Chapter 13

There’s water for miles it feels like. The guys took me to a lake on their property, and it’s beautiful. Their home sits on all of this land, it’s hard to wrap my mind around owning so much. There’s a long pier that goes onto the water, and I can’t stop staring at it as we walk along the sand with our picnic basket. The guys surprised me this morning with breakfast, a bubble bath, and then suggested a picnic.

Is this what being courted is like?

Flynn wraps his arms around my waist as he gazes out at the water. The sun is shining, and it’s warmer today. I’m wearing leggings, a light sweater, and a pair of boots that Ambrose surprised me with.

The inside is so soft and comfortable. It was a sweet gesture. I shouldn’t be surprised, but I’m still struggling to get past the way they’ve acted before.

I’ve learned to believe how people treat you the first time. Will all of this end if I’m a pain in the ass? Will they throw me away?

“I can feel you fretting,” Flynn murmurs in my ear. Somehow, during his heat, he bit me, and while he shouldn’t have been able to claim me, I can feel a tendril of his thoughts and feelings inside of me.

There’s no hiding from my omega, and the warmth and adoration I feel from our bond makes me not want to.

“I’m thinking too hard,” I mutter. “I keep finding myself waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

“They’re really trying,” he says, kissing my neck. The rasp of his facial hair makes me shiver, making Flynn chuckle.

“You smell so good,” he groans. “I made peach cobbler to go with our lunch, but maybe I should have made a blueberry lemon pie. It may be my new favorite dessert.”

“No fucking unless I get to watch,” Shaw teases us.

“Daddy, you’d be more likely to stroke your cock and blow your load over both of us, don’t lie,” Flynn rumbles. The vibration goes straight to my clit, and my imagination goes wild as I think about what it would be like to have the alphas stroke themselves as Flynn fucks me.

God, I need better panties. These are ruined.

“Very interesting,” Flynn says, his tone so low that only I can hear him as he pulls me over to the huge blanket on the ground.

Shaw inhales deeply, a deep rumble filling the air. God, what is it about these men?

“Come here, Wren,” Shaw says. Stopping, I wait for a pull or need to keep going. When none comes, I walk over to him under my own free will.

Tears prick my eyes, and I don’t know why. Shaw is clearly the one who is most dominant in this pack. He could so easily force me to do whatever he wants, yet hasn’t.

Why?

His large hands squeeze my waist, waiting for me to look up at him.

“You look beautiful today, in case I forgot to tell you,” Shaw murmurs, dropping his head down to kiss me. Sparks light up all over my body, making me gasp.

Pulling back quickly, there’s a question in his eyes. Do I want him to stop? Shaking my head I rub his chest.

“Again,” I whimper, biting my lip.

Smiling, he leans down again, his thumb pulling my lip from my teeth torturing it.

“Fishing for compliments or kisses, Sweetness?” he teases me before his mouth covers mine.

The scent of caramel salted popcorn surrounds me as his hands palm my ass, pulling me up so I can wrap my legs around his waist. Moaning as I kiss him, my fingers sink into his thick, brown hair. The kiss goes on until my hips begin to search for more friction.

Shit.

Gasping as I pull away from him, I gaze down to see Shaw panting for breath, his pupils blown. Yet, he still has fierce control, even though his skin is almost vibrating with need.

“I asked you a question, Wren,” he reminds me, his voice deeper than before.

“More everything,” I whisper, surprising myself. His answering smile makes me lean forward to kiss his cheek. Trey always kept his face clean shaven, and I’m finding that I really like facial hair on a man.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he murmurs, walking closer to the blanket to sink down onto it on his knees. Helping me turn, he bands his arm around my waist to keep me close, and I find I don’t mind it.

It’s not control, it’s comfort, and I need to make sure I can differentiate between the two.

Everest and Ambrose simply smile to themselves as they pull out food, and Flynn grins as he hands me a piece of cheese. I can feel my omega’s smugness from the bond. Cheeky man.

Dropping my head back as I pop my snack into my mouth, I slowly chew as I enjoy the warmth of the sun. I really hate being cold.

“It’s beautiful out here, don’t you think?” Ambrose asks, drawing my attention back to him. “We have pasta, Caesar salad, sandwiches, fruit, and fried chicken. What sounds good?”

I love how he said it like that. I don’t know why, but the nuance makes me pay attention to my body as my stomach growls.

“Fried chicken and salad sound amazing,” I admit with a smile.

Everest pulls out some sparkling cold cider, and I have to say this is a really sweet date. As everyone gets food, and drinks are poured, Flynn glances at me.

“Want to toast for us?” he asks, winking at me.

Rolling in my lips as I think, I shrug as their eyes lay heavy on me.

“To a perfect first date,” I murmur, lifting my glass. Smiles greet me as they clink their glasses against mine, and I have to thank the stars.

If I was going to have a first date with anyone, this is the one I’d want. As we eat, a cool wind blows over the lake, making me shiver. Flynn winces, finding a warm blanket and tucking it around the two of us.

The alphas don’t seem to notice the cooler air, and I have to remind myself that they seem to have an internal furnace under their skins.

“In the summer, we usually take out the boat on the water,” Everest says as we eat. “There’s not many people who live out here, so it’s really nice. Overworked mafia men make for grumpy ones.”

My lips twitch, because I’m pretty sure Shaw is always grumpy.

“Okay, so what made you decide to live out here?” I ask.

“A few things,” Shaw says. “One is security. Since we sometimes have to travel, I want our home to be as secure as possible. The other is that I fucking hate people. I never bring work home, but we are out at all hours. I don’t want neighbors.”

“Sometimes we like to chase Flynn through the woods. The first one to catch him, gets to fuck him,” Everest smirks.

Covering my mouth as I swallow my food, I cough slightly. “What?” I ask, a small laugh bubbling out.

Flynn blushes, and I realize he’s being serious.

“Well then, I kind of think I love that for you,” I tease him. If I know anything, it’s that these alphas won’t ever hurt Flynn. It would be as if they stabbed themselves.

While being in the middle of their nest during his heat was a little awkward, it did show me how much they care about him.

“We’re a little kinky,” Ambrose says with a shrug. “Dessert?”

Giggling, I agree. The rest of the afternoon is lovely, and I use it to ask a few questions about them. Laying back against Shaw, I let myself snuggle against him. Flynn lays on the blanket now that we’ve cleared it off and looks sleepy as Ambrose plays with his hair.

It all looks so easy between them.

“You said you’re mafia men?” I ask, glancing up at Shaw. Dipping his head, he kisses my forehead before he nods. “How did that career choice happen?”

Everest snorts, laying on his stomach to answer. We’re all kind of sprawled out, enjoying each other and the weather.

“We were dumb kids trying to figure out our lives, and one of us was dumb enough to pick Corbin Murphy’s pocket,” he says. “We would have been sixteen at the time.”

“He was actually pretty nice about it after he scared the shit out of the three of us,” Shaw remembers. “Amb tried to pull his wallet, but the three of us got caught.”

“You fuckers wouldn’t leave me,” Ambrose murmurs, smiling.

“Corbin had us start running errands for him, and then hired us as his enforcers when we turned eighteen. We went from scrawny kids at sixteen to filled out alphas,” Everest says proudly. “There’s a darkness the three of us have, and this lets us release it. When we get home, we’re settled and happy.”

“So killing is therapeutic?” I ask him. It kind of makes sense. Alphas have a natural aggression, but I don’t see as much of it as I’d expect from three alphas living together.

Flynn laughs at that as he thinks. “I can see that. They’re grumpy when they go too long without killing someone,” he says. “I don’t ask too many questions about their work, but it doesn’t really bother me at all.”

Humming with a nod, I shift against Shaw. Flipping onto his back, he pulls me over him, as if he’s a pillow. As I lay my head on his chest, his long-sleeved shirt impossibly soft, I sigh.

God, this feels nice.

Shaw plays with my hair as I move my fingers slowly to touch his other hand. The ink is dark with green and blue detail, and I can just make out a snake peeking out from underneath his sleeve.

“How did you guys meet again?” I ask. I know Flynn told me vaguely about it, but I want to know their side.

“The three of us have been together for as long as I can remember,” Ambrose says. “When puberty hit and we got the urge to experiment, we did it with each other. Shaw, Everest, and I all grew up together, but our parents all had busy lives. We got into shit together, and got each other out of it. So when the three of us packed up and wanted to start looking for an omega, we joined a dating site that specializes in safe dating.”

“We wanted to go about things the right way, even if we are made men,” Shaw says, his fingers through mine to hold my hand. “We also couldn’t just go to a bar and meet someone. Our life is dangerous.”

“How does the dating site work exactly?” I ask, intrigued.

“Hollis Edwards runs a dating site, and she vets every pack carefully. She didn’t care who we worked for, which was something we were concerned about. Hollis said she needed alphas who were good men who were serious about finding an omega they would match well with,” Everest says, his light blue eyes darkening slightly at the memory.

“We filled out a long ass application form, met with her, and then she started setting up dates,” Shaw says. “We didn’t care if the omega was female or male, and to be honest, most people who go through her don’t. The connection is what matters.”

“I joined the service because it was a safe way to meet alphas,” Flynn says softly. Ambrose is cuddling him, and I have to admit that they’re adorable. “My parents are amazing. They protected me, were really open with me about what to expect, since my mom is an omega, and I decided I wanted to find a pack before my heat. If I ended up signing up for rotations with different packs because I didn’t find someone I wanted to bond with, then so be it.”

“Thankfully, that’s not what happened,” Everest growls. It goes right to my clit, making me shudder.

Shaw chuckles, his hand ghosting along my skin to grab a handful of my ass and rock me over his erection. He does it so nonchalantly, I whimper as his length slides over the thin material covering my pussy.

Flynn smirks at me as he watches, and I know I won’t be finding any help from him.

“Pack Mohan was my first and only date, and I found out within five minutes of being at the restaurant with them that Everest and Amb were my scent matches,” Flynn murmurs. He looks happy at the memory as he remembers their date. “I had an instant connection with the three of them, and that was that.”

“We saved enough money to be able to buy this land, built our home, and the rest is history,” Shaw says. Flipping me onto my back as I squeal, he grins down at me. “Now we have you.”

“Do you? Have me,” I gasp.

“As soon as you decide to let go and agree that you want us,” he breathes before he kisses me.

Everest and Ambrose joke and rate the kiss as Shaw proceeds to pull my soul from my body. Eyes wide as I stare at him, he just kisses my nose as he gets up, pulling me after him. As if by that silent command, Everest and Ambrose start to pick everything up as Flynn moves over to us and Shaw throws his arm around him to snuggle us both close.

This should feel odd, but I have to say that it feels as if Shaw has always held us this way. I’m worried about how natural this feels, but when Flynn’s fingers link with mine, I push the feeling away. There’s love and happiness shining through our tenuous bond, and he’s happy with how this is going. There’s none of the omega jealousy I was worried about, now I just have to deal with my own shit.

I wish that was easier said than done. I have so much unresolved trauma. I can clearly see the shattered pieces of my soul as I walk back to the house with Pack Mohan. This could be my pack. They’re so easy with each other, teasing and laughing, and it’s hard for me to be that light and easy with others.

“Hey, Wren,” Shaw murmurs, drawing my attention. Flynn glances at us before kissing my cheek and moving away to roughhouse with Everest and Ambrose. God, he’s so intuitive, though his bond with both of us helps, I’m sure.

“Yes,” I ask, looking up at him.

“You know you can take all the time you need, right?” he asks. “There’s no pressure, but we are formally making our intentions known. Pack Mohan wants you to be our omega.”

I can’t even fight with him that he already has an omega, not now when they’ve shown me they can easily accommodate two omegas. Flynn and I are also so connected, I don’t want to push them away.

“I do,” I murmur. “I just have to get over my own hang ups and fear now. I could be too broken?—”

“You have three mafia men courting you, I don’t think you’re too broken, Sweetness,” Shaw interrupts me, lips twitching in amusement. “We’ll take it one step at a time, help you through every nightmare, every fear. Together.”

Everest and Ambrose turn back to walk with us, while Flynn runs up to the house.

“He has to pee,” Ambrose says with a grin. “Sparkling cider always runs right through him. I also claim a permanent spot on your floor. The other guys can figure out where they’ll sleep.”

Once Flynn’s heat ended four days ago, Ambrose started sleeping on my floor again.

“You don’t have to do that,” I tell him shyly. Thunder clouds grow in his dark eyes, and I shake my head. “I mean, you can sleep in the bed if you want.”

“Yeah?” he asks, a slow smile creeping over his gorgeous smile.

“Uh-huh,” I say as I perfume. God, that’s so embarrassing.

Shaw groans as he buries his face in my hair. “Fuck, you’re so sexy, Sweetness. Perfuming for your alphas like such a good girl,” he growls.

“Oh fuck,” I whisper, shivering. “You can’t say shit like that.”

“Why not?” Ambrose asks, coming around to my other side to kiss my neck. “This is part of courting you, we’re just taking it nice and easy.”

“This is nice and easy?” I squeak.

“I’m pretty sure I sucked Flynn’s cock in the parking lot of our first date,” Everest shrugs, pulling out his buzzing phone from his pocket. His hands are a little full, so he has to juggle to check it.

Frowning, he sighs as he glances at us. “We have a visitor,” he grumbles. “Lemon Drop, I tried my best to keep him at arm’s length to give you time, but your brother is at the gate.”

“Jasper?” I ask. I have several brothers, but this is the one that’s been looking for me. My memories have been plaguing me in my dreams the last few nights, forcing me to take a deeper look at my past not just with Trey, but my childhood as well.

Most of it is ugly, and I still remember how much my oldest brother would scowl at me.

“Yeah, Wren,” Everest says.

Shaw purrs as I hold him tightly as we walk closer to the house. The rumble makes me relax a little. I’ve been saying I need to take steps forward, I guess there’s no time like the present.

“Okay,” I tell them, nodding. “May as well let him in if he’s already here.”

Everest glances back down at his phone, rolling his eyes as he turns it toward me. A large man who has effortlessly blond windswept hair leaps over the gate, stalking up the long driveway. His piercing blue eyes glance up at one of the cameras before my brother flicks it off with both hands. He now has tattoos all over his body, and I don’t know that I would recognize him on the street.

“I see jumping gates runs in the family,” Everest mutters as he opens the back door.

As we walk in, Flynn turns as he stares at his phone.

“Did you see the cameras? Security pinged my phone,” he says, his brows tightly furrowing.

“Yes, baby boy,” Shaw says. “Wren saw too. Let’s get ready for company.”

Flynn helps them by taking the things from their hands, and each of the alphas kiss my forehead as they disappear upstairs.

“I need a drink,” he mutters as I follow him into the kitchen.

Almost obsessively, he puts everything away before pouring himself a glass of wine.

“I hate anything stronger than this,” he explains as he takes a deep sip. “They’re going to posture and bullshit, but it’ll be fine. Jasper just looks…”

“Really scary,” I mutter. “I don’t recognize him at all.”

“Ten years changes people, but I saw his face when he told us that he’s been looking for you,” Flynn says. The wine in the glass steadily disappears as he takes deep sips.

It’s like meditative breathing, but with alcohol. Frankly, it’s kind of impressive.

“Try to keep an open mind, Wren,” Flynn says before finishing off his drink and washing the glass.

The alphas’ footsteps pound down the stairs as someone’s fist slams on the front door. Flynn rolls his eyes as he grabs my hand, tugging me after him. The alphas have gun holsters over their wide shoulders, with a firearm on each side. My eyes widen as I watch Shaw reach for the door knob.

“Is this all necessary?” I hiss at Flynn, who shrugs.

“It’s mafia and alpha bullshit,” he replies. “It’ll be fine.”

And then the door opens and Jasper pushes past Shaw, his eyes wild.

“Harley?” he whispers as he sees me, his eyes drinking me in.

I haven’t responded to that name without being half out of my mind in a long time.

Swallowing hard, it takes me several tries to get a word out.

“Hey, Jas,” I whisper back.

Surprisingly, the world goes black as my eyes roll back and I pass out.

Why can’t I just be normal?