Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

I t’s been a terrible fucking shift at the diner. Things have been bad for the last couple of years with my foster dad not being able to work any more.

As much as I love Dave and owe him my life. I just don’t see this being where I end up. I want more. And part of me hopes that as soon as I’m on my feet, he’ll be ready to sell this place and keep the money for the remainder of his retirement.

Being a mascot may sound stupid, and maybe it’s not the complete end goal, but I love it. I love being with the kids, bringing them joy and being able to do something that is both physically and mentally simulating.

It’s getting late, and the last people here are mostly truckers.

That is until Sloane and Bram come strolling into the diner. I’m not even an Alpha, and I can tell that their scents are intertwined. I wonder what they got up to, and a very perverted part of me wishes I was there to watch.

“Where’s your section?” Sloane says sweetly as she gives me a hug.

“This booth is good. I’ll get you some menus. Things are slowing down here, so I should be able to hang out soon,” I tell her.

She smiles, taking Bram’s hand as they sit on opposite sides of the booth, which the big Alpha doesn’t look pleased about.

“I could have made you something,” Bram says in a hushed tone, and Sloane shushes him.

“What’ll it be, the usual?” I ask, looking at Sloane.

“Please, and a side of maple bacon.”

“You got it. And for you, big guy?” I ask Bram who arches a dark eyebrow at me.

“The same.”

I grin and drop off their waters. I wonder how Bram Nilsen would feel knowing that Max Connery also ordered the same thing as the sweet little Omega not that long ago. I also wonder how he would feel knowing I ate Sloane out not so long ago.

Speaking of which, I definitely need to find some more alone time with the Omega. Or hell, I’d like them to invite me to join because I definitely need another hit.

I put in three orders of southwest omelets so I can join them. I let Cassidy know I’m going on break when the order is up.

Sloane looks more than pleased when I have a meal for each of us. She leans into me ever so slightly, and I try not to let it go to my ego.

“Is this a setup?” Bram asks.

“I feel like I already did that. This is me being hungry and us going out to eat where Ethan works because we miss him,” Sloane says, and I throw one arm over the booth while I eat with one hand.

“You haven’t been missing me, Nilsen? I’ve been missing you,” I say with a beaming smile.

Sloane acts like it’s the most precious thing, but Bram doesn’t seem so amused.

“Come on. Lighten up, man. You’ve got an omelet, and you’re here with us. Based on the scents you two are rocking, I’m pretty sure you all had a good night. You can’t be a grouch when you’ve been inside Sloane.”

Bram laughs a genuine laugh, which makes Sloane follow suit.

“I’ll give you that one,” Bram says, pointing his fork at me.

“Look, sweetheart, he’s half in love with me already,” I say to Sloane.

Bram blushes. The big giant beast of a man blushes and goes back to digging into his food as I turn to Sloane.

“What are you two up to tonight?”

“Just wanted to stop by and get some food before bed,” Sloane says easily, and I nod, not wanting to ruin their date together. “But there is something I wanted to talk to you two about.”

She’s pushing her food around, dividing everything up and making sure it doesn’t touch.

Both of us give her time to speak, though I notice both of us stopped eating to hear what she has to say.

“Okay, so there’s no easy way to go about this, but it’s kind of the big, fat elephant that follows every Omega around.” She lets out a sigh and takes a breath before continuing. “My birthday is in February. The fourteenth so you can mark your calendars, by the way.”

“Sloane,” Bram says sternly, and she nods her head.

“There’s no true science to when an Omega starts her heat, and lately it’s felt like it’s coming on sooner than later. I know things are still relatively new and that this is a big ask, especially with the season picking up. But if I were to go into heat?—”

“We’ll be there,” Bram cuts in, answering for both of us.

I can’t even be mad at it cause it was hot as shit.

“He’s right, we’ll be there,” I say.

Sloane’s eyes water, and she leans into me. “Thank you. It could be months or even a year from now. But I just needed to know. It was weighing on me.”

“You feel like that again, you come to one of us right away,” Bram says, and Sloane and I both nod our heads.

Bram looks between us, not saying anything about my agreement, just grunting his satisfaction.

“Is there anything you need from us beforehand?” I ask Sloane.

“Not right now. I promise if anything changes, I’ll let you know. But for now, I think I’m all set.”

“Would it be at your apartment?” Bram asks, which is honestly a great question.

“Yeah, are we going to show up to your house to take care of you and your dad is sitting on your porch with a rifle? I really do like being a mascot and not riddled with buckshot.”

“First off, you already snuck in and saw that it was detached. I’d also say if you’re willing to be there for my heat, you’re also willing to be officially mine in front of my dad,” Sloane says.

“We can tell him tomorrow if you want,” Bram says.

I glance over at Sloane who is blushing.

“Ordinarily, I’d say yes, but he’s still going through it after his mom passing. I think I’d like to wait until he’s in a better headspace.”

Bram and I just both nod in agreement.

“Okay, well, I feel so much better,” Sloane says happily.

Her shoulders relax, and it’s almost like she was physically caring this burden around.

“Can I get up to go to the bathroom?” she asks, and I nod, getting up and giving her space so she can walk to the restroom.

“We need a plan,” Bram says.

“Like what?”

“Like if we’re going to be helping her with her heat, we should probably get to know each other better and know everything she needs,” he says plainly.

I rub the back of my neck. “I never really thought I’d wind up helping an Omega in heat.”

Bram shrugs like it’s no big deal. “Well, now you are. If I’m the only Alpha, we’re going to need to get creative.”

“What, like fisting?” I say, shocked.

His face is deadpan. “Whatever gets the job done.”

“I’ll do some research online.”

“Good boy,” he replies with a smirk, and I feel like I melt into the booth.

“Sleeping with Sloane really did a number on you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this happy.”

“Me either. She wants you there. This is the real deal, so I’m in. We’re both hers, but if we’re a pack, it makes you mine too, in whatever way you want,” he says it so casually I wish I could rewind and listen to it again.

“You’d want to date the mascot.”

“No, I’d like to date you, Ethan,” he says, and before I have a moment to process his words, there’s a commotion over by the bathroom.

“Get your fucking hands off me,” Sloane says sternly.

Bram and I are up quicker than I’ve ever moved in my life as we storm into the direction of the altercation.

The man I recognize as a regular. Is this the fucker who accosted her previously?

“Come on, your man’s not even here,” he says.

Sloane glances our way, and when I see the man’s hand gripped around her wrist, all I see is red as I pull back my fist and punch him in the face. He’s bigger than me, clearly an Alpha. But I don’t give a shit as I pull back and hit again and again. My knuckles ache, and besides the pain in my fist, all I can see is this weak motherfucker beneath me.

“Hey! Hey!” is shouted. I don’t know where from until two big arms wrap around me. I try to pull back from their hold.

The man on the ground is spitting blood and groaning as the arms tighten further.

“Enough,” he grumbles, and I realize it’s Bram.

He squeezes me tightly like he’s trying to calm me down, and I suppose he is.

“He’s done. Sloane's fine. He’s done.”

He lets go of me, and I shake my hands out, and there’s this incessant need to hit the man on the ground again. Flashbacks from a time I never want to remember whirl in the back of my head.

Suddenly, Bram is grabbing my face roughly.

“Look at me,” he nearly growls.

I take a deep breath and look at him.

“Good. I need you to breathe. To calm down. Can you do that for me?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” I reply.

I’m not fucking good. None of this is okay. I blink out some of the haziness, and reality slaps me in the face. What the fuck did I just do? Is Sloane afraid?

I glance over Bram’s shoulder.

“No,” he says deeply, his fingers digging into my cheeks. “Don’t talk to her until you know you’re really okay.”

“I’m not okay,” I admit, and he nods his head.

“Sit at that booth. Let me make sure Sloane gets home okay. We’ll take care of this.”

I don’t know why Bram is helping me, but I know I can’t refuse it. I might have just ruined my life by assaulting that man.

Fuck.

I’m going to ruin everything. Sloane is probably scared shitless. Cassidy is likely already on the phone with the cops or Dave.

Instead of looking up to see the regret or fear in Sloane’s eyes, I sit in the booth as I’m told. My hands shake with anger, disgust, and frustration as I steeple my fingers and rest my head against them.

All this work. All this effort to work on my anger and here I am. I’m near tears but hold it in. What the fuck was I thinking?

I saw someone hurting Sloane, and it’s like every life lesson, every tender moment, had been erased and I’m back to being ten years old again.

Sloane asked me to be in her heat. She was helping me hard launch Finnegan the Fox, and now I’m no better than the man I’ve spent my entire life hating.

I’m not sure how long I sit in the booth, my hands shaking and my eyes closed. My stomach aches, the omelet I was eating earlier threatening to come up.

It feels like it’s been an eternity as a strong hand touches my shoulder. It’s probably the fucking cops. Great, I’ll be a goddamn felon just like him.

“Help me carry him out of here,” Bram says.

I swallow and look up. “What?” I ask.

“No one else saw what happened. Cassidy told everyone there was a fire in the kitchen and to evacuate. He threatened your Omega. You have every right to act the way you did. So we’re handling this ourselves.”

“What?” I blink at him.

He grabs my chin roughly and leans down to get in my face. It isn’t menacing, it’s almost tender in a somewhat terrifying way.

“Grab his legs, and I’ll grab under his armpits.”

I stand and do as he says as we take him out to the back of the restaurant.

“Is Sloane okay?” I ask him, feeling like a fucking asshole.

“Yes. Piper picked her up,” he says easily.

“Is she scared?”

“No. She’s worried about you. She didn’t want to go.”

“Thank you for that. I don't want her to see me like this,” I reply.

This man is heavy as hell as I push the bar on the door, the stench of the dumpster filling my nose as my shoes hit the wet pavement.

“If you wouldn’t have done it, I would have. You would have done the same for me.”

He says it so assuredly, and it’s the truth. I would have.

“We might not be bonded to her yet. But we’re gonna be a pack. This is what a pack does. As long as you promise me that you would only raise your hand to someone who is a threat.”

“I’d never ever raise my hand to her. Ever. Or to my pack. Just seeing him touching her and threatening her like that—it fucked me up.”

“Here, put him against the dumpster,” Bram says.

I swallow, wondering why he didn’t make any more comments about my outburst. Or ask me further questions.

“What’s the game plan?” I ask him.

“Grab his wallet,” Bram says, and I do, handing it over to him.

Bram empties the contents on the concrete as the man groans and spits. Bram gets down to his haunches and looks the man over.

“Shame you were mugged. If I see you here again or anywhere around my Omega or Beta, we’ll ruin your fucking life. You’ll have a lot more to worry about than a broken nose, Justin Lann of 568 Witt Ave,” he says, looking at the man’s license before pocketing it.

“I won’t,” the man rasps out.

Bram is clicking through his phone. “You certainly wouldn’t want to break probation. I’d bet you want to get your face fixed and forget this ever happened.”

Bram stands up, slightly kicking the man’s leg.

“Come on, grab your shit, and let’s go,” Bram says.

“What?”

“You’re coming back to my place,” he says as we walk back through the diner, and I grab my stuff and just blindly follow Bram to his SUV.

He’s quiet and contemplative the whole drive to his house.

As soon as we get there, he leads me into the kitchen and tells me to put my hands under running water. I wince as I scrub up the dried blood but eventually have my hands clean.

Bram is delicate with my hands as he cleans the wounds and bandages them up.

“Piper is dropping Sloane off,” Bram says easily.

“I’m sorry for fucking up your date,” I tell him.

For what feels like the millionth time tonight, he grabs my face, and the kiss is so chaste and quick I almost think it isn’t real.

“You didn’t. Now go make sure you’re ready for Sloane to come home and dote on you.”

I blink at him as he turns away, putting his first aid kit away.

What in the fuck happened tonight?