5. Bethany
Chapter five
Bethany
“I’ve lived in caravan parks, on the streets, hotels, hostels, and refuges. I just kept following the work, but then I came here, and everything dried up. Within days, I couldn’t get a job, not one that lasted more than a few hours, anyway. My car needed repairs that were too expensive. I couldn’t afford it, so that’s how I ended up there. My back was to the wall. I had no options other than to see if I could find an alpha to exchange…” I try not to gag on the words, “accommodation and food for a heat.”
The words I’m saying are coming out easily, confidently, but inside, I feel so fucking stupid. I made myself vulnerable to this lifestyle chasing a dream. The amount of times awful, horrible things could have happened is incredible. I’m very lucky.
“You would have done that?” Saint asks. “I’m not judging, just asking.”
“You know, I used to have dreams and ideas for the future. But then, I’ve been out on my own since I was sixteen. I chased those dreams, I chased that hope. But reality has smashed everything. I feel foolish for giving up a perfectly comfortable home, but none of it matters now. They say bad things happen for a reason, and I know what it is now.”
“What?” Crow asks as he massages my hand.
“I found you. You are the reward at the end of all the badness,” I say simply.
The three alphas look at each other. Saint gestures sharply to me. I almost ask what’s going on, but the doorbell rings, and Crow bounces up to go get it. He comes back with four men and more bags than I’ve ever seen.
“What’s that?” I ask with a sinking feeling.
“What you need,” Crow says as he starts looking through them. “Everything you need.”
I gape at him. “No one needs that much clothing.”
Crow bites his lower lip and snorts. “You do. You deserve them.”
The urge to argue with him presses on me, but these are my pack, and this is obviously a courting gift. One doesn’t throw courting gifts back at alphas.
“But you don’t know me,” I protest once more.
“We know enough,” Crow says with a lingering look that heats something deep inside.
I stand up and walk into his arms, hugging him tight. “Thank you. I love it.”
Crow hugs me back and kisses the top of my head. “You’re welcome. Let’s get you into something less tent-like.”
The alphas pick up my bags and carry them down to my room. They fill the massive queen-sized bed with bags, and then Hunter and Saint walk out, leaving me standing shoulder to shoulder with Crow, staring at the shocking sight of so many bags of clothes.
“I don't know what to put on,” I say helplessly.
Crow looks at the bags. “May I?”
I nod. He dives in and comes out with a pale pink bra and panty set and a pink dress with a short tulle skirt. It’s really cute.
“Put this on.”
I reach out and stroke the material. “It’s beautiful, Crow.”
“It was calling your name.” His deep murmur holds me captive, frozen as he approaches me. “I’m going to help you now.”
My mouth is dry, but I jerk my head in a nod.
He reaches out and slowly slides the t-shirt I’m in up and over my head. I shiver as I watch him, as I fight to regulate my breathing. He doesn’t touch me, but then he doesn’t need to. His eyes take in every inch of my chest and stomach. He grabs the bra and carefully slides it on me, taking a few seconds to do it up. It’s a perfect fit.
The anticipation and yearning for him to put his hands on me makes this even more intense. I’m breathing hard, my eyes focused on every move he makes. The way his eyes flicker up to mine when he checks to make sure I’m okay, to the way he licks his bottom lip before biting it.
Neither of us says a word as he eases around me.
Crow’s hands slide down my hips, the barest caress, not nearly enough, and duck under the waistband of the track pants. For a second, he hovers, and then he drags them down. Crow crouches on the ground behind me, and I shiver, so hyper-aware of him down there that I feel like I might pass out. I step out of the pants and, to my relief and dismay, he stands up without touching me and comes back with the panties.
I inhale deeply and lift my foot so he can slide them on. He slides them up slowly, looking up at me. When he gets to the junction of my thighs, he stops, seeing the evidence of my arousal all over my legs.
“This won’t do.”
What? What won’t do?
“Crow?”
“Tell me yes,” Crow demands in a rasp that has me shivering.
I don’t know what I’m saying yes to, but I don’t even care.
“Yes,” I say instantly.
He leans in and rubs his face against my thighs. “Oh, you smell so good. I had no idea passion fruit could be so damn sexy.”
He urges my legs apart and licks up. The tip of his tongue grazes my clit, and my hips buck forward, while my brain short-circuits.
“Oh!”
“So good,” Crow moans. He shuffles closer and licks again, this time, the flat of his tongue swipes like a fiery furnace through my folds. I grip his hair while I clench my fingers, holding those moans behind my closed lips.
“Bury me here,” he moans. “This pussy is where I want to die. Let me drown. So. Fucking. Edible.”
His words repeat in my head, turning me on even more. My knees get weak, but I lock them. There is no way I want him to stop.
With a frustrated growl, he snatches the panties from my legs and throws them away. He stands up and picks me up, throwing me on the bed and chasing me down. Before I can blink, I’m on my back, and he’s got his head buried between my thighs.
“Crow!” I moan.
“This is mine.” He licks my clit. “And this, and this, this, too.” With each lick, he touches another part of me until he’s licked everything, and then his tongue delves inside me. I almost come off the bed.
He grips my hips, holding me still, but I can’t stop. I twist and roll my hips, fucking his face, unable to stop. It’s not just his tongue, but his nose and chin, his hot breath, the mumbled vibration of his words, every foreign touch, every strange feeling, every curse he hisses into my pussy. I am gone, a complete sobbing wreck of an omega.
He slows at times, resting his head on my thigh and touching me with his fingers, even sliding a finger inside me. I realise this is what they call edging. He brings me to the cliff, and then he eases me back.
I am beside myself, sweating, panting, thrashing on the bed. I feel sexier than I ever have, but I would do anything to come. It’s been a long time. Every time I get close, he eases back. I’m unable to think clearly. I used to think people were crazy to be that desperate to come, but I would do anything if he would send me over the edge. Anything.
“You’re so beautiful. So gorgeous,” Crow moans and sucks my clit hard.
My body isn’t mine anymore. It’s his instrument. I respond only to him. I know only him.
I buck my hips, sobbing now. “Crow, Please!”
He pushes two fingers into me and circles my clit with his tongue before he sucks in little pulses. I grip his hair, dragging him to me, holding him there as my hips match the rhythm of his fingers.
He suddenly grazes his teeth across my clit.
I scream as I shatter. My body tightens as my release slams through me, the orgasm wrecking everything about me. For long seconds that feel like forever, all I can do is ride out the electric waves of pleasure that dance through my limbs.
What has he done to me?
I lay there, panting, my body jerking and spasming with every slow lick that Crow delivers as my brain and mind slowly come back from the desire-filled fog that has overtaken me. Crow lifts his head and smiles at me, languid, his face glistening with my slick.
He looks utterly feral.
“That was perfect.”
I stare at him, dazed. He pulls me up and kisses me. I taste myself on him and moan, clutching at him like he’s oxygen and I’m dying for a breath.
Eventually, he pulls back and smiles. “Let's get you dressed.”
He finds the dress and pulls it on. When he drags the panties up, he inserts his fingers really quickly, making me groan before pulling them out and pulling the panties all the way up.
Crow searches the bags, finds something, and then crooks his finger. I follow him out to the lounge. I’m surprised my legs even work. My body feels weird and wired. I want more.
But when I spot Hunter and Saint, my face burns, and I think about what we just did, I think about them, and I find myself imagining them between my legs, making me even hotter and wetter.
Saint looks at me, and air hisses between his teeth. “You look amazing.”
I blush and look down at my bare feet.
“All right, sit here,” Crow says and points in front of him. I crouch and carefully sit on the ground in front of the lounge. Crow maneuvers himself behind me, and then, to my utter astonishment, starts brushing my hair.
Hunter walks in with a plate and beelines straight for me. With a wink and a wicked grin, he picks a shortbread biscuit off the plate and feeds it to me.
“I love watching you eat,” he murmurs. “So sexy.”
Saint tosses something in my direction. It’s small, but I catch it. I look at the name tag in confusion as I chew the biscuit.
“What-?”
“Work for us. Until you’re on your feet and have decided what you want to do. Work at the bar,” Saint says and shrugs like it's nothing.
But it's everything.
I squeeze my hand around the name tag, fighting the overwhelming need to throw myself into their arms and start sobbing. Because it has been so hard without them. So hard.
Crow massages my head while Hunter gets another biscuit ready. I try to tell my heart that these things are small. They don’t mean anything, but my heart flips over, and I feel myself fall in love. Maybe for some people, it’s so slow they don’t notice, but for me, it’s sudden and irrevocable, and there is no question.
This is love.
Whatever feelings were growing, they are complete. I give myself over to them completely. This is my pack, and they are more perfect than I could have ever dreamed.
Saint bullies us all into getting ready when the sun goes down. He takes my hand as he leads me to the car and drives us back into the city.
“Where are we going?”
“Somewhere where you can see how beautiful you are,” Saint murmurs and looks at me in the rearview mirror.
He makes me feel gorgeous.
Saint takes us to a beautiful restaurant with a fancy written name that I can’t pronounce. I feel like a fish out of water, but with my pack behind me, I can do anything.
The dress Crow picked for me makes me feel like a princess. It’s white with glitter at the hem that swings elegantly around my new shoes. The suits they are wearing suit them but make them look so incredibly handsome. We could attend the opera and not be out of place.
I inhale deeply, feeling more glamorous than I’ve a right to be and curl my hand around Saint’s arm. He reaches across and pats my fingers.
“Ready?” he asks.
I nod. “I’m ready, but what are we doing?”
“We’re treating you to what you deserve, Bethany,” Saint says, and my heart just flips over.
He pats my fingers again and draws me into the darkly elegant restaurant.
“Welcome, Alpha Crow, we've got a table over here for you.”
We follow the man in black and white to a table. Saint pulls out my chair and hands me into it.
The champagne glasses glimmer in the lights, the cutlery sparkles, the candlelight casts a warm glow over everything it touches.
It’s pure romance.
My heart expands, and I smile. “This is amazing. It’s so beautiful.”
Crow grips my fingers and squeezes lightly. Hunter looks at the menu and raises a brow.
“Let me order for you?”
I nod my head, far too intoxicated by the atmosphere to care what I eat.
Saint’s on the other side of the table, Crow on my left, and Hunter on my right. I feel protected and safe. It’s not a familiar feeling to me.
Hunter puts a hand on my thigh.
“What are you thinking? You’re frowning.”
“I was just…it’s been a long time since I felt safe and cared for,” I say, glancing down into my lap and at his hand as he curls it tighter around my thigh.
“I’m glad you feel that way with us, truly,” Hunter says. “I don’t want you to be afraid of us. Not for one second.”
I glance at Saint, who is wearing an all black suit with his violet and silver hair swept back. His cheekbones are high, and he looks even more delicious in the candlelight.
“Why did you leave home, Bethany?”
“I, uh.” I stop and shake my head. “I wanted to find love. Desperately. I wanted a love match. My scent matches,” I stutter out and look at the silverware rather than them. “That’s all I dreamed about. But I overheard my father talking to my stepbrother about making me his omega. I know Raider didn’t know any better, but he also didn’t want the family to be split up after Kelly left. So, he came to me, and he tried to talk me into it, but I kept refusing because I wanted love, and I didn’t feel that way about him.” I sigh and tug my fingers free. “Raider is a really good guy, but the whole family was messed up when Kelly bailed. And I couldn’t break their hearts. So I did the only thing I could think of doing. I ran.”
“Shit,” Saint says, staring at me with wide, worried eyes. “That was a really brave thing to do.”
I duck my head. “Yeah, but I should have spoken to them about it, made them see. I shouldn’t have just run.”
“Seriously, Bethany. You went out on your own to protect the family from making a bad decision. Did you ever call them again?”
“No, but I don’t need to know how they’re doing.”
“Why?”
“Because I see Raider and Kelly all the time.”
Their eyebrows go up.
“Can I have a phone?”
Crow slides his over.
I do a search and show them the side-by-side photos of Kelly Raines, pro surfer, and Raider Raines, ice hockey god.
“Wow,” Crow says. “You ran from them?”
I shrug my shoulders. “They are my brothers. Not my lovers. The idea of doing anything with them is nauseating.”
Hunter takes the phone and whistles. “No shit.”
By the time Saint studies the image, the disquiet I was feeling has evaporated. Crow leans in and teases me with tiny kisses on my shoulders.
Hunter feeds me food, and Saint keeps the conversation going.
My head spins, their scents overpower everything, their touches drug me, dragging my arousal higher and higher. I feel like I’m standing too high on a mountain. The air is too thin.
“You don’t eat meat?” I ask Crow as I eye his plate of vegetables and pasta.
He shakes his head. “I’m a vegetarian.”
Everything about them endears me even more.
Saint is deeply superstitious. The other two tease him, but it’s a light-hearted teasing that has no heat or malice.
Hunter trained as a chef and has a deep and passionate relationship with it. His eyes get all shiny when he talks about it.
One meal, and I’m now so in love I would lie down and die for them.
One meal to show me what the rest of my life could look like.
One night to ignite a bonfire of happiness inside me.