Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Rio
There was so much excitement in our car as our driver zoomed along the highway, the traffic light since it was nearly midnight.
Not only had we won our Alphaball game and sealed our position in the playoffs, but we’d just landed a deal with United Alpha Sports, making our athleticwear line the official gear with an initial payment of a quarter of a billion dollars.
How was this our lives?
Things hadn’t always been so good for our pack. We’d all really been into sports and easily bonded with each other through our college years. It had taken a lot of hard work to work our way into the professional league, and we’d only really come out as a top contender in the last few years.
And now everything was about to change with the addition of an omega.
The timing was all wrong, but sometimes good things came when we least expected or wanted them.
We’d been so focused on our careers and building a solid pack foundation, for the longest time we hadn’t even entertained the idea of adding an omega.
But we needed one.
I glanced over at Beck, who had been over the moon when we’d first gotten in our ride, but now he was staring quietly out the window, his cheek on his fist.
We all worried about him. As the leader of the pack, our successes were his, but so were our failures. He liked to be in control of every situation, and over the last year, he’d slowly started to become more and more agitated with the little things.
It was a sign that we desperately needed an omega to calm the instincts that raged inside of us. Biology waited for no one, and our time of putting off finding and bonding with an omega was up.
He was stubborn, though, and would never admit to any of us that he needed an omega. An omega would change everything, and Beckett did not do well with change.
“You all right over there?” I was nervous he was going to be a complete asshole as soon as we got home. I at least wanted him to try to accept Kara.
“I’m fine.” He glanced over at me and ran a hand down his face. “Just tired as hell and ready to sleep.”
I turned and propped my leg on the seat.
“It’s normal to be nervous for a new chapter in our lives to be opening.
I know we’ve been super busy and kind of just went with who Brian thought would be best, but she is perfect for us.
It’s going to be great, and maybe you’ll find that the weight you constantly have on your shoulders and chest is lessened. ”
“We don’t even know her.” He turned back to the window, his shoulder practically up to his ears.
Rylan leaned forward from the rear row of seats to join our conversation. “We’ll get to know her. That’s the fun part.”
“What if she-” Rylan stopped Beck from spiraling by putting his hand on his shoulder. “I just don’t want her to ruin everything.”
“She’s not going to ruin everything, man. This has been a long time coming. All of the other packs at our level have omegas. Our bond will be stronger, and then we’ll be unstoppable.” Rylan sat back and elbowed Kane, who was on his phone. “Right?”
“Right.” Kane turned his phone so we could all see. “Did any of you go on a shopping spree, or is this all Kara?”
I took the phone from him and scrolled down the list of charges from the last few days. “Jesus.” Even I was shocked at all the charges from various online stores. “Brian said he was taking care of everything, but I didn’t think he meant he was giving her free rein of the pack card.”
Beckett grumbled and took the phone, scrolling through the charges. “She spent five hundred dollars at a craft store.”
Rylan laughed from behind us. “Maybe she’s planning on bedazzling your nuts.”
“She’s doing something to my nuts, and it’s not that.” Beck handed the phone back to Kane. “Maybe that’s why Brian ran off right after our game. He knew he fucked up by giving her the credit card.”
“After this season is over, we need to have a serious conversation about whether we want to get a new coach and manager. I know things are easier in a way with him around, but I question some of his decisions when it comes to our team.” Kane put his phone away and crossed his arms. “Like this omega thing. He didn’t even ask us, just scheduled the meet and greet and expected us to jump on board. ”
There were small things Brian did that drove the alpha sides of us nuts. He had been great for us in terms of Alphaball, but now he was overstepping his boundaries. We did not claim him as our beta, yet he acted like he thought he was part of our pack and our leader.
While we all fell into contemplative silence, the driver turned off the freeway toward the hills. I hated that we hadn’t been there for Kara when she arrived, but hopefully she had settled in without us breathing down her neck.
Omega Match was a necessary evil, but I still wondered what it would be like to meet an omega the old-fashioned way.
When my fathers met my mother, it had been back when alphas and omegas mingled on a more regular basis without the restrictions the government placed on us.
No perfume blockers. No heat suppressants.
No applications and hoping for the best.
But as the populations of alphas continued to flourish, so did the problems. It had been a daily occurrence in every city where there were fights over omegas and kidnappings. The worst was alphas bonding to omegas without their consent. Alphas had turned into absolute animals.
Beck opened an app on his phone as we approached our house and opened the gate for the driver to pull inside.
The outside lights were on, and it made it look like a display in a museum.
My favorite part was the lights that ran the lengths of the stairs, making it look like the steps alternated black and white.
It was a dream home for us, with plenty of space for the four of us and an omega. Although I never vocalized it when we were house searching over a year ago, in the back of my mind, I’d wondered how an omega might like the space.
After the driver helped unload our suitcases and pulled out of the driveway, we went in through the garage, the alarm disengaging as we opened the door.
What none of us expected was to be greeted with a mound of empty boxes and a sweet chocolate and nutty scent lingering in the air. I inhaled sharply, shutting my eyes and savoring the perfume of our omega.
“Fuck me,” Kane practically growled. “She smells like hazelnut spread.”
Even with her probably on scent blockers still, when an omega was alone in a closed-up space, their scent lingered. I could only imagine what she smelled like without them.
“Look at this mess.” Beck kicked the pile of boxes that were stacked haphazardly and sent them scattering across the floor. “She didn’t even break them down.”
I smacked him on the back of the head. “Don’t be a dick.” If I needed to, I’d show my more dominant side.
Rylan put down the retractable handle on his suitcase and grabbed the strap, heading for the stairs. He hadn’t said a word, but judging by the pace he was walking, he was excited and anxious to meet Kara.
So was I.
We followed him upstairs, where the faint sound of the television greeted us. My eyes zeroed in first on the woman sleeping on the couch, blankets and pillows from our room piled around her. Then I noticed the mess.
I cringed and looked over my shoulder at Beck as he crested the top of the stairs and stopped dead in his tracks. He set his suitcase down and then put his hands on his hips, walking forward with a scowl.
“Beck,” I warned under my breath.
He went to the couch, staring down at our sleeping beauty, who had a bowl of popcorn clutched in her hand with half of it scattered next to her on the couch and blankets.
On the coffee table sat two Twisted Knot wine bottles, one empty and the other only about a quarter gone.
There were candy wrappers, a pizza box, and half-full cups of water, orange juice, and soda on the end tables and coffee table.
She looked as if she’d had a grand time the past few days, and I couldn’t help but smile thinking of her enjoying her freedom for the first time in years.
“Wake up.” Beck’s bark popped the bubble of happiness I had started to feel, and I felt the tension through our pack bond. He was so angry he was letting his emotions bubble over.
Kane grabbed the back of Beck’s shirt and tugged him away toward the stairs leading up to our rooms. Thankfully, he went without being an asshole.
Kara didn’t wake up, so I turned off the television and lowered the lights so the room had a subtle orange glow but wasn’t completely dark.
Rylan and I went upstairs, venturing to Beck’s room, where we could hear Kane laying into him.
“You don’t get to treat her like shit because you’re put out by her presence. You agreed to doing the match thing, and we aren’t just going to send her back because you don’t like that she spilled some popcorn and drank a bottle of wine you were saving.”
“She’s changing everything!” Beck was kicking off his shoes as we entered the master suite, where the smell of Kara was strong. “She slept in my bed! How am I supposed to sleep?”
He sat down on the bench at the end and put his face in his hands. It had been a long time since he’d had an anxiety attack or a freak out about something.
I sat next to him, putting a comforting hand on his back. “Breathe, Beck. It’s going to be fine. You can sleep in my bed.”
He shook his head. “This was a stupid idea. I’m not ready. What if this is only the beginning and she makes a mess of everything? What if she breaks our bond?”
“Our bond is strong.” Rylan went to the bed and picked up a pillow, bringing it to his nose and inhaling.
“Damn. You’re one lucky fucker to have her scent all over your bed.
You should be celebrating that an omega felt comfortable enough to sleep in your space, not upset she spilled some popcorn and left boxes everywhere. ”
Beck’s shoulders sagged a bit, and he sighed. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I’m being ridiculous.”
“Don’t apologize. We get it.” Kane was leaning in the doorway, his eyes half closed from exhaustion. “She’s not here to hurt us or take away everything we’ve worked for.”
“Get some sleep. We’ll all sit down tomorrow and get to know her.” I slapped his back and stood. “The offer stands about sleeping in my room. Or there’s the guest room since she seems to have picked your room as her own.”
Beck stood and went into his bathroom, closing the door. We all gave each other concerned looks before Kane shrugged and headed for his room.
“He’d better not mess this up.” Rylan threw the pillow back on the bed, even though he looked tempted to take it. “Because with this perfume, there’s no way I’m letting her go.”
“He’ll come around.” I shut the bedroom door behind us. “There just haven’t been any big changes in our lives in a while, especially not any that encroach on his space and belongings.”
“He hasn’t been homeless for ten years now. I don’t understand how an omega would trigger him.” Rylan brushed past me as we entered the hallway leading to our rooms.
“It’s all about control of the situation. That’s why I let him be the head of our pack. He has some semblance of control over everything, but with this new addition, he doesn’t know what to expect.”
Rylan stopped at his door and looked over at me. “I hope for all of our sakes you’re right.”