21. Alina

I stare at the bed.I have the strangest urge to roll across the mattress, despite my freshly cleaned state. Like I want to absorb the memories Reaper imprinted there and ensure they never leave my mind.

Because wow.

He made me feel alive. On fire. Awake in a way I've never been before.

It's strange yet liberating.

I press my palm to the spot on the bed I slept on, the space where Reaper made me fall apart.

I can still smell the aftermath of our time here.

I like it, I decide, smiling as I head toward the closet to find something to wear. Except the moment I enter, a new scent swirls around me. Something decidedly masculine and fresh.

Orcus, I breathe, inhaling deeply and spinning around to find him. Only, he's not there. No one is. Just me and that alluring cologne.

There's a hint of cedar in here, too. Flame? I think, dizzy from the combination of fragrances. The mixture of Flame's and Orcus's essences reminds me of a clear mountain day, of wandering in the woods. I close my eyes, picturing it all in my mind.

Fresh air.

Fir trees.

And a campfire…

That last bit has my nose crinkling. It's the ideal addition, but the scent doesn't come from Flame or Orcus.

It's Reaper, I realize. Oh, fae…

Collectively, it's… it's everything.

I want to live here, amongst this scent. It's the fragrance of a perfect day.

Bending, I find the sources of the enticing combination and carry it out into the bedroom. It's an unusual desire, but I can't seem to stop myself. I need to pair this alluring cologne with the perfume Reaper and I created on the bed.

So I do.

I just… drop it all on the bed.

Then stare at it.

And frown.

This isn't right at all.

The aroma is fine. It's flawless, in fact. But the organization…

No. It needs… hmm.

I pick up a towel—one that has Flame's scent on it—and set it by the pillows. Then I grab a shirt—Orcus's—and carefully lay it over the towel.

Nodding, I snatch up a robe and inhale. Smoky tendrils. Ash. Campfire. That's definitely Reaper. I set the fabric on top of the others and knead it all into a wall of sorts along the back of my pillow and the pillow beside mine.

Tapping my chin, I realize something is still missing and glance down at the cotton wrapped around my torso.

I rip it off my body and curl it around the wall I've created, making something that almost looks like a long body pillow.

When I lean forward and inhale, I smile. "Perfect." But I need more.

Glancing around the room, I frown, realizing I don't have anything else to pad the bed with. Only my sheets, and those… those are where they should be.

Frowning, I slip off the bed and turn toward the closet again.

And freeze.

Because Orcus, Flame, and Reaper are all standing inside the door, gaping at me.

I stare back at them, blinking.

"Is she building a nest?" Reaper asks, gesturing to the bed.

"Yeah," Orcus replies, swallowing.

"Cool," Reaper says, nodding. "I very much approve of the whole naked part of the experience."

My eyes widen as I glance down, suddenly remembering that I took off my towel to… to… do whatever the hell I was just doing.

"So when does the heat part begin, again?" Reaper drawls as I dive into the bed and pull the blankets over me.

Like, all the way over me.

Covering my head.

And holding on to the comforter for dear life.

What the heck is wrong with me? What was I even doing? And why—why—does it still smell so good in here? I groan, my nipples hardening at the fragrance engulfing me from head to toe.

Because it's them.

These fae.

These men.

I'm practically drunk on their cologne, the vision of a perfect day hitting me once more. Wandering the mountain side. Heat on my shoulders and arms. Trees swaying in a gentle breeze.

I whimper, lost to the daydream and mortified at the same time.

"Alina," Orcus says softly, the mattress shifting as he joins me on the bed.

Only, he's not lying down; he's sitting. And he's not touching me either.

I wait for the others to join us, but it's Orcus's cologne that overpowers the room. Did they leave? I wonder. Or are they still watching from the doorway?

Oh, fae.Heat creeps up my neck. How long were they watching?

I can't even remember when I took off my towel or why I felt compelled to do so.

"I don't know what's happening to me," I say aloud, hating how scared I feel and sound. It's not me. I'm strong. I fight. I rebel.

But this… this isn't normal. This is… it's them. It's the fae.

Yet it all feels so right, too.

I want to scream and pull out my hair. To curl into a ball and cry. To jump out of the bed and yell. The competing needs cause my stomach to churn.

"Do you want me to explain it?" Orcus asks me, his voice holding a hint of that rumble behind it. The purr.

He's purring.

Everything in me stills as my senses lock on to that gentle rumble, my body instantly relaxing beneath the soothing vibration.

Oh, I like that sound.

"Yes," I whisper, pleased with his purr and his voice. I want more. I need more.

He represents a salvation I didn't realize I needed. A protection I didn't know I craved.

I just want to curl up beside him and revel in the serenity of his embrace.

But he doesn't touch me.

He doesn't even move.

And something about that irritates me.

Why isn't he holding me?

"I've told you that I believe you have an Omega soul," he says, causing me to blink.

What? This again?That's not what I want to discuss. I simply want him to purr and hold me. Why?—

"I think meeting me has freed that soul. And now you finally feel safe enough to be yourself. But you've spent… How old are you?"

My eyes flutter at the unexpected question, yet somehow my mouth knows exactly how to reply. "Two-and-twenty."

He says nothing for a long moment, then clears his throat. "Your Omega soul has been in hiding for over two decades, forcing you to cope without that part of yourself. But now, the two halves of your being are joining, which I imagine is a very confusing experience."

Understatement of the millennium,I want to tell him. But I'm too busy trying to digest his words while battling my instinctual need to yank him under the covers with me.

His purr would be so nice in here, part of me is thinking.

I'm losing my mindis another thought.

And lastly, I can't help wondering, My two halves are joining? What the heck does that even mean?

So yeah. Confusing is an understatement. Yep.

"I've known Omegas in the past," he goes on, causing my heart to skip a beat.

Some part of me does not like the way he phrased that. That part of me has my eyes narrowing as I demand, "Known how?"

Because it'd better not be intimately, the part of me thinks, scowling inside.

It's… it's disconcerting. Like another entity is voicing that comment, not me. And yet, I feel it deep in my soul that I would not like him knowing another Omega intimately.

"As in, I've been around them," he says, a hint of amusement in his tone.

My hands fist in the comforter as I yank it off my face, needing to see him. Because there is nothing funny or amusing about this conversation.

But the minute our eyes meet, my blossoming ire dies.

Redirises stare down at me. Red and bold.

And there are no signs of amusement in his expression.

There are also no signs of anyone else in the room. It's just us. Me and the Mythos Fae Alpha.

His purr intensifies, or maybe it's just louder now that I've come out of my cocoon of blankets. Whatever the cause, I'm thankful for the rumbling vibration because it instantly soothes me.

Orcus reaches out a hand to brush some of my wayward hair out of my face, his palm cupping my cheek.

"I've never been with an Omega before," he tells me. "You'll be my first and my only, Alina."

I swallow, uncertain of how to reply to that.

"That possessive instinct you feel, it rivals my own for you. That's part of the Alpha-Omega bond. Our souls are tying themselves together. Every moment, we grow closer. And as we grow closer, your Omega traits will strengthen."

"I don't feel very strong right now," I admit in a whisper, hating how vulnerable I've become over the last few days. "I feel weaker, Orcus. And I'm… I'm losing who I am?"

The rebellious girl from the village.

The one determined to find her sister.

What happened to her? Where did I go?

"I'm supposed to be going to Chicago right now," I tell him. "I didn't want a mate. I only wanted to be chosen for Monsters Night so I could…" I trail off, my throat working as I wince.

But really, what would it matter if I voiced the truth?

These fae already said they would take me to Chicago.

Why not admit that I want to find my sister?

The old Alina would tell him, I think. The old Alina would be strong and state her purpose.

I want to be that old Alina again.

I want to be me.

Not this… this purr-loving, scent-obsessed Omega.

I start to push away the sheets, determined to get up and leave.

Except the moment the cold air touches my breasts, I remember that I'm naked and immediately pull the blankets up once more.

Only this time, I don't whimper or groan. I growl.

Because I'm frustrated.

Because I'm vulnerable again.

Because I'm so tired of not being able to do what I want.

"I've been forced to do what the Protectors demanded for years. Forced to adhere to the village rules. But then I broke them. Well, some of them. And I made it to Monsters Night by choice. I'm not weak."

"Omegas are not weak either," Orcus replies, drawing my attention to his full mouth. "Omegas are strong. They're able to handle an Alpha's strength and then bring him to his knees. Omegas have all the power in my world. That's why we're lost without them."

"But… but I'm obsessed with scents and your purr and…" I shake my head. "I don't understand it, Orcus. I don't understand what's happening to me." I get the whole Omega-soul-coming-out part. It's what that actually entails that has me feeling so lost.

I try to explain that last part to Orcus aloud, but I feel like I'm just rambling.

Because I'm not me.

I'm not?—

"You were building a nest," he says, interrupting my thoughts. "A nest is a safe place for an Omega to mate with her Alpha. Or, in your case, your mates. Because I suspect that whatever you and Reaper did earlier triggered a need inside you. And you reacted to that need by starting your nest."

I blink at him. "A nest."

"Yes." His lips curl a little. "Think of it like a safe haven, one you control and own. You decide who enters it. How they enter. Where they lie. It's your space for you to direct as you desire."

My nose crinkles. "I don't know what to say to that."

He lifts a shoulder. "You don't have to say anything at all. I'm just trying to help you understand the instinct. You were building a nest with your mates' scents because your inner Omega feels safe with us."

I picture the beautiful mountain afternoon again and note how secure and warm and happy it makes me feel.

That's what their scents represent, I realize. Harmony. Utopia. A place of contentment.

"As for my purr, you like it because Alphas purr for their mates. It's a sound I will only ever make for you. And Flame actually purrs, too. But his is a little different. However, the same principle applies." Orcus lowers his palm from my cheek, his irises a hypnotic swirl of red and black.

I study his eyes and his sharp cheekbones. This close, he doesn't seem so big. Which is strange because he's actually huge. However, there's a softness to him that lessens his intimidating size.

"I can growl, too," he adds, showcasing the ability by adding a slight rumble to his words. "Growls excite Omegas and inspire a mating lust." He utters that part without the added sound effect. "It causes the Omega to produce… slick."

I'm staring at his mouth again while he speaks, a part of me wishing he would growl again. Because I rather liked that sound. "What's slick?" I ask, paying attention despite being somewhat distracted by his beautiful lips.

"The lubricant between your thighs."

My gaze jumps back up to his. "Wh-what?"

"Growls make you wet," he clarifies. Not that I needed it. My question was rhetorical, primarily because I didn't expect him to say that. "Very wet."

I shiver. "O-oh."

Amusement flirts with his eyes as he studies me. "A lot of your Omega instincts revolve around mating, Alina. That's what Alphas and Omegas do. But there's nothing weak about it. Your body is built to take my brute strength. And my heart was created to love you for eternity."

His palm finds my cheek again, his stare suddenly very intense.

So intense that I can barely breathe.

Because he's looking at me like I'm his world. His everything.

"You're my life now, Alina," he breathes. "My forever. And that, my sweet Omega, makes you the strongest one of us all."