Page 14 of Absolute Devotion

Nala stirs, Bear sitting up with her as she pulls her hands into her lap, eyes moving along the room in confusion. I’ve only ever seen one other Omega in this state—that blissful state of ignorance during their preheat while studying psychology at the ranger academy. It had only been a video, Nala’s current predicament much more real than I could have imagined. Those green eyes are wide as they fall on me, her nostrils flaring as she reacts to my scent.

“Hey, sweetheart. I just came to check on you.” Her head tilts but she says nothing, Bear frowning at the state of our Omega. He gently drags her into his lap and she curls into his chest, rubbing her nose along the bare skin of his collarbone. “Nala, how are you feeling?” I step closer, kneeling at the edge of the little space she carved out. There’s only one of Montgomery’s pillows and a sheet that’s still hanging off the bed but they’re smothered in the Alpha’s scent.

Nala peeks over Bear’s arms, a sloppy smile playing on her lips as she reaches for me. I gladly give her my hand, the Omega drawing it to her lips.

“Why isn’t she talking, Ria? Is she okay? I didn’t hurt her. She…” Bear rambles on in his panicked state, his hands running up and down her sides until Nala starts purring for the both of us. I have to hold back a laugh as Bear sports the same confused expression as our Omega.

“Bear, calm down. She’s fine. Some Omegas fall into this headspace because it’s comfortable. They’ve found a safe space where they can let their instincts override everything else. She’s acting like this because you made her feel like she can finally take a breath in this crazy world.” Bear visibly relaxes as I extract our Omega from his arms. “However, sweetheart, you need a shower and then we need to get some food in you.” Her cheeks turn a lovely shade of pink as I lead her to the attached bathroom and sit her on the closed toilet.

She continues to watch me as I turn on the shower and wait for the right temperature before crouching in front of her. “Nala, baby, do you want me in here with you?” None of my psych training prepared me for my own Omega. Speaking to Nala and Kieran after the incident with Michael a few weeks ago had been one thing. They were in shock, confused, and wary of the violence that had unfolded in front of them.

Nala is leaning into her instincts and trying to rip her back to reality could ruin everything we’ve built thus far. She feels safe in that headspace but I also need to know that she’s okay with what happened, with what is going to happen in the near future. I tap her thigh, waiting for her to react and that’s when I catch the terror in her eyes.

“I don’t want to get hurt,” Nala whispers as she leans forward. “Alpha, I didn’t think it could feel like that. I wanted it and Bear was gentle. You and Xylo too but I’m so fucking scared of getting hurt.”

I reach forward, pressing lightly at the edge of her gland. Nala freezes beneath my touch before her shoulders fall, tears filling her eyes before running down her cheeks. “Sweetheart, I know you’ve heard it from all of us but you’re safe here. If you need space or you need us all in one room, that’s where we’ll be.” I brush her tears from her cheeks, Nala closing the distance between us to kiss me.

It’s the first kiss she’s truly initiated and it’s everything. “You taste like summer,” she muses as she pulls back. “I really like summer.” Nala stands and pulls off the shirt that’s entirely too big for her before shedding her bra as well. Just after she steps into the shower, she peeks around the curtain. “Can you stay?”

I nod, taking up where she was sitting on the toilet, content to wait for her. My heart hurts for how vulnerable she’s been on her own all these years and what she’s had to experience. Did she have to have someone guard her shower so that Alphas wouldn’t try to come in? Did she forgo college experiences because of what she thought might happen—because of whatdidhappen?

Montgomery didn’t even truly explain what happened the night he found her. I suspect there would have been blood despite his badge had those Alphas attacked her but Nala’s skittishness is more than just a few scares in the alleyways. There’s pain that runs so fucking deep in her every expressionthat the horrors from the academy I’m sure will have us all raging on her behalf.

I grab a towel and hold it up as the water turns off, Nala stepping out onto the rug. She steps up into my arms as I wrap it around her and then use another towel to start on her hair, Nala offering her lips up again. I’ll never get tired of these quiet moments when she’s mine for just a little while. “Do you want to curl back up with Bear or come out to the kitchen for something to eat?” I ask after granting her a quick kiss.

“Can we eat in the living room?”

I swallow back a laugh. “Nala, do you need all of us? Is that what you’re asking?” I might be wistfully reading into it but I hope that’s the direction we’re taking.

“You all smell like summer. Together. It’s comfortable.Safe.”

twelve

MONTGOMERY

By late afternoon, I’ve gone through every piece of evidence the other three have pulled together and we have a whole lot of nothing. I’m not surprised, seeing as how POCA had been operating beneath everyone’s noses for years and the Feds are just quietly cleaning it up. The problem is they enlist ‘task forces’ to grab the stragglers and then sweep those under the rug as well.

I’m 99% sure someone higher up is in charge of all this shit but that’s not a game I want to play.

I stretch from my armchair and survey the massive mess in the living room. A few years ago, I would be appalled at the people who have taken over my space with their food and scents and disruption of my quiet routine. Even if I never thought I would be sharing my Omega, this scene doesn’t disgust me. Takeout containers from the Pink Dome a few doors down litter thecoffee table, a mixture of steak and veggies and salads that Nala had enough energy to pick at.

She’s flattened across Zahria, both of them sprawled out across the couch with Xylo sitting on the floor by their head and Bear by their feet. I’m jealous of how easily those four work together but I stuff the emotion down. Working with them and our Omega is the most important task at hand. Making sure Nala is comfortable is what matters.

My attention lingers on Bear a little longer than necessary, the sweetened aspect of his scent catching me off guard. My initial reaction to him is similar to when I first met Nala, my instincts yellingminethe longer I focus on him. However, I'm thoroughly confused because the idea of an Alpha mate doesn't interest me. Dominance isn't a thing I enjoy, nor is the push and pull in the bedroom. However, when those pale blue eyes meet mine and his cheeks flush a brilliant pink, I wonder if he'd submit to me.

I clear my throat and refocus on Nala. I remind her of a dark time, a time she still refuses to speak about. A time that draws that dark cloud over her and she curls into herself, wondering when the nightmares will go away. It doesn’t help that this investigation is going to bring all of that to light because her connection to Michael and the lingering POCA trash is thicker than I once thought.

Her academy—Redland Academy—has come up a few times this morning and during lunch. We’ll have to ask her questions she won’t want to answer and hope it doesn’t blow up in our faces. If I find out that my uncle knew about her connection and only called me in because we’ve briefly met, I’m going to beat the shit out of him.

“What are you over there fuming about?” Xylo asks as he finishes off one of the salads and tosses the empty bowl onto the coffee table. I stare at the offending container, itching to cleanup. “I’ll make sure everything is in its rightful place. What’s going on, Alpha?”

Calling me Alpha is a new one. I’m not even sure when it started, maybe sometime after lunch? But between the four of them, they haven’t been using my name. Nala has called me Monty once or twice but for the rest of them, it’s been Alpha. Which means even if I’m still trying to see how we all fit together, they’ve already figured it out at some level.

“Just that Nala might be tangled up in this more than I thought. Redland Academy is on a few of those documents. It’s where I met her and the academy she went to.” I run a hand through my hair and undo the button of my suit jacket, content to let my guard down in this small space. Everywhere else, I have to present myself as the perfect Alpha detective with a spotless record and rough tactics.

Here, I’m not more than that. I’m also Nala’s Alpha. It feels nice.

Xylo and Bear both scoot forward in an eerily mirrored movement. They might not be twins but some of their mannerisms are similar. That’s even a bit much for brothers. Bear places his food container down, chancing a glance at the two women sleeping on the couch before speaking. “We need to speak to Isaias and Kieran. Well, Isaias. He’s not going to want Kieran to have to deal with all of this shit so soon again.”

---