Chapter 6
Kip
The omega mark is cute, but not as cute as Mags.
As the golf cart eases to a stop at the base of the expansive front steps, I take a brief moment to get a good look at our surroundings.
It’s your typical modern West Coast mansion. Sprawling, massive, all sharp lines and floor-to-ceiling windows. The front drive ends in a circular roundabout that surrounds an elaborate stone fountain, and intricately trimmed hedges provide a moderate amount of privacy from prying eyes.
The Donnelly family stands at the top of the steps, waiting for us to ascend. Our mark’s two brothers, David and Timothy, stand slightly in front of the others, as though they’re guarding their sister.
David, the eldest child and an alpha, looks like the type to stand guard: tall, dark, and jacked.
Timothy, on the other hand, is a beta like Kaden and I, and he looks like he’d tumble down the stairs if you so much as bumped into him.
He’s easily six inches shorter than his older brother, and that’s adjusting for his terrible posture.
Behind the sons stand the so-called uncles, a pair of beta brothers unrelated to the core family.
Kept men, or so Mags says. I, for one, would prefer to maintain my independence in a pack.
I don’t see how these betas can debase themselves by letting the omega mother order them around.
One of the uncles looks suspiciously like Timothy …
I’d better keep my mouth shut about that.
Finally, in the very back, shaded by the massive architectural overhang above the front door, stand Clint and Clarice Donnelly on either side of their omega daughter, Threnody.
Clint looks like an older version of David, though his dark hair and trim beard are threaded with silver.
Clarice is every bit the middle-aged, spoiled omega brat one would expect, though she hides her greys with an obvious bleach-blonde dye job.
There’s just no way her hair color is naturally that even.
Threnody might as well be a younger carbon copy of her mom. They’ve got matching oval faces, matching blue eyes, and matching dye jobs. Oh, and matching peach-colored, figure-hugging dresses.
I wonder if Threnody even has any original thoughts in that pretty little head of hers.
She’s cute and all, but I’ll leave her to Nik. I’ll stick to catering to whatever stupid whims she has while we’re here, but Mags doesn’t have to worry about me breaking our contract by seducing Threnody.
Mags never has to worry about me seducing any of the omegas we work for.
As she and Nik ascend the steps ahead of us, Kaden and I keep our heads high and our eyes forward. Luckily for me, that puts my gaze directly on Mags’s ass.
She keeps half a step behind Nik, just enough to give the appearance that he’s in charge.
He’s our alpha, after all, and can’t be seen kowtowing to a beta.
We should really all walk behind him in a line, but Mags decided it would look better if she seemed more attached to Nik, like some weird beta concubine.
Not that anything like that is going on between them, but it gives the Donnellys the impression that Nik is some hotshot in the sack.
I wish I had the chance to show Mags what I can do in bed … not that I’ve ever had the opportunity to find out for myself, but I’d like to show her.
Kaden thinks I’m an idiot for pining. Unlike me, he’s not saving himself for anyone in particular. Kaden’s been with dozens of women by now. Betas. Omegas. Even female alphas. As he puts it, “A pussy’s better than your left hand ever could be, brother.”
Problem is, the pussy I want doesn’t want me.
That’s not fair; I shouldn’t say that. For all I know, Mags could be interested.
I mean, we’ve been close ever since we were little kids.
She might think I’m the one who’d rather be friends.
It’s not like I’ve ever made a move on her.
I’m giving her space, that’s all. Letting her decide when the moment’s right.
Or that’s what I tell myself every night when I go to bed alone.
I can’t wait until this grift is done. After we get paid, we’ll be able to afford a bigger place, one with enough rooms that I won’t have to share with Kaden. I love my brother, but I’m kind of tired of pretending to be asleep while he bangs his latest conquest.
At the top of the steps, Threnody’s brother David sniffs us each as we pass.
I don’t know what he expects to find; betas don’t give off much of a scent, and what’s the point of sniffing Nik?
It’s up to Threnody to decide if he’s a good scent match to mate with, not David.
I get the feeling we need to be careful around this brother.
Timothy, the beta, seems harmless though.
He just gives us a shy nod when we walk by.
Past them, the beta uncles smile at us. I suppose it’s meant to be welcoming, but the way they expose their teeth when they grin makes it look like sharks baring their teeth.
Finally, we get to Threnody and her parents. Clint shakes Nik’s hand, and Threnody and Clarice each give him a brief hug, the kind socialites give each other at brunch.
Except I doubt socialites squeeze their friends’ asses at brunch.
It’s one thing coming from Threnody, seeing as how they’re due to hook up, but Clarice? Eww. Does she plan on adding Nik to her little harem of side pieces?
Nik doesn’t outwardly react, and I wonder what’s going on in his head.
I, for one, would be offended, but maybe it’s different for alphas.
They’re kind of seen as pieces of meat, especially in circles like this, where breeding is everything.
Nik is not here for his personality; he’s here for his genes.
That knot of his probably helps, too.
Things seem to be going pretty smoothly, until I catch something in the glass reflection behind Clint:
David Donnelly, licking his lips as he stares at Mags.
Fuck. That’s not good.
I’m no alpha, but that’s enough to get even my protective side riled up. Mags is here as a heat helper, a beta assistant to Threnody. She’s not here to breed or anything of the sort, and if that’s what David has in mind, he’s got another thing coming.
“Psst! Watch your face, dude.”
Kaden’s harsh whisper reaches me through the haze of rage, and I focus on returning to a neutral expression.
When it’s our turn for introductions, Clint delivers a firm handshake to each of us. I brace for Clarice to grab my ass, but it seems I’m not her type. Kaden, either; we each get a socialite hug with a pair of air kisses to our cheeks, and after that, we become invisible.
While Clarice and Threnody take Nik to Threnody’s wing of the mansion, Clint leads Mags, Kaden, and me on a tour of the place.
There’s not a speck of dust or fingerprint to be seen on any surface. Beta housekeepers—plural—flutter about, furiously cleaning everything in sight. I touch a vase out of sheer curiosity, and sure enough, one of the housekeepers swoops in to remove any evidence of my passing.
The mansion is a virtual labyrinth, and I’m grateful we’ll mostly be staying in Threnody’s suite of rooms. Otherwise, I’d probably get up to piss in the middle of the night and end up lost.
Throughout the tour, Clint rattles on with instructions on how to behave, where we can and cannot go, which servants can be spoken to, and which are to be ignored …
It’s a lot of information to take in, but thankfully Mags did her research.
I can sort of tune most of it out and still nod at all the appropriate intervals.
When we finally get to our rooms, I note that Nik and Threnody are conspicuously absent. Mags waits for us, along with Clarice and that bastard David—who’s standing entirely too close to my bestie—but the new It couple are nowhere to be seen.
Jesus, are they getting started already?
“Dinner is promptly served at seven thirty. I expect you all to be dressed and ready.”
The Donnellys all leave, and we’re finally alone again.
“Mags, are you okay?”
She looks at me like I just grew a second head. “I’m fine. We just talked about expectations and stupid shit like that.”
Whew! For a second, I was worried David got handsy while we were otherwise occupied.
“So, I’m guessing Nik and Threnody hit it off?” Kaden smirks at his own dumb joke.
“She wanted to get to know him in her shitty nest,” Mags says, rolling her eyes.
“We’ll have to make her a better one while we’re here.
Seriously, for a rich bitch’s nest, it’s pathetic.
Two pillows, a set of silk sheets, and that’s it.
For all that, she was acting like it was some lavish setup.
I don’t know what Clarice is teaching her, but it’s sure not how to build a proper one. ”
Mags seems a bit … off. She’s irritated, which is to be expected, but she’s also sweating a bit, just like the last several nights. I’d ask about it, but Kaden opens his mouth first.
“Okay, so nest repair is on the agenda. What else?”
“Oh, the usual. Her Highness requires full-body massages while she’s in the pre-heat stages, plus catering to her nest, plus the spa treatment on the daily.
However,” Mags grins, “they’ve got safes all over the place here.
Multiple safes. Some for jewelry, some for important documents, some for cold, hard cash …
It’s like we hit the jackpot. It’ll take time to figure out which ones we need and crack ‘em, but by the time we leave, we should be set for a while.”
Kaden perks up. “Enough to get a place with four bedrooms?”
“Enough for four bedrooms with walk-in closets and four full baths.”
My twin licks his lips, but I’d be fine with another three-bedroom place. I just … would rather have a different roommate. Thirty years of sharing a room with Kaden is quite enough for me, thank you, but I wouldn’t mind rooming with Mags.
“Kip!”
I jerk to attention. “Yeah?”
“Are you on masseuse duty or guard duty? Not that it matters too much, as I doubt these rich jerks could tell you two apart, but for simplicity’s sake, pick one.”
Remembering David’s creepy behavior, I jump at the chance to play guard.
That way, if he tries anything with Mags, I’ll have a valid excuse to punch him in his snotty alpha face.
Fantasies of breaking David’s nose run through my mind as Mags leads us to our suite of rooms, which adjoins Threnody’s nesting room through another entrance.
Through that door, I hear giggles and whispers. Nik’s at it already.
He’d better not start too early. We need to case this mansion before he can knock up our mark.