Chapter Nine

CHAPTER NINE

NOW PLAYING: THE Death of Peace of Mind- Bad Omens

The first show of our headlining tour is officially underway. A whimsical euphoria leaves my limbs loose and my breaths steady while imposter syndrome battles to negate the joy our success brings.

The feeling is common, I imagine, for anyone breaking into a field so heavily saturated in others’ successes. You can reach the moon, feel its rough surface upon your fingertips, and still those doubts would linger.

Our opening band, Orbital Somatic, is on the stage, their music filling the venue with pounding bass. Their stage presence is a touch bland, but they have potential. Something Omen’s best friend, Bea Powell, seems determined to use to drive them to stardom.

Bea is a great contrast to Omen’s personality. Bright and colorful. Effervescent and confident. Her dynamic energy shines like a beacon in the distance drawing anyone nearby to her side.

Where Bea is luminescent, Omen is a shadowy opaque. A mystery wrapped in sun-kissed skin and dark tattoos. Cordial and ambiguous. An entire world exists beneath her surface, unexplored and brimming with life. The photographer’s allure is a gravitational pull latching onto my soul and dragging me into her orbit.

My eyes track her through the venue, watching her get lost behind her lens. What does she see as she watches the crowd? Their lackluster exhilaration? Or is she able to find the few who seem to fall into the music with enough vigor to drown out the world around them?

Her black and purple hair is pulled atop her head in a stylish but messy bun. The black tank top she’s wearing dips low enough to reveal the cosmic string of starry moths running along her spine.

I wonder how many tattoos she has? The one along her sternum and this one on her back are the only two we’ve seen pieces of. Is there more hidden beneath her skinny jeans and band tees? One day I’d like to lay her down and count them all. Find the meanings behind each choice. Anything to understand why she captivates me so thoroughly.

I lose myself in tracking her across the room. Watching her creative process at its rawest. Brady’s gruff voice cuts into my obsession, distracting me for several seconds. Long enough for me to realize Orbital Somatic’s set is ending. The crew will be taking to the stage to set up for my pack to play, so we need to head to the back hallway to clear the way for them to work.

Glancing back at the stage, I exhale in relief when I watch Omen’s bodyguard disappear on the other side, following the omega who haunts my thoughts.

“Gorgeous, are you having fun yet?” Nexus greets when he sees her wandering our way.

Her camera is slung across her body, a small black cover attached to the front to protect it from damage. She’s carrying a half-empty water bottle and I spy two more in Lex’s hands. I’m glad she’s taking the time during this short break to care for her needs.

“I always have fun when I’m working,” she comments politely.

“Make sure you pace yourself,” Nebula grunts when she drains the rest of the water and part of another bottle.

“I know my limits, thanks,” she snarks with a roll of her eyes. Nebula’s lips twitch and I can sense the thread of dull arousal pulsing through his bond each time she pushes back against his attempts to care for her.

The guys from Orbital Somatic join us several moments later, laughing and sweaty from their performance. We exchange congratulations and hype their group up after a great first show. When the venue’s production manager signals the five-minute mark, I turn to find Omen, but she isn't there. She must have slipped away while we were talking.

The stage is lit by faint blue light when we take our spots, backs to the crowd in our usual opening stance. Their cheers and shouts send a thrill up my spine.

When I first met my mates, they were a small, new band playing for fun, singing covers at nearby open mic nights. They’d put up a flier online searching for a guitarist to join their ranks. At that point, I played casually. Using the act of strumming my hand-me-down acoustic to drown out the silence of my empty house when both of my parents were at work and my younger brother was at football practice.

Stepping onto the small stage at the Alpha Academy with the three of them sitting in chairs across the room, our souls harmonized. Fate’s decree rendered us spellbound from the moment my first note rang through the room.

Our melody has always been delicate and erotic. A sensual sound that’s never felt complete. I can’t help but hope Omen might be the missing piece we’ve been searching for.

Titan counts us in and my thoughts fade to the music. Muscle memory guides my fingers over the strings and instinct leads me to where I’m needed on the stage. Sweat soaks my back the longer we play, lining the top of my mask. A smile stretches across my lips.

These moments where fans are singing along to the songs I wrote and dancing to the beats my pack created… It’s astonishing to realize our dream careers have become a reality.

Stepping into the dressing room, Nebula locks the door behind us, allowing us a moment's reprieve from our sweat-soaked masks. He steps into the adjoining half bath and dumps an entire bottle of water on his head. His mask is the most restrictive leaving nowhere for the sweat in his hair to go.

“Look up,” Titan murmurs as he presses his hand to the back of my neck. I do as he asks and turn my face to the ceiling. My alpha carefully untangles my hair from my mask before sliding it onto the vanity. He presses a wet rag to my forehead, cleaning my sticky skin before moving to Nexus to do the same. Taking care of his mates without question or complaint.

Wanting to do the same, I grab a can of his favorite energy drink from the mini fridge beside the door. When Tee has finished getting felt up by Nexus, he lets me guide him to sit in an empty chair and soak up some of the sweat from his hair with a clean towel. My heart blooms with the tenderness and love he pushes down our bond.

All too soon, our time is up. Masked up once more, we leave the venue together. A small crowd of fans still wait outside shouting their praises our way. We offer them short waves before we slide into our SUV.

Riding the post-show adrenaline, tonight would be the perfect evening for a crew game night. Unfortunately, Brady reminds us as we start to climb back onto our tour bus we’re leaving in twenty so we can make it to the next city early enough for a photo shoot and interview with a pro-pack magazine.

The reminder also bursts Nexus’ bubble. He’s been chattering the entire drive back about his plans to convince Omen to hang out with us. I’m sure he will still find a way to bring her to our bus before our show tomorrow. He can be very persistent when he sets his mind to something, and right now his thoughts are solely on showing Omen she’s meant to be ours.

The shower is cool against my overheated skin as I wash the stage paint from my body. The sound of the stall door opening brings a small smile to my lips. Amber and Oud flood the small shower as Nexus steps in behind me. His hard length brushes against my ass in the too-small space telling me exactly what my alpha needs tonight: a distraction from the pretty omega consuming his thoughts.

“Saving water?” I joke. He shrugs, a pout on his lips. Resting his head against my back, I can feel the longing and arousal building in his bond.

Sliding his hands up my chest and down my arms, he grabs my rag and takes over the process of removing the silver from my arms and neck. His lips press to the back of my neck, my shoulders, down along my spine as he carefully cleans my skin. I relax into the rhythmic motions, letting the exhilaration from our show slide down the drain alongside the dirty water.

When he starts working on his own skin, I turn and help. Using my hands to rinse the rest of the suds from his body as the paint coating his stomach and chest washes away. My fingertips trail down across his stomach to the inside of his thighs. The tiled floor is cold against my knees as I drop before him.

“Cal,” he groans. His dick twitches against my palm when I take him in hand.

“Shhh, let me take care of you,” I whisper against his tip. My tongue snakes out to catch the drop of pre-cum beading there. I don’t try to hide my moan as his flavor coats my mouth. A little salty with earthy undertones from his scent.

Rolling my tongue around him, I use the tip to trace each of the piercings running down his length. Tugging gently with my teeth when I reach the last one. My free hand crawls from his ankle to his inner thighs, brushing the sensitive skin at the back of his knee and making him shake.

Nexus leans back against the wall to steady himself. His chest heaves and his warm brown eyes are trained on me. Knowing I’m responsible for the dazed look in his eyes fills me with a sense of power I rarely seek.

Slipping his tip between my lips I slowly take him to the back of my mouth, swallowing around his girth to let him slide into my throat. My eyes water, my lips brushing against his swelling knot. I pull back until he’s nearly falling out of my mouth before moving back down. Slow and torturous.

Nexus moans and curses, his hands fisted against the wall to stop himself from taking control. I roll his balls between my fingers. Tugging slightly before tracing back along his perineum and along the curve of his ass. My fingers circle his hole with gentle pressure, just enough to tease him more.

I channel my inner Nebula as I torture him. I want him to lose control. To take his pleasure by fucking my mouth. Letting his length slide from my mouth, I brush my lips along his knot. My breath puffs against him as I speak. “Can you picture her here? Omen on her knees beside me. Those plush lips brushing against mine as we tease your cock together; her lipstick staining your skin when she swallows you down.”

A strangled groan escapes Nexus’ lips, his dick kicking against my cheek as he lets the picture I’m painting fill his mind. I increase the pressure of my fingers against his hole, pressing in slightly, but not fully penetrating him.

“She’d be a vision sitting naked between us. Tears soaking her cheeks from choking on your cock while my hands knead her breasts. We’d take turns teasing you, working you into a frenzy.” He yelps when I suddenly swallow him down again, setting a rapid pace for several passes before popping back off. “Her sweet sunflower scent would soak the room, her slick sliding down her parted thighs. Do you think she would beg us to touch her? To sink our fingers or cocks inside her?”

“Cal,” Nexus warns. He’s leaking copious amounts of pre-cum now, his tip red and angry with his need for release. One more push and he’ll snap.

Wrapping my fingers around his knot I pulse my hand, mimicking what I imagine Omen orgasming around him would feel like. “You could take her sweet cunt, Alpha. Lock your knot inside of her while I fill her ass. Binding all three of us together in ecstasy–”

His hand shoots out to bury roughly in my hair, pulling at the strands. The sting lights a fire in me, igniting the already building passion to a fevered peak. I don’t fight when he pushes his way between my lips, I smile around him.

His pace is frenzied. The tip of his cock pounds against the back of my throat as he fucks me ruthlessly. A moan vibrates from my chest along his length, spurring him to move faster.

Nexus is close. Teetering on the edge of euphoria. I press my fingers harder against his hole, pushing two in to stretch him. “Fuck,” he groans. “More.”

I follow his movements, pushing deep each time he retreats from my mouth and rubbing my fingers across his prostate. He’s twitching against my tongue, his breathing rapid, when I push a third finger inside of him. He explodes against my tongue, a shout filling the shower as he comes.

Lapping gently around his softening length, I slide him out of my mouth. He twitches slightly, his knees weak from his orgasm. He pulls me to my feet seconds later, his lips slamming against mine in a brutal kiss. I press myself against him, grounding him as he comes down from the bliss he experienced.

“Songbird, I love you so damn much.”

A soft smile stretches across my face as I stare at him. His cheeks flushed and his chest still heaving. My alpha, my mate, my everything. “I love you too, Alpha. Let’s get out of here and get some sleep.”

He lets me lead him out of the stall and into our bedroom, not bothering with clothes when it’s only our pack here. I can’t tear my eyes away from his ass while he crawls up the massive bed, his hips swaying with each movement.

I’m one lucky beta to be blessed with such delectable mates.