Page 52 of Shades of Scars

His strong arms encircle me, holding me firm, but then he stiffens as soon as my chest erupts with a sound that surprises even me. He exhales a shaky breath as he buries his face against the crook of my neck, allowing my tiny omega purr to vibrate through him. He’s trembling as he holds me, and it’s the best damn feeling being folded up in my alpha’s arms.

“You’re giving me a nest…” I still can’t believe the words, so I need to say them again. Wren pulls back, still holding me so he can peer into my eyes. There’s a promise in the deep, icy depths of his gaze. One that sends a shiver coursing down my spine in response.

It’s a promise offorever.

One that is getting harder and harder to ignore with each passing day.

“Everything, Sweetheart. We will give you the world if you ask it of us. There is nothing we won’t do for you. This is just a small drop in the ocean of things we wish to give you.” He presses his nose against mine, making my pulse hiccup and the breath to catch in my lungs momentarily.

I don’t know why I’m so surprised. They’ve been saying this since the beginning. They’ve been proving time and time again that they meant what they said to me that first day during dinner. Every promise they’ve made. My past might be partially to blame for my lack of trust, but it felt like more than that.

Finally, I managed to say, “There aren’t enough words to express just how much this means to me.” It’s true. I wish there was a way I could offer my gratitude and for it to hold meaning. Offering myself to them just doesn’t seem like enough. They deserve an omega that doesn’t have all the baggage that I have.

A chorus of growls echo around the room, and my purr ceases in my chest. Shit, did I say that out loud? “You are exactly what we deserve, Dream girl. Don’t ever doubt that.” Lark is suddenly there, taking me from Wren’s arms. I haven’t gotten to see much of him lately, and I melt into him the moment he folds me into his arms. I breathe in his scent, tasting coconuts and sandalwood. Like a tropical vacation party in my nose.

The other alphas in the room rumble their agreement, and then they’re crowding around us, pressing me between all ofthem. I feel sheltered and loved in that moment. It’s something I haven’t felt since before my mother passed when I was eight.

Emotions clog my throat, making it hard to swallow. We stay like that for a long few minutes, just soaking each other up. Then, Caito and Apollo step back, allowing me to turn in Lark’s arms.

That’s when the itch begins. It starts as this annoying tingle at the base of my spine that I can’t shake. My body begins to hum as I look out around the room, a vision beginning to come to life before my eyes.

Allowing my instincts to guide me for once, I step away from the alphas and get to work immediately.

32

Lark

Watching my omega build a nest in our pack house is a fantasy come true I didn’t realize I had until it started happening right in front of me. “This is so much better than doing it ourselves.” Apollo murmurs from right beside me, and Wren grunts in agreement.

All four of us are standing where she left us like a bunch of creeps, but we can’t help it. We’re all transfixed on the omega marching around the room we designated for our future omega’s pack nest, awestruck.

She’s absolutely stunning. Every time she bends over to adjust a pillow on the mattress, or spread out a blanket, she flashes bare cheeks beneath her little sundress, and it takes all of my will power to stay right where I am.

“Fucking hell. If she bends over again, I’m going to bust a load in my pants like some prepubescent tween.” Apollo voices the same dilemma I’m currently experiencing, and Caito lets loose a soft growl in response. I can’t help but to reach down and adjust my painfully hard dick.

Caito—the fucker—has no room to talk. He came home drenched in our omega’s sex pheromones and sporting her fresh bond mark that made me jealous in ways I’ve never been.The things I’d do to get her to sink her teeth into me…

“We’ve been standing here for an hour. I think we should leave her to finish up. Don’t you have dinner to start?” Caito directs his last statement towards me, and I scrub a hand down my face to help ward off some of the lingering arousal clinging to me from my dirty inner thoughts. I’m the only one that hasn’t had a sample of our omega yet, dammit. I can’t help my reaction to her.

All in good time. Patience is key.

When I finally have her, I’m going to make it so she’ll crave me every second of every day afterwards.

“Yeah.” I sigh heavily, looking back at my Dream girl with longing. “Come on. Let’s give her some time. She’s in complete omega nesting mode right now. All the books say it’s best to let her work uninterrupted.”

Reluctantly, I leave the room, the other three trailing behind me down the hall to the kitchen where I’d already begun some dinner prep earlier. Wren plops down by the mini bar while Caito rounds the counter to pull out two glasses. “Better make that three, mate.” Apollo says when his huge body thumps down heavily onto the stool beside our pack lead.

Caito grabs another glass, and holds it up to me in question. I shake my head before moving to the stove to turn on the oven. The ribs I’d been marinating for the last few hours are just about ready to pop in. I set to work making up a side salad and slicing up the loaf of bread I made this morning so it can go in the oven with the ribs later for garlic bread. I’m most excited about the baked potato skins I have planned. It’s a new recipe that one of my clients gave me to try.

My pack mates start up a low conversation at the mini bar, but I tune it out as I work, falling into a familiar rhythm. Cooking is something I’ve always enjoyed that has a way of bringing me an inner peace I’m rarely able to find anywhere else. Andcooking for my omega is an entirely different experience that I am enjoying all too much.

I’ve just popped the ribs inside the oven when my pack mate’s conversation filters back to me. “Joey texted late last night to tell me Erossi left the city, but he doesn’t seem to be heading in this direction.” Wren is tapping a finger against the top of the bar, his irritation evident.

Brows furrowed, I moved over to the bar to join them. This is a topic that concerns me. “Where is he going?” I ask, but Wren shrugs, picking up his glass of whiskey and taking a large sip.

“No idea. I asked Joey to stay put to keep an eye on the other two. If Harlan comes here by himself, he’ll be making a mistake. I’ve got guys watching all over the Valley. We’ll be given plenty of warning if he does show his face here.”

I don’t like that. We still haven’t decided what we’re going to do about the assholes that marked our omega against her will just yet. Wren claims he’s been working on something through all his father’s old channels of connections, but he hasn’t been very forthcoming about what exactly that is. Unless Erossi comes for Scarlett, there’s nothing we can do at the moment.

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