Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Colby

Without thinking about it, I licked my lips, watching as Kasen’s gaze dropped to follow my tongue. In turn, he licked his, too. He took a breath that shuddered, his eyes wide and transfixed. When I smirked, his gaze snapped back to my eyes, and he flushed beautifully.

“Okay, so,” Kasen said, hopping to his feet. The blanket fell from his legs and bunched around his ankles as he looked anywhere but at me. “I’m gonna… uh…”

“Talya invited you to help her with her nest,” I suggested. “She’s still in there. And I think Ronan is with her, too.”

If possible, his cheeks darkened. His dark eyes flickered to me before he nodded. “Yeah. Okay, great.”

He nearly stumbled over the blanket, making Emerald and I jerk forward to catch him. Emerald was closer and grabbed his waist, hauling him upright as he tried to hold back his laughter. I wasn’t sure Kasen could turn redder, but his fair skin proved me wrong. He nearly sprinted from the room as red as a lobster.

Finally, Emerald let out a chuckle. He leaned back, drawing his legs up under him and pulling the blanket back onto the couch. “I swear, he’s generally a lot smoother than that.”

“I still make him nervous,” I said.

Emerald eyed me, a smile teasing his lips. “Uh, yeah. There’s that. He’s still a little nervous about being around you because you’re wary of betas.” I shook my head, even as he continued. “But he also really likes you, alpha.”

His words could have meant anything. ‘He thinks you’re cool.’ ‘He wants to be friends.’ Or any other rendition of that. But it was clear by the way he added ‘alpha’ at the end of his statement that he didn’t mean any of those platonic ways.

He meant Kasen was interested in me. And while I haven’t said it out loud, I was certainly finding myself interested in him.

Emerald likely saw this in my face. His smile was somewhat smug as he continued to grin at me. I watched as he opened his mouth but was prevented from speaking when his phone rang. I watched as he fished it out of his pocket and looked at the screen.

Giving me an apology, he stood to answer. “Hey, mom. Everything alright?” He listened as he walked away and I could no longer hear his answers.

I glanced at the television to the show that they’d been watching when I came in. Raising a brow, I was surprised into laughter that I found a cartoon on. For whatever reason, that warmed me to them even more. Something inside me said the show was Kasen’s pick, not Emerald’s.

However, without Kasen here to watch it, I climbed to my feet. Absently scratching at my chest, I reached for the warmth glow that was Talya. I examined it for a few minutes. Making sure she was happy and safe. But my omega was fine.

A close assessment proved that there was a lasting unease deep within her. I could feel the ring of concern. Of fear. But overshadowing that was calm and comfort.

I understood that all too well. While I might have confidence that we’re safe right now, by no means was the fear that I could lose her far from my mind. Nothing was going to erase the pain I’d felt through our bond for days or weeks or months on end. The panic and terror and sorrow in her as she reached desperately for me.

Physically shaking my head, I breathed in a cleansing breath. Talya was fine. She’s safe. I can feel her. Hell, I can go see her.

Yep, that’s what I’ll do. Settle the resurrected unease that I didn’t mean to pull up.

Being as quiet as I could, I headed back down the hall and stood just off to the side beyond the door to watch. Ronan sat on the side of the room, watching Talya with dark intensity. There was no mistaking the protectiveness that his posture relayed to anyone looking in his direction. Nor that it was Talya he was protecting.

Kasen had made his way into the nest as I suggested and he was doting on Talya while still filling the role of an almost-omega. He was bigger than Talya, but he was lean and sinewy. His hair was longer on top of his head than the sides and it fell into his face. His smile was wide as he and Talya handed each other different nesting items to move around the room and try in various areas.

I sighed, backing away. See? She’s completely and totally safe. And she’s being watched. She’s okay.

With the reassurance, I turned back to the hall and let myself wander wherever my feet carried me. I poked my head into rooms, studying the furniture and setup before moving on. Eventually, I found myself outside on the side porch, overlooking the fields where the horses ran.

It was clear that they were penned in and yet watching them run, I had the surreal feeling of seeing them as if they were free. Running the hills, whipping their main.

In the distance I could hear a motor. It sounded like the UTVs but it could have been anything. Maybe someone was mowing these massive expanses of grass. They were neatly kept, after all. Someone had to tend to them.

I let my mind wander as I considered the idea of needing something to do with my time. From the sounds of it, only Kasen really did anything that wasn’t handed to him. Someone had said he takes graphic design classes or something like that. While the rest of them work on the land in the roles they were given.

That made me wonder what Emerald did. If he was born and raised on the island, he must have a job. I vaguely wondered if there was a university here. Probably not. I didn’t think the population was great enough to support one.

“Hey.”

Startled, I spun around, my body tensing at the people I didn’t hear coming. My heart raced and I felt Talya’s attention. But upon seeing Blakely and Lohtus, I hurriedly calmed the lapse into panic so my omega wouldn’t be concerned. I spent the next minute regaining my breath and making sure Talya understood I was fine.

Bonds are a strange beast. It was a way to communicate without actually doing so. You could read your mate in a way that was more ethereal than anything else.

Releasing a breath, I looked at them again. Both alphas had paused immediately, standing just outside the door to the house as they watched me. Concern etched both of their faces.

I smiled ruefully. “Sorry. I’m easily startled these days.”

“Don’t apologize,” Blakely said. “We didn’t realize you hadn’t heard us coming. We’re sorry.”

Shaking my head, I turned back to lean on the railing. “It’s fine. Was lost in thought is all.”

The alphas joined me, one on each side. Blakely was a big man, all muscles filling out a fitted shirt nicely. His hair was short, his teeth a gleaming white. He had the kind of hands that one could imagine fitting nicely around a cock.

Blinking that thought away, I glanced at Lohtus. He was slightly taller and leaner. His hair dark and stuck up. That dark hair covered his body in a light dusting. Pronounced over his forearms and over his chest through his open shirt. His rough scruff on his face.

Pulling my attention to the horses again, I nodded in their direction. “You said there’s a riding facility?” I asked.

Lohtus nodded. “Yep. Towards the back of the property where the back road is. Though they aren’t all for riding. We rehab here. The island is also kind of a wildlife park where various farms focus on breeding species that are dying in the wild.”

“The horses are one of them?” I asked.

“These are American Crème Draft. There are less than 400 of these horses left in the world,” Blakely said.

I glanced at him. “Really?”

He nodded, smiling at me. “Yep. Do you ride?”

His tone made me stare at him for a minute. I knew we were talking about horses but his tone… almost sounded like he was suggesting something else.

“Uh… I haven’t before, no,” I answered.

And I was rewarded with a smile that grew slowly. Okay, I wasn’t imagining the flirty look, was I? Oh, and my dick twitching meant I didn’t hate it, either.

At least my answer would be true no matter how he intended the question.

“Want to grab your omega and we can take a ride?” he asked.

I glanced back over my shoulder at the house, biting the inside of my lip. Turning inward, I studied my omega. She was still a bright sun. Happy. Being spoiled.

“I’m not sure I want to interrupt her,” I said, glancing at him again. “She’s setting up her nest with Kasen while Ronan watches the perimeter.”

Both alphas chuckled.

“Never thought I’d see the day that man spotted someone who spoke to him on a deeper level,” Lohtus said.

“On that note, if you’re not okay with them getting close, you should say something to Ronan,” Blakely said. “I don’t need to exaggerate when I tell you he generally keeps people at arm’s length and never chooses to remain in a room with someone very long. He’d much rather be alone.”

Although I meant to assure him that I didn’t mind him asking my omega if she wanted to court despite only being here a couple days, there was something in his words that brought me back to his comment when he pressed a hand over my heart.

“You can feel her. Even when you can’t see her.”

Alphas were not solitary creatures. Ever. I had to wonder if Kasen misinterpreted Ronan giving in to his want to cuddle. He might play it off as doing Kasen a favor, but something inside me said that was a front.

Blakely and Lohtus were watching me as I tried to decide why I was so focused on Ronan. We all had our demons that we dealt with differently. Whatever made Ronan not want to form close relationships or remain outcast was his own business. His way of coping.

It wasn’t my place to pry.

“No,” I said, eventually. “I don’t mind.”

“How far are you willing to let them go before you mind?” Lohtus asked.

I chuckled. “I don’t mind if they want whatever they want,” I said. “I’m not okay with someone using my omega for a knot-choker so if you think that’s what’s happening, tell me and I will put a stop to it.”

Blakely laughed. “Not at all.”

Nodding, I stared back at the horses and took a deep breath of the fresh air. So different from the city we’d been living in. Vastly different than the antiseptic taste that was in the room I was kept in while being pumped full of drugs. And too, a far cry from the sterile bleach sting of the hospital.

“You’re really okay with that?” Lohtus asked, his voice quiet. “I’m not asking because I think you shouldn’t be, but… you just got here… from places…” His voice was hesitant as he tried to say without saying.

I grinned. “Talya and I spent the last decade trying to find a pack.”

“Seriously?” he asked, eyes widening.

“As it turns out, packs aren’t interested in an already bonded omega. They sign up expecting an omega all to their own. Not an alpha, too.”

“I bet that’s been fun,” Blakely said.

“If by fun you mean miserable and depressing, then yes.”

He chuckled.

“I’m surprised it was that difficult,” Lohtus said. “You two are really easy to get along with.”

“Again, I think it was more that when a pack signs up to Pack Listing, they’ve already basically decided that their pack is done adding alphas. They’re looking for an omega. I’m baggage they didn’t want or sign up for. But you know, desperate for an omega means they’ll take a look.”

“Those meetings are awkward as fuck,” Blakely muttered. “I can’t imagine how it was on the other end for you.”

I looked at him, tilting my head to the side. He was watching the horses but when he felt me still looking at him, he turned his eyes to mine. I didn’t think he realized what he’d said before he gave me a sullen smile. He shrugged, turning back to the horses.

We left a friend behind. And our families. I can’t imagine leaving a pack. The thought of that made me catch my breath. Sure, we’ve never had a pack so we wouldn’t know what that feels like. But we almost lost each other, so I could take a guess.

Again, I found that I wanted to ask. Somehow, I refrained.

“So, you want to go for a ride?” Blakely asked. When I looked at him, he was once again giving me that suggestive, flirty look. “We’ll go doubles so we can show you how to ride properly.”

“We can trade off,” Lohtus added. “We ride differently so his way might not be your preference.”

I shifted to look at him on my other side. While he looked at me with dark eyes appearing innocently talking about horses, the slight uptick of his lips was sensual.

As with Kasen, I found myself licking my lips. I’d never once considered being with an alpha. I always assumed that when we found a pack, I’d have my omega and that was that. Especially given the circumstances. And thus, I never gave those thoughts any real attention.

However, my dick clearly enjoyed their innuendos. And my mind had no problem conjuring images to go with their words.

“Okay,” I said, running my tongue over my bottom lip again. This time intentionally. And this time, watching Blakely so I didn’t miss the way his eyes tracked my tongue’s movement. “Let’s ride some horses.”

Blakely grinned, his eyes glinting as he looked back into mine.

“I’m just going to let Talya know,” I said, heading for the door. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

“Colby.” I turned at Lohtus’s voice. “You should put on some looser pants so you’re more comfortable on your first ride. Jeans can… pinch.”

Chuckling, I nodded as I stepped inside, letting the screen door shut behind me. Okay, I had no idea what was going on but… it was fun.

I couldn’t imagine any other environment we’d been dropped in would have felt innately as serene and comfortable as this pack. Maybe the police fit people together based on shared experiences. Maybe it’s regional. Maybe it’s something else. But there was something about this pack that sat just right with my omega and me.

When I stopped just outside the door to the nest, a grin spread across my face. Ronan was cuddled around Kasen and Talya where they were curled up within the pillows and cushions. His dark eyes met mine and he stared. Waiting. I grinned, taking a step back.

‘I’m going on the horses,’ I mouthed as clearly as I could. His slight nod said he understood.

My gaze drifted to my omega. She was nearly asleep, soft smile on her lips. Kasen talked quietly, his fingers running over her arm and through her hair.

I wasn’t sure which part of this made my chest as warm as it was. That there was an alpha who not only wanted my omega but could clearly treat her well. My omega feeling safe enough to sleep without me. Or Kasen just being… Kasen.

Maybe it was all three.