CHAPTER NINE - Mariska #2
Lucian was quick to get behind me and pull out my chair. “Hi Mariska. So good to see you again. How was your day at the market?”
Balthazar unzipped his vest and stretched. The buttons of his flannel shirt could barely contain his broad chest. “Hey. We had a good day. Delicious food, lots of walking, and me winning every race on the rink.”
“You did not!” I gasped as if offended, but I laughed.
He was faster than me, but he’d clearly slowed down on the ice when we skated together.
Even when we raced, he pretended to stumble a few times to let me get ahead.
Him making me laugh broke the stranglehold I had on my nerves, and I could breathe a little easier.
I smiled at Lucian as I sat. “Thank you. The food there was so good. I could have eaten more if the chimney cake hadn’t been so huge.”
Balthazar and Lucian each sat on either side of me, and Jasper lowered back down into his chair across the table. The rest of the people around us seemed to fade away as I was keenly aware of the majestic Alphas surrounding me. A hot throbbing between my legs had me trying not to squirm.
“I haven’t had one of those in years. We’ll have to try making chimney cakes ourselves this year.” Lucian picked up his menu, but hadn’t looked down at it yet.
“My nephews would love it.” Balthazar grinned, leaning back in his chair. He hadn’t picked up his menu either.
“Everyone will. But Jasper has to make his famous German chocolate cake. No Christmas is complete without it.” Lucian turned to me and hummed with the delicious memory of the dessert. “It’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted. You’ll love it.”
I glanced at Jasper, surprised that he could bake. It was almost unheard of for an Alpha to do anything in the kitchen. That was left for Omegas. While I was capable, I had no passion for it. “Do you like to cook?”
“I dabble in the kitchen sometimes.” Jasper shrugged one shoulder. “But I only make the cake once a year. It’s a Christmas treat.”
“He’s incredibly cruel like that.” Balthazar chuckled.
“It’s just another reason why Christmas is the best time of the year.” Lucian nodded. “Plus, Jasper’s rum infused eggnog cookies are amazing. We eat them as we decorate the tree.”
“Along with drinking what remains in the rum bottle. Remember how you got so drunk last year, Lucian, that you fell into the tree trying to put the star on top?” Balthazar rumbled with laughter along with his pack.
I smiled, trying to imagine these Alphas decorating a tree together.
My mind just didn’t want to go there. All this talk of Christmas and how it was so wonderful was souring my mood.
I understood many people loved the holidays, but it was only a reminder of what I’d lost. All the yummy desserts and hilarious tree stories wouldn’t change that.
A server came to our table with smiles only for the men.
We ordered drinks, and the guys were ready to order food.
When I asked for a few minutes with the menu, Balthazar stepped in and told her to bring me a prime rib.
She didn’t even glance my way to ask how I wanted it done or what sides I wanted.
Ordering my dinner for me. Jack used to do that. It was just another way he controlled me, except he would have gotten me soup and salad, because that’s what Omegas should eat. I never disagreed with him. Not out loud.
I hadn’t noticed the quiet at our table until Jasper leaned forward. “Is the prime rib okay? Anything you want would be fine. We can change your order.”
All of their eyes were on me. A rock had formed in my guts with all the talk of Christmas and now this. Cold and hard. That’s what I needed to be about my upcoming heat. I couldn’t afford to get attached to these Alphas. “No, it’s good.”
“Are you sure?” Lucian hedged, and I nodded. It was just food. Not like I was going to eat much at all.
Rock. Hard. Just get it out there and over with. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you guys about something.” My throat tightened. I had to do this. I couldn’t afford to be struggling with my heat when I moved to California.
The server returned with drinks. A dark stout for Balthazar, a Brandy Old Fashioned in a crystal glass for Jasper, and a root beer for Lucian. A glass of water was placed in front of me without comment. I mumbled my thanks and took a big gulp.
Maybe I should wait until after we've eaten. They’d be much more amenable if they had full stomachs.
“So what is it you wanted to talk about?” Balthazar sipped his beer. A bit of foam stuck to his whiskers, and his tongue peeked out to collect it. My thighs clenched again as another wave of yearning went through me.
After another drink of water, I clasped the glass on the table in my hands.
It was so much easier to bring this up in front of the mirror.
Which even made me stutter and blush while I was alone.
I inhaled and slowly exhaled and stared at the ice cubes shimmering in the water.
“All right. I want to be absolutely honest about everything. I’m going to put it all out in front of us.
” The pack leaned toward me. “None of us can deny we’re scent matches. ”
“We’re the perfect match.” Balthazar grinned, seemingly immensely pleased we were talking about this.
“Sometimes,” I continued, ignoring how his smile made my stomach jittery. “When an Omega and Alpha are highly compatible, a simple touch can trigger the Omega’s heat.”
Eager surprise widened Lucian’s eyes, but even as he got a hold of it, that light still danced in his gorgeous eyes. He opened his mouth to say something and then immediately shut it as Balthazar gave a hoot of victory.
Balthazar straightened his shoulders and widened his grin. “That’s right, baby. I’m impossible to resist.”
Of course he thought it was him, and I didn’t doubt that it would have happened today if I hadn’t already been triggered. My eyes darted to Lucian. It had only taken a second, a brush of our fingers. My entire world had changed.
Jasper stilled, gaze drilling into me as if he could read every thought in my head. “Your heat. Are you certain?”
“Yeah, she’s certain. Can’t you smell how her scent has strengthened since yesterday?” Balthazar raised his brows and then turned his head to wink at me. “It’s absolutely delicious.”
“It is much sweeter.” Lucian said the words carefully, as if he knew there was more.
There was more. I swallowed hard. “I am,” I confirmed. My heart beat hard beneath my ribs. Keep it simple, Mariska. Don’t make it more than what it is. “Going into heat, I will need the help of compatible Alphas to make it through.”
“Done. You’re our Omega.” Balthazar sat back, proud and pleased. “You’ll move in with us as soon as possible. And all it took was one date with me.”
“Wait, no,” I protested the same time as Jasper shot Balthazar a hard look and hissed, “What the fuck, man?”
“I told you she’s the one for us. No use fighting against what was meant to be.
This way she’ll be with us for Christmas, and we can ring in the new year as a complete pack.
” Balthazar stated these things as if they were given facts.
He didn’t strike me as one given to romantic daydreams, so he had to really believe what he was saying.
Maybe I made a mistake. If he was going to be this possessive, I shouldn’t let them knot me. But I couldn’t deny I was going into heat, and I refused to let it interfere with my plans.
“I think we need to slow down.” Lucian held up a hand, looking back and forth between the other two Alphas with concern.
“Nothing is meant to be.” Jasper ignored Lucian and snapped at Balthazar.
His hands closed into fists. “You get it in your thick head every single time you meet an Omega. ‘She’s the one. She’ll be perfect for the pack.
’ And every single time, it goes to shit.
You’re devastated, and Lucian and I get the backlash of it.
You do it this time and it will fuck up the holidays. ”
Oh no. Fuck me. This had happened before? What sort of mess had I gotten myself into?
“This time it’s different. We’re all scent matches.” Balthazar stabbed the table with his finger with each of the latter four words and bared his teeth, a wild look in his eyes that dared his packmate to do something.
“Doesn’t matter.” Jasper shook his head, not backing down, and puffed up his chest as he started to rise from his seat.
“It fucking matters.” Balthazar shot back and stood, glaring at Jasper. “And besides, she just fucking asked to be part of the pack. What could be more clear than that?”
“No.” I verbally jumped between them before they started throwing punches. I held out my hands and signaled for them to sit. People were looking at us. Liz and Miss Eloise were watching. “Sit. Keep your voices down and listen to what I have to say. I wasn’t done yet.”
The two Alphas glared at one another for another thirty seconds before they lowered themselves down. Lucian was rigid on my left. His chest heaved with his breaths as if he had been about to go into battle too.
People lost interest and went back to their meals. Liz and Miss Eloise started to chat again, but I could tell their attention was still on our table.
I gave them a minute to calm and folded my hands on my lap.
Their scents were off the charts. The richness of hot cocoa brewed over a pine log fire, the sharpness of citrus and nutmeg, and the cooler smell of peppermint and cedar.
Even with the strong odor of meat and fried food in the restaurant, the Alphas dominated my senses.
I felt too overly aware of them. I wanted space, but this needed to be settled before things got more muddled.
“I want to make it clear: I’m not looking for a pack.
” I held up a finger to stop Balthazar from saying anything.
“I am not looking for mates. I don’t want to move in with you.
I’ll still be going to California after Christmas.
That’s my main focus. I want my heat to go as swiftly as possible so I can focus on my plans, and to do that, I need your help.
I expect nothing from you, and I want you to expect nothing from me.
This is a no strings attached situation. ”
Jasper picked up his drink and chuckled dryly into it. He lifted it in a toast to me and drank the entire thing down.
“You’re not looking for mates?” Lucian gripped the edge of the table with one hand. He was trying to keep his face unreadable, but there was a gray hurricane of emotions in his eyes. “Did you already decide this before you agreed to the twelve dates deal?”
All at once, I felt like a mean bitch. My stomach roiled, making me feel nauseous.
I hated that I had to do this. Hated that I was subject to my Omega hormones and had no control over how my body reacted to these Alphas.
What I loathed even more was playing with their hearts.
Lucian had been so eager to get to know me, so sweet and genuine.
I didn’t like playing the bad guy. It was the worst feeling in the world.
But it was necessary.
“I’m not looking for an Alpha. I’m sorry.” I wanted to hold him, make everything better. “I hadn’t thought about the details, but yes, I agreed to the deal because I realized that I was going into heat.”
Lucian looked away and something cracked inside of me. I dug my nails into my palms. There was no choice but to be strong. My dreams, everything I’d ever worked for, was at stake.
Jasper had crossed his arms and leaned back, studying me with slightly narrowed eyes. I never wanted to hurt anyone, but he’d been right about me. I was not the Omega the pack needed.
“We’re going to help you through your heat,” Balthazar said slowly, each word clear and deliberate.
His packmates whipped their heads to stare at him, and he didn’t flinch.
“We’re going to help you, because that’s what good Alphas do.
We’re still going to go out on our dates as well.
By the end of it all, you’ll see that I’m right. You’ll be begging us to claim you.”
My jaw dropped at his unbreakable confidence.
There was nothing I could say to that. I needed their help. My future was in California. No matter what happened, that would not change.
Except, through that wee crack in my walls made by Lucian, Balthazar’s declaration wiggled its way inside of me, and a little voice wondered if it might be me who breaks by the end of the twelve days.