Pack Deception: Part One, page 13
“We’ve got the Beta Butchers franchise, Paranormal Pack, Killing the Alpha’s Advisor…” he lists off as he passes them. When he’s gone through most of the selection, he turns to me. “Whatcha think, pretty girl?”
I smile at the nickname, proud of myself for not blushing this time. I think I’m too tired to be embarrassed at this point. “Beta Butchers sounds good,” I say with a shrug. Honestly, I really could care less because I’m eighty percent sure I’ll be asleep the second the lights get turned off and the movie starts.
“If everyone’s done, I’m going to clean this up,” Maverick asks and starts collecting all the trash from dinner after we all nod.
“I’ll help,” Ava offers. From the moment we got here, I was surprised to find how comfortable she was with the pack. There wasn’t an ounce of awkwardness when we came barreling in with food and disrupting their game night. Mason, Maverick, and Hudson were all gathered around the living room TV playing some video game I’ve never heard of. When we walked in and they saw the food and then me following in behind Brooklyn, they quickly discarded their game with huge smiles on their faces. Like the interruption was a welcome one, and it warmed my heart and melted away my nerves to see their excitement. There was a lot of joking thrown around between them and Ava, who I learned they met at The Hog’s Head when Brooklyn got into a little tiff with another alpha and became fast friends. I was surprised that I haven’t figured that out yet with the amount of times they’ve been into the bar in the past few weeks.
“Come sit next to me, cherub.” Brooklyn holds her arm up for me to snuggle up against her if I want to. She keeps her face open and warm, letting me know she won’t be offended if I say no. But Goddess, I don’t want to say no. I want the contact, the physical connection. So I throw back a shy smile and crawl my way across the large sectional couch we are both sitting on and tuck myself under her arm, burrowing as close to her as I can. She wraps one arm around my shoulders and her free arm comes across my chest, squeezing tight and making me feel protected and cared for. I let out a sigh of contentment, close my eyes, and soak in the warmth radiating off her. She purrs so softly that I don’t hear it, but the vibrations rattle in her chest, and I’m asleep in an instant, drifting off before the movie even starts.
Eighteen
Brooklyn
If I died right now, if a meteor fell out of the sky and destroyed the pack house—killing us all—I'd go out with a smile on my face. Summer's soft snores started up almost immediately, making my alpha purr louder in satisfaction. She's smug as fuck that our mate feels comfortable enough here—and with me—to fall asleep in my arms. Her soft body is tucked sweetly against my side, and fuck if I'm not straining with my need for her. The sweet, gingerbread scent of her is intoxicating. In her sleep, Summer burrows deeper against me, kicking one of her legs over my body so it's wedged between mine. The motion makes her leg brush against my sex, and my clit throbs in response to my mate’s touch, accidental or not. I reach out one hand and place it on the back of her thigh, right under her deliciously ample ass, to keep her in place, despite it being the sweetest torture. I have to take a big breath in and expel it out my mouth to try to curb my growing arousal.
Now Summer is lying almost completely on top of me, leg kicked up over my body and head on my chest. I try to move down on the couch so I'm laying nearly horizontal to get ready for the movie. She stirs a little right as I settle into a comfortable position, and I hold my breath and hope I didn't wake her up. My mate mumbles something incoherent but stays asleep.
"I can't believe how jealous I am right now," Mason grumbles as he stares obsessively at Summer on top of me. He's on the other couch across from the oak coffee table. We have three large couches surrounding the table and all looking toward the TV. Ava and Maverick come back in from where they were dumping the trash in the kitchen, and Maverick sits beside Mason on his couch after hesitating just a second too long; which Mason chooses to studiously ignore. Instead, he places a hesitant hand on Maverick's thigh and leans into him slightly. That leaves Ava to snag the other couch. Hudson, instead of sharing the couch with Ava, grabs a throw pillow, walks over to where Summer is laying on me, and plops his happy ass down on the floor near his mate. The weirdo takes a big sniff of her scent and wiggles until he's comfortable.
"Wow," Ava huffs a laugh. "You guys are so whipped." I might have tensed at her words, but she said it the teasing and dry way that is so Ava. As rough or stoic as she may seem at the bar and to the people who know her reputation, she's actually the world's biggest marshmallow. She's got a soft spot for people about a mile long. Once she's made up her mind about liking you, she'd do just about anything for you.
In response to her teasing, Hudson looks at Summer, smiles from ear to ear, and shrugs like he absolutely is whipped and couldn't care less who knows. I get the feeling.
"She fell asleep fast," Maverick whispers, staring at her with humor lining his eyes.
Ava sighs and says, "That's actually my fault. Someone called in so Summer traded shifts with them. She closed last night."
My eyes widen a little. No wonder she's so tired. My mate works too hard. Once she's ours, she won't work anymore than she wants to. No more running herself ragged to pay the bills.
"When did she start working for you?" Hudson asks her, keeping his voice low like Maverick had.
"A few months ago. She came into the bar, looking like she'd skipped about a dozen meals, and begged for a job. Even if she hadn't begged though, I would have given her one. She reminds me so much of my grandma. Strong, but not in the way that people think they have to be to impress you. You can just see the strength in her eyes...and the kindness. I gave her the job on the spot," Ava says, pulling her legs up onto the couch and sitting with her legs crisscrossed in front of her. She rests her hands in her shins and shrugs at the end of her explanation, like she's not the exact same person as Summer. The two are perfectly matched. It's no wonder they're becoming such good friends.
"What do you mean she looked like she skipped meals?" Mason whispers, latching on to one part of what Ava said. The same part I am, too.
"Just what I said. She was so skinny and...scared, maybe? Jumpy? I got the impression she was running from something." Ava's eyes go distant like she's picturing her first interaction with our mate.
"Do you know why? Has she talked to you about her past?" Maverick leans forward with a sense of urgency. We're all eager to know more about our mate.
Ava looks between us all uncertainly. She doesn't seem to want to gossip about Summer, and I can respect that, but...
"Please," I beg her. She sighs, resigned. Ava knows just as well as the guys do that I don’t plead often. I’m pretty good at getting what I want without resorting to begging, but not this time.
"I don't know what her story is. All I know is how scared and thin she was when she first came here and that she doesn't talk about it. To anyone. Ever. That, and with the claiming marks I saw, I'd guess–"
Hudson and Maverick's deep growls resonate through the air until I give a sharp growl back at them to get them to shut the fuck up before they wake Summer. Too late.
Summer's body tenses when we all growl, and a scared sounding whimper breaks through her lips. Her face presses closer into my chest. I raise my hand automatically to smooth her hair back and purr. I can tell the second she registers an alpha’s purr because her body relaxes again.
There's a tense pause before a small gasp comes from Ava. "Oh my Goddess. You're her mates."
A hint of incredulity and wonder limn her voice. Her eyes dart quickly between all four of our pack and Summer. Who is, for all intents and purposes, pack, too. She just doesn't know it yet. When none of us deny it, a sad look enters her eyes, and I imagine she's thinking about the claiming marks she saw on Summer.
"How many?" Hudson croaks, emotion clogging his throat as he addresses Ava.
Ava shakes her head. "I'm not sure. I saw two for sure. One each on her hip and ear."
My hand, that was still brushing through Summer's hair in a calm, coaxing manner, stutters. I brush back her hair softly until her right ear is exposed. Sure enough, there is a slightly raised, white bite mark on the lobe. It feels like a small fissure forms in my heart, causing an unbearable ache in my chest at the sight.
She's already got mates.
The thought alone makes me want to sob at the truth staring me in the face and break something at the injustice of it. She's supposed to be ours. Mine. Not someone else's. Just as I'm about to meltdown, Mason stops it in its tracks, being the voice of reason, again, when it comes to our mate.
"Before we jump to conclusions, let's not forget what Doctor Tanner said about that drug. Whatever its name is–"
"Passion Pack," I interject woodenly.
"Right, whatever. It's a hallucinogen. It's been used on omegas to trick them into bonds. We don't know her story yet, but let's not jump to a conclusion before we do, yeah? She deserves to tell it to us and have us hear her out."
As I'm nodding, I glance over to Ava to see what she thinks about Mason's revelation about a drug being used to harm omegas. It's hard to remember sometimes that Ava is an omega, too. She's the opposite of Summer in some ways, as much as she is her mirror. Ava, though incredibly kind to those she lets in to her life, has a hardness about her that most omegas don't. Where Summer is kind, she is also sweet. Ava...
She's kind but undeniably tough. Gritty and controlled. In all things, but especially her emotions. That's why when I glance at her, I'm shocked to see her entire body is so tense, she looks like she's turned to stone. Her eyes have gone, vacant and her jaw is clenched.
Eyes wide, I gently take one of my hands off Summer to smack Hudson on the side of the head.
"Ouch," he grumbles. "What'd you do that for?" Hudson looks up at me as he rubs the side of his head, glaring. When he sees me raise my eyebrows in a gesture that screams look and then nod toward the couch Ava is sitting on, his gaze follows mine.
She's in the same rigid pose still, and Hudson's mouth pops open in an 'O." By this point, Maverick and Mason have noticed where our attention has gone, and they're staring at Ava with bewildered looks in their eyes. We're all exchanging what the fuck glances. We've never seen her look like this before.
Say something, I mouth to Maverick.
You, he mouths back haughtily.
Mason rolls his eyes and in a voice barely above a whisper says, "Ava?"
Nothing.
I mimic his eye roll because of course she can't fucking hear him when he's whispering.
Louder, I mouth, completely aware of my hypocrisy. But sometimes there are real perks to being the pack alpha.
He clears his throat and then repeats himself a little louder. "Ava."
She jerks out of her daze like he slapped her. Her eyes dart frantically around at all of us, and it looks like she's just remembering where she is. I can see the moment she remembers, because she stands up rather abruptly. "I have to go. I'll talk to you guys later." Then she's walking toward the front door.
"Wait," I try to call without moving my chest so much, trying to not wake Summer. But she's also the reason I'm calling out to a retreating Ava. What will Summer think when she wakes up in a pack house without the friend she came with?
Ava turns back for the barest of seconds, her eyes soften just the slightest bit, and then she reads the question in my eyes. "I'll text her," she mumbles in answer.
A text. Better than nothing, I guess. I'm not ready to throw a fit over it though, because I am loving having her in my arms finally. I know we just found out she's our mate, but the past two weeks have been agony.
To make matters worse, Summer groans again from her spot on top of me. Only this time, it's not a scared noise in response to an aggressive alpha growl. This time, it sounds a little more like a moan, and then a hint of her perfume wafts up to me.
Hudson stiffens from his place on the floor while I hold back a moan. My pussy throbs in response to my mate's scent.
"She must be close to a heat," Hudson chokes out, sounding pained. I watch him adjust himself in his pants and have to agree. This definitely smells like a preheat hit. Like a shot of the strongest aphrodisiac straight to the vein. I can feel the burn of it spreading through my body.
"I'm just gonna...go take a cold shower," he grunts as another small wave hits us. Summer starts grinding on my leg, seeking relief in her sleep, and driving me absolutely wild with need.
Maverick chokes next and mumbles something about going to the gym. It's a brief distraction from the need coursing through me because now I'm thinking about how the old Mav would have grabbed Mason and pulled him into the nearest bedroom. To prove my point, Mason is staring at his retreating back with a longing expression. Those two need to get over whatever is happening. Since the rift between them started shortly after Summer came into our lives, it's not a big jump to assume she's the rift. But they're stupid for letting it be a thing to begin with.
Mason stands from the couch and walks toward the stairs, presumably going to his room. All of our rooms are on the second floor, with a few rooms downstairs being the offices. He's no doubt affected by Summer's perfume because he is her mate, too. But a beta's senses aren't as strong as an alphas or omegas, so he has a much better grip on himself right now than the rest of us. No, he's leaving to go stew over Maverick by himself. I sigh watching him go, but it isn't my business. Not unless it starts affecting Summer or this pack. For now, I'll let them work it out on their own.
Summer moans into my chest again. The heat from her mouth seeps through my shirt, tickling my skin and causing goosebumps to break out as she grinds against me once more.
I grit my teeth. This is going to be a long night.
Nineteen
Summer
I must be slowly coming back to consciousness, because I can tell how unbearably hot it is in my apartment, but I also haven't heard my alarm yet, so I want to enjoy however long I have left with my eyes closed. Before I have to get up and face the real world and leave the comfort of my bed. Even if I do have a slight sheen of sweat coating my entire body.
Why is it so hot? It's spring, so I stopped turning my heat on already. It should be almost chilly in here. Oh, well. This is a problem for after the alarm goes off. I burrow deeper into my hard mattress.
Wait.
I may not have splurged on the nicest of beds when I came to Chicago, but I didn't get the hardest, lumpiest one I could find. I lift my head a little squinting in the darkness. I'm still half-asleep so everything is blurry.
"Good morning, sweets," Maverick says in a voice still husky with sleep as he leans in to give me a sweet, tender kiss. Once. Twice. I kiss him back automatically, leaning into it. He breaks away from my lips before I'm ready, but before I can protest, he's nudging my head to the side so he has access to my neck. He licks and sucks his way from my jaw to my ear and then down my neck. Each kiss has a direct line to my clit, which throbs with every touch.
He moves on top of me and starts pushing up my nightshirt. The action alone, and the promise of what's to come, has slick pouring out of me.
"You taste like sin, omega. Touching you should be illegal." I'm glad it's not though as he takes one of my nipples in his mouth, sucking hard and then biting down gently.
"Ahh," I cry out and buck off the bed.
"Stay still," he growls, a touch of an alpha command in it. I whimper a little at the restraint and stay completely still as he continues his assault on my nipples. One after the other and then back again.
"Please," I beg, wishing I could buck my hips to show him exactly what I want but knowing he won't give it to me if I do. I'm not sure how I know it, I just do.
"Is my omega feeling needy?" he taunts.
"Yes," I hiss as his fingers skate over the soft cotton panties I'm sleeping in. Right over where I desperately need him. "Please, alpha." I turn my head to the side and expose my neck in a sign of submission I know will drive him crazy.
He growls at the action and then rips my panties with an almost feral sound coming from him. Before I can beg anymore, he's shoving two fingers into me as he leans down to suck my clit into his mouth.
I gasp at the sensation. One hand moves of its own accord to grab the back of Maverick's head to keep him there while the other grips the sheets on my bed for purchase.
I whimper as he starts to pump his fingers in and out of me, curling them to hit the oh so sweet spot inside of me. My legs start to shake uncontrollably. I can feel my orgasm start to build. As he's pumping his fingers violently inside me in a way I desperately need, he starts to scissor them, too.
"Are you going to take my knot, sweets?" he purrs from his position between my legs, looking up at me as he waits for my answer.
Fingers still moving inside me, I clench around them at the prospect of his knot.
Goddess, yes.
I nod my head vigorously.
"Perfect, sweet omega," a feminine voice chuckles. I startle at the sound. The fingers inside of me feel less thick than before. I glance down in time to see Brooklyn lap at my sex and add a third finger to the mix.
What the...
I don't have time to question it because then she's sucking hard on my clit and curling her three fingers, dragging them against my g-spot, and my orgasm rips through me so fast I shout and arch off the bed as I ride the wave back down. Small pulses are still coursing through me. My breath still comes fast and short, and my body feels like jello as she kisses her wave back up my body.
She places a sweet kiss on my neck that makes me moan and then moves to hover over my body.
Only this time, it's Hudson staring back at me. "Ready, pretty girl?"
"Ready?" I croak out, wondering what he means, and then he's slamming into me in one swift motion.
