Chapter 23

Amb has been a cloud of anger and self-loathing the last three days, and I’ve had it. He’s trying to hide it, but he’s undoing all of the work that he did to make Wren feel safe. Instead, she scurries past him when she sees him, confused as to why he’s so pissed off.

“That’s it,” I growl, grabbing him by his loose hair and yanking him toward the back door. “This is fucking done. Why the fuck are you in such a bad mood?”

“Oh good, we’re finally doing this,” Shaw grunts, standing from the kitchen table. “I’ve about had it with his damn moping, and I caught Wren wiping tears from her eyes earlier today.”

“What?!” Ambrose asks, panicked, making me roll my eyes.

“She is sensitive to your emotions, dingbat,” I sigh, shoving him out the door as we follow. “Wren thinks she did something wrong.”

“Wren is perfect,” Amb says, shaking his head. “I’m freaking the fuck out about this damn party tomorrow. She’s so sensitive to an alpha’s bark, what if something happens?”

“We need to get the tracker into her today,” I tell them. “Look, we have to go, but we can take precautions. Flynn will always be with her, and I don’t think anyone will start shit there.”

“Crowson is the wild card,” Amb reminds me. “It’s one of the things I’m worried about. His attacks are getting closer to home, and he blew up one of our warehouses just before the mandatory invite to this meeting.”

“Fucker,” Shaw grunts. “These are all concerning things, and I may have an idea for Flynn and Wren. I want to ask her brother to attend as their guard. There are no rules against this, and he is related to her, so it”s harder for them to give us shit for it.”

I can see a bit of the strain drain from Ambrose’s body as he nods. He’s been coiled so tightly, he’s developed a slight eye tick.

“Okay. Yeah. That’s good. It may work,” he mutters.

“Look, this isn’t the first time we’ve had to figure out logistics on the fly. Why are you so fucked up over this?” I ask. “Seriously, we have to be solid tomorrow, and you need to get your head out of your ass.”

Blowing out a breath, he pulls on his hair in frustration. I can see why he’s been wearing it down, his usually perfect bun’s not adequate to deal with his need to fuck with it.

“If one of us dies, the broken bond… Look, just see how messed up Crowson and Corbin are right now,” Amb points out, beginning to pace. I stare at him, uncertain about where he’s going with this. “Omegas don’t do well with their alphas torn away from them, and now I’m glad I’m not bonded to Wren. I’m Corbin’s monster, for all intents and purposes, so if shit goes down I want you to get them the fuck out and leave me tomorrow.”

“No,” I growl, seeing where he’s going now. The last few days, he’s been spiraling, and I can see why. Every worst case scenario has one or all of us not coming out tomorrow. “We are not leaving you behind, Ambrose. You’re going to get your stupid, pig-headed ass up to our omega, and you’re going to talk to her, because she thinks there’s something wrong that she did.”

“Wren? No, she’s fucking perfect,” he denies.

Yep, Ambrose is completely in love with our omega, and an idiot.

“Life isn’t ever going to be completely safe for us,” I remind him. “You can’t keep holding yourself back from her. Wren can feel it. Is wanting to bond with her during her heat an excuse because you’re scared of what could happen?”

“Initially? No,” Amb denies. “I meant that I wanted it to be special, but now I’m thinking about what it would mean for them to lose one of us.”

“Flynn is bonded to all three of us,” Shaw reminds him. “Your logic is flawed, baby. Take a breath. No one is dying. We’re all going to be fine, and I’ll make sure of it.”

As Amb takes a shuddering breath, I see the tears glistening in his eyes.

“Would it help if Shaw calls Jasper now to make sure he’ll act as his sister’s bodyguard tomorrow?” I ask.

We’re cutting it a little close, and I want to make sure Jasper has time to make the drive. Forcing air through my own lungs, I remind myself not to sweat the details until I have to. This is why Ambrose is currently losing his shit.

“Yep,” he grunts. “I’ve been having nightmares of all the ways this could go wrong, and?—”

“Is this why you’ve been sleeping in your own room?” Shaw asks, disapprovingly.

Come to think of it, Ambrose hasn’t gone to bed with us since we got the invitation. God, he’s fucking infuriating. Reaching out to grab him around the back of his neck, I pull him tightly to me as I hug him.

Amb swallows back a sob, and Shaw sighs. It’s really hard to play pissed off daddy when our pack mate is dealing with this so badly.

Amb is typically stoic or loud, and rarely this quiet as he processes through things. Shaw walks over to hug Amb with me, turning him into the filling of our alpha sandwich. The thought makes me hard, which makes Amb snort through his tears.

“I swear, everything makes you hard, asshole,” he mutters, hugging me tight. “I was too in my head, and I made everything so much worse. Fuck, I need to apologize to Wren.”

“Go now while you look like shit,” I tease him, kissing his temple. “She won’t be able to resist you.”

“Yeah, Wren is starting to stew, so you may want to go now,” Shaw grunts. “I can feel the pettiness growing through the bond.”

Checking, I snort as I feel Wren through the bond too. She feels as if she’s riling herself up.

“Damn, good luck,” I tell Amb, chuckling as I pat his shoulder. “Shaw and I will call Jasper, go talk to our girl and fix this.”

Stepping back, we watch as Ambrose nods as he swipes at his tears with the back of his hands. Wren may still give him shit for being closed off, and a part of me hopes that she does. It’ll mean that she’s not afraid to push back.

Walking into the house, Ambrose disappears around the corner toward the stairs, leaving us to shake our heads.

“I can’t believe he was so tied up in knots over this,” Shaw mutters. “We’ve been Corbin’s hitmen and enforcers for years, and I never realized how Ambrose typically takes the harder torture sessions until now.”

“It’s always been split like this, though we do jump in to help because it soothes our need for blood,” I say. “Corbin pulling him into a meeting while Amb was covered in blood was a flex to show the other leaders that he’s not afraid of them, and whatever happened there fucked with Ambrose’s head. I don’t appreciate our pack being treated like barely leashed killers.”

“Me either,” Shaw grunts. “Corbin and I will be having words about this after this godforsaken party. For now, let’s call Jasper.”

Pulling out his phone, he finds Jasper’s number in his contacts just as I hear Wren yell inside of the house. My lips twitch, because that means Ambrose is getting his ass handed to him.

That’s my girl.

Shaw shakes his head with a slight chuckle as he hits Jasper’s number to connect the call.

“Hello? It’s not a great time, Shaw,” Jasper answers as he talks. I can hear someone yelling at him, and it sounds like a girl.

“It sounds like you’re having trouble,” Shaw says, amused. “Kick out the whore, because I need you to help Pack Mohan with our omegas.”

“You heard him, I have work to do,”Jasper grunts. I hear a squeal on the speaker and screaming before a door slams shut. “Fuck me, why are betas so damn clingy?”

Shaw and I shrug because we never really fucked around like that.

“Be careful where you stick your dick, Jas, and you won’t have any issues,” I tell him with a smirk.

“Ugh, it’s not that simple, Everest,”he groans. “You all always had each other. I still have urges and shit to work through.”

“Sucks for you,” I tease him. It’ll be fun when he finds an omega, I hope she knocks him on his ass. “Anyway, we have a meeting with the Irish families that’s mandatory, and they’re framing it as a party, which means the entire pack has to go.”

“Does that mean you’ve claimed my sister?”Jasper asks. “Damn, I wasn’t there very long ago. Has that much changed?”

“We’ve been courting her since the day you came to visit,” Shaw reminds him. “We’re putting through our paperwork to formally register her as our omega as well. Pack Mohan isn’t fucking around.”

“Congratulations are in order I guess,” he says, sounding impressed. “Is she happy?”

“Wren has gone through a lot, and that’s not just going to end,” I tell him. “We’re doing everything we can to make her happy, but there are still dangerous people who can hurt her out there.”

“The douchebag alpha,”Jasper grunts. “Trey Thornefield is a damn ghost. I managed to dig up his last name, but not much else comes up. I have a hacker working on it as well. Who else is a potential problem?”

“Corbin’s brother,” I respond. “The families are forcing them to settle in a truce tomorrow night, and I feel like it’s a bullshit move. As the mafia bosses men, we’ll be pulled into that meeting, which leaves our omegas alone.”

“I’ll go,” he says immediately. “Text me the details, and I’ll meet you at your place. There’s no damn way anyone will fuck with either of them while I’m there. Why wouldn’t you just hire guards?”

“Would anyone else fight for them as hard as you would?” Shaw asks blandly.

Jasper is quiet for a moment, before he curses under his breath. “I suppose not. Do you think Crowson will pull something in an event that’s meant to end their feud?”

“It’s like giving him an engraved invitation to try something,” I scoff. “Crowson is mad with grief, and definitely blames his brother, even though there’s nothing he could have done.”

“Fuck,”Jasper mutters. “Do you have a contingency plan?”

Shaw sighs, rubbing the back of his neck as he tries to decide if he wants to tell Jasper about the tracker.

“Yeah,” I respond instead. “It’ll probably piss you off, though.”

“You lot piss me off by breathing,”Jasper says jokingly. “Does Har…fuck, Wren know about whatever this is?”

“Nope,” Shaw says. “It’ll just piss her off, so I don’t plan to tell her unless I have to, and by then it’ll most likely have saved her life.”

“Better to ask for forgiveness than permission,” I agree.

“This shit better not blow back on me,” Jasper complains. “Of course my sister would end up with made men with no moral compass.”

“I have one, I just get lost occasionally,” I say with a snicker.

“I’ll send you the event details, and you can meet us there instead,” Shaw tells him. “You’re going to have to leave soon so you’re not rushing.”

“Yeah,”he grunts. “I’ll pack a bag now and find a hotel near the event. See you tomorrow.”

“Bye. Thanks again,” Shaw says, hanging up.

“Let’s go see if Ambrose needs help in there,” I suggest, smirking.

Shaw nods, fingers moving over the keys of his phone as he texts Jasper the details for tomorrow. We have our tuxedos from previous events, and a dress arrived earlier today with makeup and heels for Wren.

Our omega has been watching makeup tutorials obsessively, but I’m positive she’ll make it work. She’s naturally beautiful, after all.

Walking inside, my brow rises as I see Flynn standing at the base of the stairs, watching our room.

“I don’t see any blood, so she didn’t kill him,” Shaw remarks as we walk over to him to tuck our omega into his side.

“She and I were watching a movie together to try to get our minds off tomorrow when he knocked on the door to our room. Wren flew into a rage when she opened the door and saw him,” Flynn explains. “She felt like Ambrose was pushing her away, and was pissed off and hurt by it.”

“Amb was being an idiot,” I explain. “He thought that if he pulled away from her, it would hurt her less if things went sideways tomorrow.”

“Like if he was killed?” Flynn asks, paling. “That’s not going to happen, right? Fuck, I need you all.”

“It’ll be dangerous, but I promise we’re all walking out of there,” Shaw rumbles. His eyes are intense as he says this, making me know I’ll have to keep an eye on him as well. There will be no theatrics tomorrow.

“We reminded Ambrose that even if he isn’t bonded to Wren, he is to you, so there will be no sacrificing himself,” I say. “Listening to him, it’s clear he’s been having nightmares and it’s been twisting him into knots.”

Blowing out a breath, our omega bites his lip and starts walking upstairs.

“I’m pretty sure she’s riding his face as he apologizes,” Flynn says with a smirk over his shoulder. “I think he owes me one too.”

Chuckling at our omega as he makes it to the door and opens it, I inhale the scent of Wren’s slick as it wafts down to me.

“Fuck, she smells so good,” Shaw groans, adjusting his cock as he listens to the growing sounds of Wren’s moans.

“You’ve been a naughty boy, alpha,” she cries out, making my eyes roll. I’m sure she looks like a damn vision. Ambrose’s ‘punishment’ doesn’t seem like one from here. “Agh, yes, please, more!”

“Hey, Darling. I think our alpha has a long night of punishment, don’t you?” Flynn says as he walks into the room before he slams it shut.

“They’re going to be at it for hours,” I growl. I have to prepare for tomorrow with an erection, it doesn’t seem fair.

“At least Wren’ll sleep so deeply, she won’t notice when I put in the tracker,” Shaw grunts. “Come walk me through the plan for tomorrow, and then you can suck your alpha off.”

“Yes, alpha,” I say wickedly with a grin as he shakes his head at me.

Maybe he’ll even let me come afterwards.

I feel better today, but that mostly has to do with spending some much needed time with my omegas last night. Wren rode my face for hours while Flynn impaled himself on my cock, forcing me to lose myself in his slick and knot him.

Later, they snuggled with me and told me that whatever happens tonight, they’ll be careful. Shaw came in once they were both cuddled in my arms and put trackers in both their backs just to be safe.

I don’t feel at all guilty about it. I need my pack to stay whole.

“Wren? Are you just about done?” I ask, my steps heavy walking to her room. While we typically sleep together, outside of my dark doom fixation the last few days, our omega is getting dressed in her own room.

She’s been in there for hours.

“I guess this is as good as it’s going to get,” Wren says, sounding frustrated. Frowning, I stand at the door, worried at how stressed she sounds.

“Can I see?” I ask, fisting my hands to keep myself from barging in or banging on the door. I’m really trying over here, but her anxiety is clawing at me.

I want to fix it.

“I guess,” she sighs. “I feel ridiculous, Amb.”

My heart flip flops as she uses the nickname for me that my other pack mates use. Grinning, I lean on the wall, excited to see what she looks like.

“Don’t keep me waiting, honey,” I purr. The door opens wide, making my jaw drop as I stare at my beautiful omega.

Her hair is up in a complicated braided style, with curled pieces framing her face. Biting my lip, I force myself to wait to ask her to turn for me so I can see the back. Wren’s makeup is flawlessly polished, making me smile larger because she watched so many videos to make this possible. Red lips and brown and white eye shadow are the focal points of her makeup, and she looks stunning.

My eyes continue to take her in, struggling to focus because so much beauty stands before me. The top of the dress is a lace and mesh strapless corset, with satin draping to the floor, giving her a small train. The dress still has a fitted sheath appearance, and as she shifts her weight on her heels, I notice the long slit up her leg.

“You and I must be seeing something very different,” I murmur. “Turn for me, Wren. I want to see the full effect of your dress. Did you choose it?”

I was going to look for dresses online, but I was in such a funk, Flynn and Everest sent me away. In the end, I have no idea if Wren had any input on it.

“Yes, I mean Flynn and Everest helped, but I had final veto on it,” she says as she turns for me. The dress is a black waterfall of satin in the back, moving seamlessly with her. “I feel like I overdid it on the makeup. I don’t want to look like a clown.”

“You look stunning,” I say before I can help myself. Damn, I should have told her sooner. “Come on, I think you need some positive feedback, honey. Let’s go show the guys. We need to leave soon, anyway. Are you hungry?”

Her stomach growls as she takes my hand, making me smirk. Yeah, I had a feeling since she’s been holed up in her room for hours. My nostrils flare as I take in her sweet scent, making me wonder something.

“Did Shaw ask you not to wear scent blockers today?” I ask her as we walk.

“Yes. He said that the room will have scent dampening agents being sprayed throughout the night, so I should be fine. I made sure to wear special panties to keep the scent of slick minimal,” she says.

At my raised brow, she lifts her hand up and down at me. “Well, look at you. Three alphas and an omega dressed to the nines in their formal wear is sure to test the strength on my panties. I may need to get my money back, because I’m already turned on.”

Snorting, I blush at her words, knowing she’s right. I’m not involved in any way in the planning of the event, outside of making sure the invitation arrived home. I’m wearing my tuxedo and sharp shoes, weapons hiding everywhere I could think of. Sure, the party’s goons will find some of them, but I guarantee they won’t find the garrote wrapped around my belt or the thin knives hidden on my thigh.

Sure, I have guns as well, but I expect them to find those. If I hid everything well, it would give them an excuse to look closer than they need to.

“I look forward to voiding the warranty on your panties,” I tease her, knowing she’s perfuming as she blushes. It’s a good test that I can’t smell her slick, because she’s right. I definitely don’t want anyone else to smell it.

Knowing the guys are waiting for us, I lead her through the house to the living room.

“Alright, guys, our omega is a bit nervous,” I say, peeking my head into the room before she can walk in. “Let’s show her how gorgeous she is.”

Stepping back, I give her my arm. “You didn’t need to prep them,” Wren says with a laugh.

“Oh yes, I did,” I growl as I pull her into motion. “If I didn’t, I’m pretty sure Shaw would handcuff you to the bed and refuse to let you out.”

Her lips part in surprise, making me grin as I watch the guys greedily stare at her as she walks.

“Can we stay home?” Flynn asks, jaw dropping. “You three are definitely going to end up killing people over her.”

“Me?” Wren flirts, smiling at him. “You look good enough to eat.”

“Fuck, you both do,” Shaw grunts, getting up off the couch to walk up the stairs to see Wren up close. “You look stunning, Sweetness. This dress looks like it was made for you.”

“The makeup isn’t too much?” she asks hesitantly. “I’ve never worn it before, but it feels like a lot.”

“Nah,” Everest says, coming closer to us. “The mob wives and girlfriends will be wearing loads of it tonight, but you look absolutely perfect, Lemon Drop.”

Shaw and Everest both crowd her, pushing me out as I chuckle, pulling Flynn into a hug beside me.

“I propose that we eat something before we leave, before I hear Wren’s stomach begin to grumble again,” I tell them. Everest snickers because he knows that while there will be lots of booze at this thing, food will be slim to none.

“Fuck, I forgot they never feed us at these things,” Flynn complains. “I’ll fix something to eat.”

“I’ve got it,” Shaw says with a smirk as we follow behind him. “I actually thought about this, and we have a little time before we have to go.”

“What do you have up your sleeve?” I ask, teasing him. Shaw just shrugs as he walks into the kitchen, opening the fridge to pull out a large tray of pasta.

“I prepped this earlier, and it just needs to go in the oven for half an hour. It’s chicken Marsala with fettuccine alfredo,” he explains. “I got dressed last, knowing this was on my agenda.”

“Wow,” Wren whispers as she watches as our alpha bustles around the kitchen. “Why is that so hot?”

Our little omega looks restless, and then I realize she’s actually rubbing her thighs together.

“It’s what an alpha is supposed to be, honey,” I rumble in her ear. “They take care of you, even when you’re stressing about hairpins and makeup.”

“Fuck, I forgot her jewelry,” Shaw says as he sets the pasta tray on the stove top. “Someone please put this in the oven when it’s done preheating.”

“Wait, what? Shaw!” Wren calls out as he rushes off.

“Let it happen,” Everest says with a snicker. “He is on a mission to spoil you, Lemon Drop. Are you really against it?”

“No,” she admits. “Just no collars.”

Flynn shudders at her words, and I remember how upset he was when he found the collar in the basement. It’s now been cut up and thrown out.

Good fucking riddance.

“Nope, I very much doubt our alpha bought you anything resembling a collar,” Flynn says, wrapping his arms around her to kiss her shoulder.

“Have you seen it?” I ask Everest as I move over to him. I’m speaking as low as possible, amusing him to no end.

“No,” he grunts. “I’m kind of annoyed I forgot about jewelry right now, if I’m being honest about it.”

Snorting, I have to agree with him. The oven beeps to tell us it’s done preheating, and I walk over to put the food inside of it. Setting the timer, I’m relieved as I see Shaw come back with the jewelry. I’m not a patient man, and really want to know what he got her.

“If you hate it, please tell me?” he asks, looking nervous.

“I’m fairly certain I won’t hate it,” Wren says with a chuckle.

“I noticed your ears aren’t pierced, so I went with bracelets and a necklace,” Shaw explains.

“They were pierced at one point, but the holes closed,” she laments.

“Do you want to get them redone?” Everest asks. “We could make that happen. Professionally, not by us.”

Wren’s giggle makes me smile as she nods. “I don’t have any earrings to keep them open, so it’s probably a waste of time.”

“I doubt that’ll be an issue for long,” I tell her. “We’ll probably all end up buying you a pair of earrings if you get your ears pierced.”

“Is spoiling me going to be a thing?” Wren asks.

“Yep,” we chorus, making her smile widely.

“Here it is,” Shaw says nervously, handing her the first jewelry box.

Opening it slowly, her eyes grow wide as she sees it.

“This is amazing,” she says softly. “Are you serious right now?”

Grinning, Shaw nods, pulling out the necklace and carefully putting it around her neck. It’s three delicate chains, with an emerald nestled perfectly between her breasts. It’s gorgeous on her, and definitely not a collar.

“That’s a perfect choice,” I admit, unable to take my eyes off her. Somehow, it seems to elevate her outfit, and Wren seems to sparkle even more.

God, Flynn is right. We may end up killing people for looking too long tonight.

Shaw opens another jewelry case, showing us several bracelets. One is a slim tennis bracelet that matches the necklace, while the other two are gold bracelets with diamonds set a few inches apart, all the way around.

“All of these?” Wren asks, amused as he puts them on her.

“I don’t believe in competing with other people, so that’s not why I bought these,” Shaw says with a shrug. “I couldn’t make a decision and read that this is apparently the fashion now. Thank fuck, because they’re perfect together.”

Looking at her slim wrist, I have to admit that he’s right. The three bracelets work well together, and I wouldn’t have been able to make a decision either.

“How do you feel?” I ask her. “Are they heavy at all?”

“They’re really not,” she says, shaking her head. “The jewelry feels like it’s what I’ve been missing. Does that sound crazy?”

Wren looks more settled, no longer worried that she doesn’t look right, so it doesn’t sound crazy at all.

Kissing her temple, I say, “I can see how calm you look, and I have to agree with you. I think dinner is just about done, Shaw.”

The timer goes off as I finish my sentence, and he puts the boxes away and pulls out the tray of pasta, along with plates. Helping him to dish out the food, I groan as I inhale the smell of it.

“This was one of the best ideas you’ve had,” I chuckle as I sit at the island and take a bite.

“I’m glad you approve,” he says with a smirk as we eat.

Looking around the table of my pack mates surrounding me in their formalwear as I tuck into my chicken marsala and pasta makes me smile, and I send up a little prayer that we’ll all leave the event tonight unscathed and together.