Page 77 of Shades of Scars

My brow furrows and I rise to my feet. “Apollo wouldn’t even let him through the front door the other day when he had a meeting with Caito. Why won’t he let you out of his sight? He does realize this is literally the safest place on the planet, right?” I make my way towards the elevator that will take me down to our penthouse.

“It’s a long story. If it wasn’t for the work his pack is doing for you, the rest of them would already be here. I’ll explain it once I’m there, but please tell Apollo not to let him follow us up to the pool.” She begs, and my frown only deepens. Whatever is bothering Kate is much deeper than I think she’s letting on.

“I’m heading down to inform him. I’ll also text Caito to send him a message to back the hell off.”

Kate breathes out a sigh of relief down the line. “I’ll be over in ten.” She hangs up then just as the elevator comes to a stop and the doors slide open. I wince immediately as I lower the phone.

The sounds of construction are loud and obnoxious. It’s the main reason I’d been on the roof in the first place. My inner omega can’t handle the chaos my nest has turned into. I’ve been rotating between the alpha’s beds while the nursery is being built off of the nest.

While my instincts don’t mind being with each of my alphas, I hate that I don’t have my nest. I’d gotten used to it after I moved in officially, and now that I don’t have access to it, it’s been grating on my nerves.

Finally being happy with the pack I’m meant to be with has really helped my omega crazy shine.

I find Apollo in the hallway outside of the nest, talking to a burly looking beta in a hard hat. He’s showing my alpha a sheet of blue paper with things sketched on it when I approach. Apollo’s nostrils flare , and then his head snaps towards me, a grin stretching across his handsome face when he spots me standing close by.

He doesn’t even acknowledge the beta before he’s striding towards me, snatching me up in his arms to march us away from the prying eyes of construction workers marching in and out of the nest. As soon as he has us in the kitchen, he plops me down on the counter and pushes his way between my legs, nipping at my chin with his teeth. “I should punish you for giving those guys a show, love.” He murmurs against my overheated cheek.

Placing a palm against his hard chest, I push him back a little so I can breathe. “This bikini covers all the important bits. Besides, why should I be punished for their wandering eyes? It’s not my fault they can’t keep them to themselves.”

He bites down on his bottom lip as his eyes rake over me with a smoldering heat that makes me squirm against the counter top. “You’re right, love. I’ll just go rid them all of their eyeballs. Caito can afford to hire another crew to finish the nursery.” He starts to turn, but I twist my fingers in his shirt to stop him.

“I’ll be heading back up to the pool. I was just coming down to tell you that Kate’s coming over for a swim. If you could be a doll and keep Caito’s scaryfriendout of the penthouse, I’d appreciate it.” I inform him, and he grimaces, but nods.

“I’ll keep the scary psycho out of the penthouse. You might want to text Caito and let him know that he’ll be down in the lobby while you’re with Kate. In case he gives me trouble.”

I hold up my phone before pulling up my message thread with Caito.

Me:Kate is coming over for a swim and to hang out. Let your freaky friend know he is to listen to Apollo’s orders.

It only takes a handful of seconds before I get a response that makes me smile.

Caito:Not my friend. He’ll do as he’s told. Enjoy your time with your friend, mo chroí.

“He’s got him under control. Send Kate up when she gets here?” I push him back enough so I can hop off the counter, much to his disappointment.

Apollo dips his head to me before I can slip by and head for the fridge for a bottle of water. “As long as I get a kiss, love.” He murmurs, dragging his teeth over the shell of my ear, and I shudder at the contact. I twist until we are chest to chest, leaning up on my toes to give him a quick peck on the lips.

Of course, that’s not enough for him. His fingers spear into the hair at the nape of my neck while his other arm snakes around my waist, tugging me flush against his body as he devours my mouth. My moan at the taste of him on my tongue makes his hips jerk forward, and I nip at his bottom lip in retaliation.

He growls, jerking his head back to give me a look filled with so much heated dominance that my knees begin to quake. “Don’t bite me, omega, unless you want me to bite you the fuck back. I’m not like Caito. I’ll mark you up, consequences be damned.”

My cheeks heat at the gush of slick that accompanies his words, but I make myself pull back, even though I want nothing more than to feel his teeth sink into my skin and seal our bond together for life. But I can’t do that. Not until we’ve dealt withHarlan. Not until I can get rid of this partial bond shackling me to him.

“Do as I ask, alpha, and maybe I’ll reward you later for it.” I murmur, allowing my lips to brush against his jawline one more time before I step back fully. The way he watches me reminds me of a predator tracking its prey as I open the fridge and pull out a bottle of water.

“I’ll take that as a promise, omega.” He rumbles, but I’m already scurrying back to the elevator that’ll take me back up to the rooftop pool before he can get his hands on me again.

Or crack my resolve to keep my teeth to myself.

50

Caito

“Something bugging you?” Wren’s question draws my attention from my phone screen.

“No. Just making sure my orders are followed.” I slip the device back in my pocket. Fraser hadn’t bothered to respond to my calls or my text message, but a quick glance at our lobby security cameras confirmed that he’d at least gotten the message.

“What’s going on with that alpha and Scarlett’s friend?” Wren’s leaning back in his office chair, spinning a pen around in his fingers while watching me.

---