Page 16 of Pit Stop

“What the fuck are you doing, Mav?” Forest says, moving toward us, his hands still greasy from working on the car. They fist around a dirty rag, and I wince at what’s about to come.

“Nothing. Just bringing Skye home.”

Forest sniffs and cracks his neck. “Are you?”

“Yes. As you can see, he’s well.”

I can feel their alpha hormones rolling off them. It’s not sexy at all…well, not really. Maverick getting feral is kind of making my hole leak a little, but I suppress it. It’s over and done with.

Whatever the past several days were, it’s over. My family has always been overprotective of me. Probably because I’m the only omega in my brood of brothers, and they all know I have big plans for my future. But Forest has warned all his friends away from me.

“He won’t be shackled to any of you losers.”

Don’t know why he made such a big deal about it when none of them were interested in me to begin with.

“Fuck off,” Maverick says, pulling me a little closer to him. “He’s tired.”

Forest’s face darkens. “I can tell.”

“He needs to rest, so your little fit can wait. Where’s your dad?”

Forest huffs in frustration and then throws a thumb over his shoulder. “Inside.”

Maverick nods and then moves me forward. I can hear my brother’s knuckles cracking as we move up the steps.

“He’s mad,” I whisper, and Maverick nods.

“I can handle him. Just go and rest. Your body needs it.”

I glance up at him, adjusting my glasses once more. I feel weak and so bone tired. I suddenly want to cry. I blink rapidly and sniffle. I want to lean into him, to have him hold me the rest of the day, for his touch to comfort me.

“Yeah, okay. Thanks again,” I say as my dad makes an appearance, a concerned look on his face.

“Oh,” my dad says, visibly taken aback, and I avert my gaze, not wanting to see him look at me like this. He has to know what happened, and I’m so fucking embarrassed. “Thank you for taking care of him.”

“It was my pleasure,” Maverick says, dipping his chin. Our eyes clash, and I sniffle loudly once more.

“Yeah. Thanks,” I mumble.

He hesitates a moment and then turns and stalks out the door, leaving me to lean against my dad.

“You okay?” he asks, and I nod, squeezing him gently once and then hobbling up the stairs, my ass twinging as I go.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

“Let me know if you need anything,” he says awkwardly, and I just send up a wave. He’s an alpha. He has no idea what the hell I just went through, how raw and vulnerable I feel right now.

I should never have let my first time be during a heat. I should have lost my virginity earlier. Maverick suddenly feels like so much more in this moment. He means something to me now even though I know nothing can ever come from it.

I walk into my bedroom and fall onto the bed, pulling one of my blankets up over my shivering body. Suddenly, I’m so cold.

And so very alone.

Fuck my hormones. Fuck Maverick for taking care of me so well.

I do not like him. Not at all.

Everything will go back to normal in a few days.