Page 81 of The Omega Lesson

I shake out my hands, the urge to strangle something still burning through my blood. And the guy next to me feels like an easy target.

“Come with me,” I bark, turning on my heel and marching into the wine cellar. Travis doesn’t hesitate to follow, which is the only thing that stops me from shoving him into the wall. And the small fortune in French champagne I hope to fuck I get to drink sometime soon.

“I’m sorry,” he says as soon as the door seals behind us. “And I know I’m probably the last person you want at Jack’s heat, but I really need to be with Lexi right now. And I’ll do whatever you want to make things right. Just give me a chance to prove how much I want this.”

I stare at my oldest friend, all the fire in my blood fizzing out. Instead of torturing him with the sit-in-the-corner, look-but-don’t-touch crap I had planned, I reach out and grip his shoulder. “Travis, you were the brother I didn’t have until Mattie came along. We’ll both keep doing stupid shit like usual, and I’ll probably kick your arse now and then, and you’ll try to kick mine, but we’re pack. And that means the only thing we focus on tonight is the people in the other room.”

He nods, some of the tension easing from him. “Agreed. Like I said, I’ll facilitate…”

“You’ll start by talking to your brothers,” I interrupt him. “Not all the heavy stuff, because that’s a conversation for clearer heads, but you need to mend some bridges with them. Noah is hurt, and Jack is angry. When was the last time you could say that about either of them?”

He mulls that over, although we both know Noah’s pain and Jack’s rage have always been there, for reasons too deep and upsetting to go into right now.

“And what will you be doing while I’m getting my arse kicked again?” he asks sourly.

I grin, unleashing a wave of smug satisfaction in my scent. “I’ll be romancing our beautiful star of the north.”

He stares at me for a moment, and all the shit we went through tonight is almost worth it for the look on his face.

‘I can’t believe you gave her that ring,” he mutters. “You didn’t want to give me a heads-up on that?”

I knew it was a calculated gamble choosing that bonding ring for Lexi. As beautiful and unique as it is, it doesn’t have the happiest history in the Lyall family. But I still remember Travis’ face when his dad sold it less than a month after their mum’s death. It was like watching him at her funeral all over again. And that night, when I finally got up the nerve to kiss Jackson for the first time, we made a vow. If Travis ever met someone as amazing as their mum had been, we’d buy that ring back and give it to him as a courting gift.

But instead of telling him any of that, I grasp his shoulder again. “I figured you’d need a big gesture to pull your head out of your arse. Was I wrong?”

He just smirks, because Travis knows his particular demons better than anyone.

“Enough with the heavy shit. The important thing is, we get this pack back on track and see Jack through his heat.” I give him a nudge towards the door. “Can you ask Lexi if she wouldn’t mind joining me for a moment?”

He grunts, but then flicks some dirt off the lapel of his suit jacket. “Sure, but just remember my brother will be doing some nasty stuff to your brother if you take too long.”

We both cringe and smirk at the same time, because while we’re pack, there’s still some things you can’t unsee.

As soon as he’s left – hopefully to wrangle some kind of truce with the other Lyall boys – I light a few candles, set out the platter I prepared earlier, and grab the bottle of Krug from where it’s been chilling on ice. I’d planned to do this with the night sky as a backdrop, but as my pilot would say, this is a time to adapt or die.

Lexi steps into the room on bare feet, but she’s still wearing the dress I picked specifically to go with her ring. Because she’s the brightest star in our skies, who somehow led us all back to each other.

“We never got to have our date,” I say gruffly, my smooth words evaporating as I drink her in, her vanilla scent like a drug in the small room.

“Never say never,” she murmurs, taking one of the chocolate-dipped strawberries from the platter and smiling at me. “I mean, every night can be date night from now on, can’t it?”

“Well, as long as it’s not a repeat of today.” Her smile falls a little at that and I mentally kick myself in the dick. “I just mean, you didn’t sign up for all this shit…”

But she’s setting the strawberry aside, her head tilted as she wraps her arms around herself. “Ben, I had a normal life before I met you guys. But it was small and lonely and I was mostly filling in time between visits with Bree. Mattie changed that, and then you guys changed it again. And I have zero regrets. But if being with you means that things can sometimes get a little crazy… I’ll learn to adapt.”

I smile at that, reaching out to pull her into my arms. She comes quickly, like she was just waiting for the invitation, or maybe because her toes are curling on the cold floor. I quickly pull off my jacket and wrap it around her shoulders before settling her against my chest. Up close, it’s easy to lose yourself in Lexi’s beauty. Not just her pretty face or sweet scent, but the way she gives you all of her attention, like there’s no one else of interest on her horizon.

“Crazy can be fun, in small doses…” But I bite my lip, already picturing the sort of mayhem Mattie and Noah might get up to. Not to mention whackjobs like Finn Visser. “But we’re going to have to look at our security a little more closely.”

I expect her to argue, but she just shivers and leans into my warmth. “Just between these four fancy walls, I was scared shitless tonight. Not just because of Visser, but because he knew Jack was going into heat before I did. And I was terrified he’d do something bad with that information.”

I wrap my arms tighter around her, trying to keep the images of her in this penthouse with another alpha out of my head. But I need to remember, as much as I’m responding to Lexi as an omega – and a person I want to share the rest of my life with – she has the instincts and experiences of an alpha, too. And she’s more than proven she can take care of both herself and our pack.

“Visser is an intrusive psychopath, but I don’t think he’d hurt either of you,” I murmur into her hair. “Still, I’d feel a lot better if we dig in and stay close for a while.”

She nods, those pretty pink curls brushing my lips. “That sounds like a perfect date night, Ben.”

As much as I could happily stay like this with Lexi for the foreseeable future, Jack’s heat is rising. And Lexi’s so cold, she’s starting to shake, even with me wrapped around her like a hairy blanket.

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