5. Chapter 5

Chapter five

Genesis

A week later, Genesis moved into the cottage. She was nervous as hell, but she hadn’t wavered over the decision once she’d met Pack Rossi. She saw no point in waiting to begin once she’d decided to go through with it. She didn’t want to give herself time to overthink.

Orlando had seemed pleased by her decision, in his calm, reassuring way. She hadn’t spoken with his packmates but assumed that they must’ve agreed—even if it had seemed to her that Luke had been less than enthused to meet her. She hadn’t forgotten the way he reacted to her career plans. If he thought she’d be easy to control because he was old enough to be her father, he had another thing coming.

There had been nothing fatherly in his eyes when she’d caught him staring at her during that first meeting, though. That stare had been all Daddy. Genesis might make an exception to the rule about not being controlled if Luke Wyatt Wilder wanted to dole out a little sexy punishment.

Genesis’s stomach clenched and she shook herself out of her little reverie. Moments like that had been all too frequent over the last week. Moving hadn’t occupied her enough to keep her from fantasizing about Pack Rossi. Orlando had insisted on hiring movers and even handling the rental agreement and finding a tenant, leaving very little for Genesis to do but notify her contacts of her new address. That was a feat in itself, despite the relatively few people who needed to know about the move.

At work, Everett was so smug that she’d wanted to strangle him, but she couldn’t because he was also being super accommodating. Genesis didn’t have a car—she didn’t need one in the city—but Everett was perfectly fine with her only coming into the office on occasion when her schedule aligned with Orlando’s. She’d work remotely the rest of the time. The cottage even had a cute little office nook off the main living area. It was just big enough for an elegant desk, framed by built-in shelves and facing a bay window overlooking the garden. (Ridiculously, adorably whimsical.) Truthfully, Genesis could’ve been working from home for years, but she loved to write in the chaos of a shared office. She wondered how she’d adjust to working in the peaceful countryside.

Avery and Greyson had been thrilled with the news, each insisting she introduce them to Pack Rossi via videochat as soon as humanly possible. She’d notified her fathers last, only bothering to do so because she suspected her building’s security reported to them and would alert them if she just moved out. She’d written a succinct email, expecting a similar reply. Instead, she received effuse, congratulatory emails from all four of her dads, and a call from her stepmother, which she promptly ignored. They seemed unbearably delighted with her choice of pack, obviously familiar with Pack Rossi’s reputation and net worth, and were already hinting at wanting to be introduced.

Genesis wasn’t ready for that, no matter how hard she was trying to embrace this whole “giving people a chance” thing. She did notice that the temporary status of the match seemed to elude her parents. Maybe they’d assumed the short-term only applied to the person renting Genesis’s apartment.

And maybe she’d been a little vague on that point.

It wouldn’t hurt anyone for her family to believe that their wayward daughter was no longer their responsibility. Genesis chuckled darkly at how much she sounded like a regency novel character: nearly thirty, few prospects, and already a burden to her parents. This little farce was better for everyone. Win-win-win.

This way, her fathers could go on sending gifts twice a year, without the added trouble of dropping thinly veiled hints about her advancing age and unclaimed status in every birthday card. Eventually, she’d have to deal with the fallout of the lie, but that was future Genesis’s problem. Present Genesis was going to live in the moment. And at that moment, she was standing in a gorgeous cottage plucked from a romantic fantasy.

“Is it weird that they sent a car for me, and nobody was here to greet me when I arrived except a member of their staff?” she asked Avery, nibbling anxiously on her lip. “They left a really sweet card and a bouquet of blue and pink roses. The note says they’d like to have dinner together in the main house this evening.”

Genesis pointed her phone camera at the round, white oak dining table in the cottage’s eat-in kitchenette. A huge arrangement of roses and a card was set at its center, her name on the envelope in perfect calligraphy letters. It was an adorable, old-fashioned gesture and it made Genesis smile, despite her misgivings.

“Are you kidding me with the rare roses and the handwritten note? That took planning, Gen! They’re obviously excited. I think they just wanted to give you some space to get settled in. So thoughtful. And I can’t get over how cute this place is!” Avery exclaimed as Genesis walked through her new space. Avery had demanded Genesis call as soon as she got settled, even though she was in the middle of afterschool pickup. “Oh my god look at that gorgeous light fixture and those floors ! Ugh, we could have stuff like that if you hooligans didn’t destroy everything you touch!”

Genesis laughed, flipping the camera so that Avery could see her face. “Stop fussing at my sweet boys, Ave!”

“Thank you, Aunt Gen,” Avery’s youngest son, Noah, piped up from the back seat, trying to force his face into the camera frame. “We’re sweet little angels! Also, we aren’t at a stoplight anymore so mom shouldn’t be looking at her phone.”

“Busted!” Avery’s older son, Xavier, added from the passenger seat. “Safety first, mom. Just cause Aunt Gen has rich sugar daddies now, it doesn’t mean we can afford to get into a wreck.”

Genesis snorted a laugh as Avery’s head whipped toward her son with comical speed. “Boy, what do you know about sugar daddies?”

“Oh, lord! I’ll talk to y’all later!” Genesis shouted over the chaos of the boys talking over each other while Avery bemoaned how fast they were growing up and what they were learning from movies and video games. Genesis blew kisses and ended the call, promising to send Avery video of the rest of the cottage.

Talking to Avery and the boys always made Genesis think about what it would be like to have her own family. She knew she wanted children of her own, but she didn’t know exactly what that would look like for her. She figured that once she really got her journalism career off the ground, she’d be in a better position to take on single motherhood. Hopefully, that would all happen sooner rather than later. This arrangement was a first step in that direction.

She did another slow circuit of the space, taking video to share with Avery and Greyson later. The cottage did feel similar to the main house, with the same white brick and black metal exterior and even its own little covered porch. Nestled as it was in a copse of trees, though, it was far more whimsical, as Gabriel had promised. Already, early spring flowers were blooming in the surrounding trees and bushes, giving the whole setup a fairytale vibe.

Genesis loved it already. She read a lot growing up—and still did—mostly fantasy and, later, romance. Her favorites were comforting, trope-filled stories that were like warm fuzzy blankets—safe and familiar with a guaranteed happily ever after. (And, no, the irony of her aversion to relationships and her preference for cheesy romance novels wasn’t lost on her.)

The little cottage was straight out of a romantasy novel. Inside, there was an open concept living room and kitchen with a half bathroom and a laundry room behind sliding barn doors off the main space. The loft above held a large bedroom, full bathroom, and closet that had already been filled with her clothes by some overzealous staff member. It was more than enough space for Genesis.

She wondered how much time she’d actually spend in it.

If she was being honest, Genesis hadn’t thought much about the cottage this week. It had been thoughts of Orlando’s caramel voice, Gabriel’s gentle touch, and the way Luke had devoured her with his midnight eyes that filled her head by day and tormented her at night, making her squirm and seek relief from her hands or her toys. Their scents had clung to her clothes for days, making her feel relaxed and wild in turns.

Genesis was under no illusions about their effect on her. She knew that there was nothing unique about their scents —that their impact was just because she hadn’t been around eligible unbonded alphas much. Her intense attraction to Pack Rossi was simply the result of biology and opportunity. Still, Genesis had every intention of enjoying the physical side of this arrangement for as long as she could, as often as she could. She was here to have her needs taken care of, and dammit she was going to embrace that shit.

A little thrill shot through her belly at the thought of seeing them again in just a few hours. Her pulse quickened, warmth climbing her neck and flushing her cheeks. She’d never been this horny in her life. Genesis had had sex before—perfectly adequate occasional sex with a few lovely betas. It was fun. But she’d never had an alpha before, had never been rutted and knotted.

Gensis swallowed against a whine. Jesus, woman, get a grip . This was day one, for god’s sake. It wasn’t like they were going to fuck her on the dinner table after the dessert course.

Why had she thought that? Now, she’d spend dinner imagining herself spread out on the table with Orlando’s face between her legs, Gabriel’s mouth on her breasts, and Luke’s cock in her mouth.

God, she was in trouble.

Dinner time arrived far too soon, though the minutes had seemed to drag when Genesis tried to work to distract herself. She spent longer than usual getting dressed but still ended up with plenty of time to spare. Figuring she could spend the extra minutes finding her way around inside the mansion, Genesis prepared to leave the cottage. After checking her appearance a final time, she opened the door.

And almost stepped on a chicken.

Both Genesis and the chicken squawked in surprise, and Genesis jumped about a mile before realizing the ball of black feathers wasn’t an actual threat. Or so she thought. Laughing, she started to step outside, when the chicken decided to run into the cottage instead.

“No! Bad chicken!” Genesis exclaimed, hurrying after it and attempting to shoo it back out the door. “I am already semi-cohabitating with three people. I’m not looking for another roommate.”

Behind her, a deep laugh rang out. Genesis spun toward the sound, cheeks reddening. Gabriel Acosta leaned against her doorframe, the setting sun haloing him in golden light. If Genesis had been writing a piece on the sexy, brooding artist with a tragic backstory and sad, irresistible eyes to match, this would be the image she’d want with her copy.

Though Genesis was slightly above average height for an omega, she barely came up to Gabriel’s chest. She looked up at him, marveling at the way the sun kissed his tawny skin. His tousled, wavy hair was mostly dark with some silver around the temples, while his thick beard was decidedly salt-and-pepper. His broad shoulders, thick biceps, and chiseled chest were all on display in the long-sleeved henley he wore over fitted jeans that Genesis couldn’t wait to see from the back. In short, Gabriel Acosta was beautiful.

So, naturally, Genesis spent far too long ogling him before realizing she should probably say something. “There’s a chicken in the cottage,” she blurted.

Smooth, Genesis. Real smooth . Clearly, Gabriel could see the chicken, which was now making itself at home, scratching at the plush living room rug. Gabriel smiled and pushed himself off the doorframe, closing the distance between them in a few strides.

“It’s good to see you again, Genesis,” he said, taking her hand warmly and staring intently into her face as he had done the first time they’d met. “I was really glad to hear you decided to give us a chance. I’m sorry Duchess is behaving so impolitely on your first day.”

Genesis trembled, the low murmur of Gabriel’s voice caressing her spine, as his scent enveloped her. He smelled like vanilla, cloves, and charcoal—sweet and warm and creative, exactly like his personality. She was acutely aware of the negligible space between them, alone in the picturesque little cottage. If this were one of her preferred romance novels, Genesis knew what would happen next.

Of course, this wasn’t a book, so instead of saying something sexy, Genesis gazed into Gabriel’s depthless brown eyes and said the first word she could find. “Duchess?”

Gabriel laughed again, releasing her hands far too soon and gesturing at the feathered menace pulling threads from the understated alpaca rug. “Duchess is our resident escape artist and the bane of Luke’s existence. I’m pretty convinced she only bothers finding her way out of the coop because she enjoys pissing him off. Honestly, so do I, so I can hardly blame her. He’s such an easy target.”

Gabriel made a tuck-tuck-tuck sound, and the chicken lifted her head, the red flap on top waggling curiously. Genesis knew very little about livestock, but she generally liked animals, so she squatted and mimicked the sound, extending a hand to the bird. Curiously, Duchess approached her, pecking gently at her shoes.

“She likes you,” Gabriel said with a smile. “I knew you’d fit right in. Come on, I’m supposed to be escorting you to dinner. Duchess, out please.”

Obediently, the chicken ran out ahead of them, clucking happily. Genesis watched her run off in the opposite direction of the house, seemingly finished with her inspection of the farm’s newest resident. Genesis shook her head and laughed. When she turned back to Gabriel, he was watching her with a soft smile on his handsome face.

“Should we make sure she gets back into the coop?” she asked, blushing under Gabriel’s gaze. “I don’t want anything to happen to her, considering she’s my first friend on the farm and all.”

Gabriel took her hand, threading their fingers together as if it was the most natural thing in the world and he wasn’t sending an electric current through her body that went straight to her core. “Don’t worry about Duchess. She’ll go back when she’s ready. She knows where it’s safe to go. And nothing that lives on the farm will hurt her. Duchess runs the place. Hence the name.”

Gabriel gently tugged Genesis’s hand, guiding her along a stone pathway that wound toward the main house. The early evening air was chilly, and she appreciated the solid warmth of the alpha beside her. Despite the sounds of animals in the distance, it was eerily quiet, especially considering that Genesis was used to the constant clamor of city life.

“Shouldn’t Luke be in charge, rather than a sassy chicken?” she asked, amused by the thought of the big, tough cowboy being outsmarted by a bird. “What self-respecting cowboy can’t wrangle his poultry?”

Gabriel laughed, squeezing her hand. “You’re obviously a city girl. Chickens are egg-laying anarchists or adorably dumb puppies—there’s no in between. Luke is a businessman, not a real cowboy, and Duchess knows it. He just installed a new feeder because, somehow, she was using the old one to help her escape the coop. You can see how well the new one is working out.”

“Did Luke grow up on this farm?” Genesis asked. She’d learned a lot about his career during her research into Pack Rossi, but not much about his youth. “He looks like a real cowboy to me.”

“You should tell him that.” Gabriel grinned mischievously, and Genesis’s stomach filled with butterflies. “He spent lots of time here when he was a kid, but his father had other plans for him as he got older. He pushed Luke into sports and business and kept him away from his grandfather, but the old man still left it all to Luke. In true business mogul fashion, he made it prosperous right away. The Wilder farm now supplies most of the region’s corn syrup and corn oil. But that wasn’t enough for Luke Wyatt, so he’s spent the last ten years trying to get more hands on and embrace the rugged life.”

Genesis nodded, glancing out toward where the corn fields must lay. She knew that Luke had retired right after Pack Rossi’s omega died. She wondered if Gabriel was thinking of her now, and if he’d talk about her. Genesis wasn’t sure whether she should ask; she thought she’d like it if people gave her a chance to talk about her mom. That was one of the worst things about her fathers getting remarried and sending her away so quickly—she’d had no one to reminisce with. It felt like no one else remembered the mother she’d loved so much. It’d hurt to have her erased that way.

Before Genesis could choose the right follow-up question, Gabriel spoke again. “I love Luke, even though it might seem like I just love busting his balls. He’s a pretty good fake cowboy, and I think he enjoys it…as much as Luke enjoys anything, that is. Although, I do think he misses the challenge of running the business with Lando. There aren’t enough people to argue with on the farm, so he’s extra surly. But his vegetable garden keeps us in fresh produce, the chickens are fun, and I love the taste of fresh eggs. I don’t really care for the cows, but he couldn’t technically be a cowboy without cows and horses. The horses are terrifying, by the way.”

“Whatever he’s telling you is bullshit,” a gravelly voice interrupted, and Genesis nearly jumped out of her skin.

She spun around to see Luke emerging from behind a shed she hadn’t noticed in the trees. He looked exactly as he had the last time she’d seen him—cranky and sexy. The sleeves of his plaid shirt were rolled up to reveal muscled forearms that matched his bulging biceps and broad chest. His Wranglers fit him just right and his boots were both high-quality and well worn. His salt-and-pepper hair was buzzed close on the sides but longer on top, a lock of it falling across his forehead. All that was missing from the perfect cowboy image was the Stetson.

“I should’ve mentioned Luke is also something of a ninja and has a knack for appearing where you least want him,” Gabriel told Genesis apologetically, before lifting an eyebrow at his packmate. “You’re supposed to already be cleaned up and at the dinner table.”

Luke scowled, midnight blue eyes glinting in the dying sunlight. “I would love to be sitting at the goddamn table, shithead, but I had a delinquent hen to catch. I should let the foxes get her and save myself the headache.”

Genesis gasped, widening her eyes, and pressing a hand to her chest dramatically. “Don’t you dare! Duchess and I are friends!”

Gabriel laughed at Luke’s scandalized expression and pulled Genesis toward the house. “He’s just jealous that both me and Duchess got to see you before he did. But don’t worry, he’s all talk. He loves that hen, or at least has a begrudging respect for her. Besides, the planets wouldn’t let the foxes get near her.”

Gabriel opened a set of French doors leading into a part of the house Genesis hadn’t seen on her initial visit. She took in the elegant surroundings as she tried to follow Gabriel and Luke’s teasing conversation. “Planets? Are you into astrology?”

Luke snorted a laugh. “He would be into that shit, if he wasn’t too busy making up his own hipster nonsense. The ‘planets’ are what we call the farm’s resident cats—Neptune, Venus, Pluto, and so on. They take care of vermin and, for some inexplicable goddamn reason, protect the other animals, especially Duchess.”

“I saw Jupiter run off a coyote three times his size once, and Jupiter is a very big cat,” Gabriel said. “He’s missing an ear and is blind in one eye, but he doesn’t play about his territory. None of them do. I think they’d be surprised to hear that we think they’re protecting Duchess, rather than defending their own empire.”

Gabriel placed a hand on the small of Genesis’s back, guiding her through the mansion toward the alluring aroma of dinner. She shivered at the casual, possessive touch, her stomach clenching with a hunger for more than food. The scents of the alphas permeated the air around her, tugging at that hunger, deepening it. She’d thought that after their first meeting, her reaction to Pack Rossi’s pheromones would be dulled. She’d thought wrong.

Genesis stumbled slightly, maybe tripping on a carpet she hadn’t noticed, or maybe just off balance from being drunk on alpha—it was hard to be sure which. Gabriel pivoted quickly to catch her, wrapping his arms around her protectively and pulling her against his hard, powerful body. Surprised, Luke pulled to an abrupt halt behind her. She could feel the heat of both their bodies, wreathing her in a haze of vanilla, charcoal, and cloves, suede and sawdust and saffron. Her stomach clenched hard, and an unexpected gush of slick soaked her panties—something that usually only happened during her heats, thanks to her suppressants. Genesis couldn’t help the low whine that escaped her throat.

Two pairs of darkened eyes snapped to her face, pupils blown wide. From the flare of their nostrils, both alphas had caught the scent of her arousal. Luke stepped closer, sandwiching Genesis between his body and Gabriel’s. She shuddered, another gush of slick making her squirm against the hard press of Luke’s cock against her ass, and Gabriel’s against her belly. She arched her back, eager for as many points of contact between their bodies as possible.

“Fuck it,” Luke groaned, before grabbing her chin and covering her mouth with his.