Chapter 17 Brodie
brODIE
It’s been a few days since anyone has seen Sophie.
We know she’s trying to deal with everything.
Giving her space is fucking driving everyone insane.
Tyler is so lovesick that we don’t recognize him anymore.
Ethan is brooding alone somewhere, licking his old wounds, but through the old bond, I can feel his pain.
I just need to work. Work keeps me sane and busy. This is what brought me to the inn at first light. And the hope of seeing Sophie today. I’m still reeling after her mini-heat. I can still taste her and smell her all over me.
I run my hand over the weathered banister, tracing the faded carving and imagining how it looked in its prime.
The intricate patterns feel like a glimpse into a forgotten time, and I can’t help but admire the craftsmanship.
Restoring this piece of the inn feels important, like I’m piecing together a part of Sophie’s dream.
I focus on my work, measuring the worn edges and sketching patterns to replicate the original design.
The rhythm of it calms me, grounding me in a way I didn’t realize I needed.
But no matter how focused I try to be, Sophie lingers in the back of my mind—her laugh, her scent, the way her cheeks flush when she’s excited or caught off guard.
“Thought I’d see what the master craftsman is up to,” her voice cuts through the quiet, light and teasing. And my heart literally jumps for joy. Oh, God, I’m done for.
I glance up, and there she is, standing in the doorway with a paintbrush in hand, her smile soft and warm. Seeing her makes my chest tighten, a familiar ache I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to. “Thought I’d come help you today.”
“Just trying to give some of this old work a second chance,” I reply, my smile tugging at the corners of my lips as she steps closer.
She kneels beside me, her shoulder brushing mine as she leans in to study my sketches. Her scent hits me, sweet and grounding with that wild, untamed edge that always leaves me restless.
My Alpha stirs, eager and attentive, but I force myself to stay focused on the task at hand.
We spend the next couple of hours working on stripping, scraping, and sanding all the old, old paint, dirt, and years of misuse off. Sophie working hard on painting the wall above the stairs.
We are both dirty and sweaty, but the pleased smile she has on her face tells me she is enjoying herself. My Alpha struts at having pleased her.
“This is incredible,” she murmurs, coming over and running her fingers over the carving in the wood I’ve just sanded and cleaned. “You really have a talent for this.”
Her praise sends a burning warmth through me, but it’s the easy way she touches me that makes it hard to breathe.
“Careful,” I tease, “You might give me a big head.”
Sophie laughs, the sound light and unguarded. “ I think it’s too late for that,” she says, and before I realize what she’s doing, she dabs a streak of paint on my arm.
I raise an eyebrow, my smirk widening. “Oh, you’re playing dangerous games now.”
She grins, her eyes sparkling with mischief, and I retaliate with a flick of water across her cheek. A playful shove follows her gasp of mock outrage, and suddenly, we’re caught in a messy, laughter-filled battle.
Paint streaks across her arms, my shirt, and even the banister, but I don’t care. Her shirt dripping with water. For a moment, it’s just the two of us, laughing like kids and forgetting everything else.
As the laughter fades, I realize how close we are. Her cheeks are flushed, her lips parted, and her eyes are bright with something I can’t quite name. My chest tightens as I reach out, brushing my thumb against her cheek to wipe away a streak of paint.
“You’ve got paint…right here,” I murmur, my voice low. But my hand doesn’t stop at her cheek. It slides down her side, skimming her hip and settling on the curve of her ass. “And here.”
She exhales sharply, her breathing uneven as she leans into my touch. Her scent spikes, rich and intoxicating, and my Alpha growls low in my chest, primal and possessive.
I can’t resist anymore. I pull her into me, my lips finding hers in a kiss that starts soft but quickly deepens. She responds instantly, her hands tangling in my hair as she presses closer, her Omega instincts matching the need roaring through me.
I guide her back against the double doors to the parlor, pushing through into the next room, our lips never leaving each other. I break contact and bring my hand around her neck. I gently squeeze, holding her still as I guide her to the workbench in the corner of the room.
“My pretty little Omega, your shirt is filthy.”
“Sorry Alpha,” she says, exposing her neck to me. My Alpha roars in pleasure, urging me to claim her. She reaches down and removes her shirt, exposing her perfect breasts to me.
I release her neck and cup her, taking her nipples in my fingers and squeezing. She arches into me, making a keening sound that is filled with so much need I almost release in my jeans.
My hands drift down firm on her waist as the kiss grows more heated. Her slick scent fills the air, and it takes everything in me to keep my control. I want her—desperately—but I also want this moment to be hers, to let her guide how far we go.
“Brodie, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you,” she whispers, as her fingers clutch at my shoulders. Her breath hitches, her scent spiking with something primal, and I can’t hold back any longer. My Alpha is roaring, demanding.
Claim her. Now!
I pull her against me, my lips capturing hers in a kiss that’s anything but gentle. It’s raw and consuming, and the way she melts into me—her hands clutching at my shoulders, her body molding to mine—only stokes the fire burning through me.
She’s soft and pliant, but there’s a strength in her, too, a challenge that makes me want to take her completely, to see how far she’ll let me push.
“Sophie,” I growl against her lips, my voice low and rough. “Do you know what you’re doing to me?”
Her answer is a desperate moan, her nails digging into my shoulders as her hips press against mine. Her slick scent is overwhelming, a heady invitation that makes it impossible to think of anything but her.
My hands move to her waist, lifting her effortlessly onto the workbench. She gasps, her wide eyes meeting mine, and I see how her Omega instincts are warring with her confidence.
“You’re mine,” I say, my voice leaving no room for argument as I step between her legs. “Mine.”
Her lips part, her breath coming faster, but before she can respond, the floorboards’ quiet creak draws our attention.
I glance over my shoulder, and there he is—Ethan, standing in the doorway, his dark eyes locked on Sophie.
I reach for the bond, and all I feel is surprise and need. There is so much drowning need.
For a moment, no one moves. The air feels thick, charged with something electric. I expect him to storm out, maybe bark something about propriety, but instead, he steps closer, his gaze flicking between us, unreadable.
I can smell his scent as it mixes with ours. He’s our pack leader, and all that spicy Alpha authority makes Sophie squirm beneath my hold.
Sophie’s breath catches, her scent shifting with a mix of arousal and uncertainty. “Ethan,” she says softly, her voice trembling as she reaches out a hand toward him.
But before she can say anything more, Ethan closes the distance, his fingers brushing against her jaw.
“It’s okay,” he murmurs, his voice calm but edged with something deeper. “I want this, Sophie. I want to watch you as Brodie fucks you, watch you ride him until you fall apart.”
Her eyes widen, her lips parting in shock, her body taught with sudden intense arousal. Slick drips down her thighs, but Ethan doesn’t wait for her to respond. He kisses her, slow and deliberate, his hand cupping the back of her neck as he tilts her head to deepen the kiss.
Her Omega responds instantly, her scent sweetening as her body arches toward him.
I watch, my chest tightening as Ethan steps back, his hand trailing down Sophie’s arm before he turns his attention to me. “She needs you,” he says, his voice low and sure. “Don’t hold back.”
That’s all the encouragement I need. I turn back to Sophie, her pupils blown wide as she looks at me, her lips swollen from Ethan’s kiss.
“You heard him,” I say, my hands gripping her hips as I pull her closer. “No holding back.”
I claim her mouth again, my kiss rougher this time, my hands sliding over the soft curves of her waist. She gasps against my lips, her body trembling as my fingers find the waistband of her pants and tug them down.
I turn her so she faces Ethan, and I bend her over the workbench.
I can see her wet folds, and her slick scent fills the air, making my head swim. I growl low in my chest as my hand slides between her thighs.
“Look at you,” I murmur, my voice rough with desire as my fingers find her heat. “So wet for me. For us.”
I run a finger through her wet folds, sinking one, two, then three fingers deep inside her, moving roughly and deeply in and out. She drops her head, panting, begging for me to make her come.
She moans, her hips bucking against my hand, the sound of her slick loud in the room, and it’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard.
But before I can lose myself completely, Ethan moves closer, his hand brushing against Sophie’s cheek as he reaches down to grip her jaw and make her watch him as he pulls himself out of his jeans and strokes himself with his other hand.
They are long strokes full of carnal promise. It is so fucking hot.
“You’re perfect, Sophie,” he says, his voice soft but intense. “You don’t have to hold back with us.”
Her gaze flicks between us, her cheeks flushed as her Omega instincts take over. She nods, her hands clutching Ethan’s wrist that holds her jaw.
I take myself in my hand and dip the head of my cock into her slick and tease her clit. She comes apart, her orgasm making her back arch and ass push into the air.
I slam into her at the moment her orgasm hits, and I hear her moan deeply. My body is responding to her slick warmth and pleasure with primal satisfaction.
Her cries fill the room, mingling with Ethan’s low growls and the sound of our bodies moving together.
I take her in long, slow strokes until it’s all I can do to keep myself from flying apart. My knot swells as I watch her kiss Ethan, all while he strokes his engorged cock.
I watch as she reaches over to squeeze his knot with her delicate hand, pulling him to her mouth. He melts with the contact of her mouth on his member, uttering a low groan that sends chills down my spine.
The sight is too much; with a final frenzied thrust, I knot her then, the connection between us so intense it feels like the world has narrowed to just this moment.
The feeling of her walls fluttering around me as she shudders against me, her body tightening around mine as she reaches her climax, is incredible. I hold her close, my hands gripping her hips as my Alpha roars with satisfaction.
Ethan watches, his eyes dark with desire as he pumps into her mouth one final time. He fills her mouth with all his hot come, and she takes it all. She was made for us.
My knot is still locking her to me, and I reach down, caressing her beautiful back as Sophie looks at me over her shoulder, her expression a mix of vulnerability and something deeper.
I press a kiss to her shoulder as I whisper, “You’re ours, Sophie, whether you realize it or not.”
She doesn’t respond, her eyes flicking to Ethan, who nods in silent agreement. And, I feel like we’re exactly where we’re meant to be.