Chapter Ten

CHAPTER TEN

NOW PLAYING: GODDESS - Written by Wolves

Steam rolls from the bathroom as Titan steps out with a towel wrapped around his waist. Water still trails down his naked chest and abs. My eyes track each droplet, drool pooling in my mouth as they disappear beneath the material. I push up to my elbows, intent on crossing the room and convincing my mate to bend me over one of the bunks but stop when I hear a deep groan from beside me.

A pillow launches through the open bedroom door. Titan easily knocks it aside. A single raised eyebrow is his only reaction to the failed assault.

“We’re supposed to be getting ready for a photoshoot, Tee, but if you insist on walking around looking like the cover model for a romance novel, I’m going to have to insist on us blowing it off for another celebratory orgy instead,” I flirt, watching Titan dig through his suitcase with blatant interest.

High libidos are common for alphas. We all feel the easy stirring of arousal around each other. A natural reaction from our bodies to anticipate the sexual needs of our pack. Specifically an omega. If our pack had one.

My mind starts to drift to stormy blue eyes and lilac-tipped hair but my thoughts derail when a second pillow smashes against my head.

“Nex, save your boner for after the show. Tee, put some damn clothes on. We don’t have time for this shit,” Nebula demands. He loves to boss us around on a regular basis, but when he thinks we are running behind schedule, he’s nearly unbearable.

Like now, despite the fact we still have an entire hour before we have to meet with the representative from the magazine we are being featured in this month. He’s going to give himself an ulcer worrying so much for nothing. I still don’t want to face his ire, or denied orgasms as punishment later, so I rush to get dressed myself.

The same as all events where we are face to face with someone as ‘Primordial Covenant’, we will be wearing our masks, which makes getting ready for the day an even quicker process. No need for perfectly winged eyeliner when no one will get to appreciate its beauty.

“Everyone to the car,” Brady orders as soon as we reach the front of our bus. I follow Nebula as he stomps down the steps, hoping there is coffee awaiting me in the near future. Noon is the new six in the morning when you spend your nights performing and celebrating until the sun rises. Which means caffeine, in your preferred form, is an essential.

We pass by the sleek silver bus I recognize as belonging to my newest obsession, Omen. It’s quiet inside. I wonder if she’s still sleeping. Curled up with only soft blankets to keep her company. I find myself wishing for the hundredth time since meeting the gorgeous goddess that she could be ours. I’d mentioned as much to my packmates during our drive home from the protest on Monday.

“We should court Omen,” I declare as soon as we hit the highway out of the city. Titan flicks his eyes away from the road long enough to meet my gaze in the rearview mirror, but his face remains impassive. Either he expected me to suggest this course of action or he doesn’t care either way. I’m hoping it’s the former. I need him to be as deeply invested in this courtship as I plan to be.

“Nex,” Nebula sighs. His head hits the window with a light thunk before he turns to look backat me. “I admit I’m attracted to Omen. We all are. We all feel the same potential pull between us. The one saying she could be ours.”

“Exactly! So–”

“BUT,” he interrupts my attempted scheming, “we already have a fifth mate out there somewhere. An omega who we promised we would be waiting for. Is it worth pursuing Omen if it means losing out on any chance with our Fated omega in the future?”

Callisto’s hand scoots across the seat to intertwine with mine. He probably assumes Nebula’s rejection of my idea will sadden me. Sure, I’m a little sad but not because they don’t want to pursue Omen. I’m sad they don’t see the truth behind our connection.

“Okay and if our mate is a male omega and they’re both supposed to be with us? What then? Are you willing to risk Omen finding another pack without us even trying to win her heart?”

The skin between Nebula’s brows wrinkles as he studies me. I can practically hear the gears turning as he thinks things over.

“Fate wouldn’t let us feel a pull to Omen this strongly if our Fated omega wouldn’t accept her too,” Callisto quietly adds. I could kiss him for voicing my thoughts so eloquently!

I did in fact kiss him senseless during the drive home. Distracting myself as Nebula and Titan kept their attention on other topics or jammed along with the radio.

Before bed, we had all agreed to see how things progressed naturally during the tour. No official proclamations of courting, but we could lean into any moments we could steal with our omega photographer.

Moments I intend to create as often as possible.

Two exhausting hours later, we finally arrive back at the lot where our buses are parked. On the outskirts of a cute little spot in Ohio, the city bustles busily around us, reminding me of home. Thankfully this city doesn’t hold the same stigmas we grew up around. Everyone we’ve met so far has been open and welcoming. Supportive of both our pack dynamics and our stances on designation-related topics.

Brady leaves us at the entrance to our bus, mumbling about checking in with his mate and grabbing lunch. His mention of food sparks an idea in my mind. Jogging up the steps, I quickly slip into comfortable clothes. We still have a few hours before sound check and I know exactly how we should spend our time.

Avoiding my packmates' questions, I duck back out of the bus, aiming for Omen’s bus two rows over. Rounding the side, I’m entranced to find her sitting cross-legged in a lawn chair outside. A laptop is precariously perched on her long legs and she seems lost in her work.

Part of me is reluctant to distract her, but my desire to spend time with the gorgeous omega wins out in the end.

Lex Ferguson, her reserved and mean-looking bodyguard, eyes me as I approach them. He doesn’t say anything but offers a nod of greeting from where he leans against the bus a few feet away.

“Good afternoon, gorgeous!” I sing. My greeting has her head tilting up, a soft smile crossing her plush lips. I’m glad my nerves didn’t make my voice wobble. I don’t want her to think I’m a nervous idiot. “Might I entice you into joining us for a late lunch?”

Omen’s bottom teeth dig into her lip as she glances back at her computer, but when those icy blue eyes turn back to me, I mentally fist pump at the excitement I see there. Perhaps food is the way to this pretty omega’s heart too.

“I may be able to be bribed into taking a break. What’s for lunch?”

“Um,” I frown, realizing I hadn’t bothered to check to see what the label had catered in for food today.

“You don’t know what you’re going to be eating?” Her eyebrow arches as she teases me. I’d be worried if she wasn’t already carefully closing her laptop and pushing to her feet.

“Barbecue from someplace down the road,” Lex grunts. His face remains blank as he follows us back to my bus.

I place my hand on the small of my girl’s back and urge her toward my bus, taking hurried steps so we can escape her bodyguard faster. The man is terrifying and I’m slightly afraid he’s going to snap me in half if I look at Omen wrong.

“Text me when you’re ready to leave. Do not leave this bus without me.” Omen rolls her eyes but promises to follow his order.

“Hello everyone,” She greets my packmates shyly when they all focus on her as we walk up the steps. Her voice is a little unsure now that she’s face to face with my pack, so I distract the guys with questions about lunch before she can change her mind about staying.

My mates wordlessly comment on her sudden appearance, but I just grin in response. I’m letting things progress naturally like we agreed. They should have known I’d try to speed things along by creating as many opportunities as possible to spend time with her.

Our pop-up coffee table is covered with to-go containers overflowing with a wide variety of mouthwatering meats and side dishes. I make sure Omen has a full plate and is eating before I fill my own plate. Alpha instincts sometimes work in my favor.

Lunch is filled with comfortable silence as we all eat, adding the occasional comment about the different options the restaurant provided us. I’m sure it is all delicious, but I don’t think I actually taste a single bite. My mind too distracted by the soft pleasure sounds falling from Omen’s lips. Eating has never felt more like erotic foreplay than it does at this moment.

“How did everything go at the show last night?” Nebula asks Omen after we’ve cleaned everything up.

Normally after a show we all hang out or celebrate with the rest of the crews, but we’d left Pennsylvania after clean-up was complete to head to our campsite here in Ohio. By the time we’d completed the three-hour drive, everyone was passed out from the early start we’d had the day before. Hopefully after our show tonight, we will have an hour or two to relax before sleep claims us.

“It was rapturous.” Her cheeks tinge pink as she speaks. Whether the color is from her answer or having our attention on her, I’m unsure. She looks stunning. Her eyes are bright with excitement and the tension I’ve noticed she usually carries melts away the longer she sits with us.

I shift my legs trying to discreetly adjust my near-permanent hard-on. Being easily turned on may be common for an alpha, but that doesn’t make it any less embarrassing to constantly be threatening to take someone’s eye out if you stand up too quickly.

“I always forget how exhilarating it is to watch your pack perform. Getting to view the entire show from behind my camera? It felt like I was dreaming.”

“The crowd didn’t give you any issues?” Nebula asks. Despite his bristling at Omen’s safety concerns during our first meeting, I know he worries about her working out in the mass of screaming fans, but he won’t admit it out loud.

“No. They were all nice enough. And distracted, which helped immensely. I’m sure it won’t go as smoothly at every stop, but I have Lex with me if I need to de-escalate a bad situation.” Omen’s gentle in her response, lacking the fire she’s responded with to Nebula’s concerns so far.

His jaw ticks at the mention of Omen’s alpha bodyguard. He doesn’t like knowing she has someone else to protect her any more than I do, but we can’t follow her through the crowd the way Lex can. Her safety is more important than our egos.

“Can we see the pictures you took last night?” Callisto questions. “Or do you have more work to do before you are comfortable sharing them?”

Omen reaches for the laptop she carried with her. “I actually already sent a selection of my favorites to your marketing and social media teams, so you are welcome to view them if you’d like.” She turns the laptop to face us. On the screen is an open folder filled with images she’d captured the night before. Some show the crowd as a whole with the stage in the background. Others focus on a single fan or group of fans. You can feel their joy and excitement through the screen.

Scrolling down she finds the photos she took of the four of us on stage. Picture after picture fills the screen.

“Show us your favorites, please.” We all murmur our agreement with Callisto’s request.

Omen glows happily, her scent growing a little stronger as she clicks through until she finds the one she wants. I barely suppress a groan of joy when the sweet notes of her sunflower and honeysuckle fill my nose. She smells like summer. Warm and fun and absolutely delicious.

My breath stalls in my lungs as my eyes roam over the stunning image filling her screen. Nebula on his knees with his bass straddling his hips. His arm reaches out to rest on my abs right above the top of my jeans. Even with the full mask covering his face, you can feel the rapture, the devotion he was showing me.

I barely even remember that specific scene, too lost in the overall high of the show, yet seeing it here is like being pulled back to the moment all over again–the faint cheers of the crowd and pulse of the music echo in my mind.

“That’s… incredible.” My response feels lame in comparison to the magnitude of emotion rolling off the four of us.

“Thanks,” she mumbles shyly. “It was one of the images I wish I’d had my camera to capture the first time I saw your band perform live.”

She shows us a few more. Close-ups of my hands wrapped around the mic, my tight grip showcasing the prominent veins along the back. A candid of Titan mid-set where he seems to be looking directly at her camera in all of his sweat-soaked glory. Callisto with one leg raised on a speaker and his head tilted to showcase the silvery scars of our bond marks beneath the faint white and blue stage lights. I can certainly understand why the label was so adamant about landing a contract with her.

“You’re amazing. The way you capture the feelings of the moment in each one while also bringing out the sensuality of our performances… I’m in awe of your skill,” Callisto raves. His dual-toned eyes shine with wonder as he glances between her and the images on the screen.

Same, songbird. Our girl is something special and I can’t wait to see what she does next.