31
Scarlett
I ’m totally knot drunk while riding up in the elevator that will take us to the top floor penthouse suite of the pack’s building.
I also can’t stop casting glances over at Caito to admire my handiwork on the underside of his jaw.
Kate flipped the hell out when we rocked up out of my nest and she spotted the mark, but I think she’s mostly happy for me.
Maybe a little sad, because she knows I’m that much closer to permanently moving out.
Some of my nervous energy returns as the death trap comes to a halt, dinging to indicate we’ve reached our destination before the doors slide open. Kate’s reaction to the bond mark is the least of my concerns. I’m more worried about how the other three alphas are going to take it.
Especially Wren.
As pack lead, would he be pissed I’d marked Caito before him? I’ve never truly been a part of a pack, so I don’t really know how these things are supposed to work.
Hand in hand, Caito guides me out of the elevator and over to their front door.
It swings open before Caito can open it with the code he’d made me memorize earlier, and my heart plummets at the sight of Wren’s very pissed off sister.
I haven’t seen her since that day at the club when she’d confronted me in front of Apollo, but she’s just as deadly gorgeous as ever.
Eyes obsidian dark with anger pierce through me the moment she spots me underneath Caito’s protective arm.
He shifts in front of me slightly, cutting off Raven’s view, and the alpha female snarls.
My back snaps ramrod straight, just barely managing to swallow down a pathetic omega whine when she starts drowning me in seriously pissed off alpha rage pheromones.
Feeling brave, I peer around Caito to spy her glaring at the mark I’d left on his skin. “I thought you were smarter than this, Archer.” She gestures to it, but all he does is cross his arms over his chest, leveling her with an unimpressed look.
“I will never be Wren, Raven. I don’t give a flying fuck what you think.
I only tolerate you around me because I respect my pack brother.
I’ve already told him numerous times that you’re just a snake in the grass that needs to be taken care of.
Be thankful he loves you so damn much, otherwise I would be happy to gouge out your eyeballs for every time you’ve glared at my omega with disdain. ”
Raven snarls, her alpha energy and dominance whipping out, nearly knocking me to my knees.
Caito isn’t phased by it at all, though.
“This will come back and bite you in the ass, Archer. Mark my words. I hope she’s worth it when shit finally hits the fan.
It’s obvious that none of you have a lick of common sense. ”
She shoves past him after that, baring her teeth at me when I catch her eye as she storms away towards the elevator.
Caito doesn’t so much as look back at her before he pulls me through the door she left open.
It isn’t until we are inside the penthouse foyer, the door closed firmly behind us, that I’m able to take my first full breath since we came face to face with her.
“Fuck, she’s crazy scary.” I mutter, rubbing a hand down my face in an attempt to shake off the effects of her alpha energy.
Caito’s teeth grind, showing the first sign of his irritation now that she’s gone.
“She’s a nuisance. One that I wish Wren would cut loose before she does something to force my hand.
I really don’t want to have his sister’s death on my conscience.
” He takes my hand again, and I watch in awe as the tension practically melts out of him with the contact.
I want to ask what her deal is, but I’m not sure I care to know. It’s obvious that Wren loves his sister, but it’s hard to understand from an outsider’s perspective why he puts up with her if she’s like this constantly.
Caito doesn’t let me dwell on it long. “Come. Let’s go see what your other alphas are up to.
” My small overnight bag slips off my shoulder when he grabs it, and I follow him down the hall to the first room that opens up to the den I’d woken up in after my attack.
That’s where we find Apollo, lounging back into the cushions on the couch with a sketch pad on his lap and a piece of charcoal held between his stained fingers.
He glances up when we step into the room, and his eyes immediately zero in on me. Burning amber irises sear me where I stand, and I shift, rubbing my thighs together at the heat I find simmering there. It’s reserved just for me.
Leaning forward, he places his sketchpad and the piece of charcoal down on the coffee table before he climbs to his feet.
“You’re ten minutes late.” His attention shifts to Caito, and then he stops dead, one foot raised to take a step forward to head towards us.
“ Fuck .” He breathes out on a sigh, disbelief sparking to life in his eyes when he looks from the mark to me, and back again. “I am so jealous.”
I snort at that, crossing my good arm around my middle.
Caito told me when I slipped the sling on this morning that I should be able to take it off after this weekend, as long as I don’t overuse it.
“Well, make sure you tell me to bite you when you’re about to knot me and you’ll get the same results.
” I roll my eyes, but the hungry growl he emits does weird things to my insides.
“Oh, really? I’ll keep that in mind…” He trails off, lifting charcoal-stained fingers to his lip to brush his thumb over it.
I shift again just to have some damn friction between my already slick-dampened thighs.
How the hell did that happen? I swear, these alphas are going to drain me dry of slick.
I’ll never be able to have sex again when they’re through with me.
This right here is why I’ve been opting not to wear panties lately. No point really when they just end up soaked whenever I’m in the presence of one of them.
And the dresses make for easier access…
The scent of my slick hits the air, and both alphas groan. Apollo makes grabby hands towards me, but then Lark’s voice cuts through the room, drawing my attention to where he has poked his head around the corner. “Nuh uh, bro. Wren will be upset if you work up our omega and ruin his surprise.”
Apollo groans again, but this time it sounds like he’s being murdered.
“No fair. Where is he anyway? Oh, fuck. Did Raven murder him before she left?” He twists around as if he’s about to head off in search of the pack lead, but then the alpha in question steps into the den from another doorway which I’m just now noticing that I’ve never been down.
Not that I’ve spent a lot of time here or anything.
“Oh good. He lives.” Caito arches a brow at Wren, but I’m too focused on the way he shifts his body nervously into the room. My omega instincts are immediately on alert the moment he lifts a tattooed hand to rub over the back of his neck.
Today, he has his long, ice white braids twisted into a top knot on the crown of his head, leaving his neck exposed.
I have the sudden urge to lick him, and I have to force myself to stay still so I don’t go to him to do just that.
Dammit . I want to bite him just like I did Caito.
I want to see my mark on all these alphas.
This is turning into a fucking problem.
I spy Caito smirking at me when he catches me lick my lips while watching Wren shuffle on his feet. Something has the pack lead worked up, and I bet it has everything to do with this supposed surprise that keeps getting mentioned.
“Scarlett, I…” Wren trails off, finally looking up to meet my gaze, and I damn near melt when he bites his lip.
It’s so damn unfair that they are all this sexy.
My shoddy omega hormones can’t handle it.
That’s why I keep giving in to them. He opens his mouth as if he’s going to continue, but then his eyes dart to Caito, and then freeze.
Just like with Apollo, he blinks rapidly for a long few seconds.
He opens his mouth, then closes it, before opening it again and gapes.
He’s like a fish out of water, gasping for breath.
He looks back to me, and I offer an unapologetic shrug.
I really don’t have an explanation for the actions of my inner omega.
Caito really shouldn’t have challenged me to bite him. This is all his fault, really.
“I wanted to show you something…” He trails off, looking slightly put off now.
“Uh, it was supposed to be a surprise, and then Lark made me realize how foolish I was being. I really thought it would be a great way to make you happy, but now I’m not so sure I haven’t gone and fucked it all up.
” He’s rambling now, and I arch a brow at him which promptly makes him snap his mouth shut. “How about we just show you?”
Tentatively, he holds a hand out towards me. He still looks nervous as hell, and part of me finds that super adorable. I’ve never had an alpha be nervous around me before. I only hesitate for a moment before I move to him, slipping my fingers into his open palm.
I love the way he wraps his big, warm hand around mine. The other three alphas fall into step behind us as he leads me back through in the direction he’d originally come from. He brings me to a halt outside of a partially closed door, before he lets loose a sigh and pushes it open.
Letting go of my hand, he steps to the side and gestures into the room.
I’m confused for a moment when I step inside.
There are boxes and bags everywhere, some of them half open.
It’s a huge room with at least two other doors that I think might lead into a closet and a bathroom maybe.
The only piece of furniture I see is the massive mattress that’s spread out on the floor taking up a good portion of the room.