31. Adrian

thirty-one

Jade stalks through the kitchen and goes straight into the lounge. She folds her arms on the side of the lounge and buries her face in them. Her silence is scarier than anything I've seen yet. It's like she's gone into herself and is fading away from us.

"Jade, talk to us."

She shakes her head.

"Jade, no one cares what your mother thinks-"

"I CARE!" she roars with so much pain that I rock back on my heels. "I care that my mother thinks there is something wrong with me. She's prepared to disown me because I'm so fucked up. I care, Adrian."

"Your mother is nothing to us or our future. You never have to see her again." It's a simple solution to this problem. I don't understand what's going on here. This is a side I've never seen before. She is spilling pain from every inch of her, all the while, building walls to shut me out.

She looks up, her eyes filled with tears, but her face is furious. "You still don't get it, Adrian. Nothing she said is wrong. I don't have a pack. There are no bond marks on my person. I am not wanted. I am weird and unnatural. The packs don't like me and the alphas-" she laughs bitterly. "The alphas think I'm good enough to fuck but not bond."

"That's not true!" I snap at her.

"ISN'T IT?" she bellows, surging up off the couch. "Isn't that exactly what you've done?"

I let out a low hiss. Furious with her, with myself. But I'm concerned, I"ve never seen her like this before. How do I fix this?

"It"s not like that," Kandi says softly.

She just deliberately looks from us to Sven. He stands there mute.

"Sven, please!" Kandi growls with a note of desperation in her voice that panics me.

He opens his mouth, but nothing comes out.

I look back at Jade. Tears are streaming from her eyes.

"See! My mother didn't lie." Her bitter voice is full of so much self-loathing.

I stalk towards her, gripping her upper arms and pulling her to my chest.

"Your mother was so far wrong it's not funny. You're wrong if you believe that we're not a pack. We are. And I will-"

She pulls away from me, refusing my touch. I turn my head to glare at Sven.

"You have a pack," I growl louder.

She ignores me.

"You know what I don't understand? Why am I still here? You've told me over and over that it's not possible. You keep saying the words. What makes me so stupid that I think I can change you? Why am I just staying here, getting hurt?"

"Jade," I groan. I can't take her pain. I'm frantic and growing more and more uneasy. This is agony, I can't hear this defeat, this bone deep sorrow.

She huddles in on herself, rubbing her face on her knees.

"No, this isn't right," I snarl. "You're ours. That was the plan. After your heat when you're in your right mind."

She just continues to make these pitiful sobs. I sit on the couch and drag her into my arms. She fights me, but I ignore her, resting my chin on her head.

"I was going to bond you. Jade, please, I was claiming you tonight," I whisper over and over, but she doesn't hear me. "I was claiming you."

Her sobs quiet down, but she doesn't speak. She just stays trembling in my arms.

Kandi is crouched in front of us, rubbing her hand.

"What do we do?" she mouths at me.

I shake my head, but I don't know.

Sven paces back and forth in front of us. Finally, he spits out a curse, pulls her out of my arms and stalks off with her.

"SVEN!" I roar and charge after them.

He ignores me and takes her straight into the spare room that Kandi has modified into a temporary gym. He sets her down and pushes her.

"Hit me."

She turns away, so sad, so broken.

"You're going to just accept what your mummy says? Give in, give up? Then you don't deserve alphas."

Her eyes lift and freeze with chilling rage. The defeat is gone, and all that's left is feral omega, and she wants to kill.

"Hit me!" Sven shouts.

She lunges, slapping his chest. He pushes her back; she attacks again, slapping harder, then her hands fist, and she hits him with a heavy, dull thud.

My heart pounds watching them. I want to rush in, intervene, stop this. But he's bringing her back to life.

"Good, now do it again!"

She punches him harder, screaming a little as she does. I make a move to intervene, unable to resist the sound of her pain, but Kandi holds me back.

"Just watch."

The fight intensifies. None of her blows are causing Sven any pain, but he keeps goading her, teasing her into responding. She finally collapses to her knees and screams.

Sven crouches in front of her and takes her hand in his.

"Your mother's words are going to be a voice inside you for a long time. They will try to undermine your journey, try to take the strength out of you. Her words will poison your purpose. You don"t have to let her. Choose not to listen, Jade."

Jade pants and suddenly throws herself into Sven's arms. She sobs, but this time, her sobs feel different. They don't feel helpless. They feel healing.

Sven is so gentle with her now. He holds her like he's her anchor. I want to tell him to give in. I want to tell him he's already a part of this pack. It's one little bite. Just do it.

Can't he see she makes us perfect?

I turn away, leaving the room. Now that the panic has eased, I need to do something about the fury that is rushing through my veins.

"Where are you going?"

I raise an eyebrow at Kandi. "I'm going to do something about her mother."

Kandi sucks in a breath and pauses. "Can I help?"

"Of course," I say, ignoring the slightly nervous tone in her voice. "If you want something, Candice, you should just demand it. Take what is yours. This pack isn't just us and her. It's all of us. I know that's why you stepped back, because you didn't want to embarrass her in front of those people, and her mothers words got to you. I understand, but Jade won't see it, you need to learn not to care."

Kandi smiles slightly. "Just demand it?"

"Yes, Kandi, demand. Sven and I don't read minds." I pause and look up at her, determined to say this. "You settled for him."

"No, I love him-"

"Yes, but you settled. You accepted his scraps and all that he could give. Hell, you were fine with what he was doing with me. You just accepted. I'm telling you that you need to demand. Take a leaf out of Jade's book. We pushed her too far. She is telling us, she is demanding. I want that for you, too. I don't want you to settle for the scraps we remember to offer. You are an equal part of what we are building, so take what's yours. In the home, in the street, in our pack, in this family."

Kandi considers that, and then puts a hand out and stops me from moving past her. "I want a bond from you."

I turn and really look her in the eyes, seeing the determination. "Okay."

She holds out her wrist. I frown at her, but take her wrist to my mouth. My teeth sink in deep. The bite is hard and painful, but she doesn't flinch. I wait, leaving it long enough to feel the bond to flare up. Once I'm sure it's there, I hand her my wrist. She bites.

The bond differs from Sven's. With Kandi, it feels like looking at someone through a reflection. With Sven, I can feel him inside me like he's walking right next to me.

She draws back and closes her eyes. "I can feel your anger and concern."

"It will take some getting used to, but when you focus on something, you can ease the constant feel of us in there."

She gapes at me. "Sven did not tell me that."

I flick her an amused glance. "All right, let's have a look." I load up my computer and dive into Jade's mother's medical file.

"What are you going to do?"

"Ah, well, that's the not so legal part. I'm just going to change a couple of details, change her diagnosis to hysteria, add some personality disorders. Nothing too far from the truth. I'll adjust her medication chart, put her on an antidepressant."

"What does this mean?" Kandi asks, frowning down as I type into the computer.

"It means the next time she gets hysterical in public and the police are called, they will take her to a psychiatric ward and have her assessed, which I feel confident that she will fail. See, I've just put in that I've seen her three times. I'm now her treating doctor."

"Adrian, this is evil."

I smirk.

"I'm impressed."

I shrug, pleased that she approves. "Being a doctor has its perks."

She laughs and puts a hand on my shoulder. "Were you really going to bond her tonight?"

I tilt back in my chair and close my eyes. Regret lacing through me. "I really was."

"You should still do it."

My eyes snap open, and I look at her. "You think so? You don't think she's too distressed?"

"She needs that security. The knowledge that we mean it."

"She needs it from you as well," I point out to the beta.

Kandi inhales sharply. "I'll think about it."

"Let's go see if she's killed Sven yet, and then I can show her my surprise."

"What surprise?"

I snort at her demand. "I'll show you, too."

I pause at the top of the stairs, looking back at the omega and beta following me. Kandi gives me a flat glare.

"If you're taking us down to chop us into bits, I'll have you know I have friends who will make you sorry," Kandi warns me seriously.

I snicker. "Trust me."

Jade looks up at me, but the happiness isn't there. She's still hurting. I need to fix that.

I turn and lead them down, stopping so I can see her expression when she gets halfway down.

She pauses on the steps, her eyes growing huge. "Adrian," the way she breathes my name is magic.

I glance away from her and to the hundreds of candles I've lit. There's a whole heap of blankets on the floor and about twenty pillows. I've got chocolate, strawberries, chocolate-coated strawberries, wine, water. This was what I had planned for tonight.

She gracefully floats down the bottom of the stairs and looks around. "You have a basement."

"I do."

"And it's not a murder basement."

My lips pull up, unable to resist the slight disappointment in her voice.

"No, it's not a murder basement."

I grab her hand and pull her down to the blanket. Sven sits on the stairs halfway, watching. I wait until she's finished looking at everything before I point to the ceiling.

Her mouth parts in astonishment. "What is that?"

"That is what I wanted to show you. This is how I relax in my spare time."

Kandi gasps. "Is that?"

"Yes, I paint angels and demons on the ceiling of my basement."

"Why?" Jade asks.

"Because I don't know if I'm a good man. Sometimes I do good things and sometimes bad. I don't know who I am, so I paint, and I try to work it out. The expectations from people are crushing. The loneliness is a boulder I carry. My job is demanding and has a lot of responsibility. But since I met you, I haven't questioned what the fuck I'm doing here or painted all night trying to forget how lonely I am. Jade, you brought me life."

"You know what you are?" Jade asks meekly.

"It doesn't matter what I am, Jade. All that matters is that I'm yours. I can be good and bad. I don't have to have this existential crisis anymore. It's okay for Kandi and I to share you and Sven. I can love you both. There's enough room in my heart for all three of you. As long as we do it together."

Kandi reaches out, putting a hand on my forearm. "Family."

I glance at her gratefully. "Yes, like family. You accept all of me. You want all of me, and Jade…I'm here showing you all of who I am so you'll know that I'm serious when I say I want you."

She sniffles and moves slowly into my arms, resting her face against my chest. "Why are you so perfect?"

"I'm not. I'm just yours."

Kandi clears her throat. "I want you to bond me, Omega."

Jade jerks her head towards Kandi. "What?"

"I want your bond," Kandi says clearly. "Adrian has given me his. I'm part of this pack. It's my right to carry your bond."

Jade glances at me. I think she's half expecting someone to shout ‘just joking' but I don't.

"Take your clothes off, Omega. Let us give you a night you won't ever forget," Kandi purrs.

When Jade doesn't move, she grabs our omega's legs and yanks her until she's laying on the blanket, her head still on my thighs. Kandi strips her out of her pants, and before I can get a good look at all that pale flesh, her undies are gone, and Kandi's pushed her thighs apart and has buried her face in Jade's pussy.

Jade gasps, shifting her weight. I stroke her hair back, and then start flicking open the buttons on her shirt. One by one, I reveal more of her skin, until all that is between us is a purple lace bra.

"Front clasp," she murmurs with a gasping groan. Her back arches, thrusting her tits up, even as she spreads her legs even further apart.

I bite the inside of my cheek, trying not to laugh, and peel the lace off her. Fuck, she's hot, and seeing her being eaten out by our pack member gives me this tight feeling of satisfaction in my chest.

I cup her breasts, molding and squeezing lightly. She thrashes her head from side-to-side. Sven stomps down the stairs, carrying something.

"Kandi," Sven says in a soft murmur.

She pulls back; her face shiny with Jade's arousal.

"I bought you a present."

Kandi frowns and takes the packages. She opens it, her eyes going wide. "Fuck!"

It takes me a moment to discover the first is a double-ended dildo with an inflatable knot. The second is a strap-on dildo. I send a heated glare towards the alpha.

Sven kicks off his shoes and starts peeling off his clothes, one sexy layer at a time. Those rippling muscles slowly reveal themselves, making my stomach flip. He's so hot. I glance at Jade and find her as transfixed as I am.

Kandi makes a sound of amusement, drawing my eye. She's already naked with her new toy strapped to her groin. She moans as she takes Jade and Sven in. The sexy sound draws Jade's eyes, and Kandi, with a devilish gleam, takes it in her hand, stroking it like a man would. It is strangely erotic, and though I don't want to fuck Kandi, I really want to watch her fuck Jade with that monster.

I'm almost floored by the bolt of arousal that it gives me. Not for her, but for what's coming.

It's hot.

Jade climbs up on her knees, edging closer. "Wow."

Sven drops on the blankets beside me. His fingers close over mine.

"Addy-"

"I know." Suppressing the emotion is hard, but I manage it and swallow tightly. "I love you, too. No matter what happens."

He shifts closer and cups my cheek, turning my head so he can kiss me gently.

It's the most honest and gentle kiss we've ever shared. I'm showing him his happy ending. He just needs to be brave enough to take it.

What's holding you back, Sven?And why does it feel like he's slipping away?

Jade squeaks. Kandi laughs, and I tear my lips from Sven and find Jade on her back, her legs wrapped around Kandi's as the female beta slides the enormous piece of silicone into her.

"Fuck!" I whisper and grip my cock, stroking it slowly.

Sven kisses me again, then sits back with a sigh. His cock is huge and erect, but like me, he's content just to watch.

For a while.

Their groans and moans drive my arousal higher. Watching their undulating flesh is agony. They whisper and laugh, kissing often, adjusting positions, and running their hands over each other.

Jade whimpers, her hips rising and falling faster. Kandi increases her pace, spitting out a curse.

"Jade now!"

Jade's whole body arches, going tight as a bow. She moans, an indistinct sound that appears like it's torn from her.

Kandi leans closer. "Ready for it?"

Jade whimpers, but the beta draws back and slams their hips together. She does it four times in quick succession; her face intense with concentration. Then Jade's eyes blow wide open. My mouth parts in awe as my omega convulses, her cry of pleasure filling the room.

I want this forever.

"Holy shit!" Kandi roars out. Her toes curl, and every muscle stands out as her body finds her own pleasure. She leans down and puts her mouth on Jade's neck. Jade's eyes open and gleam. Her bite is savage and quick. The beta is bonded before anyone can blink.

Kandi groans and collapses in a heap on Jade. The omega's hands stroke up her back, pulling her close and kissing her gently.

They are wonderful together. Like they really are two pieces of the puzzle that fit.

I pick up a strawberry and bite into the fruit, laying back on the blanket to stare up at my angels.

"Second thoughts?" Jade whispers.

"Never," I murmur back, putting a hand to her cheek and drawing her down to me.

She climbs on me, straddling my waist, and rubbing herself on my cock.

I sit up and run a hand up her back. She shudders and tosses her head back, her eyes closed in ecstasy.

I can't resist. I lean forward, pressing my mouth to her throat, sucking and licking up to her jaw. Blackberries overwhelm my senses. I lift her up. She's so small in my arms. Tiny, sexy little kitten.

She lets out a mewl and shifts her hips. My cock slides back through her folds and slips inside her.

The wet heat sucks me in. I'm frozen there, seeing stars. She peers at me, her eyes slitted, with this devious smile that breaks my control.

"Jade," I warn, but I'm already moving, pulling out, lifting her off me, and laying her on the floor before I roll over her. It's taking all my restraint not to thrust into her. I wait, the moments stretching until she focuses on me.

"Adrian." It's just my name.

It's everything.

I push into her body, gasping at the tight feel of her. She arches up, rolling her hips, meeting me thrust for thrust.

Our pace increases, the sound of skin slapping skin. I kiss her everywhere I can reach, leaving marks across her flesh. Little signs saying, ‘mine.'

She drags her nails down my back. I hiss and thrust harder, making her body jolt. She moans my name, almost incoherent.

Jade's close. I can see her skin turning pink, her eyelids fluttering. The scent of blackberries is the strongest yet.

She snaps her eyes open and grabs my ass, dragging me into her. I thrust hard, watching intently as she whimpers and whines. Her body jerks, growing out of control. I slam into her, over and over.

On the sixth thrust, she shatters, tightening around me with a grip that makes my perilous control evaporate. I let out a hiss and thrust wildly, barely hearing her shriek. My knot slips inside her, and that's it. Pleasure explodes behind my eyelids. I thrust wildly, only able to move the tiniest bit around, and bury myself as deep as I can. I pour myself into her, even as she milks it out of me.

Instinct drives me. I lean down, finding a spot over her collarbone. The spot I picked out. I lick it slowly, and then sink my teeth in. Her body arches up, going rigid. The movements send ripples of pleasure from my cock all the way up to my scalp. I pant around the flesh in my mouth, and then remove my teeth, licking and tending to my bite.

She's doing the same thing to a spot on my shoulder. Inside me, I can feel her, warm, colourful, amazing her. My omega.

She's perfect.

I nuzzle her, and then carefully sit her up, hugging her tight. We stay like that for a long time, kissing and holding each other, while the bond throbs between us.

Sven stands up, drawing our eyes. He looks at me and meets Jade's eyes, and shakes his head.

"I have something I need to do. I'll be back!"

"Sven," Kandi warns.

He picks up his clothes and walks upstairs.

Jade gives me a frantic look. So, when Jade pulls off me, we both wince but manage to get to our feet. She sprints up the stairs naked, but I scoop up our clothes and follow.