Chapter 7
NIKO
FRIENDS - CHASE ATLANTIC
I’ve been watching Liv awkwardly talk to the couple from the site two down from ours for the last twenty minutes, and every second has been gold.
One of the nice things about this RV park is the fact that they give you the option to choose where to go based on designation and status.
They don’t seem to pry, and it’s not in some disrespectful, segregated way.
But you don’t have to say anything about your designation, it’s not a requirement, either, just an option to make people comfortable all around.
If you’re a single omega you can say something and they’ll give you a site with other omegas, betas, or people who have packs.
It’s kind of nice that they’re so safety conscious.
Liv didn’t pay attention to that when we got here, though, and probably didn’t think twice when we parked because we’ve been alone in our row the last two days.
We aren’t anymore.
A nice little elderly couple pulled in bright and early this morning, right when Liv decided to go pace in front of her truck for an hour, and she couldn’t get back in here fast enough to avoid them.
I went out and pretended to check the water tanks when I saw one of the ladies step outside and make a beeline for Liv.
I introduced myself as Mikhail, like a good little omega who’s hiding but doesn’t know why, then excused myself to make breakfast. Then I came in, opened the curtains and cracked a window so I didn’t miss a second of their chat.
Liv’s discomfort with strangers is clear.
She wears it on her face, and that is much louder than her words ever could be.
I’m sure there’s more to it than her just being overall antisocial but that is definitely a huge part of it.
I’m not much better, I’ve been a man of few words my entire life, but I kind of like being able to push Sparrow out of her nest and make her people for a little bit.
Plus, the woman she’s talking to is nice.
Caroline.
So far we’ve learned that she and her partner, Tessa, have been together for almost forty years. They're from Wyoming. She was an elementary school art teacher and they met in college, and they’re finally able to travel the country because Caroline retired this past year.
“So, are you and Mikhail just vacationing or is this a chosen lifestyle for you two?”
Liv glances back at the RV as she pops her knuckles. “I guess it’s sort of both.” She turns back to the very friendly woman with an uncomfortable chuckle. “Testing things out to see if it works for us.”
Well, there’s a loaded statement.
Don’t have to carry a PhD to read between those lines. I’ll take it, though. She might not know it yet, and will clearly struggle to accept it, but Liv is stuck with me. There are too many feelings neither of us can ignore for much longer, so I’m not going anywhere.
“Tessa and I are, too,” Caroline says as she looks toward their site with a touch of sadness in her eyes. “We recently lost our Adam and since our Lewis passed about ten years before him, it’s just us now. We aren’t used to being alone.”
I squint through the window as those words are spoken, watching Liv like a hawk as her entire demeanor changes.
All of her defensiveness drops, her discomfort melts away, and her mask slips right off of her beautiful face.
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” she says softly as she reaches out, tentatively taking hold of Caroline’s hand before giving it a squeeze. “I’m sure that’s been really hard on the both of you.”
The woman nods and gives her a squeeze back.
“It has. The four of us wanted to see the world together but when Adam got sick, he made us promise to do that no matter what.” Caroline smiles and swipes at a stray tear.
“So, here we are, keeping our promise and bringing our alphas with us, if only in spirit.” Then she giggles.
“And a couple of fancy urns but Tessa would be mortified if she knew I told you that.”
Liv smiles back at her, crossing her arms against her chest again. “I think that’s a really nice gesture.”
“So do we,” Caroline says as that bright smile returns. “That’s enough about us old ladies, though. Tell me about you and your Mikhail. It’s not often we come across a pair of omegas like us. How long have you two been together?”
Oh shit.
I switch off the burners as Liv’s back goes ramrod straight then I head outside as every ounce of awkwardness she possesses rushes back to the surface.
“About a year,” I say as I come up beside Liv and place my hand on the small of her back. “Everything is still pretty new.”
“Very,” she grumbles as she looks up at me, trying to play the part despite the way I blindsided her.
Caroline sighs dreamily as she clutches her hands together over her chest. “I remember those days. Exploring new love and relationships. It’s fun and exciting, and so passionate.”
Liv clears her throat as her cheeks flame but I chuckle and nod as I pull her flush against me. “I could not agree more.”
“Soul bond, I take it? Unless you have an alpha or two roaming around here that we haven’t met yet?”
“It’s just us for now.” My chest simultaneously cracks and swells as I answer her question without skipping a beat.
The pain of losing my alpha is still raw, even after a year and a half, but the bit about a soul bond, it makes my heart race.
It’s like she just gave the connection between me and Liv a name, and my heartbeat is confirming it, screaming it with every thunderous bang against my ribs.
I don’t know how you figure something like that out but I’m not sure I need to.
Not with how things have always been between us, or how they’ve intensified in a simple few days.
“It was just Tessa and I at first,” Caroline says with an even brighter smile as her partner joins us.
“Lewis and Adam didn’t come along until about two years after we met.” Tessa slips her hand into Caroline’s. “I’d like to say they were a quiet, peaceful two years, but this one”—she nods at the blushing omega at her side—“is pure chaos. Our alphas brought balance, I brought logic, and—”
“I bring the fun!” Caroline giggles before nudging Liv. “I bet you’re the same way, girlie. I can see it. Your Mikhail is calm, cool, and collected, right?”
“Yeah…” She looks up at me and arches a brow. “I think that’s one way of putting it.”
Is it wildly out of line that I want to kiss her right now?
I never used to feel this way. Being attracted to someone wasn’t normal, not until I really got to know them and even then, it wasn’t like this.
I had friends in high school, friends I went on hits with.
I ran track and hung out with my teammates.
I did normal things with people my age that I had a lot in common with, but Dimitri was the only one that I actually felt connected to.
I know why now, but I didn’t want him, didn’t think about kissing him or anything else until I actually felt that connection.
That’s how it is with Liv.
It took a while to get here, drawn to her or not, but looking down at her right now and seeing that sort of playful glint in her eye…
I want to kiss her. We’re connected, that was never in question, but I didn’t know how intense that was until she mentioned leaving the shelter.
I didn’t know what it meant until I thought I might never see her again, and it didn’t have a name until this nice lady gave it one.
I want to be around Liv because I want to be with her, because I need to be with her. I want to kiss her because the last few days have shown me that we really do belong together.
And while I’m relieved to have this epiphany because it explains the intense obsession and random boners I’ve had since we met, it doesn’t suddenly knock down the walls we’ve each built. It doesn’t mean anything about our relationship is going to be easy.
I’m still going to have to work hard to get her to fully trust me, and I’m going to have to bust my ass to prove to both of us that it’s okay to fall in love with someone after you had to relearn how to love yourself.
“They’re dancing around their fire pit,” I say with a chuckle as I set our breakfast dishes in the drying rack. “It’s nine in the morning, and those two ladies are singing and dancing around their fire. Hopefully they keep their clothes on. I like them but—”
“We have to talk.”
I freeze with the towel in my hand, my stomach twisting over Liv’s tone.
It’s flat.
Flat and quiet, and full of anxiety.
That makes me nervous.
But I try not to let on that those four words are about to give me a panic attack and finish drying my hands.
“Sure,” I say as calmly as possible while I turn to face her. “What’s up?”
“Could you come sit down, please?”
I nod and do as she asks. “Everything okay?”
Liv fidgets with the cuff of her hoodie, pulling her hands inside while she twists the cotton between her fingers. “Not really.”
Oh, good. “So, let’s talk.”
And my god, Liv does.
“I’ve been lying about why I left. I didn’t do it because I thought it was time, I have no idea what that even means.
I didn’t feel ready to leave the shelter but I had to.
” She chews her lip as her eyes shift between mine.
“I… My… Before, when I lived in Thief River Falls. I was, I had a pack. A sort of bonded pack, as unorthodox as we may have been. There were four of us.”
I clench my jaw and desperately try not to let my hands curl into fists the way they want to. That’s irrational. It’s stupid. It’s way out of line. I can barely stop it, though, because the idea of Liv being with anyone in any way before right now, it makes me jealous as fuck. Jealous and angry.
Both things I have no right to feel because of Dimitri but I can’t stop that, either.
If she had a pack, why the hell was she at Omega’s Haven?
I need names.
Names and locations because if they ever laid one finger on this woman, I swear to god I’ll—
“They were murdered.” She looks away briefly, inadvertently giving me a clear view of the scar on the side of her face as she pushes her hair behind her ear.
“We were attacked at our house, they protected me, I made it out because of them. We… We were a chosen pack, no soul bonds or scent matches, but we loved each other and chose to be together because of it. We had a couple of years where it was just us, after we got away…” Liv brushes a few tears from her eyes as she turns toward me again.
“It was different but it was good. We were happy. Then someone murdered them and I have to know who did it. I have to find out who killed my mates so I can make things right. I owe them so much more than that but it’s all I’ve got. ”
This is an entirely new emotional level for me.
I am so fucking jealous of three people I have never and will never meet because they were murdered, I could punch something. But my heart hurts for Liv. It hurts because I can practically feel her pain over their loss. I hate that she went through that.
I know what it’s like to some extent and regardless of the differences, losing someone you love changes you.
“I’ve struggled a lot with guilt. Over surviving, over a lot of things that I’ve felt since it happened, but one thing has been consistent.”
“Your need for revenge.” I nod because I think I’m finally starting to understand this woman. At least, more than I did before.
“I have to know who killed them, Niko, but I need to be honest with you because I don’t think this is going to be easy.
” She chuckles a little and shakes her head.
“I actually think this is going to be really fucking hard. And dangerous. I want you to know everything I do because…” Liv chews her lip and drops her eyes.
“I care about you. I care about you a lot, more than I’m willing to admit right now.
I don’t want anything to happen to you and if you know what I’m doing then you’ll be able to decide—”
“I’m with you, Liv.” I reach out and take her hand, startling her a bit before I see her relax. “Difficult, dangerous, deadly. It doesn’t matter. I’m with you, I’ll help you get your pound of flesh, and I’ll still be by your side when it’s all said and done. I’m not going anywhere.”
Tears well in her vibrant grass green eyes as her grip on my hand tightens and the most breathtaking smile spreads across her gorgeous face.
I might be jealous and pissed off, and I might have an inappropriate, borderline uncontrollable alpha-like need to claim her because of it, but I mean what I said. I’ll help Liv do whatever she needs to do, and I’ll still be here with her after we’re done.
I can’t change when or how we met, and I won’t try to erase or replace her fallen pack, but Liv is mine and I’m going to make sure she knows it if it’s the last thing I do.
I’m just hoping like hell it isn’t.