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“Are we sleeping here on the couch or a bed?” Zaven asked, running a hand through my long hair.
“Doesn’t matter to me,” I told them.
One of them scooped me up and carried me down the hallway. I was only vaguely aware of being in one of the twin’s rooms, seeing dark walls and black satin sheets, then I was in the middle of the large bed.
“I can just—” Zaven started, and I opened my eyes in time to see Emiliano roll his eyes, grab the other beta’s wrist, and tug him to the bed.
“You can get on that side.” Emiliano gestured at me. “Alessandro and I can be on the other.”
“That means keep your pants on,” Alessandro told his brother.
“Too late,” Emiliano joked before he slid in next to me.
I hummed with happiness, rolling into him as he wrapped his arms around me. Even with my clothes on, I could still feel his very naked body against mine; the heat of him was too strong for him to be wearing clothes. I ached to feel him against me, so I sleepily pulled at the shirt I had stolen while Emiliano, who must have figured out what I wanted, pulled at my leggings until I was naked and basically laying on top of him. The moment his vanilla, almond, and lavender scent surrounded me, I was a goner.
“If you set off another heat, brother, I don’t think we’ll survive it,” Alessandro said.
“Join us,” the man beneath me said to Zaven. “We aren’t shy. We promise to keep your virtue intact. I don’t want to deal with Maximo and Sutton’s possessive bullshit anyway.”
“I’m so glad that’s what’s going to keep you in line,” Zaven deadpanned. After another moment of hesitation, he joined us, stripping down to his boxers before he slid in next to me. Alessandro did the same before he climbed into bed next to his brother. They all made sure they were touching me in some way, even if it was just a hand on my hip, then we all drifted off.
I didn’t know what life held in store for me, but with my pack and my best friends, I knew I’d make it through anything.
* * *
When I woke up again,I was alone. I stretched out in the large bed and didn’t get up right away. Not only was I still sore and slightly exhausted, but my mind was going a million miles a minute, with no signs of relenting.
Married.
Intense heat.
Angry friends.
I was actually relieved to be married now, even if we might need some more time to truly become a pack. It took time to learn everything about each other and really feel that pack bond.
Finally dragging my lazy ass out of bed, I threw some clothes on and pushed open the doors to the twins’ balcony. I just needed fresh air and a moment of peace. A soft wind blew, and even though it was chilly enough to send goosebumps over my skin, it was refreshing.
“Hazel?” Eliza’s voice filtered into the room, and I spun around. I knew we needed to have this talk now because there shouldn’t be anything left to fester between friends as close as us.
“Hey,” I said softly. I sat on one of the patio chairs they had up here, gesturing at the other, and she joined me.
“So…” she said, urging me to start.
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I think keeping the secret was more about wishful thinking than any lack of trust in you guys. If I didn’t talk about it, if I ran far enough, it wouldn’t be real, right?” I laughed humorlessly. Obviously, it wasn’t the healthiest response. but it was all I had.
“How did it happen?” she asked as she stared out at the yard. It hurt that she wasn’t looking at me, but I knew she wouldn’t stay mad for long.
“One day, my dad came home from work a bit too happy. He’s pretty far up in the Humble Creed. I don’t know his exact place in their hierarchy, but that wasn’t for omegas to know anyway,” I said bitterly. “He said he made the perfect deal, and I was going to give the family the honor and respect we deserved. That night, I was tied to a chair and fed Rapture while he recited the omega tenants, over and over again. I’m not even sure how long that went on, but he said he wanted to be sure they were ingrained in me. ‘Keep a tidy house. Be submissive on all accounts.’ My feelings and opinions did not matter. All that mattered was my compliance with my fiances’ command so that I pleased them.”
“That’s fucking gross,” Eliza said before a sob broke free. “God. I should have helped you sooner. Done something.”
“No, no, no,” I soothed as I rushed over to give her the hug she needed. “This isn’t on you or me. I just didn’t want you guys to think I was a freak or something since I came from an actual fucking cult. I’m not like them, and I wasnevergoing to be their omega.”
“I’m sorry you felt like you couldn’t tell us. We wouldn’t have judged,” she told me.
“I know, and I’m sorry I held back. There’s just never a good time to rehash the awful trauma of my past.”
“When I was sixteen…” she said, and I went back to my chair to give her space. The tremble in her voice meant this wasn’t about to be pretty. “Right before Dad died, he told me I was adopted. I was the child of some estranged brother of his. I always wondered why he’d tell stories about him and didn’t figure it out until then. In my mind, when I was hearing them, he was this super cool hero. Dad just didn’t want me to have a negative view of my ‘real’ dad, I guess.”
