Chapter 10
Mags
Damn this heat. For a rich family, the Donnellys sure don’t maintain their thermostats very well. Since we arrived a few days ago, I’ve been sweltering more and more each day. It’s getting to where I can’t remove any more clothing and still be decent.
At least Mr. and Mrs. Donnelly don’t require uniforms of their staff and other hired help. If I had to wear some stuffy getup right now, I’d probably pass out.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say I was getting close to being in heat, but that’s crazy.
I take my suppressant religiously, and even though it’s been wearing off a few hours too soon lately, I usually get a full day of solid suppression.
This is almost the opposite; it’s like my heat’s being triggered by something.
I know one thing for certain: It’s not the presence of Dave Donnelly that’s doing it. That creep skeeves me out on a molecular level. If being around a loser like him is triggering my heat, I need to just shoot myself right now.
Since it’s the day before Threnody’s heat is due to start, Kip, Kaden, and I have our work cut out for us.
She’s demanding a full spa treatment, from a total body massage to an elaborate facial routine that I have to execute to perfection to a manicure and pedicure from Kip specifically.
I don’t know why I can’t do that part, but Her Highness insists.
That’s how the three of us came to surround Threnody in her nest. While Kaden rubs her shoulders, I apply precise amounts of various creams and lotions to her smug face, and Kip crouches at her feet, massaging in a different lotion for her legs.
Every damn product she’s got us using reeks of lavender and rosemary. I swear, I’m going to choke on that scent before this job is done.
The whole process takes hours. We work straight through lunch, though Threnody makes sure her caterer brings her plenty to snack on right in front of us. Brat.
This is why I hate being an omega. Betas aren’t stuck up and snotty to other betas. They get along. They work together. If I was a beta, like my mom and her mom, so and so down the line, I wouldn’t have to worry about dumb appearances or societal norms. I could just … be.
Beta pregnancies, though rare, can and do happen, but they take just the right conditions. Somehow, the beta females in my mom’s family are more fertile than normal. Each generation, they keep spawning more betas—until me.
I’m Momma’s special little anomaly.
“Where do you think you’re going, Margaret?”
I grit my teeth before forcing a smile and turning back to face Threnody, who knows damn good and well that my full name is not Margaret. “Pardon, Miss Donnelly? Did I forget a step in your routine?”
She’s lying face down on the massage table now, with Kip working on her right hand and Kaden massaging her lower back. The bitch doesn’t even give me the dignity of looking at me as she points to her head and snaps, “Hair!”
Oh, shit. I forgot I’m supposed to braid that mess.
“Oh, of course! I was just going to wash the lotions off my hands, so I didn’t get any in your pretty hair.”
A beta would never act like she is.
Biting back a sigh, I retrieve the box of hair ties and combs and start the tedious process of brushing out her mane and weaving it into something presentable.
By the time we’re done primping her, it’s past dinner. Once again, she ate in front of us, and once again, she offered nothing for us to eat.
Nik walks in right on cue, and even I have to admit that we did a good job of polishing her.
Threnody practically glows in her special mating dress, an ethereal garment of shimmering pale pink fabric. I’ve braided her hair in an elaborate weave that highlights her delicate facial features, and the makeup she had me use adds to the rosy flush from her impending heat.
I pass Nik on my way out the door, eager to go find something to eat, but he grabs my arm and stops me.
“Are you okay?” he whispers.
“Why is everyone asking me that?” I hiss back. “I’m fine.”
Nik’s brows furrow, and he grips my arm tighter. “You’re sweating, and it’s like sixty degrees in here. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear your body was synching up with Threnody’s. Tell me you’re taking your meds.”
“Like clockwork,” I say, ripping my arm away from him. I rush out the door before he can respond.
How dare he insinuate that I’m synching up with that spoiled brat!
I’m distantly aware of Kip and Kaden calling my name behind me, but I ignore them, too. I only need two things right now: food and time to myself.
The beta staff members in the kitchen are sweet. They give me a plate piled high with all kinds of treats. I’ve got dried meats, a selection of fancy cheeses, fruit, and even some sweets for after.
Back in my room, I devour my haul in minutes. With a full, happy tummy, I lie back on my bed, arms spread, naked as the day I was born and reveling in the breeze from the overhead fan.
Nik doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Sixty degrees, my ass! It’s so freakin’ hot in this mansion. I don’t know how the Donnelly family can stand it. Maybe I’ll go for a swim. Even a heated pool would be cooler than this.
After fishing a suit from my bags, I get dressed and find a fresh towel in the linen closet.
Unfortunately, the pool room isn’t empty when I get there. Dave and Tim Donnelly are both lounging in the water. I don’t mind being around the beta brother, but Dave—Maybe I can skip out before they realize I’m here.
“Hey, there! Mags, right?”
Fuck.
“Uh, hi, Mr. Donnelly. Apologies for intruding. I was just leaving.”
Dave moves fast. He’s out of the pool before I can exit, and his wet arm blocks me from opening the door.
“Please, call me Dave. Mr. Donnelly is my father.”
Oh, God, that joke is older than Clint. “Um, sure. Dave.” I hold the towel between us like a force field and point at his arm. “Like I said, I was about to leave. I didn’t mean to interrupt you two.”
He smiles and steps closer, forcing me to inch back away from the door to avoid contact. “You’re not interrupting anything. Please, join us.”
“I-I couldn’t. I should really go.”
Something in Dave’s expression shifts, and his dark eyes fixate on my chest. “You should really stay.”
Uh oh. I might be in trouble.
Just when I think I might have to risk the whole job by punching Dave, the door to the pool room swings wide open, knocking him to the side.
“Oh, sorry, man!” Kip muscles the door open even farther, revealing Kaden behind him. “We didn’t see you there, Dave. Looks like we’ve got a small party going on here.”
If it wouldn’t encourage Kip, I’d kiss him for rescuing me.
Dave looks back and forth between me and the twins before storming off in a huff.
“Thanks for that, guys.” I lower my voice to keep Tim from overhearing. “He was acting weird. I’m not sure I could have avoided him much longer on my own.”
“What were you doing wandering around by yourself this late in nothing but a swimsuit?”
I scowl at Kaden. “I have every right to wear whatever the fuck I want.”
He doesn’t take the hint. “Mags, that asshat is just looking for an excuse. You should stay away from him, and for fuck’s sake, cover up when you’re around him.”
“I can take care of myself.”
Kip rolls his eyes. “Says the woman who just expressed her gratitude.”
A splash from behind distracts me, and I turn to see Tim exiting the pool. The poor guy looks extremely uncomfortable, like he doesn’t know how to be around strangers without his brother here.
“S-sorry for being in the way,” he mutters as he scuttles out the door, still dripping.
“That was weird.”
“Yeah, Kip, no kidding.” I look longingly back at the pool. “Maybe now we can all three relax? There’s nary a Donnelly in sight.”
“I guess that would be all right. Not like Nik is going to join us for the next few days.”
I fight the urge to bristle at the reminder. Nik’s not my mate; he’s just a buddy. A convenience for when the suppressants wear off.
I am not jealous.
The swimming is nice. Kip and Kaden goof off a bit in the pool, splashing the cool water everywhere.
I swim a few leisurely laps around them before joining in on the games.
We make a terrible mess, but thankfully the Donnellys keep enough towels around that we’re able to clean it all up before heading back to our suite.
I take a long, cold shower once we get back, and someone—no clue who—found a few extra standing fans and placed them in my room. It could have been Kip or Kaden, or maybe Nik sent a beta servant to find them for me.
Regardless of who delivered them, I’m grateful. I lie back on the bed with all the fans on high, and for the first time in days, I’m finally comfortable.