Chapter 17
SLATER
The Mistrunner cuts through the cold Atlantic waters like she was born to do it, and I feel that familiar satisfaction settle in my chest.
This is one of our newer boats. A fifty-two-foot sportfishing yacht that can comfortably handle twelve passengers plus crew.
Twin diesel engines that purr. State-of-the-art fish finder and navigation equipment, covered aft deck with premium fishing stations, indoor salon with leather seating, and a full galley.
And up here on the flybridge where I’m standing, commanding the wheel, I’ve got a three-sixty view of everything.
The ocean is choppy today but manageable.
Winter fishing isn’t for the faint of heart, but it’s when you can catch some of the best species if you know where to look.
Striped bass are still active in these waters.
Atlantic cod if we’re lucky. Maybe some pollock or haddock.
The key is knowing the falls-offs, the structure, the places where the fish congregate when the temperature drops.
And I know these waters better than I know my own reflection. So I steer us toward a spot about three miles out where a natural reef creates the perfect hunting ground. The GPS confirms what I already know, what my gut has been telling me since we left the harbor.
Down below on the aft deck, Jasper is setting up the fishing stations. He’s wearing the standard Wilde Charters uniform—our logo stitched across the chest of his navy blue T-shirt, cargo pants that can handle getting soaked and fish-slimed. Same outfit I’m wearing.
I don’t know much about our guests today beyond what was in the booking. Dr. Langston Reed and his associate, Rex Anderson. Some kind of radio personality. Apparently they do programming about—what was it?—making real men or some Alpha superiority bullshit like that.
Make up anything and slap a price tag on it, and people will pay. Story as old as time.
Speaking of which, I glance behind me and down at the rear deck where Ash is messing with the fishing rods, checking the reels, looking every bit as awkward as he has since he started.
That kid is fucking strange.
And I’m already feeling guilty about ripping into him this morning for being ten minutes late. It was unprofessional of me. Unfair. The kind of management style I’ve specifically tried to avoid.
But I know deep down it wasn’t really about him. It was about last night.
Coming home late, exhausted and ready to collapse into bed, only to discover that Mason and Dylan had company. Which is fine. They’re grown men. They can bring home whomever they want.
Except it was Anita.
Her scent hit me the moment I walked through the door. Vanilla bean and sweet citrus and warm almond milk, but stronger than on the ferry. More concentrated. Like it had seeped into the walls, the furniture, the very air I was breathing.
And something feral came over me.
It wasn’t about the sharing. That’s not the problem. We’re a pack, and we’ve always agreed that when we find our Omega, she’ll belong to all of us equally.
But I wasn’t expecting the crush of her scent to completely undo me, wasn’t prepared for how my body would respond, every instinct screaming at me to find her, claim her, make her mine in the most primal way possible.
Jasper said it first, but I know he’s right.
She’s my scent match.
Possibly all of our scent matches. I grip the wheel harder.
Who would have thought that her coming into town temporarily would lead to this? To us meeting an Omega who might actually be perfect for our pack.
From what I’ve seen, she’s more than drawn to the guys. The way she stared at Jasper that first night, then kissed him, how she spent last night with Mason and Dylan, fucking and making sounds I’m never going to forget.
And my balls tighten just thinking about her last night, naked and pleading for more. About how it would feel to bury my face between her thighs and breathe her in properly. How she’d taste, sound, and feel wrapped around me.
It’s making me tense as fuck.
Which is exactly why I took it out on Ash this morning like a complete asshole.
I’m high-strung. Desperate to spend more time with her. Need to work out for certain whether this scent-match thing is real, and if it is, figure out how to approach it. Because I’m not a man who does things lightly. Never have been.
If Anita is ours, if she’s really meant to be our Omega, then I need to be clear with her that I’m here for the long haul. That this isn’t some temporary fling or casual fun and that I want to make it work, whatever that takes.
I shake my head, forcing myself to focus on the present, and steer the boat into calmer waters, spotting the perfect location where the depth finder shows the underwater structure I’m looking for. Just as I’m preparing to anchor, Jasper appears on the flybridge stairs.
He climbs up to join me. I catch sight of Ash down below, and I swear to God that kid is staring daggers at our clients. Fuck. He’d better not be losing his shit down there. I need him to do his job, not start drama with paying customers.
“Hey,” Jasper says, settling in beside me with that confidence he always carries. “You seem stressed.”
I grunt, not taking my eyes off the water.
“Still worked up over Anita?” He’s grinning now, that knowing look on his face. “I gave her a lift this morning. From our place.”
I turn and stare at him. “Oh yeah?”
“She was doing the walk of shame when I caught her sneaking out.” His grin widens. “So damn adorable with how bashful she was. Tried to explain it away, got all flustered.”
I can picture it perfectly. The image does absolutely nothing to calm me down. It makes the need worse. Sharper. Something territorial tightening in my chest that refuses to loosen. I let out a low chuckle, one without humor, and begin slowing the engines, my grip firm on the controls.
“Well,” I say, voice rough with certainty, “I don’t care what it takes. We’re making her ours.”
“Fuck yes,” Jasper answers instantly, no hesitation, no doubt.
“And you feel it too, don’t you?” I glance at him, holding his gaze. “This isn’t just attraction. This scent match. It’s real. I’d stake everything on it.”
“I know.” His expression hardens with the same conviction. “Mason and Dylan are already gone. They’re orbiting her without even realizing it. And me?” He exhales, shaking his head once. “I was done the second she kissed me.”
A slow, grim smile pulls at my mouth. I cut the engines completely, the sudden quiet settling around us like a held breath.
“We don’t rush her,” I say, already thinking ten steps ahead. Already planning. Already claiming. “But we don’t let her walk away either.”
“So what’s the move?”
“Time,” I answer. “Presence. We give her no reason to doubt us. No reason to run. She needs to see exactly what it means to have four Alphas at her back.” I engage the anchor, the electric windlass humming as the chain feeds down into the dark water below.
“We make it impossible for her to imagine a life that doesn’t include us. ”
Jasper lets out a low whistle, then grins. “There he is. I was wondering when you’d show up again.”
I don’t look at him. My focus stays on the horizon, on the invisible line where the town waits. Where she waits.
“It’s been a long time,” he adds, clapping a hand down on my shoulder. “Too damn long since you’ve wanted something like this.”
My jaw tightens.
“She’s not something,” I say quietly. “She’s ours.”
And for the first time in years, I mean it with absolute certainty.
Because the last time I was really interested in someone was with my first pack. And that ended in disaster.
Just thinking about it squeezes my chest.
I didn’t do right by our Omega. Didn’t protect her from the toxic dynamics that eventually tore everything apart.
After that pack imploded, I promised myself I wouldn’t take an Omega again. No more putting someone through that, and for too long, I didn’t trust myself not to fuck it up a second time.
But then the universe had other plans.
It gave me Mason first. Sweet, protective Mason, who needed a second chance as badly as I did. Then Dylan, with his loud laugh and loyal heart. And finally Jasper, who fought against being part of any pack until we wore him down with persistence and genuine care.
They became my family, my brothers, the people I trust more than anyone in this world. And now it looks like the universe is up to its old tricks again, pairing us with an Omega who makes my entire body vibrate with recognition.
I never felt a scent match with my first Omega. I adored her, cared for her deeply, but it wasn’t this brutal ache to be near someone. This magnetic pull that makes being away from her feel physically painful.
Last night, listening to her pleasure with Mason and Dylan through the walls, I nearly lost my fucking mind.
I stare down at my knuckles. They’re still bruised and scabbed from where I punched the wall in my room.
Actually put a hole clean through the drywall because I was dealing with such feral desire that I didn’t know what else to do with it.
Had to get up at four this morning to patch the damn thing before anyone saw.
“Yeah,” I finally say to Jasper. “Feels like fucking eternity since I’ve let myself want something this much.”
I finish deploying the anchor and double-check that we’re secure. “Anyway, let’s get this done. Give those assholes down there an amazing fishing day so they leave good reviews and never come back.”
Jasper laughs. “I had no idea it was Reed coming in today. I’ve listened to some of his radio show episodes. He’s a real fucker with his prehistoric thoughts on how Omegas should be treated.”
“Yeah, well, hopefully he falls overboard,” I mutter. “Because I don’t buy into that bullshit either.”
“Wouldn’t that be convenient?” Jasper heads for the stairs. “Tragic boating accident. Happens all the time.”
“Let’s keep it professional,” I call after him, but I’m grinning.