Chapter 24

The next morning, I was feeling like the textbook example of a moody Omega. I understood why Jade and Theo had needed to be away from the house, and the nest, last night. For fuck's sake, I'd told Theo to go to Jade. Unfortunately, my heat was too close for my hindbrain to let something like rational thought get in the way of all the hurt feelings it wanted to wallow in. Waiting for me in the kitchen was a spread of all of my favorite breakfast foods. Both Jade and Theo were adorably rumpled, until I realized they were still in their clothes from the night before and looked like they hadn't slept a wink. That set a whine loose from my throat because they weren't taking care of themselves. Stupid fucking hormones.

Theo turned at the sound and moved to wrap me in his arms with that killer tilted grin fixed to his perfect face. I bent my arms behind his back and dug my fingers into his shoulder blades as I took a deep inhale of bayberry and oak. He purred for me and my emotions settled to just the normal level of anxiety. A soft hand trailed up my back and I turned my head so my cheek was against Theo's chest and I could see Jade's gorgeous face. She leaned in and kissed my nose then pulled one of my hands from Theo's back and tugged me over to the island to load up a plate. I yawned and made grabby hands at the coffee mugs by Theo.

"Did either of you get any sleep?"

"No but we will sleep at Drake House later if we need to. A lot came out last night, but we need to steal you away from your nest if you're okay with putting that brilliant mind to use again today?"

I scrunched my nose at the over-the-top flattery Jade was pushing but then I bit into the crispy but somehow still fluffy Belgian waffles and moaned. Theo pulled his chair over until he was sitting right next to me with a hand on my thigh as I shoveled another bite into my mouth. I caught amusement from him in the bond but then a flash of other, deeper, emotions. That glimpse stopped the bite that I was raising to my mouth. I realized I hadn't been paying attention to his emotions, really, in the bond. Only what he was letting me see or pushing towards me. I took a moment to look deeper as I set my fork down, and there was gratitude and love but also worry and rage.

I looked between both of them and knew something was wrong. I took Theo's hand that was on my thigh to hold it in mine before lacing the fingers of my other hand with one of Jade's. A gentle purr thrummed from me, trying to soothe them even though I didn't know why they needed soothing.

"What happened last night?"

Jade sighed and told me everything they had learned from Gavin and Max Rothchild. Hearing that they were weirdly trying to help me the night I met them was all sorts of confusing. Not the facts of what they'd done, but my feelings about it all. I'd painted them as villains when they were mostly just caught in the crosshairs of a psychopath and my father's endless ambition. My heart broke for their Omega but as horrible as what she had been through was, I couldn't help but feel relieved that what we'd been told about her being sold had been wrong. She was with a pack that loved her already and hopefully they could help her heal in the same way my pack had helped each other and me.

"The Omega gave her statements, but she was blindfolded when she was at Senet and the only Alpha she saw in the warehouse where they were all kept was Graves. We accepted the protective detail for Cade Rothchild and their Omega while the other two are still in custody. We had to make sure that the house we set them up in was never one that Derek had any knowledge of and organize a protective detail for that location."

"The cops are bringing in Justin Grant after Theo told them about the photos of the Grants at Senet. They'd already been told by Clint that he suspected his boss was taking bribes to match Omegas. Also, that he was in a position to hand over Clint's assistant, Dayton, or at least point the Jackals in his direction. We told them that we suspect he was the one to send the drugs to the Jackals through Clint's packmates as well."

"What do you need me to do?"

She smiled at me and leaned in to press a kiss to my lips and run the tip of her finger along my stubbled jaw, making me shiver. Theo's deep voice at my back didn't do anything to calm down the building need that Jade had started.

"We are going to let the cops find the link between Grant and Clint's packmates and the Jackals. The lawyers and the cops did their thing, and we have the green light to hunt down Blake Graves. He isn't registered as part of their pack officially. He's a dark horse. We need to know more about him, Biscuit: about the whole pack."

Jade tipped my face back to her and leveled a serious look at me.

"We need to make sure that, whether it's us or the cops, when they get taken down, they stay that way. I want everything they've built turned to ash and I don't want anything to rise from it."

I nodded and started to scoot away from the island to go get ready when they stopped me, Theo with a hand on the back of my neck and Jade with a hand on my thigh.

"Eat first, Omega. You need to take care of yourself."

I scoffed and Jade raised a perfectly sculpted brow at me.

"I'm not the one skipping sleep and I don't see any food in front of either of you, Alpha. It goes both ways, you know. I love that you take care of me but my instincts demand the same thing. I'll eat if you two will."

"If none of you are going to eat those waffles, then I'm stealing them."

A little growl slipped out at Trevor's teasing, and I pulled my plate of syrup-covered deliciousness a little closer to me, causing them all to laugh. He moved over to Jade and leaned down to kiss her sweetly. I caught his freshly showered scent and, just like that, with all three of their scents together, this close to my heat—I was a fucking goner. My dick hardened as my brain supplied all kinds of ways they could fuck me right there in the kitchen as my perfume saturated the room. Trevor and Jade broke their kiss and their eyes snapped to mine as Theo ran his nose along his bondmark, kissing it lightly.

"What ya thinkin' about, Biscuit?"

My voice cracked like I was thirteen, as I stammered.

"N-nothing!"

"Hmm, not terribly convincing."

Trevor bent to kiss my head as he walked past and my breath caught. I still hadn't gotten used to the casual affection he offered me now, and every time it made me all gooey and weepy for a few seconds. Theo chuckled, sensing all the crazy shifts in my mood. He pulled my chair over a few inches until I was seated between his spread thighs, and he could whisper to me.

"So very emotional today, Omega."

I showed him one finger to let him know what I thought of his teasing and glared while pointing between him and all the food.

"Eat. We need to get to work."

Theo nipped at my neck and muttered, "Yes, Omega," as he piled food onto a plate. I groaned and picked up my food and my coffee and started out of the kitchen, leaving a trail of perfume and sexual frustration behind me as my Alphas laughed.

I had no idea how long I'd actually been sitting at my station in the BullPen, but I was in the zone and my pack had been doing their best to appease all of my nesting instincts even though I needed to be here. I had Theo's hoodie on, a pair of Shae's joggers, and had taken off my shoes to wear the fuzzy socks that I had caught Trevor putting on my dresser this morning. I made sure no one saw how irrationally teary the fact that they had grippy dots on the bottom had made me. My stupid Omega brain translated that into him wanting to make sure I never slipped and fell down the stairs to my death. It was a sign that he was taking care of me. Being an Omega was fucking weird on a normal day but look out if a heat is lurking in the wings waiting to pounce.

Jade had told me to focus on Pack Jackal instead of their businesses for the time being. The priority was finding where Graves could be hiding since the only photos I could find of him were the ones where he was in the background at Senet. He never appeared in the photos that people took in their club or that Poppy posted of the pack on her socials. It seemed like the assumption I'd made when I first found her in pictures with the Jackal Alphas, that they were trying to move in more high society circles, was correct. It wasn't just the fundraiser for my mom's organization, but others like it, as well as dozens of posts of her and her Alphas at the most exclusive restaurants, and shopping in the most high-end boutiques.

Blackberry, eucalyptus, and mint swirled around my space as Jade and Shae settled into the chairs they'd pulled up on either side of me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, but the smile on my face dropped as my Beta's scent soured. I looked at them and Jade moved to kneel at the side of their chair. Shae's gaze was locked on my screen. I'd started looking into the surveillance cameras in the building where Poppy Cabot had kept a penthouse. The image that was paused on the screen was Poppy and the red-haired Alpha she was frequently pictured with. She looked different than in most of her posts, her blonde hair was down but not perfectly styled, and she was dressed in jeans with an oversized black hoodie.

"Who is that, Ethan?"

Anger began to overtake the fear in Shae's scent and Jade and I shot each other worried glances. I spun my chair to Shae and put my hands on theirs, rubbing my thumbs against the back of their hands.

"That's Poppy Cabot. She's the Omega who hurt Trevor and is bonded to the Jackal Alphas. Do you know her?"

Shae stood abruptly, fists clenching and Jade rose too, attempting to soothe them with a purr. We were drawing more attention and Trevor started in our direction. Without thinking, I closed out the windows that had her picture up. Shae shot a glare at me for a moment then it softened as Trevor approached.

"That's why her picture wasn't around? You wanted to make sure he didn't have to see?"

I nodded and Shae's shoulders sagged. Jade pulled Shae against their chest and I wanted to fix it. I needed to know what was wrong with my Beta but they were silent, just shaking in a mixture of anger and fear.

Trevor's brows were pulled together as he came to stand next to me and wrapped my wrist in the loop of his thumb and pointer finger. It was as oddly comforting as when Theo gripped the back of my neck.

"I need you to tell us what's going on, love."

"That's—I would need Cat to confirm but, I think that's the woman that we pulled over for, the night they took us." They turned to Jade and swallowed hard. "The one we thought had been assaulted."

Trevor stiffened beside me and looked around to see what woman Shae was talking about. I hated that he'd have to face her again, even if it was just her name. Hated that she'd hurt someone else that I loved. Shae turned their face from the computer screen and looked at their Alpha.

"She smiled, Jade. When we ran to her and tried to check her for injuries, she smiled. I'd forgotten that."

Jade's growl was a low and lethal thrum between the four of us and I knew that if Jade ever got her hands on that Omega, she'd suffer for everything she'd done. She turned to me and Trevor with a plea in her eyes and I nodded and made a slight shooing motion.

Trevor moved to follow them, but I twisted my hand as he released my wrist and gripped his fingers. He shot me a questioning look when I tugged on his hand as I sat back down.

"Ethan, what's going on? I need to follow Jade, help her with Shae?—"

"Trevor, we need to call the cops. Have you had contact with Jack or should we call Theo?"

"I have his number as well. But why?"

I chewed on the corner of my lip and twisted my hands in my lap.

"I haven't been including pictures of Poppy on our boards and things because I didn't want it to be something you had to see every day. But, just now, Shae saw?—"

Trevor shot to his feet, a mirror of what Shae had done, but it was only Alpha rage rolling off him, no fear.

"It was her? The woman Shae talked about luring them that night?"

I nodded and slowly stood, wanting to comfort him but not knowing if it would help or make it worse. He stood there, chest heaving for a moment before he collapsed into the chair. His face was devoid of expression.

"I should have pushed for her to be locked up or charged or something. But I just wanted to forget. Now she's out there hurting more people, hurting Shae."

I whined and gave in to the need to touch him. Sliding into his lap, my legs on either side of his hips, I wrapped my arms around his neck and focused on a purr that was meant to soothe. Trevor melted into me, moving his arms around my back and crushing me against his chest as he buried his face into my neck.

"We can't blame ourselves. They are the evil people here, Trevor. Playing the ‘what if?' game will only hurt more."

I rubbed my cheek and jaw lightly against his temple, marking him with my scent. He let out a deep breath before leaning back and looking into my eyes, the pain that had been in his gaze now hardened to resolve. Pressing a soft kiss to my lips, he moved his hands to my hips and patted in what I thought was a sign to stand.

"Need to call Jack from my office, beautiful. Want to come with me?"

I nodded and made to climb off him but he just gripped my thighs and stood, causing me to yelp and lock my ankles around his back as he moved to his office. I caught the amused looks from Amy and Cole and my cheeks flamed. So much for professionalism. But, then again, there was a good chance that someday I'd beg for a knot or Jade's lock while at work. It wasn't like there was anyone here who didn't know exactly what it meant to be a packed-up Omega. Instead I just pressed a kiss to the underside of Trevor's jaw and tightened my grip on his neck.

His scent shifted and strengthened, not with arousal but like he was happy. He kicked the door shut behind us and dropped into his chair with enough control that I felt the flex of his muscled thighs against the back of mine and I whimpered. His pupils dilated and this time, when his scent filled my senses, it told me what he was thinking, just as much as the hardening length along the inside of his thigh. I only just kept myself from rocking against him by remembering what we were there to do. I tried to move off him, but he just pressed down on my hips to hold me in place.

"Stay. I'll put him on speaker."

He checked a text thread on his phone and then dialed from the one on his desk, pressing the speaker button before leaning back into his chair. I stayed still, perched on his thighs, fighting the urge to grind down and whine. One of his hands began to move outside my hoodie, slowly moving up and down along my spine as the line trilled.

"Travers."

"This is Trevor Owens and Ethan West. We'd been told to contact you if we found anything pertinent to your investigation?"

"What did you find?"

Trevor opened his mouth but then closed it clenching his jaw so I interjected.

"We were looking through the public accounts and media mentions of Poppy Cabot, the bonded Omega to pack Jackal, when our pack's Beta saw the photos. They recognized her. In their statement, there should be mention of a woman that lured their ambulance off the road. Shae and their EMT partner believed the woman to be in distress but it quickly became apparent that it was a ploy. Shae identified Poppy Cabot as the woman who drew them into the ambush that night."

"They're sure? Forgive me but I was made aware of the link between Omega Cabot and yourself, Mr. Owens. There was a mention of dropped assault charges and a potential vendetta."

He let that last word hang in the air for a moment. Trevor's hand stilled on my back but I could feel the tremors through my layers of clothing.

"Shae is sure but you can independently corroborate with the other EMT taken that night. Additionally, Omega Cabot confirmed that they knew about a failed attempt by my father to force me into courting the Rothchild pack. She taunted us about it before several witnesses at a charity fundraiser only a few days ago. Based on the statements made by the Rothchild Alphas in your station, the details she gave would only have been known to people involved in the bargaining."

Travers made a grunt type noise that could have been impressed or annoyed—it was difficult to tell which through the phone—but Trevor tightened his arm around my back and nuzzled his face into my chest.

"In the interest of cooperation with your pack's claim of retribution, we will be arresting the Alphas of pack Jackal today. Based on what you have said and the statements of the Rothchild Alphas, I believe we have cause to bring in Omega Cabot as well. Will you be extending your claim to her in addition to Alpha Graves?"

Trevor froze, then took a deep breath of my scent and sat back in his chair. Moving my hands to his chest, I rested them there and let him process what had been said. I knew Jade had invoked some laws of pack retribution for the attack on the warehouse and for the Alpha who'd orchestrated it all, but I didn't know how that worked with Omegas. Trevor's beard twitched as he clenched his jaw before he cleared his throat and leaned toward the desk.

"We will speak to the rest of our pack and I'm sure our lawyers will contact you if that is the case."

"Understood."

Trevor disconnected the call but didn't move from where we were now pressed chest to chest.

"Let's go home?"

"But, Jade needed me to find out more about Blake Graves. I got distracted looking through footage and social media this morning to see if he showed up anywhere. I haven't got to look into his?—"

Trevor silenced me by pressing his lips to mine, nipping gently at my lower lip until I opened up to give him access. He took the ground I'd offered and drove his tongue into my mouth as my need ratcheted up. I began moaning into his mouth, giving into the need to rock my hips that I'd been holding back since we came into his office.

"Please, beautiful? Shae is struggling and I'm…" he sighed, squeezing his eyes shut. "I don't want to be here right now, and Jade and Theo need rest. I'm sure Miles is already on his way. It may be selfish but?—"

This time it was my turn to cut him off with a sweeter kiss. I tried to use that kiss to tell him that I understood and I was there for him.

"It's not selfish. We're your pack. Let us take care of you."

He pressed his forehead to mine, and we stayed like that for a few more moments before messaging the pack chat and making the arrangements for everyone to meet at home.

Finally, I would get my entire pack in my nest.

People who had never lived as part of a pack or misunderstood Omegas often thought that nests were basically just about sex, but they were so much more. A nest for an Omega meant comfort and safety. It's true that heat and spike sex almost always happened in the Omega's nest but that was because Omegas, hell, people in general, were rarely as vulnerable as they were during sex. During a heat, we were rarely coherent and mindlessly begged for anything that would satisfy the urges that our bodies flooded us with.

I wanted that space of safety and of comfort for my pack. They were hurting. We'd been beaten down and we still had to fight. I might have only been bonded to Theo but the longer I spent with my pack the more tuned in I was to their needs. The Omega need to care for them, balance them, keep them healthy and happy was too strong to ignore any more. Standing, I tugged on Trevor's hand. He followed without question, and we made our way to the others.