Chapter 30 In which I claim my nest

Swift is buzzing in the bond. He’s dancing all around, a happy, horny presence in my chest. Despite what we talked about last night, I know he’s so fucking eager to tell the pack about the bond, to tell them I’m on the verge of my first ever heat. To tell them I’m going to be theirs for real.

He murmured that to me over and over last night from between my thighs, alternating between licking my pussy and my new mating bite. I’m pretty sure he was there for hours, tending that bite, until I fell asleep.

I halfway expected for him to still be nestled between my legs when I woke up this morning, but I’m alone. Though the bed beside me is still warm and smells heavily of Swift’s rum drenched beach scent, so I know he hasn’t been gone for long.

I roll onto my back and stare giddily up at the ceiling. Swift feels that I’m awake and echoes that giddy feeling back to me and then Luca does the same, though his is tinged with a bit of curiosity over what has made me so happy.

I can’t wait to tell him. Tell them.

I already belong to the Falcone pack and they belong to me, but soon we’re going to make it official.

I slide my hand down to my stomach, remembering the overwhelming need, the slight cramping I’d had the night before. The start of my heat. My first heat.

When I’d first transitioned to being an omega, the idea of a heat had horrified me. But now I only feel a ripple of anticipation. I want this; I want to spend three to four days mindless with lust fucking my pack.

I mean, what girl in her right mind wouldn’t want that?

My hand dips lower as my pussy clenches with need, but the sound of raised voices reaches my ears. One deeper and one higher. Swift and Claudia. There’s an outraged shriek that has me yanking my hand out from between my thighs and then out of the bed just as the sound of sobbing reaches me.

Frowning, I tug on a pair of Ethan’s boxers and the shirt Swift was wearing last night, so it still smells like him, and then hurry toward the sound of chaos… right to the nest.

I pause on the other side of the door, hesitating because I know omegas are possessive of their spaces, and for the last few days, this has been Claudia’s space. Though it doesn’t look like she’s done much to it. Just added her clothes and a few blankets and pillows.

And… clothing from my pack. I frown as I catch sight of the maroon cardigan Logan was wearing yesterday, and I know that’s a pair of Maddox’s boxers. Fuck, I hope those are clean. Because the idea of her nose being anywhere near his musky scent has my omega scratching at me to get to her and tear her face off.

There’s something so inherently wrong with the image that my neck prickles.

Swift is striding around the room, grabbing all Claudia’s carefully arranged items and stuffing them into garbage bags. Never mind that she has a perfectly fine set of luggage I can see in the closet through the open door. He’s singing “You Shook Me All Night Long” by AC/DC under his breath, hips swiveling to the music in his head as he tears apart Claudia’s nest.

It probably shouldn’t make me giddy to watch, but it does.

“What are you doing?” Claudia says, voice watery.

Swift beams at her. “Its time for you to go, Claudia. We need the nest.”

Her blond brows narrow, and she tilts her head. “What do you mean, you need the nest?”

“Swift,” I say softly and his white blond head whips in my direction, his smile growing even more.

“Cherrybomb,” he purrs and sends a wave of lust through our bond. “You look fucking edible.”

He looks pretty good himself, wearing only a pair of gray sweatpants, ink and piercings. I can just make out my bite on his neck, but it blends in with his tattoos. If you didn’t know to look for it, you’d probably miss it.

“What are you doing?” I ask the same question Claudia did, but softer.

Swift drops the blanket he’d been holding and moves over to where I’m still lingering in the door, her laces both his hands into the hair at the back of my head cradling my skull in his giant palms as he bends to give me a kiss. “She needs to go,” he whispers against my mouth, forehead pressed to mine. “It’s not right for her to be in here. This is your nest, Cherrybomb, and it’s time you made it that way.” He nibbles at my lips. “It’s time for you to really be ours.”

My heart melts and my hands slide up and down the sides of his torso. “I am yours.”

He smiles against my mouth, fingers tightening in my hair. “Gonna reward you for finally admitting that, omega.”

“I am yours,” I repeat before he can get too carried away with it. “But we talked about this last night. You’re going to find answers for me today, right?”

His gold eyes blaze with conviction. “Right.”

My right hand slides up his chest to rest over his heart, tracing the still healing exploding cherry tattoo there. “And won’t the rest of the pack have questions if you throw Claudia out of the nest?”

He chuckles and kisses my nose. “Fuck, you’re adorable.” Another kiss to my mouth. “You should know by now that I do what I want, when I want. They’ll just think this is me being me. And honestly, it is me being me. I never wanted her in here. Makes me fucking itch thinking about it. I’m halfway tempted to rip everything out of there and start from scratch. Or burn the entire building down and move the pack to another apartment.”

My eyes flick over to the nest, still just the bare bones of what a nest should be. Almost like Claudia doesn’t know how to be an omega anymore than I do. Or maybe she hasn’t fully started nesting because she doesn’t feel welcome, settled.

Another low chuckle from Swift. “Don’t worry, I’m not taking steps that drastic. Just kicking her out of your nest. I already have cleaners coming this afternoon to strip and descent it. I want you to spend the day thinking about your perfect nest, create a vision board or a Pinterest page or log on to Nests, Heats and Beyond and fill up a shopping cart with anything that looks like something you might want. Tomorrow we’ll do paint and furniture, and then the day after you can add all the blankets and pillows and clothing you want, okay, Cherrybomb?”

I am enamored with his speech, with his plan, so all I can do is mouth a quick, “okay.”

He beams at me, growls a little as he devours my mouth, and then steps back, leaving me so suddenly that I sway after him. He catches the movement and a cocky smirk pulls at his mouth even as he scoops up more of Claudia’s things.

“Excuse me, but where the fuck am I going to go? You’re supposed to take care of me! I’m your omega!” She shrieks at him.

The amicable smile on Swift’s face falls so fucking quickly it’s startling, even to me. He rounds on her with a snarl, his gold eyes glinting like hard metal. “You are not my fucking omega, and I’m tired as shit of you saying that.” He thrusts a finger at me. “That girl is my omega, my Cherrybomb, my mate. I don’t care if you were born first or if they harvested your pheromones and gave them to Sadie. She’s fucking mine. And I. Am. Hers.”

I mean, swoon , am I right?

Claudia stares at him with her pink mouth hanging open in her pretty matching lacy pajama set. Her scent turns acrid and bitter, like a cherry pie that’s bubbled over and is burning on the floor of the oven.

I don’t particularly like her—in fact, I might hate her—but Swift looks like he’s about one wrong breath away from ripping her head off, and I don’t want blood in my nest. So I step forward, moving into the space with confidence, because I did just claim it as mine in my head. And then I step between them. One hand presses against Swift’s abdomen and I try not to caress all those ridges that I traced with my tongue last night, while the other I extend toward Claudia in a bid for peace.

“Claudia, we can move you into a bedroom downstairs,” I offer like I have a right. I’m not sure why I do. Beyond that, if our positions were reversed, I’d want someone to care about where I ended up.

Of course, if they decided they didn’t want me, had told me multiple times that I wasn’t their pick, I would have fled in the middle of the night and disappeared for good. In a way, I admire Claudia for that, for her fight, her courage to stand up for what she wants.

But, at the same time, take a hint, girl.

Her blue eyes narrow on me. “I’m not fucking going anywhere. This is my nest and my pack, and you can’t take them from me.” A wary sigh blows from between my lips as she drags her hateful gaze over me, from my messy hair down Swift’s too big shirt, to my bare legs. “You’re not even that fucking pretty, and you act like a slut with my mates. That’s the only reason they think they want you. Because you fucked Luca and Ethan the very first time you met them. And now you come into my nest smelling like slick and cum, smelling like my mates and try to force me to leave? You’re nothing but a worthless whore. ”

Swift’s fingers curl over mine, pressing them into his flesh like that’s going to help the absolute rage I can feel radiating from him so hard he’s literally shaking from it.

“What the hell is this?”

Maddox’s voice cuts through the room like a shot.

The rage Claudia had just been shooting at me with her eyes melts as tears well and her face crumples, shoulders curling in, as she turns to the prime alpha of the pack.

“She’s kicking me out!” Claudia wails, hands coming to her face like she’s trying to catch her tears. She’s the pinnacle of distressed omega right now, pumping out omegamones that tell the alphas present she needs comfort and care.

Swift doesn’t fall for it—our new bond keeps him more in control of his instincts with other omegas—and imagine my surprise when Maddox doesn’t either. Oh, he strides into the room looking delicious in his black athletic shorts, a fine sheen of sweat on his tattooed chest, but rather than taking Claudia in his arms to comfort her, he slides a big arm around my waist and tugs me into his damp body.

I blink up at him, startled, but he just smiles at me, and drops a kiss on the tip of my nose. “I’m not kicking her out,” I say quickly, because I know if I don’t, Claudia will continue twisting the events until I’m the bad guy.

“I am,” Swift says easily, happily. “I’m ready for Sadie to have her nest, and we need to get it cleaned out before she can move into it.” Swift’s mouth presses into the back of my head. “Cherrybomb was nice enough to offer Claudia a room downstairs. Claudia called her a slut and a whore in thanks.”

Maddox turns his head slowly toward the blond woman, dark brows raised in question. “Is that so?” His voice is deceptively soft.

I can feel Swift’s glee through our bond, the anger he’d felt melting like snow during spring. I imagine if I could feel Maddox, his side of the bond would be incandescent with fury, even if none of it shows on his face.

“Did you call my omega a whore, Claudia?” He asks, sounding perfectly pleasant.

She swallows thickly and then shakes her head. “I didn’t. I called the woman who stole you from your omega, from me , a whore. It’s not the same thing.”

Girl’s got guts, I’ll give her that.

“I see,” Maddox says softly, thumb stroking over the curve of my hip. “Well, thank you for the clarification.” She beams at him, not understanding that she’s just made everything worse for herself. Where before she might have been allowed to stay, there is no chance of that now.

My suspicions are confirmed when he says, “finish packing your things. I want you out of the penthouse by the time we get back from our errand today.”

By errand he means going to find the false Dr. Schwab, who Ethan has discovered is actually a man named Jason Funkle, and beating the crap out of him until he spills all his secrets. They haven’t said as much, but I’m pretty sure he’ll be lucky if he’s still breathing when they’re done with him.

“Dox,” Claudia starts, taking one step forward, hand reaching out like she might touch him. Quick as a whip, I snap my hand out and curl my fingers tight around her wrist, keeping her from making contact.

“Do not touch my mate,” I say in a perfectly level voice, just like Maddox had used.

She whimpers like I’m hurting her, which I’m definitely not. “Not your mate,” she sobs. “They’re mine.”

I use my grip on her wrist to push her back a step, then release her. “No, Claudia. They’re mine. I’m sorry that means that you don’t have a place here, but you’ll find somewhere else. You’re gorgeous. Another pack will want you.”

She sniffs and wipes at her cheeks. “They haven’t wanted me yet. I’ve been an omega for years and not one pack has…” she lets out a shuddering breath that almost has me melting toward her. Haven’t I felt the same way? That no one will fight for me, no one wants me?

But then she lets out a mean, humorless laugh. “Meanwhile, you literally turned into an omega while fucking my alpha and bonded immediately. How is that fair?”

“Its not fair,” Maddox concedes. “But it’s the truth of what happened. Sadie’s right. You’ll find another pack.”

Another of those mean laughs. “I’m thirty-three. All the packs my age already have an omega or know they don’t want one.” She lifts her eyes to me. “You’re still young. You can find another pack, one closer to your age.”

I roll my eyes at the desperation in her voice. I can’t help it. “They’re not that much older than me,” I say quietly and Maddox pulls me tighter to his body. “I feel for you, Claudia, I do. But you need to accept this is the way things are going to be. The Falcone pack is my happy ending, not yours. You need to find it elsewhere.”

Her head tips down, blue eyes leaking tears, but I don’t miss the hard twist in her mouth. She’s acting defeated, faking her tears. I’m pretty sure she’s been faking since the moment she stepped into this apartment.

Thankfully, my guys seem to have grown immune to her the longer they’re around her. So as she cries quietly, Swift and Maddox stay next to me, continue touching me, offering me comfort.

“Fine,” she whispers. “Fine. I’ll pack. I’ll leave. But you’re going to regret this. Someday soon, you’re going to realize I’m your true omega and you’re going to fucking hate yourselves for the way you’ve treated me.”

Swift doesn’t even bother to hide his snort at her predictions. In fact, he snorts, and that turns into a laugh, full bellied and sort of cruel in the face of her tears. “Never,” he says between chuckles. “That is literally never going to happen, Claudia. You’re nothing compared to our girl. She’s the fucking sun we revolve around and you’re just a smudge on the radar of our lives. This is us taking Windex to the screen. Pack your shit. Get the hell out.”

“Swift,” I murmur softly, chiding him with my tone.

“No, Cherrybomb!” His fingers tighten on my hand. “No. Having her here hurts you, it makes you heartsore and all that self doubt swell. I am your alpha and I refuse to let her do that to you.”

He sends a wave of love to me through our bond, so strong and so fucking pure I nearly stagger under the weight of it. Thank god Maddox is right there next to me, keeping me steady.

He presses a kiss into my temple. “Come on, trouble. You need breakfast.” His arm around my waist turns me toward the door, urges me toward it. “You heard him, Claudia.” He calls over his shoulder as he moves me into the hall. “It’s time for you to go.”

Swift is right on our heels. Apparently, now that he’s got his point across, he’s happy to leave her to pack alone.

Or maybe it’s just that now that I’m awake, he’d rather be with me while he can.

I squeal when we reach the top of the stairs as Swift hoists me over his shoulder. His hands clamp over my thighs, close to where he bit me last night, and I just barely stifle the moan that wants to escape.

I smack his ass. “I can walk, you know.”

His hand makes contact with my right butt cheek in a stinging slap that he soothes away with a gentle touch. “I know Cherry. But I like carrying you.”

He rushes down the stairs with Maddox chuckling behind us. The scent of coffee reaches my nose and I brace my hands on the flexing muscles of Swift’s glutes to push up and look at Luca in the kitchen, puttering around.

The scent of sausages and French toast reaches my nose, making me groan. “God, I’m so lucky you all know how to cook,” I say, flopping back over Swift’s shoulder and letting my arms dangle toward the floor.

“And we’re lucky you bake like a goddess,” Ethan says, just before a kiss is pressed to the curve of my ass.

My already flushed face flushes even more, and then Swift is flipping me over and setting me on the island, sliding between my thighs to kiss to my mouth. His hand slides under the hem of his shirt to find his bite high on my leg. My eyes roll into the back of my head as his thumb brushes against it and I don’t stifle the moan the small touch elicits from me.

“No fucking our omega this morning,” Maddox growls. A second later, Swift is yanked away from me. But I’m pretty sure he doesn’t fight it, because no one makes Swift do something he doesn’t want. Not even Maddox.

Maddox, who slips into the spot Swift was just in, kisses me softly on my lips, my cheek, my chin, before pulling back to announce. “Claudia is leaving today.”

“Thank fuck,” Luca says, sliding a plate full of food onto the island next to my hip.

“Thank me ,” Swift corrects, stealing a sausage link from my plate. Well, trying to steal it, but Maddox’s hand shoots out to intercept it.

“Get your own food,” I growl out, reaching down to snatch the plate out from between the two battling alphas.

“But it tastes better when it’s from your plate, Cherrybomb.” It’s ridiculous that him saying that should make my heart flutter, but it does. So I pick up a sausage link and dip it into the syrup before holding the entire sticky mess out to Swift.

He grins and closes his mouth around the whole thing, even my fingers, the tip of his tongue lapping at the syrup on my skin, before he slowly pulls back and chews. I can’t pull my eyes away from him. I don’t know if it’s the new bond between us, or what, but Jesus, I swear Swift has a bond directly with my clit.

“What did I say?” Maddox growls. “No fucking our omega this morning. We have work to do.”

Swift grins, and I pout, turning my attention back to my prime alpha. “You’re no fun.”

Maddox growls, his hand lacing into the hair at the back of my head and tugging hard, until my head tips back and a needy gasp falls from my lips. “I’m plenty of fun, trouble.” He drags his nose over my neck, nuzzling into the hollow under my ear. “Gonna bite you right here, omega,” he murmurs. “Gonna make you come on my cock while I do. Wanna feel you clench so goddamn tight on my knot, fill you up with my cum.”

“Maddox,” I whine, hands curling in the waistband of his shorts, leaving a sticky trail of syrup on his abs. “Please.”

His teeth scrape the spot he’s been nuzzling, and I swear I melt into a puddle of Sadie colored goo. “Please what, omega.”

Logically, I know he’s just trying to get me riled up. He’s made it clear they have more important things to do this morning than lay me down and fuck me on our kitchen island. So that is why I refuse to beg any more. My face folds into a frown and I feel him smile against my skin. “You know what.”

He pulls back and grins at me even more. “I don’t think I do, omega. What do you need? Tell me and maybe I’ll give it to you.”

“Maybe?” I say, already knowing that when Maddox says ‘maybe’ what he means is he won’t. This is his game. Getting me riled up and then denying me. It makes my eventual release that much better, but I really hate this part. “You’re an asshole.” I mutter, leaning back from him as much as I can.

“Not what I was looking for, trouble.” He swats at my hip and then steps away from me. “I’m gonna shower. Eat your breakfast. You’re gonna need your energy later.”

I roll my eyes and ignore the slick that is drenching my thighs and the marble under my ass. Swift and Maddox can deal with that later. Assholes. Getting me all horny and then not giving me any relief.

Luca chuckles as he slides a cup of coffee next to me, leaning in to kiss my cheek. But not more than that. At least one of them knows better than to tease me. “Morning, vixen.” I grumble back at him as he taps the plate of food. “Eat.”

I reach for the coffee first, moaning as I take a gulp.

I devour half of the plate of food in almost no time at all. Bonding takes a lot out of a girl. Also, if the spike last night is anything to go by, I’ll be in heat soon, and I know I’ll need to store up some extra calories for that.

“Jesus, mo chuisle ,” Logan chuckles. “You’re really taking Maddox’s words to heart, aren’t you? Ready for us to come home and fuck you silly?”

I straighten from my hunched over position, my mouth still full of French toast, and smile at him nodding as an answer, because I’m not a complete heathen who talks with her mouth full.

“I’m always ready for you to fuck me silly,” I purr after I swallow, enjoying the way his pale green eyes darken with desire. But then his gaze flickers over me and the desire fades, replaced by mild concern.

“You look a little flushed, omega. Are you feeling alright?”

Resisting the urge to look at Swift, who has gone very still with his gold eyes on me, I shake my head both in warning for my newly bonded alpha and to Logan’s question. “I’m fine. Just excited.” I lean forward and press a syrupy kiss to his mouth. “I made the choice. Logan. I’m taking the nest. I’m taking the pack.”

His breath catches just the slightest bit and he grins. “Good girl. I knew you’d come around.”

I lean away from him, straightening my spine and my shoulders. “Sure you did,” I say primly, patting his chest.

He arches a brow. “Its impossible for a scent match to not want to be with their pack, mo chuisle. ”

I narrow my gaze. “That’s not true at all. Scent matching isn’t everything, Logan. If it was, you’d want to keep me and Claudia.”

There’s a huff from the direction of the stairs, and like I’d summoned her by saying her name, there’s the blond omega. “I’d never share my pack with you,” she scoffs.

I shrug. “Good thing I’m not asking you to then, huh?”

Her blue eyes flick from me to Swift, to Luca, before landing on Logan. The one alpha in the pack that isn’t already bonded to me and hasn’t outright told her to leave. My redheaded man shifts closer to me, ignoring her imploring look. He kisses me again, this time slower, more lingering, and I get the impression that he’s doing this to show Claudia where he stands.

That’s he’s firmly with me.

I hum as his mouth devours mine, toes curling as a low pleasant heat unfurls in my stomach.

I know I’m flushed when he pulls back, and although he has a heated look on his face, he notices. His hand comes up to touch my forehead again. “You’re sure you’re feeling okay?”

I bat his hand away and laugh. “Yes! I’m fine. I swear. You can’t kiss me like that and expect me not to get a little warm, Logan.”

He hums, light green eyes running over my face, looking for a sign that I’m being untruthful. But a moment later, he nods. “Okay. But if you’re still flushed when we get back, I’m going to give you an exam.”

I pat his chest again. “Okay, fair enough.”

What I don’t say is that by the time they get back, there won’t be any need for an exam. Claudia will be gone and I’ll tell them about my impending heat.

The cleaners have come and gone. There wasn’t that much for them to do, though they did pack up all the cushions to take to their super special descenting facility. But mostly it was steam cleaning everything and then spraying a crap ton of descenter.

I only halfway listened as Trish from Happy Home Cleaners explained the setup to me. Most of my brain giddily imagined what I wanted my nest to look like. I’d never really thought about it before. I mean, why would I? I thought I was a beta, and then when I realized I wasn’t… well, I was dealing with a lot of other things.

So while the cleaners hauled everything out of the nest and down to the parking garage, I got on the tablet Ethan left for me, happily adding way too much to a cart from Nests, Heats and Beyond, and scrolling through Pinterest for ideas.

It would be better if I could go to the store and feel all the textures and see things in person, but I know I can’t leave the penthouse, not without one of my pack with me. I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t even let me go with Chuck, the bodyguard they left in the apartment to keep me safe from Trish and her squad of cleaners.

Which is fine. If they get back early enough, maybe we can all go together. The omega in me really likes that idea, likes the thought of them trailing behind me, helping me discover what I like, finding things they like, and submitting them for my approval.

I may be an omega, but I still want them to like my nest, too. We’ll be spending a lot of time together in there, so I want them to feel comfortable. They’ll like anything you do , my omega assures me, because it’s your nest and they will just be grateful to be invited inside.

She’s right, but it doesn’t stop me from feeling anxious.

I must broadcast that feeling through both of my bonds, because Swift and Luca both send back reassurances to me, even without knowing what exactly the problem is.

My head shoots up from where I’m looking, perusing pictures of a navy blue nest with murals of galaxies painted on the walls when a loud thump sounds from downstairs. Frowning, I set the tablet on Maddox’s bed and slip out into the hall, tilting my head to listen.

“Chuck?” I call, but there’s no answer. Another thump has me moving on bare feet down the hall until I’m at the top of the stairs. “Claudia?”

A shiver of knowing that something isn’t right hits me. But I’m safe here. I know I am. No one can get in without being added to the penthouse security system. Chuck was really only here to keep me safe from the cleaners, so it’s possible he’s gone down to one of the other floors now that they’ve gone.

I know a lot of the members of the Falcone organization live in the building, too. Maybe he went home.

But there’s still… this feeling that I’m not alone up here.

Maybe Claudia didn’t leave?

I snort at the thought. Of course she hasn’t left. That woman is stubborn with a capital ‘S’. She’s probably in all of my mates’ rooms scenting up everything she can get her grubby little hands on, as if that will make them want her. The only thing it will do is make us have a shit ton of laundry to do.

Still, I backtrack and peek into each of the bedrooms, inhaling deeply to check the scents. But I only find my mates and my scent in the air. The nest is empty, a blank slate ready for me to fill, and I feel a giddy little thrill at the thought.

But I need to focus now and find Claudia, make sure she actually leaves the penthouse. I don’t want to think about what the pack will do if they come back and find her here. Maddox was clear he wants her gone.

I make my way downstairs, pausing in the middle of the open space.

“Claudia?” I call out, knowing she’s near because the scent of her cherry pie perfume is still strong. I hate that she’s here, that she’s in the same space as my pack.

Mine, the omega in me snarls fiercely.

That’s right, I agree easily. Mine.

God, it feels good to finally accept it. Not just accept, but embrace. The Falcone pack is mine. I open the bond between Luca and me, and send him a wave of love, just because I can. He’s quick to send it back my way.

“I thought we could talk,” I say to the nearly empty apartment. “We need to work this out.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” her voice comes from behind me, making me spin to face her. She’s leaning against the wall of the hallway that leads to Maddox’s office, arms folded over her chest, fingernails biting into the skin of her upper arms. The look of pure hatred on her face has me shivering.

“You stole my pack from me,” she snarls. “Tricked them into thinking some second-rate beta is an omega and got one of them to bite you. It’s pathetic, really, how desperate you are. Thank god it’s only one of them. The pack will be just fine without Luca. You and he can run off into the sunset together for all I care. Take Ethan with you. I have no use for a beta. But the rest of the Falcone pack is mine.”

The vitriol spilling from her mouth is shocking. The venom with which she spits the words, the glint in her eye. I resist the urge to look at the cameras I know are hidden all over the apartment. I get the unpleasant sensation that this is going to go south fast. With that thought in mind, I open my bonds with Luca and Swift, and send them a sliver of my worry and concern.

I shake my head. “If Luca left the pack, the bonds would break and the scent match would, too. They wouldn’t be yours anymore.” They aren’t yours now.

She sniffs and pushes away from the wall. “They’d be mine in all the ways that matter.” A small smile curls over her lips. “If you don’t want to take Luca and go, I’ll tell you what will happen.” She smiles winningly at me, sweetly almost. “I’ll get rid of you myself. I’ve worked too goddamn hard, given up too much for you to take them from me. The pain and the suffering I went through to become this, the perfect omega, is not something I bore lightly. I did it knowing that I would be rewarded with a pack one day, a powerful one. One that could care for me in the way that I’ve become accustomed. One that would bring my father pride and endless amounts of wealth.”

A small smile curls her lips. “Of course, I couldn’t have imagined it would be the Falcone pack, but here we are. They are mine, Sadie. If you don’t give them to me, I will take them, just as I’ve taken every other thing in my fucking life.”

I blink at her. Slowly, her words clicking into place. “You were a beta,” I say on a breath. “You were a beta, and you knew you were going to stay a beta.” I running eyes over her body. “Plastic surgery to make yourself look like an omega. Medications and blood transfusions to make you smell like an omega. Like me. But you don’t have any of the omega instincts, do you?”

Her grin only grows as I figure it out.

All this time I’d been sure, so fucking sure, that I was the fake. But it was her all along.

“I am the omega,” I whisper, my resolve hardening further. “I’m their omega. You’re the imposter. The fake.” My brain filters to the pills I stopped taking a year ago, how I felt better than I ever had before, and then I think about how that first wave of cherry pie had curled in my nostrils at Le Bonheur after I met Swift. Meeting my scent match alpha unlocked my omega designation, the one medication had hidden from me for fucking years.

They put me on suppressants. Ones strong enough to keep my omega completely buried to avoid this happening. To let Claudia be the omega that smells like cherry pie and the scent match to The Falcone pack.

I have no doubt that my mother, the one person in the world who is supposed to protect and love me, let them do all of that. I’m sure they paid her for it.

Claudia nods, like this revelation didn’t just rock my world entirely. “You’re right. I was a beta. I knew I was going to stay a beta. My father knew it too, and he was so fucking disappointed in me. For me. But there is very little that billions of dollars can’t fix. You are an omega. The original omega. But now I’m one too. I deserve to be revered like one. I deserve to have a pack that fucking worships me. And they won’t do that while you’re here.” Alarm blares through me and I send a frantic plea to Luca and Swift, trying to tell them what’s going on with pure emotion, but I’m not sure I’m able.

Claudia stalks toward me, and on instinct I stumble back, away. “I’ll give you the choice one more time. You can have Luca. You can have Ethan. But the rest are mine.”

My spine straightens and fury roars through me. My omega rears up, claws and teeth gnashing, ready to fight. “They are mine.” I snarl at her. “You will never have them. They don’t want you, Claudia. They are my alphas. My pack. My fucking family.”

The blond woman tsks and shakes her head. “I was worried you might feel that way…” A slow smile curls over her face. “No, actually, I hoped you’d feel that way. This way, the pack will stay together and you’ll be fucking gone.”

I frown, the alarms blaring louder and louder. She looks over my shoulder and her eyes widen, like she’s shocked or scared or something. Her mouth parts on a scream, just as a set of arms wrap around me from behind. I don’t have time to fight back before a rough voice commands, “ Both of you stay still and quiet. ” The alpha bark washes over me and any fight that had been building flees. Claudia does the same, even though her eyes are still wide with terror.

A hand strokes over the side of my head. “Good girl.” The unknown alpha fists my hair in one hand and tilts my head at an uncomfortable angle until my neck and my mating bite are exposed. Claudia stands there, her eyes glinting with pleasure as the alpha lowers his head, runs his nose over my bond mark, making me shiver and not how I normally do when one of my alphas touches me there. No. This is wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

A whine pulls from my chest, battling against the hold his bark has on me. “Shh,” he murmurs, lips brushing against my skin. “This is going to hurt.”

He sinks his teeth into my flesh, obliterating Luca’s mating mark, snapping the bond.

I scream, blood swells and drips down my throat. Claudia watches that gleam growing in her eye and then… he detaches himself from me, laps at it once. It’s followed by a faint prick of pain in my arm.

And darkness rushes in.