Chapter five
Lily
Gabriel Santos looks like he hasn’t slept in a week.
That’s the first thing I see as I wheel my suitcase toward the end of the hallway, my mother walking next to me, grounding me.
There are shadows under his eyes that weren’t there at the gala.
His jaw is clenched. He’s dressed down today, jeans and a dark sweater stretching tight across those way-too-broad shoulders.
He has a presence that parts crowds without him having to ask.
And his scent. God, his scent.
It hits me as soon as I get close. Cedar and smoke, yes, but underneath is pure alpha.
It makes my omega want to roll belly up and whimper.
My body responds before I even have a say in the matter; heat flushes over my skin, slick gathers between my thighs, and my nerves light up.
I have to dig my nails into my palm to keep from stepping right into his space and shoving my face against his chest so I can memorize every single molecule of him.
The bond does not give a single solitary shit that he rejected me. Doesn’t care that this is temporary, that I’m only here because he feels responsible. My omega wants what she wants, and I end up standing there trying to look like a normal person instead of a walking bundle of longing.
“Miss Ashworth.” He says it so carefully, so blank, I almost laugh. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.” I’m proud my voice doesn’t shake. “This is my mother, Sarah Ashworth. Mom, this is Gabriel Santos.”
My mom steps forward and gives him that look she reserves for alphas: the one that’s measured a thousand men and found most of them lacking. Whatever she sees must pass muster, because her shoulders relax a fraction.
“Mr. Santos.” She sticks out her hand, and he takes it, polite and formal. I half expect him to bow. “Thank you for taking care of my daughter. I know the circumstances are... unusual.”
“They are.” He meets her gaze, doesn’t flinch, doesn’t waver. “I want you to know that Lily will be safe with my pack. We’ll treat her with respect and do everything we can to help her find a permanent placement with alphas who deserve her.”
Alphas who deserve her. He said that last night too. Like I deserve something good, even when he’s convinced he can’t be the one to give it.
“I appreciate that.” My mom’s words are thick; she’s fighting not to cry. “She’s my baby. My firstborn. I need to know she’ll be okay.”
Gabriel’s expression shifts, softens a little. “She will be. I give you my word.”
They talk a little longer about logistics, phone numbers, assurances. I barely register any of it. I’m too busy trying not to let my omega embarrass us by doing something stupid—whimpering, showing my throat, begging him to touch me.
And then my mom is hugging me, hard, her tears wet on my cheek.
“Remember what I said,” she whispers. “You’re strong, and you’re worthy, and I love you more than anything in this world.”
“I love you too, Mom.”
She lets go, wipes her eyes, and tries to pull herself together. “Call me tonight. Let me know you’re settled.”
“I will.”
I follow Gabriel out of the registry, down the elevator, and through the lobby. Every eye is on us. Omegas and staff, everyone watching the alpha and the omega he won’t keep, walking out together. I practically hear the stories writing themselves.
His car is waiting outside. A black truck that looks expensive enough to pay for my mom’s house three times over, all shiny and intimidating. He opens the passenger door for me, a move so out of place with his vibe that I blink, then slide into the seat before I overthink it.
The inside of the truck smells of him. Of course it does. It’s everywhere, scent so thick I have to squeeze my knees together and focus on not staring at him, counting street signs instead of counting the seconds until he says something.
We drive in silence for a long time.
It’s more strange than awkward. The connection is there, humming in the background, and I know he feels it too. It shows in how his muscles tense, his eyes locked straight ahead.
He wants me. Even now, even after all the speeches and the promises and the omega waiting back at his house. He wants me, because fate won’t let him not want me. But wanting and having are not the same, and he’s made it clear where I stand.
He finally breaks the silence. “I should tell you about Miles. So you know what to expect.”
I turn in my seat, grateful for something else to think about. “Okay.”
“He’s going to be hostile.” Gabriel doesn’t sugarcoat it, but I hear the pain underneath. “I told him last night about the scent match, about you coming to stay with us. He didn’t take it well.”
I don’t say anything, just wait.
“I need you to understand something about him.” Gabriel glances at me, then back at the road.
“I told you his previous pack was murdered. But they weren’t a good pack.
Not to Miles. They had broken him long before karma came after them.
They treated him like property, as if he was less than human because he’s a male omega.
When it all hit the fan, his alphas tried to use him so they could escape. ”
I go cold all over. No omega should be treated as disposable. Male or female. Yet so many of us are.
“I found him after,” Gabriel says. “Barely alive. It took months for his body to heal, and years for his mind. He still has nightmares. Still panics if he feels trapped or cornered. And the idea of sharing his alphas with another omega...” He shakes his head.
“It’s his worst fear. That we’ll decide we don’t need him anymore, that we’ll replace him with someone else. ”
“A female omega,” I say, soft.
“Yeah.” The word is resigned. “He thinks he’s defective, that he’s only here because we felt sorry for him, that any day now we’ll realize we can do better and throw him away. Nothing we do seems to change that.”
All the years I spent at the registry, the creeping certainty that something is wrong with me, the little voice in my head that says “broken” every time I couldn’t connect with a pack.
Sure, there were a few packs I could imagine myself with.
It’s not like I didn’t give any of them a chance, but those were the ones that didn’t pursue beyond an initial meet.
They always picked someone else. And here I am.
Me and Miles, maybe we’re not so different.
“I’m not here to replace him,” I say. “That’s not what this is.”
“I know that. But Miles doesn’t. And when he sees you, when he sees the connection between us...” Gabriel’s face tightens. “He’s going to see a threat. He’s going to react badly. I need you to be prepared for that.”
“What does ‘react badly’ mean, exactly?”
He’s quiet for a beat. “He’s not going to be nice to you.”
I should expect it. Even though omegas generally get along. But Miles isn’t like other omegas, is he? He’s lived through things that would break most people, and survival means sometimes you don’t play by the usual rules.
“I understand,” I say, even though I’m not sure I do. “I’ll be careful.”
“My other pack members will be there. Garrett and Cyrus. They’ll protect you if things get out of hand.” He hesitates. “They’re looking forward to meeting you.”
“They are?”
“Of course. The bond affects them too. Not as strong as me—I’m the primary scent match—but they’ll feel it too. They’ve been... drawn to you since last night. Your scent lingered on my clothes. They want to meet you. They want you to be part of us.”
Part of us. I almost laugh, but the words hit soft and raw. Even if Gabriel can’t say yes, his pack mates want me. They feel it too and they want me.
But I can’t belong to them. Not really. It’s only temporary because they have Miles. And Gabriel’s already made his decision.
We turn off the main road onto a long, winding drive, and the city drops away behind us. The trees close in, thick and endless, tall enough to blot out the morning sun.
Then the trees open up and I see the house.
It’s the biggest house I’ve ever seen, honestly. All stone and glass, with windows everywhere, the forest reflected back at itself. A huge driveway. Two wings of the house stretching out wide. It looks expensive. It is expensive, but that’s to be expected.
It also looks like the last place in the world I would belong.
“This is... where you live?” I sound like a kid.
“It’s home.” Gabriel parks in front of the main door, cuts the engine. “I’m aware it’s a lot. The trees make it seem isolated even though the city is right outside them. Privacy matters. Especially for Miles. It makes him feel safer than a regular city home.”
I nod, still staring. This isn’t just a house. It’s a pack house. A real one, where a family lives together. And I’m about to walk into their lives, whether they want me there or not.
“Ready?” Gabriel asks, and for a second he almost sounds gentle.
No, I think, not even a little bit. But I don’t get a choice.
“Ready,” I say, and get out.
The air is cold, clean, full of pine. I take a breath, try to steady myself—and that’s when I catch it.
The scent of alphas. All over the house.
Strong, layered, impossible to miss. My omega brain almost short circuits, and I have to fight the urge to drop to my knees and beg to belong.
I’ve never felt anything like it. Even at registry events, it was never like this.
But these aren’t just any alphas. They’re my matches, all of them. I feel it, and they’ll feel it too.
The front door opens before we even get there, and Garrett steps out.
He’s handsome, but approachable. Warm. He’s tall, but not in a scary way, and he’s wearing jeans and a sweater that looks so soft I want to burrow into it. His smile is gentle, real, the sort that makes you want to trust him.