22. Changing the Tide

"You sound like you took a beating. Again." Gabriel sighed.

"You should see the other guy," Matts replied with a bit of humor. The man was infuriatingly positive. Still, Gabriel could hear the pain in his voice, and his ragged breathing through the phone.

"Any news on Sophie?" asked Gabriel.

"Unfortunately, no. The trail has gone cold, and we ran out of leads."

Gabriel heard Matts taking a deep inhale, then coughing. Was the man smoking while he could hardly breathe?

"Shit." Gabriel rubbed his face with his free hand. He had hoped Matts would find Sophie, but if even he couldn't find her… He shuddered to think what could have happened if the strays got their hands on Alice as well. "What are you going to do now?"

"I talked with Jerome. He agreed I deserve some time off. These past few months have been taxing, to say the least."

"Understandable."

There was a hesitation on Matts's end. Then, "I'm planning on spending time with Alice."

Fuck. Gabriel tried to keep a cool head. "You promised you wouldn't interfere. We are still four months away from the deadline. There's still time—"

"We are only four months away from the deadline, Gabriel. And while I promised I wouldn't interfere, and kept that promise, you agreed to let me be a part of Alice's life."

Gabriel pressed his forehead against his office window. Matts was right. He had kept his promise, but that didn't mean he couldn't ruin things now, so close to the end.

"If time runs out for you, and I know that's a big if, I want Alice to be at ease with me. I don't want to scare her again."

Eyes closed, one hand on the window for support, Gabriel fought to find his center. Alice was in her bedroom upstairs. If she sensed his turmoil, she would come down to check on him.

"Do you still intend on not letting her know about our terms?" Matts asked. "You are doing yourself a disservice, you know that, right?"

"If she stays with me, it should be for me, not to avoid changing mates," Gabriel confirmed. "Why would you care either way?"

"Because against my better judgment, I have somewhat developed a camaraderie with you. Shocking, I know." Matts's ironic tone made it hard for Gabriel to discern if he was being honest or not. "And if we did tell her, and she chose me anyway, well, I guess I understand your perspective more than you think."

Now, silence on both sides of the line, both men hesitant to agree with the other. Gabriel understood what Matts meant about camaraderie. If not for Alice, they could have become friends. But they were too close to their goal now, too close to the finish line to acknowledge any other feelings other than rivalry.

Gabriel broke the silence first. "I guess I will be seeing you soon, then."

"I guess you will."

Matts ended the call.

Alice greeted Matts at the apartment door. He had expected a maid or her bodyguard, and was surprised to see her instead.

"Hello, darling." Matts greeted her with a kiss on each cheek. How he loved the Portuguese way of greeting. "Where is Gabriel?"

"In his office, pouting over some late work," Alice replied with a laugh.

"Pouting?" Matts whispered to himself as he made his way to the office and knocked on the door.

"No time for anyone today, unless you have coffee," called an angry voice from the inside.

Matts looked at the door, confused for a second. "I can ask Alice if she can make some." He laughed.

A groan came from behind the door. "Come on in, Matts."

"What's with all the work overload?" Matts asked as he closed the door behind him.

"Diego, the Spanish First Chair, has asked for our alliance to become official," Gabriel explained. "I'm triple-checking all the High Court rules to see what we can do."

Interesting. Matts politely waited for Gabriel to stop working and properly greet him, but Gabriel ignored him and kept typing. Matts wasn't even sure if the man was actually writing something, but he didn't care. The silence quickly turned into a quiet power struggle between them, each not wanting to be the first to address the other.

Matts looked around the office, not willing to give in first, and his eyes froze on a large photo of Alice on the wall.

Alice was kneeling on black sand, looking out at the sea with a laugh on her lips as a wave crawled up her thighs and chest. Her dress was soaked. Matts took a step closer to the photo. Had the water made the dress transparent?

The sound of a laptop closing startled him.

"So how long are you planning on staying?" Gabriel fumed.

Matts held back a smile. "At least for the summer. Unless there are any leads to Sophie's whereabouts."

"And what are you planning on doing with Alice?"

Matts smiled but resisted the temptation of making a joke. Gabriel knew quite well what he would like to do with Alice…

"I'm not planning on getting in your way, if that's what you're afraid of, Gabriel." He was honest with the other alpha. "I just want to hang around and relax."

Gabriel's scowl told him that he really didn't believe him. That was all right. Although Matts wanted to spend as much time as possible with Alice, he really didn't want to interfere. If time was up and he took over as Alice's mate, he wanted to say he won fairly.

"I'll leave you to your work, then," Matts said before leaving the office in search of Alice.

He followed the sound of a radio all the way to the kitchen, where he found Alice chopping up a mango. Something simmered on the stove behind her. She gave him one of her wonderful smiles when he joined her.

"Is he still stressed?" Alice asked, concern in her voice.

"Pretty much so." Matts lifted the lid of the pot. The smell of the simmering meat made his mouth water. He looked for a spoon to get a taste, but Alice closed the lid.

"If you are hungry, there is cheese in the fridge," she scolded him.

With a grin, Matts opened the fridge. There was a platter heavy with different types of cheeses. He placed it on the counter and helped himself to a beer also. Then he leaned against the counter, eating while he watched Alice cook. She was absentmindedly swaying her hips to the music, and pouring the chopped mango into a bowl with other fruit. She licked the tips of her fingers, and Matts had to stop himself from groaning.

"If you're going to stare, you might as well help," Alice chided him.

"I would love to help, but I think I'd rather watch you cook."

Alice gave him a droll stare, then she picked up a chopping board and placed it in front of Matts. "There is lettuce in the fridge. You can do the salad."

Matts gave her a mischievous grin. He took the lettuce from the fridge and pretended to look for a knife. He knew very well where the knives were—he had helped Alice cook here before—but it was much more fun to lean into her body to reach the drawers on the other side of her.

"There is enough space for two alphas, Matts," Alice scolded him with a laugh.

"Looking for a knife, darling." Matts took the opportunity to smell Alice's hair. It had a warm scent mixed with the fruit she was cutting. He put a hand on her waist, pretending he needed her for balance. What was it that he had promised Gabriel? That he wouldn't interfere? He wasn't so sure about that now.

"Matts…" Alice warned him.

"Here it is." Matts smiled coyly and showed her the knife he had taken out of the drawer before he started chopping the lettuce.

No, he wouldn't interfere. He would give Gabriel all the space he needed to charm the pants off Alice. But he sure as hell wasn't going to make it easier for him.

What was I thinking?Matts followed Alice through the club as the loud music and the flashing lights messed with his senses. He hated nightclubs. He hated the loud music, the cheap drinks, and, most of all, the horde of dancing bodies that tried to swallow him into their numbers. So why was he here?

Alice punched a code into a keypad next to a metal door and entered the stairwell that led to Gabriel's office. As she bounced up the stairs, Matts had a full view of her rear. The leather pants she was wearing molded the curves of her ass into two perfect pillows. He wanted to grab that ass with both hands and spend a couple of hours just nuzzling it.

Alice stopped her climb and turned around, eyebrows raising in question. The stark contrast between the dance floor and the quiet of the stairs must have distracted him enough to let his lustful wishes slip. He feigned ignorance and Alice resumed her climb. They found Naomi at the top of the stairs, and he entered the office after her. She regarded him with suspicion. Both women dropped their bags on a chair and went back downstairs.

Matts settled in one of the couches, ready to spend the night drinking and watching Alice dance with her friends. He heard Gabriel settle at his desk. Did he ever stop working?

Matts took a deep breath. He understood all too well Gabriel's drive to work. This vacation was God-sent, considering how much Matts had worked in the last four years. But his alpha nature resisted his relaxation, nervous energy begging to be spent. Typically, alphas would spend the extra energy between the legs of a beta, but that wasn't an option right now, either for him or for Gabriel. They both wanted the same woman and wouldn't take second-best in her stead.

Matts watched Alice and her friends dance to the beat of fast-paced music. Gabriel was working quietly. Elijah was near the bar, keeping an eye on the women, but once every hour, he had to come upstairs to get a respite from the music.

"I don't know how she can tolerate the loud music for so long," Matts mused.

"She loves it," Gabriel said from his desk. "Says it dampens whatever it is that makes others attracted to her and muddles the emotions she usually senses. She feels free there."

Interesting. So Alice wouldn't be able to feel him or Matts down there? That was worth a test.

Naomi and Marina were leaving the club, Alice's driver ready to take them home.

He quickly went downstairs and caught Alice on her way to the office door. The music was deafening, and the strobe lights were enough to send someone into a seizure, but he took Alice's hand and pulled her to the dance floor. At least in the VIP zone, there was room to breathe.

Matts brought Alice's hands to his shoulders and held her by the waist. She looked nonplussed and gave a little laugh that was inaudible over the music. But she danced with him, her hips swaying in his hands and the low cut of her top offering a tantalizing view.

He saw Elijah look at them as he went to the stairs. He would probably alert Gabriel to what they were doing, but Matts didn't give a fuck. He released the walls over his feelings, let his lust and want run free, and marveled that Alice was indifferent to it. She truly couldn't get his feelings in the chaos of light and sound around them.

Matts tried to smell her neck, using the dancing as an excuse to get entangled in her personal space. Nothing but sweat and alcohol filled his lungs. She could be a beta for all he knew; right now, there was no difference.

And he didn't care. He was in love with her, not the omega. He wanted Alice, the woman with her hands on his neck, grinding gently on his leg as they danced.

Matts caressed the exposed skin on her back. He wanted so much to explore, to let his hands roam all over her body like a potter over clay. He wanted to kiss her senseless. Lick her senseless. Fuck her senseless…

They danced a couple of songs more, his annoyance at the loud music forgotten. He could have stayed there until dawn, giving free rein to his imagination. But Gabriel had other plans and cut his fun short.

"Time to go home," the other alpha boomed over the music.

"Come dance with us, Gabriel!" Matts yelled back.

"Yes, come dance with us, Gabriel!" Alice yelled also. Her back was to Matts's chest, his hands on her waist. She might have had a bit too much to drink.

Matts could see a vein pulsing in Gabriel's forehead, or maybe it was the strobe light effect. Either way, Matts didn't care. He liked dancing with Alice.

With a mischievous grin, Gabriel grabbed Alice's hips from Matts's grip and swayed in place with her. Even with the lights and the smell, it was impossible not to notice the lustful thoughts racing through Gabriel's mind.

Her ass grazed Matts's groin, and he could feel his jeans getting uncomfortably tight. She leaned back into him, trapped between the two alphas for a full song. Some very lewd thoughts filled Matts's mind, and he let his imagination run with them. He was going to keep them hanging on the edge of his mind until he was alone in his bed. He passed his hands over her arms, stroking the skin. His eyes locked onto Gabriel's for a moment, their alpha powers muted by noise but still there. For a moment they were just two men in love with the same woman. Matts couldn't resist dragging his fingers along her neck.

"It's getting late." Gabriel drew Alice gently to him and guided her from the dance floor. Matts joined them with an evil grin of satisfaction at taunting Gabriel. When Matts drove back to his house, he mused that Gabriel might not want to go to the club anymore as long as he was there, and he laughed.

The summer days passed lazily. Gabriel took as much time off work as possible, but as First Chair, that wasn't a lot. Unfortunately for Matts, that meant Alice also worked most of the week. But unlike Gabriel, she occasionally had the afternoons to herself, and Matts inserted himself as much as possible into her schedule.

Alice took him to her favorite restaurants and showed him some amazing traditional shops that had wines and food from all over Portugal. Unlike the last time Alice was his tour guide, she took him along like a trusted friend, rapport building between them. Matts took every opportunity to mention how much she would love Norway, describing the wonders the country had.

Weekends, however, meant that Matts had to share Alice with Gabriel and their friends. Gabriel had invited all of Alice's friends to join them in the beach house in an attempt to buffer Matts's attention to her, but it had sort of backfired on him.

Matts was lying on a lounge chair, pretending to read a book, as he took advantage of his sunglasses to watch the women in the pool. Alice's friends constantly side-eyed him and whispered to each other. Matts had to use all his self-restrain to stop himself from smirking. If he'd known her friends would appreciate it so much, he would have undressed for them much sooner.

Naomi said something to Alice that made her turn to Matts and roll her eyes. Alice came out of the pool, and now Matts really had to control himself. He placed the book over his groin. Better safe than sorry.

"Matts?" Alice asked in a coy voice.

She was in a blue bikini that complemented her suntan, and dripping water everywhere. Her hair was soaked and clinging to her skin, and the rabbit necklace she always wore was shining above her breasts. He fought the urge to catch the droplets streaming down her legs.

"Yes?" he replied politely.

"Did you put on sunscreen?" Alice asked, glancing with concern at his chest. He looked down at himself. His skin was pale and didn't tan, and he was getting red.

"No, I hate the feel of sunscreen in my hands." A devilish smile crossed his face. "Perhaps you can help me?"

Alice smiled sweetly. "Sure."

Matts sat up straighter in the lounge chair, anticipating Alice's touch, hoping she would do more than spread sunscreen on his back. She shook a bottle in her hands and sprayed it all over him, enveloping them both in a creamy cloud that smelled like coconuts.

He coughed twice. "That's not what I expected."

"I bet it's not." Alice chuckled. "But it's what you needed."

She put the bottle on the ground and dived back into the water. Matts could see Naomi laughing in one corner of the pool.

That one was going to be hard to win over. Matts was sure Naomi would resent him if he took Alice to Norway. He was counting on Daniel and Marina joining them there; the need they had for their omega would be strong enough to lure them. But Naomi? He would have to find some way to get through to her.

"Why do you smell like a tropical paradise?" Gabriel's voice interrupted his musings.

"Your mate thought I was in danger of skin cancer, even though we have the Tube to deal with it now."

Gabriel laughed. "Well, we have regular sunscreen if you need it," he said before jumping into the pool with the others.

Matts watched over his book as Gabriel playfully flirted with Alice, his hands traveling from her shoulders down along her back until they disappeared underwater. Alice's friends swam to another corner, allowing them plenty of space.

Gabriel whispered something in Alice's ear that made her laugh, and he gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. She looked at him in a way that made Matts's heart skip. Alice was in love with Gabriel, it was fucking obvious to everyone. But there was something stopping her from giving in to him. Something Matts hoped he could take advantage of. As soon as he had the opportunity, he was going to remind Alice she had other choices. He was just afraid that Alice would put him in his place. Again…

A few days shy of September, Matts received news from Henryk about an intense hacker attack on a Tube factory in Switzerland. He groaned and rubbed his face as he read the message. Terrible timing for the strays to pop up. He had to return to his team as soon as possible, but before he left, he was going to have an honest talk with Alice.

Luckily, she had the afternoon off, so with an offer to cook lunch, he picked her up from the government building where she worked. Gabriel was at the entrance to see her off, and he gave her a passionate kiss in front of everyone before letting her go. When she entered the car, her face was red, and she was a little out of breath.

"Is it just me, or is he becoming less and less restrained?" Matts teased her.

Alice grimaced. "He's in a hurry all of a sudden, and I can't understand why."

Matts smirked as he drove them to the beach house. He could think of no better way to spend his last vacation day than with Alice in the pool, just the two of them.

"It's probably because of me," Matts teased. "He's clearly threatened by your intense attraction to me."

Alice laughed. "Someone had a bowl of ‘you wish' for breakfast."

Matts grinned. He loved to tease her like this. He searched the GPS for a place by the coast where he could have a private conversation with her.

"Everything all right?" Alice asked as Matts parked the car at a lookout point facing the ocean.

"There is something I want to talk to you about." Matts kept both hands on the wheel, to avoid the temptation of touching her.

Alice politely waited for him to start.

"Gabriel has been kissing you a lot lately," Matts said. "Are you in love with him?"

Alice's eyes opened wide and her jaw dropped. "That would be between me and him, Matts."

He grabbed her hand and held it between his own. Her cheeks flushed and she tried to take her hand back, but he didn't let her.

"I know there is a lot of pressure for you to accept Gabriel as a mate. A real mate, I mean," he told her. "But I want you to remember that you can still choose me if you want to."

"Is that what you want?" Alice asked. "For me to choose you over Gabriel?"

"Isn't that what every man in love wants?" Matts argued. "For the person he loves to choose him?"

"Love?" Alice laughed, but it was humorless. "You don't know what love is, Matts. Love comes from knowing someone, from understanding them. What you have is infatuation."

"Maybe at first, when I saw the opportunity to have an omega for myself. But not now, Alice. I have grown beyond that. I was hoping you could see it."

Her eyes followed as he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it gently.

"You don't know me well enough to be in love," she half-whispered.

"Don't I? I have spent the last two years learning every facet of your soul. I know you, Alice, and I see you for what you are."

His free hand touched the rabbit necklace on her chest.

"What do you want from me, Matts?" Alice's voice shook and her cheeks were even redder.

"I don't want anything from you. I want you," he said, letting go of his control just enough to let her taste his true emotions. He leaned into her, bringing her hand to his heart and holding it there. "I want to show you the world. I want to be everything you need from a man."

Alice stayed quiet, her breathing rapid and her eyes focused on his. Matts's free hand slid to the back of Alice's neck and drew her closer to him. He could feel her heartbeat through her skin, beating at a furious pace.

"And I want to kiss you," he muttered, their lips dangerously close. Slowly—shyly, even—Matts pressed his lips to hers, but her mouth remained closed. Her hand pressed against his chest, undecided between pulling him closer or pushing him away. To his dismay, she chose the latter.

"I can't…" Alice said, sounding out of breath. "Matts, please."

"I won't apologize for letting my intentions be known, Alice. You know what my feelings for you are, and I want you to keep in mind that you can choose me."

With his cards on the table, Matts drove them to the beach house.

Alice's attention drifted far away from him, but he didn't mind. He knew what she was thinking about, and all he could wish for was a chance.

All sound muted, floating in an ethereal blue so dark she couldn't see the bottom, Alice let the water push her body back in the wake of a wave she had just dived into. Two flips of her feet and she was back at the surface, the crash of the ocean waves raging back against her ears. A new wave came thundering her way, and she dove under it. All noise muted and her vision blurred. As soon as it passed over her, she opened her arms, let go of her body, allowing the water to command her movement. One fluid motion that pushed her toward the beach. She was flotsam in the ocean, letting the water dictate her movements.

The tide was coming in, and bringing with it ferocious waves that hit the sand with the fury of a thousand dead sailors. Maybe they were asking, what are you doing, girl?—not understanding the water was her home. The ocean wouldn't take her life. It had refused her once before, when she was a child and swam out so far from the beach that she couldn't hear the crashing waves anymore. The ocean had cradled her and rolled her back to the beach and onto the sand, into the frantic arms of a mother who'd thought for sure her child was dead. That moment stole forever all the fear she should have of the water. It would not take her life, and it lulled Alice back and forth with each wave, like a mother would rock her child. So Alice opened her arms and danced in an ethereal water ballet, with elegant movements pushed into her arms and legs by the water currents. Her body danced effortlessly in the waves as her mind struggled with a decision.

The water pulled back to gather its strength for another wave. The ocean was breathing in and out, Alice was breathing in tandem with it. The ocean swelled and a wave loomed over Alice. Taking a deep breath, Alice dived in and let go.

Gabriel… He was so worried lately. He tried so hard to hide his fear from her, but his emotions betrayed him. She didn't understand why in the last three months, he had become so desperate. Holding her and kissing her with fake aloofness, flirting with her while fighting the waves of anxiety that poured from him.

Still, he never demanded, never pushed her beyond her limits. And, like he had promised, he had given her time.

Another wave came in, and Alice dove once again.

Matts… He was the opposite of Gabriel's feelings, radiating calm and confidence, as if he was sure of an outcome Alice couldn't fathom. He had given her a lot of gifts these past few months. Norwegian cheeses and chocolate, comfy wool sweaters and coats—which confused her immensely with the heat wave they were having—a miniature Viking boat, and books. So many books. Books about Norway, stories set in Norway, and the history of Norway.

Had Jerome agreed to let her and Gabriel visit there? Maybe as long as it was with Matts, it was okay?

Another wave, another dive, another pirouette in the water.

Matts had been hinting about that possibility. He would often talk to her about wondrous valleys, incredibly blue lakes, pristine snow, and the Aurora Borealis.

How she longed to see it all.

The trip to the Azores had shaken up how she viewed her life. She had thought it over, that her shot at happiness was done, and all that was left was to go with the flow of the events around her. She had thought that second chances were not for those who had lost the love of their life. She had seen no future after Bruno.

A smaller wave washed over Alice, weaker than its predecessors. The ocean's strength was dying out, the tide becoming gentler.

Gabriel or Matts. Two futures lay before her. One of comfort and familiarity. The other of adventure and unknown. Both full of promise.

The waters had pushed her back so much that her toes touched the sand. Alice made a gesture she had learned in dance class, a graceful motion that turned her body with the current, flowing with it as one. When another wave passed, it was as if she was jumping effortlessly, in a watery ballet. As if following her movement, the wave curled around her as it withdrew. Oh, to command the waves instead of being dragged by them. To command the currents of her own life.

She couldn't command the sea, but she could take hold of her own life again. She wanted to break free from her mourning, from the ghost of Bruno, and put her heart at risk again. It was time to let go of the past, and open the door to new possibilities. But she needed the right key to do so.

Gabriel or Matts? Deep down, she knew she had already chosen.

He closed the lid of his laptop with a snap and tried to relax into his chair. Jerome had just sent him an email reminding Gabriel of the deadline of the claim. As if he didn't know. As if he hadn't watched each day pass on the calendar with dread.

Three weeks to go.

Matts was already making plans for Alice's security in Norway. Henryk had let it slip that everyone on Matts's team was looking forward to it. And although Matts hadn't said anything to Gabriel about her move, he had asked some questions that assured Gabriel he was planning for it. What temperature Alice liked in her room, how often her friends took time off work, and even what kind of food Boss ate.

The bastard was so sure he had won.

Gabriel flirted with the idea of telling Alice the truth. That she was going to Norway unless she bonded with him. But even just thinking it sounded like an ultimatum, forcing her into something she didn't want, and that ultimately would consume any feelings she had for Gabriel. It would be like Sophie and Marcel.

You are not the same with Alice, are you? Sophie's voice echoed in his mind.

No, he was not Marcel.

He got up and went looking for Alice. His feelings were in turmoil, his alpha instincts yelling at him and commanding him to take Alice as his own. He needed her peace to center himself. Would he be able to maintain his calm after she was gone? Or would he sink into despair, and take the country along with him?

He shuffled through the beach house, not turning on any of the lights. The sun was setting and the light from outside tinted the walls with shades of orange and purple.

He found Alice in the living room, sitting on the couch, watching the sunset. He sat next to her, so close that their legs touched, and ran his hand through the soft, woolly texture of her oversized cardigan. The cold October weather was just around the corner, and Alice liked to bundle up as soon as a chill ran through the air.

Her mind was far away from him right now, her dark eyes betraying nothing of her thoughts.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked her, his curiosity compelling him.

"About letting go…"

"Funny," he said without humor. "I was thinking the same thing."

She fully turned to him on the couch, a serious expression on her face, her dark eyes mesmerizing him, piercing into his soul. The light filtering through the window lit her hair in a halo. He was on a precipice, and Alice was a sphinx about to ask him a riddle in exchange for safe passage.

She touched his face with both hands, her fingers lightly caressing his cheeks. And then she slowly leaned into him and kissed him.

Taken by surprise, it took him a few seconds to react. It was the first time she'd seized the initiative to kiss him, without being addled by the heat. He slid her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. His want, his need, unleashed into his body like a flash flood. He drew her so close that he lost the sense of where she ended and he began.

Breaking the kiss, she leaned away from him to gaze into his eyes. He took a deep breath, unaware that he had forgotten to breathe.

"Are you sure this is what you want, Gabriel?" she asked, sounding breathless herself. "Once it's done, there is no going back."

Shouldn't it be him asking her this?

He replied by pulling her back into the kiss, his hands traveling all over her body. Passing his tongue over her lips, he begged to explore her mouth. She opened to him and explored in return, her tongue trailing his upper lip. She twisted in his embrace and straddled him on the couch. He opened her cardigan and felt nothing but smooth fabric over her skin. Underneath the sweater, she was wearing nothing but a gauzy black T-shirt and shorts. His pulse raced as he explored her over the fabric. His hands followed the curve of her generous hips, up toward her waist. He teased the underside of her breasts with his thumbs, and she bit her lip in response. Lifting the light fabric until it revealed one breast, he cupped it and licked her nipple, a sudden hunger for her skin making him want to taste every inch of her. A small whimper urged him on, and he sucked and teased her as he fondled and pinched her other breast. She kissed the top of his head, and let her hips grind his erection.

"I'm sorry it took me so long." Her breath tickled his neck, followed by her tongue. "I was so afraid… I'm still afraid of what will happen."

He guided her back so he could look into her eyes again. There were sparkles in the dark depths, and her pupils were large.

"I would've waited until the end of times," he confessed. "I want you—you, Alice. I've wanted you since before we converted."

Eyes wide, she gave him a short nod, but seemed unsure of what to say next.

It didn't matter. All that had happened before no longer mattered. With their confessions out of the way, they fell back into each other's arms, a fog of need and lust enveloping them. Gabriel's heart soared.

Alice squealed in surprise when he got up, holding her in his arms. He grinned wickedly at her, mischievous thoughts running through his head. With her legs around him and his hands under her ass, he carried her to his bedroom.

Placing her carefully on the bed, he dragged down her shorts with a single movement. He wanted to taste every inch of her skin and feast between her legs for hours. Blood was pulsing in his eardrums, an instinctual need to make her his pushing him towards dominance. But he would take his time and lavish her in sensual affection until she screamed his name.

Alice's heart raced as Gabriel towered over her. Exposed from her hips down, blood rushed to her cheeks, and the heat of arousal rushed between her legs. She could feel Gabriel's control hanging by a thread. His lust, his need to take her were overwhelming his judgment. She loved it.

She tried to sit up straight and help him remove his clothes, but he guided her back down, one hand on her shoulder commanding her to stay put, his eyes glossy with desire. She recognized what he was going through—she had seen it before— so she let herself be commanded by him. He needed control over her so he could control himself.

He took off his thin sweater and tossed it to a corner, his beautiful blue eyes snapping back to her as soon as he was free from the garment. She wanted to take off her cardigan, but he pinned her to the bed. His gaze traveled over every inch of her, drinking in the sight. There was wonder mixed with his lust, as if he couldn't quite believe he had her.

Reaching out slowly, tentatively, for the muscles in his chest, she grazed his skin with her fingertips. She had wanted to explore his body many times before, and perhaps he had known that, with the amount of teasing he did. He caught her hand as it explored the ridges of his stomach, and guided it lower, between his legs. She could feel how aroused he was through his jeans. She tried undoing the top button, but he brought her hand up to his lips.

"No, not yet," he said as he ran her palm over his face. "I won't be able to hold back if you unleash me too soon. There is something I want to do first. I've been dreaming of this for the longest time."

"Dreaming of what?"

But he didn't reply; instead his mouth got busy exploring her navel. He teased her belly button with his tongue, making her squirm with tickles, and with a chuckle he let his mouth slip all the way down. He teased and nipped between her legs before he let his tongue twirl over her most sensitive spot.

Alice gasped, grabbing the sheets as if they could save her from the overwhelming pleasure climbing up her skin. She squirmed and agonized with the sensations he was eliciting from such a small piece of flesh. And just when she thought she couldn't take it anymore, he slipped a finger into her. Slowly he explored her opening, pushing into her rhythmically, further and further inside, pleasure building up and coming undone when he found a spot that made her nearly jump off the bed.

"Gabriel!" She gasped as she came, the air in her lungs not enough to make it a full scream.

He stood up straight, quickly undoing the buttons of his jeans and pushing them down his legs.

"Fuck it, I can't wait any longer." He grunted and he kicked the offending garment off his feet.

Giving her no time to explore him in return, he grabbed her hips and pulled her down towards his erection, pushing himself through her folds, grazing her mound with the head of his hardened member. A million sparkles ran across her skin, from her sex to her nipples.

It was wonderful. It was heaven.

One hand on the mattress and the other between her legs, blue eyes pinned on hers, he adjusted himself until he found her entrance. Alice braced herself. It had been so long since the last time she had sex, she couldn't even remember the feeling of having someone inside her. He pushed in and she stretched around him, a gasp escaping her throat at his size. His entrance was so slow, so controlled, that she instinctively pushed forward with her hips.

"Shit, Alice," he cursed and pinned her down by her waist. "I don't want to hurt you. This is… this is different."

He kept thrusting in at an excruciatingly slow speed until his groin joined her ass and he was filling her up completely. Alice closed her eyes and let the sensations flood her. How had she forgotten this feeling? Then he began to thrust into her harder, in and out, over and over, building up a pleasurable tension where they were joined.

It had been so long…

Closing his eyes and hooking one of her legs over his shoulder, he thrusted faster, the corners of his mouth curling in a mischievous smile with every gasp and moan he elicited from her. A weight began to tug on her chest, a link fighting for space with the cut bond. She could feel snippets of his emotions through it, far more accurate and pure than what she felt with her omega senses. Pure elation was flooding through him, overwhelming her with every movement of his hips. His pleasure mingled with her own, and she wondered if he could feel hers as well.

But the severed bond fought back, and a painful sting speared her through the heart. She grabbed the sheet with her hands, bit her lip, and endured it. She was done with pain controlling her.

Gabriel's thrusts became erratic, and he leaned over her to capture her lips in his. He was so close. She lifted her hips to meet his thrusts so that he hit a more pleasurable spot. His hand traveled down her stomach and reached between her legs. Using his thumb, he drew her closer and closer to climax. She arched her back and tried to hold on to his arms for dear life. A rush of pleasure flared from between her legs again, overwhelming her until she found release.

With a loud groan, Gabriel gave several last hard thrusts, their bodies making a slapping sound. She could feel him come inside her, along with a scramble of emotions. The new bond overwhelmed the old one and settled between them.

She realized with a start it had already been there, just too weak and powerless to fight against the void.

Both elbows on the mattress to avoid collapsing over her, Gabriel gave her a puzzled look. Then, breathless, he cuddled up to her and scratched the skin above his heart. Alice sent her feelings of love for him through the bond, and understanding dawned on his face, a smile so brilliant it could compete with the sun itself. A silent conversation of pure emotion ran between them. Love, trust, and lust. So much lust.

Although they could feel each other's emotions freely, Alice needed to verbalize something. Saying some things out loud made them truer, in a sense.

"I love you," she told him.

He kissed her deeply in response, the link buzzing with his happiness and satisfaction.

"I love you too," he replied with shortened breaths, taken in between kisses. "But I am far from satisfied."

Before she could ask what he meant, he slid his body down until he reached her breasts. He pushed the gauzy fabric over them, and took a nipple into his mouth, flipping his tongue over it. Her other breast was palmed and pinched, pleasure shooting through her.

"I won't be satisfied until I hear my name on your lips a few more times," he smirked.

And she did call out his name again, several times during the night until the sun broke the darkness around them. Only then, exhausted and sated, did they find sleep in each other's arms.

A tug on his chest woke him. Something was fighting their new bond, and it didn't come from his side. He followed the sensation, trying to find its origin, but it dissipated as quickly as it had appeared.

In its place, a feeling of satisfaction and exhaustion filled the link between them. A smile spread over his lips. Alice was feeling the same way he was.

She was spread over him, one leg over his, her head on his chest. Naked and warmed by his body heat, she was deeply asleep. The sound of rain hitting the window was the only thing breaking the silence. There was some light sneaking in through the curtains, but he couldn't fathom what time it was.

He looked down at Alice's sleeping figure. Her hair was tangled down her back, and there were several marks on her neck and shoulders from biting and sucking. He expected to find quite a few on his own skin as well. Using a very light touch, so as not to wake her up, he let his hand travel down her smooth skin, and over the swell of her ass. Pleasure hummed through their bond and smug satisfaction washed over him.

She was his. Undeniably his. And he was in no rush to announce it to the world. They could wait forever, for all he cared. What mattered now was him and Alice.

He felt her awareness stirring, and her consciousness hung just an inch away from sleep. Mischievously, he let his hand follow the curve of her ass until his fingers found her folds. He searched for a little mound of flesh, finding it with his middle finger.

"Good morning to you too," Alice told him with a very sleepy voice.

He played around her sex, feeling her arousal through their bond, and letting her pleasure mount until she was on the brink of release. Then he grabbed her ass with both hands and centered her over him. He entered her with one deliberate thrust, eliciting a moan of pleasure from both of them. He planted his feet on the mattress and adjusted his legs so he could lift his hips, and then heaved into her with methodical movements, trying to hit that spot that made her go wild.

She was so tight around him, yet they fit perfectly together. It had surprised him last night just how far she could stretch to accommodate him. And the sensation overwhelmed him. The pleasure of fucking her was far beyond anything he had experienced so far. It was as if all his previous ventures had been in a dream.

Breathless moans vibrated his chest, and her generous breasts glided up and down his muscles. Her pleasure was intensifying, so he picked up the pace, bringing her close to release. In tandem with Alice's loud moan of pleasure, rhythmic movement enveloped his erection, pushing him over the edge. He held her in his arms, both riding orgasmic waves until they were spent. It was pure bliss.

He let his legs fall back on the mattress, and Alice let her head fall back on his chest, both satiated beyond belief.

"How are you feeling?" Gabriel asked her.

"Satisfied. Happy," she told him, dark eyes peering at him from behind the messy curtain of her hair. "And very hungry."

Gabriel laughed. He was famished too.

"I guess I have to feed you." he told her, wiggling his eyebrows and grinning.

"Anything you put in my mouth is going to get bitten," she replied, challenging his double entendre. "At least, for now."

He wrapped her in his embrace again and laughed, rolling them on the bed. "Shower first, or straight to the kitchen?"

Sniffing the air around them, Alice made a face of disgust. "A shower sounds nice. The room could use some airing too."

Rolling them on the bed, he got up and pulled her toward the bathroom. Much to his dismay, he found that showering together wasn't as fun as he had thought. Alice liked her water scalding hot, and he preferred it lukewarm. But he did enjoy washing every inch of her body and untangling her hair. He wanted to memorize every curve, every freckle, every line of her skin. His want, his desire for her, was impossible to satiate. He'd expected that after making her his, he would be able to control his lust, his need to claim her, but instead it had opened a door he could no longer close. So he pushed her against the shower wall, and loved her once again. The shower hit his ass with boiling water on every thrust, but it was worth it.

After their shower, they raided the kitchen. It was almost noon, but the storm outside was dulling the light. The sound of the rain lapping at the windows and pounding the pool offered the illusion of isolation, as if there was no one else in the world but them.

Alice put food on the coffee table in front of the fireplace and Gabriel turned on the fire. Sitting on the floor in front of the flames, they both ate in comfortable silence. It was so easy to transmit to Alice through their bond. Would he ever need words again?

"So, now that you got what you wanted, do you want to tell me about the deal you had with Matts?" she asked him in between bites of bread.

Gabriel's hand hovered over a piece of fruit.

"You knew about the deal?" he asked her, his body freezing in place. "Who told you?"

"Nobody told me anything, Gabriel, but I swear, sometimes you forget what an omega is."

Doubts immediately jumped at him. Had she chosen him to avoid Matts's claim? Had she given herself to him because she wanted to, or because she had to? He tried to control his emotions, as to not let his fear pass through their bond, but then he got something from her that he didn't quite expect. A sense of bluffing passed through the bond, subtle but there. Did she know about the deal, or had she just suspected something was up?

"Tell me. Did you choose me for me, or because you felt like you had no other choice?" he asked her.

"I chose you." Alice got on her knees and held his face with both hands. "I chose you for who you are, and because you made me fall in love with you. I needed no other reasons other than you." Her dark eyes gazed into his with nothing to hide, and he could feel her honesty through the bond.

He sighed with relief, cupped the back of her neck, and tried to pull her down to a kiss. With one finger to his lips, Alice stopped him.

"But I want you to promise me one thing."

"Anything," he offered, not even caring about what she could ask of him.

"I want you to promise that you won't hide any secrets from me, ever again. You won't let me live my life in darkness of the decisions being made about me."

"I promise," he told her simply, and he meant it. He just hoped she understood why he had decided not to tell her about the real court's decision these past three years.

Settling back down on the floor, Alice took a piece of fruit from a plate and politely waited for him to start. Taking a deep breath, Gabriel offered her the truth.

"Even after you almost fell off the roof, Jerome was still inclined to let you go to Matts. Matts, however, saw that would not be the best thing for you at that time. So he offered me a deal. You would stay with me for three years, so you could recover from Bruno's death. During that time, he promised he would not interfere with my courting of you."

He took another deep breath. "If after the three years, we were not bonded, his claim would return, and you would go to him."

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.

"Because I wanted it to be your decision. If we bonded, it should be because you wanted me, not because you had no choice." He grabbed her hand and kissed it. "I wanted you to want me, Alice. More than anything in this world. And if you chose me for fear of Matts, well, then, that would slowly kill us both." He silently prayed for her understanding.

Alice turned to the fireplace and went very still, processing what he told her. Her eyes were distant, and Gabriel could see the flames dancing in them.

"So, if I hadn't chosen you, Matts would have just taken me away to Norway at the end of the month?" she asked, eyes still on the fire.

"I doubt he would have done quite that. He would have probably invited you to spend some time with him in Norway, and then moved your life there, bit by bit."

Alice took a piece of bread from the table but played with it in her hands instead of eating it. The emotions through the bond were confusing. There was frustration, anger, but also a sense of understanding and even satisfaction.

"So that's why he…" she thought out loud. "That explains the gifts."

"Have you changed your mind?" His voice was straining a little.

"No. You were right. I did choose you for you, not for fear of Matts. And definitely not because of some deadline."

He tried to withhold the sense of relief from their bond when a nudge at his chest told him she had more to say. "But?"

"But I expect you to keep your promise from now on. No more hiding decisions being made about me. And, above all, you will be honest with how you feel." She tapped the skin over her heart with a finger. "I can feel what you're feeling. This is a far more profound sharing of intimacy than you ever experienced before. But if you don't talk to me, I may think you are feeling a certain way for an entirely different reason than reality."

"I promise. I won't hide anything from you."

She leaned into him and kissed him deeply, her lips sweet and salty from the food.

They ate in silence for a while, and Gabriel let all his feelings flow free through their bond. Again, he felt that strange tug, as if something else was pulling on the string that connected them, this time with a lighter touch. Alice scratched the skin above her heart.

"So, what happens now?" she asked.

"I'll tell Jerome the good news, and I assume he will tell Matts the bad news."

"He's not going to take it well, is he?"

"Jerome? I'm sure he'll be all right," he teased.

"You know what I mean." She gave him a droll stare.

"Yeah, I guess not. I got the feeling Matts was already counting on winning," he acknowledged. "But you don't need to worry about that."

"You can't tell me not to worry about a friend in pain."

"I know. But I don't think you can help him with this. He will need to figure things out on his own."

He heard her sigh, and worry came through the bond. A small sting of jealousy stabbed his side. Alice raised one eyebrow at him but didn't say anything. He reminded himself that she had chosen him, not Matts.

She was his. His mate, his lover, his omega. And it was time he made it official.

After he and Alice washed the dishes, he went to his office, closed the door, and clicked a button on the phone in his desk.

"How can I help you, Gabriel?" Jerome's voice came through the loudspeaker.

"You can tell Matts that he won't be taking Alice to Norway."

Jerome took a second to reply. "Did you bond with Alice?" he asked politely.

"Yes," he told him simply, not willing to go into any details.

"I see…" Jerome paused again. "In that case, I command you to relinquish your claim over Alice Lopes, and entrust her to the second claimant, Matts Hansen."

"What?" he bellowed. "No! We had a deal, you can't—"

Jerome's sudden laugh made him stop.

"You do have a bond." Jerome sounded amused at his outburst.

"Are you mental?" Gabriel was dumbfounded by the older man's attitude.

"Gabriel." Jerome took a deep breath, as if gathering his strength to explain something to a very slow pupil. "If you didn't have a bond with an omega, you would be compelled to obey my command. And it would serve you right for trying to trick me. This was the fastest way of checking if you were lying to me."

"Oh." Gabriel felt embarrassed. He should have seen through Jerome's deception.

"I confirm your claim, for now. I'll tell Matts the news."

"For now?" Gabriel disputed.

"Yes, for now. I want to talk with Alice and confirm the bond in person. I understand your concern, but after what happened in France, I'm not taking any chances."

"Understood," Gabriel accepted reluctantly.

"I'll let you know as soon as it is convenient for me to go to Portugal. In the meantime, I do request that you continue to respect the rules in place for Alice's protection. Keep her in Portugal, keep her safe. Last thing we need is another omega in the strays' hands."

"Understood. Hope to see you soon, then."

The phone rang in its annoyingly high tune, breaking his concentration. He closed the file on a new prospect bookkeeper with an annoyed thump and reached out to pick up the call. The name on the caller ID screen gave him a moment's pause.

Jerome. He wasn't expecting a call from him for another three weeks.

"Please tell me he hasn't done something rash." His first instinct was to assume the worst from a cornered alpha such as Gabriel.

"Are pleasantries a thing of the past now, too?" Jerome chided him. "I still remember when people were polite on the phone, you know?"

"I do apologize. Hello, Jerome, how are you? How is the missus?" he asked politely as he reached into a drawer for a pack of cigarettes.

"We are both fine, thank you."

"Good." He lit a cigarette. "Now that that is out of the way, why the fu—why are you calling three weeks early?"

"Language, Matts," Jerome admonished him. "I'm afraid it's bad news. Alice has made her choice, and her choice is Gabriel."

Matts leaned back in the chair, and took a big pull from the cigarette, holding the smoke inside. Violence burned underneath his skin, a desire to break every item in his office spreading from his heart to the tips of his fingers.

"Matts?" Jerome's concerned voice broke the silence.

"I'm here." He let out a long breath, smoke coming through his nose like a dragon. "I'm…" He wasn't sure what to say. Disappointed? He was, for sure. Heartbroken? Against his better judgment, he had let himself fantasize about winning the claim, about Alice becoming his. He had no one to blame for that but himself. Angry? Maybe at himself and Gabriel, but not at Alice. Never at Alice…

"Do you want to leave the list? I can look into other options should something happen to Gabriel."

"No. Don't take me out. Even if she chose Gabriel, I will still be her second."

"I understand." Jerome paused.

"Whatever it is that you have to say, just spit it out, Jerome."

"Manners," he scolded him again. He heard Jerome take a deep breath and felt him fidget through the line. "I am to transmit an offer made by the Potentia ad Opus."

Matts's eyebrows raised in surprise and he switched the phone to his other hand. The Potentia ad Opus hardly ever said anything to the lower classes, much less made offers.

"If you retrieve the missing omega, Sophie Arnaud, from the strays and kill their leader, they will grant you an immediate claim over her if you wish, or—"

Matts scoffed. He wanted to recover Sophie, but not for his own claim. If they thought this would entice him in any way, they were dead wrong.

"Or." Jerome emphasized the word, annoyed at the interruption. "They will confirm your claim to the omega Alice Lopes, over any claim or bond she may currently possess."

"What?" Matts let the cigarette fall from his mouth and it rolled on the floor. He quickly got up and stomped on it. "You can't be serious."

"I've already made it well known that I disagree with their decision. But one of them, and you can probably guess which one, seems to think that recovering a missing omega is far more important than the happiness of another. And there is the possibility that Sophie was pregnant when taken, which would mean Marcel's child could be in the hands of the strays." Jerome groaned. "The others agreed with Marcel's mother for now and understand that she wants to recover her grandchild. I'm doing my best to change their minds."

"This is insane," Matts fumed, pacing up and down his office. "They can't take Alice from her bonded mate like that. It doesn't work that way. And the other alphas mated to omegas would revolt."

"I know, and I did emphasize their folly to them." Jerome sniffed. "Matts, this is an offer for now, but it can become a command later on. They want a bookkeeper mated to an omega to safeguard themselves from the strays' rising threat, and you are the strongest one."

"They can order me to die searching for Sophie, but they can't order me to take Alice from Gabriel," Matts replied.

"Can't they?" Jerome asked sadly, before hanging up.

Matts put down the phone, lit another cigarette, and walked to his office window. It was so dark outside that he could see nothing but his own reflection. The Potentia ad Opus were supposed to be working for the greater good, not for their own selfish needs. He knew and understood more about them than any other alpha in the world, apart from the High Court. They were branched in their ideologies and ideas of what a perfect society was. But he had never thought he'd see them divided or desperate. This offer smelled of both.

And he knew omegas too. What the Potentia ad Opus were threatening to do to Alice would be worse than what they did to Sophie.

He put out his cigarette in the dirt of the fake potted plant by the window.

Alice…

She had chosen Gabriel over him. He'd been aware he was always at a disadvantage in this deal, but he had hoped—he had even dared—to dream about her coming to Norway with him. Why had he fallen so fucking much in love with her? He wanted to fly straight to Lisbon and ask why he wasn't enough.

No—now he wasn't being fair to himself. Deep down, he realized it wasn't a matter of him not being enough, but Gabriel being more what she needed. Matts was not what she needed, and every situation where he could become what she needed the most would be a fucked-up one. And he had to live with that.

He opened his eyes slowly, disturbed as the light in the room created strange halos in his vision. Taking a few minutes to gather his surroundings, he fought the disorienting contrast between reaching for a mind and reality.

An anxious voice cut through his attempt to focus. "Well?" He raised a hand and asked for time.

He got up and took deep breaths, keeping both hands on the makeshift bookkeeper's desk in front of him for balance. Rafael, whose mind he had just disconnected from, was taking longer to wake up. A natural side effect of his particular skills.

A worried tension filled the room—every one of his people anxiously waiting to know.

He told them the truth. "There is a new bond. I can't use the old one anymore. At least, not at this distance."

Several hisses and groans chorused through the room, along with a lot of swear words.

"What now? We can't just let him have her." Archie started pacing the room. The rest of his pack had similar worried looks.

"We will find a way. We knew this could happen at any time," he reminded them. He spoke in a calm voice so as not to dishearten them. The last thing he needed was for them to see his anger.

It was not her fault. He knew she couldn't fight Gabriel's web of seduction. The man had a playboy reputation for a reason. But still, he couldn't help feeling rejected. Again. He had manipulated the broken bond Alice had with Bruno to keep Gabriel's greedy hands away from her. It had maintained her safety these three years, kept her out of Gabriel's bed. But Gabriel had won, nonetheless.

Rafael sat up and rubbed his eyes. He accepted a cup of water and drank it all in one go before turning to him with a resigned sigh. "We are too far away. Maybe if we get closer, we can hook the bond again?"

"Maybe, but we would need to touch her again, without her bodyguard's supervision. It's been a long time since you were last with her."

"We should have interrupted Sophie's integration to reinforce the hook," Rafael complained.

"No." He put a reassuring hand on the man's shoulder. "That was a priority, and the benefits made it very worthwhile."

"Maybe this is a sign that the time has come to retrieve her," Rafael offered.

"Maybe." He scanned the room. "But the security around her is only second to the Opus. It will take a lot of planning and time to set up."

"Felix's hacking skills have improved tenfold since he bonded with Sophie," Archie argued. "He should be able to break through the network around her."

"Maybe…" he conceded. "If we do this, we have to be ready to lose. That means we may suffer quite a few casualties."

A flash of anticipation came from his people, everyone ready to risk their lives for the chance to retrieve another omega.

"No other masters but us!" they chorused.

No other masters but us…