Chapter 19
REED
She’s mine. She is absolutely mine, and nothing I tell myself or try to force myself to do could keep me away from her.
Not even if I wanted to.
Her bright brown eyes looked up at mine, and I lost all sense. I wasn’t supposed to… I wasn’t going to kiss her.
I just couldn’t stop myself.
She was rambling and rambling about dis-inviting me to her heat, and I couldn’t bear the thought of not being there. Of not being with her.
Of not seeing her blush, or smile, or hell glare.
Esper Malent is mine.
“I want to be with you,” I say like a lame-ass schoolboy asking his crush out behind the school. But my words rush out of my mouth before I can clearly think about them.
I had a speech about how I can’t be packed up. How having a Pack would ruin my plan, running for Prez. That an alpha of my Pack would automatically take that spot away from me.
But then I saw her at the Bar, Soren, Neven, and Asher surrounding her, and the loss in my chest nearly brought me to my knees.
I need them all.
Neven was right.
I have to make it work.
Cranberry scent fills around me as I hold my scent match in my arms. Her hair riled up a bit and her shirt is bunched up to her chest. Her chest rises and falls with each breath.
She draws me in like nothing I’ve ever experienced before, from the ways her eyes sparkle to the feeling of her heat against me.
She’s fucking magical and I almost ruined that.
“I’m so sorry, Princess. I’m such an asshole.
I was scared. Scared at what scent matches meant, what being in a Pack would mean.
I didn’t even give us a chance and I… I want to.
I want to so badly, if you’ll let me.” I tighten my hold on her waist like if I show a hint of letting go then she’ll disappear.
She’d have every right to, of course. I can’t imagine being a catch.
I’m a confused omega on a warpath of suppressing his needs.
A personal battle that had no business spreading to those around me like oil and lighting on fire.
“Please, Esper. Give me another chance,”
She silently stares at me. I think I lost her when she giggles. I scrunch my eyebrows.
“Yes, Reed, of course.”
Simple as that.
Then she’s kissing me again and I take full advantage of her soft lips. Her chest pressing against mine as I lift her in my arms.
Pulling her face backward, she adds, “As long as you accept the Pack too.”
Our foreheads rest together as our breaths mingle. Asher, mainly, floats through my mind. The rest I won’t have an issue with. At least I hope so.
“Asher and I fuck,” I blurted. “Often. He was my scent match before us, before I even knew...” The words vomit out of my mouth, and I haven’t even had an ounce of liquor in my system.
Something about Esper makes me want to spill my secrets like she’s Wonder Woman ensnaring me in her golden truth lasso.
Except her lasso is her gaze. Her brown sweet eyes are gonna do me in every time. I can just tell.
“What?” Her jaw is wide open and I can’t help but chuckle with her.
“He’s the only one though.”
“You fuck Asher.” Her eyes light with what I know is desire. The nerves in my gut about it disappear as she tilts her head all cutely.
“Yeah.” I don’t want to get into Asher’s business, but Esper had to know two of her scent matches are… involved. “He’s my… our… alpha.”
The words are sour on my lips, but I say them anyway.
Asher is my alpha.
But that doesn’t mean he rules me. It can’t mean that.
Her cranberry scent grows warm like simmering sauce, similar to how it did when she had her flare-up, and my lips turn up into a smirk.
“You think that’s hot?” I say, teasing my omega.
My omega.
Her face flushes red and she looks away from me, though I keep her locked in my arms so she can’t move.
“You wanna watch us?” I whisper along her cheek. Her body trembles in my hold, and fucking hell I love that feeling.
She whines and rubs her cheek against mine, her leg hiking up a bit.
“Wanna be in the middle maybe? Taking your omega and alpha at the same time?” I toy with her. Her scent blooms in the hallway, and I have half a mind to lift her over my shoulder and storm to my nest just to taste that divine cranberry again.
“Reed,” she whimpers, shaking her head and tilting her head back. As if she needs air. I won’t let her though. I push my own pancake scent into the cramped hallway, hoping that’s all she’ll breathe.
Her breath catches and I jut my hips forward, my dick meeting the seam of her pussy through her jeans as I hook both her legs around my hips.
Too many clothes. Unacceptable.
“Not here, Reed.” Her voice is breathy, soft in my ear. So soft I almost don’t hear her. My omega is pushing, my dick getting more painfully hard by the second.
But I freeze. She said not here, so not here.
I swallow the saliva building in my mouth and give her a grin. Sliding her down my body so her feet are back on the floor, I kiss her forehead as she lands.
“Not here, then, Princess.”
“I’m not losing my virginity in a bar hallway.” She chuckles, though the red on her face lets me know how shy she is talking about it.
“We can do a lot more, as you know, before we even get to that, Princess. We’ll make each time as special as you deserve.” I kiss her again, quickly growing addicted to the feel of her skin under my lips.
Her mind must be racing. She grips her purse as she stares at me, and a small beautiful smile graces her lips.
“I… uh, I have something for you.”
“For me?” I hold her gaze. Her eyes are wide as she looks around, and her shoulders shrug forward, as if she’s nervous.
Taking one final deep breath, she slides the strap of her purse down her arm, slowly. As if she’s still making the decision to give me the gift.
My omega is fucking ecstatic. He’s riling up inside. Bouncing off walls to be receiving a gift, and it’s these moments that I struggle with the most. The public display of omeganess.
Casey tells me to just soak in the moment, but I just—
I just can’t.
My chest gets tight as she starts digging. I have to be cool. I can’t let her down by being an ungrateful piece of shit.
“I… I gave Soren a gift. Neven too but… I, um… I wanted to show my commitment to you. As a person, Reed. So I got you a gift.”
“A… courting gift?” The words taste like vile on my tongue, but with Esper’s sheepish smile directed towards me, the icky taste mellows into one of anticipation.
“Yeah,” she pulls out the gift. I open my hands under hers and she drops it in my hands.
A black bow with a… coaster under it.
A… coaster? My mind flashes back to Neven’s place. The lone green coaster that sits on his coffee table. My shoulders slump, relief taking over my limbs as I smile at my omega.
A black organic metal-looking design, round shape, and honestly… I love it.
I haven’t used a coaster in my damn life, but now I see why Neven made the change to start using one.
Because she gave it to him.
“It’ll protect your tables…”
“You know we don’t give a shit about tables.”
She continued, undeterred, “The design made me think of you. I hope when you see it…”
“I’ll think of you.” My arm wraps around her and we’re kissing for the millionth time tonight. I inhale a hit of her scent before pulling away. “Thank you, Princess. I’m so… so happy.”