Page 83 of This Fate That Guides Us
Nexus’ head shakes against my collarbone. “No, but barely. She threw me into a rut within the first two hours I was there.” How they managed to walk away unbonded when they were both lost to their most primal instincts I’ll never know. I doubt I would have had the strength to hold back the way Nex did. “It was magical, Tee. Her beautiful body. The way she felt wrapped around my cock. Knotting her.”
I turn my face into his hair to muffle my laughter when I feel his already hard dick twitch against my stomach. “Aren’t you all sexed out?”
“I doubt I will ever be able to get enough of our girl.” His voice is dreamy as he talks. I want to believe it’s only because he’s exhausted after getting next to no sleep for the past twenty-four hours, but I can feel the hint of adoration slipping through the block on his bond. He’s still as smitten with Omen as he has been since the day we met her.
“You aren’t upset with her for lying to us?”
Nex twists his body so he’s sitting sideways across my lap instead of straddling me. There’s less strain on his neck when he looks at me this way. “Did she lie? Omitted some truths, sure. She could have told us she thought we were her Fate matched mates, and I wish she had, but it was her decision to wait. Something we all agreed to a year ago when she discovered her connection to us. Why is it different now than it was before we knew who she was?”
I guess I can see his point. We did promise Omen a year ago we would be here whenever she was ready. It’s a bit shitty of us to suddenly change our minds because she’s within arm’s reach. Though we were all getting pretty close so maybe she was ready? Does that even change anything?
“As for her hiding her identity… Omen being born a Montgomery is a heavy blow to Nebula. I empathize with him there. Finding out your Fated omega is related to the man who rejected your sister? That’s gonna fucking hurt. But Tee, Omen wasn’t pretending to be someone else to get close to us or to con us out of our money or anything stupid. She’s literally in a witness protection program. No one outside of her adopted family and the select few people at the DAU who are assigned to her case know she’s Sarah. Hell, Omen doesn’t even know our birth names either! So why are we expecting her to have shared a secret that could endanger her life?”
I know he’s right. Logically, everything he’s saying is the truth, but I can’t shake this overwhelming sense of betrayal. I’m starting to think the feeling isn’t actually coming from me. Maybe Nebula’s emotions are so overloaded they are bleeding through our bond into me.
“Okay, so how do we convince the other two?” I ask. Doubt fills me imagining trying to talk to Neb about Omen right now. He’s still too raw from the things he learned. He won’t be willing to listen to either one of us yet.
“Our songbird is probably already realizing all of this himself. He just isn’t sharing his thoughts because he doesn’t want to rock the boat. Right now his focus is on keeping Nebula together. When the time is right, he’ll help us convince our other mate we’ve made a mistake. Then we can grovel like our lives depend on it and win our girl back!”
Pressing a kiss to the top of Nexus’ head, I slowly blow out a long breath. Everything isn’t going to be as easy as he makes it seem. There will be road bumps. Arguments that will threaten to tear us apart. In the end, it will be up to Omen to accept our apologies. And there’s a very real chance she won’t.
“We need to give Nebula a few days before we try to talk to them. Let him cool off and get his head on straight first. I don’t want to lie, but it will be better if they continue to believe you were processing things alone for the past two days. Think we can manage?”
Nexus pales a little hearing my plan. I know it’s shit. We should tell them the truth tomorrow, but Nebula isn’t in the right state of mind to listen without making drastic decisions. I won’t risk him unintentionally hurting Nexus while his anger is still lashing out.
“We’ve got this, baby,” I murmur before pressing my lips to his. I keep my kiss soft and sweet. Affectionate. A reminder of how much my bratty alpha is loved.
Today is our last free day before we have to start our long journey to the West Coast. It’s also my Aunt Abby’s birthday. So I’m driving down for a surprise visit.
Pulling into her driveway, all of my worries seem to fade away. The huge, modern house sits on a nice stretch of wooded land overlooking the Delaware River. With so many floor-to-ceiling windows, even the interior of their house holds the same scenic feel. I love coming here. Relaxing in the serene setting and getting to spend time with my aunt and her pack.
“If it isn’t my favorite nephew! Come on in,” Abby calls from the doorway. Her short bob cut hangs in loose waves around her ears. The color so similar to my own. Hair is the only thing we have in common though. Abby is much shorter than me at 5’5. She also has bright eyes that are more red than brown. Something my parents used to demonize her when they discovered she was an alpha.
“Mornin’ Aunt Abby, how is everyone?”
“We’re all good! Canyon just returned from a ten-day conference in Germany, so it’s been a lazy few days while Kipp recovers from their separation.”
Canyon is one of the two male alphas in her pack. He inherited his parents' shipping company and has been slowly expanding its international reach over the past ten years. I still don’t understand how he manages to fly across the world and leave his mated omega behind.
“Everyone will be excited to see you and hear all about your tour! They were out back getting ready to start lunch. Let’s go surprise them!”
When I’d first been able to get back in touch with Abby after leaving my parent’s house, she’d told me about how she met each of their mates. Their omega Kipp and their beta Juniper were renting a small apartment around the corner from the restaurant my aunt started working in. They ran into eachother late one night when Abby was heading home from a shift. As soon as they saw each other glowing tattoos appeared above their hearts marking them as Fate matched mates.
They didn’t meet their other alphas–Canyon and Bowie–until two years later when Canyon’s company booked out the restaurant for a business dinner. Abby was one of the chefs and their Fated markings appeared when she went into the dining area to help serve their final dishes.
Growing together was a journey for her pack. Abby’s wounds from the way our family treated her were still fresh and she struggled to believe they would really accept her into their lives. She feared they too would one day turn on her and walk away. With patience, open conversation, and a lot of reassurance, those fears slowly faded and she found her place in this pack.
They’re the foundation for the life she always should have been able to live. One filled with acceptance, love, and laughter.
Stepping out onto their back patio, all four of her mates grin when they see me. Their rectangle swimming pool shimmers beneath the mid-morning sun. Bowie leans against the ledge, waving before he continues swimming. If it warms up later maybe I’ll jump in. See if I can finally manage to beat the older alpha in a race. Not once in the eight years I’ve known him have I ever won. I’ve also never stopped trying. One day my persistence will pay off. Hopefully.
“Is life on tour everything you guys dreamed it would be?” Kipp asks. He’s spread across Canyon’s lap on a large lounge chair by the pool. His white-blonde hair is messy from where his alpha is running his hand through the short strands.
Envy strikes deep within my chest seeing the casual affection and hearing the soft purr rumbling from Kipp’s chest. Guilt quickly follows when I remember the way we left Omen to fend for herself after learning who she is. Nexus may have sneaked away to help her, but I didn’t. The thought of my omegastruggling guts me, but I’m still torn apart by her secrets. Which is part of the reason I drove down here. If anyone can help me understand things from my firefly’s point of view it will be my aunt.
“For the most part, it’s been like we expected. Chaotic, tiring, and fun as hell.”
“Have the protests outside of your shows been bothering you?” Juniper asks from her seat across from Kipp. Juny is tall with bright red hair and freckles all across her nose and cheeks. She’s very sweet and silly, often getting into trouble pulling pranks with Kipp while their other mates are away.
