Chapter 15 Lucien
LUCIEN
Mercer and Jae had to think I didn’t have eyes. Or a nose. Or a goddamn fucking clue.
It didn’t matter that whatever happened between Summer and them was days ago or somewhere else.
Her scent was still flooded through these halls.
Different from before. Entwined with theirs.
Slick. Aroused . I was left with the aggravatingly hazy vision of her wearing nothing but sunshine in a field of wildflowers.
Beckoning me to taste the nectar that was just out of reach.
My throat was sandpapered by need, and there was only one thing that would slake my thirst.
Omega. Mine .
The alpha urge to claim made my teeth ache.
I shoved it down. Imprisoned the snarling beast back in the darkness.
Yes, I was an alpha. But I reminded myself that I was also an evolved human who could reason and make educated, well-thought-out decisions.
Pouncing on Summer with my teeth bared would not be an educated, well-thought-out decision.
It was ridiculous, this irrational hunger that roiled beneath everything. There was no anchor to it. We barely knew each other.
My irritation still had a carved edge by the time I was sipping my morning coffee, contemplating murder.
“Oh my god, stop,” Summer giggled. Jae poked her a second time as they fought over which mug they wanted. Mercer entered, rubbing sleep out of his eyes, his hair a fucking travesty, and no shirt , and that was enough to make her perfume.
I needed to get out before I made myself an only child.
“Actually, I’m glad you’re all here.” Summer perched on a stool, her silky robe parting to reveal miles of upper thigh.
“Whoops, nearly flashed you,” she giggled while my retinas burned.
“Look, I’ll just cut to the chase. Living with the three of you has been frying my brain lately.
Walking around shirtless, all sweaty from manual labor.
I have needs. You have needs. Let’s take advantage of that, no strings attached. ”
She spoke with the casual air of someone ordering an extra side of fries when she had concussed us all in one sentence.
“We’re all adults. This is temporary anyway, so why shouldn’t we enjoy ourselves while we can?
” When none of us had the mental faculties to respond, she charged on.
“I’ve seen what my friends are like with their packs.
I’m too busy to be anyone’s emotional support omega.
This way, we can have fun without any of the other stuff.
I didn’t realize how much I missed this aspect of having a pack.
” She let out a carefree laugh while a bitter heat singed against my ribs imagining her with anyone but us.
Jae wrapped an easy hand around her waist, his head dipping to the curve of her neck. “I already told you I wasn’t done with you,” he murmured. “Think you can handle all three of us?”
“Don’t insult me.”
He laughed and left a kiss on her cheek. My mind instantly pictured us working to make her beg and fall apart.
“So how does it work? Any one of us can initiate whenever we want?” Mercer asked bluntly.
“Pretty much.” Summer tapped her fingers on the counter as she pondered. “But maybe it would be a good idea to have a system.”
“Like…a chart?” Jae’s voice teetered upward in disbelief. “You want a sex chart?”
Mercer scoffed. “Lucien’s probably already planning an Excel spreadsheet.”
“I am not,” I muttered under my breath. Even though I was. It was actually quite simple to ensure even data distribution if I created a calendar broken down all the way to hourly increments and indexed—
“More like ground rules,” she said pertly. “How about a secret code? If I’m in a skirt, that’s me giving consent to…use me however you want, no matter where we are.”
Fucking hell.
A million filthy, unspeakable scenarios flashed through my head.
“But what about you guys?”
“What do you mean?” Jae sounded like he was about to faint. Or lunge at her.
Summer had a very serious furrow in her brow. “I mean, what if I want to initiate something? I need to know your boundaries, too. How do I know I have your consent?”
Jae raised his hand. “I’ll sign anything saying you can do whatever you want to me,” he said enthusiastically.
“That doesn’t seem safe,” Summer protested. “What if you’re working? Mid phone call?”
I shifted in my seat, my pants going tight just imagining it. “Doesn’t matter,” I scowled.
“On top of a Ferris wheel. On a jet ski. In the middle of a burning building.”
“You. Fucking. Have it,” Mercer bit out.
Summer’s long lashes blinked. “Wow. Lucky me. I take a combination pill and heat suppressant so no worries on that front!” She clapped her hands happily.
“There, wasn’t that easy? So nice to be on the same page.
Now, I need to get ready to meet up with Lucy, and I’m pretty sure you three are meant to be starting on the kitchen. ”
Summer’s hips did ludicrous things as she swanned past us toward the hall.
I was still struggling to process the open invitation to fuck Summer whenever she was in a skirt . But what did it mean when nothing had happened between us yet? She clearly wanted to explore her connection with Jae and Mercer further. They were the two she had chosen first.
Jae was probably a better alpha than I was for Summer. Their carefree natures fit while I found a good macro thrilling. Mercer made even more sense, with their passion for food aligning. He wasn’t yanked in all directions by pheromones either and could more easily trust in the connection they had.
I wouldn’t get in the way of their time with her. As long as they understood that forming a pack was a bad idea.
We all knew how painfully it could end.
“By the way, for future reference…” Summer lifted the corner of her robe daintily, much like an aristocratic lady lifting her petticoats to cross a puddle. “I would count this as a skirt.”
Then she ran away from us, the little witch.
None of us spoke for a very long time as her mango and passionfruit scent lingered in the air.
The sound of the running shower brought me back to earth.
Everything was now framed in the context of whether Summer was in a skirt or not.
Technically, she wasn’t in a skirt if she was in the shower.
Were we allowed to go in? Put her on her knees and fuck her clever mouth before eating her out from behind until her legs shook?
“I’m going to the hardware store,” I muttered as I threw back the rest of my coffee. “Need to grab a few things before we start.”
I ducked out without a look back at my brothers. With my luck, I would return home to the three of them squashed in the shower, wasting water.
Starlight Grove was steeped in a lazy, slow-moving heat. Business opening schedules became suggestions. Kids whizzed past me on bikes, and families meandered down to the beach. Living like this was unthinkable back home in Boston, and I was trying to remember why anyone would want to leave.
Mom did, though, didn’t she? Couldn’t get out of here fast enough and never looked back.
Cheery thought for a morning walk.
“The Jumpin’ July Rockin’ Lobster Roll Competition is in a week!” A teenage girl materialized on the footpath as I turned the corner, scaring the shit out of me. She was wearing a bright yellow T-shirt with a guitar-playing lobster skipping rope. It was the worst photoshop job I’d ever seen.
She waved a flyer at me. The graphic design was of a similar quality. “Don’t you want to enter, mister? You can win a lawnmower. It’s red! The fastest color!”
The clip art of the smiley-faced lawnmower grinned at me.
“No, thank you,” I said, trying to sidestep her.
“At least take a flyer,” she insisted. “Stanley says I get a bonus if I hand out all of them!”
I took it against my will and now my migraine had a migraine. Good thing I didn’t spend too long romanticizing Starlight Grove.
My steps slowed as I drew closer to The Tool Shed. Summer’s dad was standing out front, in his signature polo shirt tucked into cargo shorts.
Shit, I didn’t know how I was supposed to act around him.
Respectful, obviously. When we first arrived, Victor still remembered all of us, down to the way Jae would drown his dumplings in vinegar.
It was impossible not to like the man who had become an institution in Starlight Grove.
Then the town meeting happened and I bungled my way through a stammering promise that Summer would have whatever she needed while she was with us.
I think he knew Summer was going to decide what was best for her, regardless of any misgivings he had. But I was also certain that if there was some way to magically attach a nest room to his house overnight for his daughter he would’ve already done it.
Be polite and don’t say anything dumb.
“Hi, sir.”
Victor’s smiles always took over his whole face. “Ah, hello, Lucien.” He was somewhat frazzled as he greeted me with a handshake.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
Something wet and slimy licked my leg.
Dear god, what was that?
I looked down at the most empty-headed little white dog staring up at me.
“This is Tofu,” Victor said proudly.
“Hi, Tofu.” He looked like a Maltese mix. I reached down to give him a scratch, and his tongue fell out of one side of his mouth. Let’s hope that meant he was happy.
“Tofu doesn’t like the lamppost today,” Victor explained with a frown, gesturing at where he was attempting to tie Tofu’s leash. “And I can’t bring him inside.”
“You’re not allowed to?” The Tool Shed didn’t seem like the kind of place to have rules about that.
Victor shook his head quickly. “No, no. Not that. Tofu is, er, how do you say…clumsy.”
“Clumsy?”
“There are many sharp things inside. Heavy things.” He pointed at Tofu. “He is hard to keep alive.”
I assessed Tofu again. Victor had a point. There was not a single shred of intelligence behind those eyes.
“I’m getting a few things myself, and I’d be happy to get whatever you need, too,” I offered.
“No, no. You don’t have to do that.”
“Please. It’s no trouble at all.”
Victor looked torn between accepting help and dealing with Tofu’s new aversion to metal poles. He eventually told me he needed new pruning shears.
“No problem. I’ll be back in ten,” I promised.
I waved away Victor’s attempts to pay me back when I returned. I think that distressed him more than me running the errand for him.
“How is Summer?” he asked, a worry line appearing on his forehead.
Gave us permission to rail her whenever we wanted, why do you ask?
“She’s good,” I stuttered. “She’s settled well into her nest. I mean, I assume she has! We wouldn’t go near it, unless we were invited. Not that we are trying to be, or want to!”
Jesus, I needed to shut my mouth before I went off the rails.
“And the food is okay?” he asked.
“It’s amazing,” I said honestly. “Especially when we’re tired after a long day of renovating. We’re really grateful.”
“Good.” His chest puffed up and he patted my arm. “You’re doing the kitchen now, aren’t you? I’ll send more. You are growing boys.”
I was a thirty-three-year-old man. But his offbeat brand of fatherly care still touched me.
“I thought you made it just for her,” I admitted. “Summer convinced us pretty quick.”
Victor let out a deep belly chuckle. “She is strong-willed. But I’m glad. She’s my only omega child, you know. I always worry about her.”
I understood. The instinct to care for omegas ran deep for all alphas. Borne out of the evolutionary need to protect the rarest designation. But it was clear that she was only as confident as she was because her upbringing had brought it out of her. I hoped Victor knew that.
“She’s welcome to stay as long as she needs,” I promised.
“Thank you. We wished that we could’ve—”
Tofu growled threateningly and yanked on his leash, upset about being stationary for so long.
Victor clicked his tongue. “All right, I hear you.” Tofu’s stubby tail spun like a helicopter as they got moving. “I better go. Come by Red Lantern soon. Okay?”
He flashed the pruning shears at me menacingly. The man was hell-bent on feeding us.
“Of course,” I said, giving up as I waved goodbye.
I checked my work inbox as I walked back. A flood of new emails populated. I had been CC’d on three separate threads in the last hour, each at least ten emails deep already. Standard, even when I was supposed to be on break.
Yet the notifications irritated me more than usual. I wanted to get back to working on the house with Jae and Mercer, not deal with this.
A mournful little meow stopped me in my tracks.
It was the town cat. Felix, wasn’t it? He was so hidden that only a tuft of his orange fur was visible. I crouched and got a better look at him curled beneath a bush. One white sock paw was tucked awkwardly against him. He meowed again and licked it.
“Are you all right?” I asked cautiously. I reached for him and he flinched, his fur spiking in distress.
“I think you might need a vet, Felix.”
He buried his nose into his paw and refused to look at me. I tried to pick him up and he lashed out violently, teeth snapping defensively. Shit. How was I supposed to get him help if he wouldn’t come with me?
I reluctantly returned to the lobster teenager.
“Excuse me. Which way is the vet?” I asked.
She pointed behind me. “Round the corner that way. But they’re closed today.”
Great .
“Thanks for your help,” I said, trying to figure out what to do next.
“Hey, you should take another flyer!” she said, enthusiastically stuffing three more into my hand. I hoped Stanley knew his money was being well spent.
I returned to Felix. Leaving him here wasn’t an option, but running around town hoping someone would know what to do would be a huge waste of time. I had no idea how long he’d already been hiding here in pain.
“Look, I don’t know how to get you to a vet today, but I bet Summer does. Hopefully she hasn’t left the house yet. Can I take you to her?”
Upon hearing her name, one of Felix’s tightly shut eyes popped open. Progress. Maybe? “Summer,” I repeated. “Yes. You know her. Let’s get you fixed up, okay?”
I reached for him with infinite caution, making sure he knew I was coming. No sudden movements. I gave his side a slow pat so he could get used to me. After a few strokes, I felt his spine loosen and was able to scoop him up carefully.
“Jeez, you’re heavy.”
Claws dug into my arm.
“Ow! Sorry. Sorry!” I apologized profusely. “Don’t run away. I’m gonna take you to Summer now.”