Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Nathaniel
G ravel crunches under my boots as I pace back and forth along the edge of the work site. The salty ocean breeze whips at my face as I squint out over the choppy gray waves, hoping for a glimpse of the water taxi.
Nothing yet.
Down below, the whine of power tools mingles with the sharp crack of hammers striking nails, the noise carrying up from the construction site. Workers shout to one another over the din, their voices muffled by the crash of waves against the shore.
From where I stand on the hill, I can see Number Four, a jagged skeleton of a cabin stripped bare by the storm. Its exposed beams, darkened with water stains, jut skyward like broken ribs.
The other cabins fared better but still bear scars. Shattered windowpanes lie in a pile waiting to go to the dumpster. When we purchased replacements, they were on back-order at the manufacturer, but they finally arrived this morning.
Loose tarps flap in the wind, the sound like the snapping of a whip, and I wince as one nearly takes a worker off the ladder. The entire scene is controlled chaos, and on any other day, I’d be down there barking orders to keep workers hustling.
I pull out my phone for the dozenth time, unlocking it with a swipe of my thumb over the screen. Still no updates since the text that they found Chloe. Found our Omega .
My stomach twists into anxious knots as I shove the phone back into my pocket. I can’t stop picturing her lovely pink hues, her playful tenderness with my bondmates, and her pheromones that remind me of the garden I escape to when I need peace.
The Omega I’ve never spoken to but who already tempts me in ways I always assumed were only for stories. My father will hate her. She’ll become one more needle for him to jab at me with. And I can’t block him out, because we owe him too much.
If this project fails, if I’m forced to return to the Burton pack after I’ve mated and Marked her…
I twist the heavy silver ring on my finger.
What would Grandad say about all this? Bringing an Omega into our pack now, with so much unfinished business between us? With so many wounds still raw?
I like to think he’d support our decision. That he’d take me aside and tell me all the ways to keep my Omega happy. I will never understand how such a gruff, gentle man reared my aggressive, condescending father. Two such different Alphas to grow up with. I wish Grandad was still around to call for advice.
“Nathaniel!” Emily’s voice snaps me out of my spiraling thoughts, and I turn to see her striding up the incline toward me, steel-gray hair ruffling in the wind. “Not coming down to yell at the workers today?”
Despite her teasing tone, I flinch at the comment. Is that all I do lately? I don’t want to be like my father, whose workers fear him and talk about him behind his back.
Too on edge for small talk, I dip my chin in greeting.
Emily, who’s been with us since the beginning, senses it and launches right into an update. “The crew’s making excellent progress on repairing the storm damage. We should be back on track by early next week. Maybe even…”
Her voice fades into the background as my attention drifts back to the ocean. Why hasn’t Dominic or Holden updated our family chat about what happened with Chloe? Are they in trouble? What if something happened to them? Louie Santaro isn’t an Alpha to mess with lightly.
Emily’s strong hand on my shoulder jolts me back to the present, and I realize she asked me a question.
I tear my attention away from the water. “Sorry, what did you say?”
She shakes her head, lips pursed. “Never mind. You have other things occupying your thoughts today.”
When I start to object, she holds up a calloused palm. “I get it. Really. Have you heard any updates about your Omega?”
I grunt noncommittally, but my white-knuckled grip on the phone gives me away.
After a long moment, Emily sighs. “Look, I understand you have reservations about bringing an Omega into the pack. Especially with…everything. But it’ll work out. You’ll see.”
While I want to believe her, doubts churn in my gut. There’s so much Emily isn’t privy to. So much I haven’t told anyone outside my bondmates.
My phone vibrates in my hand, and I almost drop it in my haste to check the screen to find a text from Holden
Holden
Water taxi docking in ten.
My heartbeat quickens. This is really happening. In mere minutes, I’ll be face to face with the Omega whose scent haunts my dreams. The woman who could be my fated mate or my pack’s undoing.
I slip the phone into my pocket and head for the dock, my long legs eating up the ground.
Emily chuckles as she keeps pace beside me. “You’re like a nervous groom waiting for your bride to arrive.”
A growl builds in my throat as I whirl to face her. “It’s not like that.”
Emily arches a brow. “You sure? Because, from where I’m standing, you look like an Alpha whose mate is about to walk off that water taxi.”
“I don’t know if she’s my mate,” I grit out. “I’ve never even spoken to her.”
“I understand your concerns. An Omega can solidify a pack or break it apart.” Emily crosses her muscular arms. “But that’s the same for anyone new that you invite in. There’s always a risk.”
“A huge fucking risk.” A dark blur appears on the horizon, and anxiety returns in a rush. “You, of all people, know what could happen.”
Emily had lost her own pack by inviting the wrong person in. Although she claims to be open to new experiences, she’s closed herself off to trying again, too afraid of the pain of another rejection.
When Emily remains silent, I add, “And Chloe comes with a shit ton of baggage.”
“That’s rich, coming from you,” she scoffs. “In case you haven’t noticed, this pack comes with enough baggage to fill a cruise ship.”
I snort. She’s not wrong.
I stare out over the water. “You’re right, we’re a mess. Every one of us.”
“Not Holden,” Emily says gently. “Thank god for Holden.”
“Yeah.” I run a hand down my face. “Thank god for Holden.”
At least there’s one steady presence in this shitstorm we call a pack. One person I can count on, no matter what fresh hell the universe hurls our way.
The water taxi takes shape, its hull bouncing against the waves as it cuts a jagged white path through the choppy surf, the engine’s distant putter growing louder. Salt spray hangs heavy in the air, clinging to my skin and dampening my hair. I swipe at my forehead, but the gritty texture of saltwater and sweat lingers.
The dock creaks beneath my boots as I shift my weight, the weathered planks interspersed with newer ones we replaced after the storm. Each gust of wind brings a biting chill that seeps through my jacket, but it barely registers. All of my focus narrows on the approaching boat and the faint silhouette of passengers huddled under the covered cabin.
The breeze shifts, carrying a scent that punches through the brine and diesel fumes, a delicate bouquet of lilies and lilacs, and my Alpha surges to the surface, howling to claim, to possess, to Mark her as ours.
Emily says something, but the rush of blood in my ears drowns her out.
Mate , the primal voice snarls in my head. Mate is coming.
As the boat draws closer, my hands curl into fists at my sides. Every nerve in my body screams to wade into the surf and drag Chloe into my arms, scent her, coat her in my pheromones.
A hand touches my shoulder, and I whip around to snarl at the foreign Alpha. Not pack.
Emily raises her hands and takes a step back. “You need to calm yourself down, Nat. You’re going to scare the poor girl. God knows what she’s been through in the last three weeks.”
I force myself to be still. To wait. Because Emily’s right. I have no idea what I’m getting us into. No clue how this woman will fit into our damaged pack.
But she’s here now. The Omega I’ve been waiting for, longing for, even if I didn’t want to.
When she steps off that boat, nothing will ever be the same.
The water taxi jolts against the dock with a hollow thud , sending ripples across the water’s surface. Emily moves first, her boots striking the planks as she grabs the coarse rope Dominic tosses over the side. The rough fibers strain as Emily hauls the boat snug against the dock.
My boots slip a little on the salt-slicked wood as I step forward. The dock sways beneath us, waves slapping against the hull in a steady rhythm, spraying icy droplets into the air.
I reach over the side to grab the rope and finish anchoring the boat as it rocks against the pilings. The scent of diesel overlays the cleaner tang of seaweed and brine as the engine sputters and falls silent.
Holden vaults over the side, landing on the dock with a thud. The wind catches in his golden curls, tussling them. He turns back to the boat and holds out his hands. “Come on, sugar. You can rest once we’re home.”
For a moment, nothing happens, and my breath locks in my lungs as the seconds stretch.
Then, Chloe appears, shuffling out of the covered cabin. Dominic hovers at her side, ready to catch her if she loses her balance.
When she reaches out to take Holden’s outstretched hands, a bright pink cast encases one arm. I knew she’d broken it in her fall, but seeing it in person lands like a punch to the gut.
Dominic keeps a steadying hand on her back as she steps onto the dock. “Got her?”
The wind catches Dominic’s words, but Chloe’s soft reply reaches my ears. “I’m okay.”
“You will be.” Holden cups her elbows. “See? Didn’t I say you wouldn’t fall into the ocean?”
I wait for her bright giggle in response, but it never comes.
My heart clenches at her diminished appearance, the way her pink hair hangs in tangled knots, the ashen pallor of her heart-shaped face.
Her nose twitches, and her head lifts to scan the shore before she turns toward the ocean and spots me by the back of the boat.
A jolt rocks through me, and for a moment, the rest of the world falls away. Exhaustion stains the hollows of her face, and those pink eyes that sparkled with laughter and joy when she first arrived are now dull and haunted.
Despite it all, she attempts to smile, her cracked lips twitching.
The sight pierces my heart. Her cheeks are sunken, and the oversized sweats hang on her small frame. She appears frail, gaunt even, a wisp of the bubbly, vibrant Omega who crashed into our pack and turned our world on its head. The woman standing in front of me is a ghost, a shadow of her former self.
And yet, my Alpha still roars to claim her, to pull her into the safety of my arms, to shield her from any more harm and never let her go. Because even broken and battered, she’s the most beautiful Omega I’ve ever seen.
The pack bond inside me shifts, reaching out to connect with her. My mate.
Every instinct screams to go to her, but I force myself to remain still. She’s been through hell, and the last thing Chloe needs is me losing control. I have to be strong, to give her space to heal.
I’m not the Alpha she needs right now.
So I watch, hands clenched at my sides, as Holden cradles her in his arms. He murmurs something I don’t catch, and Chloe nods, leaning into him as he supports her weight. The sour tang of jealousy coats my tongue, but I swallow it down. She needs Holden’s gentleness now, not my darker desires.
They make their way up the dock, Chloe’s steps shuffling and Dominic hovering close by like an overprotective shadow behind her. Chloe’s gaze darts to me again, her brow furrowing when I don’t move to follow. Confusion and hurt flash across her face, but she says nothing as my bondmates usher her toward the waiting golf cart.
Kyle hops over the side of the boat, his scally cap in hand to stop the wind from stealing it. He turns from the departing group back to me, a puzzled frown on his lips. “Hey, man, aren’t you coming with us? This is what you’ve all been striving toward for weeks now.”
My mouth opens, but no words come out. My throat dries, my tongue turning heavy and useless.
How can I explain the war raging inside me? The primal need to claim my mate battling against needing to let her go for now?
Emily saves me from my silence. “Nathaniel has some stuff to finish here. He’ll catch up with them later.”
Kyle shrugs, satisfied with her answer, and jogs over to hop into the driver’s seat of the cart. I watch as they pull away, Chloe’s pink hair blowing in the breeze, until they disappear from view.
Only then do I allow myself to move, my breath escaping in a shuddering sigh as I scrub a hand over my face.
I have to be patient. But god, it’s going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
Because every cell in my body cries out for her, and I’m not sure how long I can resist her siren call.