Chapter 16

Nova

“What are you doing?” Ian’s voice snaps me out of my daydream. My eyes flick over to him, as he sits up in my crappy, little homemade nest. Can’t do much when you're working with what you’ve got, in a house we’ve been trapped in for almost two weeks.

Almost two weeks since I’ve met my scent matched Alphas. Since my life got turned upside down.

He’s shirtless and my lips twitch at the sight of all the little marks peppered across his sculpted chest, neck, and swollen lips.

All done by yours truly. And I’m fucking proud of every single one of them. Especially the fresh bite mark on his throat.

My mark.

I don’t remember much of my heat, most of it a haze of fucking, cocks, slick, and knots. The feeling that caused my body to sink my teeth into that soft flesh, loving how our bond grew ten times stronger, solidifying our connection. Marking him as mine. My Alpha. Forever .

The thought both thrills and terrifies me. Even now that I’ve decided wherever Ian goes, I go. He’s stuck with me, because I don’t think I’d ever be able to let him go. I don’t ever want to either.

I’m still not a fan of Alphas. Will might be slipping into that exception too, but Nick? My eyes flick over to the naked Alpha in my nest.

I’m not sure if I despise the man or not. Is it normal to be so damn wet and needy for a complete asshole?

Even if he did give me some of the best sex of my life, I still don’t like him. Yet the idea of me leaving here and never seeing him again, sends a jolt of panic throughout me.

My attention is drawn to the bite mark on Ian’s neck.

Ian catches me looking, a grin tugging on his still swollen lips.

“Like what you see, Little Doe?”

“Maybe.” I grin back, my hand moving up to cover the bite mark I’m sporting.

When I got up this morning, I knew my heat had broken. Slipping out of the sea of sexy naked Alphas, I went to the bathroom and cleaned up. To my utter horror, I found two rows of teeth prints where my neck meets my shoulder.

At first, I started to panic, then I remembered who the Alpha was that bit me.

Knowing that Ian was officially mine had a sense of relief blanketing over me. It wasn’t the reaction I expected. I guess I could only fight destiny for so long before the bitch won.

I can’t help but wonder though if that‘s how it’s going to be with the other two.

Because I’d be lying if I didn’t say the idea of making Will mine, eventually, didn’t sound appealing. Maybe Nick too, if he would stop being a fucking asshole.

Stop lying to yourself Nova. You know you love his savage ways and cocky mouth.

Seeing how my heat was a dead giveaway to how my body reacted to his dirty mouth and rough hands.

But that's my body, what about my heart? I might be all sass, with a wall built up around me, from years of pain and struggling to just survive. What would happen if I let his toxic ways behind my barrier and he ruins me?

“Looks pretty good on you I must say.” I add.

“I can’t wait to show it to the world,” he murmurs and fuck, my heart explodes. “How are you feeling?” The mood shifts as he gets out of bed.

My belly warms as I take in his naked form.

“No, no, no, Little Omega.” Ian chuckles. “We just fucked you for what, four days straight?”

“Give or take, yes,” I admit.

“Then stop looking at me like you're about to take a bite out of me.” He grins, pulling his sweat pants on. “Come to think of it, I’m down for another bite. Maybe, right here?” He points to the other side of his neck. “Hell, just leave your mark wherever you want. I’ll wear each and everyone of them proudly.”

“You know. If you keep saying all the right things, we’re never going to leave this room.” I bite my lower lip, really wanting to take him up on his offer. This man came into my life at its lowest point and even if the way we came together is very unconventional, I can’t deny that I’m glad it happened.

“I don’t see an issue with that.” He chuckles.

“You're the one who was just complaining about having to fuck me for almost a week.” I laugh.

“Not complaining, Little Doe. Just pointing out the facts. Aren't you all sexed out?”

“I’m an Omega. I don’t think that's possible.” I shrug. “But we don’t have time for that anyways, because.” I pull the curtain open.

“The snow stopped,” he says, rushing over. “Holy shit, the sun is out.” His grin is wide, full of excitement. “We can get the hell out of here.”

A feeling of dread hits me hard. “Yeah, I guess we can,” I whisper, looking out the window. The sun is shining high in the sky, making the bright white snow glimmer like a million little diamonds.

“Hey.” Ian’s voice softens as he grips my chin, forcing me to look at him. “I know we haven’t done a lot of talking about what happens after we leave here, but I want you to know, I’m yours. I’m your Alpha. Do with me as you please. I’ll follow you to the ends of the Earth. If you wanna be just friends, someone to help you out with your heat, I’m there. If you want more, I’d be beyond happy to be the Alpha you need.”

A smile tugs at my lips as a bit of relief fills me. Reaching up, I brush the mate mark on his neck with the tips of my fingers. His eyes flutter closed, a groan vibrating in his chest.

“I’d think this would have answered your question about what I want from you.”

He takes a shuddering breath before looking at me.

“I didn’t want to assume. All of this happened so fast. I didn’t want to get my hopes up.” I can see the vulnerability in his eyes. “I like you, Nova, a lot more than is healthy. I’m borderline obsessed.” He gives me a grin that has my belly in knots. The good kind.

“I know if you give me the time, you could like me back.”

“I already do, Ian.” I laugh. “Trust me, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have given you the time of day. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think it’s going to be easy to fall in love with you,” I whisper and fuck me the smile on his face is everything I didn’t know I needed.

He kisses me hard, making me moan. I feel so happy I could burst.

“Good,” he pants against my lips. “Because I think I’ve already fallen in love with you.”

“What's going on?” Will’s voice snaps us out of our little bubble.

Ian pulls away and I miss his touch already. “The snow stopped.”

Will’s eyes widen as he looks toward the window. He’s on his feet and damn it, I can’t keep my eyes off that toned ass of his. So many freckles I want to trace with my tongue.

“Look any harder, Little Doe and you're going to set the man's ass on fire, with how laser focused on it you are,” Ian teases.

“Oh shut up.” I roll my eyes, missing the moment Will puts on his jeans. I bite my lower lip, flashes of us together during my heat filling my mind.

Will pauses, swinging his gaze my way. His nostrils flare, smelling my perfume that's coming off me in waves. Seriously, do I have no shame? I just got done having sex non-stop for days and my pussy is still a needy bitch.

“Is your heat not done?” Will asks, looking between me and Ian. “I assumed since you two were just having a normal conversation and you weren't mauling us, it was over.”

“And there goes any lust I might have had,” I mutter. “That sounds more like something the dickhead over there would say.”

“No. I would have told you, ‘because you're not dry humping us like a bitch in heat’,” Nick’s groggy voice answers.

“Oh, fuck you,” I spit back. “I can’t believe I let your shrimp dick inside of me.”

He chuckles, deep and husky, and my traitorous body reacts. He rolls over, sits up and pulls back the blanket. Standing in all his naked glory, body covered in ink, he shows me just how not small his dick is. “You sure about that, Joyrider?”

I bite my lip, swallowing hard. I want it. I want him. Inside me, fucking me, filling me. Holy hell, am I still in heat?

Or is it because I broke the Alpha seal and now all I want is Alpha cock? So much better than my ex for sure, and I’ve admitted he knew how to use his cock. But these men? I stood no chance. Best heat of my life by far.

“I thought so.” Nick’s smug chuckle has me getting to my feet. Unlike them, I’m not naked. I’m fully showered and dressed, getting everything done while they still slept.

“I shouldn’t have let you sleep in. I can’t believe I felt bad that I had you three working hard. I should have made you work harder,” I growl.

Nick moves closer to me and I take a step back. He cocks his head to the side, eyeing me up like prey. “Guess you're gonna have to do better next heat, aren't you?”

My breath hitches. Next heat? I was sure he’d never want to see me again. Scent match or not, Nick has never liked me from day one.

So what’s changed?

“Next heat? That would imply we’d be around one another.”

He grins and this one is kind of scary. “I’ve changed my mind.” He chuckles. “We’re not leaving you behind. You're coming home with us. Because that, right there.” He points to the mate mark on my neck. “Means you belong to my little brother. And there's no way in hell I'm letting him leave our pack to run away with you. So, if that means putting up with your bratty ass for the rest of our lives, I’ll just have to fucking deal with it.”

He winks before turning around and walking naked into the hallway, then over to the bathroom.

What the hell was that? Did this Alpha asshole, who spent the whole time I was here hating me, letting me know how much he couldn’t wait to be rid of me, tell me I’m allowed to stick around?

“That was his way of saying you're growing on him. I give it a month, maybe two before he’s pulling his head out of his ass and grovelling at your feet to make him your Alpha,” Ian says.

My eyes snap over to him and I huff out a laugh. “Yeah, I won’t hold my breath on that one. And what makes you think I’d let him be my Alpha?”

Ian gives me a knowing look. “He’s your scent match, Little Doe. The sooner you two accept that, the quicker we can be a pack.”

“A pack.” My brows jump. “A pack with who?”

“Me and my brothers.” Ian frowns. “Keep up, Little Omega.”

My attention shoots over to Will who’s standing there, listening with his arms crossed, looking out the window. “Him too?” I point to Will. “He doesn’t want me.”

Will’s eyes slowly meet mine. “Says who?”

My eyes widen and my lips part. “But– you– I– What?”

He shrugs. “I never said I didn’t want an Omega. It was always the end goal for our pack to have one. We just didn’t want one in our lives right now. But, it seems as if we have no control over it, it’s not something we can just sweep under the rug. The fact is, Nova, you’re my Omega. It’s taken me a little bit of time to process that. There’s a lot of things we still need to work on. I think maybe first, we should take some time to get to know one another, feel comfortable, build trust, and then we could be a good pack.”

“You're serious?” I whisper in disbelief.

He walks over and crouches down in front of me. Cupping my face, he brushes his thumb against my cheek. “I like you, Nova. I want you. You're my Omega. I don’t want to control you. I just want to be with you. You make the rules. Not us. I can’t say we’re just going to be able to shut off our Alpha instincts, they ride us hard, because for the most part an Alpha just wants to make sure their Omega is happy, healthy, and safe. Taken care of. And I have a feeling you’re not going to make that easy for us.” He chuckles.

“Maybe.” I mumble, making him laugh harder. Each thing he says fills me with hope and happiness. All things I’m not used to. I’m also afraid of this feeling, of getting hurt again.

Will must be able to see it in my eyes, because his jaw ticks. “We’re not him, Nova. We would never agree to be yours and betray you.”

“But you're not mine,” I whisper. “Not officially. Yes, we’re scent matches, but I’m not ready to make you my official Alpha and sure as hell not with Nick.”

“Are you afraid that because you haven’t officially claimed us, we might go to other people?”

The idea makes me want to puke, cry, and scream at the same time. Them touching someone else who isn’t me makes me fucking murderous.

“Yes.”

He grins. “Don’t worry about that, Little Omega. I don’t want anyone else. And Nick? Let me deal with him. He might fuck with you, say hurtful things to get you going, but I won’t let him take it too far.”

I want to take his word for it, but I don’t trust him. Not yet. And I sure as hell don’t trust Nick.

“Just come back with us. Start over new. You will have a place to stay, a room of your own, and a nest. More money than you know what to do with, and a life where you don’t have to work your ass off for your next meal,” Will whipsers and fuck me, I feel like crying.

He’s offering me way too good of a deal to turn down. “We can work on things at your pace. You're in control, Nova. I wouldn’t dare try to change you.”

But Nick would.

Isn’t that the fun of it though? I love fighting with him. It’s a fucking kink at this point. It can’t stay like that forever though, right? That’s fucked up and toxic.

The fact is, the idea of never seeing him again or him being with someone else hurts. So, I’m screwed either way.

“Okay,” I whisper, my hands shaking as I wring them together in front of me.

He’s right. I don’t have anything to lose. If I stay where I’m at, I’m going to be working my ass off to start over new. I’m tired. I don’t want to live that life anymore.

What he’s offering me sounds too good to be true. Yet, I want it.

Only thing is, I can’t forget about what they do for a living.

I narrow my eyes. “Where do you live?”

Ian chuckles. “Somewhere warm and sunny. Where you can lounge on the beach and be pampered by yours truly.”

“Sounds nice,” I whisper. “But everything that's in the basement. Why do you sell it when you have jobs?”

I know Ian owns a bakery and Will repairs cars on top of them selling what they steal to make a profit off it. But they don’t do this all throughout the year. Just around Christmas time. So what does Nick do?

“Not gonna sugar coat it, Little Rabbit.” Will sighs, lowering his hand. I miss it right away. “You want the truth?”

“No, lie to me,” I say dryly. He laughs.

“Simply put, our father is the leader of one of the most powerful and ruthless MC’s in the US.”

I blink a few times. “You mean, like a Motorcycle Club?”

“Yes.” Will nods slowly.

“Those are real? And not only in books and movies?”

“Nope.” Ian laughs. “Very much real. He’s been trying to make us a part of the family business, but we left the compound and started doing our own thing the moment we became of age. We don’t want any part of that life. At least I don’t. It’s why we’ve been working hard to start over, to get away from everything. In the meantime, we have our own little businesses. I, as you know, own a bakery and Will has a body shop.”

“And what does Nick do? Also, if you own your own businesses, why do you want to leave?”

“Nick... He does... ahh more questionable things.” Ian scratches the back of his head.

“Like how questionable? More than being mall robbers.” I snort.

“More like being a hired hand,” Nick says, popping into the doorway. “Come on. Let’s get this shit shovelled and pack up the truck. I want to get the fuck out of here.”

My brow furrows as he leaves. How is being a hired hand questionable? I don’t get the chance to ask, because the guys are up and following their brother.

“Pack up whatever you need, Little Doe. When we’re done, we’re leaving.”

The guys shovel while I pack my things. Not much. Just the bag I came with and grab whatever I need for Duchess. I’ll get her more when we get... wherever the hell we’re going, because they still haven't told me where that is. But a nice beach sounds good right about now.

Getting down stairs, I take a look at the tree and gasp. Fucking hell, Christmas. It’s Christmas! I think?

Shit, did I miss Christmas because of my heat?

Fuck it. I want my Christmas gifts.

Placing the kitten down on the couch, I take a seat by the tree. There’s only a few gifts under it and they’re all addressed to me.

Grabbing the first one, I open it up with a smile and my eyes widen when I see it’s a new phone. The next is an iPad and fucking hell, a new computer?

Yeah, these are all stolen for sure. But, I don’t care. They’re mine now.

I shove them into my bag with excitement and head into the kitchen.

I need something to keep myself busy, while the guys work, and out of my own head, from over-thinking everything that's happened and what's about to come.

Making some sandwiches for myself, I add a few extra for the guys and our car ride.

I sit and eat, while they come in and out of the house with their stolen loot, Duchess curled up on my lap, sleeping.

It takes a few hours, but eventually Nick, Ian, and I are in the truck with the cat, while Will takes the van. We drive away from the house. The house that shouldn't have felt like a home, because I was fucking kidnapped and trapped there for weeks.

Yet, as we drive away, and it disappears into the distance, I can’t help but feel a sort of loss. It wasn’t all bad. If anything, it was a nice break from reality.

“So,” I say, turning to face the guys. “With your whole life of crime. I want you to know that if you go down, I'm not going down with you.”

Ian chuckles. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Little Doe.”

“And I’m still confused. Nick, you said you were a hired hand. How is that a questionable job? Do you do odds and ends jobs or something?”

“Or something,” Nick mutters, his eyes flicking up to meet mine in the rear view mirror.

“What do they hire you to do?” I ask, more like whisper. Because fuck me the way he looks right now sends a spark of fear through me and I don’t think I’m going to like the answer.

“Kill people, Joyrider. People pay big bucks for me to kill people,” he responds, a slow curl of a grin taking over his lips. One with pure malice.

My stomach drops, lips parting. Holy fucking shit. Is he telling me he’s a hired killer?

My scent match Alpha is an assassin!

What the fuck did I just sign my self up for?

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The end. For now.

Want more pack Noel? Get Nova and her Alpha’s full length story in Knot That Easy . An MC, dark omegaverse romance.