Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
ONE HOUR EARLIER
Harlow
I must have dozed off at some point because I am awoken by Raidon shaking my shoulder as Thane places a tray on my lap. Lifting my head off Raidon’s chest, I find the tray covered with a plate of French toast and a cup of coffee. My hand instantly goes for the coffee.
“You seem calmer,” Thane says, and I nod, taking a sip of the coffee.
“Eat,” grumbles Raidon, tapping the tray and stabbing a piece of toast with a fork. I roll my eyes at his bossiness, but tear a chunk off the pile of syrupy goodness.
“Where’s Rhen?” I ask after swallowing.
“At work,” Leon says, stepping out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. My eyes roam over his muscled body and I lick my lips. My hunger for other things rears its damn ugly head again. Raidon chuckles.
“Our Omega is turning into a nympho,” he purrs, making me look at him.
I glare as he pinches my chin between his fingers, forcing my face to his. His lips brush mine softly and I growl, biting his lip. He chuckles, snapping his teeth next to mine.
“I don’t mind if you bite,” he laughs. A smug smile plays on his lips, which makes me remember that I’ve already marked him.
My eyes zero in on his neck. My face scrunches up, and I sit up higher on the bed. Raidon slips his arm behind me, and Thane quickly removes the tray, grabbing my coffee before I spill it everywhere.
Raidon hauls me on top of him, so I am straddling his waist. My eyes are on his neck, my bond demanding to know where my mark went. I check the other side of his neck. Raidon’s fingers trail up my spine as I turn his head, looking for it. I could have sworn I marked him.
Pulling back, I look at him before glancing over my shoulder at Leon, wondering if he is the one I marked.
I remember the taste of blood. I remember marking one of them.
Leon is pulling his jeans on, watching me.
His eyes flick to Thane, and I feel the bed dip as Thane climbs on behind me.
He sits between Raidon’s legs, and his hands slip around my waist as he pulls me back against him, his hands gently rubbing over my belly.
“You’re confused why your mark didn’t stick,” he states, and I nod, staring at Raidon’s neck. Some part of me wonders if he rejected me while I slept. I glare at him, my chest hurting at the thought. I touch his mark on my neck. It feels perfectly fine, and I let out a breath.
“You did not just think that!” Raidon growls at me. “I would never reject you,” he says. He must have read my thoughts on my face. Thane sighs behind me, his hands slipping under my belly as he holds it.
“We should have told you, but we were afraid of how you would react,” Thane purrs, nipping at my shoulder. His lips trail up my neck, and I turn my face to look at him. He pecks my lips, and sighs.
“Tell me what?” I ask him, my voice shaking, wondering why they sound so worried. Their worry bleeds into me, making me anxious.
“You can’t mark them,” Thane says slowly. My lips part, wanting to protest, but his lips cover mine, cutting off anything I might say. “Wait, I’ll explain,” he mumbles against my lips before pulling away.
His eyes flick to Raidon, and I can feel Thane’s fear, loud and clear. He is afraid to tell me whatever it is. He exhales, pressing his face into my neck before sitting back up.
“Do you remember how I had to mark you first?” he asks, and I nod.
“Yes, because you’re the Alpha. They can’t accept me unless you do.”
He nods his head.
“It’s the same with you marking us. I have to accept your mark first. Until I do, any mark you make on them will just heal.”
“Wait, so you don’t want me to mark them? Therefore I can’t?” I ask, jerking away from him. He growls, pulling me back to his chest.
“That is not what I said, Low.”
“But you just said —”
Thane cuts me off, growling at my accusatory tone.
“You have to mark me first. I never said I don’t want you to mark them. Just that until you mark me, you marking them won’t stick,” he finally says.
“It’s also why we wouldn’t touch you,” Raidon says. “We didn’t want to upset you knowing you want to mark us.”
I raise an eyebrow at him before looking at Leon, who shrugs.
“Are you all thick?” I ask. Leon bristles and shakes his head.
“Wow,” Thane says, and I turn to look at him.
“What? Not one of them would touch me. My bond has been going haywire thinking they are rejecting me because they wouldn’t come near me. Only to find out they wouldn’t touch me because I might mark them?” I stare at them. They glance at each other.
“You didn’t think to just say that? Jeez, I am not unreasonable!” I snap at them.
“That’s debatable,” Raidon chuckles, and I growl at him. He holds up a finger and gives me a pointed look. “If we told you that you had to mark Thane before you could mark us when you got back here, you would have pitched a fit.”
I blink at him. I swear I can see his brain cells dying right before my eyes.
“And probably run from us, again,” Leon adds.
“No. I wouldn't have liked it, but I wouldn’t have run. I didn’t have to come back here, and I knew that by doing so I would have to accept Thane too, since you all damn well come as a quadruple package.
I would have been pissed, but at least I wouldn’t have spent the last couple of weeks thinking you were all repulsed by me,” I tell them.
“Why would you think that?” Raidon snarls angrily, and I point to my stomach. Is he blind!
“Maybe the fact that I am the size of a fucking house, while you all walk around here like Greek gods, posing to have your goddamn statues erected.”
“The only thing ‘erected’ around here is my damn cock. Don't let me hear you speak such nonsense again,” Raidon snaps at me. “Besides, I like your tiger stripes. There’s nothing sexier than knowing you are growing our child,” he purrs, leaning forward and clamping his hands on either side of my face.
He jerks me forward, kissing me. He forces his tongue into my mouth, kissing me as if I am the very air he needs to breathe, while I actually do need that air. He chuckles, pulling away, and I narrow my eyes at him.
“Asshole!”
“Your asshole,” he corrects while climbing off the bed. “Shower with me,” he says, holding his hand out. I slap it, and he laughs, wandering into the bathroom. Huffing, I unwrap Thane’s arms from around me.
“Where are you going?” Thane purrs as I crawl to the edge of the bed. I flinch as his hand smacks my backside. I jump and twist, my ass stinging, and he smirks at me.
“To shower. I reek of sex, and —” I shake my head. “And you should shower too. I am not biting you while you’re covered in blood. And I need to brush my teeth,” I tell him.
“She’s marking me, she says,” Thane laughs, looking at Leon.
“Pretty sure that’s what she just said.”
I pin Leon with my glare.
“I feel assaulted. Don’t I get a say in this?” Thane laughs.
“Nope,” I tell him, popping the ‘P’ at the end and climbing off the bed.
“Hm, maybe I won’t let you,” he jokes, and I tilt my head to look at him. I know he is kidding, but I don’t like the smug look on his face.
I shrug at his words, and he reaches over as I walk past him. His fingers wrap around my wrist, and he pulls me to him.
“Maybe I should make you beg?” he tells me, and I tap my chin, thinking.
“Hop to it then, on your knees,” I tell him. He raises an eyebrow at me.
“I meant you beg me,” he says.
“Ah, I thought you said that but figured you must have gotten your words jumbled because I won’t beg. But now that you’ve suggested it, I really think I need to see you on your knees.”
“Excuse me?” he says.
I am having way too much fun with this as the wheels start turning in my head.
“Yep, that should do it. I can put up with your tyrannical ways. I just need to see you beg first, and I will be content tying you to me.”
“Tying me to you? I think you got your wires crossed somewhere. You don’t own me,” Thane laughs, looking at Leon. Leon snickers at him, and Thane turns his gaze back to me as I step out of his reach.
“Now would be great; I really need to shower,” I tell him, pointing at the floor. Thane leans back on the bed, bracing his hands on either side of him.
“No! I am not bowing down and begging you to mark me,” he deadpans. I huff, then shrug, turning to move toward the bathroom.
“Wait, that’s it?” Thane asks.
“Yep, no skin off my nose. I have survived this long without marking them, haven’t I?” I tell him, stepping into the bathroom.
“Low? You need to mark us!”
I stop, turning in the doorway to face him.
“Do I, though?” I ask. Thane huffs, and I walk over to him as Raidon calls out from the bathroom.
“Wait, if Thane is begging, I want to witness this! Leon get your phone,” he says.
“I am not begging!”
“I think you are,” I tell him, and he scoffs. Leon clamps a hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I will get proof to show Rhen. He won’t believe us otherwise,” Leon tells him. Thane’s face falls, and he growls at Leon.
“Are you forgetting who your Alpha is, Leon? Don’t make me remind you,” Thane warns, and Leon shrugs.
“You may be Alpha, but she is Harlow and carrying our baby. What Momma wants, Momma gets. Now on your knees, or you might as well take a vow of celibacy.”
“Excuse me?” Thane asks as Raidon bursts out from the door behind me.
“Good, I haven't missed it,” he says, tucking the corner of the towel he’s wearing into his waistline.
Thane looks at me. I smile while he glares, clearly not finding it funny having the tables turned around on him.
“You never know. You may enjoy it,” I snicker.
“Doubtful. I don’t get on my knees for anyone.”
“Except for me!” I say, rubbing my foot on the carpet as I point to it. “Right about there should do it. Any closer and I won’t be able to see your eyes over my baby bump,” I tell him, rubbing my huge belly.
Thane begrudgingly gets up, growling and muttering under his breath.
“Ah, what was that? I didn’t quite hear you, Thane.”
“This is ridiculous,” he mutters.
“But it’s not ridiculous for me or Leon to beg?” I retort.
“That’s different, I’m Alpha!” he huffs.
“On your knees, Omega,” I tell him.
“You did not —”
I smile and cut him off.
“Looks like the only one who won’t be getting their dick sucked around here is you,” I tell him. He growls, looking at Raidon.
“Don’t look at me. I like getting my dick sucked. I am just here to witness,” Raidon purrs at him. Thane mutters something under his breath before dropping to his knees. I look down at him while he glares at my mound.
“My eyes are up here.” The look he gives me at those words makes me giggle.
“You’re lucky I love you,” he sighs. He huffs before kissing my belly and cupping it in his hands. “Harlow, will you mark me? Please.”
I ponder for a second, pretending to think really hard while tapping my finger on my chin.
“Woman, I swear if you got me on my knees to reject me, I will spank you.”
“Hm, maybe I wouldn’t mind being spanked,” I say, and he growls. His eyes flicker black, and he smirks.
“You would like that, wouldn’t you,” he purrs, his hands moving from my belly and down my thighs.
“Yes, Thane, I will mark you,” I say. I giggle when I hear Leon’s phone camera go off.
Thane growls, shooting him a glare over his shoulder.
He goes to stand, but I push down on the top of his head.
“While you’re down there —” I start, only for Thane to growl, grabbing me and making me squeal.
I don’t expect the rush as my legs are pulled out from under me.
I grab his shoulders as he tosses me to the bed.
My heart races as his lips crash against mine
“My naughty Omega,” he growls against my lips while pressing me gently into the bed. His lips travel south, nipping and licking, when I feel a twinge of worry from Rhen. Thane also tenses, feeling it too. He lifts his head, looking at the others, and Raidon suddenly rushes from the room.
“Leon, watch Harlow,” Thane growls, taking off after Raidon while I sit up on my elbows.
“What’s going on?” I worry, feeling their anxiety.
Leon shakes himself and smiles. “Whatever is going on, Thane will handle it.” Yet I can see the worry on Leon’s face, feel it through the bond.
“Come, I’ll help you shower,” Leon says, offering me his hand, just as I hear Thane’s car tear out of the driveway, the engine screaming.
“Leon?”
“I’m sure it will be fine.”