Chapter 52

Chapter Fifty-Two

FREYA

" N o fucking way!"

I swear Casey doesn't even realize how much he just scared the ever-loving shit out of me. He just continues to stare at his cell phone with wide eyes.

"Cape Charles has the world's most Instagrammable bookshop!" he all but screeches, fingers flying on the screen. "Oh my god, we have to go!"

I giggle, having only picked up on maybe three of the words that just flew out of his mouth. I won't admit the pitch of his voice made my head pound a little, though.

Thankfully, the dizziness symptoms of my concussion and ruptured ear drum have been at a minimum, only flaring up when I stand too fast. I usually just have a headache and struggle with loud noises.

Oh, and of course, I still can't hear out of my right ear.

His wild gaze snaps to mine like he can't imagine why I would be laughing at him when he's obviously worked up about something.

"What did you say?" I ask, tucking my stuffed kitty into the blanket around me.

The two of us have been on the couch for a bit while the alphas are off in various places around the house, making it their own. It's been nice and quiet while I read and Casey catches up on the ways of the world with the phone his mom gave him at the hospital.

I'm getting more and more excited to meet his mom with every nice thing she does for her son.

He winces a little, but thankfully he doesn't apologize for my hearing issues. "Look," he commands, shimmying himself into my side and turning the screen my way. "I was saying this town has the most Instagrammable bookshop! That's what Google says at least."

My own eyes widen when the adorable bookstore comes into view, making the nerd part of me giddy with excitement.

"I knew you would understand," Casey murmurs wistfully.

Peeking up at my beta, I find him watching me with a fond look in his eye. I smile. "We should go sometime."

He hoots out his agreement, jostling me around a bit on the squishy cushions. "We could make a date out of it. Oh! Cape Charles is also known for its seafood!"

My nose immediately scrunches, and saliva fills my jaw at the thought of eating seafood.

"Oooor not," Casey drawls with humor, studying my face. "That was quite the reaction."

"Sorry," I grumble, embarrassed that I shut him down so fast.

"None of that," he scolds. "What's with the aversion to seafood, baby?"

My heart patters a happy jig at the pet name. It's so odd to be sitting here with one of my mates after all these years pining after them and hating them for not realizing who I was to them.

The saving grace for my pesky omega emotions is that none of them have shown signs of only enjoying my company for what my omega body can give them. They all seem genuinely to enjoy being near me and talking to me .

The other day when Ronan growled my omega to the surface freaked me out a bit, but he didn't act on the obvious arousal flooding my system. Instead, he focused on my other needs: food.

I sigh. "My aunt and uncle used to have our chefs prepare seafood all the time. I always hated the slimy texture and fishy taste, but I had to eat it."

"Why did you have to eat it?"

"Because I was ungrateful and rude if I didn't," I explain, plucking the edges of my purple blanket.

Casey grumbles, but shocks the shit out of me when he nuzzles my cheek, scent marking me. "No seafood for you then," he declares.

Before I can pick my jaw up off my lap, the doorbell rings.

Casey looks toward the hallway leading to the front door. "I'll get it. You stay here."

Then his lips are on mine and gone in a flash.

Not even the voice of my brother or my best friend can keep me from melting into my seat. Scent marked and kissed all within the same moment.

Scent marking is FORBIDDEN.

Not here it isn't. And I really, really fucking love it.

--

Sitting across from someone I don't know, yet my omega instinctually gravitates toward shouldn't feel like a new experience. But with Beckett, it does.

He's not my mate. Not someone I should have met at the age of twenty. I should have grown up with this man, and yet, I don't know the first thing about him.

All I have to go off of is how he makes me feel. Safe and completely fucking seen. My mates see me, but Beckett feels like... well, me.

A bit jaded, a little angry at the world, disconnected from his designation. I can feel the rift between him and his alpha, like it's my own. Yet, the longer we stay near each other, my soul expands with each thump of my heart. Each breath I take is like breathing in my omega, keeping her close. Her reactions, feelings, instincts, and thoughts are becoming my own with every passing moment I'm with my physical other half.

I wonder if Ronan knows anything about a twin bond?

"Freya..."

I jolt, realizing I've zoned out on my brother's face. "Sorry," I mutter.

"That's okay," Beckett says with a nervous smile while wiping his hands on his pants. "How have you been doing?"

I think about it for a moment, the idea of lying to him making my tummy twist uncomfortably.

Outside the patio door, Casey and Kate are weeding the garden in guise of giving us space to talk. My alphas greeted Beckett, maybe a touch stern, but they went off in their own directions again doing who knows what.

Blowing out a breath, I look my brother in the eyes. "I don't know. It's only been five days of experiencing what a normal life is supposed to be like."

He nods like he understands, and I believe him. "Are they treating you okay?"

I frown and cock my head. "Of course," I say, holding back a protective little growl that wants to threaten him for questioning my mates.

"I had to check. I meant no offense, promise."

I nod once, forgiving him but needing to draw the topic away from my mates. I don't know why, but I'm feeling damn protective of them, which is stupid because it's just Beckett. Yet, there's a tension between my guys and brother that sets me on edge.

"So… how long have you known you had a sister?"

"Oof, going for the big question, huh?"

I smirk, trying to act like I'm confident enough to hear his answer.

He concedes, "Alright." Settling back into the chair across from me, his eyes get a faraway look as he begins his story.

"Well, I was placed in a children's home before I went into foster care. There was a woman that was especially kind to me. She was my main caregiver in the busy building from infancy until I was six."

I'm so completely invested in his story that I don't realize I'm leaning so far forward I almost tumble off the couch.

A soft smile graces his elegant face. "She used to tell me stories of a boy who was separated at birth from his little sister, but not to fear because he would find her again one day. When I was old enough to ask her about the origin of the story, she snuck a picture to me one day of two tiny little babies."

I gasp. "Us?"

Beckett nods, leans forward, and pulls his wallet from his pocket. "I asked Remy to get my shit from my parent's place. Thankfully, the big oaf didn't miss the most important thing."

Then he's handing me a small polaroid photo of two wrinkly babies. Tears fill my eyes knowing this was us.

"My caregiver knew our mom... our real mom. She told me how our mom always wanted two names for her children. Beckett and Blair."

I'm speechless. That's not my name.

In another life, I could have been happy and loved with a brother and a mom. I wonder what Blair would have been like.

Would she have my attitude or general anxiety to the world? Probably not. I bet she would have taken the reins of her life and lived it epically.

I may not be Blair, but I'm still only twenty years old. Maybe Blair would be off doing great things by now, but if I've learned anything living with my very positive mates for five days, is that there's still so much time to live an epic life.

Beckett continues, pulling me from my thoughts of what my life could have been. "Because girls are perceived as the easiest to raise and mold, our mother's sister only wanted to adopt you. We were separated shortly after that photo was taken. There was nobody left to raise me, and nobody chose to adopt me. My caretaker was too old to take on a child full time. So, I grew up in the system."

I frown. "But you just mentioned your parents."

He scowls, confusing me further. "Yeah. I caught the eye of a rich couple when I was a preteen in foster care. I was showing signs of aggression and dominance. Key traits for a budding alpha, and a wonderful investment opportunity for many people."

His words are bitter, much like the taste in my mouth. "That's why our aunt and uncle wanted me too," I whisper. "Status. Having a dainty omega is like having a chess piece."

"I'm sorry, Freya," Beckett says, choking a little. "I'm so sorry! I looked for you. For years . But nobody would help me. Your aunt and uncle were too fucking rich for a teenager like me to find or even contact."

"Beck, hey," I coo, moving forward and sitting on the coffee table between us. I take his hands in mine. "That wasn't your responsibility. I'm not your responsibility. There's nothing you need to apologize for."

"Of course you are! You're my sister, literally the person I was born into this life with. The one person I should have always been beside and instead you were ripped away from me by selfish pricks who didn't love you like I could."

"You were just a child," I whisper, wiping away his angry tears.

"I should have been able to find you, though. God, I even went to the OPS to help me when I was fifteen, but they brushed off my worries, saying if you were with family then they weren't needed."

"So that's why you have an issue with the OPS," Ronan interrupts, scaring me enough to squeak.

Beckett's on his feet in a flash, standing between me and my mate with a snarl curling his lips.

"I apologize for the interruption, but Freya needs to eat," Ronan explains, holding his hands up in surrender.

That doesn't calm my brother, though. "Shouldn't that be something she decides for herself? Or do you always dictate what my sister does?"

Shit. What do I do?

Thankfully, Ronan just lifts a brow at Beckett and turns his attention to me. He waits. Fuck, he's waiting for me to decide how to handle my brother .

On one hand, I'm grateful for the space to handle misunderstandings, but it makes my anxiety ricochet through my body.

"Beckett, sit down please. It's fine," I try to soothe, tugging on his pale forearm.

He does as I ask, but his shoulders are still tense, not taking his eyes off my mate. "It's not okay. Just because you're mated doesn't give him the right to boss you around."

"It's not like that," I start, but hiccup slightly, making Ronan zero in on me. "I?—"

Beckett's looking at me now with worry and anger creasing his features.

"Ugh, Christ!" Kate comes in from the back door and stomps her foot. "Beck, I thought we left the house to avoid the alpha postering?" she whines.

"Freya," Ronan calls sternly. "Peanut butter and jelly?"

My tummy grumbles and I nod.

"Good girl," he rumbles, before ambling away to the kitchen.

I preen not only at his praise, but for not hesitating when he asked me if that's what I want.

"Her mate, " Beckett fires off, "is bossing her around. That's not?—"

"Enough!" Elliott stomps into the living room, scoops me off the couch, and deposits me on the island in the kitchen.

"Freya is struggling to make choices since they have always been made for her. We're taking care of her by making sure she gets what she needs while she figures out her likes and dislikes," Elliott says in a no nonsense voice, glaring at my brother.

Beckett looks between us with wide eyes and mutters an apology while rubbing his hand across the back of his neck. Unsure where to go from here and mildly embarrassed, I nibble on my lip after telling him it's okay.

"So, who's older?" Kate queries with a mischievous glint.

Thank fuck for my brother being mated to my best friend.