Page 32 of The Omega Project

Finn is a blank slate most of the time, but the tiny lines around his mouth tell me I’ve hit my mark. Yes, he’s the most dominant alpha in the room but that doesn’t mean he’s calling the shots in this specific situation.

“Soren, stop trying to piss off Finn,” a familiar voice says, and I bristle, but there’s no stopping the flutter in my damn chest. I have a new sympathy for Pavlov’s dogs as Creed strides into view, looking every inch the hulking badarse in his signature black suit. Lang wears pinstripes like he’s on the way to a fashion shoot, but our soldier alpha in his civilian uniform is a droolworthy sight. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”

I bite back a retort as he drops to a knee and sweeps Emily into his arms.Right.So that throaty croon isn’t for me, after all.I try to brush it off, but my gaze is glued to his face as he cradles her to his chest, and thighs bunching, settles on one of the visitor chairs. I fight a smile as the plastic creaks under his weight, but when his dark eyes meet mine, I shift my focus to Emily. I’m not sure if I’m reading too much into it, but she seemsmorethan comfortable on his lap, which raises all sorts of interesting questions.Exactly how close are these two, and how do I worm my way into whatever is going on there?

With an obscene amount of effort, I tear my attention away from them and focus on the other two alphas. “Will one of you arseholes let me out, please?” When they exchange a long look, I slap my palms against the glass and scowl at Finn. He might not be callingallthe shots, but this is his facility, so he’s technically the one with the keys. “Don’t act like I’m the threat here. If Iso much as twitch in a way you don’t like, you’ll have me eating concrete, right?”

Finn opens his mouth - no doubt to insist I jump through another dozen hoops before he’ll parole me – when Creed’s voice slides down my spine like a warm caress. “I’ll vouch for him.”

Yes, it makes me weak at the knees, but I still whip a scowl in his direction. “Oh, so you think you have me under your thumb, do you, Alpha? Your little mate to order around and put in his place?”

“No,” Creed says slowly, his big hand stroking Emily’s hair, “but I’ve watched more than fifteen hundred hours of surveillance footage of that room. And this is the calmest I’ve ever seen you.”

Emily is peeking at me from under her silky lashes, and I roll my eyes and mouth ‘stalker’ at her. She smiles, but it’s a wobbly one, and I give Creed a beseeching look. “I’ll behave. I promise.”

“Let him out, Finn.”

There’s not a door in the glass wall, but the bathroom connects to a utility room, and beyond that, a passage that comes out where they’re standing. I zip around grabbing a few things, then bolt into the bathroom, giving myself a quick once-over in the mirror. I’m flushed and wild-eyed, but it’s a good kind of crazy, and I bite back a grin as I hurry out to meet them.

Of course, that means I’m not prepared for the full assault on the senses that greets me. Without the glass to dilute their scents, the small room is teaming with pheromones, the alpha in me rising to the surface in response. But it’s the sweet perfume coming from Emily that lures me forward like a siren’s song. She’s sitting up on Creed’s lap as she watches me approach, and behind the stark pain in her eyes, I can see a need I recognise only too well.

I drop to my knees, conscious of Creed’s dark eyes on me as I hover just out of reach. “You’re in heat, Emily. I know that’swhat the test said, but the reality is different to what you’ve probably read, especially for your first time.”

She gives a jerky nod, and I bite back a moan at the way it sends her perfume fanning against my face. My guess is she has only a couple of hours before she’ll be deep in a heat haze. “There’s some stuff we need to discuss, but the first thing is to get you somewhere safe. Do you want to go home?” I have zero knowledge of where that is, but by her slight flinch I’m guessing it’s not going to work. “There are a few options. We could get you to an omega tending facility, where they specialise in first-time heats.” I glance at Finn for confirmation. “And there are rooms here, right? I mean, better than the fishbowl behind me.”

“Whatever you need, we can make it happen,” Finn agrees, moving forward to stand at my shoulder. “But I’d also like you to consider a third option. Our packhouse.”

If I wasn’t already on my knees, the surprise would’ve put me on my arse. “The beach house? You kept it?”

Creed makes a low sound, but it’s Lang who touches me, gripping my shoulder. “Of course, we kept it. Why wouldn’t we?”

Because up until a few hours ago, the likelihood of using it for its intended purpose was close to zero. The guys bought it about six months ago when I was at a really low point. It was their way of telling me we still had a future as a pack, but it had been nearly impossible to see myself ever leaving the facility. Instead of a promise, it had felt like just another thing in my life that would be forever out of reach.

“I’m just surprised,” I admit. “You guys spend so much time here…”

“Becauseyou’rehere,” Creed interrupts me. “Like you said, we’re all in this together. That means none of us are going to rest until we’re all home safe.”

I flick a glance at Emily, who’s staring up at my mate like every word out of his mouth is a balm to her soul. “What doyou think, Emily? I haven’t been there yet, but I’ve seen photos, and it looks pretty cool. It has a big, wraparound verandah and a bunch of fruit trees in the back. Plus, it has a private beach.” I wag my brows at her. “Perfect for skinny-dipping.”

Lang shoots me an amused glance and picks up the thread. “It’s definitely secluded, and there’s plenty of room to spread out. You’d have your own suite, sweetheart. This is a safe space, nothing more.”

She looks between us, then wets her lips with the tip of her tongue. “Could Derek come?”

Thankfully, she’s asking Lang, so she misses the flash of jealousy on my face. I have no idea who this guy is, but the note of longing in her voice is pretty self-explanatory.

“We can collect him on the way,” Finn says with an ease that makes me immediately suspicious. Whoever Derek is, he’s obviously already part of Finn’s plan.

“That would be great.” Emily says with obvious relief, and it’s a blur of phone calls and arrangements after that. Finn disappears to sort something out, while Creed hands Emily off to Lang.

I frown at them both, but Creed pulls me into a rough hug, his huge arms almost squeezing the life out of me. “Jesus, Soren. I’ve wanted to do this for so long.”

I wait for my alpha dominance to kick in, but I’m pretty sure he just melted my backbone. “Me, too,” I admit, my voice muffled against his chest. There’s no scent better in the world than the one that surrounds me right now. “And I’m sorry for…”

I try to pull back to touch my bite mark, but he just claps a hand on my cheek and tilts my face up to his. “Nothing. Everything that’s happened has led us here, and I don’t regret a single minute of it.”

I blink, because an intense Creed is a lot to take in, especially since we haven’t been in eyeshot of each other for months. Ithought I’d worked up a bit of immunity, but one hard cuddle and I’m back to full addiction. “Same for me, I guess, except for all the crippling pain and feral mood swings.” He chuckles and I can’t resist sliding a hand over his chest, just to feel the vibration against my palm. “But we can talk later, right? Emily is the priority now.”

“Agreed,” he says in that same rumble that earned him my teeth in his skin. This time he lets me lean back, but only so he can steal a hard, filthy kiss. “We look after Emily, but unless you tell me you’re off-limits, Soren, I’m locking our bond down as soon as I get a chance.”

---