Page 22 of Absolute Devotion

Xylo readily agrees, placing a soft hand on my stomach, his fingers splaying out beneath my shirt. “I love that. Like our own family ritual.”

Family.It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that word and other than Joel and his pack, it’s not a word I ever liked. With these four, though, I’d be more than happy to be family. Myheart swells at the idea. This ismyfamily, I realize—a truth that feels both surreal and deeply comforting.

I nod, a soft smile tugging at my lips. “I’d like that too,” I say quietly. The temperature in the room seems to change as they focus on me, a silent question for me to share as well. “I don’t want to ruin the mood.” I push out. In response, their touches become softer, but that doesn’t make it any easier to gloss over what happened at the academy. “I already suspected that what happened there was connected to POCA in some roundabout way. It’s the only explanation for why Michael found me.” My breath becomes erratic as I try to pull away, each of them offering gentle reassurance.

“Princess, what are you talking about?”

Xylo and Bear are starting to growl, terror flitting through my face until Zahria’s growl carries through the room. Everyone freezes and looks at my small Alpha, the woman’s fierce expression glaring back at us. “Quit it. Quit whatever you are thinking. Let Nala explain before you terrify her. Nala, sweetie, you don’t have to say anything.”

“No, I owe you all an explanation. The academy was just a way for my parents to get rid of me while I got my education. A way to keep me contained but it was just a hell away from home. My scent attracted everyone and everything. It was a lot of false promises to make me happy and keep me safe but I could see in their eyes that they just wanted a submissive Omega that they could fill as they pleased.”

There are more rumbling growls but Zahria’s glare keeps the brothers in check. I would find it hilarious if it wasn’t for the current conversation. Montgomery hasn’t said a word but it's the dark expression and the worry that tells me he’s a few steps from bursting out the door and burning down my former home for the last couple of years.

“I got into the wrong crowd, thought they’d protect me but it just threw me into another pit. There were these games every Saturday night, I guess. They’d round a few of us up and stick us…” My breath catches in my throat, tears gathering in my eyes at the haunting memories of those metal bars. “There were cages. We were stuffed inside and they… Promise you won’t leave.” Aside from my scent, this is the last thing I’ve been holding to myself—the last reason I think I’ll never be happy.

I should know by now that these four are different. The warmth of Xylo’s hand heats up, his fingers moving around in little circles across my belly as he draws my attention to him. “Did they touch you?” I shake my head. “Did they hurt you?”

That’s a loaded question I don’t know how to answer. Physically? No. Mentally? I’m not sure I’ll ever be rid of the nightmares.

twenty-one

MONTGOMERY

I’m pissed that this never came up in any of the evidence I pulled from the academy. Nala didn’t want to be found but that didn’t mean I couldn’t keep an eye on her. Unfortunately, Redland Academy was locked down tight when it came to information. Other than her name, there was nothing I could gather. And the existence of those Saturday night ‘games’ wasn’t something that came up on my radar.

I blame my partner at the time, the one who was supposed to be helping in that investigation and is now sitting behind bars for tampering with evidence. It makes sense now why I never figured out all that shit but it doesn’t make me feel any better that Nala returned to that horrific place when I could have saved her.

“You didn’t know,” comes a small voice. Delicate fingers run across my jaw as I glance down at our Omega, wide green eyes meeting mine. “No one did. I was too scared to say anything, tooscared that they would come find me. In a really weird fucking way, Michael saved me. I still fucking hate that Alpha for trying to sell me away but even with my own little place and everything set up, he took me away from the nightmares for a little while. My parents haven't even reached out after graduation to see what happened. Michael was all that I had. I hate it but it's true.”

“And then you whacked him with a pan to protect your baby nephews.”

Nala snorts as the image that flits through my head, the one where Zahria and Xylo explained the entire incident including our fierce little Omega warrior protecting her own. Michael’s dead, Kieran having protected all of them in that room. In hindsight, Michael was a fucking idiot to barge into an Omega’s nest with his newborn sons. Any Omega would have been in fighting mode to protect what was most precious to them.

“Yeah, I did that. Montgomery,Alpha, you were the first one to give me a taste of what normalcy would be like. You were warm and kind and you fed me hot chocolate and marshmallows. Before you, only Joel had cared enough. I stayed to myself mostly but I couldn’t trust the happiness when I was with you. I wanted to but…”

I cut her off with a kiss, slowly devouring her lips until I’ve had my fill. “Princess, I will never fault you for leaving. I blame myself for not knowing, for not getting to you sooner but it’s not your fault that any of this happened.”

She scrunches up her nose, tucking her head into my chest. “Those cages paid for school, Alpha. I didn’t know what it was at first. It was harmless dancing and entertaining but it became so much more and then I couldn’t get out. Sometimes, I can still see them when I close my eyes. Reaching through the bars, yelling for me, wanting from me. I didn’t know about the patches for most of it. Even when I did start wearing it, the few times I took it off was the reason Michael found me.”

Her body shudders in my hold as a tear escapes. I brush it from her cheek, holding our precious Omega as those memories replay in her head. “What do you need from us, Nala? How can we help?” She doesn’t answer me, her lids falling shut as her fists clench in her lap. God, I wish I had known how much she had been struggling. “We’ll take it slow, Nala. You just tell us when we’re doing too much or not enough.”

Her face scrunches up again, Zahria easing the situation. “How about a signal when it’s too much? Something we can see when you need us to step back?” Her eyes shoot open and focus on her other Alpha as Zahria waves a hand at Xylo. He disappears from the nest with a heavy grunt and reappears with a small black-beaded bracelet. “Xylo and Bear found this at a little shop. The beads are supposed to promote calm and soothing effects but it would also be a way for us to know something’s wrong if you pick at it.”

She sticks her arm out and Zahria slides it onto her wrist, Nala fiddling with the beads for several seconds. “Thank you. This means a lot.”

“I’m just thankful that we know more about you, Nala. Why don’t we get some sleep and revisit all of this in the morning?” Zahria offers, widening a spot for Nala in the middle of her nest. Our Omega slips from my arms and in the middle of the brothers as I take up a side behind Bear. He twists around to gaze at me, searching for any discomfort but there isn’t any.

I thought Nala’s heat might be awkward or the lingering memories of knotting Bear would follow me, but it feels natural. “If you’re about to apologize, don’t. I’m more than okay with what happened and our Omega asked for a redo. I count that as a win in my book.” Bear is still about to say something so I smash my lips to his, hoping he finally gets the message. His moan alerts our other mates, Nala’s sweet scent filling the room.

When I pull away to look at her, she’s glaring at the both of us. “I thought we were sleeping.”

Her scent betrays her expression and I can’t help the laugh that falls from my lips. Biology classes and seminars at the police academy taught us that Omegas wanted nothing more than to mate with their Alphas. That procreation was their first and sometimes only priority. With Nala, I can’t see that ever happening. She’s too vibrant and complex to find herself only wanting one singular thing.

Beneath the lingering fear and uncertainty, there’s a woman who wants to thrive and take on the world, one step at a time. I’m more than happy to be along for that journey, just so long as we catch these last Alphas roaming around our sacred space.

“Yeah princess, we’re sleeping. Night, Nala.”

The warmth of the morning sun filters through the bedroom window as I find myself alone in the nest. It’s been a long fucking time since I had my own family and I guess Nala’s heat took more out of me than I thought. Laughter peels from the living room as I change, ready to attack this investigation head on and get it over with so that we can start our own version of forever. Nala is curled up in the corner of the couch with a mug and a bag of colorful marshmallows in her lap. Zahria is not so subtly trying to steal a few and failing as Nala guards them.

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