Chapter 9

Nine

TIANA

G rant was being such a jerk. I didn't get what his problem was. He touched me, and now he's acting like nothing happened. Was he jealous of his pack? That had to be it.

"Let's sit here," said Wesley, pointing to a table next to the ship's edge. It had a good view of the ocean.

"It's perfect," I said, sitting at the round table covered in white cloth. Wesley and Tony sat on either side of me. Grant sat across from us, scowling. I was still upset with Tony for how he talked to me earlier, but I wasn't going to make a big deal about it now.

"Looks like it's about to rain," observed Tony.

"Yeah, it's pretty dark," I agreed, a little worried. The ship was bumpy, and the water was choppy. The sky was dark and covered with ominous clouds. It wasn't a great week for a cruise vacation. And I didn't trust the ship itself since I could hear every creak and groan. However, Lori did mention that her cousin was cheap, so I was worried about this old ship.

The waiter came to take our orders, and I noticed the bride and groom were taking pictures with their family. I felt terrible for Lori as she was dragged into it. She hated taking pictures, and I could see it on her face.

I looked back at the group of men I was sitting with. I had grown unsure of myself and remembered how miserable I was a few days ago being lonely.

I was drawn to them, and I didn't understand why. I felt like I belonged to them. I rubbed my hot forehead with my hand, wondering what the heck was going on with me.

This wasn't me. Or maybe it was the real me without the pills.

"Is everything alright?" Tony asked, touching my arm. His touch sent electricity shooting through my body and between my legs. If only he knew the havoc his touch was having on my body.

On my other side, Wesley's body heat was close to mine, which also had an effect. Grant's gaze on me was intense. I was surrounded by all kinds of masculine energy right now.

More than I've ever had before in years. Scratch that… my life .

"Yes," I lied. But my face was hot, and I was aching down there. I couldn't explain it. The nearness of their bodies was making my hormones go haywire again. I wanted Grant to do what he did to me yesterday.

"I don't think she's okay," observed Grant, staring at me from across the table. "She's about to go into heat."

I squirmed in my chair. His studying look was too invasive. Too intimate.

"I think so, too," said Tony, also staring into my face.

"Have you been feeling weird lately?" asked Wesley.

"I'm okay," I said so they wouldn't keep staring at me. The waiter brought my chicken salad. Even though I ached, I was starving. I couldn't remember the last time I ate. The chicken was so soft and delicious.

"Do you like Seattle?" asked Tony.

"I do," I said. "I miss my family, but they pissed me off after not telling me what I was for my entire life. I never knew about being an omega or anything like that."

I noticed a look pass between Tony and Grant. I shrugged and dug into the boiled egg in the salad. I was way too hungry to care about the ominous look.

"How would you feel if you never saw your home again?" asked Grant.

"What kind of question is that?" I asked, wondering if this was the official invite to their pack that Tony was talking about. "You guys are being weird."

I sipped the cold lemonade, and it was so delicious. I sat back in my chair, full and satisfied. But definitely not satisfied down there. A feeling of emptiness permeated through my body, causing my hand to tremble around the cold glass.

"Just wondering," said Tony.

"So what's a bunch of werewolves doing on a cruise ship?" I asked. We were talking about werewolves like it was nothing at all. Maybe I was starting to believe it.

"Just doing security work," said Wesley, panicked as he looked down at his uniform.

"I see," I said.

Suddenly, my abdomen started to hurt, and I held my stomach in pain.

"You okay?" Tony asked yet again.

"I'll be back," I whispered, my teeth clenching in pain as I ran out of there. I quickly shoved my way through the people, making my way downstairs and into the tiny hallway. Each step hurt as I walked to my room at the end of the long hallway.

I stepped inside the room and shut the door.

I felt something seeping between my legs, so I ran to the bathroom. Breathing hard, I sat on the toilet, nothing coming out. I was extremely wet. My underwear had clear white fluid that I'd never seen before.

I left the bathroom and lay on my bed, clutching my stomach. I've never had a period, but I've heard about girls having them and how painful it was. But there was no blood. I felt my womb clenching and more moisture gathering below.

I felt like I was physically empty inside the more aroused I became. The feeling wasn't pleasant at all.

I needed something inside me. To fill me up.

The pain grew more intense as I lay on the bed, holding my stomach. It felt like my body was squeezing in and spasming.

There was knocking on the door. Three firm knocks.

"Who is it?" I asked, my voice breathless as I rolled in pain, my head pressed against the limp white pillow drenched in sweat.

The door opened, and to my surprise, I saw Grant, Tony, and Wesley standing at the entrance. They quickly made their way inside, locking the door with a loud audible click.

Grant quickly came to my side, kneeling on the side of the bed.

"What are you feeling right now?" he asked me, gently pushing my hair away from my face.

"Squeezing and lots of wetness down there," I gasped as another sharp contraction wracked through my body. "I need a doctor."

"She's in heat," stated Wesley with dread in his tone. I looked toward him and noticed his pants jutting out in his private area. Same with Tony. They were all turned on at what was happening to me. What the hell?!

"We can't," said Grant, shaking his head furiously.

"There's no choice, Grant," said Tony.

I yelped when my pussy clenched painfully. Grant turned to me, a look of stark panic in his eyes. And there was something else. Like a longing he couldn't allow himself to have. I didn't understand what was happening.

"We need to take care of her," said Grant. "Tiana, what we're going to do will seem primitive to you."

"What do you mean?" I asked, panicking.

"When an omega goes into heat, her alphas take turns having sex with her until her heat is over," he explained. My mind went blank in shock. Is this what my parents were worried about? This sounded absurd to me.

Absolutely nuts.

"No," I said. "Get out, all of you."

Grant gave Tony a look, and they nodded.

"You won't last too long in this state," said Grant. "One of us will stand outside the room to make sure you don't die or any other complication happens. Shout if it gets worse, and I will be here."

Die?!

"Okay, can you leave now?" I whimpered. He lingered on the side of my bed, gazing at my sweat-covered face, reluctant to leave me. He finally sighed and ordered his pack to leave with him.

Even though I was literally dying in pain with heightened arousal, I wasn't going to do it.

I just met them. I wasn't going to have sex with total strangers. They could be lying, for goodness sake. I'd rather just lay here and wait until the pain passed. One by one, they left the room, and I was left totally alone.

Oh my God , I was going to die here . I couldn't move, and standing up was too painful. I lay in bed in a fetal position as I clenched my eyes tight. I wanted to try calling my mom again.

Grabbing my phone, I dialed her number.

"Tiana?"

"Mom, I'm in a lot of pain," I whispered.

"Are you still on that cruise?"

"Yes, and there are alpha wolves here, too," I said.

"What kind of pain are you in?" asked my mom in a worried tone.

"Like squeezing in my belly. It's unbearable."

"It's because you stopped the heat suppressant pills we gave you," said my mom sharply. Okay, I didn't need to be yelled at now . I fully understood now what I did, and it was completely their fault for not warning me.

"You have to mate with the alphas," my dad shouted from the background. "You might die if you don't."

"Listen, Tiana," said Mom. "I know we lied to you about your true self this whole time, but you have to listen to us this one time. If the alphas are willing to help, don't push them away like you do with all your dates."

"Are you freaking serious?" I sighed. My parents were encouraging me to have sex like it was nothing. They were treating me like I couldn't handle anything my whole life, and now I was okay to have sex with a bunch of alphas?

"Stopping the pills was a bad idea," said my mom.

"Well, you should have told me before," I grunted when my belly squeezed in pain again. "What if I get pregnant? I never even kissed a guy in my life!"

"I never thought it would come to this," said Mom. "If you get pregnant, you don't have a choice as an omega. I tried my best to protect you. I wanted you to have a choice, but now…I can't do anything for you. You can only hope you can get past this without any repercussions. You are an omega, the rarest kind. I'm sorry, baby."

My pulse pounded in my head, blocking all sounds as I grew dizzy at her words. It was all too unreal.

"I'll…I'll try. Bye, Mom," I said, my heart aching.

"Trust the alphas," said Mom. "They will end up bonding with you, no matter what. When an alpha mates with an omega, his heart is entwined with her forever. Trust me on this."

When she hung up, I dropped my phone with trembling hands.

My innocence was over.

Everything I knew about life was a scam. I didn't have the option to find true love. For an omega, we needed to mate the closest alpha who'd relieve the pain. The thought of having sex with Grant overwhelmed me to the core. I wanted him and didn't want him at the same time.

My mind conflicted with my heart.

The door opened again, and I groaned. Why couldn't Grant mind his own damn business? Why did he care what was happening to me anyway?

"Oh no, Tiana, are you still sick?" asked Lori, sitting on her bed and looking at me in concern. I opened my eyes blearily, watching her eat a slice of cake. I was glad it was her and not one of the damn werewolves because I didn't trust myself. I knew I'd cave into having sex with one of them just to relieve this monstrous pain.

"I think it's the flu," I said, feeling another spasm rock through me.

"There's a security guard outside our room," whispered Lori. "The one that you kissed. Did you see him again?"

"I mean, we talked for a bit," I said.

"Ooh, talked?" she asked with a gleam in her eyes. When I didn't smile, she got the message that I wasn't playing around. "Do you need something to eat or drink? Is it your period?"

"No," I said, holding my belly and curling up further in the sheets. "Do you have pain medicine?"

"Yeah, I have some medicine," she said, pulling her backpack from beneath the bed. "My cousin had the nerve to ask me to change into a better dress. I can't believe her. I'll never go to another function of hers again."

"Oh, did she?" I asked, blearily unable to think straight,

After taking the medicine, I closed my eyes to get some sleep.

It was going to be a long and painful night.

I woke up to a hand pressed to my mouth. Panicked, my eyes shot open.

The room was dark, and night had fallen. I lifted my hands to try and shove the hand away from my mouth. The hand was rock solid.

I couldn't see who it was either. The person was behind me, but I could feel the tough, muscled chest and knew it was one of the alphas.

I felt his energy coursing through my skin, electrifying me. I struggled weakly against him as he lifted me in his arms, his hand still pressed against my mouth. I couldn't scream, and I felt immobile with pain. I was at the complete mercy of whoever was kidnapping me.

As he quietly walked down the hallway and up the stairs, I punched his chest, but it felt like a brick wall. I couldn't look up to see who was carrying me, his hand holding my head in place.

When we reached above deck, I caught sight of Tony and Wesley. So it must be Grant carrying me. What the hell did he want with me? Were they going to take me by force?

I bit his hand and screamed when he let go for a second. Then he quickly covered my mouth again.

"Shh, it's for your own good," muttered Grant next to my ear. I shook my head wildly, trying to escape, but he handled me like I was a little doll.

"Let's go," said Tony. "Sam said he's close."

"Hey! What's going on over there?" shouted a voice.

I recognized it as the captain's voice.

"Fuck, we need to jump over," said Grant. "We can't wait for Sam."

Wait, what?!

Before I could scream or do anything to stop it, Grant started racing to the edge of the ship as I bounced in his arms, holding him for dear life.

He jumped overboard with me in his arms. His hand released my mouth at the impact of the cold water, and I screamed.

Oh my god, I wasn't ready to die.

"We need life jackets!" I screamed.

"There's no way," said Grant. Then, suddenly, I felt a sharp, icy pain on my head as I hit the edge of the ship.

Then everything went black.