Page 80 of The Omega Lesson

Hello, Handgun Hottie.

“You know what you’re doing with that?” Travis asks with a frown, but Mattie just rolls his eyes and goes to stand near the door. We grew up on a station where guns were a part of life, but it’s the first time I’ve seen Bratty Boy with one. And I’m not ashamed to say my dick is now as hard as the barrel he’s pointing at the floor.

Jack has used the distraction to pluck Lexi off Travis’ lap, and they wind together like vines, both breathing in deeply. “Are you in heat?” he asked her as they gaze into each other’s eyes.

“I don’t think so. But I’ve switched.” She squirms a little, and that cloying stench ofotheralpha fades under her own sweet scent. “What about you?”

“I think I’m going into heat.” Jack pulls a face, clearly stressed by the idea. And now that he mentions it, I can smell him. Sweet like Lexi, but with a harsh edge that makes me keep my distance. “There was a guy downstairs. A pushy alpha. He came onto me pretty hard, which confirmed it.”

I think of the arsehole in the white suit I nearly fed to a shark and grit my teeth. “A heads up would’ve been good, bro,” I grouse.

“Then consider yourself informed,” he snaps back, not sounding at all like my mild-mannered brother.

Cos he’s about to go off like a heat-seeking missile.

“Do you want to leave?” Lexi asks, stroking his hair back from his face. “Where will you feel best?”

“I don’t know,” he gulps, looking around. “I think here is as good as anywhere.” His eyes flick over me before settling on Travis. “But I don’t want this to be weird. You guys don’t know this side of me…”

“Stop,” Travis says, blowing my mind again by pulling Jack into an embrace. “You’re our brother and our packmate. We’ll do whatever you need. And I’m really sorry for that shit with Visser. Believe me, I won’t let anything like that happen ever again.”

Jack stares up at him, still sceptical, but then Ben is stepping out of the elevator. We all look strung out to some degree, but he’s a mess, his hair twisted into knots and bright splotches on his cheeks. But it’s the crazy eyes he’s throwing around that keeps me from cracking a joke at his expense.

Mattie hands him the pistol without a word, and then Ben is crossing the room, his gaze flying over all of us. “I can’t believe that prick got in here.”

“It’s over,” Lexi says quickly, “and we’ve got other things to focus on now. Jack is going into heat.”

That stops Ben in his tracks, and the look he gives my brother is downright sinful. “Jesus. You alright, sweetheart?”

“I’m fine. But I’m sorry about the timing.”

“Don’t talk rubbish,” Lexi scoffs and jumps to her feet. “It’s a bit inconvenient I’m an omega too, right now, but I still plan to ride you like a Ferris-wheel.”

Jack burbles a laugh, but Ben is staring hard at Lexi. “And bites? Are we doing that now, too?”

She goes suddenly serious, her hand stroking her throat in a way that makes my dick throb. “I’m in,” she says, gazing at each of us, before stopping on Travis. “I don’t think the pack will feel complete until we’re all together.”

The tension in the room instantly changes, everyone now laser focused on making that a reality. I watch as Ben pulls both Jack and Lexi into an embrace, but his gaze is fixed on Travis. “You up for this, or you want to leave?”

“I’m in,” he says, echoing Lexi’s vow as he mirrors Ben on the other side of the huddle. “I’ll facilitate for Jack, but I’m claiming Lexi. She’s it for me.”

The smile she gives him is electric, and then we’re all snatching up our phones to get things ready. Ben is promising his security guys massive bonuses if we’re not disturbed for the next few days. Travis is sweet-talking someone in a tone they’ve probably never heard before. And I put in a call to my assistant, Clark. I just have to mention the words heat and pack and they can probably hear his squeals in Antarctica. The guy might be ace, but he’s a sucker for a happy ending.

While we sort out our shit for the next few days, Lexi and Jack go to inspect the main bedroom. I can hear them talking about what kind of bedding really makes a nest, and I text a message to Clark to send another set of vicuña blankets to the suite. It’s not like I think Ben’s swanky casino can’t rustle up a few luxuries, but I still stand by the theory that you can make a nest anywhere if you have the right stuff.

“You ready?” Travis asks, clapping me on the shoulder.

I cock a brow at my brother. “Dude, you’re the one who’s late to the party.”

Mattie shoves me in the back at that, but then Lexi is in the doorway, her eyes gleaming as she looks us over. “Don’t waste your energy, bondmates. We’re going to need everything you can give us.”

Ben

I watch the pink-haired minx sashay back into the room, and wonder how this can be both one of the best and worst days of my life.

I’ve been carrying around a hard, bitter ache in my chest ever since I found out about Drummond. I avoided Lexi while we were getting ready, determined to work through my anger before trying to woo her at the party downstairs. I pictured us having a few drinks, petting some fish, and ending up at the VIP deck in the casino’s hottest club. Champagne and appetisers - without an oyster in sight - and some dirty dancing to work out the last of the aches.

But then Finn Visser, the kind of guy who made my ex-SAS security team shudder,took control of my penthouse.

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