A Curse of Fate (Shifter City Fated Mates #1)

Chapter 19

Chapter

Nineteen

T he shifter swayed in the doorway, hitting me with an overpowering scent of whiskey and florals, which itched my nose.

“What are you doing, Finley?” Kellan launched to his feet and put himself between me and the drunk-off-his-ass alpha.

I tilted to the side to see what Finley did next, because there was no way to leave while he blocked the exit. Kellan didn’t move from his protective stance, but he did make a small shuffle to the side, allowing me to stare right at the final alpha in my scent match.

I gritted my teeth.

The bear might be wasted, but he was also rugged and handsome. He gave me woodsman in the forest vibes, and at this point I couldn’t act surprised by his good looks. I just had to shake my head once more at fate’s fucked up sense of humor.

Finley ran a hand over his thick, shiny chestnut hair, which was longer than the other guys’, hanging to his jawline. His skin was light brown, and he rocked a short, dark beard that enhanced his bear slash mountain man persona.

Even from a distance the whiskey gold of his eyes, ringed with thick sooty lashes, were tantalizing. He was massive, at least as big as Hunter, with shoulders so broad that I found myself staring at their breadth.

He finally noticed my observations and the scowl on his face deepened. “The entire fucking house smells like you.” The deep, raspy timbre of his voice sent shivers down my spine. “Chocolate and honey. Sweet, deadly temptation.”

Kellan shook his head and took a step closer. “Brother, you’re drunk. You need to sleep this shit off before you say something you can’t take back.”

I remained quiet, understanding that anything I added here would only fuel his anger. But no matter how many times I told myself to get it together, I couldn’t look away.

I was drowning in his whiskey gaze and the screaming chasm of pain in their depths. One look at Finley had me wanting to crawl into him and never leave. His pain called to my pain, but we were not kindred spirits. We couldn’t be.

He didn’t fight when Kellan strode over to grasp his shoulder, leading him from the room. As they left, a hint of vanilla and cherry reached me, clean and sweet, hidden under the alcohol and floral toxicity.

My heart clenched at the knowledge of where that cloying, flowery scent most likely came from, but since I had no right to care or let the hurt show, I forced myself to turn away and stare at the screen. The movie still played, but I no longer had any interest in watching it.

The joy and excitement I’d felt was long gone, leaving me flat and broken. I hated how life kept kicking me in the teeth, happiness so brief and fleeting, while the disappointments remained deep and consistent.

I decided to leave before Kellan returned, and I raced through the house and up the stairs to lock myself in my room. My first day hadn’t been as bad as I’d expected, but it had ended on a low note. Still, I was alive and unbonded.

In my situation, I really couldn’t ask for more than that.

Finley had interrupted Kellan before he could kiss me, which was… really lucky . Yep, even if all I could imagine was tasting the alpha, wondering if he’d be as sweet as his caramel-cinnamon scent… It’s better not to know . The second I kissed one of them, it’d all be over. No way to resist once I’d had a taste.

Dragging myself into the bathroom, I drowned myself in the fancy shower with its three different showerheads and steam bar. Like with the bath, there was already an array of bodywashes and shampoos lined up on the shelf, the fancy kind without lab-made scents, leaving my nose unbothered as I lathered up.

When I ran my hands between my legs, my clit pulsed at me, reminding me of the needs I’d been neglecting since I ran from Florida. Spending time with these alphas and their enticing scents had left a hollow ache pulsing in my core, and there was no way I’d sleep while this wound up.

Releasing a resigned breath, I slid a finger into my damp heat, using my arousal to rub against my clit. My breaths came out faster, and I bit my lip to keep the sounds from growing any louder. In a house full of shifters, it wouldn’t take much for one of them to hear me.

The pulse strengthened with each stroke of my finger, and when I closed my eyes I didn’t imagine my hand touching me. It was an alpha’s touch, thick fingers pushing into the tight muscles of my pussy.

“Goddess be damned,” I sobbed under my breath as the intensity grew and my orgasm ripped through me. I silently rocked against my fingers, drawing out the pleasure until my knees weakened and I had to use the tiled wall to remain upright.

It took me a few minutes to recover as I sucked in silent, ragged breaths. When I was finished, I stepped out feeling exhausted and ready for the day to be done. Grabbing two of the soft, teal towels, I proceeded to dry my hair and then body, skin extra sensitive to the touch.

The pack had provided me with essentials, so I brushed my teeth and lathered on face cream, before wandering out into my room with the towel still wrapped around me.

“Holy fuck,” I gasped, sliding to a halt at the sight of Kellan’s big body draped across my bed. Clutching the towel to ensure it didn’t unravel, I said, “What the hell are you doing in here?”

He pushed himself up on his elbows, using what were surely impressive abdominal muscles to hold himself in place. When he leveled his gaze at me, I almost took a step back at how dark his eyes were. “I came to check and make sure you were okay after Fin’s drunken tantrum.”

My first instinct was to defend the stupid bear, which was ridiculous because he’d done nothing to warrant that, and clearly hated my guts. It was just that pain in his eyes. I couldn’t forget it.

Swallowing hard, I attempted to sound more normal than I felt. “Haven’t you heard of knocking?”

Kellan swung his legs off the side of the bed and stood, and my gaze was immediately drawn to his gray sweats. Or more accurately the clear outline of his massive erection in gray sweats .

Oh my.

I jerked my gaze up, but short of a sharp blow to the head resulting in amnesia, there was no way I’d ever forget what I saw.

He prowled toward me, and I tucked the joined sections of my towel tighter, anticipating that he was going to touch me. Kellan grabbed my hand and lifted it to his nose, taking a deep breath as he groaned. “What were you doing in the shower, pretty girl, that has this room smelling like a candy factory?”

I understood his tension now, and why his beast flickered in his eyes. He’d heard me in the shower finger-fucking myself.

He’d scented my arousal.

Not that I hadn’t been aroused around them before, but not to the extent of tonight where I’d brought myself to orgasm.

Caramel strongly scented the air, and I barely resisted the urge to drop my towel and climb him. “I… I need you to leave.”

As my body thrummed, I decided that I absolutely deserved a medal for that statement.

Kellan’s features were shadowed, matching the inky sheen coating his blue eyes. He released me and clenched his hands at his sides, sucking in a breath he didn’t release, before turning to stride from the room. My door slammed shut as I collapsed to the floor, once again clutching my towel.

Thank the goddess I didn’t just prance out here naked—the towel had been the sole barrier stopping me from making a terrible mistake. If I’d thought kissing Kellan would be a point of no return, then sex would irreversibly seal the bond. In the thrall of our first time, I’d be desperate for his claiming bite, and there’d be no chance either of us would have the rational thought to refuse.

When my legs worked again, I hurried into the closet and grabbed a set of the PJ’s Cora had given me in a cream color, having no desire to get caught naked again.

Once dressed, I crawled between the soft sheets, and collapsed into the even softer mattress, which helped soothe my ragged edges. There was no real sense of accomplishment over surviving my first day with Reeves Pack, because in reality I’d barely fucking survived. Tomorrow, I had to do better.

To my surprise, sleep claimed me almost instantly, the stress too much for my exhausted brain to handle, and when I woke the next morning, weak rays of sunlight were filtering around the edges of the blinds.

I rolled over to find the faintest wisps of mocha wafting up from the bed. Hunter . Even in his house, he stalked me through the night, but for some stupid reason I felt safer knowing he kept an eye out.

On my bedside, the phone chirped with a notification, and I reached out and grabbed it. There was one message, and it wasn’t in the group chat.

Golden Boy: I’m sorry, pretty girl. I fucked up last night. Don’t hate me.

Lifting the phone up to my chest, I replied so fast my fingers flew over the touchscreen.

Pretty girl: I could never hate you, Golden. You’re still my favorite.

He sent back a ton of smiling and heart emojis, and my spirits had lifted by the time I got out of bed and started my day. Twenty minutes later I was showered, dressed in shorts and a shirt, and wandering into the kitchen. Gerald and Florence weren’t in the room, but Hunter was seated on one of the stools behind the counter, sipping his coffee and reading through the paper.

“You can get the news in digital now,” I said with a smirk as I grabbed a mug and poured myself a coffee too. Hunter nudged the cream and sugar toward me before I could ask.

Like a good stalker, he already knew how I took my coffee.

“I prefer to use my hands,” he said, flipping the page. “Really get a feel for what I’m enjoying.”

My throat dried up, and I gulped a mouthful of coffee, wincing at the burn of liquid down my throat. Hunter glanced my way briefly, shaking his head before he returned to his paper.

With nothing else to do, I found myself watching him closely. He was already dressed in a light-gray suit, like the one he’d worn the day I met him. The blue of his shirt was a similar color to my eyes, with a darker blue tie open around his neck waiting to be secured.

His hair was tamed, those thick dark waves sitting in the sort of attractive arrangement that you knew was manufactured. It was a nice look on him, but I preferred him a little wilder.

Dark eyes laced in gold met mine, and I swear there was a hint of amusement in their depths. “I’ll drive you to the Golden Fin this morning,” he said. “Kellan should be able to pick you up when your shift is done.”

“If you have a bike I can borrow, I’m more than happy to get myself around as well.”

I took another sip of coffee, which was finally cool enough to enjoy. Hunter flicked the paper once more, folding it in front of him. “It’s too dangerous for you to get yourself around . At least not while you’re unbonded. We might have strict rules about the treatment of omegas, but not everyone follows rules. I’m not sure if anyone’s told you, but next week is the Summit and Golden Claw is the host city this year. There will be an influx of alphas from other shifter cities here.”

I had no idea what the Summit was, but I understood why he’d disclosed this information. Different cities had different rules. Our council and alphas might be discouraged from taking me against my will, but in other cities… not so much.

“I won’t take off on my own,” I said, and there was not an ounce of sass in my tone. “Thanks for keeping me safe.”

They kept me safe without the promise of anything in return, and it was far more than I expected or deserved.

Hunter’s voice deepened: “You’re part of Reeves Pack, and I protect my pack.”

It grew more apparent every time I spoke with him why Hunter was the entitled alpha in this quintet. Despite Slade holding more dominance. There was just something about Hunter’s protective instincts and capabilities in whatever he handled. Not to mention he was clearly a genius, at least when it came to inventing shifter technologies.

“How old are you all?” It couldn’t hurt to have one of my burning questions answered, right?

Hunter’s full focus was disconcerting, and I had nothing to hide behind now that my coffee was finished. “Slade is the oldest at thirty-four. I’m thirty-two. Finley’s twenty-six, and Kellan’s twenty-five. How old are you, Emme?”

My chest warmed as he used my preferred name. “I’m twenty-five. I kind of lied to the council, hoping they’d go easier on me.”

Hunter didn’t show any signs of being surprised or upset by my mistruth, and I guessed Warrick already told him. “I’d never have let them hurt you, little omega. No matter what they decided on that day.”

With that, he got to his feet and deposited his cup in the sink. “Meet me out the front in thirty minutes. I’ll leave your uniform for work on your bed.”

When he was gone, I remained a puddle of confusion, hating and loving at the same time how safe I already felt in the presence of an alpha.

An alpha with the power to destroy me.