Page 35 of The Knotty Omega

“We’ll have to call them then.” The officer nods, and ten minutes later both officers are gone and the six of us are standing among the ruins of her apartment.

“Well, thank you guys. For coming when I needed you.” She looks down at the ground, tears welling in her eyes again. “This place…I’ve lived here since I left my parents and it kills me to see it like this. But it’s getting late, you guys are probably tired."

“You can’t think you’re staying here.” The brusk tone I’ve come to expect from Titus leaves Matteo’s mouth instead. We all look at him surprised, Cady included. Noticing her shock, his face softens. “This is no longer a safe space for you,tesoro mio.You need to stay somewhere else.”

She bites her lip, looking between the five of us. She needs to stay with us. That’s where she should be, safe in our pack house. Where she belongs.

“I can call Hannah and crash on her couch and it’ll be fine.” She sniffs, wiping her nose with a tissue.

My pack and I all exchange worried glances. I know my alpha is riding me hard after this. What if she had gone home right after our date? Would the people who destroyed her home still be here? Would they have hurt her?

It’s too soon for her to move in with us. We just met. But…she’s our scent match. There’s nowhere else she belongs more.

It’s Titus who finally speaks. “Come home with us.”

Her mouth gapes open and she shakes her head. “I can’t, I just met you guys—”

“CJ, please.” Archie takes her hands as he looks into her eyes. “I don’t even have an alpha riding me and I’m itching out my skin to get you out of here and safe. I can’t imagine what the other guys are going through.”

She bites her plump bottom lip for a moment, looking over at all of us.

“Okay,” she finally says with a nod of her head.

I let out a sigh of relief. Looks like our omega is coming home with us.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

I’m relieved when Titus offers to let building management know what happened and drive my car back to their pack house for me. I don’t think I’d be able to get my hands to stop shaking well enough to drive on my own. I’m in the backseat, wedged between Archie and Matteo, while Ollie drives and Simon rides shotgun.

Just the memory of how my home looked when I got there makes me feel sick to my stomach. When I brought Reggie home for the first time—

“Oh fuck! Reggie!” I hadn’t seen him anywhere while we were searching the apartment and I feel like a shitty cat owner for not having thought of him sooner.

My words make everyone in the car jump, and Ollie glances at me in the rear-view mirror. “The cat?”

“I didn’t see him at all when we were at my place! What if he got lost?” I scramble to get my phone out of my pocket, then let out a sigh of relief when I see my neighbor texted me, telling me she just found him wandering the halls.

“Oh thank god,” I sigh, my head resting back against the headrest. “My neighbor, Mrs. Heisman has him.”

I send her a quick text thanking her and asking if she minds having him overnight, letting her know someone broke into my apartment and I have to stay somewhere else for the time being. After she agrees, I put my phone down, looking up at my alphas. “You guys don’t mind having a cat around, right?”

“As long as they’re surly assholes who hate pools, I’m very open to cats.” Archie winks, grabbing my knee. Heat shoots through my leg at his touch, I find myself perfuming at the contact. The car lets out a collective groan as my scent fills the area.

“Tesoro mio, you like it when your beta touches you?” Mattie’s light italian accent lilts in my ear, sending a shiver straight to my clit.

“It seems like the answer to that is yes, Mattie.” Archie gives a devilish grin and slowly slides his hand up higher, making my breath hitch. “You’ve just been through a horrible ordeal and you’re woundso tight. We can help relax you, CJ. Do you want that?”

The car floods with alpha pheromones, telling me that everyone is listening, and they are all just as turned on by this as I am. Bourbon, caramel, peppermint, chocolate, coffee, and hazelnut invade my senses, turning the heat on my clit up to eleven.

“No sex in the back seat,” Simon chokes out, and Ollie rolls his eyes in the rear view mirror.

“It’s probably not safe to have sex, but other things are totally on the table.” He grins, and Simon groans.

“We’re not neanderthals,” Simon mutters. “You can at least wait until you get her into a proper bed.”

“Aw, come on Sy,” Ollie grins. “Our girl is in need. You’re going to deny her?”

Simon audibly swallows before turning around and glancing at me. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

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