35. Mila

Chapter 35

Mila

S ex-crazed, sex-starved.

That is what I have become.

I am going completely feral, losing my grip on reality.

It's as if my Omega is protesting somehow, her revenge for being denied a knot the last time, and this is going to be tough.

I'm terrified, and I worry I may hurt someone. Badly.

Oliver told me it was fine, and he even encouraged me to go absolutely nuts when the timing was right. He thinks it's what they all deserve for abandoning me; my crazy, touch-starved Omega.

I am going to tear them all apart.

The guys won't know what hit them.

Apparently, I am not the only one losing my grip on this reality.

Lachlan has been put on what the guys like to call "time-out" since the night I made all those noises in the bedroom.

Oliver told me to moan, loud enough for all three Alphas to hear, and it looks as if his tactics worked.

Lachlan has been in the basement for two days straight, and only Barret has deigned to visit him, feeding him three meals a day.

I found him in the kitchen the other night setting up his meals, and it was all fruit and vegetables. The Alpha told me it was best not to give Lachlan meat when he has one of his 'episodes', and the thought makes me shudder.

Will they deny me meat when I lose my shit?

I hope not because it's meat that my Omega wants—Alpha meat specifically—and what she wants, she gets.

Barret has just returned from one of his feeding trips, nursing his finger.

The rest of us wait in the living room. Oliver and I share one couch, his arms wrapped around me as he won't let me go, peppering kisses up and down my neck.

Gryphon keeps his distance, and he never interferes, leaving us Omegas to our own devices.

So far, only Oliver has staked a claim on me. Barret and Lachlan want me too.

But I'm not so sure about Gryphon.

Still, there's no denying I want him. Or some intrinsic part of me does, anyhow.

Why else would I buy a candle that smelled like him?

Will I be able to keep away once my Omega is unleashed?

Will he?

I won't have much of a choice in the matter. It won't be me making the decisions once I've gone into heat. It will be the needy, touch-starved, and knot-denied little creature that lives rent-free inside my uterus.

As I said, what my Omega wants, my Omega gets.

Oliver turns toward Barret when he enters the room, hissing in pain.

Gryphon looks up from his book. That's right. A book.

It's like I don't even exist.

"What happened?" Oliver asks.

Barret growls. "The mother fucker bit me!"

We all fall stone-cold silent. Then Oliver scoffs, and I have to hide my own laugh.

Only Gryphon manages to keep a straight face, shaking his head with a tsk as he returns to his book.

I like to think he's just using the book as a distraction from me and Oliver. We both smell like a juicy Omega cocktail right now, our hormones running rampant.

I can't see because his leg is in the way, but I think Gryphon is hard.

Barret is in too much pain to take much notice of anything yet.

"It's not fucking funny, Ollie," he hisses through clenched teeth, but then his voice dies off when he spies the two of us cuddled up on the couch.

Sure enough, a bulge forms in his pants.

"I take it that things aren't improving," Gryphon says nonchalantly, flipping a page of his book.

"No, they're not," Barret grumbles, moving across the room to another chair. He avoids looking at me and Oliver too. "Remind me again why I have to be the one to feed him?"

"Because you two are thick as thieves, that is why," Gryphon replies.

Barret snarls, inspecting his wounded finger. "Ah, God, I think it's infected. Shit."

Oliver guffaws, and Barret glares at him. "It's not funny!"

Oliver wraps his arms around me tighter, burying his nose into my hair. "It's okay, Barret. I'll still love you, even after you've transformed into Lachlan at the next full moon."

Now it's my turn to laugh, and the silence that falls over the room is deafening.

All three males stop to stare at me. Even Gryphon forgets his book.

Oliver smiles. "Never thought I would hear that sound from your lips again, Mila."

My face reddens, and I cringe. It was a dorky laugh; I don't know why they're all so fascinated by it.

I sounded like a braying donkey.

"Yeah… even if it is at my expense. It's good to hear you laugh again, sunshine," Barret purrs, forgetting all about his wounded, infected finger that may or may not turn him into a nightmarish version of Lachlan at the next full moon.

I finally find my confidence, sitting up to meet Barret's dark eyes. "Well, until the day you start picking me wild snowdrops from the woods, then we have nothing to worry about."

Barret hikes up a brow, and that's right. I can quip, too.

Now he scoffs. "Hell will freeze over before that ever happens…"

Another silent spell befalls us, and I can't stop thinking about my upcoming heat.

Truth be told, I'm scared.

Sure, I won't be alone this time, but I'm scared of what I'll become.

They may find me cute now, but once I go into heat, their sweet smiles will turn into frowns.

I also have to remember my mission, too.

Lily will be expecting a report soon.

The guys exchange glances, and I look back and forth between the three of them.

"What?"

Oliver sighs, and that's when I realize. His face is finally free of paint.

"We finally finished your nest. Well, when I say we, I mean I , of course…"

Oliver throws a pointed look at Barret.

The Alpha shrugs. "You kicked us out."

"Only because you and Lachlan were joking around like clowns."

Gryphon flips another page. "As I said, thick as thieves…"

Barret growls at the other Alpha, and there's no missing the little smirk on Gryphon's face.

Oliver rises to his feet, extending his hand to me.

"Well, shall we?"

My heart thrums, and I look to Gryphon for affirmation.

This is really happening…

My day has come.

So, I take the Omega's hand, letting him guide me up the stairs.

Barret follows close at our heels, but Gryphon stays behind, and my heart breaks when he doesn't join us.

It doesn't feel right. He should be a part of this.

Oliver squeezes my hand tighter when he senses my sadness. We're not bonded yet, but I bet the pain is all too clear in my big eyes.

I glance at the basement door. "What about Lachlan?"

Barret shakes his head. "Trust me, he is too far gone for this. It's best he stays down there for a while…"

My heart trembles with dread. "What's the longest he has gone?"

"Three months," Barret replies, and holy stars.

No wonder Lachlan is as unhinged as he is. I saw it the first night I arrived here. The way he kept those probing blue eyes on me while he cut up his meat.

My nest is tucked away at the opposite end of the hall from Oliver's, and it feels so surreal.

I still recall the day I stole a peek into Oliver's nest, only to be scolded later by Gryphon.

But look at me now. An Omega being gifted a nest.

We get to the door, and the butterflies flap around inside my stomach.

Oliver squeezes my hand again, placing his palm on the door. "Ready?"

I suck in a breath. "Yes."

With a hesitant smile, he opens the door, and my eyes fall on that small piece of heaven.

Blue walls, blue curtains, and a mound of blue cushions right in the center of it all.

There's a mini fridge too, a TV, and even a self of scented candles.

Someone has already lit the candles, and now all their scents fill the room.

Lachlan and Gryphon may not be here right now, but their scents are, and I can't contain the emotions that take over me.

My eyes drip with tears, and Oliver reaches up to wipe one away.

"I take it you like it then?"

I sniff. "Like? I love it."

His answering smile warms my heart, showcasing the dimples of his cheeks, and the tension eases from his shoulders.

He was nervous as we made our way up here, and I bet he was afraid that I would hate it.

I approach a wall, running my hand over a swirl of lighter blue. "Wait… are these waves?"

"Yes," Oliver replies. "I took a few art classes back at the Academy."

Too right he did. These waves are beautiful, the way the light blue overlaps with the darker shades.

"Look up, sunshine."

At Barret's voice, I glance up, and a smile takes over my face.

"It's the sky!"

I spy an array of puffy cumulus clouds, a bright shining sun, and several seagulls.

Oliver painted my nest to look like the seaside.

How did he guess?

"You should see it in the dark," Oliver chuckles, and my heart skips in excitement.

Finally, I step up toward him, throwing my arms around his neck so I can kiss him. Barret looks away, giving us our moment, but I also know he's doing it for his own good too.

Oliver and I are too tempting.

"Thank you. This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me."

And as those sweet dimples take over his face, I know it deep in my veins.

I am never going to leave.

I will get the better of Lily.

And I will have Gryphon's help.