Page 29 of Shades of Scars

Scarlett is ours.

I’ll gladly put a swift fucking end to anyone who cares to stand in our way.

Wren leans back in his chair and finishes off his drink in one smooth swallow, before leveling one of his signature looks on me. “Fine. I want a pack meeting tonight as soon as Lark is finished with his last client. I will put a detail on Scarlett’s apartment until we are finished.”

And just like that, the game is on.

Bring it on,motherfuckers.

16

Scarlett

“Scar, one of your lover boys is here for you.” Kate pokes her head into my room, and I sit up from where I’m tangled in the sheets and blankets of my nest. She quirks a brow at me when I wipe away the drool on my face.

“The hell are you talking about?” I grumble and flop back down into the mattress, snatching up one of the teddy bears the guys had sent me for a snuffle snuggle. It smells just like Wren, a scent I can’t get enough of. It makes me think of the way he bites his lip when he comes…

“Lark something or another. Got that hot as hell nerdy jock vibe down pat. Says he’s here to take you out for breakfast and a walk in the park. You know, normal shit alphas do for their omegas they are courting.” She leans against the frame in the doorway, crossing her arms over her chest and looking entirely too pleased with herself.

“Tell him to go away. I’m not a breakfast person, and we are most certainly not courting.” I turn my face into the teddy, inhaling deeply like an addict that’s desperate for their next fix. I’m just missing three other tantalizing addictive scents.

Maybe I can bargain with Lark to give me his shirt, too… Perhaps a quick roll around in the nest?

“I’m not telling that hot piece of ass that you’re refusing to see him. I’ll send him in here if you don’t get your ass up and deal with him.” She shakes her head before she turns to leave, and I bolt upright again, glaring over at her as if the look can set her on fire right where she stands.

“I seriously don’t like you.” I growl, sliding out of the bed so I can aggressively stomp my way out of my room towards the front door. Despite my earlier thought process, I’m not thinking when I yank it open, revealing Lark standing in the hall with his hands stuffed into the pockets of sleek black athletic shorts. My brain short circuits for a moment, my eyes raking over him in a way that’s entirely too suggestive.

Ah, shit sticks.

Kate’s fucking right, of course. He’s too damn hot to turn away.

He smirks at me, and that shakes me out of my momentary stupor. I narrow my eyes on him. “Can I help you? It’s eight in the morning.” I cross my good arm not cradled in the sling over my chest when those steel blue eyes of his drop to the rest of my body, and then I suddenly remember I’m only wearing a bright pink tank top— sans bra—and a tiny pair of matching boy shorts. Like,supertiny. Like, I definitely might accidentally flash my vagina if I bend over too far or something.

When he looks back up at me, so very slowly, he uses his middle finger to push his purple rimmed glasses back up the bridge of his nose where they’d slipped slightly. “I want to take you out to breakfast.” He says it like it’s the most casual thing to show up on someone’s doorstep without proper notice at eight in the morning on a Wednesday.

“I have plans this morning.” I lie, and I immediately hate the way his face falls with disappointment, and then I hate myself for hating that I upset him with my blatant dismissal. The way they’ve managed to break through all of my carefullybuilt barriers is rather alarming. Sighing, I shift uncomfortably on my feet. I can’t believe I’m about to give in. “Give me fifteen minutes. You can come in and sit while you wait.” Curse my foolish omega heart.

I take a step back, and gesture into the apartment. Here I go again, inviting yet another one of them into my safe space. I tell myself that I will not allow him in my nest like Wren while he follows me into the living room. “Take all the time you need.” Lark says, his smile back in place, eyes practically sparkling behind those adorable glasses of his. He knows he’s won.

“Don’t worry, Scar. I’ll keep him company while you freshen up.” Kate saunters out of her room, dressed to kill already at the ass crack of dawn, I give her a small warning growl when I pass her. It takes all of my willpower to walk away into my room to change. The logical part of my brain trusts her, but my idiot omega instincts are screaming at me to get rid of the intruder omega too close to our mate.

Seriously, omega biology is so fucked.

The entire time I get dressed in a simple cotton purple sundress with little white daisies on it and apply some light make-up, I’m attempting to talk myself out of this terrible idea. It doesn’t matter what they promised me at dinner the other night. I can’t allow myself to connect with them the way my inner omega desperately wants to.

It has to be this way. Even if it kills me.

But I can’t fucking help myself. Even if this all ends in a goddamned tragedy.

When I’m finished, I give myself a once over in the mirror, and sigh heavily. Part of me wants to grab a sweater to put on so the hideous mark on my shoulder is covered, but I like looking pretty, dammit. Plus all the extra clothing isn’t comfortable with the sling. Plus, despite fall nearing, the daylight hours can still be quite warm.

Exiting my room, I find Kate and Lark participating in an epic stare down and not wrapped around each other like I half expected. Is it weird that I trust Lark more than I trust Kate? I’ve known her the longest, and I wouldn’t have put it past her if she had made a move on him. That probably makes me a shitty friend and roommate.

Lark is the first to break, rising from the recliner Wren had been sitting in just the day before, and when his eyes lock onto me, I swear I see him visibly gulp. It takes him a moment to formulate proper words after he’s done eye fucking me. I will not admit how satisfied that makes me feel. “You look incredible, Scarlett.”

I swallow hard, too, when he holds an arm out for me to slip mine into. My inner omega preens as soon as the bare skin of his forearm touches mine, and I just barely stop myself from shuddering in reaction. There is something so terribly wrong with me.

Kate rises to her feet, and gives me one of her signature smirks. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, but for fucksake, have some fun. Try to loosen her up, will ya.” She directs that last part at Lark, but he just gives her a droll look that oddly makes me happy.

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