Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Cal
My entire chest hurt as Tate drove the SUV with me and Kara home. I was in no state to drive us after Avery had turned his back on us like that.
Was this it? Was this omega sniffling quietly in the backseat going to push us all over the edge we’d been teetering on for years?
It was hard to watch our bond fall apart. It had been strong since the day we’d met. A brotherhood and love like I’d never experienced in my life. To know it could be gone tomorrow was a slap in the face of how hard we’d worked to get to where we were both as musicians and as a pack.
“Everything is going to be okay.” Tate looked over at me as we got closer and closer to home.
I nodded and looked out the passenger window. We hadn’t even seen Avery walking along the sidewalk. Was he coming home? What if he took off and we never saw him again?
I needed a release, even though I’d just had one.
My pack thought I’d gone out to find a hookup, and sometimes I did, but if they knew where I really went and what I did, they would have worried. Worry was the last thing any of us needed.
“Shouldn’t we go look for him? It’s a few miles back to your house, and it’s so dark.” Kara put her hand over the back of the seat and touched my shoulder.
Was she trying to comfort me? If anything, I should have been in the backseat with her, pulling her into my lap and purring away her tears. I didn’t know her that well, but I got the gist of why her eyes were sad, even before Avery had taken off.
I put my hand over hers, even though I shouldn’t have been touching her. None of us should. “He needs to get his head on straight before he comes home.”
“It wasn’t all his fault. I wanted it just as much as he did.” She sighed and moved her hand, sitting back in the seat.
“Do you have your seatbelt on?” Tate looked in the rearview mirror.
“Yes.” I could hear a hint of sass in her voice. “Is yours on, Dad?”
I snorted and looked over at Tate. “Daddy, can we go find some tacos?”
He lifted a brow at me and looked back at the road. “It’s two in the morning, Cal. Or are you being inappropriate? Not really the time...”
“It’s the best time for any kind of tacos. Just flip a bitch at the light; there’s always food trucks outside that one cluster of clubs.” I turned in my seat to look at Kara. “Do you like tacos?”
Her stomach growled. “Does anyone not like tacos?”
“You’d be surprised. I once...” I let my voice drift off and cringed. Saying I once briefly dated a girl who hated all kinds of tacos including the dessert ice cream tacos felt wrong. “You know what? Not liking tacos is a major red flag for me.”
This was the first time I was getting a good look at her. Even though it was dark, I could make out the blue of her eyes. They were probably even more striking in the light. Her brown hair was curly and fell well past her shoulders.
She wore a band T-shirt, a few sizes too big, but with the way she was sitting, I could see the outline of her breasts. And her legs. The shorts were longer, but her calves were bitable.
What was I doing?
Before I popped a boner, I turned back around in my seat. “I hope the food trucks aren’t busy. One of us should probably get out and order.”
“Text Alvaro and let him know we’re stopping.” Tate made a U-turn and drove back in the direction we’d just come.
I shot a quick text to Alvaro telling him we’d get him his usual. He was super picky about the taco trucks he ate at, but we’d gotten good at figuring out the good and the bad.
“I hate being an omega.” She muttered the words quietly, but Tate and I both heard them and gave each other a look. “It’s unfair that just because I don’t have a pack to ‘protect me,’ I can’t even go to a taco truck and order my own damn tacos.”
Tate kept his attention forward but looked thoughtful, like always. “I know that must be frustrating for you. But what happened tonight? I have no doubt that Avery would have been able to stop himself before things got too far, but other alphas might not have.”
“I don’t regret it.” She moved into the middle seat, buckling the seat belt and leaning forward, putting her elbows on the center console and resting her cheeks on her fists.
Tate’s hand tightened on the steering wheel. I hadn’t taken a breath through my nose since we’d gotten in the SUV, but his reaction made me want to.
“What Tate was trying to say is that alphas are assholes and will take what they want when they see or smell someone they like. And your scent is... desirable.” I dug my fingers into my jeans, so badly wanting to scent her. I’d gotten a hint of her earlier and shut my nose right down.
“Why can’t alphas take something, then? Omegas have to suffer in solitary confinement because they can’t control themselves? Doesn’t seem fair, does it?” She sounded angry, and I turned again.
Wow. She was way too close to us.
She glanced at my lips and sat back in her seat quickly. What the fuck was happening? Were we all going to lose our minds over this omega and be in even worse shit with the alpha overlords and the OPS?
Omega Protective Services meant well, but they had been a thorn in our side ever since we matched with Jenna and she called them, crying that we’d abandoned her.
We’d done no such thing. We had no idea how crazy it was going to be after our first single hit. If she would have just waited a few minutes we would have found her.
Jenna hadn’t been the first omega on our list of twenty we submitted, but she had been in the top ten. It was weird to think about how it all worked and how detached it was, but at the end of the day, Omega Match worked... most of the time.
It just didn’t work for us, and since we were excited about an omega joining our pack and in such a volatile spot emotionally with our career taking off suddenly, it hurt. It hurt more than I think any of us thought it would.
“We’re here.” Tate’s announcement snapped me out of my spiral, and I took a deep breath.
Unfortunately, some air went up my nose, and I groaned. Now I could see how Mr. Celibate snapped.
“Let’s just imagine it’s a melted chocolate bar left in the car.” Tate was struggling just as much as I was. How was she not? Or maybe she was and was just good at keeping her composure.
“Do you want me to get the tacos and give you two a few minutes?” She unhooked her seatbelt as Tate put the SUV in park.
“No!” we both said at the same time.
She laughed, and not to sound cliché and corny as fuck, but it was music to my ears. It was as if all the dark clouds parted and the sun could finally shine through, warming my heart.
I ran a hand over my face. Damn, I was turning into a sap for this woman. It would make for some killer songwriting, though.
“There’s a lot of people. Can you handle staying here with her? You’re better at not breathing through your nose than I am.” Tate held out his hand for money. “You do have your wallet, don’t you?”
I unbuckled my seat belt and lifted my ass to grab it from my back pocket. “I paid the vet, didn’t I?”
“As soon as I’m able to go back to Kayla’s, I’ll send you guys some money for the vet bills.” Kara’s voice cracked, and my fingers froze on the twenties I was about to pull out.
“Kara... accidents happen. The vet even said that the suppressants have an ingredient that is appealing to dogs, and now that they’re in the blister packaging, they can smell them once you pop them out.” Tate snatched my wallet and opened the door. “What do you want to eat?”
“I’ll eat anything. No food allergies.” An omega that wasn’t picky? She just kept making it harder to ignore how perfect she was.
Crap. Stop it, Callum.
“I’ll take my usual.” I put my head back against the seat as Tate shut the door.
He jogged the short distance to one of the four food trucks across the street, and I counted down in my head. “Five, four, three, two…”
“Isn’t he going to be recognized... oh. Never mind. Wow, that was fast.” Kara was leaning between the seats again.
There weren’t that many people, but they were already pulling out their phones. Luckily, the food truck he went to was quick at getting orders out.
Out of the four of us, he was the best at dealing with fans in the wild. And honestly, he was the best at dealing with most things. If pretending to be perfectly put together helped him, then so be it.
“Do you ever get tired of it? The fame?” Kara’s voice softened, and she touched my arm.
As much as I didn’t want her touching me, I also did want her to. It brought me a sense of comfort that I hadn’t felt in a long time.
“Yes and no. Sometimes the four of us just need a breather, but pretty much wherever we go, there’s always someone who wants a selfie or an autograph. We literally have no days off unless we just stay on our property, and even then...” I sighed and covered her hand with mine.
“Even then, crazed fans find a way onto your property and go for swims in the pool?” She tried to pull away, but I held onto her hand.
“Are you a crazed fan?” I looked over my shoulder at her and then turned in my seat, bringing her hand over my heart. “Or are you an omega looking for your place in the world just as much as we are?”
Her mouth opened and closed a few times like a fish out of water. What would she do If I leaned forward and kissed her? Would she push me away or would she welcome me like she welcomed Avery?
She looked at my lips and then down at our hands. “I thought I knew my place for the longest time, but then one thing just...”
“Puts your whole world off kilter?” I removed my hand and instead brought it to her face. “We know that better than anyone.”
She closed her eyes and leaned into my touch and, fuck, I wanted to pull her into my lap and fucking purr the hurt away. Her sister had told us all about her and how she hadn’t matched with any packs. I found it completely unbelievable that not a single pack would want her.