Chapter 9 Cole
Cole
Jack and I tore through the building, looking for our omega. I checked out front but didn’t see her, and rushed back inside, worried that she might get lost within these halls.
Hell, it’s been so long that I probably would, too.
Jack was walking behind me, a little too close in my opinion. After the third turn, I stopped walking and turned around, glaring at my brother.
“She’s your scent-match? Really?” he blurted out before I could even call him out. “How dare you act like this is a problem. You sent your omega running because she thinks you hate her now or something.”
“No, she doesn’t.” I rolled my eyes. “Aspen is way too smart for that. She just needed time to process after you both ambushed her. Plus, I wasn’t the one looking like I hated the idea. She knows I’m in.”
“Don’t act like North had any part of that. And she handled me just fine,” Jack said evenly. There was that cocky edge I remembered so well.
It didn’t happen often, but Jack was pissed, and once again, I was the source of that anger. Something that also happened more than I cared to admit.
He’d been angry when I left. We had been inseparable for so long, both of us united and taking care of our mom when our dads were busy with business, both of us promising that we’d prioritize our family… and yet, I’d left.
Jack had to handle this alone. And I didn’t even have the courtesy to call and catch up other than a few holidays here and there. Fuck, I was an asshole.
I couldn’t have created the empire that I did in Pine Ridge. It just wasn’t equipped. The city was where I needed to be, and I had no regrets about that choice.
That didn’t mean I had to cut them out of my everyday life, though.
And now, there was her. My omega.
It felt like somebody had struck a match and lit my whole world on fire.
All I could picture was Aspen’s gorgeous face in my mind.
She was so pretty and petite, but she packed a punch.
Her confidence and chaos was something that made me feel alive again.
I hadn’t realized how monotonous and boring my life had become, how little of myself I had left at the end of the day.
She was full of life and excitement and I wanted just a fraction of that energy thrown my way.
The moment I scented her while we were sitting outside, everything seemed to fall into place. She was mine, and I wasn’t going to fuck that up… although it looked like I wasn’t doing that great of a job of that, seeing as how she ran out of here.
Because Jack was right, I had overreacted. It wasn’t that she had other mates. I knew that I’d likely have to share her. Aspen’s light was too bright to be meant for one single alpha.
But I also knew that Jack and North were very pro-Pine Ridge. They weren’t going to move to the city with us, and Aspen and I both had lives back in the city, jobs and homes. We couldn’t just pack up and move here permanently. It was a bit too far to commute and fight morning traffic every day.
“Are you even willing to move to the city for her?” I demanded.
“North has an entire business here,” he argued back.
Neither one of us was wrong, but it was a huge chasm between us.
“Yeah, and Aspen has a job and an apartment back in the city.” I didn’t need to tell him that her lease was about to be up and that she was going to be dealing with that soon.
Really, they knew nothing about her. I barely did.
It didn’t matter. I had every intention of figuring that out while we are here. I’d never taken off work for anyone, and for her, I’d taken two weeks off with barely an ounce of hesitation.
Aspen had changed everything, and now I was a bit terrified at how all this would turn out. Would she want to stay with them? Would I be willing to let that happen?
Could I really live without her?
The answer was an immediate resounding no from me and my alpha.
We started searching again, refusing to say more to each other as reality hung heavy between us. I would have to say something about the fact we had issues, but that was for another time.
When I knew where my omega was.
We reached the kitchen again. There was a soft peal of laughter drifting in from the back door. I could hear the gentle cadence of North’s voice. He was always so soft-spoken, the kind of beta that made an alpha want to protect him.
Aspen was talking animatedly, and his eyes were on her, soaking in every word she said.
I understood. She was magnetic, drew you in just by being herself.
Our scent-matched omega was full of life.
Aspen laughed freely, wasn’t afraid to call you out, and that was all what I’d learned in a few short days.
There was so much more to come. I wanted it all.
“Well, I’d say you two are getting along nicely,” Jack called out.
Like usual, when attention was on him, North blushed and shrunk in on himself, ducking his head slightly. But she didn’t let him hide, drawing him back into the conversation with an infectious smile and touch, grounding him.
They were already good together. She was good for him and he’d be the softness she needs in life. This felt right. More right than I imagined.
“We were just sharing some holiday memories. Who knew that sliding down the street on ice and making a fool of yourself was a universal thing?”
Jack and I both cracked a smile, sharing a look of disbelief.
Not once in all of my years had I seen North take to anyone other than us.
Sure, he and Jack had become friends easily, but that was all Jack.
He wasn’t the type to take no for an answer.
He decided that he and North were going to be best friends, and so they were. That was the end of it.
Now he was sharing stories with Aspen. We had to be in some alternate reality or something.
“Hopefully, we don’t try to recreate it this winter,” North said, shaking his head. “Pine Ridge winters are brutal. Especially at five a.m.”
Aspen’s nose wrinkled adorably, and she looked horrified at the thought.
“The hell do you mean, five a.m.?”
“Well, I own Sweet Haven, a bakery in town. People need coffee and fuel before work. And what’s a bakery if it doesn’t have freshly baked goods ready for them?”
She blinked at him for a second. “You’re never going to expect me to get up early with you, are you?”
Aspen asked the question with full brutal honesty. As if she’d accepted him and her place in his life already.
Of course, she did. Aspen seemed to always grab adventures by the horns and this was no different. Unexpected, but she pivots fast.
North laughed, the sound echoing off the walls, his head tilting back.
Finally, he got himself together and shook his head. “Oh no. I learned long ago that it was a solo act in the mornings.”
“He didn’t even bother to try with me,” Jack said, giving his best friend a wink.
North swallowed hard and looked away, not returning it, which had Jack looking back at me, confused. The two had been best friends for so long that it wasn’t weird to see them be touchy or close, but I’d never seen him look out of place with Jack.
“So, do I get to taste any of these delicious-looking treats?” she questioned, pointing at the island that was packed full.
Now that the moment seemed to have settled and the tension was draining away, I also moved closer to the array of treats, looking for something in particular. When I spotted it, I snatched one up so quickly that it made Aspen laugh again.
Her hesitation from earlier was gone. Apparently, whatever she and North talked about, helped.
“You still make them,” I said, giving North a smile. He blushed and nodded.
“Of course,” he said. “Not that anybody appreciates them the way you do.”
“What is it?” Aspen asked curiously as she stepped closer. I breathed her in, trying to decide if she smelled more delicious than the treat.
She won.
Even though I’d taken a big enough bite that half of it was gone, I tilted it her way so she could see the confection.
“It’s a cranberry orange roll, kind of like a cinnamon roll, just sweeter.” It smelled like her, just muted. Not as full of her vibrancy.
“Oh, that sounds delicious,” she said, searching around until she found a second one, picking it up and taking almost as big of a bite as me. She got powdered sugar on her nose and I swiped it away. Her blue eyes widened, then heated as I licked my finger clean.
She took another bite as if to distract herself, a groan that was far too sexy for the moment, slipping free. All three of us froze, looking at our omega. She glanced up at our reaction and rolled her eyes.
“You guys better get it together, because I am not going to stop appreciating food.”
“Thank fuck for that,” Jack said, running a hand through his hair and giving her his usual teasing grin.
Now that we’d cleared the air a bit, I didn’t feel quite as much jealousy, though some still lingered there. I had her all to myself before now and everything had changed before I could truly appreciate it.
Aspen and I quickly finished our treats, and I held out a hand toward her, needing her alone for a moment to check in.
Or maybe to soothe my alpha.
“How about a house tour? Alone,” I said, pointedly to the others.
“Sure,” she offered, shaking her head at me, but she didn’t hesitate to put her hand in mine.
I really liked the feel of it there.
My intention was to take this slow. I already knew that she had just gotten out of a big relationship and didn’t want to step over the line, but I knew I liked her from the moment I met her.
That kiss was burned into my soul. Now I knew why.
I led her back toward the foyer, hand still firmly in mine.
Aspen leaned close as she looked around, a smile on her face.
She seemed to like my family home, something I knew my mother would be happy about.
Mom worked hard to make it feel inviting.
She always complained about how my father’s parents were too concerned about wealth and status and the price tag.