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“Seriously?”
“You used to be one of us,” Joel jabbed as he returned to the stove for the noodles. “Besides, gives you a little more time with the family.”
“I’m surprised Nala isn’t cooking,” I sing-songed, waiting for someone to call me on it.
Kieran’s chuckles vibrated through my side as he dragged me onto his lap. “Oh, believe me, she tried to help but one attempt at opening the mussels and I handed her the boys.” He was still scenting me, almost like he couldn’t get enough of Isaias’ scent and then I realized he was oh so fucking close to his heat.
Nala had been monitoring it and helping him with scent blockers but it was only a matter of time. To be honest, I was surprised it hadn’t already happened. “Kieran, hold on a sec.” He didn’t stop, tugging me a little closer as he began kissing down the side of my neck. At this rate, we weren’t even going to be able to eat dinner. “Soon, okay?” I patted his chest and loosened his grip as I spread my papers across the table. “I found something and it’s bugging me.”
The happiness died down a little and I cursed myself for it but this needed to be addressed. Joel nodded for me to continue.
“It’s just this… we were talking about a case of a missing Omega and there were parallels. Things that happened with Kieran and what Nala has told us.” I was about to start rambling but I didn’t care, now that a connection was becoming clearer—one that I really hoped wasn’t real. I climbed off Kieran’s lap and frantically shuffled through the papers. “Here! This. POCA.”
It was like I had cursed the goddess or something, silence falling across the room. Isaias was suddenly behind me, mumbling as he read through one of the newspaper clippings in my homework folder.
I hadn’t thought anything of it at the time—the Prized Omega Collection Agency—because they owned most Omega Centers around the country. I thoughtprizedmeant that they prided themselves in finding Omegas homes but I had been seriously naïve the longer I looked at it.
“Looking for special Omegas?” Kieran asked at my side, frowning. “What the fuck does that mean?”
“That’s what Michael used to call me. Said I was his prized Omega.” Nala’s voice wobbled a little as we all turned to look back at her. She had crawled onto the floor, shielding our boys and I couldn’t be happier knowing that they were protected with her. The problem was that this shit just got a lot worse.
If Michael was caught up in this, that meant getting rid of Michael was only the first step in a long process. “Is this even possible?” I asked, looking up at Isaias. There was only that one fucking mention in that newspaper but so many other things that seemed to connect in my studies.
If the program was looking for prized Omegas, that could mean anything but Omegas like Kieran and Nala seemed like they fit the fucking bill.
“I’ll call Zahria, see if she has anything. In the meantime, let’s enjoy the little things. You passed a big exam, Ren and that should be celebrated.” He waited for me to fight him on it but honestly, I was done finding more shit that we’d have to navigate.
Besides, the pasta smelled fucking fantastic and Nala seemed uneasy enough with the conversation. Kieran had even migrated over to the couch, both of their gazes walking around the room as if someone was going to randomly pop in and steal our babies.
“Let’s eat then!”
Joel leaned over the counter, “Please tell me you passed the exam, otherwise this is awkward.”
I lightly punched his shoulder and helped him set the table, smiling as we gathered around to partake in yet another family meal. The mood regained its edge but I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that we were caught up in shit that would takeyearsto untangle from. Unless of course, Michael had gone rogue years after he couldn’t deliver Kieran the first time.
Was it wrong of me to think so?
twenty-four
JOEL
It felt weird going to work the next day, as if we were just holding our breath for something to happen. Ren had a few more days before he started his internship but that didn’t make me feel any better. Michael and the people he worked for were shady as shit and no amount of scouring the internet last night had revealed anything else about POCA.
“Stop worrying,” Isaias said.
“How? I don’t even know what’s going on. My entire soul is in that house and I know for a fact that that bastard isn’t going to stay fucking put in a cell.” I leaned back in my seat, not wanting to go inside for the shift I had signed up for. Knowing that Kieran would be going into heat at any moment terrified me. I had picked up a few extra shifts so I could take more time off. Isaias didn’t have the same problem—fucking societal bullshit—as he was the Alpha of the pack and allowed a full week to take care of his Omega.
Isaias leaned over and grabbed my chin between his fingers, angling my head so that I had to meet his gaze. “Do you want to go home? I can make some excuse and we can stay at home for a little while. My pack’s safety both mental and physical is a lot more important than a job.”
“No. I’m just fucking paranoid.”
“You’re not the only one.”
That didn’t make any sense. Other than fucking us senseless and finding ways to make sure Nala felt comfortable, Isaias wasn’t acting any different. “You hide it a lot better, Alpha.”
“You haven’t noticed how many times I’ve taken your ass in the last few days? How often do I find ways to scent mark Kieran? I can’t show my emotion though because Kieran can feel it and when he feels out of control, he curls into himself.” Isaias’ grip tightened on my chin as he pulled me a little closer over the console. Neither of us felt ready to go in but if we were going to be ‘on time’, we needed to leave the car.
I frowned, realizing that Isaias was much better at this than I was. “Are you scared, Isaias?”
