Chapter 21
Opal
What is wrong with you?!?
In my defense, Dorian is sex on wheels. How do they even make them this hot?
Goddess, I closed my eyes to pray, knowing I was running out of options here. I’ll be good—better than good—if you make it stop.
Or, hear me out, we can drop the good girl act and be really, really bad.
“Hey, are you alright?” Dorian took my hand, raising it to his lips. The same lips I’d tasted earlier. Could still taste. The thrill of the night still coursed through me, even if the producer ruined it by showing up and forcing us to come back to the resort.
Which was perfect.
Because while I loved having Dorian’s hands on me and the taste of him on my tongue, it wasn’t enough. The ache was growing and I needed more.
A few Alphas lingered outside on the front porch. Dorian growled as they edged closer to us. He turned to growl at the camera crew too.
So much growling.
It shouldn’t have been such a turn-on.
How much rum did I drink?
I burned through that an hour ago.
It was getting hotter despite the cool night air outside. I could feel my temperature rising. My breasts were heavy, aching to be held. I wanted to rip my clothes off. Wanted to be touched and tasted and kissed. Dorian was here. And he looked so good. I needed him.
I needed—
“Atlas,” I cried out his name as he threw open the front doors. Murder was written in his darkened expression, but I wasn’t afraid of him. I let go of Dorian’s arm to reach for Atlas, aching for both my mates.
Atlas barreled right past me, straight into Dorian’s chest, and sent them both tumbling onto the gravel driveway.
“You could’ve gotten her hurt!” Atlas growled.
Alright, maybe that’s enough growling.
I staggered back, clutching my middle to stop the burning ache that slashed through me as Dorian twisted out from beneath Atlas’s hold, raising his fist.
“You don’t fucking own her too!”
Pain blossomed in my chest as he punched Atlas’s face. The shock wore off quickly as Atlas flipped them both, slamming Dorian into the ground.
Dorian roared as he threw rocks into Atlas’s eyes.
Atlas blindly headbutted him.
“Fight, fight!” The other Alphas crowded in.
I kept backing away.
The cameras were rolling.
I wasn’t going to last much longer. I squeezed my eyes shut again, begging my wolf, Please. Not like this.
Make them stop, she whined.
I gritted my teeth and clung to the porch column, trying to breathe through my nose as the scents grew stronger. I could smell them. My mates. I could smell their blood.
“I knew it was a mistake to trust you!”
“Don’t bullshit me. You wanted a fight.”
My core throbbed painfully as a wave of heat passed through me.
Run. My wolf begged, needy and whining. They’ll stop all this to chase you.
That’s not how it works.
“Everything okay, sweetheart?” An Alpha near me turned, sniffing in my direction.
“No.” I backed up, shaking my head.
It was the wrong freaking move.
Not him. Need Dorian. Need Atlas.
The Alpha’s nostrils flared as his eyes dilated, getting ready for the chase. “Why don’t we go somewhere safer?”
“Not with you,” I whimpered, trying hard not to give into my instincts and run as I took another step back. The heat was coming, threatening to take control. If I just kept fighting it, I’d give myself enough time to think.
More Alphas turned my way, sniffing.
Growls grew louder from outside the circle of Alphas forming around me. My mates. They’d come.
Run, my Omega wolf urged.
“Move it or I’m stabbing some wolf ass!” Clara’s shrill voice yelled from somewhere behind me.
Clara. Sweet Clara.
I turned, practically falling into her arms as another wave of pain shuddered through my middle. The ache grew stronger with each step. “I need the doctor.”
“We’ll get you to the medic,” Clara reassured as she helped me limp inside.
“Not a medic,” I whispered as darkness edged at my vision. Just a few more steps. I could hold on a little longer. My core clenched and tightened, the ache making me cry out as I clung to Clara like a lifeline while my sight swam in and out of focus.
Dorian’s and Atlas’s scents were growing stronger. Their growls were all I could hear. My wolf panted, trying to get me to turn around and go back. To force them to be with me.
“Please,” I begged, feeling my resolve crack. “I need an Omega.”
*
The beeping of a monitor pulled me to my senses and I gasped, sitting upright and sniffing the air to see where my Dorian and Atlas were. Their scents lingered. But they weren’t here.
Here was the medical room.
“Relax.” Penelope’s pretty face came into my line of focus as she reached out to touch my hand. “They’re waiting outside until they prove they can behave, but they haven’t left you alone since you were brought here.”
We wouldn’t be here if you’d listened to me.
I frowned, moving my hand to my side before Penelope could give it a soothing touch. “How long have I been out?”
“Just a few hours.” Penelope didn’t seem hurt by my action. She moved to smooth the fuzzy blanket covering me instead. “But the real question is, when did you run out of suppressants?”
“This morning,” I admitted, not quite ready to look her in the eyes. “I needed a higher dose to get through the double dates they had planned today.”
“Double dates?” Penelope clucked her tongue.
Right?
“So…” Penelope continued. “I’m assuming there are big problems.”
Her tone was soft, non-judgmental.
Still, I wanted to die from shame. “Is it that obvious?”
She glanced at the door. “Your blood markers show you’re right on the cusp of your heat. With the Worm Moon coming this week and you meeting your fated mates, I’m surprised you held out for this long.”
“What if they’re not my fated?” I asked.
Penelope gave me a knowing look. “Your wolf wouldn’t be riding you this hard if they weren’t. And she’s not going to let up until she’s secure in the mating, so we should get to the bottom of whatever problems are happening.”
See? This is all perfectly natural.
I wished I could cover my face and hide. How embarrassing was it to admit to this perfect creature that my mates couldn’t stop fighting long enough to get through one day with me?
I thought I knew how my mom must’ve felt.
It’s something I could’ve gone my whole life not experiencing.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Penelope whispered as she stepped closer to my bed. “We’re here for you…”
What she didn’t say was unlike what happened before. It was the elephant in the room. Always implied when they said anything about my situation and the circumstances I grew up in.
That was why I didn’t usually seek Omegas out.
“I’ll be fine,” I hurried to say. “I just need to get through this heat and then I can sort through the problems. Can I have any more suppressants?”
Penelope smiled sadly as she shook her head. “That was it. And I’m not willing to risk what would happen if we pushed the limit.”
Damn them for caring so much.
“Okay. It’s alright. I’ll let the heat come naturally,” I was speaking more to myself than to her.
But Penelope wasn’t going to let this go. “You can come with me back to Denver. We’ll get you set up at the heat clinic.”
“Alone?” I blurted out.
Not again, my wolf whined.
Penelope’s cheeks flushed as she stood taller. “I couldn’t live with myself if something else happened to you. If I don’t think your mates are treating you well, I can step in and—”
“Please don’t,” I growled, wishing I’d never asked her here. “I can handle this myself.”
“It’s a strength, not a weakness, to ask for help,” she said.
“I’ve never needed your help before,” I snapped.
She flinched as if I’d slapped her, lowering her eyes before meeting mine again. “You’ve got a little Alpha in you, Omega.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. That was the first time I’d ever heard something so silly. “It’s probably because I’m not a real Omega.”
“How can you say that?” Penelope gasped.
I was suddenly so bone tired that I didn’t have the energy to soothe her worries. “Not all of us have the luxury of being a true Omega.”
To be so prim and proper. Cared for and loved.
Maybe this was always going to be my fate.
A little growl slipped from Penelope’s pink lips. “Not all Omegas are born on silk sheets.”
I saw it then. The truth of her statement. A glimpse into her world. I felt her emotions stirring something in mine. The anger. The pride.
Ashamed, I lowered my gaze and gave her a truth in return. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I don’t know who I truly am. It’s never been safe to be me.”
“Oh sweetie.” Her voice caught, and she couldn’t help but reach out, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “You never had to be alone. Omegas stick together. You could’ve asked for help.”
“But I couldn’t.” My bottom lip trembled. “It’s not like you helped her.”
“No, don’t think that,” she soothed as her calming magic washed over me. “Your mom chose to walk away from us. Please don’t make the same mistake. Tell me what you need and we’ll make it happen.”
I took a deep breath, getting ahold of myself. “I need my mates to help me through this heat and then I’ll figure out what comes next. But I don’t know how to get them to stop fighting.”
“It’ll come naturally,” she said. “I know that’s hard to believe with what you’ve been through, but you’re still an Omega. You were born to bring peace.”
“Maybe.” I blew out a heavy breath. “If only they’d listen for two seconds.”
“You leave that to me,” Penelope spoke with an authority that made my wolf’s ears twitch. “I know how to speak to Alphas.”
“You do?” I arched an eyebrow as my wolf bared her fangs and started a territorial growl.
“Relax.” Penelope smiled as she snuck in another touch, soothing my beast. “I didn’t mean your Alphas. I meant mine. They’re waiting in the parking lot for me to finish up here. It’ll be good for them to stretch their legs.”