Absolute Devotion (An Omega’s Preference #3)

12. Montgomery

twelve

MONTGOMERY

By late afternoon, I’ve gone through every piece of evidence the other three have pulled together and we have a whole lot of nothing. I’m not surprised, seeing as how POCA had been operating beneath everyone’s noses for years and the Feds are just quietly cleaning it up. The problem is they enlist ‘task forces’ to grab the stragglers and then sweep those under the rug as well.

I’m 99% sure someone higher up is in charge of all this shit but that’s not a game I want to play.

I stretch from my armchair and survey the massive mess in the living room. A few years ago, I would be appalled at the people who have taken over my space with their food and scents and disruption of my quiet routine. Even if I never thought I would be sharing my Omega, this scene doesn’t disgust me. Takeout containers from the Pink Dome a few doors down litter the coffee table, a mixture of steak and veggies and salads that Nala had enough energy to pick at.

She’s flattened across Zahria, both of them sprawled out across the couch with Xylo sitting on the floor by their head and Bear by their feet. I’m jealous of how easily those four work together but I stuff the emotion down. Working with them and our Omega is the most important task at hand. Making sure Nala is comfortable is what matters.

My attention lingers on Bear a little longer than necessary, the sweetened aspect of his scent catching me off guard. My initial reaction to him is similar to when I first met Nala, my instincts yelling mine the longer I focus on him. However, I'm thoroughly confused because the idea of an Alpha mate doesn't interest me. Dominance isn't a thing I enjoy, nor is the push and pull in the bedroom. However, when those pale blue eyes meet mine and his cheeks flush a brilliant pink, I wonder if he'd submit to me.

I clear my throat and refocus on Nala. I remind her of a dark time, a time she still refuses to speak about. A time that draws that dark cloud over her and she curls into herself, wondering when the nightmares will go away. It doesn’t help that this investigation is going to bring all of that to light because her connection to Michael and the lingering POCA trash is thicker than I once thought.

Her academy—Redland Academy—has come up a few times this morning and during lunch. We’ll have to ask her questions she won’t want to answer and hope it doesn’t blow up in our faces. If I find out that my uncle knew about her connection and only called me in because we’ve briefly met, I’m going to beat the shit out of him.

“What are you over there fuming about?” Xylo asks as he finishes off one of the salads and tosses the empty bowl onto the coffee table. I stare at the offending container, itching to clean up. “I’ll make sure everything is in its rightful place. What’s going on, Alpha?”

Calling me Alpha is a new one. I’m not even sure when it started, maybe sometime after lunch? But between the four of them, they haven’t been using my name. Nala has called me Monty once or twice but for the rest of them, it’s been Alpha. Which means even if I’m still trying to see how we all fit together, they’ve already figured it out at some level.

“Just that Nala might be tangled up in this more than I thought. Redland Academy is on a few of those documents. It’s where I met her and the academy she went to.” I run a hand through my hair and undo the button of my suit jacket, content to let my guard down in this small space. Everywhere else, I have to present myself as the perfect Alpha detective with a spotless record and rough tactics.

Here, I’m not more than that. I’m also Nala’s Alpha. It feels nice.

Xylo and Bear both scoot forward in an eerily mirrored movement. They might not be twins but some of their mannerisms are similar. That’s even a bit much for brothers. Bear places his food container down, chancing a glance at the two women sleeping on the couch before speaking. “We need to speak to Isaias and Kieran. Well, Isaias. He’s not going to want Kieran to have to deal with all of this shit so soon again.”

“I’ve already messaged him,” I say, pushing to my feet. “I completely understand not wanting to dig in open wounds.” I may not have officially met the pack but I’ve done enough research to know that they are just as unconventional as we are. Kieran, their Omega, is nearly the size of Xylo and Bear, one of their Alphas closer to Zahria’s size. Not that any of that matters but it just proves the point why POCA would have wanted their Omega. “He said we could meet at the diner.”

As much as I don’t want to leave Nala, she has other mates to protect her. That and the fact that if Nala feels safe here, she won’t want to introduce new scents into this house until after her heat, even if it’s her brother’s pack.

Bear grabs some of the trash from the table and follows me into the kitchen as I begin tidying up the case papers. “She’ll need things for her nest. I love Nala but not enough to rub against that scratchy carpet all day. I think I have a rug burn on my back.”

His brother snorts, slapping him right over where the rug burn would be, Bear letting out a playful growl. “Stop complaining when you got to feel our Omega first. Zahria fucked her earlier while I got to hold her but feeling her writhing over my cock was pure torture.” Their faces light up from the memories of being with Nala. Nala and I only had one night together but holding her in my arms meant more to me than a mere knot could.

Knowing that she finds us safe is a feeling that can’t be replaced.

“Which means we need to go shopping for her nest. She told me once that she doesn’t have one because she didn’t want her scent everywhere.”

Bear wrinkles his nose as he turns to face me. “That’s why everything in her room always smells clean, isn’t it? Fuck. When I find out who made her think this way, I’m ripping out his throat and beating him with it. Or is the saying his spine? I don’t care. There will be blood.”

We all share a laugh as we head out the front door, peeking into the living room one last time. Nala has her head turned toward us, her lips curving up in a smile as she waves goodbye. Then her lids close and she snuggles further into Zahria’s chest. If that isn’t the definition of happiness, I don’t know what is.