26. Matts Changes the Game

Gabriel's hands were still shaking. How the fuck had things come to this? It was like a snowball that kept getting bigger every time they thought it fucking melted. He paced behind Daniel's chair, the small room not giving him much space to vent his frustration. They took Alice directly to the Monsanto prison, just in case this was some sort of stray attack. The Tube here was as good as any other, but the rooms were small and cramped, and probably not an easy space to be in with an angry alpha.

"How much longer? It's been hours!" he snapped at Daniel. His friend flinched at his tone, making him feel guilty.

"At least a half-hour more. I want to make sure there are no delayed drowning symptoms," Daniel told him nervously. "I told you, the Tube is better prepared for injuries than for drowning."

"All right," he replied, trying to use a gentler voice.

Gabriel continued to pace as he checked his phone for any messages from Matts. He had called him as soon as Alice was in the Tube, and, as expected, Matts got on a plane immediately from wherever he was. He should be arriving at the prison at any time.

Standing by the glass to be as close to her as possible, Gabriel watched Alice sleep in the Tube, peaceful. Her skin had lost the bluish color and was returning to her normal warmth. Her lips were pink, and her mouth was relaxed.

This was the second time in less than a year that he'd had to watch her in the Tube. The first time was not as painful; the Tube easily dealt with whatever drugs the strays had given her at the time. But this time, it was more complicated, and the fear in Daniel's eyes when he saw her had surprised Gabriel. Everyone had come to expect the Tube to be able to fix everything. It was supposed to be a panacea for the modern world, so it was a fucking bad time to discover one of its limitations.

A chime sounded from his pocket.

"Matts is upstairs. I'm gonna go get him." Gabriel put his hand on Daniel's shoulder in what he hoped was a conciliatory gesture, but the way the beta jumped made him regret it.

Once upstairs, he found Matts smoking a cigarette near a window, in a brightly lit room. At first glance, the alpha seemed relaxed, but Gabriel knew better.

"How is she?" Matts asked right away, discarding any pleasantries.

"Daniel is keeping her a little longer in the Tube, just to be safe, but the worst is over."

"Good." Matts put out his cigarette on the window and looked at Gabriel, hesitating.

"Spit it out, Matts. If you have something to say, say it here, not downstairs where she can hear it."

Matts rubbed his face with one hand, and pushed his hair out of his face. "What will you do if this is all in her head?"

"What?" Gabriel was taken by surprise. He had expected anger, blame, or negligence accusations from Matts, but not this.

"If I go poking around her head, and find that this is all because of the mess the strays made of her mind, what then?" Matts demanded.

"I don't know," Gabriel confessed. A picture of Alice in the same cell where he'd once kept Rita popped into his mind. That would be his worst nightmare. "I don't know what can be done, if that's the case."

"Would you be willing to do whatever it takes to help Alice recover her sanity?" Matts asked.

It seemed as though Matts was testing him for something. Something he probably was going to hate.

"Yes," he replied without hesitation. No matter what Matts demanded of him, he would do it if it brought Alice back to normal. "Whatever it takes." Even if you take her from me.

Matts nodded once. "This sometimes happens to bookkeepers. Dealing with other people's minds can have the same effect. We have a way to restore the mind to normal, but it's slow and delicate." Matts took a deep breath. "It would mean she had to disappear entirely for a few months."

Gabriel's heart skipped a beat. The possibility of losing Alice to Matts, even if just for a few months, was painful. But if it meant she wouldn't walk into the sea anymore…

"I don't care. If there is a chance to make her better, I will take it."

"Good to know that." Matts didn't sound any happier about this situation than Gabriel did. Both men remained quiet as they made their way underground.

"Take a deep breath," Daniel requested.

Alice breathed in slowly through her nose and let the air out through her mouth.

"Good." Daniel changed the stethoscope to another spot on her back. "Another one, please."

Alice inhaled again, but this time she blew the air out toward her hair, to get a lock out of her eyes.

"Sounds good. I don't think there is any damage." Daniel beamed, relief pouring from him.

Alice took another deep breath, this time in relief. She was still fuzzy about what had happened, but she could feel Gabriel's worry through the bond.

"Is he angry?" Alice asked. She didn't know why, but someone felt angry.

"More scared shitless than angry," Daniel replied as he sat down to write something on his computer. "Do you remember what happened?"

She went behind a screen to change from the hospital gown to a pair of sweats. Smelling herself, she made a face. Why did the Tube always leave people smelling so funky?

"Not quite. It was like a dream, but I knew it wasn't a dream." It had been so strange. "I think I was fighting something."

"Fighting?" Daniel asked as he typed a report.

"Yes, like something was pushing me to go somewhere and I fought it."

"Shit. The strays do like to kill those they leave behind." Daniel's hands hovered over the keyboard. He was unsure now.

"I know, but I don't think it was that."

"Alice!" Gabriel's voice boomed from the doorway.

"I know you are concerned, but it's customary to knock—" Alice couldn't finish what she was saying, because Gabriel was giving her such a tight hug, she might run out of air again.

When he finally let go, he looked her in the eyes, but it seemed like he couldn't say whatever it was he wanted to. So she went first.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." A tear unexpectedly ran down her cheek, and, embarrassed, Alice hid her face in Gabriel's chest. She started shaking, her delicate facade of strength collapsing while faced with her mate.

"It's all right. It was just a scare." Gabriel made soothing noises and kissed the top of her head.

Hot tears were soaking Gabriel's T-shirt. Alice felt so vulnerable. How could she ever apologize enough for having done such a stupid thing? She was foolish and ashamed and couldn't help herself from crying in front of her mate and her doctor. Could this get any worse?

"Hello, darling," Matts greeted her in a sweet voice.

Shit. Her cheeks were blazing hot. Now she was crying in front of Matts too.

"Hey, Matts," she replied with her face still hidden in Gabriel's shirt. She might as well not come back out ever again.

A tissue made its way into her hand, giving Alice the opportunity to wipe her tears and blow her nose. Well, blow her nose, at least—the tears were all on Gabriel's shirt.

"How are you feeling?" Gabriel asked, his steady voice hiding his worry. He was relieved she was okay, but there was an underlying concern in the room. Matts, in particular, was trying to hide his uneasiness.

"Like I just did the stupidest thing in my life." Alice tried to steady herself. "And you?"

"Like I won't be able to sleep for a month or so," Gabriel joked, but it only made Alice feel worse.

She hugged him again. "I'm so sorry."

Matts voice came from somewhere in the room. "I will go get the desk ready. Could you come and help me, Daniel?"

"Sure."

She heard both men leave, and expected Gabriel to relax, but instead his stress went up.

"Tell me." Alice cupped Gabriel's cheek, trying to soothe his worries. "Remember, you promised me you would tell me the decisions being made about me."

"Matts needs to peek into your head to find why this happened," Gabriel told her.

"Yes, I assumed as much. What else?"

"If we find that this is all in your mind…" Gabriel hesitated, and Alice sent her love through the bond. "If we find this is all in your mind, he will have to take you away to help you heal."

"For how long?"

"Depends on the damage, but for months, at the very least. And I won't be able to come with you."

"Shit," Alice cursed.

"My thoughts exactly," Gabriel replied with a chuckle.

"It will be okay." Alice pulled Gabriel down for a kiss and let all her fear and anxiety dissipate in the sweet touch of his lips. She would be strong and do whatever was needed, for Gabriel, for her friends, and for herself.

Gabriel led her to another room where Matts and Daniel were both messing around with a weird-looking hospital bed. Alice felt the men's eyes on her as she touched the surface of the bed. It had a strange texture, like sand under cloth.

"Is this the bookkeeper's desk you told me about, Matts?" she asked.

"Yes, darling. Would you kindly lie down?"

Alice gingerly climbed up on the desk and lay down, sinking into the sand. Her whole body felt numb, and she couldn't move at all.

Matts carefully brushed her hair away from her eyes, and a touch of jealousy came from her bond with Gabriel. He quickly stifled it, but she knew how uncomfortable Matts could make Gabriel feel.

"We've done this before, darling, remember? When I helped you train against attacks?"

"I think I wasn't a good student, with the mess my mind is in right now," Alice replied.

Matts chuckled. "I did warn you it was extremely hard to fight a bookkeeper. But let's see what we're dealing with, shall we?"

Without waiting for her answer, Matts placed his fingers along her forehead and temples. Alice breathed slowly and tried to relax.

"You're fighting me, Alice," Matts warned her. "I don't want to sedate you, but you have to let me in."

"Right, sorry," Alice apologized and tried to clear her mind. An image of waves came to her head, but she pushed it away. She could feel Matts's presence in her mind, and a tug in her bond. His touch felt familiar and comfortable. So different from the other one. Alice frowned at that thought.

"Someone else has been in your head," Matts whispered. "Can you focus on that?"

"Yes." Alice tried to follow the origin of that thought. Someone else's touch on her mind had felt forced and intrusive. Not just a rush to erase something, but an invasion to do something.

A painful tug on her bond made her wince. Bruno was trying to reach her, but having trouble. He was angry because she was so far away. She had to reach him.

"Shit." Matts took his hands away from her head as if she had burned him. "That motherfucking cunt. Shit!"

"What happened?"

"What's wrong? What did he do?"

Daniel and Gabriel's voices tumbled over each other, but Matts asked for silence with a gesture. Alice couldn't turn her head to see their faces, but she could feel the panic filling the room, from all three men.

Touching her head again, Alice felt a feather-light brush of Matts's mind on hers. A few seconds later, that painful pull on Bruno's bond demanded her attention.

Alice started to cry again. Bruno was angry with her. She had never felt him so angry before. Tears rolled from her eyes, all the way to where Matts was touching her face.

They stayed in this agonizing state for what seemed like hours, until Bruno finally relented and closed the bond.

It hurt so much. When there was a pull on the bond, she forgot entirely that he was dead, and when the pull stopped, reality rushed into her mind and the pain of losing him filled her anew. It was torture. Why was he punishing her like this?

Matts stepped back from the bed, where Alice couldn't see him. She heard a crash of something metallic hitting the floor, and pure anger came from him, so strong that it overwhelmed everything else.

"That piece-of-shit, asshole, motherfucking moron!" Matts's voice boomed in the small room.

Gabriel quickly placed himself between Matts and Alice, and Daniel was on his feet next to her as well.

Alice rose from the sand until she was just lying awkwardly on the table, still unable to move because her body felt numb.

"Matts?" Gabriel demanded.

"He's playing God with people's minds. That arrogant idiot doesn't know what he's doing."

Alice moved her head enough to see Matts fuming in the corner. She tried to reach out with her hand, wanting to soothe him. Whatever the strays had done, it was no reason for him to be this angry.

"Matts?" Alice called, trying to reach him.

Matts slumped against the wall. "I'm sorry, Alice," he apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's all right. Just tell us what happened," Alice requested.

Daniel helped her sit up on the bed, and Gabriel watched as Matts paced the room, brooding, scratching his chin while he was lost in thought. Daniel checked Alice's vitals while they waited for Matts to stop.

"Daniel, could you please leave?" Matts asked the doctor.

Daniel glanced at Gabriel, who nodded once. Alice could feel Daniel's disappointment. He really wanted to hear what Matts had to say. When they were alone, Matts locked the door.

"Our little stray bookkeeper has surprised me a few times so far." Matts talked while pacing the room. "He has a knack for discovering mind tricks we didn't know were possible. But that's because he has very little regard for other people's sanity or lives. I had expected it would be different with an omega. I was wrong."

"How so?" Gabriel asked as he put an arm around her shoulders.

"He is using Bruno's bond to access her mind," Matts said with distaste. Alice could feel the contempt he had for the other bookkeeper. "He has linked his own mind to the bond, taking it over."

"How can he do that?" Alice got up suddenly, her legs still wobbly. "How? Bruno is dead." She rubbed the skin above her heart furiously, as if she could wipe away the taint.

"I know, darling, I know," Matts tried to soothe her. "My guess is he had access to the bond while it was still unbroken. I've never seen anything like this before. No bookkeeper has had the opportunity to really study omega bonds so far."

"How did Henryk miss this? He checked Alice after the kidnapping," Gabriel demanded.

"The bookkeeper wasn't linked to her mind then. I only caught him because he was trying to reach Alice just now. When he's away, it's untraceable. All you feel is the broken bond."

"What's he doing with the bond? Did he do something just now?" Gabriel turned suddenly to Alice, like he expected her to walk into the ocean again.

"He tried but he seemed too far away. Which makes me think he needs to be close by to get the reaction he wants from Alice. He was calling her to him, and angry he couldn't find her."

"Then why did I go into the ocean? Was he trying to kill me?" Alice asked.

"No, I don't think so. I think I'm partly to blame here." Matts rubbed his face and regarded Alice with remorse. "I taught you how to fight him, and you did. Your subconscious went to a safe place."

"The waves," Alice whispered, leaning back on the table.

"You were only supposed to go there in your mind, darling. Not for real," Matts kindly told her.

"Fuck." Gabriel grabbed her hand. "Can you break the link? Erase him and the bond for good?"

"Break his link? Yes, I believe I can. Erase the bond? We don't know enough about omegas to even start figuring that out," Matts replied, eyes fixed on hers. There was an odd feeling coming from him. An anxious pull, almost like giddiness about what came next.

"Matts?" Alice asked, afraid of the answer. "What is it?"

"There is a way we can turn this to our advantage and make a trap for the stray leader."

"How?" Gabriel asked, standing up straighter.

"A strong-enough emotion could make him go deeper into Alice's mind, and then we trap him there while a team searches for him. He shouldn't be too far away to get a proper hold on her."

"What kind of emotion?" Alice asked.

"Only two types would trap an alpha, when it comes to an omega. Pain or pleasure."

"Forget it. No one can hurt an omega, at least on our side," Gabriel said while shaking his head.

"I agree, hurting an omega would be complicated for us. And it's not something I would like to do either." Matts let that sentence hang in the air. He was waiting for them to realize something. Gabriel got his meaning first.

"Sex? You want to use sex to trap him in Alice's mind?" Gabriel scoffed.

"I know how it sounds, but it would give us a good chance to catch the man who killed Bruno," Matts threw back.

Both men looked at each other, Matts trying to stay calm, and Gabriel ready to punch him.

"What do you mean, sex?" Alice interrupted their silent fight. "We've had sex plenty of times since this started, and I didn't notice him before in my mind."

"Yes, because it wasn't enough to keep his attention. But something stronger or different could be enough to draw out the alpha in him and make him linger in your mind," Matts explained. "And then I can trap him in your head while Elijah searches for him. His body would remain unconscious, and his people wouldn't be able to move him, or they would risk his sanity."

"Considering their pattern, they might just leave him behind," Gabriel offered, a thoughtful look in his face.

"All the better for us. He's the head of the pack—take him down, and they should scatter," said Matts.

"Might just work," Gabriel pondered.

"Are you insane?" Alice asked him. "Do you understand what Matts is not saying?"

"I do, Alice," Gabriel admitted, giving her a sheepish look.

"And you're okay with that?" She asked him, feeling incredulous. "Matts, are you planning on just being in the room?"

She could feel it from him. Lust was always the hardest emotion for an alpha to hide.

"It's not like that, Alice," Matts begged. "You can't expect that level of self-control from any alpha, including me."

She looked between both men, completely lost for words.

"Can you promise me we will get him?" Gabriel asked Matts. "If we do this, will we get the man who killed Bruno?"

"You know I can't make a promise like that, Gabriel. But there is a very good chance."

Alice threw her hands in the air, astonished that they were actually considering this, and started pacing the room. All of a sudden, it felt too small a space to be in with two alphas.

"Alice," Gabriel said gently. "They are trying to capture you again."

"Yeah, I got that," she snapped at him.

"It means they found a way around the tracker," Gabriel explained.

Alice stopped moving. "What? So soon? But Matts just finished putting trackers on the others."

"Yes. But they wouldn't risk capturing you again if they weren't sure they could deal with the tracker."

"I will have to let the other alphas know." Matts sighed. "It's too dangerous for the omegas again."

Alice slumped into a chair and hid her face in her hands. What they were saying made sense, even if she hated it. If they were crazy about security now, Elijah would go berserk when he found out the tracker was not safe anymore.

Gabriel crouched in front of her and tried to push her hands away. "If we capture him, it would be safe for you again."

"How?" Alice asked, face still hidden. "How would we do this?"

"I can plan it with Gabriel, but we can't give you details," Matts replied. "We don't know how much information he is getting from you, and we need to keep him as unaware of our plan as possible."

This was insanity.

"Would sex with me be that horrible?" Matts joked, but Alice could feel his pride hurting underneath the humor.

"It's not like that, Matts. I never cheated on anyone before, and this feels like cheating."

"It's not cheating if I'm there with you," Gabriel offered.

Alice couldn't help rolling her eyes. She looked between both men. Matts was eager to try this, and not just for the chance to capture the stray leader. And Gabriel—Gabriel's jealousy was contained, but still there.

"How long do I have to make this decision?" Alice asked them.

"Until the time to act comes around, you are always free to say no," Matts replied cryptically.

"I see." Alice got up and made her way to the door. "I'll think about it."

And she left both men to their own devices.

Alice thought it odd that Gabriel wanted to return to the beach house that same day. She could have bet that he would never let her return there at all.

As soon as they entered the house, she was pounced on by Boss, who was a nervous wreck. She sat down on the floor and hugged him, and Boss let out the deepest, longest howl she had ever heard.

"It's all right, baby," she reassured the dog, covering him in kisses. "I'm all right."

When Boss finally accepted that she was okay, Alice went straight to the shower to scrub that horrible Tube smell from her skin. When she came out, she was ready to eat half the fridge and sleep all afternoon. She put on her comfiest yoga pants and one of Gabriel's T-shirts, knotting it so it didn't fall past her waist, and, with her stomach growling, she went in search of food.

But when she reached the kitchen, she stopped in her tracks. Matts was there, cutting up vegetables and putting them in a pot.

"Hey there, darling. Had a nice shower?" he asked her casually.

"What are you doing here?" Alice asked him from the doorway.

"Cooking." He pointed at the food, then reached into the fridge and took out a box with various cheeses, distributed them artistically on a plate along with some bread, and put it on the kitchen island. "Here, for you to nibble on while I make lunch."

Alice sat on a stool and pulled the plate toward her, hunger winning over her distrust of Matts's intentions.

"I meant what are you doing here, in the house?" Alice asked again between bites.

Gabriel entered the kitchen. "Matts is going to stay with us here for a few days."

Then he stole a piece of cheese from her plate and turned to Matts. "I put your bag in her old room."

"You're staying in my room? Why not the guest house?" Was this their plan? Were they planning on pouncing on her when she least expected it?

"Because I can't help you if there is another attack on your mind and I'm in the guest house, can I?" Matts asked, like she was being unreasonable.

Alice quietly huffed in her seat and watched Matts cook while Gabriel set the table outside. She felt caught between two predators who were ready to grab and eat her. She wasn't surprised by the lust coming from Matts—he wasn't even trying to hide it anymore—but she was surprised by how much Gabriel was turned on. She blushed at the emotions coming from both men.

"Do you think he will try something again so soon?" she asked Matts.

He gave her one of his intense stares, the kind that made her feel like he could read her mind. A bit of anger flared in his emotions, but he quickly snuffed it.

"He was frustrated this morning, and tired. From what Gabriel tells me, the ‘distracted' state you were in came and went, right?"

"Yes," Alice replied, guilty and embarrassed. She should have talked to Gabriel instead of dismissing what was happening. "It felt just like him. Like Bruno."

"Hey!" Matts touched her chin so she'd meet his eyes. "This is not your fault. He knew how to play with your emotions, and he manipulated you into doing what he wanted. Don't feel guilty because of that asshole."

"I believe the technical term is cunt," Alice teased him.

Matts laughed. "Yes, there seems to be quite a few of those in your life."

Gabriel joined them and stole more cheese from her plate, earning a protest from her.

"So what's the plan now?" she asked, hoping their good mood would encourage them to share what they had in mind.

"Don't worry about it." Gabriel kissed the top of her head. "You have plenty of time to decide if you like Matts's idea."

"I already decided I don't like it, remember? We can try pain instead," she suggested.

Both men froze.

"There is absolutely no way anyone could hurt you, and no way an alpha would let it happen," Matts chided her. "Get that idea out of your head."

"I could hurt myself," Alice argued.

The animosity in both pairs of eyes stunned her. She lowered her own eyes to her plate. As soon as they started moving again, she picked up her plate and took it to the table outside.

Peeking inside, she saw Matts and Gabriel leaning together, discussing something. Were they really intent on going forward with this madness? She closed her eyes and reached for the bond with Gabriel. He wasn't jealous or angry, which confused her even more. She sighed, exasperated with the situation.

The next few days were unexpectedly fun. Their friends would come over and spend the hot afternoons in the pool, Matts's cooking actually winning some goodwill points from Naomi.

When Gabriel went to work, Matts would go with her on runs and on walks with Boss, and when Gabriel was there, the three of them would go out for lunch, go sightseeing, and have interesting conversations long into the night.

Alice watched as Gabriel and Matts developed a friendly camaraderie that surprised them. She had felt it before, their reluctant feelings of friendship for each other. If it wasn't for their rivalry, they might have become good friends before this. And now that her heart wasn't an issue, and they were working toward a common goal, they both had come to terms with the fact that they actually liked each other. Well, at least one good thing had come out of this whole mess.

But at night, there was always a sense of unease coming from both. All this time, Matts kept careful watch over her, sometimes touching her unexpectedly. The intensity of his gaze unnerved her. And neither of them concealed their lust for her. For Gabriel, that was normal, ever since they bonded—he liked that she knew just how much she turned him on. But now he was cuddling up and going straight to sleep every night. And Matts, who had always been careful to disguise his desire, was giving free rein to his feelings. The peaks of arousal that came from him made her very self-conscious of everything she did. On a particularly hot afternoon, she could feel Matts's eyes on her as she came out of the pool. He was sitting in a lounge chair, reading one of her books. He had his sunglasses on, but the lust in the air told her he was not focused on the book at all. Her own arousal rose in reply and she had to take a very cold shower after that.

Both men were affecting her, making her libido rise through the roof, and Gabriel's refusal to have sex was frustrating her.

Alice was cooking and cursing her new celibacy when she felt another tug on Bruno's bond. They had been increasing again, his voice sometimes calling her in the wind. Even now, when she knew who it really was, it still affected her.

"Alice? Come to me," Bruno's voice whispered in her ear while she stirred a seafood stew on the stove.

Matts and Gabriel were outside, their voices echoing all the way to the kitchen.

"Alice, I need you to join me," Bruno called again. She looked around the kitchen. His voice felt so close.

Alice took a deep breath to steady herself before taking the pot to the table outside. Matts's intense gaze followed her every step. He whispered something in Gabriel's ear.

"Eat up while it's hot," Alice said as she put the pot on the table. She was trying to keep her voice steady, but the pull on Bruno's bond was hurting. She scratched the skin above her heart again.

"Where's the wine?" she asked.

"No wine tonight. I think we drank the whole lot this week."

"This smells wonderful." Matts lifted the pot lid and quickly helped himself.

The sun had set already, but the evening was pleasantly warm. The radio was on and playing some relaxing tunes. A citronella candle was burning on the table to shoo away the bugs. It gave the evening a very romantic touch.

"It's going to be a hot day tomorrow," Gabriel mused.

"How do you know?" Matts asked him.

"The crickets." Gabriel pointed with his fork at the lawn. "When they sing so loudly at night, it means the next day is gonna be hot."

Matts smiled and turned to the grass, listening. "Loud little critters, aren't they?"

"Alice? I'm waiting," Bruno whispered in her ear.

"You all right, Alice?" Gabriel asked her.

"Yeah," she lied.

Matts turned to look at her. He reached out and grabbed her hand before returning to the food.

"Do we have any dessert?" Matts asked after finishing dinner. He walked to the kitchen.

"There's ice cream in the freezer." Alice called after him.

I need to go shopping tomorrow.Alice mused as she watched two boxes of ice cream disappear into the stomachs of the two alphas. Good thing she served herself first, or she might have been left dessertless.

Both men chatted happily, but something had changed. There was a feeling of anticipation coming from both now, and a nervous itching coming from Gabriel's bond. Alice scratched her heart absentmindedly. Matts was telling funny stories about his team, but she wasn't really listening. The emotions surrounding her were a bit overwhelming, and her attention kept slipping somewhere else.

"So Georgie decided to prove herself by hacking into Henryk's phone. She posted photos of her cat all over his social media, and replaced the photo with one of his when he was drunk. He was so confused by all the comments." Matts chuckled. "His friends really liked the cat."

Gabriel laughed and Alice chuckled, only half listening to the story. Then she noticed something odd.

"Not smoking tonight?" she asked Matts. He usually smoked after a meal.

"Not tonight, no," he replied, not looking at her.

"No wine and no smoking. Has Daniel been on one of his rants again?" Alice joked.

"Sometimes I'm surprised the powers at work didn't just decide to do away with nicotine all together." Matts chuckled.

"Do you know them?" Alice asked. "The Potentia ad Opus?"

"Some of them. But not all. I met a few when I was converted."

"Did you become a bookkeeper after conversion?"

"You don't become a bookkeeper after conversion. It's something you already have potential to be, like being an alpha or omega."

"So how did you become one?"

He smiled and looked between her and Gabriel. Alice could tell he trusted both of them, and he seemed to make up his mind about something.

"Remember when you asked me about my age, Alice?"

"Yes. I thought it was odd you looked older than most men who went through the Tube. And you gave me a bullshit excuse."

"You knew it was bullshit?" Matts laughed. "Well, thanks for not calling me out on it." He played with his empty glass. "I met Jerome around ten years ago. I was just coming out of the military, and he wanted to recruit me for a top-secret project. It took two years of interviews and physical and psychological exams for me to be accepted into this project. When I was finally accepted, I was introduced to one of the scientists who'd created the Tube. I was to be among the first, outside their own group, to test the machine."

"Eight years ago?" Gabriel gasped. "They already had the Tube then?"

"It was not the same, you know. It was imperfect, and results varied. It's why I look older than most converted men," Matts explained. "I stayed fifty-four hours in the Tube, one of the longest male conversions to this date."

"Alphas are supposed to take only up to forty-eight hours," said Alice. "Was it because you're a bookkeeper?"

"Yes. Alterations to the brain take the longest. Only omegas take longer than bookkeepers to convert."

Alice sat back in her chair, processing all this.

"But how did you know you were a bookkeeper?" Gabriel asked.

"The Opus knew it was a possibility. They were fishing for one and got lucky with me," Matts replied, smiling smugly. "All the others that came after me were easier to identify. If it's a male and conversion takes longer than forty-eight hours, it's a bookkeeper. If it's a female, then it's probably a bookkeeper."

"So there are women bookkeepers," Alice exclaimed.

Matts laughed. "Yes, but they are rarer than men. All bookkeepers are alphas, remember?"

"I wonder why they made it so that only women are omegas, and most alphas are men," Alice mused out loud.

"They didn't. The dynamic you're turned into depends on a shit ton of factors. All attempts to predict what a human will turn into have failed so far. When mass conversion started, they expected a good distribution between the three dynamics, in all genders. It was rather shocking to the powers at work when only a few omegas emerged. Each new omega was a celebration for them."

Alice made a noncommittal noise. She wasn't sure how she felt about this.

"Eight years—that's almost five years before mass conversion started. How did you manage to keep your powers to yourself during that time?" Gabriel asked.

Matts was clearly offended by the question, so Alice kicked Gabriel under the table.

"Sorry. No offense, Matts."

Matts gave Gabriel a thoughtful look. "The compulsion to obey has been in the Tube since its inception. I couldn't disobey and use my powers for my own benefit even if I wanted to."

Matts fumbled around his pocket for his cigarettes, but gave up when he looked at Alice. "Do you really think so low of me?" he asked Gabriel, still upset at the question.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. It's just that if I had that kind of power, I'm not sure I would resist the temptation to use it. I guess you're the bigger man here," Gabriel apologized.

Matts nodded, satisfied with the apology.

"That is actually how we found your stray," Matts explained. "He broke the rules and erased someone's memory. He also erased his doctor's memory, and the memory of the bookkeeper sent here to recruit him. And then he erased his file when your server burned, and you guys downloaded a copy from the mirror in Spain. Erased himself from our server too, along with his name on Alice's first list."

"Sneaky cunt," Alice whispered, scratching the skin above her heart.

"Alice?" Bruno touched her shoulder. Alice closed her eyes and put her hand over his, but there was no hand touching her.

The ocean air was losing a battle with the night's heat, and drowsiness was setting in. She couldn't be sure if she was more tuned out from Matts and Gabriel, or they were less nervous.

"It's getting late," Matts said. "Better go to sleep."

Gabriel got up and collected the dishes and the pot. "Coming to bed?" he asked Alice.

"In a minute. Got to walk Boss a little first."

Alice called Boss and took a stroll with him in the grass near the house. When they went back to the house, he settled on his dog bed, near the AC. She made sure it was at a comfortable temperature for him and went to the bedroom. When she walked in, she saw Gabriel in pajama shorts pouring a whiskey.

"Whiskey at this hour?" Alice asked as she made her way to the closet to retrieve her pajamas. Then she heard the door close behind her. Turning around, she saw Matts in sweatpants and nothing else. He leaned against the door and watched her closely. Realization hit her and she blushed furiously.

Alice looked between Matts and Gabriel.

"Now? You want to do this now?" She trembled.

"It's up to you," Gabriel replied. "If we're gonna do this, it has to be tonight. Everything is ready. We're just waiting for your decision."

Alice walked closer to Gabriel, keeping an eye on Matts, who was still leaning on the door.

"Are you sure about this?" she whispered. "Gabriel, you're a jealous man. Will you be all right with this?"

"I promise I won't be jealous if we do this. You are mine, and nothing can change that. This won't make me stop loving you, and I know you won't love me any less either."

Alice turned to Matts. "Will you catch him if we do this? Will we get the man who killed Bruno?"

Matts slowly approached her, as if he was afraid of scaring her away. Maybe he was.

"I promise we will get the man poking around your mind. And I promise that even if he's not the man who killed Bruno, I won't rest until that man is caught."

Alice nodded, blushing furiously. She couldn't believe she was going through with this.

"I've never done something like this before," she confessed.

Gabriel smiled at her. "If it makes you feel any better, neither have I."

She was surprised at that. "Really? Everyone thinks you've done this loads of times."

Now it was Gabriel's turn to blush. They both turned to Matts with curiosity.

He gave them a crooked smile. "Not my first time," he told them smugly. Then he showed a pill packet to Alice and put two small white tablets in the whiskey.

"What's that? Date-rape drugs?" Alice asked.

"Date-rape drugs?" Matts huffed. "No, but this will help you relax and make you move less when I'm in your head."

Gabriel passed the cup to Alice, who held it but didn't drink. Then Matts poured a second cup and put a pill in it too. "For you, Gabriel." Matts passed the other alpha the glass.

"Why does he need to take one? Are you gonna go in his head too?" Alice asked.

"No, but I don't want him fighting me. It's better if Gabriel is relaxed as well."

Alice studied her mate. He was putting a lot of trust in Matts with this. Gabriel held Alice's cheek with his free hand. "If you want to stop at any time, you can do so. If we do anything you don't like, just say it and we will stop. We already laid some ground rules between us, so just lie back and think of England."

"Shouldn't it be think of Portugal?" Alice muttered, and Gabriel chuckled.

Matts was patiently waiting for them to drink. "You're not taking one?" she asked him.

"Can't. I need to have a clear head for this," he replied, one finger tapping his forehead.

"That's not concerning at all," she mumbled.

Gabriel clinked his glass on hers and drank the whole thing down in one go. Alice hesitated but took a few sips of the whiskey. She was very aware of Matts circling around her and settling behind her back. He tapped the arm that was holding the glass.

"Bottoms up," he whispered in her ear. It sent sparks down her spine.

Alice drank the rest of it as Matts's hand caressed up and down her arm, waiting for her to finish. Both men were filled with anticipation, but while Gabriel was more apprehensive and cautious, Matts's feelings of desire and covetousness overflowed from him. For the first time since she'd known him, he was truly not holding back on his emotions.

"This makes the whiskey taste weird," Alice winced when she finished drinking.

Gabriel leaned down and kissed her, passing his tongue over her top lip.

"Tastes fine to me," he whispered, his voice rough and dark, before kissing her more deeply. She closed her eyes and leaned into his kiss, reassured by his arousal. Matts took the cup from her hand before letting his hands roam up and down her arms.

Unsure of what to do with her hands, Alice grabbed Gabriel's shoulders. He circled her waist, petting the skin with his thumbs. Matts's hands got bolder and tentatively explored places he couldn't touch before. He passed his hands down her arms, over her ass, and up her ribs. He petted her breasts over the tank top she was wearing, not grabbing or pinching, just casually passing over them. Then she felt soft kisses on her neck. She instinctively leaned her head to one side to give him better access and felt Gabriel's smile widen while he kissed her. He let one hand drop from her waist and caressed her between her legs. Sparks raced up and down Alice's skin. It was overwhelming already and they had hardly started.

Matts's hands lost all coyness and sneaked inside her top, cupping her chest over her bra. One hand went around her back and unhooked it, quickly returning to the front. He teased his fingers under her nipples before cupping her breasts, feeling their weight. A deep feeling of satisfaction and triumph came from him that almost made Alice giggle. Good thing that arousal was winning over her shyness. He leaned into her back, and his erection pressed against her.

Gabriel stopped his kiss and searched her eyes. He was looking for something, but he kept the bond tight, so she wasn't sure what it was. With a mischievous grin, he grabbed her top and pulled it over her head, along with her bra. Alice suppressed a gasp. They had done this a million times, but tonight it all felt so new.

Gabriel grabbed her shoulders and spun her around to face Matts.

Feeling exposed, Alice crossed her arms on her chest. She heard Gabriel's chuckle in her ear. "It's all right," he whispered to her as he uncrossed her arms. Matts looked down her body before fixing his gaze on hers. His intense eyes were hypnotizing and mesmerized her, as his hands returned to her breasts.

"Alice?" She heard Bruno call.

Not now!she thought. Busy…

A sensation of curiosity lingered in her mind, but she paid it no mind. She couldn't care less about it with Gabriel wiggling his hand inside her shorts and rubbing her over her underwear.

Matts broke his mesmerizing stare and leaned down to kiss her. He had kissed her before, once when overwhelmed by adrenaline, and one time shyly. But now it was everything she had imagined a kiss from him would be. Passionate, possessive, and dark. She felt a hint of jealousy from Gabriel, but he quickly hid it. Matts's tongue explored every corner of her mouth, and she couldn't resist biting his lip playfully. His satisfaction permeated the room.

Gabriel was glued to her back, his hands undoing the buttons of her shorts. To her curiosity, he didn't push them down. Instead, he cupped her breasts over Matts's hands, and teased a nipple in a way he knew she loved. Matts broke the kiss and looked down, a smile creeping up the corner of his lips as he watched Gabriel fondle her. He took the other nipple in his mouth, teasing his tongue over the hard bud. Alice tried to restrict her hands to Gabriel, still feeling shy about touching Matts, but her body was feeling heavy, so she grabbed Matts's shoulders for balance. Matts slid down from her breasts, tracing kisses down her stomach and letting his hands roam down her body until he was on one knee in front of her. He looked up at her with that mischievous grin and pulled down her shorts.

Alice blushed furiously as his eyes drifted down her body until they stopped between her legs. His hands crawled up her tights, circled her hips, and slid back down. He grabbed the inside of her tights and pushed them gently apart. Shyness made her resist at first, but she gave in. Eyes locked on hers, he gently kissed her belly. He traced heavy kisses below her navel, going slowly down while still watching her carefully. He was giving Alice plenty of time to change her mind. Her heart was beating furiously and her cheeks were blazing, but she didn't stop him.

He gently parted her folds and let his tongue explore her most intimate of places. Alice squirmed and moaned softly, leaning back into Gabriel. Her eyes were closed, and the sensation of Matts's tongue, in tandem with Gabriel's kisses on her neck and hands on her breasts, were drowning her.

Alice felt a finger slip inside her and explore. If it was Gabriel's, he would know exactly where to go, but Matts didn't know her, so he teased every part of her. Gabriel pushed his erection against her ass, rubbing gently. Alice had to lean onto Matts's shoulders to avoid toppling over him. Gabriel backed off and his hands reached her from behind, pushing two fingers inside her. Alice gasped as pleasure fluttered from her groin and up her body, and little droplets of moisture slipped down her legs.

"Come for us, Alice," Gabriel breathed in her ear, his voice ragged. He was holding back; she could tell. They were both waiting for something.

Matts's tongue teasing her mercilessly, together with Gabriel's fingers, pushed her over the edge in a powerful orgasm. Alice stifled her scream, one hand reaching for Gabriel, needing to touch him back. She looked down at Matts and he offered her a smug smile.

"We are just getting started, darling," he teased.

Alice's cheeks got even hotter. The whole room was so warm that the men's skin felt unusually cool.

Matts got up and Gabriel's arms circled her waist, lifting her. Her heart beat faster when he sat her down on the bed. Her mind raced in anticipation of all the things they could do to her, and a pang of fear crept in. There were some things she didn't like.

Gabriel made a shushing sound. "Don't worry. I know what you don't like. We won't do anything you don't want to."

Matts sat beside her, kissing her neck and fondling a breast. "But if you want to try something new, just let us know," he whispered.

Gabriel guided her down on the bed and both men looked up and down her body. It was both embarrassing and arousing, the way they ate her up with their eyes.

"Alice? I miss you."

She looked to her left, expecting to see Bruno there.

"I think we need to be faster," Matts quietly told Gabriel.

One hand caressing her hair, Gabriel kissed her deeply. Three hands roamed her legs and pulled them up until her feet rested at the edge of the mattress. Gabriel slid down and grabbed a nipple with his mouth, one hand grabbing the back of her knee. Hands on her waist, Matts pulled Alice toward him, sliding her down the mattress until her ass was almost in the air. He stood at the end of the bed, settling between her legs as he freed his erection from his sweatpants. Anticipation filled her as he gently rubbed himself up and down her folds. He lifted her other leg, and gently pushed himself inside her.

"Fuck," he groaned, biting his lower lip.

Fuck, indeed, Alice thought, letting a moan escape. The man could give Gabriel a run for his money. She put a hand over her mouth, trying to stifle the near-pornographic sounds that started coming out of her. Was she the same woman who'd once told Bruno she couldn't have sex with the lights on? She didn't recognize herself right now. She was lethargic, the drug making her body heavy, but she tried to touch the men back.

Pleasure crept up her belly, and her breasts bounced with each of Matt's thrusts. Gabriel teased her nipples with his tongue, but he released her leg and let his fingers slide to her groin, rubbing her. Alice didn't know a person could feel so much pleasure, and she didn't know if she could come again so soon.

Matts lifted her ass, hooking one leg over his shoulder, and increased his speed. His eyes were closed, and his face was pure erotic bliss. With Gabriel rubbing an already sensitive spot, she was undone. Both men didn't stop, even when she tried squirming away on instinct, the pleasure overwhelming her too much. Matts came with a loud grunt, and he bit the inside of her leg hard enough to bruise.

Any hope Alice had for a respite quickly evaporated. Gabriel pulled her up on the bed, wrapping an arm around her and carefully setting her head in a pillow. His chest was glued to her back, one hand cupping her mound, extending her pleasure. He draped her leg over his, and pushed into her from behind, filling in the space Matts had just left empty. It was both too much and not enough. Alice's whole body was burning, and her lust was unashamedly high now. They had opened something inside her, and she didn't know how to close it again.

Gabriel started pounding into her with abandon, one hand on a breast, pinching her nipple almost painfully. Matts crept up the bed and lightly touched her face. She watched as a sneer crept on his face, his attention elsewhere.

"Bastard," he muttered. "I've got you now."

He slithered back down the bed until his face was level with her groin. He watched Gabriel pounding into her, his smile turning to one of satisfaction. Both men felt immensely pleased, and extremely lascivious.

Matts licked his upper lip, and Alice shuddered in anticipation of what he was going to do. Pushing the leg that was over Gabriel's further up, he licked her right above where Gabriel was inside her, letting his tongue travel all the way up to her nub.

She was not prepared for this. The most powerful orgasm of her life shook her and she let out the loudest cry of pleasure she ever uttered. A feeling of smugness filled the room, coming from both men. Instead of relenting, they redoubled their efforts, making Alice come again. Gabriel was already spent, but kept pounding into her.

Matts quickly slid up the bed and touched her face again. He produced a phone from somewhere and tapped the screen. Alice heard a little beep but ignored it. She was in an odd state where she felt too sensitive, yet wanted more. If she didn't know any better, she could swear she was in heat again.

Gabriel left her side, and Matts pulled her to him. He wrapped a hand around her shoulders, pinning her in place. Gabriel parted her legs.

"It's too much. Please," she begged them. But she wasn't sure if she was begging them to stop or to start again. The pleasure was both amazing and devastating, nearly bordering on pain. But her lust felt infinite, and she was far from content.

Gabriel teased two fingers into her and rubbed her mound gently. Matts's hand was on her forehead, and he curved down to lick a nipple.

A beep sounded again, distracting both men.

"He found them. Now," Matts whispered to Gabriel.

Now what?she thought.

Gabriel lifted her legs, and Matts's erection pushed inside her. He had one hand on her forehead, the other pinching a nipple. Gabriel went back to stroking her, right where she was the most sensitive. Waves of pleasure traveled up and down her body, but much to her annoyance, Matts didn't move. She tried to circle her hips, but Gabriel grabbed her legs and pinned her, not letting her move. Matts hand left her breast for a minute, and she heard that beeping sound again. A feeling of anticipation filled the room once more, but this time, it was different.

And then it hit her. A pain in her chest, right on her heart, at the same time she registered a struggle in her mind. There was someone there, and they wanted to leave. Matts's hips moved a little, and Gabriel's tongue moved very slowly up and down her folds. The pleasure confused her mind. Or maybe not her mind, but someone else's. Alice felt too many things at once—Matts's iron grip on her head and Gabriel's firm hands on her hips and legs, not letting her move.

Pleasure in her body and pain in her mind. She wasn't sure how long they stayed like that. It felt like forever.

"Almost there, darling," Matts muttered in her ear, his voice rough and dark with effort. "Just a little longer."

Another beeping sound came from her right, and both men sighed in relief. Matts let go of her and grabbed the phone.

"They got him!" he called out in triumph.

Both men hugged Alice and kissed her all over in celebration, but she didn't care. She couldn't even remember why they'd started this venture in the first place. All she cared about was that Matts was no longer inside her, but he was so very hard and ready for her. So she pinned him down and climbed on top of him.

"Alice?" he asked but was quickly shut down as she moved her hips, taking what she needed from him.

Alice felt a hand on her forehead. Gabriel's hand, probably.

"She's burning up."

"Fuck. I didn't notice." Matts sounded worried.

"I think we triggered her heat." Gabriel turned her face toward him. "Alice, is it a heat?"

Alice looked him in the eyes, but her vision was clouded by the haze of her lust. Instead of replying, she grabbed the back of Gabriel's neck and pulled him in to kiss him passionately.

"Yeah, it's her heat," he confirmed quickly, coming up for air.

"Shit. What do we do now?" Matts asked, trying to keep a straight voice through his pleasure.

"We give her what she wants until she's exhausted," Gabriel replied.

Oh, that sounded nice. That sounded very nice, indeed.

Alice grinded Matts's hips with abandon. They had been in charge until now, but no more. She cupped Gabriel between his legs and rubbed him. She was not going to leave this bed until her lust abated and she was feeling truly fulfilled.

Matts had never felt so exhausted and spent in his entire life. He tried to school his grin into a more casual smile, but it refused to leave his lips. He was far too happy.

Alice had ridden both him and Gabriel until exhaustion hit her hard, and she was now sleeping between them. Her face was nestled in Gabriel's shoulder, her back to Matts. When she had first fallen asleep, he'd thought Gabriel was going to kick him out of the bed, but to his surprise, he didn't. Then Alice had reached out in her sleep, grabbed Matts's hand, and pulled him closer. She was now trapped between both men, feeling secure and content.

Feeling secure?

"She shouldn't have had a heat again so soon," Gabriel whispered. "She had one only two months ago."

"Do we need to call Daniel?" Matts whispered back. He didn't know much about omega heats, but he had heard about them from Zoey's doctor. He couldn't have imagined it would be such a wild ride.

"Better not. Not unless she's not feeling right in the morning," Gabriel replied.

That was fine with Matts. He wanted to stay like this for as long as possible. He let his hand roam Alice's body, feeling every inch of her. She was cooling down now, and the silky feel of her skin was addictive. He cupped her ass. How many times had he dreamed of it? How many times had he imagined sinking his erection between these cheeks?

He took a deep breath, the smell of sex filling his lungs. He wanted to remember this. He needed to keep this moment with him. When the morning came, he would have to leave this bed, leave Alice's magnetic smell, to possibly never return. Matts wondered once again if he could convince them to invite him into their bed in the future.

Maybe…

Gabriel had had as much fun as Matts did; he was sure of it. But he found it unlikely the man would ever admit it. And Alice? Now that the high of the adrenaline was crashing, he was beginning to feel unsure if she had given herself willingly to them or if it had been her heat pushing her. Or, worse still, if it had been the presence in her mind that forced her toward lust.

Fuck. Now he dreaded the morning.

"Try to sleep, Matts," Gabriel muttered. "You'll wake her up."

"I don't think anyone could wake her up right now," Matts breathed back. He touched her temple lightly with his fingertips, trying to feel the other presence in her mind.

Nothing there. She was finally free. He had broken the connection entirely.

"Anything?" Gabriel asked quietly.

"Nothing," Matts replied. "I think we got him. Really got him."

"I can't wait to see his face," Gabriel sighed. "What happens now?"

"You keep inviting me into your bed, I hope." Matts understood Gabriel's question, but couldn't resist teasing him.

"Fuck off."

Matts grinned. It was easy to get under Gabriel's skin. But he still needed to be careful, he reminded himself. This was the man who ruled over Alice's heart, and he could easily crush any future hope of this happening again. He decided to be honest. "I will take him to a secure place. Is she really asleep?"

He didn't want to explain what would happen next where an omega could hear him. He was sure that what was planned for the stray leader would go against her sensibilities.

"Yes, out like a light."

"The Potentia ad Opus want to peek into his brain." Matts grimaced. "I don't expect him to survive their probing."

"Shit," Gabriel muttered. "I can't say I feel sorry for him. But please don't tell Alice."

"I wasn't planning to."

Matts snuggled closer to Alice, smelling her hair. She mumbled something, her hand reaching for Gabriel's.

"She talks in her sleep?" Matts asked gently, curiosity overcoming his drowsiness.

"Yes, and sometimes she has nightmares too," Gabriel replied, pushing a strand of hair away from her face.

"Let me go," Alice muttered.

Matts's heart skipped a beat. Could she be dreaming about what they did?

"Was it something we did?" Matts asked. "The heat?"

"I don't know," Gabriel whispered back. "I know the omega doctors discussed what causes the heat, but they were more focused on preventing it."

"Could it have been the pills we gave her?"

"Maybe…"

Gabriel didn't sound worried, but Matts's anxiety was increasing. He hated the idea that he might have pushed her to do something she didn't really want. But he would only know how she really felt about it when she woke up.

Until then, he couldn't sleep, not really. All he could do was breathe her in and dread the morning.