Chapter 24 Cooper, Boone, Wade, Wyatt, Levi
COOPER. BOONE. WADE. WYATT. LEVI.
Cooper.
Damn.
When she’d taken off that stupid hood, her scent had hit me with scorching heat. A wildfire, burning through every inch of me. Her natural perfume made my mouth water and my muscles tense. Freesia. Gardenia. A hint of earthiness, like juniper or sage.
Now, I watched her stomp away from us, her auburn hair whipping in the Wyoming breeze, and couldn't help but notice how Wyatt's nostrils flared as she passed him, how Wade's eyes followed her like she was water in the desert, how Levi's jaw clenched tight enough to crack teeth, and how Boone looked a little lost…
and he never was lost. The man could navigate with the stars on a cloudy night.
We were supposed to be her protectors, her partners, yet here we stood, five grown Alphas nearly brought to our knees by the mere scent of the woman we'd essentially purchased. And I got the sinking feeling that this beautiful Omega didn’t realize what she was getting in to with Eros.
I hated that for her, but I really hoped we could make the best of this situation.
I hoped she could see how wonderful our pack could be.
I’m going to fight this.
This isn’t what I want.
Fuck, had she wanted a fancier pack? Big shots in the city? Did she hate being out here in the middle of nowhere?
“We’re parked behind the hanger ahead,” Wyatt’s commanding voice called after her. She ignored him, but I could see the slightest relaxing of her shoulders, relief that she’d stormed off in the right direction.
I hung back as the others followed her, watching the glossy fabric of her dress catch the sunlight.
The sight of the purpling bruises on her wrists sent anger surging through me again.
Those Eros bastards had cuffed her like a criminal.
If we'd known they'd treat her that way.
.. but then, what had we expected? We'd bought a person. No matter how willing she’d been when she signed on with Eros, she seemed to regret her choice.
I wondered if any of our Eros contract fee went to her…
My stomach twisted with guilt even as my body responded to her proximity. I’d started this. I’d made the choice for us.
A part of me had known there was something shady about the whole Eros deal.
But the bigger part of me hadn’t cared enough to dig deeper.
I’d just wanted to find our Omega. Had Eros treated her poorly the whole time?
No one said anything as we crossed the distance to the truck, but once there, Boone’s voice broke the quiet.
"Would you like to ride up front or back?" Boone asked her, his voice remarkably steady despite the way his pupils had dilated.
"Does it fucking matter?" she snapped, yanking open the rear door of our extended cab truck before anyone could answer. Once she was inside, my pack brothers and I just stood like idiots, not sure what to do or where to sit. Two of us would have to sit beside her, and she’d obviously hate that.
In the end, Levi and Boone moved first, taking the seats next to Nelly. That sent a pang through my chest.
The drive back to Sagebrush was thirty minutes of exquisite torture.
We'd rolled down the windows, on the excuse of getting some fresh air, but really so we wouldn't suffocate on her intoxicating scent in the enclosed space.
Even with the wind whipping through the cab, I could feel her presence behind me like a physical touch.
Every breath brought a fresh wave of her—that maddening combination that somehow smelled like home and desire and everything I'd never known I needed.
Wyatt kept shooting glances at her in the rearview mirror, his knuckles white on the steering wheel.
Wade sat in rigid silence beside him, worrying his hands the way he did when a calf was breach or refused to bottle feed.
In the back seat, Levi and Boone were pressed tightly against the doors, leaving enough space that she wouldn't feel trapped.
They each stared out the windows, expressions strained as they fought their instincts.
Which echoed mine—
Touch her.
Smell her.
Kiss her.
Mark her.
Nelly stared down at her hands, refusing to acknowledge any of us. We passed a gap in trees and sunlight streamed into the truck, catching in her hair, turning it to living flame. I couldn't help wondering what it would feel like between my fingers.
Shit, I needed to get myself under control.
"Almost there," Wyatt announced, his usually confident voice strained as he took the turn onto our property.
I leaned over toward Wade, watching Nelly in the rearview.
Her eyes widened slightly as we passed through the main gates of Sagebrush Ranch.
I wondered if it looked the same to her as it had in the video Eros made.
They’d interrupted operations for two days getting footage.
Did she see the beauty? Did it make her soften towards us?
Wyatt guided the truck around the final curve which brought, not the magnificent lodge from the Eros promotional video, but the modest one-story rambler once owned by Wyatt and Wade’s grandparents into view.
The new house was still under construction, a sore point for all of us.
We’d wanted it done. We’d wanted to bring her home to a gourmet kitchen, massive fireplaces, and a master suite perfect for six.
Instead, all we could currently offer was the cramped house with too few bedrooms and too many bodies.
"Home sweet home," Wyatt muttered as he pulled the truck to a stop in its usual spot. My brothers and I climbed out. Nelly hesitated but then seemed to gather her resolve and slide across the bench seat to exit. She missed the running boards and dropped the two feet down, stumbling slightly as the ridiculous sandals failed her—straps snapping and soles folding. I shot forward instinctively to steady her, hands first going to her arms, then thinking better of it, worried I’d hit her injured wrists.
But that meant my hands wrapped around her waist.
That I felt the warmth of her beneath the silky fabric.
My eyes closed, my nostrils flared, as I fought the waves of need rolling over me.
Then a hard shove in my stomach brought me back from the brink.
"I don't need your help.” She scowled. The expression should have made her look unattractive, yet it only made her more beautiful.
"Never said you did," I replied, releasing her waist—my hands prickling as if they’d just touched forbidden fruit—and stepped out of her space.
The five of us formed an unconscious perimeter around her as we approached the house, not close enough to crowd but positioned to intervene if she bolted.
It wasn't just protective instinct—though that was certainly part of it—but also a desperate attempt to catch more of her scent on the gentle wind pulsing around us.
Wyatt unlocked the front door and stepped aside. “After you.”
Nelly seemed to freeze at the sight of the open entrance.
“Maybe I’ll just stay outside a bit longer,” she said quietly, looking to the right, gaze falling on one of the rocking chairs we’d recently added to the newly poured front porch. Her animosity waned, wariness waxing. Maybe sitting out here was a good idea, give her a bit more air.
I was glad we’d made a few upgrades. The rambler used to have a four-by-four slab of concrete, big enough to knock off our boots and let the dogs rest, but that was it. Now, at least, it had an inviting entrance. Still wasn’t the big house. Still wasn’t good enough for her.
“We can stay outside if you’d like,” Wade offered. “Maybe show you around the ranch?”
Nelly’s face screwed up, as if she were debating her options.
Maybe she thought we’d let her stay out here alone.
Maybe she couldn’t handle going inside because it meant this was all real.
That she was in Wyoming.
And this house was where she was meant to live now.
Finally, with a defiant tilt of her chin, she crossed into our home.
The scent of her quickly filled our small living space. I wondered if I should run around and open every window to keep from going crazy. Fuck, it was already seeping into the furniture, the walls, the pillows and blankets. She was soaking into our lives with undeniable permeance.
She’d told us she wouldn’t let us break her.
I wondered if she realized how easily she could break us.
Boone inhaled sharply beside me. Levi swayed a little when he moved to stand on my other side. I felt fucking lightheaded from the potency of her scent.
“Cozy,” she said quietly. And just that single word spoken inside our house sent ribbons of hope through me. Maybe she’d change her mind. Maybe we could keep her.
“Hasn’t changed much since our grandparents died,” Wade commented. “Anything that looks out of place, is probably Cooper. He likes to buy dumb shit.”
“That would be true,” I agreed. “King of the stupid purchases.”
“Makes sense why you guys would think buying a person is okay then,” she commented flippantly.
“Um,” I cleared my voice, hand going to the nape of my neck. I rubbed at it, feeling fucking called out. “Want to see where you’re sleeping?” I changed the subject, hoping the fact I’d given up my room for her would smooth things over.
Right, like giving her my small, shitty room could make up for the fact we bought her.
I really should have cared more. I should have asked more questions. But would I have changed my mind? Would I have given up on finding our match?
Probably not, because I was fucking selfish.
“Show me the room, or don’t. I won’t be staying here long enough to settle in,” Nelly shrugged.
Wyatt and Wade moved first, showing Nelly the way out of the living room and into the narrow hall that led to the bedrooms.
Things were even tighter now, the walls closer, our bodies nearer. Our six chemistries mingled together to create something dangerously alluring. We stopped at the last door on the right—my old room, hastily vacated when we'd received confirmation of her arrival date.