Absolute Devotion (An Omega’s Preference #3)

22. Nala

twenty-two

NALA

I laugh at their playful antics, finding it comfortable to sit at the island and just watch. No one expects anything of me, not even to set the table. No one is asking me to fulfill those Omega needs that were shoved down my throat growing up. I’m just allowed to be. I know this happiness won’t last for long once I leave for work and they’re knee-deep in the investigation all over again but one can dream.

Xylo slides a plate of toast across the table, trying to hold back his laughter. “We’re not all that great at cooking but Zahria and Bear have some skills. Stick with them and you’ll eat like royalty.”

I know for a fact that that’s a lie. Zahria doesn’t really cook. Bear, on the other hand, I like his French toast. Bear rounds the table and squeezes my shoulder before placing a glass of orange juice beside the plate. “Don’t listen to my brother. I know a few recipes but the rest is improvisation.

“Improvisation sounds good,” I say softly, glancing around the kitchen. “I think I like it.”

Montgomery chuckles, taking a seat beside me. “Well, you’re in good company then. Improvisation seems to be our specialty.”

As we eat, the tension dissipates, the barriers that stood between us fully dissolving. The dynamics are still awkward and I’ll still blush if I catch Xylo kissing Zahria or Montgomery doing the same to Bear. I tamper down those thoughts, not wanting any of them to know what I’m thinking. By the way three of the four reach down to adjust themselves, I’m guessing that I didn’t stuff it down far enough.

A lingering question hangs in the balance as I swallow and turn to our Alpha. “Monty, what did you see when you found me? I was a wreck and I left but why did you look for me again? Besides all the biology stuff.”

He leans back, letting out a slow breath before answering. “I saw strength.” Those stormy gray eyes meet mine. “I saw someone who was fighting to hold herself together, even when everything around her was falling apart.”

I think it was Montgomery who first gave me hope that I was more than an Omega with a scent. Without meeting him, I would have suffered the same fate many Omegas did at Michael’s hands. But he gave me a sense of self-worth that I had lost over the years. “Thank you,” I murmur, placing my hand in his. “For seeing me.”

The day passes without excitement, Ren holding his tongue from asking the one question he wants to when he picks me up and drops me off after work. However, I’m not a terrible person and I let him know that my mates took care of me and we’re working it out, as awkward as it is.

The warmth of the house greets me as I step back inside, all of them huddled in the kitchen like handymen rather than detectives. Xylo still isn’t wearing a shirt, Zahria crisscrossed on a stool wearing the garment he’s missing. There’s a lot of disheveled hair and loungewear that I found wholly appealing. I love them in suits but I also like this version as well.

Bear catches my scent first, bounding over to drag me into a hug, and then deposits me beside Zahria. They all dole out little touches and kisses, each one respecting my space in a way I thought I would have to ask for. I haven’t touched the bracelet on my arm once, each of them figuring out how far to push without going too far. It’s a new experience. The brothers start jabbering about something by the sink, Montgomery pulling me into a tighter hug as I rest against his chest.

When Bear growls at his brother and Xylo punches his arm in return, I can’t help the laugh that falls from my lips. “Do you ever get tired of each other?” The excitement dies off, the brothers turning to face me and for a fearful moment, I wonder if I’ve overstepped. I still don’t exactly know how I’m supposed to act around my mates—even if they’ve told me that I can just be myself. The problem is that I don’t truly know who she is.

A wild grin splits across Bear’s face as he shakes his head. “Never. We drive each other crazy, sure, but that’s part of it. Family doesn’t always mean getting along. It’s about sticking together even when things get messy.”

Xylo nods, his gaze warm as he looks over at me. “Messy is putting it lightly,” he says with a chuckle. “But that’s what makes it worth it. We’ve got each other’s backs, no matter what.” Remembering how they almost found an Omega before me and the hurt they must have suffered when she broke their hearts has me climbing off the stool and moving to stand between them.

They wrap their arms around me until I’m in a beautiful cocoon of wild cherries and a summer evening campfire. Their purrs rumble through my body, a calming experience that quickly turns heated as I imagine them taking care of me at the same time.

“Princess, what ever could you be thinking about right now?”

Xylo tips my chin upward, a deviant expression on his face. “It wouldn’t have anything to do with my brother and I, would it? Do you want us to take you apart and have our way with you, love? Would you enjoy him knotting you as I stuffed your pretty face with my cock? Or would you like to sit on my face as he feeds you his cum?”

My face heats with his words and I tear myself from between them. Slick gushes between my thighs, an embarrassing whine tearing from my throat. “You're evil. Now, I need to change.”

I back into Zahria, throwing my hands up when she just nuzzles against my cheek. “I think we all enjoy how easy it is to get to this point, sweetie. Let’s feed you and then we can figure out what we’re doing tonight?”

“Like another date?” Another walk to the park or maybe sitting at the Pink Dome for dessert sounds amazing. I know they’re busy trying to wrap up the investigation before the authorities arrive. They think I don’t know much about the case but that’s just because I want to put it behind us. My mates aren’t truly involved but the more they can find and relate back to the chief, the better.

“Yeah, sweetie. Something like that.”

I plop back onto the stool, my eyes catching one of the open case files that they missed putting away. They’re all holding their breath, no doubt waiting for me to fall apart but I’m not made of glass. Not anymore. “Did you find anything else?”

Montgomery takes a seat across from me and gently tugs the folder back to his side of the table. “A little bit but it’s not really good news. We noticed a few Alphas gathering around Canes Lake, a few towns away. There doesn’t seem to be any connection between them except for a new club that Xylo was invited to. Nala, I don’t want to bring you into this.”

“But I’m already part of it. I’m not deaf, Alpha. I’ve heard you guys whispering things. I know that Redland Academy is connected and I just want to help. Who are the Alphas?”

None of them want to give me that information but the sooner we figure everything out, the sooner we get to start a forever. I don’t want to be scared anymore. Xylo reaches for one of the papers by the sink and brings it over to me. There are four pictures, each with a name and little else. My heart drops into my stomach as I stare at their features, Alphas I know much better than I should.

Their dark green eyes match mine, which always made those nights worse—as if I was looking into a mirror, a part of me telling myself that I deserved everything that happened. Unconsciously, I move to tug at the beads on my wrist, the paper quickly removed as Montgomery tucks me into my chest. “Princess, deep breaths. This is why I didn’t want you anywhere near—”

“Alpha, no. I know them. They’re from Redland.” My voice is strained as I curl into his protective hold, still fiddling with the beads. I’m proud of myself for touching them, for not trying to push through, and elated that my mates immediately responded. We stay like that for several minutes, Montgomery gently rocking me back and forth, Zahria rubbing my back until their touch lulls me into a more restful state. “Are they here for me?”

No one answers, which tells me that it very well could be the case.

I turn to face the brothers and then Zahria, trying to gauge their expressions and finding no answers. Bear and Xylo approach with prepared foods, something that looks like a pasta and a tossed salad. I’m not hungry, though. I want to know what’s going on—what they really found and I don’t want it sugar-coated. “Please tell me.”

“Angel, that’s the first connection we found. There’s no record of them attending Redland Academy. They pay for everything in cash and everything I have dug up isn’t useful. I don’t even know their last names. Whatever training they’ve had is top-notch. The club opening, I suspect, is tied to all of this shit but again—we’re just here to gather information. Nothing else.”

I hate that. It feels like a cop-out. It feels like even though these Alphas will be locked away, the problem will never be solved. An organization like POCA only ever existed because everyone turned a blind eye. Not anymore. I’m going to find a way to blow the lid off of all of this.

My stomach grumbles, my mates suddenly in tune with my needs.

I’m going to figure everything out after I eat.