5. Luna
Luna
I ’ve never been in such close proximity to two alphas before, but I don’t miss the look they share with each other at my words.
I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep my tears at bay.
The warm jacket, intertwined with Alpha Madden’s intoxicating dark chocolate scent, is thick and expensive feeling. The car I’m sitting in is the fanciest car I’ve ever seen.
I don’t know what connection they’re trying to talk about, but it’s obvious that my not knowing disappointed them both.
They honestly seemed to get a bit upset at me saying I’ll be a good omega.
That probably means nothing to them since I’m a bloody, dirty, pathetic mess.
They’re probably debating whether I’m worth the trouble of bringing with them.
I’ll just have to prove to them I can be a good omega with my actions, not just my words. I have to do whatever I can to please them, to convince them I’m worth keeping around, at least for a little bit until I can figure out how to get further away.
The Northside already feels like a totally different world, with how many alphas there were around me, but it’s not far enough. I don’t doubt that Alpha Niall will hunt me down, which means I have to get as far away as I can.
I can do this. I can please them. I have to.
These alphas are already different than I ever thought alphas could be.
I imagined they would’ve started rutting into me, now that we’re in the enclosed space of the car.
There’s certainly enough space in the back with the seats that lay all the way flat for them to put me on all fours and have their way with me.
But they haven’t been cruel. If anything, they’ve expressed concern. Alpha Kane has been gentle, in both his words and his touch, as he carried me into the car. He set me down like I was something fragile. Like I was something that would break at even the hint of violence.
I may be weak, but I’m not fragile. If my experiences have taught me anything, it’s how durable my physical body is, even when sometimes I think it would be easier if it would just give out and let me slip away into darkness forever.
“Let’s get going then,” Alpha Madden huffs, his big shoulders tensing with a sigh.
A pang of anxiety twists in my chest. He’s frustrated. It’s obvious in every single line of his body.
Even with how scary he looks, he still offered me the coat off his back. The last thing I want is for him to be upset.
“Is the temperature okay?” Alpha Madden asks as he pulls out of the parking lot.
Neither of them has punished me for meeting their gaze, if anything, they prefer it. It's hard because I've been conditioned to submit in all forms. But their expressions don't twist in excitement, despite my obvious fear.
They’re alphas, but maybe they won’t be as bad as Alpha Niall.
“The temperature is fine, thank you, Alpha Madden,” I say, meeting his eyes in the rearview mirror.
His jaw clenches and more panic floods my system. Did I say something wrong? Did I do something wrong?
Madden’s eyes go a bit softer when he sees my panic. “I already said you don’t have to do the whole Alpha formality thing with me. With either of us,” he sighs. “I’m just Madden and he’s just Kane.”
My brain short circuits. I’ve only ever referred to Alpha Niall as Alpha Niall. Why wouldn’t an alpha want to be referred to by their title?
Are these alphas just less dominant than Alpha Niall?
No. No way.
I felt Alpha Madden—Madden, just Madden. I felt Madden’s dominance earlier out on the train tracks. I’ve never felt dominance that strong, and I don’t even think it was fully directed at me.
Could it be that these alphas are just so powerful that they don’t need to be referred to by their title to know that I’m subservient to them?
I don’t know how I feel about that yet.
It could be really good. It could mean they’re powerful enough to protect me. Especially because there are two of them.
It could also be really bad, because what would I need to do to earn the protection of such powerful alphas?
I’m jolted back to reality as Kane shifts closer to me. He takes off his jacket and sets it down on my lap, covering my bare legs with the warm fabric.
“I have to put on your seatbelt, little one,” he says, nodding over my shoulder.
When I give him a jerky nod, he reaches over. His bare forearm flexes in front of me as he slowly draws the seatbelt across my body, clicking it into place.
“Th—thank you,” I say. He’s so close I can feel the warmth radiating from his body. His pine forest scent wraps itself around me, soothing my frayed nerves.
As the drive continues, my gaze stays aimed out the window next to me. I can’t think while looking at the two alphas next to me. It’s too confusing.
It’s obvious that the Northside is the exact opposite of where I grew up.
Even though we were in the industrial part of the Northside, it’s obvious by the state of the buildings that everything is much more maintained than where I came from.
As we move further into the city, the streets are full of shops and restaurants.
Even at the late hour when nothing is open, it’s clear none of them have any bars over their windows or graffiti on the glass.
I feel the pit in my stomach grow deeper when Madden starts to drive us through residential neighborhoods that keep on getting fancier and fancier. When we get to a big gate that opens automatically to a long driveway up to a huge mansion, I can barely breathe.
The mansion is huge, three stories tall with floor-to-ceiling windows. The fear of my inadequacy that I tried to push down rises once more. If this is the kind of luxury these alphas are used to, how hard will I have to work to prove my worth?
Madden jumps out of the car as soon as he puts it in park, his door slamming shut with a bang that has me jumping in my seat.
“This is our place,” Kane says softly, giving me a soft smile.
I can’t help but feel a twist in my gut at the sight of his smile. It makes things worse for some reason. It’s like he has full confidence in my place here.
I hope he doesn’t realize he’s wrong.
“Th—thank you for having me,” I say. I take the jacket he’s rested on my legs and try to give it back to him, my chest twisting at the loss of warm fabric.
I’ve never made a nest, I’ve never been allowed to have one, but in the books I’ve read, I know omegas take articles of clothing from their alphas to provide a sense of safety and comfort.
God, what am I even thinking? Why am I thinking of keeping their clothes in my own nest? Only good omegas get nests. And I haven’t proven I can be a good omega for them. I don’t even know if I have what it takes to be a good omega .
But I’ll definitely try.
The door beside me opens, the chill of the night air biting against my cheeks.
I make a move to start getting out of the car, but Madden stops me with a grunt.
“I’m going to carry you in,” Madden says gruffly
“I—I can walk,” I offer, even though a shiver travels down my spine at the thought of the cold ground. “I don’t want to be an inconvenience.”
“You’re not an inconvenience,” Madden says, his expression softening.
He sweeps me up into his arms, bridal style as if I barely weigh anything. I can feel the strength and power of his body beneath me.
Kane steps ahead of us and opens the front door, revealing the marble floors and high ceilings of the foyer. The house is just as nice on the inside as it is on the outside.
I think I even let out a little gasp when I see the huge chandelier hanging above the spiral staircase to the upper floor.
“Kinda crazy, huh,” Madden says, his chest vibrating with a small chuckle. “When I first saw these sorts of houses I didn’t know what to think either.”
First saw? Does that mean he hasn’t grown up in houses like these?
He must see the question written on my expression when he glances down at my face because his eyes tighten in the corners as if he’s almost a little hesitant.
If I hadn’t been staring up at his face, I would have certainly missed it because the thought of this huge mountain of a man carrying me now being anything less than completely self-assured doesn’t seem to compute in my brain. But I saw it. I noticed.
I’m not brave enough to vocalize any sort of reassurance, just in case he takes offense to me pointing out anything that could be seen as vulnerability, but I do rest the palm of my hand against the left side of his chest, feeling his heartbeat.
“I wasn’t born in the Northside. I—I’m also from the Southside.” He hesitates like he’s expecting me to scramble away from him in fear or something.
I don’t understand why he expects that. The thing that would send me screaming and running in the opposite direction is an alpha being an alpha, not where an alpha is from. And technically, considering I’m staying put in his arms, I’m doing a pretty good job managing my fear.
“Do you—is that okay with you?” He asks.
My brows knit together in confusion and I bite the inside of my cheek. I don’t know what he’s looking for, why he’s asking me this. “I—I’m not sure what you mean.”
“I mean, are you okay with me being a Southside alpha? Considering, you know,” he nods down at my body, wincing as his eyes catch the bruise on my jaw. “What you’ve been through.”
Does he think a Southside alpha did this to me? I mean, that would make sense. Someone would’ve had to put the bruises on my body.
But my father isn’t an alpha. And I’m pretty sure Alpha Niall was from the Northside, considering the amount of money he was willing to throw at my parents.
“You—you haven’t been cruel to me,” I say softly, unable to meet his gaze. “Where you’re from doesn’t matter to me.”
A pleased purr rumbles through his chest, vibrating into my own body and making me melt against him even more. The intensity of his dark chocolate scent heightens like he really likes the sound of my words.
He opens the door to a bedroom on the second floor. Madden walks me over to the bed with a dark green duvet bedspread, setting me down on it. He turns on a lamp on his nightstand, casting dark shadows throughout the room and emphasizing the sharpness of his jawline .
His brows draw down in thought as he glances around the room. “We should get you out of these clothes,” he mutters under his breath, running a hand through his hair. He meets my eyes before giving me what seems like a resolute nod. “I’ll be right back.”
Panic claws its way back up my throat as Madden clicks his bedroom door shut. This is it.
I said it myself. These alphas haven’t been cruel to me. Which means it should be easy to give myself to them. I’ve given myself to plenty of men who haven’t been anywhere near as kind to me.
Sure, it was always during my heat and I never really had a choice, but still. These alphas are the most gorgeous people I’ve ever seen in my life and they’ve shown me kindness.
Madden’s brought me to the nicest bedroom I’ve ever been in, with carpet that looks like it’s as soft as the clouds and an actual bed. He’s not going to take me on a thin mattress that barely cushions me from the cold, hard concrete of that cellar.
I can do this.
I slip off Madden’s jacket, gently folding it to my side before I take off the rest of my clothes.
Not that there’s much to take off. I drop my old panties and nightgown to the floor.
They’re musty smelling and gross, from the heat I just went through in them.
I don’t want to dirty Madden’s bed with them.
Even in their warm home, a shiver runs down my spine as the chill of being naked sinks into my bare skin. I wish I were allowed to get cleaned up before I serviced them. I feel dirty and unworthy of being in their home.
That just means I have to work even harder to prove my worth. I’ve never been with anyone other than Alpha Niall outside of my heat, but he trained me well. I know how to please alphas.
I turn towards the headboard, bending forward, head down, ass up, presenting myself towards the doorway like a good omega should. I try to reach behind my back to cross my arms at the wrist, but the pain in my ribs keeps me from trying again .
I settle for just crossing my wrists above my head. Will that be good enough for Madden?
The way he insisted on being called just Madden, instead of Alpha Madden like his designation demands, gives me hope he won’t be too disappointed in me.
Madden’s dark chocolate scent drifts to my nose from his jacket folded beside my head. I relax into my position even more. I can do this.
Or at least that’s what I repeatedly tell myself, until the door opens, shining bright light from the hallway into the room.
A new scent hits me. A new, very alpha scent: sharp and spicy cinnamon.
“What the fuck is going on here?” A deep voice growls.
Sheer, absolute terror keeps me frozen in place. I don’t know who this alpha is. It’s not Madden and it’s not Kane.
That familiar fear of impending doom returns. I thought going with Madden and Kane was the right move. I thought it would get me away from that crowd of alphas at the train tracks.
Have I just let myself get carried into a pack house full of alphas?