40. Erin

Chapter forty

Erin

The guy is a big, heavily-muscled alpha with dark hair and an aura that is so aggressive it makes me shudder. And he’s asking for my omega.

Not a chance in hell.

I square my shoulders, tilt my chin up, and step towards him, only to pause when another blond-haired guy comes in. They can only be brothers. And when I take a better look at the blond one, I realise I know those eyes.

“Where is Locke Raines?” The dark-haired guy snarls.

“Raider, would you chill out? For fuck's sake, just calm down. Haven’t you heard you catch more flies with honey than vinegar?”

“I don’t want flies, I want Locke.” Raider, the dark one, growls.

I transfer my gaze back to the blond. “Kelly?”

His gaze finds me, and though on his face is an easy smile, his eyes are dangerously focused.

“Are you Kelly and Raider Raines?”

“And Ryn and Lia,” a woman says with a smile. She’s got a mane of that caramel blond hair, a smile that, at best, could be called timid, and his eyes. From Locke’s descriptions this can only be Lia, the beta who lives at the Raines mansion with the crazy mother. The other female has dark hair and the saddest eyes I’ve ever seen, Ryn who is the genius lyricist. I wonder where the last one, Bethany is but it doesn't matter, his family has shown up for him.

“Come with me.”

They follow me without question. I knock on the door and push it open. Finn looks up, his eyes turning arctic as he spots the visitors.

Oh, yeah, our pack is going to take a while to bounce back.

Shane growls, and I feel Raider’s instant need to confront my alpha’s feral growl.

Bray is the only one who doesn’t turn. He’s sitting beside Locke’s bed, holding his hand. Talking to him softly.

Locke’s eyes are open, but he doesn’t take his gaze from Bray.

I make a sound, and Locke looks towards me. I rush to him, ignoring the people behind me.

“You’re awake!”

Fuck, I’m crying again.

He smiles. It’s weak, but it’s there. I blink through tears and lean down to kiss him.

“You scared me.”

He grips my hand and holds it tightly. “Sorry, I couldn’t let her hurt you.”

Locke’s voice is so weak that it comes out a whisper. He jumped to save me?

A throat clears, and I reluctantly pull back.

“Your cousins came to rescue you.” My tone lets everyone know how I feel about that. It’s also a warning to the groups to behave.

I smooth down the quilt and hesitate before I move away.

Finn and Shane growl in harmony. I ignore them and keep my eyes on Locke.

Raider steps to the other side of the bed and drops to his knees. “You giant idiot! Why didn’t you call? Why didn’t you tell us?”

I see the agony on Raider’s face, and I like him a whole lot more. Lia sits on the edge of the bed and reaches for Locke’s free hand.

“We’ll take you home now,” she promises.

“Not happening,” Brayson snaps. “Locke is ours.”

She startles and looks between us all. “But-”

“My omega is not going with you unless he says he wants to, and even then, you’ll need to prepare for house guests because we-,” I indicate our small pack, “aren’t leaving him.”

Kelly nods, smiling, and exchanges a long look with Ryn.

“Congratulations, loser,” Kelly says.

“Where you been, fucker?” Locke manages to get out. He sounds awful, but he’s got colour in his cheeks.

I hover protectively and wait for the smallest sign that I can whisk these unwanted guests away.

Kelly laughs. “Found myself an island with some gnarly waves. You guys should come visit.”

I make a note to chase that idea up. An island might be fun.

Locke forces a smile and then focuses on Raider.

“Couldn’t get out of it, and I didn’t want anyone else to suffer,” Locke whispers to Raider. A guilt-filled confession.

My omega looks at me, his eyes uncertain, afraid. I will spend the rest of my days erasing that fear.

“She’s dead. Her body was found on the river bank two days ago,” I say carefully while I ignore Bray’s probing look.

Locke lets out an explosive breath that ends with him coughing.

Bray gets antsy the longer the coughs go on, so I lead our guests out and ask Mama Eustice to get them a room for four.

As soon as she knows they’re Locke’s cousins, her entire demeanor changes. She ushers us to a room and promises to come back with food and drink but makes us coffee before she heads off to the diner. I sit down at a table with them and stare at the coffee cup in my hands.

“I’m not telling you the details because that is Locke’s story to tell, but I’ll tell you what I know and how it happened.”

I take my time telling them about how I met Locke and the first week of being in town. I told them my reservations and about us being scent matches.

I tell them about the accidents and the strange things that kept happening. When I get to Jason Wood, I can’t control my anger.

Ryn stares at me with wide eyes, but her fingers are wrapped around Raider’s. Lia openly weeps and puts her face in her hands.

I inhale, and then I tell them the worst part. I tell them everything I know about Derision and the sick control Delilah had over them.

“She thought she was in love with him,” I say at last. “But she’s dead now. And Locke is free.” I clear my throat. “Delilah was found in the river. Apparently, she jumped when Locke turned down her advances. And sadly, tragically, the rest of the band were seen drinking heavily. Their car was found a few days ago. No one survived.”

“Wow,” Lia whispers. “My god, that’s so awful.”

Ryn, Raider, and Kelly study me, and I can see they aren’t fooled.

Kelly leans back and stares at the ceiling. “Okay. Yeah, that’s tragic. Poor souls. Well, all's good then.”

“Okay?” Raider asks in a dark growl. “We’re just going to let this go?”

Kelly looks at me and then turns to Raider. “Yes, we are because if you make waves, then everything Locke did to protect Ryn will be for nothing.”

Raider jerks as if he’s been shot. He turns a pale face to Ryn.

“I am my father’s property,” Ryn says sadly. “Also, I don’t think many people who knew Pack May will mourn them. They weren’t good people.”

I frown, wanting to argue about her being property. But I don’t know what she’s really talking about. I make a mental note to speak to Locke when he’s up and better. He was protecting his cousin?

“We can’t just let it all slide,” Lia whispers.

“What do you propose to do? The woman is dead. The band is dead. Jason is dead. Locke is free. He can retire in peace. All his money is his. Erin got him out of Derision and the contract. You stay quiet,” Kelly growls.

“That’s your answer to everything, isn’t it? Let it go, say nothing?” Lia is furious, her face turning red, but her eyes are full of pain, too. What the fuck happens to kids when their parents get famous?

The tension at the table skyrockets.

“Enough!” I bark. “Ryn, would making waves against Alpha Labels hurt you?”

Ryn hesitates.

“Then we do nothing for now and see how things turn out in the future.”

“You can’t make that decision,” Ryn growls.

“I can. I’m Locke’s alpha, but I’m also a contract lawyer, and I’m well-versed in how they operate. Trust me. This is the best outcome, leave it alone.”

Ryn blinks at me and then looks away.

I stand up. “It was nice to meet you, but I don’t want to be away from Locke long, and it’s already been an uncomfortable amount of time.”

They murmur goodbyes, and I leave them to argue amongst themselves.

When I go back in, Locke is lying on his side, his face buried in Finn’s throat. Brayson is curled up behind him, spooning him, and Shane is beside him, reading a book.

“Come here, Alpha,” Shane rumbles. He crooks a finger. I crawl up on the bed and into his arms. I lay against his chest while he continues reading. “Is it all sorted?”

“It's sorted,” I murmur.

Shane pulls the blankets up over us and sets his book down. He shifts his weight, moving us so we’re laying down, my form draped over his body.

“They’re okay,” he whispers.

“They’re okay,” Brayson murmurs back.

“We’re okay,” I answer them both. “Everything is going to be fine.”

Today is the day we go back home, but the minute I step onto the stairs to leave the hotel, everything feels weird. I’m cautious as I step towards the first floor, but then I see the balloons and all the people.

As soon as Locke follows me, the crowd bursts into a loud shout of “Surprise!”

I force a smile as I spot Alma, Eustice, Doctor James. Old Martin and his surly brother Poldark. On and on, I see all the people that I’ve met in the last couple of weeks, including Locke’s four cousins. Holly, Jess, and her mother. Willy and Sanderson.

Locke quickly leaves my side, smiling as he’s pulled from person to person. Finn, the perfect collie for this purpose, smiles and gracefully ferries him around, while I linger in the shadows with Shane and Bray.

It takes me a moment to notice the change in the air. Brayson has been stroking my hip, but somewhere in the last few seconds, it changed from a gentle soothing touch into a teasing stroking that makes me catch my breath.

“Bray,” I warn.

“What’s the matter, Alpha?” he murmurs in my ear.

I shudder, which catches Shane’s attention. He growls and grips my waist, lifts me off my feet and, with a furtive look, carries me out the back. I barely have a chance to blink in the light before I’m roughly thrown up against a wall. His tongue invades my mouth, his kiss aggressive and full of need. Shane almost tears my jeans off me and lets out a growl when he finds me wet.

“No more jeans,” he snarls. “I hate them.”

I pant, rocking my hips against his fingers as they thrust in and out and curl up into me.

“Brayson!” I pant out.

He just shrugs with a wicked grin on his face.

“What if someone sees?”

“I don’t care. I hope they do,” Bray murmurs. “Pass her here, baby, I’ll hold her so you can eat her out.

Shane growls. A raw, feral sound.

I’m hoisted into Bray’s arms. He holds me under my thighs and pulls them apart. I’m exposed, my pussy on display for all the bright sunlight and Twin Rivers residents to see, should anyone walk around the back.

This shouldn’t be as much of a turn on as it is.

Shane snarls, kneels, and buries his face in me voraciously. I cry out. The ferocity, the intensity, the devouring, all brings me to an instant orgasm. I cry out, arching my back, riding his face. Until I collapse.

Shane doesn’t stop.

“Three more,” Bray teases.

WHAT?

“Wait!”

“Three more.” Bray shifts closer, spreading my thighs even wider. Shane’s hands come up, and I think he grips Bray’s ass because I’m slapped even closer to his searching mouth.

He finds my clit and sucks on it hard enough to make me see stars.

“Two more.”

I pant, whimpering, unable to shift my hips at all. And then I feel a probing finger. It circles my puckered hole and then pushes inside. I feel myself grow even wetter. Shane groans and redoubles his efforts.

I cry out, unable to hold back the sound as I collide with orgasm number three.

“Please,” I whine.

“Almost there, Alpha,” Bray teases. “One to go.”

“Oh, please, oh, shit.” I’m a panting and sweating mess. “Please, I need a cock!”

Shane pulls off me and glances up. He gives me one long, sloppy stroke with his tongue that has me seeing stars.

Then Bray drops me to my wobbly legs, Shane grips my knee and drags one of my legs up, supporting my weight.

“Your wish,” Bray whispers, right before he drives into me so hard I lose my balance and fall on Shane.

Shane chuckles darkly and holds me in place, while Bray fucks me so hard I forget my name, I forget where we are, I’m lost in them.

My body tightens, unable to resist, and then I’m drifting on the winds of a maelstrom, drowning in these alphas, and the scream that escapes me, it’s swallowed by Shane, and all I can taste is him and me!

Bray pushes up into me, driving harder, deeper. His fingers bite into my hips and then he slams up, filling me with his cum, growling into the back of my neck, making me shiver.

We stay like that, recovering, until Bray pulls out. I wince at the rush of fluids, but he just laughs, running his fingers through it.

I moan and go up on my tiptoes, tilting my hips back. His fingers slide in and out.

“Beautiful.”

The door opens, and someone who is laughing cuts off.

“Sorry!” They shriek.

I freeze, and just as suddenly, I start to laugh. Bray snorts,chuckles, and slowly pulls his fingers out of me.

“Pause until we get home?”

I hear that word and everything in me feels incredible. Light. Happy.

“Yes, pause until we get home.” I stand up on my tiptoes and kiss my growly mountain man.

“I want to try fucking you in my hammock.”

“You have a hammock?” I ask, intrigued. Yeah, I want to try that, too, now. It will be a fun experiment.

“Come on, we better go rescue Finn and Locke and get home.”

I get dressed, and with Bray leading the way, we return to the party and where my heart has decided to call home.

My pack.