Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Audrey
“Audrey?” Kane asked as he knocked on my door. I’d been writing down notes for a new melody, and I glanced up to see him standing there holding a single red rose. He held it out to me. “Will you come somewhere with me?”
“Of course,” I said, not even needing to ask where we were going. Knowing Kane, it was something adorably romantic. “You must’ve been busy.”
“I had a little help from some friends. Friends that have connections to the outside world.” He gave me a wink as he waited for me to move.
“Now you’ve got my attention.”
“It was my dashing good looks, wasn’t it?” he asked with an eyebrow wiggle that had us both losing it. He was embracing this side of himself more and it felt like we were getting small glimpses of the real Kane.
Despite ARC and Malik, we were adapting and changing, finding our way in the world that rejected us.
Like a true gentleman, Kane held out his arm for me, and I linked mine with his. He handed over the flower. The first one I’d ever received.
“Thank you,” I said, smelling it and smiling. Before we left I sat it on my desk and turned to him. “Where to? A concert? The zoo?”
“To the finest restaurant this side of the ash tree, of course,” he said, raising a single sassy eyebrow. I swear, watching Kane go from forgetful and moody to this gloriously sarcastic man was everything.
The conservatory was not where I expected him to lead me, but it was one of my favorite places, so I wasn’t going to complain. It was oddly empty for this time of night, and I had no doubt that was Kane’s doing.
Right in the middle of the beautiful glass room was a small table and two chairs.
Soft music began to play as we approached, a lilting, instrumental melody that echoed off the walls and made it feel magical.
Moonlight and soft lighting reflecting off the flowers and leaves in the night only added to the effect.
“This is so nice,” I said as he pulled out a chair for me. I sat down, admiring the candle and flowers between us. These weren’t flowers we grew here at ARC, but they were beautiful all the same.
“Welcome to Chateau Ares,” my alpha said as he walked out to join us, dressed in a tuxedo. He had a fresh haircut now, the undercut lower than it had been in weeks and his red hair combed neatly back. It even looked more vibrant. I loved a man who took care of himself and he was looking incredible.
“For our first course, we have a beautiful Caesar salad,” he said as he placed two bowls in front of us. Even the tableware was fancy and definitely not something they found here at ARC.
“I’ll be by with your second course shortly,” he added with a wink, trying to keep it professional which only made it more hilarious.
“Thank you, sir,” I said, making him falter but he hurried out regardless.
“Behave over there, omega,” Kane laughed, picking up his water glass. I did the same, clinking mine to his and taking a sip.
“Thank you for this. It makes me feel a bit more normal. And special.”
“This was the fanciest I could do, given the circumstances,” he said, “but I wanted you to have better memories here at ARC. If we’re going to be stuck here for a little longer then we should make it our own.”
“You know I love you, right?” I said, needing to say it out loud. No one had ever done something so perfectly sweet. All of this effort was just for me.
The bond was alive with our mixed feelings. A combination of gratitude and appreciation.
Not wanting to get sappy and ruin the moment, I picked up my fork and took a bite. The Caesar salad was incredible. I groaned at the flavor. The perfect mix of garlic, pepper, and parmesan. “This is nothing like the food we’ve been eating recently at ARC. Where did you get all this?”
“I couldn’t help but ask,” I added.
“Ares found a little Italian place near here,” Kane said. “I hope you’re not opposed to pasta.”
“Absolutely not. I can’t wait to try it.” Honestly, I wasn’t sure there was a food I didn’t like. I’d never really been given the choice to find out and anything tastes better than the slop I got when I was held by Seamus.
We both focused on our food, taking bites and sharing glances, until I finally broke the silence.
“Now that you have your memories back, do you remember much beyond Paul?”
He smiled sadly and shook his head. “No, unfortunately not. All the negative clouded anything else. They couldn’t have been too close to me if they let me rot in this place, right? The only family I need is right here,” he promised.
“And apparently, a kid,” I joked, still trying to wrap my mind around that one. We were going to be parents when we got out of here.
Alice had been true to her word and brought in a makeshift library. My first day in there, I found a book on parenting and started reading it. Lilly was pretty much self-sufficient outside of the basics, but I wanted to do right by her and Caspian.
Kane smiled. “I always wanted a big family. We talked about kids a few times, but once the alpha entered the picture, it was off the table.”
“Do you still want kids outside of Lilly?” I asked, curious if anything had changed.
Kane thought it over before nodding. “I don’t think that’s changed.
Part of me wants to stay cynical, to save them from ever having to go through what we did.
But there are so many beautiful things about life,” he said softly.
“So many things I want to experience and share. I feel like our pack will have more patience and compassion than any other pack possibly could. So, maybe kids wouldn’t be a bad thing.
We just need some time to be a pack first.”
“I agree,” I mused. “Spending time with just us and Lilly is top priority. We can always talk babies again later.”
I’d finished my salad before I knew it, a pout forming as I scraped the last bite.
Kane took my hand across the table and gave me a lopsided smile. “Don’t worry. That’s just the first round.”
As if on cue, Ares and Caspian swept out with arms full of food. Caspian was in a fitted suit, a bit less fancy than Ares’s. His hair was down, the ash blond bright against the black fabric, which hugged his muscles. Ones he’d been honing with Ledger’s help.
They both looked delectable.
“Should I be jealous?” Kane teased when I struggled to tear my eyes away from the sexy alpha duo.
I gave him a sheepish grin. “If it makes you feel better, I checked out your ass on the way here.”
He tilted his head back and laughed, making me crack up, too.
“That does help,” he said when he caught his breath.
“I’m going to be in trouble when we leave and you all have access to real clothes,” I joked. “My brain can’t handle this.”
Then all the ogling shifted to the food as they put down plates of chicken alfredo and fresh bread with herb butter.
“I think I’m in heaven,” I said as I breathed in deep.
“Me, too,” Kane said. Only, he was looking at me.
My stomach flipped and my cheeks burned as I bit back a smile. Those amber eyes were so open I didn’t even need the bond to know how he felt.
“Who knew you were such a flirt?” I teased, keeping the mood light for now.
He picked up a piece of bread and slathered it with butter, passing it to me. I let out a groan at how good it was. Everything I’d tasted tonight had been amazing, but this… this was perfection.
Salty, herby, warm. That might be my new favorite combination. At least until dessert. What respectable omega could turn down gooey warm chocolate?
“It’s going to be a long night if you keep making noises like that,” Kane said, watching as I licked my lips.
He forced himself to look away, taking a bite of his own alfredo.
“Have you painted anything new lately?” I asked, giving him a reprieve with a subject change. He’d struggled to make art after realizing who he was painting. He’d found some inspiration with me and Caspian but not much since.
“You and our pack,” he said with a smile. “My muse looks a little different lately.”
“I’m sure the art teacher’s happy about that,” I joked. The old one was always harping on him to paint something new. Anything other than the mystery woman he couldn’t quite remember.
Now we knew she was his awful ex. I was also glad he stopped painting her.
“Well, I have a new art therapist these days, so she hasn’t seen enough of my work to complain,” he said with a shrug.
“How’s the new therapy regimen feel?” I asked, more serious now. I wanted us all to be able to recover properly. That meant making progress in therapy.
“It’s been nice,” he admitted. “She seems to actually care about what I’ve got to say.”
“The bar really was on the ground, wasn’t it?” I said. It was meant to be a joke, but it truly was our reality. I still couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that they’d been with Theo for years and no one cared enough to call him out for not doing his damn job.
I truly hoped the Omega Network dealt with him somehow. At the very least, he should’ve lost his license a long fucking time ago.
We finished the rest of the meal talking about lighter things. I didn’t want this amazing night that he’d set up to go to waste.
As Ares and Caspian cleared our plates, Kane stood and gestured for me to follow. He led me through the side door and out onto the grounds.
There was a small tent set up where they’d strung twinkle lights along the roof. The inside was covered in plush blankets and pillows, fake candles flickering along the edges for a little extra glow.
“Oh, wow,” I whispered, completely stunned.
“We didn’t exactly come together in a normal way,” Kane said. “But, I felt like you deserved to be courted just like any other omega.”
“You’re setting the standards really high,” I tried to joke, but he just smiled softly at me, seeing right past the deflection as I fought off tears.
I’d never had anyone’s attention on me quite like this, and I didn’t really know how to handle it. My life hadn’t set me up for the soft moments, the ones that were vulnerable and quiet.
“Come on,” he said, pulling me inside the tent and kicking off his shoes. I followed his lead and let him pull me down onto the covers.
It wasn’t until I was sitting that I saw the projector and the white sheet that was going to act as the screen.
“What are we going to watch?” I asked, excitement bubbling up. How long had it been since I’d had a chance for something like this?
If ever.
“A second-chance romantic comedy,” he said with a grin. “She’s an omega coming into her designation late. There’s a pack that loved her even before then, but she ran because she had bigger dreams than their small town. Now, they’re reunited when she moves back home.”
“That sounds great,” I said, snuggling into the covers.
Kane’s hand ran gently up and down my arm, a ghost of a touch meant to soothe me, but I had other ideas. We could watch the movie some other time.
“Are we alone here?” I asked, glancing up at him.
“I’m sure there are some guards somewhere, but I think Ares is giving us some private time. Why? What did you have in mind, my little minx?”
Instead of words, I straddled his legs, backing up slowly and taking his black pants and boxers down with it
His cock was hard already, long and thick and waiting for me. I licked my lips, not bothering to be ashamed about the fact that my scent was swelling around us.
“You don’t need—” he started, but I ignored him as I slid my tongue up and down his shaft before slipping it past my lips. His hand stroked my hair, so gentle, even as I took him far enough that I gagged.
I breathed through my nose, relaxing my throat as I picked up the pace, sucking him off with everything I had while the bond was like a live wire, lust and heady need so thick it only amped up our reaction to each other.
It wasn’t just my scent filling the air now, but his as well. The calm and earthy tones mixing with my sweet and subtle spice and rose.
Each time I took him as deep as I could, my nose bumped against his skin, his scent so strong there that it made my head spin.
“I need you to stop,” Kane begged, pulling me gently off of him. “You’ve had me worked up all night, omega. I’m going to explode down that perfect little throat of yours if you don’t stop.”
“I don’t see the problem,” I tried to argue, but he didn’t relent.
Fine, I had other ways to drive him crazy.
Kane watched as I stood and slowly slipped out of my underwear and pants, then tossed my shirt aside. I was desperate to have him inside of me now.
My omega was not the patient type.
He let out a little whimper as I straddled him again. Instead of letting me move into place, he simply lifted me up so he could line himself up. I sank down on him with a soft cry. My beta was stronger than he looked and he felt so damn good.
It was impossible to stay still, my body desperate for this beta. I braced my hands on his chest before sinking down on him again. Every inch that filled me felt like pure fucking bliss.
He let me be the one to set the pace now. I slowly rocked my hips over his, lifting off of his cock then slowly sinking back down and swirling my hips. It was driving us both insane, neither one of us bothering to be quiet as our desperate breathing and moans filled the air.
Kane kept his hands on my hips, helping guide me as I fucked myself on him. His eyes stayed on me, watching me fall apart for him as he fought his own control.
My stomach was coiled tight, my orgasm so close that I could practically taste it. He must’ve sensed it, taking over for me. His hips snapping up as he slammed me down on his cock over and over again. The sedate pace from before was long forgotten.
“Touch yourself for me, muse,” he commanded. My fingers trailed down my abdomen then between us, teasing my clit with each thrust as he fucked me.
There was no holding back. I’d been needing this since the moment he walked up with that flower. It only got worse as the night wore on and he showed me just how sweet he could be.
Once my release hit, it slammed into me with an unrelenting force, my body clenching around him as he continued to fuck me mercilessly.
His orgasm was close behind, slamming me down one last time and holding me there, his lips falling open as he filled me with his cum.
My body was shaking and sweaty, but I felt so fucking good. I was relaxed and settled, the bond wrapping around me like a blanket, comforting and present.
I slid off of him carefully and snuggled into his side, laying my head across his chest. He threw a blanket over us as the move continued in the background.
“Thanks for tonight, Kane. It meant a lot to me,” I said softly. “I felt like a real omega for once.”
“This was just the beginning,” he promised.
For once, I believed him.