Chapter 44
FORTY-FOUR
As seen on Punk-Tune TV
“Following the cancellation of their tour and the tragic news of front-woman Cleo Del Rossi’s overdose, the labels of Vicious Velvet and The Rogues have put out a joint statement promising that all will be revealed when the dust has settled.
They request privacy at this time as they navigate these unforeseen circumstances.
It’s also been leaked earlier this week that Cleo Del Rossi has been admitted to a rehab facility and will likely not be a part of the tell-all that’s been promised… ”
I turn the TV off and toss the remote aside, still sensitive to everything that happened after the last few months: meeting my scent matches, my best friend overdosing, the tour getting abruptly canceled, the media going absolutely freaking nut-so.
It all feels like a bad dream mixed up in a fairy tale. The two sides are entangled and it leaves my brain feeling rotted from the inside out.
We’ve been back in L.A. for a month now.
I’ve taken to their pack house so easily that it was scary.
It looked as if it were made for me, made for my omega, every room more cozy than the last. Living with them has been a reprieve, and I can’t see myself ever going back to the lonely apartment I was living in before I met them.
After the article about Jamie and Cyrus came out, our labels decided it would be best to give the public some time to recover before we come out about us being scent matches.
The public has received Jamie and Cyrus’s bonding extremely well.
There’s been so much support from our fans that it seems to drown out the noise from the haters.
Both Cyrus and Jamie have been ecstatic, but they have felt guilty that they can’t scream their love for me, too.
Their happiness over the situation makes me happy, no matter how much longer we have to wait to tell the world about us.
I would wait years if it meant they didn’t have to hide anymore, that they can all finally be a pack to the public.
Not to mention, I’ve needed some time to recover.
Seeing my friend in that hospital bed, hearing what they had to do to keep her alive, has gutted me.
I know now that there was nothing I could do to help her.
Sometimes, people are just too far gone, their choices already made. I’ve needed to come to terms with that.
I’m not ready to tell the world about us.
I know I will be soon, but the time has given me space to figure out where my head is at.
Telling the public that I found my scent matches is supposed to be a joyous affair, but now it feels tainted by something so horrible, and the guilt from that has eaten at me since we got home.
Cleo is out there somewhere in a rehab facility, and I’m here with the greatest pack I’ve ever met. My pack. It’s kind of hard to kick my feet with joy when there’s so much weighing in the balance.
I make a reminder on my phone to call a therapist.
Despite the guilt and sadness, I’ve also been feeling antsy.
For the past few days, I’ve found myself beside one of my matches all hours of the day, needy and clingy in a way that I’m usually not.
They haven’t said anything about it, just obliged my needs with huge smiles, but I know they can feel it.
Their eyes trail after me anytime I’m in the room, just in case my omega decides it’s finally time to lay down the roots we so desperately need.
I am jumping out of my skin. I feel unsettled after everything, and therefore my omega feels it even stronger.
It’s been hard to wait out these feelings, waiting for the moment for things to become better so we can get on with our lives, but it’s not that simple.
This will follow us for the rest of our careers, and for Cleo—this will always be a part of her story, and that makes me feel anything but stable.
That’s why I can’t wait anymore. Even if I have to deal with suspicious chattering behind my back and people questioning my character, I have to do what’s best for me, and what’s best for me is caring for my omega the way she always deserves.
These men are my forever, and through all the guilt and mixed feelings, there’s also a certainty that I’ve never felt before. It furrows inside me, and sends a rush through my bones.
My omega is done waiting.
Everything seems to calm down after a few days.
This house of theirs is glorious, and being in my new nest—although not completely finished and refurbished—is the most amazing one I’ve ever been in.
It has high ceilings and blocked-out windows and all the glorious things from the bus nest that I adored.
We sleep in my nest more often than not.
If we’re not in the nest, we’re normally on the abnormally large pull-out couch in the living room, which they used to use as a way to be together as a pack before I came along.
It’s one of my favorite places to nap, which is where we are now as I open my eyes, the bright afternoon sun coming through the curtains.
Remi and Cyrus hold me between them. Lennon is on Remi’s other side, spooning him, and Jamie and Malaki are cuddled together on the other.
I look over at them, my guys so comfortable and content with each other just like I always wanted.
They love each other just as much as they love me, and that’s something I can’t help but cherish.
It’s also the reason why my omega starts to freak out in my chest, screaming, Keep them, keep them.
I fully agree with her this time. We need to keep them. And there’s only one way to do that.
I untangle myself and do my best to straddle Cyrus. He immediately responds to my touch, his hands moving to my hips before he’s even awake. His cock stirs beneath me, and the hunger in me grows tenfold.
“Josie?” he groans as my hips start to move over his. “Are you okay?”
“I’m going to bite you,” I warn him, my instincts taking over. “Is that okay?” My body thrums with anticipation, needing them more than I ever have before. I have half a mind to think about how bizarre this is for a random afternoon, but it feels just right at the same time.
“We’re ready whenever you are–”
He doesn’t have a chance to finish as I lean down and press my lips to his neck. His hand goes to my head, supporting me rather than to push me away, and then my teeth are sliding in, puncturing him in a way that leaves him breathless. He shakes slightly, his hand unsteady in my hair.
“Oh, fuck,” he whispers, the bond moving into him.
His body trembles, the weight of my need taking over him as I pull out and lick over the wound, cementing it.
He doesn’t take another second to react as he pulls me forward and sinks his own teeth into my neck, marking me in the same place so we can match.
The bond electrifies between us, a series of dark colors coursing through me as our souls meet.
He is tentative, but also powerful. His dominance is large but steady inside of him as it meets me.
A prime with so much love to give, and all of that love is pouring out into me now as he pulls his teeth from my flesh, licks the wound, and then breathes into my mouth with a desperate kiss.
“I love you,” Cyrus murmurs, the words said for the first time, but felt many times over. And now I can really feel the weight of it as it slides from under his skin and moves into mine.
Jamie jolts upwards from his spot, feeling the bond cement alongside his own. He jerks the couch and the energy surges over everyone. Our scents heighten, feral as Cyrus and I bask in each other’s bond.
“Shit,” Remi says, both he and Lennon now awake, their eyes wide as they stare at us.
“Oh my god,” Jamie says, his eyes looking over our marks with his mouth agape.
“Hell yes,” Malaki says, almost crawling over Jamie. “It’s my turn. Give me my fucking mark.”
The rest of them snort as Malaki pulls me into his arms. I laugh, feeling his bare skin against my own as he kisses me all over my face.
“Where do you want my mark, Bubbles?” he asks playfully, but his eyes have turned dark, his campfire scent a sizzling wicked promise circling in the air.
I arch my back and course my hand into his hair. The blue strands feel like velvet between my fingers as I pull him to my chest, placing his lips to my breast, right where my heart beats wildly for him.
“Here,” I whisper, my hand holding him tighter.
He curses under his breath as he licks me, his mouth torturing the exact spot I had in mind. He takes a few more minutes to tease me before his teeth sink into my flesh, and he moans around the wound as it secures us together.
I push him onto his back when he pulls his teeth out and immediately go for his stomach, my teeth begging to be in there for the rest of our lives.
His abs are tight, ready, and my teeth puncture one of them on instinct.
He lets out a moan that sends shivers down my spine, his head flying back as he holds my head steady.
A dash of royal blue and sparkling moonlight rushes through me.
There’s the silliness that I recognize, the bravery and extroverted nature that Malaki is known for, but there is also a tiny hint of vulnerability that I don’t expect as our bonds meet.
It’s timid and beautiful, the softness beneath a lifetime of flashy humor to cover up the one thing he’s always been afraid of: being alone.
I hug him, the emotion hitting me so hard that tears spring to my eyes.
He responds with just as much feeling, his hands clutching me.
Somewhere in the bond, I can feel a soothing from Cyrus to both of us, a soft undercurrent that’s keeping our emotions just level enough to keep above water.
Malaki and I look at each other, and it’s like we’re seeing the real pieces of ourselves in each other for the very first time.
“I love you, Omega,” Malaki murmurs. “Thank you for coming into our lives. Thank you for giving us this gift.”
“I feel complete,” I whisper.