CHAPTER TEN

GREEK

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I was always messing things up. I wanted to protect my Sofia. However, I knew I couldn’t do so on my own. I couldn’t even protect myself. We needed shelter and food. A storm was coming. What was I supposed to do if the alpha kicked us out because of my actions? My panicked agaze swung to Sofia. She winked at me, then stared down at Demon.

“Greek is okay with you finishing what you were doing,” she told him, not sounding panicked or nervous. “Seeing the bruises on me shocked him. However, he now knows you never meant for it to happen. But no more tying me up... unless I ask you to. Got it?”

Demon grunted, his jaw tightening as he gently turned her wrists over in his hands, his fingers brushing against the bruised flesh like he was committing every mark to memory. The low growl rumbling from his chest wasn’t directed at her or me but at the situation, at the damage he’d inadvertently caused.

Sofia smiled. “I’ll be fine, big guy,” she said softly, her voice carrying a tenderness that eased some of the tension in the room. “It’s nothing I can’t handle.”

But Demon didn’t respond. His blue eyes flicked up to hers, intense and full of something I couldn’t quite name. Regret? Guilt? Whatever it was, it made my chest ache. He finally moved to her ankles, his hands working the ropes loose with the same care he’d shown her wrists. I couldn’t look away.

The way he knelt there, his focus entirely on her, was captivating. It wasn’t just the act itself that touched me. It was the way he handled her, the way he seemed to balance his strength with gentleness. I thought alphas couldn’t control their strength. I thought they hurt others because they had no choice.

My father had been an alpha. But he’d known his secondary designation was omega. He learned that after I was born and triggered a designation change in him. That’s how my parents learned I was a catalyst. And they kept that secret hidden. And my father embraced the change that came over him every so often.

I’d even heard him tell my mother that he’d felt intimidated in the presence of other alphas all his life, as if he didn’t belong, didn’t fit in. And now he knew why. He felt comfortable as an omega. My father had been the gentlest alpha I’d known. And I’d thought it was because of the omega gene that had been dormant in his DNA.

Now, I was wondering if I was wrong about that, too. My father was one of the good alphas. The only good alpha I’d known until now. It had nothing to do with the omega gene. It had everything to do with the man that he was. And Demon was the same. He was a good man, a good alpha, despite being rough around the edges.

When the last of the ropes fell away, he sat back on his heels, his gaze lingering on her legs for just a moment before he stood. His scent, smoky and earthy, was thick in the air, and I couldn’t help but breathe it in. It wrapped around me, warm and comforting, like a soft blanket, making me feel safe despite the storm brewing outside.

Sofia stretched her arms above her head, wincing slightly but grinning all the same. “Well, that’s better. Thanks for finally letting me go.”

Demon grunted, crossing his arms over his chest as he stepped back, giving her space. But his eyes never left her, and neither did mine. She was standing now, rubbing her wrists, and I couldn’t ignore the way her presence radiated through the room. She was fearless, this beta who had no reason to be so calm around an alpha like Demon.

And yet, she was. I glanced at Demon, then back at Sofia. My heart thudded in my chest as a thought struck me, unbidden and not entirely unwelcome. What if this wasn’t just about survival? What if this was the beginning of something else entirely? Something I wasn’t sure I was ready for, but now that the thought had formed, it was starting to take root in my mind, my heart, my body.

Demon took another step back as if trying to distance himself from us when I wanted him to do nothing more than come closer. I.. Greek Matthews... wanted an alpha to come closer. My omega was waking up from a long nap and making me think and feel things that were foreign to me. Yet... I kind of liked them. More than kind of.

Demon’s towering frame cast a shadow over us, or maybe that was just my omega’s overactive imagination. His intense blue gaze flicked between Sofia and me as if he were trying to decide something. Finally, his gravelly voice broke the silence.

“There’s a shower you can use,” he growled.

I blinked at him, stunned. A shower? For us? My gaze dropped to myself, and my cheeks warmed as I took in my appearance, a stark reminder of what I’d endured. The boxers I wore were threadbare, stained, and barely covering me. I looked nothing like how an omega should look. More shame filled me.

Natalie’s harsh words drifted through my mind, “You’re such a letdown. We wanted an omega. But the only time you remotely resemble an omega is when you’re in heat. You don’t like our touch, you don’t like soft things, you don’t even like yourself. What the fuck do we keep you here for when you can’t even switch others into omegas for us. A fucking waste of genes is what you are.”

I tried not to let the embarrassment show, but my fingers twitched, itching to tug at the hem of my boxers, as though I could somehow cover more of myself. I was too used to being on display. Too used to feeling exposed. And yet... the thought of a shower, of warm water washing away the filth of my past, made something in me flutter with excitement.

A shower. I’d never had one before. I’d bathed, sure, but that was nothing like a shower. In the pack, there had been no privacy. My baths consisted of going behind my alphas’ cabins and utilizing the barrels of rainwater they’d collected. I’d had to bathe that way even when it was freezing cold outside, with my body shivering as I hurried to clean myself under the watchful eyes of my alphas.

I wasn’t allowed to do it on my own because they feared I’d try to escape. I’d been leashed before going out. One of them would always hold my collar, making sure I didn’t step out of line, as though I could run anywhere with them standing so close. Plus, there had always been guards surrounding the perimeter.

Even before my captivity, when I was a child, my baths at home had been in a small tub. Never a shower. My mother had always filled it for me, checking the temperature of the water, making sure it wasn’t too hot. I could still remember the smell of her lavender homemade soap and the way she’d hum to herself while waiting for me to finish.

She’d called me her sweet boy back then. That had been before everything went wrong. But a shower? That was new. I’d seen them before, of course. Sometimes, in the houses of the pack members when I was forced to clean for them. While leashed, of course. I’d always wondered what it would feel like to have water raining down over me, hot and constant, like a warm embrace.

Would it be like standing in the rain but better? The thought filled me with a strange, almost childish sense of wonder. It was pathetic how excited I was about the idea, but I couldn’t help it. The sheer novelty of it made my heart race. My gaze flicked to Demon, and I swallowed hard, unsure of what to say.

Usually, when alphas noticed you were excited about something, they used that against you or took it away from you when you misbehaved. Sofia broke the silence first, her voice light and teasing.

“See, big guy? You do have manners.” She stretched, her fiery hair catching the light as she grinned at him. “A shower sounds amazing. Thanks.”

Her thanking him seemed to embarrass him. The more I studied this alpha, the more intrigued I became, and the stronger the desire for him to be my alpha, our alpha, grew.

“The cabin only has two bedrooms,” Demon informed us. “I can sleep on the couch,” he added, nodding toward the worn but sturdy piece of furniture near the fireplace. “You can each have one of the rooms to ride the storm out after your showers.”

His words should have been comforting, even generous, but instead, they sparked a fresh wave of panic inside me. Alone . The thought of being shut away in a room by myself sent my heart racing. Memories clawed at the edges of my mind—cold, dark spaces where I’d been locked away, left to rot, or called upon only to suffer.

I turned to Sofia, hoping she could see the silent plea in my eyes. I didn’t have to say anything. She seemed to sense the fear that was spiraling inside me. Her gaze softened as she stepped closer to me, her presence a calming balm to the storm brewing in my chest.

“We’ll share a room,” she stated, and I’d never been more thankful for a person in my life. I rose to stand beside her as she turned her attention to Demon. “Big guy, you should keep your room. You’ve already fed us. Now you’re letting us use your shower. We don’t want to intrude too much.”

Demon’s jaw tightened. I don’t think he liked her words. Yet, she hadn’t said anything bad. Everything had been polite, respectful. Yet, he was looking angry. We’d angered the alpha. His gaze shifted to me, lingering for a moment too long on my face. Something flickered in his blue eyes. His scent deepened, slipping past the blockers he was using, seeping into the room.

I nearly swayed on my feet as the smoky, earthy fragrance washed over me, impossibly alluring and utterly overwhelming. Pure alpha. And my omega wanted more of it. All of it. Sofia sniffed the air, her brows furrowing as her gaze shot back to Demon. Her lips parted slightly, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Is that smell coming from you?” she asked, her voice tinged with awe and something naughtier, something that had my omega wanting to gift her with our slick.

Damn it. I’m so glad they can’t hear my thoughts.

Demon shifted, and the tension in his posture became even more pronounced. He didn’t answer, but the faintest flush darkened his cheeks. That alone made my heart stutter.

“Your scent keeps getting stronger,” Sofia continued, her frown deepening. “More potent.” The confusion vanished from her expression the moment it all dawned on her. She cocked her head to the side, studying him. “You’re using blockers, aren’t you?”

Demon’s lips pressed into a thin line, his silence an answer in itself.

Sofia straightened, placing her hands on her hips. “If you smell this damn good with blockers, what will you smell like when they wear off?”

I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry. The thought was dizzying. His scent was already making it difficult to think straight. Without blockers... what would it do to me?

Sofia wasn’t done. “No more blockers until after the storm. I want to know what you really smell like.” Her tone was light but held a note of authority that surprised me and Demon.

“Why?” Demon growled.

“Why what?” Sofia countered.

“Why do you want to know what I smell like without blockers?” he asked.

The flush that tinted her cheeks almost the same shade as her hair was cute as hell.

“B-because,” she sputtered. “Well, because it’s not fair that your scent is blocked and ours isn’t. We all know how sweet and delicious Greek smells.”

Wait . She thought I smelled delicious? My angel liked my scent!

“And you know my smell. I mean, I’m a beta, so my scent is subtle, barely registerable,” she started.

“Not true,” both Demon and I growled, taking a step toward her, caging her in between us.

It hadn’t been planned. Yet, now that she was between us, I didn’t want her to move. I didn’t want either of them to move. Unless we were all moving closer together. Their scents mingled in the space around us, heady and intoxicating.

Demon’s smoky, earthy aroma wrapped around me while Sofia’s sweetness teased my senses, both scents fusing in the most forbidden, primitive way. I couldn’t help but inhale deeply, the blend of them pulling me under, drowning me in their allure.

My entire body tensed, not with fear, but with something darker, more electric. Something that burned low in my belly, curling tighter with each breath I took. Sofia was so close now, her body framed by mine and Demon’s. She looked small between us, her delicate frame perfectly nestled in the space we’d instinctively created for her.

Her head tilted back slightly as she glanced between us, her lips parted, her cheeks flushed a beautiful shade of pink that only made her look more irresistible. Her hazel eyes darted to me, then to Demon, and I could see the uncertainty and the spark of something more—something I wanted to ignite fully.

She looked so small, so impossibly delicate between us, and yet, she radiated a power that demanded our attention. My throat tightened as I stared down at her, at the way her body seemed to fit so perfectly between the two of us, as if she’d always belonged there. My hands itched to touch her, to guide her closer to Demon.

The next thought bloomed so vividly in my mind that I nearly whimpered. I could see it as clearly as if it were already happening. I imagined the two of us stripping her naked, leaving no barriers between us and her beautiful body. Then I pictured myself dropping to my knees right behind her and pressing my lips to the back of her thighs and then parting them until I had her open, exposed, and trembling for us.

I wanted to drag my tongue across her silken folds, tasting her, driving her wild. And as I worshipped her from behind, I wanted Demon to claim her lips, to feel her moans against his mouth as I devoured her. And then I wanted him to drop to his knees before her and claim a different set of lips.

Demon would kneel before her, his hands bracing her thighs, spreading her wider so he could feast on her, too. I imagined his mouth finding her clit, his tongue laving over the sensitive nub while my own mouth worshiped her from behind. Together, we’d surround her, consume her, until her scent filled the air, sweet and unmistakable proof that there was nothing subtle about her fragrance.

We would show her just how intoxicating she was, not just her scent, everything about her was utter perfection. She would writhe between us, her breaths coming out in short, desperate pants. She’d have one hand tangled in my hair with the other clutching Demon’s shoulder. We’d keep her there, balanced on the precipice of ecstasy, her moans growing louder, her body trembling as we worked together to give her everything she deserved.

My mouth watered at the thought, my cock throbbing painfully in my boxers. I could almost feel her wetness on my tongue, could almost hear the alpha growling his approval as her cries filled the room. She would be the sweetest dessert either of us had ever tasted. And she’d leave us craving more, addicted to her, an addiction that had already begun to form.

My fingers twitched at my sides, aching to make that vision real, to touch her and make her scent bloom even sweeter, to drown in the proof of her desire. She was already aroused, her scent thick in the air, mingling with Demon’s and mine. It was impossible to ignore, and it made me reckless.

I took another step forward, so close now that my cock, jutting forward, was touching her pants. Demon didn’t move, but his sharp blue eyes remained locked on her, his expression laced with hunger. His scent grew richer, darker, filling the room until it felt like there wasn’t enough oxygen in the air – only arousal – only the three of us.

I had to bite my lip to keep from moaning, from begging them to let me live out this fantasy with them, to let me have them, even if it was for just a little while until the storm left and reality set in. The only thing I’d ever begged for was death. Now, I desperately wanted to beg them to help me feel alive for just a little while.

The tension in the room was thick, almost as thick as I imagined Demon’s cock to be. I watched Sofia tremble, and I knew she was fighting against the same desire I was experiencing. Did she know what she was doing to me? To us? Demon’s shoulders tensed, his hands curling into fists at his sides as if he were holding himself back.

But his eyes were locked on Sofia with an intensity that mirrored the storm raging within me. I wanted to see how he looked when he shed his calm demeanor and let his beast out. I was trembling now, my body caught between the desire to act and the fear of shattering this fragile moment.

I swallowed hard, trying to rein in the wild, desperate thoughts clawing at my mind, but it was futile. Every fiber of my being wanted her. And I knew, without a doubt, Demon wanted her too. Sofia’s chest rose and fell in shallow breaths, her lips parting slightly as if she was trying to form words but couldn’t find them.

Her hands curled at her sides, and I imagined those small fingers gripping my hair, guiding me closer to where she wanted me most. Her voice was low, breathy, when she finally spoke.

“Why are you both just standing there?” she asked, her tone a mix of teasing and frustration, but her trembling voice betrayed her arousal. She turned to the side, her body swiping against my cock as she moved. Precum leaked from my tip as I bit back a groan.

Sofia gestured for Demon to move. “Come on, big guy. Show us to the shower. I have twigs in my hair and possibly creepy crawlies also.”

And just like that, the moment broke like a snapped twig entangled in Sofia’s tresses. But the tension didn’t dissipate. It hung in the air, heavy and charged, the promise of something we weren’t quite ready to acknowledge or explore. But I had a feeling we would get there. Soon.

Demon’s jaw tightened, his gaze darting to me for the briefest second before he stepped back, his movements robotic and restrained as though he were fighting himself. I had a feeling if Sofia asked us to taste us right now, that mask our alpha was wearing would evaporate, and we’d get a chance to see the real him.

I so wanted that. But Sofia wasn’t ready. And I’d never force what I wanted on someone else. I knew what that felt like. I let out a shaky breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, the ache inside me refusing to lessen. My eyes remained on Sofia, who looked at both of us with a mixture of defiance and longing.

Her scent lingered in the air, teasing, inviting. My tongue darted out to wet my lips, my thoughts refusing to quiet. Whatever was building between the three of us, it was dangerous. And I wanted nothing more than to let it consume us whole. But I’m glad she’d put a pause on things. I needed some time to think this through.

Yes, I wanted it. However, it wasn’t time for my next heat yet. Could I perform outside of a heat? Or would I disappoint them the same way I’d disappointed Natalie and Nathan? Thinking about those two was like dousing myself with ice water. The arousal cooled, and I was able to think straight once again.

“Shower, big guy,” Sofia said again.

I forced a smile onto my face and said, “Lead the way. We’ll follow.”

Demon swallowed. I didn’t know if he was reading more into my words or not, but my omega hoped he was. He grunted in response, his usual noncommittal noise, before turning and gesturing toward the hall.

“It’s through there. The towels are in the cabinet. Water takes a few minutes to get hot.”

Hot water. My chest tightened at the thought. I’d bathed in cold water for so long that the idea of warmth against my skin felt almost unreal. My omega was purring, more active now than it had been in... ever .

If I were honest, I’d say that was a good sign. I’d say this place was good for us – a healthy environment. My omega was letting me know that he felt free to emerge here. Still, a part of me was afraid to dream, to hope.

“Do you have any clothing we can change into?” Sofia asked.

Oh, right. Clothing. Something I lacked.

Demon nodded.

“Great! After you, alpha.”

Demon motioned for her to go first.

She frowned. “It’s your cabin. You show us where to go. Or...” she paused, a huge grin stretching across her face. “Is the big bad alpha afraid to walk in front of the little beta who almost beat him up?”

Something surprising happened. Something so shocking that both mine and Sofia’s jaws dropped open. Our rogue alpha, Demon, he... he laughed. Our Demon laughed. My omega decided then and there that we would have this alpha. He would belong to us and Sofia. And we would keep him smiling like that for the rest of our lives.