Chapter 44 #2
But I'm selfish. I want this moment to hold her, knowing it might not happen again once everything settles and reality intrudes.
Once they all realize that having me here is complicated and messy and probably more trouble than it's worth.
Once Stefan decides we need to leave and find somewhere else to go, somewhere that doesn't involve living in another Alpha's space with an Omega who makes my heart race and my instincts scream that I want to stay.
Besides, the slight panic in Solana's eyes tells me something important.
This is one of her first heats awake. Actually awake and aware and experiencing everything instead of being sedated into unconsciousness.
The knowledge makes rage bubble up in my chest, anger at Harmony House and everyone who works there for what they did to her.
I've heard about the horrors of Harmony House, whispered conversations between my father and his associates when they thought I wasn't listening.
A place where Omegas are broken down and rebuilt into compliant, controllable versions of themselves.
Where natural biology is treated as something shameful and wrong, something to be suppressed and managed rather than celebrated.
My father tried to send me there once, years ago when I was sixteen and presenting for the first time.
He stood in his office with paperwork in hand, explaining calmly how Harmony House would "civilize" me and make me a more suitable heir to his empire. Stefan overheard and threatened to quit on the spot, not that it was something he could actually do. Since my father couldn’t afford to kill Stefan and lose the Alpha’s valuable help, the plan changed.
He kept me instead, turning me into a different kind of pawn.
One he could parade in front of business associates and potential allies, dangling the possibility of bonding with me like a carrot to secure deals and alliances.
Never following through, never actually allowing anyone close enough to claim me, just using the promise of me to manipulate others.
I guide Solana under the spray, the hot water immediately soaking into her braids and running down her body.
She shivers despite the warmth, her hands coming up to brace against my chest for stability.
The water starts washing away the evidence of her heat, the dried slick on her thighs, the spend on her stomach, and the sweat coating her skin.
I reach for the body wash sitting on the shelf, squeezing some into my palm. The scent is neutral, unscented soap that won't interfere with anyone's natural smell. I start washing her carefully, my hands gentle as they move over her skin.
Solana leans into the touch, her body relaxing incrementally as I work.
I wash down her arms first, then across her shoulders and down her back.
My movements are methodical, therapeutic rather than sexual.
She needs care right now, not arousal, even though my body is responding to having her naked and wet and pressed against me.
"You're good at this," Solana murmurs, her eyes half-closed as I wash her hair. My fingers work carefully through her braids, making sure to rinse away any product buildup or sweat without disturbing the actual braiding.
"Practice," I say simply, not elaborating on the circumstances that gave me that practice.
I continue washing her, moving down to her stomach and legs.
The water runs clear now, all evidence washing away and disappearing down the drain.
But the marks remain; the love bites and bruises and scratches that speak to passion and claiming.
Those will take days to fade, visible reminders of what happened here.
When I'm satisfied she's clean, I start washing myself quickly. Solana watches through heavy-lidded eyes, her gaze tracking over my body with obvious interest. I try to ignore the attention, focusing on the task at hand rather than the way her scent is sweetening further.
But when I look up and meet her eyes, something shifts in the air between us. The steam and heat and close proximity all combine into something charged, something that makes my breath catch and my heart race.
Before I can think better of it, before I can remember all the reasons why this is a terrible idea, I lean in and kiss her.
The contact is electric, her lips soft and warm against mine.
She tastes like sleep and heat and something sweet that's purely her.
I deepen the kiss immediately, one hand coming up to cup the back of her head while the other wraps around her waist.
Solana responds with enthusiasm, her arms winding around my neck and pulling me closer. Her mouth opens for me, allowing my tongue to sweep inside and taste her properly. The kiss becomes hungry quickly, both of us chasing something we can't quite name.
When I finally pull back, we're both breathing hard. Reality crashes back in and I realize what I've just done. I kissed Kade and Dustin's Omega without permission, took something that wasn't mine to take.
"I know I'm not supposed to do that but fuck, sorry," I say quickly, the words tumbling out in a rush. "I shouldn't have—"
Solana looks like she might combust, her face flushed and her pupils blown wide. She's swaying slightly, caught between leaning in for more and freaking out about what just happened. I can see the war playing out on her face, desire battling with uncertainty and probably some amount of guilt.
The bathroom door slides open slowly, the sound making both of us freeze.
Kade steps inside, fully dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt, his dark eyes taking in the scene before him.
Steam fills the bathroom, obscuring everything in a hazy fog, but there's no mistaking what he's seeing.
Solana and I, naked in the shower together, both of us flushed and breathing hard and obviously having just been kissing.
Heat bubbles up in my chest immediately, shame and fear mixing together into something overwhelming. I've been caught. Kade is going to be furious, is going to throw me out or worse. I've overstepped in the worst possible way, taking liberties with his Omega that I had no right to take.
But Kade just grins, the expression full of understanding rather than anger. "Seems like we all had the same kind of idea."
He moves closer to the shower, completely unbothered by the steam or the fact that he's still fully clothed.
His presence fills the space, that commanding Alpha energy that makes me want to submit and bare my throat.
It's completely different from Stefan's energy, which is protective and fierce.
Kade's is pure dominance, the kind that brooks no argument and expects obedience.
Kade steps right up to the shower entrance, his eyes moving between Solana and me with obvious appreciation. "Watching you together is like a whole ass painting," he says, his voice carrying heat that makes my stomach flip. "Now, let's get you both cleaned up and fed, for real this time."
I step back immediately, putting distance between myself and Solana. The separation feels wrong, my body protesting the loss of contact, but I need to show respect for Kade's claim. Need to demonstrate that I understand my place here.
Kade meets my eyes, his intense gaze focused solely on me for a brief moment. "I think we can both focus on Solana a bit, don't you?"
The statement is phrased as a question but it's clearly a command. An invitation to participate rather than retreat. My brain struggles to process that, to understand what he's offering.
"Yes, sir," I hear myself say, the words automatic. Years of training under my father's expectations making submission to authority second nature. "I didn't mean to..."
Kade cuts me off, his voice firm but not unkind. "If I thought you were intruding, you would not have woken up in Solana's nest."
The words hit me like a physical blow, stealing my breath. He knew. He knew I was there, knew what happened, and he allowed it. More than allowed it. He welcomed it. The implications of that make my head spin, possibilities I don't dare examine too closely unfurling in my mind.
My scent spikes before I can control it, sweetening with arousal and submission.
The lavender intensifies, mixing with the vanilla and orchid and cedar already permeating the steamy bathroom.
I try to rein it back in, embarrassed by my body's uncontrolled response, but it's too late. Both Kade and Solana have noticed.
Kade's eyes darken further, his nostrils flaring as he scents the air. "Solana," he says, his voice dropping an octave into something that makes my knees weak. "Tell him what you want while I get you clean, hmmm?"
The question hangs in the steamy air. Solana is quiet for several seconds, her eyes moving between me and Kade.
I can see her processing, working through what she wants versus what she thinks she should want.
The conflict is clear on her face, years of conditioning from Harmony House warring with genuine desire.
Then she turns to face me fully, her dark eyes meeting mine with surprising steadiness. "Can you kiss me again?"
The request is simple but weighted with everything unsaid. She's asking for more, asking to continue what we started, asking for something that should probably terrify me but just makes my chest ache with want.
I meet Kade's eyes, silently asking for permission even though Solana already gave her request. I need to know that he's truly okay with this, that I'm not overstepping or taking something I shouldn't.
Kade nods once, his expression giving nothing away except approval. "Go ahead."
I step back up to Solana, my hands coming up to frame her face. Her skin is warm and damp beneath my palms, water still running over both of us from the shower. She looks up at me with those beautiful dark eyes, her lips parted and her breathing shallow with anticipation.
Then I kiss her again, losing myself in the tangle of our scents.