Chapter 8
Kaden
Threnody’s got a nice ass, I’ll give her that.
I was so caught up massaging it that I didn’t hear Mags leave the nesting room.
Then again, the omega is a little loud. When I got close enough to the apex of her thighs, she started moaning as if we were having sex.
The moans turned to squeals turned to screams, and before I knew it, she was coming all over me.
Ugh. If this gets back to her parents, our whole grift could collapse.
Luckily, no one witnessed my embarrassment. Threnody shoved a wad of bills in my pocket after she got dressed, and as far as I know, she hasn’t mentioned a word of it to anyone.
Given the weird relationship her mother has with the older beta males in the household, I’m not surprised Threnody’s been hitting on me. She’s discreet enough to do it when Nik’s not present—not that Nik would care—but she’s going to get me in trouble if she keeps this up.
I guess I’m just used to being around Mags. Omega females, when in or near their heat, are biologically designed to be irresistible, and I admit it: I’m weak. I would have been all over that if we didn’t need the money.
Tonight’s Nik’s third night with Threnody. She’s not in heat quite yet, so as far as I know they’re just messing around. No actual knotting has happened.
Of course, that doesn’t mean the lucky bastard hasn’t gotten laid.
I swear, Nik’s like the Golden God of alphas.
Even Mags sometimes gets gooey around him, and she’s practically morally opposed to sex.
I’ve never seen her date or flirt, not in all our years knowing each other.
If she were the type to fool around, I’m sure Kip wouldn’t still be a virgin.
My poor brother is one hundred percent smitten, and he doesn’t care who knows—except for Mags, of course. He’ll hide that shit from her forever.
What a weird, fucked-up pack we’ve built. One ACE beta, one lovesick beta, my horny ass, and Nik, Mr. Cool-as-a-Cucumber alpha.
All we need is an omega.
It’s too bad Mags isn’t an omega. She’s hot for a beta, nice and curvy and …
Shit. I gotta stop. If Mags finds out I’m fantasizing about her, she’ll kick my ass. Then Kip will beat the shit out of me, and then Nik will probably join in out of principle.
Since when does my mind go to Mags first when I’m horny?
I need to shake this off. Get out of the mansion, take a walk, do something. I can’t let this turn into a thing. It would break Kip’s heart if Mags chose me over him, anyway, and I couldn’t do that to my twin.
Checking the itinerary the Donnellys gave us, I see that I have the evening free to an extent. I can’t fully leave the house in case Threnody has some wild heat-helping request, but barring that, I can at least take a walk to clear my head.
The mansion is built on a sprawling estate, complete with ridiculous hedge maze.
I thought those went out of style decades ago, but I guess the cost of curating and growing one might be too much to justify razing it all when the fads change.
Regardless, it gives me a place to escape for a while and be alone with my thoughts.
The maze is peaceful. Quiet. Since it’s a relic of a bygone era, I doubt many of the staff here bother to spend time in it.
Time loses all meaning while I stroll, taking random turns. Eventually, I’ll have to find my way back out, but I’m not worried about that right now. I have a pretty decent sense of direction, and besides, the mansion’s so big that I can see it from anywhere in the maze.
After a while, I hear footsteps behind me. They’re soft, probably a woman or child from the sound of them. Considering there aren’t many children around the mansion, I assume it’s the former.
At first, I don’t think much of it. Someone else probably had the same idea I did.
Then I notice something else: The footsteps stop every time I do.
Someone’s following me.
Okay. Fine. No big deal, right? It’s a woman, and though I’m not a buff alpha like Nik, I’m not incapable of handling myself. Even if the person following me has some nefarious reason, I should be fine.
Ten steps forward. Ten echoing steps behind me. Turn right, take five steps. Slight pause, five echoed steps.
I whip around, but whoever’s tailing me is faster. All I see is slight movement in the branches of the hedge. She’s fast, whoever she is.
Seven twists and a few backtracks later, and I still haven’t caught my pursuer. Frustration sets in, and I try something new. Instead of walking forwards, I do a quick one-eighty, then move back through the steps I just took.
I get a huge whiff of lavender and rosemary just as Threnody tiptoes around a corner and walks smack into me.
“Um … Hello, Ms. Donnelly. Apologies for running into you.”
It’s a little weird to see her out here when she’s supposed to be hooking up with Nik. Did something go wrong with that part of the job?
Before I can back away, she grabs the collar of my shirt and yanks me closer. I yield, if only to avoid being choked. I’m not opposed to the occasional kinky stuff, but I’d rather not suffocate today.
“My name is Threnody. Use it.”
Weird way to phrase it, but okay. “Of course, Threnody.”
I wait for her to let go of my collar, but instead, she just grabs the waist of my pants with her other hand. She still has a death grip on my shirt, so I can’t go anywhere without risking asphyxiation.
“Th-threnody, what’s going on?” My gut screams at me to run, but I’m trapped. Besides, if I offend her by leaving, she could get us all fired.
Threnody leans in close, sniffing my neck. “Mm … You smell delicious. I love margaritas.”
I’ve never hated my scent more than I do now.
“Maybe you should go back to the house and share a margarita with Nik. I hear he makes a good one. Extra lime.”
“Maybe,” she purrs, pressing her chest to mine, “I don’t want Nik’s salt. Maybe I want to lick something else. Something juicier.” She pulls hard on my pants, popping the button of my fly and breaking the zipper.
What happened to omegas being all dainty and weak? She’s got the strength of ten alphas!
“Threnody! If your parents come out here and catch us—”
She scoffs. “Nobody comes out here. It’s basically abandoned.”
Great. I picked the dumbest location for my little walk. There’s no telling how long we’ll be alone out here.
Shit, what if no one finds us?
“I should be going. I need to get things ready for tomorrow.”
“No, you don’t. Your plate is clean until morning.” She bites my earlobe, and her hand pulls my pants down past my hips. “I have your undivided attention until dawn.”
This can’t be happening. Omegas aren’t aggressive, and they certainly aren’t rapists. What the fuck is going on? Even in the throes of early heat, she shouldn’t be acting like this. She might ask for help with a massage or something, but this is just outright assault.
Her fingers move inside my boxers, diving deeper, too deep for my liking.
This isn’t right. Our contract specifically forbids this interaction. I have to get out of this. I have to—
“Kaden! Threnody! How are you two doing?”
Saved by the twin.
Threnody releases me with a scowl before smoothing her expression to one of pleasant surprise. “Oh, hi Kip. I was just helping your brother find his way out of the maze.”
“That wasn’t a divining rod you were holding. I don’t think it would help him find his way.”
She giggles and makes a dismissive gesture with her hand. “We were fine. No problems here.”
The scorching heat of an embarrassing blush surges through my cheeks. As grateful as I am for Kip’s timely interruption, all I want is to get back to my room and hide. If word of this gets out, I won’t be able to show my face around the mansion for days.
Luckily, Threnody seems done with whatever she had planned. She turns up her nose at Kip and stalks off through the maze, disappearing between the hedges.
“What was that?” Kip asks. I can feel his concern through the twin bond.
“Nothing. I had it covered.”
He points at my sagging pants. “Not everything was covered. Do you have a jacket or something? I don’t want you to parade through the mansion with your pants down to your knees.”
Since I don’t have a jacket, Kip offers me his. I tie it around my waist, tucking my ruined pants into the knot to keep them up. Kip guides me back through the maze, and we don’t say another word until we’re back in the suite.
“You need to tell Mags, Kaden. This is a violation of the contract—not to mention you!”
“No one’s telling Mags anything!” I grab Kip’s arm with bruising force. “You cannot tell Mags what happened. In fact, nothing happened. My pants just fell apart. They’re old. She was helping me hold them up. That’s all.”
Before Kip can argue further, I escape into my room, locking the door behind me.
I can handle Threnody’s advances. I can handle the humiliating assault. But disappointing Mags?
I’d rather die.