Page 47 of The Omega Lesson

Jack blinks at him, his eyes welling. “Thanks, bro. You don’t know how much it means to hear that.”

I pull him in to kiss away the tear that slides down his cheek, glad that Noah slots in behind me until we’re pressed together like puzzle pieces. For a while, I just listen to their breathing and soak in the closeness of the brothers. It stings a little that Travis can recognise how special Jack is, but isn’t interested in our pack. Is it me? Am I the one stopping them finding their way back to each other?

“We should tell you about Christian,” Jack says slowly, and I feel Noah stiffen behind me. “You deserve to know who he was, and what he meant to us.”

I glance back at Noah, but he’s rubbing his chest, right over the lucky tattoo. I don’t like the way he’s avoiding my eyes. “Only if you want to tell me.”

Noah gives a small shrug, but Jack pulls me onto his lap, tucking my head against his neck so I can feel the vibration of his voice. “He would’ve been twenty-seven this Christmas. He was between Noah and me in age, but everyone treated them like twins. They always hung out together, and they looked so much alike, sometimes even I couldn’t tell them apart.” I glance over to see Noah’s eyes flutter closed, and Jack holds me tighter. “Christian was an artist. Painter, sculptor, graffiti; he loved working with anything creative. He could take random crap from around the house and turn it into something amazing. But when he presented as an alpha, Dad told him he needed to give it up. Art was for pussies. So, Christian went out and got his favourite artwork on his body.”

It takes me a moment to realise he means tattoos.

“I copied them,” Noah says, his voice rough with a bone-deep hurt. “After he died, I didn’t want to think of his pictures turning to dust.” He rubs a hand over his chest, and I realise how beautiful they are. Birds and flowers and abstract designs, all created with an artist’s eye for detail. But there’s only one word I can see, right over his heart.Lucky. Although the way he picks at it with his thumb makes me wonder if he really feels that way. “They’re all here, so we’d never forget him.”

“Oh, Noah.” I grab those punishing fingers, pulling him closer. “I’m so sorry you both lost him.”

“Travis, too,” Jack says, swallowing hard. “He wasn’t always like this. He was a free spirit, the wildest of the four of us. Didn’t give a fuck about anything but our pack, the farm, living life without regret…” Noah turns his head and the brothers’ eyes clash and cling, and I see all sorts of things flash between them that I don’t understand. “But after Christian died, he closed down. Dad put the pressure on him to become the perfect heir, and Travis held himself to it.”

“I remember him being different, too,” I say softly. “I didn’t really know him that well, but he always seemed bigger than life. Everyone at the club loved him.”

Jack hesitates, then strokes my face, looking sad. “The thing is, the lucky tattoo meant something more to Christian. There was a girl he cared about called Lucia Moretti. Her dad was a wealthy guy our dad was trying to woo. So, they decided we’d form a pack, with Lucia as our omega. She went along with it at first, but she wasn’t happy.”

I try to picture this other girl, but all I have is a name. And it’s hard for me to imagine someone who wouldn’t be over the moon to be with these guys. “It was a bad time,” Jack goes on quietly. “We were courting another girl, but I’d just presented, and dad was trying to preserve the alpha dynasty. He wanted a pure omega mate for our pack, and when it got ugly, Lucia ran. By that time, I was gone, so I couldn’t help. The other guys looked for her for a while, but then gave up.”

“Except for Christian?” I guess.

“Mmmm. He thought he loved her. Head over heels and certain she was the one. He spent a couple of years trying to find her, but she’d vanished.”

“Except, I knew where she was,” Noah murmurs, so low I almost miss it.

Tension is leaking out of him, and I lift him up, like I would Bree, pulling him across my lap. We’re like Lego blocks, stacked one on top of the other, and for a while Noah doesn’t move. But then the words start to pour out of him. “I’d known for a while. I bumped into her at some little bakery down south, but she made it clear she wasn’t interested in coming back. So, when the guy Christian hired finally tracked her down, I tried to warn him off. But he wouldn’t listen. She’d turned into an obsession for him. We were up at the homestead at the time, and it was the middle of the night. We fought, I said some shit, and Christian stormed out. I thought he was just going for a ride, blowing off steam, but he was headed to the hangar to take dad’s plane… His bike hit gravel, maybe trying to avoid a roo or a fox… That was it. And Travis found him the next morning when he was coming back from the city.”

My heart aches, and I wrap my arms tighter around Noah. For the first time, this larger-than-life man feels small and broken. “I’m so sorry, baby.” I reach up and pull Jack in close, my own eyes wet as I try to wipe away the tears. “For all of you.”

Jack kisses me while I stroke Noah’s hair. “This is why we need a pack, but it’s also why Travis is so scared to make it happen. He’s just so full of anger and regret, he doesn’t think he has anything else to offer.”

I stare down at Noah’s bowed head, remembering the way Travis looked at me during my heat. So detached, like he was barely in the room. Right up until I begged him to join us. He’d hurt my pride – and probably bruised my heart – by walking away, but maybe I should have stopped to wonder if it was really me he was rejecting.

“Well, I’m sorry you’re all hurting, but I’m glad you told me,” I say into the lull. “I just don’t want to… get in your way, I guess. If Travis has doubts, you should talk them through. And then you can decide together what kind of pack you want.”

But Noah is sitting up, scrubbing his damp cheeks as he looks down his nose at me. “Very noble, sweet thing, but you’re not in the way, and we knowexactlywhat kind of pack we want. Travis just needs to get his head out of his arse long enough to realise he wants it too. If the guy would turn off his brain for five minutes and let his dick do the talking, he wouldn’t be such a grumpy bastard.”

I shake my head at Noah, although I’m relieved to see the dark twinkle back in his eyes. “Sex doesn’t solve everything, you know.”

“No, but it greases the wheels.” He gives me a slow, filthy smile, his fingers sneaking up my thigh. “And the fact he didn’t taste your slick is fucking tragic. I could disown him for that travesty alone.” His eyes light up, the last of his tears chased away by whatever’s sparking in that sinful brain of his. “Hmmm.Travesty. That might be even better than Travelator.”

I roll my eyes, but Jack looks thoughtful. “He’s got that charity tennis competition this weekend. We could go. Put on a show of supporting him. He’s not as grumpy when he’s on the court.”

I feel a stab at that, all those summer memories resurfacing, but Noah perks up even more. “Maybe you could wear a cheerleader costume, sweet thing. And then if he wins, you could blow me in the locker room.”

I raise my brows at him. “Why would I blowyouif Travis is the winner?”

“’Cos any guy’s gonna feel like a loser if you’re blowing someone else.” He grins, like it’s perfect logic, but I just nudge him in the ribs.

“Which is why I’m such a fan of teamwork,” Jack grins, pulling me in for a soft kiss.

As always, it’s impossible to resist them, and we put our sad memories aside, focusing instead on finding comfort in each other. And although my heart still aches for Travis, it’s not such a hardship to fall asleep with his brothers holding me on both sides.

Lexi

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