Chapter 5 In which an omega is claimed

Sadie stares up at me, her pretty pink mouth falling open in shock. It’s not the first time someone had that reaction to learning my pack name. I’m sure it won’t be the last.

“Falcone,” she whispers, gray eyes going wide and slightly panicked again. My purr rumbles out of my chest again and she settles, slouching against my chest. I’ve never purred before. It’s something that alphas only do for their omegas, and I’ve never come across an omega that I want to soothe as much as I want to soothe Sadie.

“ Falcone ,” she repeats and then she laughs, shaking her head. “Of course. Of course. Not only am I a secret late blooming omega, but I also bond to a criminal pack the first time I have sex as an omega! Jesus, my mother is going to have a fucking field day with this.”

“We aren’t criminals,” Ethan murmurs, lips still pressed against her neck, just on the edge of her bonding mark. Makes my alpha practically rabid at the sight of that. I want to fuck them both all over again, really drive this claiming, that they’re both mine, home. “Not really.”

She twists her head to look at him. “There isn’t a gray area when it comes to being a criminal. You either are or you aren’t.”

My brows lower. “Judgy little thing, aren’t you, omega?”

She grits her teeth and returns my glare. “Don’t call me that.”

“Where do you live, Sadie?” Ethan asks, stepping away from her and gathering up our clothes. Sadie is already dressed, well, except for one of her cute little ankle boots.

She steps away from me and the only reason I let her go is to pull on the clothing Ethan is offering me. “I’m not telling you that.”

“Ehhh,” I make the sound of a game show buzzer. “Wrong answer, vixen. Try again.”

She scowls and folds her arms over her chest. “Don’t call me that either.” I tilt my head and run my eyes over her, prodding at our connection, but she has it locked down tight. I could probably force it, but I’ll let her keep her distance for now. After all, this is a big change, and most omegas don’t handle that well. They need stability and security. It’s half of the reason we don’t already have an omega for our pack.

Although I’m not a fan of the word, we are criminals, just like she said. We’re just very good at hiding all of our illegal activity behind legitimate businesses. Still, everyone knows that most of our money isn’t earned on the up and up. Maddox, our prime alpha, is working on changing that, disassembling what his grandfather built and his father enhanced. We’re going total law abiding pack, but it’s taking a hell of a lot more time than he thought it would.

Right now, our pack life isn’t conducive to a stable, secure environment for an omega. But I literally could not resist this woman in front of me with her silky light brown hair, red lips and scent of cherry pie a la mode that scrambled my brain and confirmed that she is mine. I had to have her, and she was begging so pretty for my bite.

Maddox is going to eviscerate me for this. But it’ll be worth it to watch him fall in love with her. And I have no doubt that he will. Hard and fast, though he’ll deny it, fight it. It will be impossible for him not to, she’s our scent match.

“Sadie,” Ethan says, his tone much more gentle than I would have used. “Tell us where you live so we can go get your things.” He arches his brows. “Unless you want to leave all your stuff? We can get you anything you’ll need.”

Sadie drops her arms and glares at him. “I’m not leaving my stuff, and I’m not telling you where I live. I’m not sure what you think is happening here, but I’m not moving in with your criminal pack. That’s just… I’m not- I’m not an omega. I’m not. ”

I frown at the distress in her voice, stepping into her again to cup her cheek. Her soft skin feels like heaven against my rough fingers. I have to fight the urge to press my lips against it, taste her all over. “Repeating that doesn’t make it true, vixen. You are an omega. Our omega. And you will move into our pack house. With us. It’s where you belong.” I press my finger just outside of my claiming bite and she sighs, eyes going languid with heat.

“I don’t know much about omegas,” Ethan says, eyes on the cell phone in his hand. “But I know that omegas that present later often have a hell of a heat within a month. You’ll want to be settled with us before then, right? You’ll want to know the alphas that will see you through it.”

“Heat,” Sadie whispers, all the color draining from her face. “No.” She shakes her head. “No! I’m not having a fucking heat! I’m not an omega. How many times do I have to tell you? I’m a beta. Just because you realize your mistake after you bit me,” she glares at me and it’s so fucking adorable. “I’m sorry if you thought I was an omega, but you bit a beta. Another beta.”

She’s spiraling again, panicking. I’m not sure how long she’s going to do this for, but I’m losing patience. She’s ours. She needs to accept it.

“ Sadie, ” I say, her name bordering on a bark and her mouth snaps closed, her shoulders curling down as she tries to make herself as small as possible.

Fuck. Fuck. I didn’t mean to do that.

Ethan tsks and moves to her side, curling his arm around her shoulders to tug her against his chest while he glares at me. “Don’t bark at her, asshole.”

“I didn’t-” I protest, but he cuts me off.

“She’s not one of the men under your command. I know you love asserting your dominance, Luca, but you can’t do that with her. Not unless she asks you to.” His hand sweeps up and down Sadie’s arm.

She keeps her face pointed toward the floor, and I watch in horror as a tear drips off her chin to plop on the toe of her tiny black sock. The sight of that, of her standing there with one shoe on and one shoe off, crying makes my alpha desperate to make things right.

I did that. I made my omega cry. Fix it. Fix it.

Ethan leans his chin on the top of her head and murmurs something I can’t make out. Whatever it is, seems to help her. She’s still crying, but she’s leaning into him, letting him soothe her instead of keeping her distance.

I look around and spot her other shoe halfway under the bed. Without thinking, I drop to my knees and crawl over to grab it for her, before crawling back, until I’m kneeling in front of her, a supplicant at her feet.

She looks down at me with surprise in her eyes. “What-”

I hold up the boot. “If you’ll allow me?”

Her teeth sink into her lower lip as she considers. I could kick myself for making her feel so uncertain of me. Jesus, she’s not even sure she trusts me to help her into her shoe. But then she swipes at the moisture on her cheeks and nods.

I blow out a breath as I circle my hand around her slim ankle. She feels so… breakable, small. A sudden hit of fear has my stomach clenching. God, anything could happen to her. Anyone could take her from us, from me.

“Luca?” she murmurs. It’s the first time she’s said my name, and it’s fucking perfect. Soft and gentle, with a hint of concern. Her fingers push into my hair, stroking the strands back from my forehead. I wonder if she even realizes what she’s doing, an omega comforting her alpha.

I lift her foot and I know she expects me to only lift as high as I need to slip her boot on, but I keep lifting, bending my head to press a kiss to the top of her foot.

“I’m sorry,” I murmur against her sock. “I’m so fucking sorry. I won’t talk to you like that ever again, I promise.” Lifting my head, I meet her eyes and carefully slide the boot onto her foot before setting it down. “But you have to understand, Sadie. Beta or omega, you’re mine now.”

“Ours,” Ethan corrects, snuggling her closer.

“Ours,” I repeat. “The bond wouldn’t have snapped into place that strong if we didn’t both want it, vixen. If this wasn’t meant to be. You know that.” I press my forehead into her stomach, sliding my arms around her hips. Her fingers slide to the back of my head, holding me against her, and fuck if it doesn’t feel like home. “You’re coming home with us, Sadie.” I keep my voice soft, no hint of a command in it. “You’re meeting the rest of your pack. You’re going to let us take care of you, okay?”

She’s quiet for so long that I tip my head back to look up at her. She’s so short that even on my knees, my chin reaches her sternum. Her brow is furrowed as she looks at me, fingers still stroking, stroking, stroking through my hair. Finally she nods. “Okay. I’ll come home with you. I’ll meet your pack, but I’m not moving in.” A low growl rumbles out of me. “Not yet,” she concedes and the growl stutters out. “It’s a lot, you know? I just need a little time to… come to terms with this.”

Ethan kisses her temple. “Of course, sweetheart. Let’s go to your house and grab a bag. You can come stay with us for the weekend. We’ll take you home on Sunday.”

Another growl pulls out of me, but they both ignore me. Sadie nods. “Okay, but um… My house is kind of far.”

Ethan grins at her. “Oh, I know. Kilrose Lake.”

Sadie’s mouth drops open. “How did you know?”

I chuckle, pressing a kiss to the spot between her breasts while Ethan holds up his phone. “Its amazing what you can find on the internet these days.”

“Especially when you can hack your way into anything.” I push to my feet and cup Sadie’s cheek. “We’ll put some security in place to keep you better protected, both online and in the real world.”

Our girl hums and leans into my palm, making my heart go all kinds of soft. She’s already getting more comfortable, letting us in. “Does that mean I’m going to have a bodyguard? Someone to follow me around all the time?”

“If you do,” I say, stepping closer. “It’ll be one of us. One of your pack. We wouldn’t trust your safety to anyone else.”

Sadie’s gray eyes run over me, a flicker of confusion in their depths before it’s gone. She steps away from me even as she mutters, “I believe you.”

Sadie’s house is a hundred miles outside of town, up a windy road and surrounded by trees on three sides and a lake on the other. It’s picturesque, truly. And I can imagine it’s even prettier during the day.

We pull up in front of a cute little cabin with a wide front porch. I can’t make out much, but it looks to be two stories with cedar shingle siding. “Wait here,” I say before pushing open the door and stepping out. Predictably, my omega doesn’t listen, following me out and moving to stand at my side.

“What are those lights?” I ask, pointing to a glimmer through the trees.

“What? Oh, that’s Sylvie’s house. And over there,” she points in the other direction, and the lights glowing in the distance. “Is Sorrel’s. They’re my neighbors… my best friends.”

I glance at Ethan, who nods and pulls out his phone and starts typing, running checks on both of them. Can’t be too careful with our omega’s safety. I place my hand on the small of Sadie’s back and usher her up the front steps to the door.

She pulls out her key and glances over her shoulder at Ethan. “You won’t get a signal up here unless you connect to the Wi-Fi.”

“I did,” he says, shrugging, eyes not moving from the screen.

“What? How? We’re all password protected up here.”

He smirks. “Hacker. Remember, heartbreaker? You couldn’t keep me out if you tried. And unfortunately, your password of LiamCordova4Eva is not that strong.”

I arch a brow, looking down at a flushing Sadie. “Liam Cordova? Really?”

“He’s certifiably hot,” she mutters before pushing open her door.

I’ve never been jealous of a celebrity. Not once, especially not a pretty boy omega actor, but knowing Sadie thinks he’s attractive is enough to make me feel a little unhinged. Which is probably why I growl out, “only one lock, omega?”

I don’t miss the shiver that works its way over her skin, even as she kicks off her boots with a groan. “I don’t need more than that, Luca. This is Kilrose Lake. Population: six hundred and thirty-seven. I’m perfectly safe up here.”

Yeah, we’ll see about that. If she really is coming back here on Sunday, I have a lot of changes to get made. “Go pack,” I order, already looking around, counting windows and doors, figuring out where the security cameras are going to go.

Sadie huffs, but doesn’t argue, climbing up the staircase on one side of the big open concept room to the loft above. The light flickers on and I catch sight of a light blue bedspread before I move through the house. The unmistakable beta scent of cucumber and mint permeates every surface, soft and delicate. Unobtrusive. Nothing like the cherry pie à la mode Sadie smells like now.

The couch has only two throw pillows on it, and a single blanket draped over the back of it. Nothing in this house makes me think an omega lives here. There isn’t room for a nest. The lack of soft, cozy items. The beta scent. If it weren’t for the pictures of her on the mantle, I would think Sadie didn’t live here at all.

“Maddox is going to be pissed,” Ethan says quietly, making sure his voice doesn’t travel.

I look over at him. “He’ll get over it.” When our beta arches his brows, I smirk and shake my head. “He would have bitten her too if he was buried knot deep in her pussy and she was begging for it.”

There’s a brief twist of guilt and regret in my stomach that I know Ethan sees. But it’s too fucking late to go back on it now. Even with Sadie’s side of the bond closed, I can feel it beating strong in my chest. I don’t think it’s going anywhere, even if part of me wishes it would, so I could have a chance to do it right.

There’s another larger part of me that is so fucking proud that I claimed my omega.

“I think she’s telling the truth about being a beta before tonight,” Ethan murmurs, apparently willing to let the conversation drop now that he’s issued his warning. “Poor girl must be so confused and terrified.”

Another pinch of guilt and regret. “We’ll just have to make sure she comes around.” I have to make sure she comes around, that she accepts this. There isn’t any other option. She’s it for me. I don’t want any other omega. And besides that, she smells like mine .

He moves next to me to look at the picture that has caught my attention. Sadie on a dock on the lake with two other women around her age. One has long wavy dark hair and deep tan, olive skin, like she’s spent hours under the sun, pretty aqua eyes and freckles. The other has shoulder length, almost white blond hair with dark roots, hazel eyes bordering on mossy green and a glittering stud in her nose. They’re all dressed in bikinis that show off their curves and all of them are grinning at the camera, laughing.

A small hand appears in front of the picture. “Sylvie.” She points to the blond. “Sorrel.” She points to the dark-haired beauty. “If you want an introduction, I’m happy to make one.”

My mouth quirks into a smile at the hint of jealousy in her voice. “Maybe.” I tap my finger against the image of her. “But I’m more interested in finding out if I can convince you to pack this bikini. I’d love to see you in it in person. We have a swimming pool on the roof.”

She huffs a laugh. “Of course, you do.”

I turn to face her, taking in the single bag slung over her shoulder. “All packed?”

She nods and folds her arms around her stomach. “Yeah.”

“You don’t want to bring any blankets or pillows or anything?” Ethan sounds concerned, and I can’t say I blame him. Scent soothes omegas. If she doesn’t bring something that smells like her home, she won’t settle over the weekend.

But her nose wrinkles. “Everything here smells funny to me now, like it’s not right. It makes me kind of itchy. I’m going to have to wash everything and… put my new scent on it, I guess. Air out the entire fucking house, too.”

“I’ll get someone on it,” I say without thinking. It’s literally the least I can do after biting her like I did.

She scowls. “No, thank you. I don’t want some stranger up here rifling through my panty drawer.” She waves a hand and moves toward the front door, scooping up her purse and jacket. It’s at this point I notice she’s changed out of her hot as fuck dress and into a pair of dark navy leggings and a soft slouchy maroon sweater that hangs off one shoulder, but she still smells like me and Ethan, like sex. “I’ll just do it when I come back.”

My gaze slides to Ethan, who’s watching her with a bemused expression on his face. As we follow her out the door, she yawns, so big I’m surprised her jaw doesn’t crack. Another stab of guilt. Why did I drag her all the way up here only to drag her back? It’s the middle of the night. She should be cuddled up in the nest at home with us sprawled out around her, sleeping off the mating bond.

But I thought for sure she’d have a nest here, soft goods that she’d feel more comfortable having with her. Omegas need that, need the familiar scents of their pillows and blankets. But the little cabin we just left definitely isn’t the home of an omega. So this entire trip was pointless.

Sure, she’ll have her own clothes now, but we could have provided her with enough to get her through the weekend, longer even.

I have a flash of shopping with Sadie, of picking out things for her to wear, providing more sweaters and leggings, tight as fuck dresses and sexy fishnet stockings. Tubes of red lipstick called Heartbreaker.

Fuck. Yeah. I want to give her fucking everything.

As Sadie slips into the back seat of the car, and Ethan rounds to the driver’s side, I have the uncomfortable realization that, although I want to give Sadie everything to make sure she’s happy and healthy, it might not be possible.

I bonded an unknown omega into our pack without the pack’s consent.

It’s very possible that the other three alphas, including our Prime, might decide they don’t want her. And then what the fuck will I do?