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“I’m so sorry that happened to you,” Desmond murmurs, listening as I work through the memory for him. He doesn’t pressure me to relive every detail, stroking my trembling hands.
I lift and drop my shoulders. “There was already resentment because my mom only wanted my dad. My uncle didn’t agree with the pack my parents had arranged. He thought that they could do better, and he was entitled to decide, but he didn’t have a say because he wasn’t my pack’s leader, nor was he even bonded with my mom in any way. My parents were monogamous, and my mom just didn’t find herself attracted to his brothers. My dad wouldn’t push her either. It’s hard to explain, considering how close you are to yours.” Every pack and household has different dynamics, and the pack that my parents had chosen for me was abnormal. My mom didn’t want the same pressure she faced. There was only one alpha, and the others were betas, but they were close. They were kind. They didn’t deserve the kind of fate that destroyed them.
I shiver as a thought.
“Were you bonded to them, Kinsey?” Desmond remains expressionless, though no matter how I answer, it won’t change anything. Those men died because of me. I almost died too.
“No, my uncle used that against us. He locked us up, tortured us through my first heat, tying me down to suffer alone in front of them.” I close my eyes, trying not to get lost in the sudden ache hurting my chest. “It’s why I’ve been taking the suppressant pills. I just...I don’t know if I could ever handle going through that again.”
Desmond tenses with my revelation, his body hard against mine, his anger turning palpable. But he’s not upset with me. He hugs me and kisses me, his cheek shining with a stray tear. I never expected such a reaction, and I kiss the crook of his neck and bury my face against his skin.
He blinks his eyes, his emotions clear on his face. “I’m so sorry, Kinsey. I’m so fucking sorry you ever had to experience that. I can’t even imagine the pain and despair. Where is your uncle now?”
I shrug, running my fingers over his cheeks. “I don’t know. I don’t know, and I don’t care. I hope he’s dead.”
“If he isn’t, then he will be.” Desmond strokes his hand along my back, smoothing out my trembles.
I don’t respond to him. I know if I do, my voice will crack. There is nothing more in the world I want to see than my uncle pays for what he did to me and our pack, apart from bonding with Desmond and his brothers forever. If I had to choose between the two, I would pick them. I would continue to push forward and move on from my past. I would concentrate on helping other omegas with their futures. Because this is proof enough that things need to change. We deserve the right to pick who we belong to and who belongs to us. We shouldn’t be left with the aftermath of our parents’ decisions.
I swipe my hand across my cheeks, my heart already feeling so much lighter talking to Desmond.
“How about we talk about something else for a bit? I’d love to know more about you and your brothers. What was it like growing up with them?” I reposition myself and grab the wire from him, adding two marshmallows to it. His amber eyes carry a new depth to them as he now helps me carry the weight of my past with me. But I know he gladly does it, and he wouldn’t wish it otherwise. He doesn’t even have to tell me for me to know that he wishes he could carry it all completely. Because that’s what betas do. They share the burden. They keep the packs going and bring stability. If the world could see just how important a beta is, things would be better. The world would be better for it.
Desmond rests his chin on my shoulder, holding the wire for me, setting the marshmallows ablaze until they blacken, and he blows the fire out. “My siblings made it bearable, and we’ve always been close. Even after we manifested into our orders. It was an adjustment, but only our father treated me differently. I always knew that things could’ve been worse for me. I’m thankful for the closeness I have to my brothers, even though they sometimes drive me crazy. Did you know that Wilder has a huge fucking problem with scenting everything around him? He’s the type that will ensure he will never be ignored.”
I laugh. “We’ll have to mess with him some more. I find giving him a taste of his own actions to be so satisfying.” I already noticed that he managed to sneak touching his brothers just to remind me he’s lurking. It doesn’t feel like it was intended to be in a creepy way, and more like him being almost hesitant because he knows better than giving in to his true desires. Still, I’m not going to ever let him forget it.
“I will gladly help. I’d be a happy man if it was only you that I could smell all the time.” Desmond offers me the burnt marshmallow, and I glide my tongue over his fingers as I take the whole thing in my mouth, watching him watch me, his eyes turning heavy with his lust.
“How much time do you think we have now? I’m assuming he’s going to take one of the guest rooms?” I bite my bottom lip with my words.
He chuckles and nods his head. “I know exactly which one. Come on. I think we have just enough time. Let’s really fuck with his head the second he enters the condo. Let’s make sure he knows that you have staked your claim, and there’s nothing he can do now.”
My heart flutters at his words. It’s not exactly something you tell an omega, but he’s right. I have claimed them, and even though I don’t know exactly where everything will lead, I know what I want right now.
And I’ll do whatever I can to take it.
“They’re pulling in the garage now,” Enzo says, pushing to his feet. “Brace yourself, baby. Wilder is in one hell of a bad mood. The Platinum Shores Pack really knows how to strike a guy in the balls without even being in the same room.”
I rub my lips together, trying to remain expressionless. I wasn’t included in the video meeting he and his brothers had with the men who think that I’m suddenly theirs because Madame Tamsin sold me as if I were one of her omegas, but I know that nothing was accomplished apart from threats and promises to go to war.
“There’s one way to ease the pain in his balls...” Am I toeing a line that could get me in trouble? Only in a good way. But I feel bad for Wilder. Who knew I would feel sympathy toward an ass, but he showed me his softer side. And I want to bring it out more in him. He doesn’t deserve to spend his life guarded and completely on the verge of always losing his shit because of his fear. Though I know he would never admit it.
“Damn, Kinsey. I think my balls ache now.” Desmond surprises me with his teasing, and I tip my head back and laugh, wagging my finger at him. Pushing from my spot, I head toward the door leading up from the garage. I wasn’t kidding about wanting to stanch Wilder’s horrible mood immediately. We’ve all just relaxed. Shit might be fucked up, but we can’t let it get to us in this moment. Wilder needs to understand that. He’s not carrying this burden alone. We do it together.
Enzo whistles and spanks my ass as I pass, heading to the door and preparing myself to attack Wilder in a hug he won’t be able to refuse. If he even tries, I know his brothers will hang him upside down and beat the crap back into him.
Sometimes it just takes a little reminder that his place in the pack doesn’t have to resemble his father’s.
Footsteps and the mumbling of voices hum through the stairwell as Arsenio and Wilder ascend from the basement garage. I watch the door, listening to the beep of them unlocking it. It swings open with force, and Wilder doesn’t even have a chance to prepare himself as I jump up, making him catch me in his arms. I bury my face in his throat and softly kiss the spot on his neck that will catch my scent the best. His tense muscles automatically loosen, and he groans and hugs me tighter, adjusting me in his arms in silence, not saying a single word as I just embrace him, letting him know that I’m here regardless of anything.
Because I desperately yearn to make this work. He has it in him to be the man I desire and want, though I know he’s afraid outside circumstances will force him to be otherwise. He needs to realize he’s the one in control. It’ll give him something more to fight for. It’ll give him the power he needs.
“Damn, sugar. I’m going to need some of that too,” Arsenio murmurs, sandwiching me to Wilder while he hugs me from behind.
I laugh and stretch my neck, puckering my lips and waiting for him to find my mouth for a kiss. In this moment, I know that everything has changed. I’m no longer a question in their lives. They’re no longer going to wonder what to do with me, and I no longer have to fear the answers to that. Because this is my subtle way of declaring I want them to claim me like Enzo. I want them to accept me in their pack as their omega.
I want them to fight for me.
