Judson’s Apartment

Judson

I speed the whole way home, flying over the country roads, straight for my tiny apartment.

My senses still overflow with everything Carys. The way she smelled, the sound of her voice, and the feel of her hand in mine. I lick my lips, still able to taste the slightest trace of her skin.

She wished she had left with me.

I was the only thing that kept her going.

Just the thought of her sweet words makes my pulse race like a fucking teenager about to get his cock sucked for the first time.

I fumble for a moment to get inside my apartment, my hands shaking with the need to get off. The second the door opens, I fling my keys onto the dingy coffee table, then head straight for the bathroom. My cock is so fucking hard, it feels as if it might explode.

Once inside, I jerk my zipper down, freeing my dick. The skin is so sensitive, the base pounding like a fucking drum. I circle my hand around it and squeeze, then hiss. I need release.

Reaching under the sink, I grab the bottle of imitation slick, applying it liberally to my shaft. Then I pump, moving from root to tip, hard and fast.

My mind wonders as I jerk myself off. I imagine Carys's delicate scent and soft flesh as I pound into her wet pussy. I wonder how wet she’ll get and how tight she’ll be. Will she pant? Beg? Scream?

Fuck, I can’t wait to taste her slick.

Intense pressure burns through me, flashing up the back of my legs. My balls draw up and I grit my teeth as I come into the sink. I grunt as thick ropes of white splatter, covering the faucet and backsplash.

“Fuck,” I pant, blinking repeatedly. Am I really doing this? Am I really trying to pursue an omega…and maybe even ask to join a pack?

Waiting for my senses to return, I stare at my reflection in the mirror, trying to figure out how the hell this happened to me. I’m not the kind of alpha that settles down. I pursue, fuck, and move on. But Carys has had a grip on me since the day I met her. Hell, even her adorable little beta has me spun.

Isaac . Yeah. He’s pretty fucking cute. And I loved the way he tried to shield Carys from Swanley’s growing temper.

Kofi is so cool and calm, a wonderful leader.

Even Swanley’s not that bad, if I’m being honest. He’s territorial and hard as fucking nails, but he’s also the kind of alpha I want to be one day—protective, loyal, and strong.

I lower my head, staring at the mess in the sink. Then, just like that, I make up my mind. I pull my phone out of my pocket, and text Kofi.

can I see her again?

Three dots appear and I hold my breath, waiting for Kofi to respond.

I need to think about it.

yes sir

I push out a heavy sigh, then stuff my cock back into my pants.

Cleaning up my mess, I think about the Blackwell pack—their love and devotion to their omega is admirable. And they all seem so supportive of one another. I get that Swanley doesn’t trust me, but I have plans to fix that. He thinks that I have some lingering loyalty to Preston, but I’ll make him see how I really feel about that abusive fuck.

Yes. I’ll prove myself to all of them, and fix how I’ve wronged Carys even if it's the last thing I do.

My phone buzzes again, and I instantly smile. Everything really is falling into place.

I accept the call, then hold the phone up to my ear. “Preston Hyde,” I say. “How are things?”

“We need a full list of our inventory,” Swanley tells our crew as he taps in the code. “Check all the shelves and lockboxes, then add anything that’s running low to the list.” The heavy metal door clicks, then it swings open.

Cool air blasts my face as I step inside the dimly lit warehouse. “So this is the library,” I say, in awe of its size.

Rows upon rows of supplies run the full length of the room. I can already see guns, weapons, knives, and even a few grenades. The end of each shelf has what looks like a clipboard, listing what looks like the contents of each row. I stroll, glancing at the shelves along the back wall. They hold big bricks of something white. It figures. Even though Finn doesn’t deal in drugs, I’m not really surprised to see he’s got a substantial stash on hand.

“I want everything counted,” Swanley says to the men. “ Everything . Right down to the bullets.” His dark eyes land on me, and I stand a little taller.

“What kind of system do you use to track everything?” I ask, fighting off the urge to yawn. It was a late night for me. Lots of planning.

“Why?” Swanley turns to face me, his expression already filled with contempt. “Are you already looking to check something out?”

My agitation rises, but I force myself to smile. I have to win him over. “I’m here to back you up,” I remind him, keeping my tone respectful. “Finn wants me fully trained so I can?—”

“I’m well aware of what Finn wants.” Swanley’s challenging gaze drills into me. I can’t believe he’s not a pack alpha. I have such a hard time picturing this asshole taking orders from anyone. “But what is it you want, Judson?” Swan hisses my name, and my hackles rise.

“I want to help you with the inventory.” I clasp my hands in front of me, waiting for his next shitty remark.

“You want nothing else?” His words cut an octave lower, clearly mocking me. “Not even a delicate omega that you can toy with?”

I’m too fucking tired for this.

“I’m trying to be respectful,” I say, a little more forcefully than I intended.

“Then stop fucking with my mate.” Swanley takes two big steps toward me. “I can see where this is going, and I’m telling you right now, I won’t let you hurt her. Carys deserves to live a peaceful life with her pack. She doesn’t need to be forced to remember all the shit she went through. And that’s all you are: a bad fucking memory.”

My ears perk at his choice of words. “She remembers?”

“What?” Swanley jerks at my question.

“She remembers what happened that night?” I ask again, not sure if I want her to.

Swanley glares at me for a beat, his expression hard to read. It’s definitely pissed, but I can’t tell if it was my question or his hatred for me in general. “Listen to me real good,” Swan says in a deep, angry growl. “I don’t know what you did or said to Carys last night, but she came home very emotional. It took a full hour for Kofi and me to get her to sleep. And if I ever see her that upset again, you’ll never fucking see her again.”

I suck in a deep breath, devastated that I might have said or done something that hurt her. “I didn’t mean….” I trail off, then force myself to look deep into Swanley's hard eyes. “Tell me how to fix this. How do I make her better?”

Swan tilts his head, almost confused, taking in every inch of my face. “You really are very young, aren’t you?”

I normally become defensive or angry when people talk about my age or how I don’t know what I’m doing. But when it comes to Carys, I really have no clue what to do. That precious omega has owned me since the first moment I saw her.

“She seemed so happy when I left her last night,” I whisper, not wanting anyone to overhear. “Can I call her or?—”

“Leave her alone for now,” Swanley cuts me off, but his tone isn’t forceful. Instead, it almost feels like a bit of friendly advice. “She needs some time.”

I nod at my feet, desperately wanting to text Kofi to ask about Carys. But I’ll take Swan’s advice, and wait for Kofi to reach out to me. I just hope Carys is okay. I’d hate to think she was crying in her nest all day.

“I don’t trust you,” Swan says, his voice cutting through my thoughts. “I get you might have feelings for Carys, and she might even have feelings for you. But I do not trust you,” he repeats as if to really drive it home.

I nod again, not entirely sure how to respond to that. “I promise I won’t hurt her.”

“Good.” Swanley narrows his dark eyes, lowering his voice to a harsh whisper, “Because if you do, I’ll fucking end you.”

I swallow hard, wracking my brain with what to say next. I don’t want to be disrespectful, but I don't know how much more of his shitty attitude I can take. But before I can get a word out, my phone buzzes loudly.

“You want to answer that?” Swan glances at my front pocket. “I’m sure it’s Hartley, wanting to check up on his best friend ,” he says with a roll of his eyes.

I shove down my growing frustration and pull out my phone. A text from Kofi shines up at me.

Would you like to have dinner at our house?

And just like that, everything falls into place.