Chapter 11
ELEVEN
JUNIPER
I’d snuck out once most of the pack were asleep, starting the car and driving over to the Safe House. I’d texted Luna so she knew I was coming. She’d only started working for us this year, but she was really dedicated.
“Hey, boss,” she said, opening the door. She always looked great, her black curls sleek and shiny, and her makeup immaculate. “Thought you were sick today?”
“I was the victim of alpha overprotectiveness,” I said, stepping past her into the building. My head was still throbbing a little bit. “How’s everything here?”
Luna shrugged. “Two omegas. One has a heat buddy in there, so she’s good. We had one more who wanted proper sedation, so we shipped her out.”
Sedation was risky.
We had the setup for it here, but our policy was to safely move them into a heat clinic spot as soon as we could. Sometimes, the omegas didn’t want that, and wanted us to manage them the whole time. There were ways of shortening a heat, but that was particularly dangerous, especially since we weren’t medical professionals.
Despite me explaining all this to the omegas that came through here, we’d had a couple of cases we’d had to send to the ER.
I knew what we needed to make it better. We needed more drivers than Daisy’s pack dads. We needed safe, clean drugs. We needed to be able to medically train all our Safe House hosts, so they knew what they could manage and what was an emergency. I had a document on my laptop that was a vision of everything we would need. I should have deleted it and replaced it with one that outlined how much we could cut and still operate safely.
I dropped off the contacts into the Safe House stash and flipped through some emails, my mood souring.
“So, is it true that Kit’s new pack is living with you guys?” Luna asked, taking the seat beside me. Her blue eyes were sparkling with curiosity.
“No,” I said flatly. “They’re just staying over because their place got flooded, and Kit is way too nice.”
“Oh, I knew Kit would be happy to have them. It’s the fact you agreed that had me shook.”
I shrugged.
“I owed them. And… they’re fine. For alphas.” I said tersely.
“So, Daisy said it was the pack you spent your last heat with. The ones you told your name to.”
Dammit. Daisy was way too nosy sometimes.
“That’s correct.”
“So?” Luna looked at me expectantly.
“So?” I repeated. She rolled her eyes.
“So, are they locking both of you down?” Luna asked.
“Goodnight,” I said, standing up.
“Aw, Juniper, don’t be mad! They’re really nice!” Luna launched out of her seat and chased me to the door.
“Call me if you need anything.” I said as I shut it in her face.
I was tense as I drove back to the apartment. Luna had made it sound like it was simple. Like it made sense for us both to join them. If I was able to like Kit as a friend, then it would have been. But I couldn’t trap myself with him forever. It wasn’t fair to him or me.
It was late, nearing midnight, but as I unlocked the door, I realized someone had forgotten to turn off the fairy lights that decorated our tiny deck.
I hung up my coat and placed the keys in their bowl before I went to shut off the lights. As I approached the deck, I noticed the glow of a laptop screen outside.
I gently knocked on the sliding door and opened it a crack. Jhin’s tired face blinked at me from one of the rickety lawn chairs.
“My apologies. I hope I didn’t disturb you," he said, sitting up slightly.
“Oh, no, I couldn’t sleep. I thought someone had left the lights on,” I replied, then frowned at him. “What are you doing out here? It’s so cold.”
“I didn’t want to keep anyone up," he said. He looked ridiculously sad in the comparatively tiny chair. His knees were sticking up in the air and he was practically hunched double.
“Come inside,” I said. When he didn’t move, I stepped out and tugged him up. He was freezing. I led him to the couch and grabbed Kit’s laptop tray for him.
“Thank you,” he said, rubbing his eyes.
“What are you working on so late?”
“Trying to sort some things out after the flood. Right now, I’m meal planning.”
“Oh, I gotta grocery shop. Maybe we could work together? I usually arrange a delivery every week. Haven’t managed it yet.”
I sank beside him on the couch, pulling out my phone, and we worked out a grocery list between us. He asked how the ordering worked, and I showed him how to make an account.
“The trick is to plan ahead and know the busy times. But once you get that part, it’s really easy.”
He seemed to need help adding things to the cart and then started adding things from my list as well.
“Oh, you don’t need to do that,” I protested.
“It would be the least we could do for you." His serious eyes met mine. “I want to thank you, Juniper, for having us in your home. I know it hasn't been easy for you, but I can tell you it’s meant a lot to me and the pack. Enjoying your and Kit’s company has been a welcome distraction from the stress we’ve all been dealing with.”
“From the flood?”
Jhin sighed. “No. More than that. We’ve all been on stress leave since an incident last month. We deal with a lot at our job, but this was particularly bad. For Vander especially.”
He scrubbed his hands over his face, sighing, and his eyes met mine.
“What happened?” I asked, voice hesitant.
He studied me for a second, his intense gaze taking me in. Then he settled back a bit.
“Please don’t share this with the others. Not all of them know the full story.”
I nodded, and he stared at his hands and started to speak.
“We’re an alpha crew, so we’re often deployed to more potentially dangerous cases. I knew this one was bad as soon as we entered the warehouse. I could hear people struggling to breathe even before we got to the room. There were bodies littering the floor. The only ones still breathing were an alpha and an omega, both close to death. Ez and Adrian went to the omega, and me and Vander went to the alpha. He was beside himself. Struggling to sit up, and to speak. The alpha, he was ordering us… to leave the omega. To let her die.”
He paused, his shoulders sagging. “We could see his tattoos; he was a trafficker. But that isn’t supposed to matter. We’re supposed to treat everyone, regardless. I could tell Vander was furious, but he’d always been professional. I looked up to see he’d drawn up the wrong drug. So much of it. And I didn’t catch it until he was already injecting it into the alpha’s bloodstream.”
His hand ran through his long hair again, his eyes haunted. “The death was recorded as blood loss. I’ve never seen him do anything like that. I still don't know if it was a mistake or not.”
His brows furrowed more, his eyes looking down.
“We saved the omega,” he said bitterly. “But it didn’t matter in the end. She was the one who had drugged the alphas and tried to slit their throats. They found her body two days after we’d rescued her. It would have been kinder if we’d let her die.”
He rested his head in his hands, and his scent, usually so reassuring, was laced with misery. The pull I felt to try to fix it was practically a compulsion. I slipped my arm through his, pulling him close.
“That’s so horrible,” I said, resting my head on his shoulder. Kit always made me feel better when he did that, and I hoped I was helping. I let my soothing instincts reach out, trying to bring Jhin peace. We stayed like that for a moment.
“I pulled us out because I felt nothing,” he said quietly. “How could I feel nothing about her death? We’ve seen so much, yet the idea of us becoming numb to it is the most horrifying thing of all. I don’t think we can go back.”
“Do the others know you think that?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I don’t know what to do. It’s become so much more than a job, it’s been our life. Our identity. But if it can make me lose compassion… if it possibly pushed Vander to take things into his own hands… I would like to find another path for us.”
I wished that I could offer them a job with us. With driving, or security like Daisy’s dads did. But the Safe House might be gone soon, so I just rested my head back on his shoulder.
I could feel his scent shifting though, responding to me . To my calming. I’d never tried this before, never thought that I could do it, but here I was. Curled into Jhin’s strong, lean frame, breathing in his heady scent.
“Being here with you has brought me so much peace,” he murmured, and I lifted my head to look at his beautiful face. I’d resented being an omega since that catastrophic heat, always warring against my own nature. It had never seemed worth it until that moment, because here, as Jhin tugged me close to him, it felt like everything was right with the world. The person I was had finally found harmony with the person I wanted to be, and the feeling swelled in my chest as I gazed at him.
Our faces were so close now, his dark eyes soft as he took me in. I found myself leaning closer, because I could do so much more to comfort him through touch. To clear his mind of all his worries as I pressed my lips to his. His eyes flicked down to my lips, his gaze turning hooded and flooding me with desire. A cramp wracked my body as blood pooled to my groin.
Shit.
This time, my body’s fucked up revenge for trying to end my heat early was a fucking godsend as it brought me back to my senses. I abruptly pulled away from Jhin, terrified that it’d get as bad as it had with Vander, and we’d do something we’d regret.
“Ah,” I said. “Really should go to bed. Goodnight.”
I stepped back, giving a stupid, awkward wave, and not really looking at him. God, just another fucking reason I was such a shitty omega. Comforting my best friend's alpha shouldn’t have felt so fucking good.
“Goodnight Juniper,” he said as I scrambled toward my room. The cramp was getting worse, and I knew I’d need release for it to settle. I bit my cheek as I weighed my options, my core throbbing as I perfumed in the room.
They were very limited.
I’d have to take care of this myself, but the spare room wasn’t an option right now. I didn’t want to go back out of the bedroom now that I was perfuming like this. I glanced over at Kit’s sleeping form on my bed, then at my closet, with my box of toys.
I settled as far away from the bed as I could in the beanbag chair.
I’d have to be quiet because Kit was right there, probably wearing his silky pajama pants that left nothing to the imagination.
I swallowed as the image hit me, and heat seared to my core. I slipped my fingers down, and they were already coated in slick as I gave a smooth, tentative stroke down, pressing just inside, and then up to circle my clit, which throbbed in response.
Fuck.
I should not be thinking of Kit while I did this. Shouldn’t be thinking of how he’d worn those pants out this morning in front of the whole pack, and how I’d caught their gazes lingering.
Shouldn’t be suppressing a moan as I thought of Ez caging him back into the wall, pressing kisses down his neck and teasing him until Kit begged in that voice that always broke as he became more and more desperate.
But I couldn’t stop.
KIT
I woke up rock hard, my bleary brain extracting itself from my dreams, where a naked Juniper had been wound around me, her lips against mine.
I turned slightly, ready to try to go back to sleep, my brain registering that Juniper still wasn’t beside me on the bed.
Then I heard a breathy moan, so quiet I thought I might have imagined it. I froze; it appeared to have come from the far side of the room, where she had a beanbag just like mine. I stayed still, frozen, my ears pricked when the sound came again. A tiny exhale, just like the ones I’d been dreaming of. And now I could also hear the sound of fingers moving against something slick.
Arousal burned through my veins like liquid fire. It was too dark to see, but my brain supplied the image; Juniper, laying back on the chair, legs spread, her hand slipping down to the short patch of hair between her thighs. Was she just using her fingers? Or did she have a toy, something she was using to slowly impale herself on, stretching herself around?—
Fuck.
I moved my hips so slowly, seeking just some relief from the aching, desperate pressure that had built in my cock, and shit, I couldn’t do this, not here. Couldn’t make a mess that I’d have to somehow explain when she came to bed after, and shit, I was probably perfuming right now and she’d smell it?—
The bathroom .
I had to get to the bathroom.
I sat up with enough noise to alert Juniper. The sounds from the corner stopped, and as casually and normally as I could, I walked to the door. Just going on a bathroom break.
I closed the door behind me and leaned on it heavily, trying to breathe.
“Kit?” A smooth voice came from in front of me, and I looked up to see Jhin, standing with a closed laptop under his arm, blinking at me curiously. “Couldn’t sleep?” he asked, before his eyes trailed down to my straining erection, clearly visible in my clingy pants. His gaze got stuck there, his pupils blowing.
I bit my lip, because in my current state, that look was like a drug, and I needed more, needed him to want me.
To take me. Mine.
“Need to take care of this.” I spoke before I could second guess what I was saying, my hand brazenly stroking down my front. I bit my lip as his sage and blackberry scent spiked. Fuck. I wanted him so bad.
His eyes were glinting in the dark, so intense. A curious look twisted his smooth, handsome face. He was so tall, and I wanted to see what he looked like without his shirt on, to see how his lean muscles would move as he took me and fucked me. Juni might have started this, but I certainly wasn’t going to complain if he finished it.
I could hear Jhin swallow, and he put the laptop down on the shelf next to him. He took a step so he was right over me, and I was looking up into his shining eyes.
His hand came up to my face, stroking it, just like Vander had done earlier, but where Vander had been mocking, this was a true caress.
I couldn’t look away.
I wanted him to touch me like that more.
“Kit,” he breathed, leaning down. Our faces were so close, his nose brushing my glasses as he nudged my face slightly.
“Would you allow me to take care of you?” he asked. I blinked up at him as the words sunk deep into my heart. Something shifted in me as I looked into his eyes; he was looking at me like I was precious, and I believed it. Any desire I had for him turned into a burning, desperate need. He needed to take me. To bite me, to fuck me, to make me his because I wanted him to make me feel like this forever.
I nodded and felt an exhale of his breath on my cheek before he drew me into his kiss. I’d had kisses that were hard and furious, kisses that lingered, soaked in lust, revelling in our bodies intertwined.
But I felt myself melting into him because I’d never been kissed like this before; this careful, reverent kiss that just… gave. His hand held my face, his other arm slipping to my back, but not pulling or demanding, just resting.
Enjoying.
I shuddered as he pulled away and could only stare as he gently removed my pajama pants, taking my leaking cock into his hands and sinking down until he was kneeling before me. I stared at him in shock.
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” I said, my voice barely audible. That only happened in heats, when there was nothing else keeping them busy, when they were lost in lust.
“Do you not want me to?” he asked, looking up at me.
“I—I do, I just…”
“Then let me take care of you, little Kit.”
The nickname made my knees feel weak. I didn’t think I had wanted anything more than to be his little Kit. To have him take care of me. To let go and trust that his deep, steady presence had me.
I’d been planning to keep quiet, but I couldn’t help crying out as he held my gaze and took the head of my cock into his wet mouth. It was fucking bliss. It was pure relief. It was a sparking of sensation that built in my lower back, weakening my knees as I felt myself hit the back of his throat.
“F-fuck.” My head tipped back as he retreated, slowly drawing out the feeling before sliding up. I could feel his tongue trailing up this time, and I whined, my fingers tangling in his hair as he tried to pull back, because he was going so, so slow. I was trying so hard to be good, to be still, but I found myself tugging him closer, my hips thrusting forward, and fuck, yes… I moaned as he sped up and shoved my arm into my mouth to try to keep quiet.
I wasn’t going to last because what the fuck was this? Nothing had ever felt like this, my alpha kneeling and taking me. With one last thrust I was pouring into his throat, and his eyes were meeting mine, triumph sparkling in them as my release overtook me. He held me steady as the sensation rocked me.
I panted, leaning heavily against the wall before giving up and sinking to the floor in front of him. I could only stare at him in complete awe as he wiped his mouth—on a fucking handkerchief —and leaned closer to kiss me on the forehead.
“Thank you,” he said, and I gaped at him, my face heating.
“But… I didn’t do anything,” I choked out, and fuck, I’d come so fast. He gave me his small smile.
“You gave me yourself.” He helped me back onto my unsteady feet. I felt a bit dazed. Was he some kind of sex wizard?
“You should go back to bed,” he said, his thumb stroking over my back before he let go. “As should I. Goodnight, little Kit.”
“Goodnight,” I replied as he padded away to the spare room. I rubbed my eyes and carefully turned the door handle to our bedroom, peeking inside. I could see a Juni-shaped lump on the bed and relaxed.
As I was closing the door behind me, I heard voices in the corridor. I paused, listening.
“Where are you going?” That was Jhin.
“For a fucking walk. That not allowed?” And that was definitely a pissed-off Vander. I peered through the crack left in the door to see them standing outside my room.
“It’s one in the morning?” Jhin sounded confused.
“That didn’t seem to be stopping your nighttime activities, did it?” Vander went to walk around him, but Jhin caught his arm.
“Have I offended you?” Jhin asked, quietly.
“No. Fucking loved being woken up to the sound of whatever that was.” Vander wrenched his arm free.
“My apologies,” said Jhin.
“Well, wasn’t you, was it? It’s that little slut who can’t?—”
My stomach dropped, panic spearing through my stomach, but Jhin didn’t let him finish. His aura flared out and the hairs on the back of my neck rose as it hit me. Jhin snarled and rammed Vander against the wall, rattling the whole house.
Vander’s aura was out too, and he struggled, panting, but it was no use. Jhin’s aura was massive, and it could lend him far more strength than Vander’s could.
I swallowed. I should have left, should have closed the door and crawled into bed, but my feet felt glued to the floor.
“You will not ,” Jhin said, his voice trembling with rage. “Talk about our mate like that.”
If it hadn’t been to Vander, I probably would have swooned.
Vander wet his lips, trying again to free himself.
“ Your fucking mate,” he finally spat. “I want nothing to do with him.”
I mean… he did want a little bit to do with me, didn’t he? That had been undeniable today.
I shifted a bit, trying to get a look at Vander’s face. This didn’t make sense. Of all the things to get pissed off by, why was it this ?
Wasn’t me ‘ showing off those pretty moans’ the only thing he didn’t despise about me? Because that was supposed to be safe, that was supposed to be the one thing Vander liked.
“Be that as it may, he is still your mate. And no matter your personal feelings, you will give him basic respect.”
“Or what, Jhin?” Vander said, lifting his face so it was inches from Jhin’s. “You gonna fucking make me?”
There was an insanely charged moment where Jhin and Vander just stared at each other, the challenge hanging between them.
Vander’s eyelids lowered, just a bit, and his neck was arching slightly under Jhin’s grip. His tongue darted out to wet his lips, Jhin’s eyes following the movement. The anger on Vander’s face changed slightly, shifting to an expression I’d seen on him earlier today, when his eyes had met mine in furious desire.
Oh.
Oh.
It all clicked into place. Vander was jealous. The relief washed over my body in a wave, making me sway on my feet, because that explained everything. And that meant he did still want me. The moment stretched out, Vander’s body pinned under Jhin’s ironclad grip. Then Jhin released him, taking a deep breath.
“Go on your walk,” he said, letting Vander go. “We’ll discuss this in the morning, when I have a clearer head.”
“Great,” snarled Vander. “Looking forward to it.”
Then he looked right at the door, and I stepped back, pressing my hand harder against my mouth. Had he seen me? The door was only opened a crack, and it was dark in here.
I anxiously waited for him to slam open the door and start yelling at me, but instead I heard his heavy footsteps recede down the hall.
I tiptoed over to the bed, trying to slip in so Juni didn’t wake. I shouldn’t have bothered. She wriggled over and took my arm.
I tensed, wondering if she’d overheard the conversation as well.
“So, Jhin hadn’t gone to bed yet?” she whispered, her voice light and teasing. I relaxed.
“Oh my god,” I said, elbowing her, my face going red. She burst into giggles and came closer, wrapping her arms around me. Her familiar scent settled me, bringing me back to just us. Me and her.
“Okay, what did he do—because you sounded like you went to heaven.”
“He, um, may have used his mouth. On me.”
She rose up on her elbows.
“No. Way.”
“Right?” I hissed.
“And he was good?”
“Juni, I think I realized I’ve never had anyone who actually knows what they’re doing do that before. Oh, shit, and then he just sent me to bed, and I didn’t even give him anything.” I glanced toward the door, feeling a little guilty.
“He’s… so nice," she said, resting her head on my chest, her voice a little wistful.
In the dim, colorful glow of our lava lamps, I could see the curve of her elegant neck, and I looked away quickly, trying not to think of that time all those years ago when she’d let me bite her on a drunken whim.
The next day, I’d woken up, and I’d been able to feel her. Every spark of joy before she started humming, the determination that had filled her when we discussed our plans for the Safe House, the contentment when she’d curled up next to me on the couch. It had left me feeling empty after it faded, and that’s when I’d known I wanted that with her forever.
For a second, I opened my mouth to ask her again, but I hesitated. I needed to make sure it was the right time, because I didn’t know if I’d get another shot after this. So instead I just closed my eyes and listened to her breathe in the darkness.
JUNIPER
I’d slept in a bit after my late night and was sitting by myself on the balcony. I had to catch up on all my emails, no matter how much I didn’t want to.
I was just staring at the latest email I’d opened, trying to figure out if I should trash it or not.
To Ms. Bella,
I am writing on behalf of the Aisha Foundation.
We have been looking for ways to help vulnerable omegas through their heats and are very impressed by your work with the Safe House. We would like to offer you a sponsorship opportunity with us.
If you are interested, please let us know and we can arrange a meeting to discuss details and terms. I am free Thursday the 17th, at 3pm if that works, otherwise please reach out to arrange another meeting.
Hope to hear from you soon,
Phoebe Bridges
Executive Assistant
Aisha Foundation
I took another sip of my coffee, hoping that would help. It sounded important, and I squinted at it, trying to tease out the meaning of the email despite my caffeine-deprived brain.
A sponsorship opportunity? I chewed on my lip. And with the Aisha Foundation. Why did that sound vaguely familiar?
I pulled out my phone and did a quick online search.
My heart raced as I saw a picture of a beautiful omega with bright golden eyes standing on a podium, with the Aisha Foundation logo printed on the backdrop behind her.
Vex Eden’s Aisha foundation will support and fund new opportunities to protect vulnerable omegas.
Vex Eden, the gold pack omega from the Gritch who had a princess bond with the mega-movie stars, the Crimson Fury pack.
Shit, if anyone was legit about helping poor, gold pack omegas, it was her.
Okay, so this wasn’t for certain, but this was hope.
Hope that the Safe House might survive after all.