Chapter 2
“ D o you think she’s going to be a good fit?” Mathias asked as he leaned between the front seats of the car.
I groaned and shared a look at Holt, our other packmate, before shaking my head.
“You’re going to find out in about thirty minutes,” I reminded him. It was better if I answered. The other alpha was a bit too grumpy sometimes and our beta packmate was already struggling to keep it together.
Then again, we’d been a pack since high school and had yet to find a mate.
We’d all dated, separately back then, together since our mid-twenties. The problem was, once we started dating as a group, we struck out too many times to count. Either I was too tattooed or ‘scary’ to bring home to their parents, or Holt was too cold, or Mathias too needy.
Fuck them.
We weren’t going to change for anyone. Our pack had gone down in flames the last time we let someone try to do that. They wanted us all at first, then tried to make us compete to be her favorite. It drove wedges between us that we’d never dealt with before. After we broke it off, Mathias ended up in a depression that almost needed intervention, Holt threw himself in his work, and I took one too many risks on late-night drives.
We’d finally resorted to a matchmaking service. The Pack Services team had compiled extensive profiles and scent cards for us.
It felt so… clinical.
But if it put us one step closer to being an actual pack, who was I to argue. We needed an omega to balance us and my alpha craved the connection that came with it.
I wanted to feel needed, to have someone to take care of and worship. My days of partying and casual hookups were far behind me.
Hell, we were all over thirty now and more than ready to have a real pack. Having each other only went so far and there was never any romantic interest involved to make the absence easier.
Thunder cracked outside of the car loud enough to make Mathias jolt back to his seat. I glanced back and chuckled as he gave me a sheepish grin, buckling up before Holt could yell.
“Check the radar. I thought it was just some rain,” Holt said, glaring at the road ahead like it would chase away the impending rain.
I pulled up the weather app and winced. “Apparently, the wind shifted. It hits in about thirty minutes, this is just the start.”
“Oh god,” Mathias groaned, sounding sick instead of excited. Storms were not his favorite and if we didn’t get there soon, we’d have a hot mess on our hands, too.
“Can you drive faster, old man?” I asked Holt like he wasn’t the same age as us. Mentally, though, the man was already in his silver fox era. He grunted but at least went up five miles per hour like that would help.
Lightning flashed across the sky that was already far too dark. Clouds were rolling in, casting the sky in a gray hue as rain came down in sheets.
Thank fuck our SUV had four-wheel drive. We’d need it when we hit those hilly back roads.
We hadn’t been to Willow Lake in years. Holt’s family used to have property out here they visited from time to time but by the time we hit high school they upgraded to something on the beach.
He’d talked about it enough that we rented a cabin a few times to spend a weekend on the lake swimming or fishing.
Now, apparently, we were meeting our omega here. Maybe I didn’t give this tiny, little town enough credit. I couldn't get that sweet vanilla, coconut, and kiwi scent out of my head. It was fresh, tart, and just sweet enough to make you melt.
After twenty-five tense minutes and lots of thunder, we finally spotted the sign for Willow Lake. The roads were already filling with water.
“This doesn’t bode well,” Mathias groaned. I glanced back and he was gripping his seat belt like it might save him if we floated away.
“Summer storms are normal in these parts. They pass quickly,” Holt grunted. It was his version of reassurance. I bit back a laugh imagining him offering that to a sweet, little omega.
Though our omega was the same age, we couldn’t exactly call her ‘little.’ We’d all been waiting for this for a long damn time. Her included.
Even if I gave Mathias shit about being so eager, I couldn’t deny that the coconut, kiwi, and vanilla scent card they gave us had twisted me up inside from the moment I breathed her in. I hadn’t stopped thinking about it since that moment. Imagining what she looked like, what quirks she had. I needed to know everything.
“There it is,” Holt said as he gestured to a large cabin just ahead of us. It was more of a lodge than a cabin, it seemed our omega came from money, too.
All of us grew up more than a little privileged. Fancy high school, private, elite college, careers set out before us. Or at least it was that way for Holt. I had a trust fund that I used to forge my own path and Mathias joined me when I opened up my bike shop. His custom art had people filling our books.
This week of vacation was a long time coming. We could all use the break. If everything went well, maybe we’d even hire in some help and slow down our bookings.
Holt finally parked in front but none of us made a move to open the doors.
“It’s pouring, we’re going to be soaked,” Holt grumbled. Finally, Mathias let out a huff and threw open his door.
“Forever is waiting on the other side of that door. I don’t give a fuck if I get soaked.”
Then he was off, running down the walk and up the steps. He gave us one final glance before raising his fist to knock.
“Come on, he can’t meet her alone,” I said, following behind him.
The rain was worse than I thought. I was soaked in seconds and my black boots slid on the wet ground as I hurried forward. Just as Holt joined us on the porch, the door swung open.
A familiar face greeted us, her look of horror not reassuring.
“Oh, fuck no.”
Then the door promptly slammed closed.
Damn. What just happened?
Did she really shut the door in our face? How could that scent be hers?
I stepped forward and knocked again and waited. It was like an eternity and there was no answer.
"This is some bullshit," Holt muttered from behind me. He never was one that could control his temper. His hands were already curled into fists and his anger was flashing in his eyes.
"Was that our girl?" Mathias questioned, pointing towards the still-closed door in disbelief. "Wasn't that Karen?"
"Karen?" I laughed, shaking my head. "That wasn’t her name. I can’t remember what it was exactly but it stood out more than that. She can't be the one we came here for. Maybe she’s just staying here, too?"
"Then why would she answer the door? We were invited here to meet our match, you don't think that she would bring a friend, do you?" he asked.
"Maybe. We’re a pack already. That could be a lot for a shy omega," I said, but barely believed it myself. That scent hadn’t been washed from my memory like the rain washed it away out here.
She’s ours. The coconut, kiwi, and hint of vanilla was a tropical, sweet mix I wanted to get lost in. It was even more potent in person and my entire being wanted to move closer to her.
I don't know if I was trying to convince them or myself.
Holt moved past me and pounded on the wooden door. "Open up, it's pouring out here. The roads were already flooding, where the hell are we supposed to go?"
There was no sound and the door didn't open again. We shared a look, all more than a little annoyed. Even our beta lost some of his enthusiasm.
This wasn’t how I saw our night panning out. Then again, I never expected her to be here.
"Back to the car?" Mathias asked just before another crack of lightning exploded a little too close for comfort.
The screech he let out echoed in the night, louder than the thunder.
This time when he knocked rapidly, it was with a sense of urgency. "P..p..please, le...t us innnnn."
"Go away," called a sweet, but firm, voice on the other side of the door. “You’re not welcome here.”
"Well, like Holt said, the roads are flooding. It's raining too hard. The water has nowhere to go," I said, trying to reason with her.
"Go back to your car and leave me alone," she growled out, her voice taking on a sexy rasp.
Wait. Sexy? This rain was getting to me or something. She wasn’t even who we were here for. Right?
After she spoke there was another explosion and this time it hit one of the trees near the house. The three of us watched in horror as it fell across the top of both our car and hers.
"Car is out," Holt called out. Even he sounded desperate this time. "There’s a tree on top of it, along with yours."
That got the door open.
"What?" She stormed out onto the porch and almost down the steps but Holt stopped her as another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky.
"No, I just paid her off. Why does this shit always happen to me?" she cried, looking genuinely distraught.
I couldn't tell if there were real tears in her eyes or if it was just the rain on her face.
"Let go of me, you brute. Why are the three of you here on my doorstep?" she asked as she wiggled free from Holt's grasp and crossed her arms. There was a fierce glare on her face as she squared off with us.
I didn’t remember her having that much fire in her back at school. Then again, we tried to avoid her. Though, I couldn’t even remember why. Probably some petty, omega thing. Half of our friend group was made up of omegas back then.
"We were invited," Mathias said in almost a whisper. He looked about two seconds away from a full breakdown.
"Mother," she muttered under her breath. "Fine. Come in. There are two guest rooms on the main floor and a couch. You three can fight over who sleeps where. The second floor is off limits and only for me."
She stomped back in and up the stairs, no longer worrying about us. We were officially dismissed.
If she noticed our scent, she was hiding it well.
Me? I was struck again by that tropical sweetness. My entire body was waking up, my alpha demanding I go after her. It was only the fear of freaking her out more that kept me rooted to the spot.
"That was a warm welcome," I muttered as we entered the cabin. It was definitely not as nice as we were used to, though I kind of loved it for that. The decor was nice but not overly ornate or gaudy. It had that lived-in cozy feel.
"Do you really think she didn't know that we were coming?" Mathias questioned as he slipped out of his shoes at the door. His hands were shaking still but he was more focused on the omega who ran up those stairs like her ass was on fire.
“Tell me you noticed her scent, too? I’m not crazy?” I asked, finally addressing what the other two were ignoring.
Holt grunted, a wordless affirmation that he did, too. In fact, his blue eyes flickered back and forth to us and the stairs, as if waiting for his omega to come back.
“How is this possible? We knew her, right?”
“You know that school had a strict de-scenting policy. Air filters, blockers, the works. It wasn’t like she went to parties or out to events. She was practically a ghost in those halls.
“There was a reason for that,” Holt reminded me. His frown was even deeper now.
“We aren’t the same people we were in college,” I defended her, taking us all by surprise. There was a lot of that going on this weekend.
"I don't know, but first thing in the morning we are calling for a tow and getting out of here," Holt said as he explored the main floor. He must have found one of the rooms after as he disappeared and called dibs.
I let out a sigh. How was any of this going to work out if he was against it and so was she? My alpha wanted this omega even if I didn’t know the first thing about her anymore.
Honestly, we didn’t then, either. All I could remember was the shit our girlfriends told us. They were a group of friends, some of the biggest names in the omega pool at that damn school. Everything was about status and they were as vapid as they were rich.
We were cocky alphas who thought they ruled the world.
It was a recipe for disaster.
"You take the other bedroom, I can bunk on the couch," Mathias said to me, moving towards his makeshift bed by the light of his phone. He sounded so defeated I wanted to comfort him, but knowing Mathias, he needed time to process.
“Alright, thanks, man," was the only thing that I could think of to say to him.
"Good night, Ash," he told me as he grabbed a throw pillow and pulled it into his arms, hugging it as thunder hit again. He buried his face in the fabric and breathed in deep enough I could hear and I swear he let out a soft curse.
No, this wasn’t over yet.
"Sleep well, brother," I said as I went off in search of the other bedroom. There wasn't a blanket on the couch so I was going to search and grab one for him. I knew that I was still soaked and cold so there was no way that he wasn't. Mathias wouldn't complain or stick up for himself. Holt and I were always looking out for him.
The first room I came to, the door was slightly closed so I knew that was where Holt had claimed. I moved on to the next door and my phone illuminated a bathroom. On the right of it was the second bedroom and I wasn't upset with the arrangement. It was a little more pink than I was accustomed to, but beggars can't be choosers, right?
Right there on the end of the bed was a spare blanket, so I grabbed it and headed back to Mathias.
"Here you go, brother," I told him as I threw it at him. “Try and actually get some sleep. We’ll figure it all out tomorrow."
"Thanks," he muttered as he stripped down to his boxers and curled up on the plush couch, shifting until he found a comfortable position.
There was nothing else I could do so I left him on the couch and went back to my temporary bedroom.Sleep never came easy to me, but that didn't stop me from getting out of my wet clothes and laying down.
My mind couldn’t let her name go. I was racking my brain on what her name was, Karen was close but I knew that wasn't it. At uni, she was the book nerd that all the girls bullied or ignored. Once word got around about her sleeping with the teacher and getting him to retaliate to the girls giving her a hard time, she was a lost cause.
My girl at the time was one of her worst bullies, and I did nothing to stop it. That was one of my life's regrets. Being young and dumb but also thinking I knew it all at the same time was a bad combination.
Guilt churned in my stomach but I knew it wasn’t going to do me any good. I’d have to face the music in the morning and apologize. Even if she didn’t let us talk it out, it needed to be said.
If only I could remember her damn name.
"Karen, Sharon, Marion, Taryn," I muttered each one out in an attempt to remember, the last one finally sticking. "Taryn, that's it."
How were we going to get her to believe that we weren't the assholes that we once were at school? Fate was a cruel mistress and karma was a bitch to have her scent be so damn sweet.
I pulled up my phone to search for her on the internet but then I remembered that I didn't know her last name. Taryn was an unusual name, there couldn't be that many right?
An error popped up that I had no service the moment I tried to search.
Stupid fucking storm ruined everything and now we were now stuck in a house with a woman that hated us, and no escape.
This was going to be intense, and I wasn't sure that my heart was up for this test.