Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Crew
“Okay, that’s the last of it,” Tyson says, brushing his hands off on his pants.
My eyes move around Kiara’s room, taking in the boxes we’ve set against the walls as I find myself once again fighting back tears.
She should be here with me.
Instead, she took off with Ruby and Allison.
I understand why she left—I really do. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make it hurt any less.
My mate left me, and fight as I may against my instincts, all my omega wants to do is build a nest in her bed before curling up in a ball and crying until she comes home.
If she comes home.
Nope. We’re not doing that.
Of course she’ll come home.
She wouldn’t actually abandon me, would she?
I swipe my hand over my face, trying to keep my emotions under wraps. I sense more than see my scent matches tensing up, which tells me I’m not doing as good a job as I’d like to think.
“Thanks, guys.” I force another smile, guessing it looks more like the grimace it feels like at the sympathy on Ruby’s pack’s faces. “I appreciate your help. I guess we need to figure out how to get you home. Plus, I still need to return the truck.”
Which is easier said than done, since Kiara isn’t here. I was supposed to drive the truck back while she followed me in her car. Then she was supposed to take me to her favorite restaurant. What was it called again?
Emerald? Topaz?
I know it was a gemstone.
Sapphire’s. That’s right.
But today is definitely not going at all how we planned.
“Don’t worry about us, Crew,” Christopher says with a shake of his head. “Or the truck. We’ll head to our place and grab another vehicle and then return the truck for you. You’ve been through enough today. There’s no reason for you to have to stress about either of those things.”
A growl fills the room, pulling a whimper from me as I momentarily forget how to breathe and slick gathers.
Mason prowls toward us, slipping between me and Christopher. “Crew doesn’t need your help. He has alphas—a pack.”
“Oh, knock it the fuck off, Mason.” Christopher scoffs. “I’ve given you a lot of leeway since you just found your scent-matched omega, but I swear to everything holy, if you come at me or one of my pack mates again, we’re going to take this outside and see who the strongest alpha really is.”
That has the opposite effect on Mason than what Christopher wants, so I reach out and lay my hand on his back.
His shoulders immediately droop as he glances over his shoulder to meet my gaze.
“It’s okay, alpha,” I assure him. “If they take the truck back, then I can spend time getting to know the three of you.”
“And we can figure out what the hell to do about Kiara,” Davis murmurs just loud enough for me to catch.
Mason sighs. “Fuck. Apparently, I’m going to spend the day apologizing. Christopher, I know you’re just trying to be helpful.”
“But we need to get the fuck out?” He chuckles. “Yeah, I figured that out. We’ll leave you to it.”
Pack Hart says their goodbyes quickly, leaving me alone with my scent matches in Kiara’s room.
I wrinkle my nose, heading for the door. I don’t feel right being in here with them when she’s not here.
Yes, it’s meant to be a room for the two of us, but… I don’t know. I don’t like it.
“Where are you going, Crew?” Alexander asks, voice soft.
“It doesn’t feel right to be alone with the three of you in Kiara’s room,” is all I say as I hurry down the stairs, ignoring the insistent need to go to my nest.
Until I’ve fixed things with Kiara, nothing in this place will feel like mine.
Because without Kiara, it’s not.
Without Kiara, I don’t want to be here.
What am I talking about?
I don’t want to be anywhere without Kiara.
“Are you hungry?” Davis asks as he hurries down the stairs to catch up with me. “I can make us a late lunch.”
I shrug, not sure I can eat but knowing I need to.
“It’ll give us something to do while we talk,” he continues, nodding toward the kitchen once we reach the bottom.
“Yeah, sure.”
His smile lights up his face as Mason and Alexander join us. “Is there anything that sounds good to you?”
I shake my head. “Not really.”
I hate it when his face falls. I know he’s just trying to help, but there’s nothing the three of them can do to fix this. There’s nothing anyone can do until Kiara comes home.
“Do you like grilled cheese sandwiches, Crew?”
I glance up at Alexander’s question and nod. “Who doesn’t?”
“Grilled cheese it is. How many should I make?” Without waiting for an answer, Davis starts for the kitchen, leaving us to trail behind him.
“Maybe twelve?” Mason suggests with a shrug, pulling out a stool from beneath the backside of the island and gesturing for me to take it.
Part of me wants to deny his request, but I really don’t have any reason to. I climb onto it, watching as Davis begins gathering ingredients.
“Good boy,” Mason murmurs, sending a shiver down my spine as he sits on the one to my right. “Use the leftover bacon from breakfast, too. It’ll add more protein.”
Alexander huffs. “That doesn’t make it healthy, Mason.”
“Who said anything about it being healthy?” Mason rolls his eyes. “Take a seat, Alex, so we can talk.”
Leaning forward, I cross my arms on top of the island and rest my chin on my arms as I continue to watch Davis, who seems completely at ease in the kitchen.
I’ve always had a thing for men who can cook—even if it’s just grilled cheese.
What can I say? I’m an omega who wants to be provided for, and I really like food.
Kiara always makes sure I’m fed well.
And there goes my mood again.
“Damn, Crew.” Alexander sighs, his hand rubbing my back before freezing. “Shit. Is this okay?”
I shrug. It feels nice, and I can’t decide if I want him to continue or stop, so I’ll let him make the decision.
He hesitates only for another moment before his hand sweeps up and down my spine, and I bite back a contented sigh.
This whole scent match thing is insane. I shouldn’t feel this comfortable with three men I’ve just met—even if I’ve been hearing about them for years.
“Your scent keeps souring,” he says, his hand continuing its motion, and I decide I never want him to stop. “Why?”
“Why do you think?” I scoff.
“Kiara?” Davis reaches across the island to squeeze my hand at my nod.
Mason grunts. “We need to talk about her and about the fact that we’re scent matches.”
Yeah, I don’t really want to do that, but what choice do I have?
I can’t ignore it. It’s not like it’s going to go anywhere.
“Kiara is my top priority,” I say as Davis moves back to the stove. “Scent matches or not—she will always come first.”
Alexander squeezes my shoulder before his hand returns to trailing up and down my back. “As she should be. She’s your mate.”
“She is, and I’m not giving her up.”
“First, we would never ask that of you. Second, we want her too. We just need to figure out how to convince her of that.” I turn my head to watch Mason as he runs a hand through his hair.
“Which is why we’ll do whatever you need us to do to make things right with her.
Us being scent matches shouldn’t come between the two of you. ”
“We’ll move out if we need to.”
I turn my head to glance at Alexander, reading the sincerity on his face.
I shake my head. “I don’t know if that would hurt or help things, honestly. There’s not a damn thing I can do until she comes home. I can guess at what’s going through her head, but until I talk to her, I don’t know for sure. I don’t know how to fix this.
“She tried to hide it from me at first—just how terrified she is of me finding my scent matches—but it’s hard for her to keep things from me.
I’ve known since we were teenagers that she would be part of my pack, but nothing I’ve told her has convinced her I mean it.
I’ve even told her I wanted to bond once we graduated, but she always says no.
She really believes that finding my scent matches would mean forgetting her completely, and since bonds can’t be broken… ”
Alexander sighs, running a hand through his hair. “She really told you that?”
“Not in so many words, but yes.” It’s my turn to sigh as my hands slide into my hair and tug. “I’ve tried for years to show her that I love her—that she’ll always be my first pick. But she never believes me. Why won’t she believe me?”
This time, I can’t fight back the tears, so I just bury my face in my arms.
Trying to control my emotions as an omega is never easy. We feel everything soul deep—or at least most of us do. I’m sure there are omegas out there who have complete control over their emotions, but I haven’t met any yet.
There are so many hormones running through our bodies that it’s hard to regulate them when we’re stressed.
Apparently, there’s a biological reason for it. I’ve taken the required omega courses, but it still doesn’t make sense to me. Probably because I don’t want to actually understand.
Who cares why it happens? I just wish I could make it stop.
“Please don’t cry,” Mason pleads, leaning close. “I’m having enough issues dealing with these stupid alpha urges, and I don’t want to take liberties with you that I’m not entitled to.”
I snort, wishing it was just that easy to turn off my tears.
Fuck, it would be amazing if I could.
“Here.” The scent of buttery, cheesy goodness hits my nose as a plate scrapes across the island. Davis’s smile is tight when I lift my head to meet his gaze. “Eat. I don’t think anyone can cry while they’re eating.”
I snort. “Pretty sure I can do both.”
“Don’t take it as a challenge, Crew. I just thought it might provide a much-needed distraction.”
I shrug. It’s worth a shot, right? It’s not like I want to be sitting here sobbing while surrounded by my surprise scent matches.
I ignore the tears still streaking down my face as I take a bite, groaning at how good it tastes. My stomach growls as I take another bite. I guess I was hungrier than I realized.
Davis grins before turning back to the stove, and by the time I’ve finished my first sandwich, he’s adding a second to my plate.
“This is one of the best grilled cheese sandwiches I’ve ever had. Better than everyone’s but Kiara’s.”
He shoots me a wink over his shoulder. “Who do you think taught her how to make them?”
Interesting. That’s not something she ever shared.
Then again, did I ever think to ask how she learned to make amazing grilled cheese sandwiches?
“It’s all about the cheese,” he continues as he sets a plate stacked with sandwiches on the island before turning back to flip the ones still on the griddle.
Alexander snorts. “He uses like six different kinds of cheeses—mozzarella, asiago, fontina, provolone, parmesan, and cheddar. They’re a heart attack waiting to happen—especially when you add bacon.”
“Are you like a health nut or something?” I ask, taking another bite as I try to think back on what Kiara’s told me about the alpha.
“He’s not. Don’t let him fool you.” Mason grabs a sandwich, shaking it at Alexander before taking a bite. “He talks a lot of shit, but he loves cheese.”
The alpha in question shrugs, a grin pulling at his lips. “I really do.”
I return his smile and realize I’ve stopped crying at some point.
“Okay, that’s all of them.” Davis sets another plate full of grilled cheese onto the counter, followed by three empty plates that he hands out to his pack mates. “Now, let’s eat so we can figure out what we’re going to do about little K.”
And just like that, my appetite is gone.