Chapter 6

KAI

I thought I was prepared to see her again until my parents walked through the door reeking of her. How in the world they think tonight will work without a fucking showdown is beyond me, but I’m not the boss here—never have been and likely never will be. That’s for the golden boy, who will save the day as usual. While all three of us were technically born into this, it’s Hunter who’s the born leader. He’s calm and collected, sure of his emotions. Elias is about as stable as an omega in heat, and then, there’s me.

“Pray tell, how are you guys expecting the feast to go off, huh?” I ask, gnawing on the inside of my cheek while I wait for a response. “How are you going to keep dipshit in line when the two of you even being around the girl has me almost ready to commit a familial murder, and I ain’t your biggest problem?”

Dad pushes my boots off the coffee table before plopping down beside me, dragging his hand down his face in frustration, a low vibration rumbling deep within his chest. By our age, my fathers had already bonded with our mother, their pack complete by the time they were twenty-one. They had their challenges, but nothing like the shitshow we have playing out before us.

“The three of you need to learn the art of control one day, Kai. You were born for this. Think all the alphas who live in big cities go feral just because an omega walks in the door? No. This is what your training is for, or would have been, if you weren’t fucking around most of the time.”

Ahh, yes. There it is. They think she is just any omega, but by that scent wafting off him alone, I can confirm she’s far from that. When alphas encounter their fated mates, they know. The scent settles something deep inside them, that constant need that thrums just below the surface. It calls to us in a way nothing else does.

Like earlier, the demon brother magically appears at the doorway, leaning his overly muscular frame against the doorway. I don't know what they think they’re training him for over at the barracks, but he has filled out a lot more than the two of us. Elias is a fucking tank and a loose cannon. One wrong move, and people could end up dead with just his hands. Put an enticing little omega in the mix, and it’s asking for a blood bath.

“What, big brother? Don’t think I have what it takes to behave for one night or worried about yourself and projecting your issues? Have you ever even been around one who isn’t our mother, or have they sheltered you a little too much?”

If he makes it through the holidays, I will be genuinely surprised. It’s more likely he'll be killed by my hands at this rate.

Every year, our family holds a feast before Christmas, with many pack members coming to celebrate. It’s held out in the barn at the back of our parents’ property, the family home since before we were born. Lights and decorations adorn every single surface, spanning out into the open night sky, the giant fire pit raging beside it.

The three of us are being put to use, each on different sections of our property. Hunter is up on a tall ladder, fastening the lights to the gutter of the large barn, one of our fathers holding the reel below him. I wish they would let me help with that part; the unevenness of the placement makes my eye twitch.

Elias is forced to handle the food side of things, taking orders from our mother, who seems to be in a right old mood. He storms past, curses falling from his lips about his burnt hand, the stench of searing flesh wafting into my nostrils seconds after he passes. The little fuck deserves it. I hope he scars. Maybe it will bring me a little peace from him marking my skin when we were kids. Even thinking of the scars has them burning beneath my jumper, a stark reminder that they still exist.

My gaze is locked on the dancing flames in front of me as I place a few more large logs, wedging them into the gaps to keep the fire burning. The last thing I want to be doing tonight is standing in front of the heat when my body is already running hotter than usual. Entranced, I don’t notice Hunter's arrival until his sharp elbow rams its way into my ribcage.

“They just got here, so don’t approach. Wait for her to speak with us if she wants to.”

Not even bothering to argue, I just nod, searching the crowd to see if she has come out yet. The crowd has grown significantly in the last hour, with most members of the wider pack throwing back drinks and chatting in overly loud tones to drown out the horrible music Mom has blaring from the speakers. If I hear All I Want for Christmas one more time, I might actually die. Crazier things have happened.

Heat prickles my skin as she rounds the corner, flanked by both her brothers. I knew she was gorgeous, always has been, but Jesus fucking Christ. My dick twitches at the mere sight of her, dimples in each cheek with a grin across her glossy lips. Her rich, dark brown hair hangs in waves, hitting the dramatic curve of her hips.

A feral growl rolls through my chest, deepening with each inhale of her sweet scent. Nothing has ever smelt this fucking delicious in my entire existence, like pure vanilla doused in sugar and rolled in sin. Hunter's huge hand swats at my chest, but it does nothing except force a little air from my lungs, a breath I was holding to savor her. The asshole is just as affected as I am; the energy is so heavy, it could be cut with a knife.

“She’s fucking beautiful,” I whisper without even realizing the words have fallen from my mouth. Both of the boys, our two best friends, stare directly at us. For the first time in our lives, there’s some hostility there. I can feel it crackling between us. For a pair of betas, they sure are radiating some rage. Maybe later, we could go for a run, fight it out. Might be good to break the tense energy.

Without a word, I stalk into the large barn and head over to the cocktail table filled with an assortment of fancy shit I’ve never touched before. Luckily, one of the pack members who owns a small bar in town is behind the makeshift bar, a silver metal shaker in hand and a grin plastered across his unusually cheery face. People’s overly happy aura this time of year makes me feel sick to my stomach, making these things my own personal hell.

“What can I get for you, Kai? Fancy a cider or a nice whiskey? Your fathers had a good drop imported this year. Couldn't get away with something like this at the bar. Would cost a week's wages,” he laughs, slamming the glistening shaker on the table. Beads of condensation drip onto the red cloth beneath it, pooling around the chilled metal.

“Something sweet with some of that sparkly stuff in it.” I point to the pot of edible glitter on the side, having seen Mom and Hazel testing it out the other night on their weekly wine and yap. He raises his brow at me before setting to work on the drink. “Not for me.”

He simply nods, making a concoction of some sort that turns out a creamy white color, topping it with a ludicrous amount of whipped cream. It looks like it would make me throw up with the amount of sugar, but omegas are known to have a sweet tooth.

Carrying the martini over to her, I ignore the heated stares from Felix and Ledger as well as Hunter, who’s speed-walking to intervene. He can try all he wants, but we are all equal within this little loosely bonded pack of ours. While there may be more of an air of authority radiating from my twin, he doesn’t control either of us. Though I wish he had some form of control over our prick of a brother—that would help in times like this.

“Davina.” I nod with a smile as I pass the drink into her festively manicured hands. Her bright blue eyes blow wide at the extravagant cocktail, the silver swirls of glitter glinting in the light of the fire. “Welcome back.”

“Hi Kai, Hunter,” she says as she peeks around me, finding him strolling up behind me. Despite his earlier objections, he’s grinning from ear to ear, soaking in her presence, the scent radiating from her choking the both of us. She nervously takes a sip, leaving a little bit of cream on her top lip as she moans from the taste. Luckily, I catch myself before launching forward and licking it off; it’s too early in the night for a showdown, and my best friends look ready to pounce. Note to self: thank the bartender for his service, because fucking hell.

“What is this? I probably should have asked,” she questions, looking between the two of us. A slow shiver makes its way through her, shaking out at her shoulders. The way she has to tilt her head to look at us properly does things to me, things that are entirely inappropriate for a family gathering. How in the world my brother could hurt this girl has my mind boggled.

Davina does nothing to hide her slow perusal, those pretty doe eyes making their way up and down the both of us from head to toe. Her nose wrinkles when she inhales, the dusting of freckles across the top shifting as she breathes us in completely, her eyes rolling back a touch. Good to know she’s just as affected as we are.

“Sugar cookie martini,” Hunter answers for me, watching her intently despite the snarls from Ledger and Felix. “Come sit closer to the fire. You're shivering.”

She gives him a sweet smile, following him a few steps closer to the fire I lit earlier, the two of them sitting side by side. Her brothers go to follow, but I hold my arm out, halting them mid-step.

“She’s right there and she’s safe. Give her the space to breathe. You both know us and the rest of the wider pack. Nothing will happen to her here, so stop being helicopter siblings,” I order, a little sterner than intended. They are our closest friends, and they are acting like we’re about to kill her in cold blood for everyone to see. To be honest, it pisses me the fuck off.

“This is the first time we have seen her in years because of what he did to her. I know he’s back in town, caught him sniffing around her cabin. He put me on my fuckin’ ass,” Ledger snaps, his jaw tight. Felix is beside him, his arms folded across his chest, eyes pinned to the dark-haired beauty laughing at something Hunter said.

“If she felt like she was in danger, you would know about it. She’s an omega. They feel things a lot harder than you two idiots. Tell me, does she look scared or stressed?”

Neither of them looks at me as their heads shake, not wanting to admit I’m right. She looks at ease sipping her cocktail, her smile reaching her eyes. What they don’t know, however, is that her scent is changing the longer she’s around us, morphing from sweet vanilla to something much more. Her arousal hits both Hunter and me at the same time with the way he looks over at me, the intense silver in his gaze likely reflecting my own.

“She’s an adult. Let her have fun without being suffocated. Get some whiskey and some smoked meat. Pretty sure Mom would want to see you both.”

Reluctantly, they approach their sister, asking if she’s alright before walking into the barn, looking back every couple of steps. The fire reveals the hint of blush on her cheeks as I take the seat on the other side of her, my arm brushing hers. A soft whimper falls from her lips at the connection, capturing the attention of both of us. That sound is one I will think about for the rest of my days.

“Sorry,” she laughs, nervously looking between us. “How strong was this martini? Must be working quick.”

“Hey now, it’s okay. There’s no need for that,” I reassure her, moving to the ground in front of her. The snow soaks the knees of my jeans, but I don’t give a fuck. The last thing I want is her feeling any kind of way for the reactions she’s having just sitting next to us when we’re feeling the exact same thing.

Her breathing is deep, each inhale pulling as much of our scent in as she can muster without it being obvious. This may be new to her, but it sure as shit isn’t for us. From the moment that little prick told us why he treated her like shit for a year, we knew. The uncontrollable urge to be close to her, pulling at his wolf like nothing ever has, needing to sink his teeth into her flesh...

He handled it horribly, which is pretty standard for him. Emotional maturity and IQ of a fucking coconut in the body of a special forces alpha is never a good mix, and he is the poster child for it. If we could sever him from our inner pack, I would have made that choice years ago.

“Christmas still your favorite holiday?” I ask, knowing full well the answer is yes. She has always loved to come to the feast, checking out the elaborate decorations and eating double her weight in sweets. A light in this otherwise boring, monotonous world.

I spot Felix walking back to us with a drink in hand, his expressions less harsh than they were before when he spots her smiling. The boys would be okay with it after the initial shock, I think. I mean, they know us. They trust us more than anyone else on the planet, excluding Elias.

She nods back to me, taking another sip of her drink, grinning at Felix as he puts his hand on her shoulder. My eyes linger on the gesture, my wolf side closer to the surface than usual. I can feel the possessiveness working its way through me after mere minutes of being in her orbit. He’s lucky I have enough control to not bite his hand off.

“Yeah, the last few years, the magic has slipped away. Christmas without snow and, well, this.” She throws her arms out toward all the people gathered around, talking and eating, booming voices and laughter in the air. Her smile falters the longer she thinks, sadness taking over even though she’s surrounded by the holiday joy she used to love. “It doesn’t hit the same when you’re alone.”

Standing immediately, I hold my hand out to her with a grin, on a mission to shift her emotions as quickly as possible. She takes my hand with no hesitation, sucking in a deep breath the moment our bare skin touches. If this is what touching her hand is like, I can’t even fathom how she will feel cuddled up to me. It’s hard not to get ahead of myself when every part of me wants to throw her over my shoulder and take her somewhere quiet, pull her in as close as I can to drown myself in her scent.

“Come, let’s look at the decorations for this year. They have been working out here for days to make this their best yet.”

Felix eyes me off, staring at my hand in hers with venom, but he says nothing. She makes no moves to remove it, relishing in the connection as much as I am. The four of us make our way around each display, settling into comfortable small talk about Davina’s life by the beach and just how fucking great she has done despite being completely alone. By nature, we are pack animals, needing to be around our own, but omegas in particular need connections. The fact that she has gotten through these last few years and come out the other side still smiling is a testament to her.

“Tell me more about the beach. I have never seen one, being this inland,” Hunter asks, his arm against hers while we take in the bright, flashing lights of the giant Santa Claus. It’s one of those animatronics that detects movement, bellowing ho ho ho and ringing the bell in his hand, making all of us jump when we get close.

“I adore it. The vibes in summer are something else entirely. Heaps of tourists come and are just there for a good time,” she responds, once again blushing at the undivided attention of my brother. With the way he’s looking at her, I’m surprised Felix has kept his mouth shut. He isn’t exactly hiding his emotions toward the girl in any way, and I’m still holding onto her for dear life.

Her eyes light up at the reindeer, all of them eating right at the fence where we’re standing. One of the local farmers has had a small herd for years on his property as pets, so he decided to bring them here this year as part of the celebrations. Davina reaches out to pet one of them, jumping back into my chest with a thump when it snorts at her. My hands shoot to her waist, attempting to hold her up so she doesn’t fall into the snow. At least, that’s what I tell myself I’m doing.

Felix goes to object before he is cut off by the devil himself, flanked by Ledger. Makes sense that one of them was watching him, trying to keep him as far from her as possible. She mumbles fuck off under her breath, barely audible to anyone else here with all the noise of the party surrounding us. She’s so fucking close to me, I can hear the rapid thumps of her heart beating in her chest, the way it intensifies the closer he gets.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” Elias sings as he strides toward us with a grin. The moment he’s within arm’s reach, her scent becomes unbearably strong. Low growls rumble from all three of us, with her in the middle, her body now trembling in my hold.

Fuck.