush white carpet and a huge bed—complete with a curtained canopy—dominated the space. A fire burned merrily in the fireplace, and Ocean’s things were spread here and there. The room was a little anonymous, but that could be fixed. “This is your room.”
“Thank you.” She moved to stand by the bed, looking a little lost.
I went to her, unable to stop myself. “Can we help you with that?”
She flushed, a wave of her scent washing over me. “No, that’s okay. I’ll, umm…” Her hands fidgeted with the ends of her lace sleeves. “I’ll have Ruby help me undress and then meet you?—”
“She’s not here,” Cameron said. “We’re all alone for the wedding night.”
“Oh.” Her cheeks were so flushed, I wondered if she was just nervous or suddenly feeling sick. “Okay.”
I turned her toward me, noticing the way she wouldn’t look at me. “You’re nervous?”
“You could say that.”
“I promise you don’t have to be,” Cameron said gently. “We’re not going to hurt you. Or force you. I know what we said, Ocean, but nothing will ever happen that you don’t want.”
Her lips pressed into a line, so subtle I barely noticed it. But it was there. Clearly, there was something that she was scared of. “It’s not that.”
I tilted her face up to mine. “Are you uncomfortable with us helping you undress?”
She hesitantly shook her head.
“Then we’ll talk about it, whatever it is. But let us help you get comfortable first. Here.” I turned her toward the bed and started to undo the buttons all down the back of her dress and supported her so she could step out of it. All that was left was her corset, garters, and underwear. They left nothing to the imagination, and allowed us to see the curves she had going on for miles. If this gorgeous Omega had any questions about what we wanted before the night was over, we weren’t doing our jobs.
Her hair fell around her face, so none of us could see her expression. “Let me help with this too.” The corset was laced tight. So tight it took me a second to undo the knot holding the laces. “There we go.”
Ocean hissed out a breath as it loosened, the sound cut short. It sounded like… pain.
“Ocean?”
“I’m fine.” But the waver in her voice told me otherwise.
I glanced at the others, and they were just as confused as I was. Gently, I loosened the corset further, and I saw it.
Ocean’s back was bloody. Her skin marred with angry red lines where the boning of the corset pressed into her skin. The top of it dug in so deep it had cut her. This was way, way too tight, and there was no way for this amount of damage to be done in just the time she’d been in this dress today.
Not to mention she had been laced into this for hours .
“You’re bleeding.”
“ What? ” Everett snapped.
I tried not to hurt her as I pulled the fabric further away from her skin. But there was no way around it. “Who did this?” I asked, trying to keep anger out of my tone and failing completely. “Who did this to you?”
She shuddered, and for a moment, I didn’t think she would answer. Finally, “You know who.”
Looking at the others, I saw my own rage reflected back at me. “What the fuck were they thinking?”
“I can keep it on,” she whispered. “If it’s easier for you. If you don’t want to see me without it.”
“Who the fuck told you that?” Everett growled.
She huddled in on herself even further, and I glanced at Cameron. “Get a first aid kit.”
“Just lace it back up,” she said quietly. “I’m fine.”
“You are not fucking fine,” I said, guiding her over to the bed and sitting her down on it. The only reason I didn’t carry her over to it was because I didn’t want to hurt her back more. “And you’re certainly not going to be bleeding and in pain on your wedding night.”
I crouched in front of her and brushed the hair back from her face. She was so beautiful, and so frightened. As soon as her back was taken care of, I wanted to wrap her up in my arms and never let her go. “They made you wear this?” She opened her mouth, and I spoke again. “Don’t lie, princess. You’re our wife now. You’re ours . No matter what they did or said, it doesn’t matter.”
“Yes,” she finally whispered. “They made me wear it. Or something close.”
“How long?”
Her cheeks turned pink again, and I saw the way her hands dug into the bedspread. “You’ve never seen me without one.”
“Even at the gala?”
She nodded slowly.
This whole time? I bowed my head until it touched her knees. My voice sounded ragged. “Fuck, Ocean. Why?”
“Because you look like you,” she whispered. “And I look like this.”
Cameron came back with the kit in his hand. Sitting on the bed, he loosened the corset further and gently began cleaning her back. “You look like what?”
She shuddered when his hand came in contact with the first cut. I stood and took her hands. “Stand up for me, princess. We’ll get you cleaned up here in a second. I looked at Everett, and he stepped in with me as I gently took the corset off her and tossed it away.
Immediately Ocean’s hands came up to hide herself. I reached out and tilted her face up until she looked at me once more. “Let me see if I have this straight. They forced you into garments like that since we met you? Because they wanted to make you seem like less than you are?”
“I’m… not like most Omegas,” she whispered. “I’m not small.”
We already knew that. Had already handed her uncle his ass for daring to suggest she was anything less than perfect. I let my gaze fall down her body. She was luscious . Where she could have curves, she had them. Full breasts and thick thighs, a stomach which was round and soft, and the idea of getting lost between her legs made me so hard I was lightheaded.
“No,” I said. “You’re not. But where did you get the idea that’s what we wanted?”
Her eyes widened slightly, and Everett leaned in, brushing his nose along her jaw. “I already wanted to take a bite out of you, Omega. Seeing you naked has only made me more eager.”
Cameron stood, crowding behind her without aggravating the cuts on her back, so she could feel all three of us around her and believe it.
“It’s not a secret that we had to marry,” I told her. “We didn’t lie about that. And after everything is settled, if you don’t want to be our O— our wife, we’ll let you walk away,” I said, the words burning in my throat. “So it’s convenient for everyone. Just like we promised. But we’re selfish too, Ocean.”
“How so?” Less fear lurked in her eyes now, and more curiosity.
“We needed to marry. But we weren’t going to marry someone we didn’t like, and we never wanted to put our Omega through at least a year of being with someone she couldn’t stand. If we hadn’t thought this would work, we wouldn’t have married you.”
She gasped. “But— it was just because of the business deal. Right?”
Cameron leaned down to say it softly in her ear. “Fuck the business deal. We chose you. And fuck them for trying to make you less than you are.”
“I don’t understand.” She shook her head and took a breath. “Why would you…”
Everett growled low in his throat. “Why would we want you?”
She nodded.
I took her face in my hands. “Why wouldn’t we want you?” The fear was back, and I didn’t let it stay. “If there’s one thing I want from this marriage, other than to fulfill our contract, it’s to show you how wrong everything they’ve told you is. So when the time is up, you can decide what you want to do, knowing the truth.”
“When we decide,” she said.
“Of course.”
What she didn’t know was that we didn’t have to. We already knew we didn’t want her to go. She was ours, through and through. If she didn’t want this, we wouldn’t stop her. But I could sink my teeth into her shoulder and bind her to me right this second, and I would be fucking ecstatic.
“Let’s get you cleaned up.” Cameron guided her back down onto the bed. “Once we’ve got you bandaged, we can decide our plans for the evening.”
“I thought?—”
Everett held out a hand. “You’re our wife. As much as all of us would love a wedding night, none of us want to see you in pain. Or to drag you into something you’re not ready for. So let him finish, then we’ll talk.”
Crossing to where I tossed the corset, I picked it up. “I’m going to burn this.”
“What?”
The fireplace was more than big enough to take care of the torture device of an undergarment. I tossed it in and watched the flames eat away at the fabric. Then I looked back at my wife, thoroughly enjoying the look of shock on her face. “You won’t be wearing any more of those monstrosities,” I told her. “If you wear a corset again, it will be because you chose it, and it will be properly fitted so it doesn’t cut you.”
I knew clothing. Corsets weren’t the villains of the fashion world the way people made them out to be. In general, they got a bad rap, mostly because people tried to use them like this . And like hell was I going to let someone hurt my wife because they didn’t understand the true history or use of my own goddamn expertise.
Her face softened. “Thank you.”
I couldn’t stop myself. I crossed the room again and leaned down to kiss her, taking her sweet lips. One taste, and I’d never get enough of her. “You never have to thank us for this, wife. You’re ours to protect now.”
She melted into my body. Every soft inch of her, and I looked at the others. Yeah, no way in hell could we let this Omega go. Now we just had to show her how thoroughly she belonged to us.
Just like we belonged to her.