CHAPTER FORTY
B onding leave has been bliss.
The government requires companies to provide everyone with two weeks of paid time off after bonding, so that growly alphas have a chance to settle their hind brains and baser urges before returning to polite society.
My heat had lasted another two days after we bonded, and then my guys all sent out the necessary paperwork to have time off approved. Luckily, they had all given their bosses a heads up that this might be happening. When I submitted my paperwork, I received a very sweet, congratulatory email from HR on my new pack.
My alphas and beta have taken me on every surface of the house imaginable, from the dining room table to the wall of the kitchen. Hell, even on the stairs at one point.
It has been two weeks of contentment and joy, learning how to work as one cohesive unit, and nobody cares about nudity anymore. At all. Titus didn’t even bat an eye when he walked into the kitchen and saw Ollie feeding me midnight cheese at one in the morning buck ass naked.
The best part is, I don’t have to wonder what anyone is feeling. We all leave our bonds open, and I can constantly feel how much they want me. In fact, that’s how the sexual escapades start half the time. One person gets horny, and then we all follow after.
Now though, we’re in a pack meeting, called by Simon, where he’s explaining why we need to attend this silent auction for charity with him. “I’m required to attend this black tie event, and they’ve asked that if you’re part of a pack, you bring them. It would mean so much if you would all accompany me to this event.”
“Oh, Simon of course we will,” I stand and wrap my arms around his waist, hating how nervous he had felt asking us. I can feel his chest loosen through the bond as I give the rest of my guys a pointed look over my shoulder. “Right guys?”
The rest of the pack quickly jumps in confirming my statement. “When is it, exactly?” Mattie asks, lounging on the couch.
Simon winces. “In three days.”
“Well, shit, that doesn’t give us a whole lot of time to get ready,” Titus mutters, but I turn to face them with my hands on my hips.
“That just tells me we need to go shopping.” I grin, and Simon wraps his arms around my waist, kissing my cheek.
“Thank you, sweetheart.”
***
“Damn girl, forget their socks, you’re gonna knock their damn pants off.” Hannah grins as she puts the finishing touches on my hair. Looking in the mirror, she’s probably right. My makeup is dark and sultry, making my eyes pop, and my lips are lined with this beautiful mauve lipstick.
Pale curls fall down my shoulders, pinned up on side with a comb Mattie bought me, but wouldn’t let me see the price tag. I’m pretty sure it’s encrusted with real diamonds.
“All thanks to your magic,” I tell her, amazed at whatever she did to my eyebrows to make them look darker but not bushy.
She helps me step into my dress and zip it up, and I catch a glimpse of myself in the full length mirror. The dress is silver and sparkly, with straps criss-crossing across my clavicle and an open back. The material clings to my curves like a second skin to my hips, before falling all the way to my feet. My bites on my neck are on full display, the once red gashes now healed over to a silvery scar.
“You’re the best, Hannah-Banana,” I tell her, pulling her into a hug.
“I’m just racking up the debts you’ll owe me when I find my own pack,” she teases, before spinning me around. “I’ve gotta run, but have the best time tonight, okay?”
“I will,” I promise, watching after her as she heads out my door, then sigh as I slip my shoes on.
Hannah’s been through the whole OMS system. No packs have jumped out at her that meet her requirements, and if she tries to set up a date anyway, just to see, they go horribly.
I really hope she finds what she’s looking for.
By the time I make it downstairs, all my guys are waiting for me like something out of a movie. Ollie is closest to the stairs, with his blonde hair slicked back and gauges still in his ears, and his neck tattoo peeking out of the collar of his tux. It’s way hotter than it has any right to be.
Titus is next, his burly frame pulling slightly at the seams of his tuxedo, and I can tell how uncomfortable he is to be wearing it, but he’s doing it for Simon.
Archie looks like he should be on the cover of my omega-bop magazine, his wavy black hair gelled back, the curl barely hitting his ears.
Mattie and Simon are talking off to the side, Mattie with his hair as meticulously styled as ever, and Simon with his auburn tresses pushed out of his face, his glasses making him look even more dapper.
Ollie’s breath hitches when he spots me, and one by one, each member of my pack takes me in, my bonds flooding with longing and awe.
“You…you look breathtaking, Tink,” Ollie says, reaching his hand out for me to take when I reach the bottom of the stairs. I take his hand, his fingers warm and strong as he twines them with his.
“Hannah warned us we might have a heart attack but I don’t think she gave us enough warning,” Archie murmurs, coming up on my other side, making my cheeks heat as he runs a hand down my bare back.
Titus lets out a low whistle, “Damn, angel. That dress looks so sinful we may need to just peel it off and leave it here.”
I bark out a laugh and shake my head “You guys are ridiculous.”
Mattie approaches, his touch featherlight as he runs the back of his hand over my cheek. “No words could do you justice, tesoro mio . You are absolutely divine.”
Behind Mattie, Simon’s mouth gapes open and closed, his gaze traveling up and down my body like he can’t quite believe what he’s seeing. “I—you—um—” His face is remarkably red for someone who’s had his head buried between my thighs at every opportunity the last two weeks, but damn, is he adorable.
Mattie grins back at him. “No words?”
Simon swallows roughly and nods. “No words.”
***
The limo is clouded with pheromones by the time we get to the charity event, and Mattie had to put a stop to the start of no less than three orgies on the ride over. “We do not need the entire party to smell what our satisfied omega smells like, no?” Mattie grumbles after the second attempt of Ollie to slide a hand under my dress.
“At least if she’s satisfied other alphas will sense that,” Ollie mutters, uncharacteristically put out by being denied access to my pussy. I can only laugh and shake my head.
They really are ridiculous.
By the time we’ve made it out of the limo and make it into the party, the auction is just about to begin and we take a seat at our table. There are plenty of tables with clipboards, placed in front of items ranging from spa-gift baskets, to signs reading “All inclusive cruise” and a yacht.
Titus sticks as close as my acting bodyguard as we all take a look at the items up for auction. “Are you going to bid on anything?” I ask Titus, letting my fingers run over a soft blanket and a thousand dollar gift card to NestingCo.
“Nah,” he says, pressing his back into me. “But you should.”
I snort. “I don’t have enough money to bid on any of this stuff yet.”
“Angel,” Titus all but growls. “The pack shares funds. Our money is your money. And believe me, we have enough money.”
“I guess I’ll have to talk to Mattie about that then,” I say breathlessly, cursing the way his growl makes my thighs clench together with need. And slick. Shit.
“I need to run to the restroom,” I tell him, backing away to head to the small hallway that holds the bathrooms.
His brow furrows. “I should—”
“Ty, I’ll be fine. There’s security all around here and it’s the bathroom .”
He looks unsure, but I send him a wave of reassurance through the bond. “Fine. I’ll be waiting right. Here.”
Once in the restroom, I clean myself up and breathe a sigh of relief when I see a little dispenser of scent-stifling panty liners. That should help.
After getting sorted and leaving the restroom, I move down the hallway to find my pack. Before I make it out though, a group of alphas passing by stiffen and turn to look at me.
Ah, fuck.
Pack Dickface. The pack that Brennan had to step in and help me with when they got handsy.
And they’re looking at me like they’re thinking about doing it again.
“Well, well, if it isn’t that omega-bitch.” Jonah snarls as they prowl towards me. I send a wave of panic to Titus through the bond, hoping he’s paying attention.
“Still don’t know my name?” I shoot back, rather stupidly if I’m being honest.
Harry pushes his arm against my throat, nearly cutting off my air as he pins me to the wall. I try as hard as I can to lift my knee to strike him in the crotch, but this dress is really limiting my mobility.
“Don’t need to know your name to teach you some manners.” He snarls, getting entirely too close to my face. Shrimp and garlic on his breath makes me gag. My fingernails dig at his arm, as my vision starts to tunnel. I can barely breathe.
“What the fuck is her scent?” Chadwick mutters. “It smells like—” Then Brody. standing near the back and looking unsure pipes up.
“Guys, check out her bites. She’ll probably have someone looking for her. We should just leave—”
“Back the fuck up and release my omega!” Titus roars from behind them, the last half of his sentence spoken as an alpha bark.His dominance rolls off him in waves. Shocked, Harry staggers back, and I fall to the floor, clutching my throat and gulping in precious mouthfuls of air. In the next second, caramel and bourbon fills my senses as Mattie scoops me up, holding me close to his chest.
“Are you alright, amore mio ?” Mattie asks worriedly, and I can feel is concern lighting up the bond.
Swallowing, I nod.
“Keep that bitch of yours on a leash before someone else does it for you,” Harry snarls, jabbing a finger in my direction.
A chorus of growls rip through the air at the words, and Titus grabs him by the neck, holding him against the wall, not unlike how that alpha had me a moment ago. His packmates don’t even try to help him. “If you ever speak of my omega again, in any context, I will fucking end you.” Titus ignores the alpha clutching at his throat, and in the bond I feel something I’ve never experienced from Titus.
Dark rage.
Tentatively, I brush the edges of our bond, sending a shudder through his back muscles. Just like that, the rage recedes, and in its place is thankfulness that they got to me in time. Without ceremony, he drops the alpha to ground, and growls menacingly at the rest of the pack. “Get your shit and leave. I’ll be telling security what we walked in on, and be thankful I’m not taking it further. For now.”
The pack scrambles, running like little bitches as I try to catch my breath.
“They’re, um…” my breathing picks up, and in the next moment, I’m surrounded by the scents of my alphas.
“Don’t speak yet, sweetheart,” Simon murmurs, stroking down my cheek with his thumb. “Wait until we’re in the car.”
We leave early, and I feel bad about making Simon ditch his work event, but his boss was understanding when he found out what happened.
We all settle in the limo that brought us here and Simon checks me over, looking at my neck and checking for tenderness. “You should be okay in a day or two,” he says, frowning. “But I hate that this happened. Who were those guys?”
Ollie moves to sit on the floor between my legs, holding onto my ankle and I let out a sigh, still shaky from what happened. “They’re the pack I met with before you all. They’re the same guys who’s omega left them because of a Knotty Omega Article.”
“Fuck,” Archie curses, pulling out his phone. “Could they be the Sheffield pack? The ones who have been causing all those issues on social media?”
Shit. Yes. That’s why that name sounded familiar when Grady mentioned it. That’s the name of the pack Brennan told the restaurant when we went to meet them.
“I think it definitely is.” I nod. “It all lines up.”
“I’ll have my guys look into it.” Titus says, holding me close. “We’ll get this sorted out, angel. I promise.”
If they’re the ones who have been spreading all that hate on social media, are they the ones who broke into my apartment? If they are, how did they find out where I lived? They can’t know I'm The Knotty Omega. If they did, they would have blasted me on social media, trying to get other people to harass me. But my identity is still intact. Is it possible that they have issues with me as Cady, and me as The Knotty Omega without realizing that I’m the same person? I’m missing something, I just don’t know what it is.
But I’m going to figure it out.