Chapter 15 & 16

Chapter 15

Talya

We climbed into two UTVs. Ainsley, Ronan, Colby, and I in one while Lohtus, Blakely, Kasen, and Emerald took the second. I was in the front with Ainsley driving, gripping the handles as he took off down the long field along the fences. As we sped by, wind whipping through my hair as it caught in the gripping air, horses caught up along the fence to the right and ran along with us.

“Though we specifically don’t do anything with the horses, there’s a riding ranch at the back of the property. And while we rarely visit, we do spend time with the horses. They’re big, soothing creatures. Beautiful,” Ainsley said.

I nodded, watching as a group of them ran along with us as if we were part of their herd. Grinning, I watched their sleek bodies. Their muscles as they ran. Their hooves hitting the ground. Their fur was sleek and shining, their tails and manes untangled and moving behind them like my hair was.

“They are beautiful,” I agreed. “Powerful.”

Though I was watching the horses, I caught Ainsley’s smile and my heart stuttered. A shiver raced through me as I glanced behind me at Colby. He was watching me, sitting back in his seat relaxed, a smile on his delicious lips.

My gaze flickered to Ronan. He was a beast. Huge. Reminding me of a sports guy. One of the big ones that could block a dozen men without skidding back an inch. His piercing dark eyes were on me and while I knew I didn’t actually smell him, his scent filled my lungs from his shirt that I still wore.

The horses broke away when the fence came to an end, and we turned off. The expanse of gardens that lay before us was mesmerizing. I hadn’t ever seen so many vegetables in one place in all my life. My wide eyes must have shown my surprise because Ainsley chuckled. A sound that went to other places – south of my stomach!

Thankfully, we were still moving on the UTV, so he didn’t catch the change in my perfume. It was all swept behind me. Right to Colby. And probably Ronan. My cheeks heated. Fuck. I squinted as Ainsley spoke, trying to ignore my reaction.

“We provide for most of the island and ship some away as exports. There are orchards in the back. Oranges and peaches mostly but there’s citrus, too.” He followed along the edge of the fields, and I watched as lights started to peek out of the rows. “There are employees here a lot. All hours. I’m guessing they get paid well.”

“You just oversee it?” Colby asked.

Ainsley nodded. “Yeah. Honestly, it’s a harsh reality to accept that we’re not really allowed to work. You know, hidden paper trail and all. What we get paid is basically under the table which is ironic since its from the government.” He glanced in my direction with a bemused smile. “Frustrating and freeing at the same time.”

“So I can’t get a job?” Colby asked, a frown in his voice.

“There’s a number,” Ainsley said. “You can speak to the people on the other end and they’ll tell you within what parameters you’re allowed into the public world. But don’t hold your breath for anything exciting.”

I could feel Colby’s irritation through our bond. Something rumbly. Shifting in my seat, I looked back at him. “You need to rest anyway. There’s time later for that conversation.”

The smiles of all three alphas made me flush.

“Yes, omega,” Colby said, his voice low and husky.

Before my perfume could embarrass me more, I turned forward again just as the sky shifted to a mesmerizing pink and purple. The clouds were all bumpy and beautiful that I sighed, a sappy smile on my face as I leaned back.

“Beautiful,” Ronan murmured.

I thought he was talking about the sky but when I glanced back at him, he was watching me. Dark eyes intense. Colby was grinning, turning his attention to the fields. I gave Ronan a small smile before facing forward again, not missing the way Ainsley was watching me, too.

We paused the UTV at another fence and the second one came to a stop next to us. There, we watched the sun set in quiet. It wasn’t until I shivered that Ainsley started up again and waved to Lohtus in the driver seat of the other and they took off back towards the house while we followed behind them.

Colby ushered me to the stairs when we got inside, and I could see the way he was dragging. The way his eyelids were heavy. We hadn’t shared the extent of what we went through with anyone. Not even fully with each other. He knew my story as much as I told the police as I did his. And I didn’t need confirmation to know that we both held back details that we couldn’t bare to speak aloud.

But I could see the stiffness in his posture as we climbed the stairs. We waved at the pack as they bid us goodnight from the landing.

Together, we went through the bathroom. Washing up, brushing our teeth, changing. And when we got into bed, Colby was immediately on me. In me. Around me.

Breakfast the next morning was quiet but comfortable. Kasen sat across from Colby and I while the alphas were in the kitchen. All four of them. Ronan was big enough to be three alphas all on his own. Muscles on top of muscles. And the other three weren’t anything to look away from either. And while the kitchen wasn’t small, they moved around each other as if they were in a studio apartment galley kitchen.

It was adorable and amusing.

“Where’s Emerald?” I asked.

“He went home this morning,” Kasen said.

“Oh.”

He grinned, shrugging. “He doesn’t technically live here because until we got word that we’d have two more people, we haven’t had a conversation about adding him to our pack. And the only one we had in preparation for you, since we literally had like an hour’s notice, was in as much that he will be ours but it just hasn’t happened yet.”

“Why hasn’t it?” I asked, then bit my lip. “Sorry. That’s probably not my business.”

Kasen’s smile was wide. “It’s okay.” He shrugged again. “I don’t have an answer for that. We’re just not in a huge hurry, I guess. Sometimes making things official can put a lot of pressure on a relationship and we just wanted to let it happen naturally. You know, he’s only with Ainsley and me, so I think we were kind of waiting to see if there’ll be more between him and Lohtus and Blakely.”

“But there’s not,” I said, glancing in the kitchen. We weren’t talking in hushed tones so I knew the alphas could hear us. And they weren’t having a conversation so likely listening to ours.

“I mean, I kind of think if it was going to happen, it already would have but who knows,” Kasen said.

Blakely brought a plate of biscuits to the table and kissed Kasen’s head before looking at me. “There’s not. We adore Em and certainly want him in our pack but it’s just not… physical for either of us.”

I nodded and thought I knew what he meant. While I haven’t really talked to Blakely or Lohtus, I wasn’t as innately drawn to them as I was Ainsley and Ronan. And while I always imagined that when I found a pack for me, I’d have all the alphas, I acknowledged that maybe that wasn’t how it was meant to be.

But then I had to remind myself that this wasn’t my pack. I didn’t choose them and they didn’t choose me. We were here by circumstance only. Thrown together.

Maybe Blakely knew what I was thinking. His smile softened to something almost sympathetic. He touched my chin with gentle fingers, barely brushing my skin. “Pack doesn’t mean one bed. It means family and families have all sorts of different dynamics.”

“It also doesn’t mean that the only incomplete packs in the world are found via Pack Listing,” Ainsley said, winking at me as he brought a pitcher of orange juice and one of water to the table.

I licked my lips as Blakely chuckled quietly and moved back into the kitchen. I felt like maybe they just read my mind as if I’d laid it out for them. Addressing my thoughts directly without doing so point blank. Giving me the chance to process without putting me on the spot.

We ate in quiet conversation. Their biscuits and sausage gravy were phenomenal and I couldn’t help but groan. Colby cooked well, but I didn’t think he’d ever been into it. He did so because he was an alpha who took care of his omega. And I was shit at making myself anything other than a bowl of cereal.

This tasted like someone enjoyed cooking. There’s a difference.

When we were finished, Colby and I followed Ronan out of the house. Because these men were here for the same reasons I was and they were comfortable going to town, I thought it must be safe on the island. Our experiences were almost guaranteed to be different, but they were hidden from the world, too. Ripped from their lives. Hell, Kasen had even had a relationship that he’d had to walk away from.

I reached for Colby’s hand as the thought that I could have been torn from him slammed into my chest hard. They couldn’t take an omega from their alpha, could they? I mean, they cannot undo a bond. And I know that for a fact. That’s what those betas were trying to do to me – break my bond to Colby.

“You okay? We don’t have to go to town,” Colby said.

His words made Ronan stop and look at me, his intense dark eyes looking into mine. I swear, it’s like he could touch my soul. Stir my insides and make me shake.

I shook my head. “No. I’m okay. My thoughts were… not about town.”

Ronan wasn’t convinced as he studied me. He didn’t speak much. The tall, enormous, gorgeous, silent type that he was. But I had a feeling that he didn’t miss much, either.

“Really. I’m fine,” I assured him.

His lips curled up slightly and he gave me a nod before turning back. He took up stride beside me and I had a feeling he felt like he was crawling. His legs were much longer than mine. His stride would have had me running to keep up if he hadn’t been diligent about keeping my pace.

“Where are we going?” I asked. Not that I cared. I just wanted to hear his voice.

He flickered his gaze to me before nodding ahead. “There’s a shop that has a lot of nest essentials.” Ronan pressed his lips together. “Okay, that’s what I’ve heard but I can’t say I’ve been in there to confirm. But we’ll find whatever you need.”

I was going to argue that the blankets Colby had gathered from around the house was fine. There were plenty. But Ronan’s half smile made whatever argument I was going to say disappear entirely. Like, the thoughts completely fled at that look.

Fuck, why is he so… so…

“We will make your nest perfect, Talya,” he purred, his voice low and melodic. Doing things to my insides that had a whine slipping from my throat.

I shook my head, tearing my eyes away. My face heated as I looked up at Colby with wide eyes. He chuckled, kissing my cheek. “Sorry, love. As much as using money that’s not mine to buy you what you need is maddeningly frustrating, I’m not going to argue this.”

My shoulders were stiff when we walked into the door to the shop. If there were only two omegas on the island, I had to wonder how a shop that catered to nests would survive. Do betas like nests, too? I squinted at the shop as I tried to imagine betas having nests. The only use for one was a heat. And to hide out in sometimes when you need some space from the world. So if betas didn’t have a heat, why would they want a nest?

Thinking back on the betas I knew, Fenton was the only one I’d known anything about. I kind of thought he was just Fenton. Uniquely him. He didn’t chase alphas. He didn’t resent omegas. And he had never shown the slightest interest in a nest.

The air conditioning was on full blast in the shop and I instinctually wrapped my warms around my middle as we moved through the aisles. Ronan was right. There was everything here I could want for a nest. But as we strolled through, nothing caught my attention.

After we’d made it through the store and I hadn’t done anything but hug myself, Ronan looked at me with concern. “What do you need?”

Sunlight. It was too cold in here. Those words didn’t leave my mouth as I looked up at him. He wasn’t asking about my immediate need but my nesting needs. However, like last night, he saw that I was cold.

The corners of his lips twitched as he shrugged out of his long sleeve shirt again and wrapped it around me. A brow raised in Colby’s direction as I snuggled into it.

When I looked at Colby, he was giving Ronan big, innocent eyes and I knew that he knew I had been cold and purposefully waited until Ronan noticed. Ohh, he was good. Turning back to Ronan, he gave was just bringing his gaze back to me and I swear, there was something that flashed through his eyes. Challenge? Amusement?

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. I caught my breath, suddenly being enveloped in his rain-dampened grass and citrus scent. The whine that tried to crawl out of me I only barely managed to hold onto by biting my tongue hard, even as I leaned into his side.

“What do you need-” His words cut off and I thought that he had forgotten what my name was supposed to be. Hell, so had I.

Looking at Colby with confusion, his brows were knit together as he considered it, too. Fuck, this was going to be a disaster.

But Ronan’s finger landed on my chin, drawing my attention to him. “What do you need, baby girl?” Get rid of the need to use names entirely was a good call but calling me that? My knees shook as I blinked rapidly.

Fucked if I knew what I needed.

“This is too commercial for what baby girl needs,” Colby said, choosing to forgo the name as well. “Her nest has always been filled with hand-knit blankets and soft, crocheted pillows. Things she’s been given or had been handed down from family.”

Ronan nodded, a smile ticking up his lips. “Ah. That we can work with.” He rubbed my shoulder before nodding towards the door. “I’ll meet you outside.”

Colby reached for my hand and pulled me along. We waited on the street with people watching us as they walked by, smiling in friendly greeting. Some even stopping to welcome us to the island.

The street was close and intimate, not wide enough for two lanes of traffic, which seemed to be fine since there was only the occasional car that drove by. Most people were on foot. And like everywhere else I’ve ever been, most of the residents were betas.

But Emerald had been right. No one looked at me like I’d been looked at growing up. Not even as an adult. There’s the television movie trope of rags to riches princesses and those filled with jealousy simply because their circumstances weren’t the same. No one came knocking on their door one day and telling them that they’d just inherited a title of royalty, a crown, and a country with the news being followed up by a sexy prince and a happily ever after.

That’s how I’ve always felt like I was being looked at. Something out of my control was the subject of resentment in everyone around me. You learn to live with it when that’s what you’ve grown up with your entire life, but it gets exhausting. By the time I was in my early twenties, I realized why omegas preferred to stay home. Life was far more peaceful that way.

Ronan joined us then. He eyed Colby for a minute before stepping in front of me and wrapping a black pashmina scarf around my neck. With intense, dark eyes, he stared into mine as his thumb brushed my jaw. A smile, the barest hint of one, curled the edges of his lips.

“This way,” he murmured, releasing me from his touch and gaze, and turned to lead the way down the road.

My heart raced as I reached for Colby’s hand again. He chuckled, his thumb tracing small circles on my hand.

Wait! Ronan just gave me something. A gift. Did that mean-?

I stared with wide eyes as Ronan’s gorgeous back, now well on display in only his tight tee. 

Chapter 16

Colby

It wasn’t often that my omega was rendered silent and wide-eyed. We followed Ronan through the town, and I watched him objectively while Talya stared with wonder. He was large, even as far as alphas went. Bulky. Silent and broody. There was an underlying darkness just beneath the surface, something that made people wary.

This was obvious as we walked around the island. He was watched and while no one was actively moving away from him, they naturally gave him a wide berth. They’d tense innately, keeping their eyes on the biggest threat. Just in case.

My eyes flickered to Talya who continued to watch him in the complete opposite way. Not with unacknowledged fear but with instinctive draw. Attraction.

In all the time we’d been visiting alphas and packs, I’ve never seen her look at anyone but me that way. Interest. Curiosity. Want.

It wasn’t a lustful want, though that was there, too. It was a different kind of want, something that was deeper and more emotional. Something that came from her omega instincts more than anything she could consciously name.

I supposed that the only reason I wasn’t jealous and unreasonably possessive about the way she watched him was because we’d been looking for a pack for so many years, I was giving up hope that we’d find one. That any alpha at all would be an interest to her. That would treat her right, the way an omega should be treated.

But these men, this pack of alphas and betas who were forced on an island as a result of unimaginable circumstances, had consumed us both into their fold as naturally as if we’d always been there. It was light and easy.

While I never released Talya’s hand as we walked through the shops, I quietly observed as Ronan brought her to exactly the kinds of nesting items she was drawn to. I watched as her face lit up and she traced her fingers over the textures of fabrics and plush. I smiled at her enthusiasm as she dragged me down aisle after aisle. And I observed how Ronan picked up quickly what she’d be interested in most and how he watched her with silent reverence.

Ronan and I were carrying countless bags as we made our way back to the house. Talya’s free hand fidgeted with the tassels at the ends of her new scarf. As soon as we were in the house, Ronan and I set the bags down outside the door to her nest and let her set it up however she wanted.

I watched in the door for a few minutes as she pulled each item out and ran her finger over it or rubbed it against her cheek. She sighed, a small smile of contentment on her lips.

Backing away, a tightness gripped my chest as the thought that I was going to leave her alone. Out of my sight.

She’s safe here, I reasoned, even as my heart beat so loudly I could hear it like a drum banging loudly in my ears. No one will harm her.

It hadn’t been long since we were taken and tortured. I didn’t have to learn to live without her in my sights yet. This wasn’t mandatory.

Ronan came back around the corner with a glass of lemonade. He paused when he saw me, tilting his head to the side. Could he see how I was sweating? How I was beginning to panic?

Fuck, I didn’t need to move down the hall.

He smiled. Small and unassuming but I could see understanding in the expression. He offered me the glass that he’d intended to bring to Talya.

Taking a breath, I shook my head. “It’s okay,” I whispered. “You can bring it to her.” I nodded in the direction of the nest where I could barely make out my omega by her shadow moving on the floor.

Ronan stepped closer to me. I was surprised when he placed a big hand on my chest, his dark eyes intense on mine. “You can feel her. Even when you can’t see her.”

My bond. I closed my eyes and reached for her. Feeling the sunshine burning brightly in my chest that was Talya. Her calm, happy presence there that, for the first time since our kidnapping, didn’t feel stressed or wary.

With a deep breath, I exhaled slowly before opening my eyes. “Thanks.”

He inclined his head and offered me the glass again. Letting me be the one to bring it to her, under the pretense of making sure she was taken care of when really, I needed to see her for myself. But I shook my head, returning his smile. “You bring it to her.”

His smile stretched. Though it was far from being considered wide, it was certainly larger than I’d ever seen it. Pretty sure I just gave him permission to pursue my omega. And hell, I wasn’t even upset about it.

More than anything, it was clear that Ronan understood.

As I forced myself to turn and walk away, I realized that the implications that he understood exactly what I was feeling and what exactly to say to bring me back down again was probably a direct result of something he’d been through. My feet paused but no, this wasn’t the time for that. And in the chance that I was right, I’m sure he didn’t want to be asked.

My feet brought me into the family room where Emerald and Kasen were on the couch. Kasen sat close to Emerald, tucked under a blanket as he leaned into Emerald’s side, Emerald’s arm around his shoulders. Both of their eyes sapped to me when I stepped in, but their reactions were not at all the same.

Emerald smiled, remaining relaxed where he sat. Kasen jumped upright, sitting straight, looking at me with wide eyes and squeaking, “Hi.”

I grinned, unable to help myself. Emerald chuckled, shaking his head. He pulled Kasen back, murmuring, “Relax” against the side of his head.

Kasen didn’t relax as he watched me, studying my every move. I sat in the chair perpendicular to them, still smiling at Kasen. Still half concentrating on the feeling of Talya in my chest, assuring myself that she was fine. Not in distress. Safe and cared for.

“How’d you enjoy shopping?” Emerald asked.

I hummed, leaning my head back against the chair and closing my eyes. “It was nice. You’re right that this isn’t like many places I’ve been.”

“No, it’s not. Probably because were a small island community and kind of live outside of the reality of the big world,” Emerald said. “We have instincts that drive us like everyone, but when you grow up with the same families for generations, some of the practices and habits of larger bodies of people get lost when you know everyone around you.”

“And everyone’s friendly. Smiling and welcoming. To me and Talya.”

“I bet they moved around Ronan like he was going to electrocute them, though,” Kasen said.

I laughed. “Yep, that’s exactly what they did.”

“It’s his resting ‘I’m going to kill everyone’ face,” Kasen said, and I could hear the smirk in his voice. “He’s kinda sexy like that, no?”

“Big, brooding, and threatening?” Emerald asked. “Yeah. I mean, there’s certainly sex appeal in that.”

“Oh fuck, yes there is,” Kasen agreed. “Those big hands that could squeeze a neck so hard that their head would pop off, manhandling you into position. Fan me, Em.”

I laughed, shaking my head as I picked it up again to look at them. “Does he know you talk about him like this?”

“Yep. And you should see his murderous expression,” Kasen said, grinning at me. “It’s boner-inducing.” His face flushed and he quickly turned into Emerald’s shoulder. “I can’t believe I just said that to him,” he murmured.

Emerald laughed. “I always told you your mouth was going to get you in trouble.”

“Why didn’t you stop me?” he whined.

The smile on my face stretched so wide that I could feel it in my muscles. Kasen was fucking adorable. The way his ears reddened at the tips as he tried to climb inside Emerald’s chest to hide made me stir to pull him to me. Hold him and purr to him that he’d be fine. It was cute.

I was startled when Emerald purred, cooing to Kasen my exact sentiments. As if he had the same visceral reaction to comfort and soothe him. And then his scent changed, taking it from the calm eucalyptus to strong lemon. Citrus. Alpha.

Emerald turned to me and laughed again at how I was looking at him. His purring stopped as his expression turned shy. “Sorry. It happens before I realize.”

“Don’t apologize,” I said, shaking my head and holding up my hands. “Really. I was… taken off guard. You feel beta to me so feeling the shift in you was surprising.”

“I don’t always know I’m doing it,” he said sheepishly. “With Ainsley, I’ve learned just to be me. beta. But Kasen tends to make me a little more alpha.”

“And so does your omega,” Kasen said, peering at me from under his lashes. “Make him go alpha, I mean. It’s really hot, too.”

Emerald shrugged. His skin was too dark for me to see his blush but I could tell in the way he dropped his eyes and the tone of his smile that he was self-conscious about it. I found myself smiling again, the warmth of Talya’s glow in my chest pulsing with my heartbeat.

“That’s okay,” I said. “I’m happy that there are good alphas around her. All we seemed to meet were… less than stellar.”

Kasen perked up, shifting so he could look more fully at me. “You mean through Pack Listing?”

I nodded.

“They were awful?”

“That’s one word for it,” I said, bemused. “Probably one of the nicer words. Honestly, I’m not sure that any omega would choose 90% of the alphas we met. Then again, it could have just been their reaction to me that made them act like trash, but-” I shrugged.

Kasen made a face. “I always wanted to go on Pack Listing. Just to see it.” He hesitated before continuing. “I may have tried to get onto Omega Registry…”

Emerald snorted in laughter. “Of course, you did. I’m not surprised, little diva.”

Kasen looked at him shrewdly. “No! It’s just because I was curious about Pack Listing. But unless you’re an alpha within a pack or a registered omega, you can’t even look at the packs.” He pouted.

I chuckled again.

“I was just curious,” he insisted. “But it didn’t matter. I found an alpha anyway.” His look was triumphant when he glared at Emerald.

“Two,” Emerald said.

Kasen’s brow scrunched before he understood what Emerald meant. “No, I meant before I was forced here. And he was a big, dreamy guy, too. Just like Ronan.” His smile turned wicked.

“Then why aren’t you with Ronan if that’s your type?” I asked.

He shrugged. “No reason except that we’re just not like that. But he cuddles me on occasion, though I suspect its because he needs the cuddle more than I do at those times. But I never turn down cuddling.”

“It’s his biggest craving,” Emerald said, pulling Kasen into his side.

“Kasen’s or Ronan’s?” I asked, trying to keep my grin contained.

Kasen side-eyed me. “Mine, alpha.”

I didn’t have to imagine the invitation in his tone nor the way he blinked all flirty at me. For the first time in forever, someone other than my omega had me interested. My omega, who was still burning brightly in my chest, safe in the other room. While I looked at this beta in a way that I knew I had only ever looked at her.

Well, that’s new.