Chapter 7

Seven

JEAN

When I woke up, the men around me had managed to settle me into my nest; their bodies crowded around me. Over several minutes, they soothed the last dregs of the heat, using their fingers and mouths, and cocks all over again to ensure that I was completely satisfied.

Which, hell, I was. I hated to admit it, but it appeared that my scent mates were exactly what my body wanted– needed . I hadn’t believed in them before, mates, but now that I was here, there was no way I could deny what these men meant to me. It was a ridiculous turn of fate, really. To have me lose my father and nearly my Bruchelli family, only to find my true home among the enemy.

Except they aren’t the enemy. At all.

“Someone is awake.”

Cane’s voice only startled me a little, and I looked over at him, draped on his side next to me, a little unsure of how I was supposed to act. We may have been mates, but we were also still strangers.

“I am,” I offered quietly, and Cane’s hand drifted over my hip, playfully smoothing over my curves.

“And how are you feeling?”

The question was, of course, loaded. I knew what he was getting at, but I hadn’t taken the time to check in with myself. Flicking my eyes down, I looked over myself as if I were registering the various things my body had been through over the past hour or so.

At the back of my awareness, there was something, a dim change in my chemical makeup. I couldn’t be sure, but I had a feeling I knew what it meant. It was still a damn shock, though. That had been my first proper heat in years, and there was a male omega here to ensure that my body was in prime condition to conceive.

How is this all possible? Am I really…pregnant?

I couldn’t bring myself to vocalize those thoughts, and as I returned my attention to Cane, I just smiled sleepily.

“I’m good. That was…intense, to say the least.”

Kai chuckled, sitting up from where he’d been lying with his head against my thigh. “I’ll say. I’m also famished. Please say we can go to the reception and get food?”

Reed grumbled, my terrifying Reaper clearly not a fan of the idea. “We could just have them bring it here, Kai. I’m not putting that fucking jacket back on.”

Cane cleared his throat, getting the rest of our attention. “Unfortunately for you, Reed, we need to make an appearance with our Queen in tow. But we don’t have to stay long.”

He leaned over me, claiming my lips in a heated kiss. “Besides, if we really want to be sure our little omega is bred, we should fuck her again.”

My heart thudded against my ribs, and I swallowed hard. I wasn’t sure I could take all that again, but my body still warmed at the thought, fresh slick spreading over my slit. And then the three of them were growling, all of their noses pressed into various places.

“You have to stop that if you expect us to leave this room,” Kai whispered against my thigh. “Your scent is…too fucking good.”

Chuckling, Cane buried his nose in the crook of my neck as he toyed with the unique jeweled harness I still wore. “He’s right, unfortunately. If you keep perfuming like that, we’ll be trapped in this bed until your sweet pussy can’t take it anymore.”

The thought should have been more alarming than it was. But the truth was, Kai’s mention of food had ignited an aching hunger in my stomach. I needed to eat–and soon.

“Food. Please.” I sat up, reaching around to my back, trying to find the clasp to the harness.

Cane snapped his hand to mine, pulling it away from the jewelry. “It stays. Just like the ring, and…”

The words hung, and I watched as he reached into his nightstand drawer again. This time, Cane procured a slim box much smaller than the one for the harness. Before I could say anything, Reed hoisted me up to sit with my back to Cane, his hands sitting just below my breasts. Heat rippled through my skin at his touch.

“Just like this,” Cane finished.

I couldn’t see what he was holding, but then there was a slim, circular chain coming down over my head and settling on my neck. A resounding click echoed just behind me as Cane secured it, and Reed grinned evilly in front of me.

“Go on. Take a look,” Cane said.

With a solid slap to my ass, my Alpha got me up and moving, walking over to the full-length mirror across the room. I was fucking dripping with gold as I looked over myself, my skin still flushed with arousal and my pussy swollen and red between my thighs.

In addition to the harness, I now wore a thin necklace. The thing had two chains, one that draped easily over my skin and the other that had a subtle cuff of gold around it, which kept it in a rigid circle shape. In the center, there was a round O-ring of gold hanging from the looser chain.

My mouth dropped as I realized what it was. “A collar.”

The men were quickly around me, Reed and Cane on either side, as Kai went to his knees at my feet, gently tracing his fingers over the hollows of my hips.

“For our Mea Luna Queen.” Cane met my eyes in the reflection. “For you are ours– forever .”

I was quick to learn that Cane had very specific taste in jewelry. He'd draped me in unique gold chains that hung over my body in strategic places.

He'd also given me a wedding band that I couldn't take off.

Now, it appeared that he’d take his claim on me one step further, a discreet but clear collar on my neck, signaling my place as his omega. What’s more, he and my other two scent mates were vowing to keep me forever. It was a rare promise in my life–to be looked after and loved through everything.

And I had a hard time believing it was real.

My steps clicked on the gorgeous marble floor as I walked with my mates down the long hall to the ballroom. Kai had helped me to find a new dress as Cane and Reed refreshed their suits so that they were presentable to a room full of their pack members. I’d been promised food and dancing, and it struck me just how excited I was about that.

As they entered, Cane walked into the grand room with me on his arm as Queen. The dizzying reality of it hit me in waves, and I felt a bit drunk from it all. However, that could also have been the fading heat or the presence of my mates.

“Introducing the Alpha Don and his Queen! Long live Cane Cartalga and Mea Luna Jean!” a butler announced as we strode in, and I was thankful that Reed and Kai were right behind us.

I was no stranger to the pomp and circumstance of a wealthy, ruling family, but I was the pack’s enemy just yesterday, and I could sense the malcontent festering at the corners of the room. I couldn’t tell who it was coming from, but it was there.

“Alpha, excuse me, I was just going to come find you.”

Cane stopped, and I looked over as he regarded a beta who’d strode across the room in a hurry to come speak to him.

“What is it, Broms?”

The beta bowed his head before straightening and gesturing for the side of the room. “There’s an issue with one of our supplies. I believe we should discuss this quietly, Alpha.”

Cane sighed but then lifted my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles before offering a slight grin.

“I’ll be right back.”

I just nodded, trusting Reed and Kai to stand by me. They did, but I was surprised that they didn’t close the circle around me tighter. It appeared that they were leaving space for the sake of the pack, and I wondered if the Cartalgas were not fans of multiple scent mates.

As I watched Cane speak with Broms, dealing with whatever emergency came up, I noticed that both Kai and Reed were heavily focused on the conversation as well. Exhaustion and hunger were pulling at me, so I slipped away while my men focused on other important matters, heading to the long buffet table of appetizers.

Just as I scooped a bit of hummus and veggies onto my pristine, gold-rimmed plate, a woman appeared at my side, locking eyes with me as I abruptly faced her.

“Oh, hello.” I looked between her and the table. “I’m sorry if I’m in your way. Please excuse me.”

She scoffed. “I don’t think I will.”

My stomach clenched, and I scented the bitter underpinning to her vaguely lavender and chardonnay scent. Another omega.

“I’m sorry?” I cocked my head, my brows furrowing as I eyed her.

“You most certainly are.”

Anger flared in my blood at the impudence, and I set my plate down, holding myself up straighter as I regarded her again.

“What appears to be the problem? Miss?”

As she glared at me, the woman’s eyes flicked to my right, and I could sense my mates quickly sidling up behind me. Cane’s hand entwined with mine as he took a position right at my side, leveling the woman with a withering stare.

“Explain yourself. Who are you?” Cane barked, his voice low and sharp as a knife.

The woman sneered, stepping back a foot and raising her hands into the air. “Cartalga family!”

Conversations died in the room, the entire pack stopping what they were doing and turning their attention to the horrid guest.

“I am Libby Morris, Cane’s real queen!

A hush washed over the room, and I reeled back, shock reverberating from everyone in attendance.

“Ours is the true union put forth in stone by his Alpha Cartalga before he died!”

Horror washed over me as I realized that this woman was leveling a claim to my position as Queen. The only other Alpha Cartalga–the one who’d passed–was Cane’s father. If he’d done something without Cane’s knowledge, it could jeopardize our standing arrangement–my future with my mates.

My hand went to my stomach without thinking, and nausea crawled up the back of my throat.

Libby held up an ancient document, the words certificate of promised marriage inscribed at the top.

“Proof of my claim!” she shouted, and next to me, my mates pressed in tighter, instinctively trying to shield me from her.

What the fuck?!

Royal Debts (Cartalga Family Omegaverse) will continue in a full-length novel from Liz Highland coming in 2025. Keep your eyes peeled for announcements and more by following along at @lizhighlandauthor.