Chapter Fourteen

Sitting across from Claire struck Kaidan as bittersweet. She was there, she was safe, but they were getting ready to put it all on the table. Kaidan never liked secrets, the uncertainty of not knowing, of how it could change everything.

Still, she’d come back. She’s stayed when she could have left. The scent of Bryce on her said they’d managed some sense of normalcy between the two, and that eased pressure which he’d carried since the start, since it she’d made it clear she hadn’t seen him the same as the others.

The bruises on her face and her slow gait marred the moment. He’d ensured she had the proper dosage of her medication on her nightstand and a glass of water at the appropriate time to prevent breakthrough pain.

She’d roll her eyes, but her lips tipped up into a smile she fought. She enjoyed his care, even if she wasn’t entirely comfortable with it. Of course, when he’d offered to help her to the restroom, she’d put her foot down.

Then again, if she’d had sex with Bryce, she had to feel well enough.

Joshua came to the large dining table last, dropping a bowl of chips on it as if they’d make the entire talk easier. “Okay, out with it.”

So much for the tact he usually carried.

Claire set her forearms on the table and said nothing at first. She toyed with the stitching on her other sleeve.

Sometimes people needed leading. “Start at the beginning. We know you were looking for something in our files about an appointment on a certain day. Why?”

“My friend was murdered about a month ago. I know the alpha who did it worked there.”

“How?” Joshua chewed loudly around a mouthful of chips.

“I went through her things, and I found this card in her planner.” Claire reached into her jeans pocket and removed a small card, which she slid across the table.

Kaidan picked it up. It was one of their cards, the letters scrawled in his own handwriting. He never advised people to keep the card, but to memorize the PIN then destroy it. The creasing said it had spent a long time in someone’s wallet. “So, you looked up the date on this card and found the install done for that day? How do you know for sure this person had anything to do with your friend’s death?”

Claire’s back straightened. Talking to her could be like trying to dance when he had no idea the steps. She took insult at the smallest things. “Because I knew Jackie. I talked to her. She had an alpha boyfriend. I tried to warn her, but she didn’t listen. They never do, not until they get hurt. She told me she met him at his job all the time. When I worried once, she said the place they met was safe, that she had to put in a PIN to get past the door. This card was placed in her planner, and it fits.”

“Well, we can find out what job this is.” Kaidan rose to grab the laptop, but Claire’s face said she hadn’t spilled it all. “Tell us the rest, love.”

Her shoulders slumped. “I know what business it is. I went there, and I know who it is.”

A soft growl from Bryce had the room stilling. “You’re telling me when you suspected an alpha of killing omegas, you chose not to talk to the police, not to talk to us, but instead investigate it yourself? What if he found you out?”

“He didn’t. I sat in a room with him—”

Ah, then the growl turned full snarl. Bryce needed work on his temper. “You not only investigated but confronted him? And I thought running from Kaidan was stupid. This is on an entirely different level. What was your plan?”

“I needed information. I didn’t know if it was him or not, but no other alphas work in that office. None. It means he had to be the one who met with her, which means he had to be the one who killed her. It all fits, and the moment I met him, I was sure.”

“You were sure we were killers, love. You aren’t great at sizing up alphas.”

Her lips turned white from pressing together. “Maybe not, but it all fits. I’m sure.”

“And what do you plan to do with that?” The question came from Joshua.

She lifted her head and nailed him with a hard stare. “I’m going to kill him for what he did to Jackie. Men like that, they don’t change. It wasn’t the first time, but it will be the last, I swear it.”

Kaidan swallowed hard at the tone in her voice, the steel there. He knew as well as the rest of them that the idea fed to them about weak omegas wasn’t real, but seeing it always surprised him. She said it with absolute confidence, her teeth bared. It was why omegas should have been feared, why they were more dangerous than people knew.

He’d seen omegas tear apart people who threatened their children, their families. Few lashed out against their own mate, but anyone else? He’d seen what one was capable of, and seeing that resolve in Claire reminded him of how good a fit she was.

Some would be crushed beneath the weight of not one but three alphas. Some would wilt beneath that sort of demand. Not her, though.

Claire was ready to take on a killer just to find justice for her friend, for an omega who had been taken far too soon.

That was the mate they needed, that fire, that spark.

Bryce broke the silence, the tension. “We’ll help. I can’t say we’ll kill him. We aren’t assassins, but we’ll help find evidence and get to the bottom of it. Who is it?”

“Kieran Elliot. He works at Graystone Enterprises.”

Kaidan froze before exchanging looks with Joshua and Bryce. Kieran?

She had to be wrong, had to have made a mistake, because if she hadn’t? If she was right about him?

They’d had a killer in their midst and they’d never known.

* * * *

Joshua stood in the home office, his back to the bookshelf, Bryce seated at the desk. “What are we supposed to do?”

They’d all thought the same thing. It wasn’t possible, not Kieran. He’d been like family to them, one of the few people who knew what they did, who had seen what they’d seen.

“It can’t be right.” Bryce sped his fingers over the keyboard, creating lists of everything they could find. They needed proof, either that he’d done it or that he hadn’t.

“But what if she’s right? What if he’s been using our resources to target omegas right under our noses?”

The clicking of Bryce’s keyboard halted. “You saw him in Seattle, when we found that slavery ring. You remember when he hauled that female out, when he about took off the arm of the EMT who reached for her?” Bryce shook his head and the typing resumed. “No, he couldn’t have done this.”

Joshua wanted to believe it, too. They’d known Kieran for a long time, and if they were wrong? If he had done as Claire said? It shook Joshua to the core.

Finding out they’d all failed to see what Kieran really was would force him to admit that monsters weren’t as obvious as he’d thought. Maybe alphas were exactly what Claire said they were, and some of them just hid it better than others.

Hell, wasn’t that what worried them all some of the time? When they saw what their kind could do, a part of him thought, it could have been me. That part, the one that snarled and demanded he control, he own, he take, frightened him. It was like a beast inside him, one he leashed, but what if that leash broke?

If Kieran, someone they knew so well, someone they trusted, was really a killer?

Well fuck, any of us could be.

“Any luck?” Joshua shifted, trying to ease the ache in his back. “Even Kieran would leave a trail behind. No one can be perfect.”

Bryce sat back in the chair, then used his thumb and forefinger to press against the bridge of his nose. “I’ve looked between what Claire knows, the dates, the times, the security logs at Graystone, our own records.”

“And?”

“And nothing. I can’t find a single thing that proves he didn’t do it. Nothing. All the dates Claire gave me when she knows Jackie met with the alpha, Kieran was there. He was there the night Jackie was killed.” Bryce kicked the leg of his desk. “It could be him.”

“What do we tell Claire?”

“Nothing.”

Joshua’s back straightened. “What? We can’t lie to her.”

The idea of lying to Claire didn’t sit right. They’d worked so hard to gain her trust, and it would shatter if she found out they’d lied.

“It’s not lying, not yet. It’s just not telling her everything.”

“She deserves to know.”

He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. Finally, Bryce looked at him and answered. “How do you think she’ll take the fact we know an alpha like that—a killer? She’s going to assume we’re just like him.”

“And what do you expect to happen? She’s going to let this go? We’ll deal with it on our own? What?”

“I don’t know!” Bryce shook his head and quieted his voice. “I just know I don’t want to lose her over what might be nothing. Let’s keep it silent for now, until we’re sure. If it’s not him, we can tell her it isn’t. If it is…” He shook his head. “I guess we’ll deal with that if it happens.”

Joshua pressed his lips together, but he couldn’t fault the logic. She would run if she knew. Did they really have a choice?

“Are you with me? We have to be on the same page.”

Joshua rubbed the muscles of his neck even though the tension wouldn’t leave. “Yeah, I’m with you. If this comes back to bite us, though, if you make it so we lose her, I’ll kick your ass.”

Bryce offered a tired smile, a reminder of the weight he carried for them all. “I’m pretty sure that if this goes wrong, if she finds out I’ve been keeping shit from her, I’ll be more worried about what that feisty omega will do to me than what you might.”

At least they could agree on that.

* * * *

“If you don’t stop hovering…” Claire left the threat hanging between she and Kaidan.

“You’ll what?” His eyebrow lifted, amusement across his face as he called her bluff.

“I’ll stop sleeping with you.”

“You know what I learned about negotiations, love? Never make a threat you can’t follow through on, because then your opponent won’t take you seriously.”

Claire tucked her clothing into the dresser in her room.

She stumbled at that. Her room? Was she thinking about it as her room? Still, in the short time she’d spent there, it had already changed. A nicer comforter had been placed on the bed, one that held the scent of all three men. It was thicker, chasing away the chill of the evenings. New clothing had appeared in the closet, things similar to what she wore, ones holding different scents as if each man had picked out items. From Bryce, simple jeans with tears on the knees. Kaidan had added a large soft sweater. No surprise, but Joshua had left sleepwear, a red lace nightie that would show her ass if she bent forward.

They all said the same thing—the men wanted her to stay.

While they didn’t force her, didn’t pressure her, they wanted her. They did whatever they could to make her feel comfortable and welcomed. Food she’d kept in her own house appeared in the fridge and the shelves of the kitchen, telling her one of them had taken inventory at her house and supplied similar items.

It all made her feel wanted, something she’d never experienced. Owned, needed, sure, but never wanted.

“You don’t think I could cut you off?”

“No, love. I’m pretty sure I could convince you otherwise.”

Claire shut the drawer, wincing at the way her side ached.

As quickly as it happened, Kaidan was there. He took the last items in her hands and set them on top of the dresser. “You are done.”

“I’ve still got more to do.”

“No, you don’t. I will finish it for you, or you will do it later. Come on, lie down.” He guided her to the bed and maneuvered her until she sat on the bed, her legs forward. His hands went to her ankles and worked off her shoes.

“I’m not an invalid.”

“No.” He dropped her sneakers on the ground before pulling off her socks as well. “However, you were injured just yesterday, and you’re still healing. You need to take it easy.”

“I’m fine. I don’t need to be taken care of.”

“But I enjoy it. I don’t enjoy the reason that you’re hurting, but I do like taking care of you. It’s been a while since I’ve had that.” He used his thumbs to press into her insoles, easing muscle tightness in her feet. “Your side is hurting? Joshua said your ribs were bruised.”

“I hit the edge of the toilet when I fell in from the window,” she said, then couldn’t fight the chuckle and the absurdity of the statement.

“Show me.”

Her fingers went to the hem of her shirt without thought and lifted it. However, when she’d reached partway up, the angle caused her to pull in a hiss.

He moved up her body in a quick motion, catching her arm to keep her still. He trailed his other hand over her side, soft enough not to aggravate the bruise spanning her side. “This doesn’t make me very happy.” A heartbeat, then his soft lips pressed to the spot.

The touch did more than soothe the spot—it simmered inside her. As he continued the line of kisses along the bruise, along her side, over her ribs, Claire tried to hold back any sound. It melted away that side of her that refused such little kindnesses, that didn’t want the sweetness.

Even the sex, staying at the house with them, those were necessities. This though? It was a connection, something that slipped beneath her defenses.

He moved up and helped ease the shirt off the rest of the way. It revealed her, his blue eyes as disarming as his gentle touches.

Claire rolled closer, pulling him with a grip on the front of his shirt.

He allowed it, giving her what she wanted when she took a kiss. He didn’t try to change the kiss, to control it, content to give what she wanted, what she needed. Right then, it was more of his kisses, more of his soft lips against hers, his warm breath and solid body.

He helped move her over him so her thighs straddled him.

His body fascinated her as it always had. So much stronger than hers, so different. Where the others liked to control her, either directly or by words, Kaidan allowed her to just explore, to take, to have.

So, she took. She curled her fingers in to scrape her nails down his chest, soft enough to not break skin or leave welts.

A groan left him, his hips rising in reaction. Even so, his hands remained still to give her the control she needed.

Bryce had overwhelmed her, and she needed this control, needed the time to regain her footing, herself.

She went for his pants, wanting to feel him, wanting to take away the barriers between them.

He caught her hands. “You’re hurt, love.”

“I’m okay,” she whispered.

“Bryce isn’t a gentle man, and I’m sure he wasn’t gentle with you. Perhaps we should keep this easy.”

Suddenly, what he’d said made sense. How often had she been the one to plead? She’d asked, begged. Each time they’d stopped, they’d given her the choice, and each time she’d known what she needed and asked for that. Denying any of them seemed a ridiculous threat in the face of him already trying to slow them down.

“So we’ll go gentle.” Her forehead pressed to his. “But don’t turn me down.”

His laugh was soft. “I don’t think I could turn you down. We’ll go easy, though.” He rolled them until she rested on the side without the bruise, and he stretched out behind her. His breath warmed the back of her neck as he shifted down her pants.

Claire helped, kicking the pants off, then shimmying down her underwear fast enough that it aggravated her side.

He nipped her shoulder. “If you can’t behave, this will stop.”

“You couldn’t turn me down.”

“For your own good? I can. I have more self-control than you do.”

Claire scooted back, her bare ass rubbing against his crotch in a tease.

His growl answered, reminding her that while he had such a sweet side, he was also still an alpha. He cut the sound off. “At times I forget you’re as difficult as you are. Sometimes, I think of you as this fragile little omega, but then you do things like that, and I’m reminded you’re as troublesome as any omega can be.” He pulled his hips back, and the rustle of fabric said he’d disrobed. “But, if this what you want, well, you can have it, love.” With that, he pressed into her so quickly the breath rushed from her lungs.

He was thicker than Bryce, but even so, her cunt welcomed him. He didn’t set a hard pace, didn’t fuck her with the single-minded fervor Bryce had used, but instead offered slow and deep thrusts that didn’t jostle her.

He slipped his arm beneath her head, allowing her cheek to rest on his biceps, her back to press against his muscular chest.

It was odd that despite him being inside her, the closeness of it struck her as strangest. It wasn’t the mindless lust that happened during her heat. It was sweet and slow and something more.

His body moved against her, behind her. He slipped his other hand around her and pulled the cup of her bra out of the way. He traced her nipple until she arched forward for more. Her nipples hardened beneath his touch, and he closed his fingers into a pinch around one, tight enough to steal her breath.

As quickly as it happened, he released, walking his fingers down her stomach until they slid between her thighs.

She parted her curvy thighs for him without asking, without thought, an automatic welcome. He stroked her clit, coaxing it to swell beneath his expert touches. “You’re so soft,” he told her, his lips against her ear. “I like all these soft places on you, the way they give for me.”

“Why are you talking to me right now? I can’t pay attention.”

“Because it’s the only time you slow down long enough to listen.” He pressed a kiss to her ear, then quickened his pace. His cock speared her in harder thrusts, the girth enough to cause her toes to curl when he stroked against her.

Claire lifted her hand to his arm, and he interlaced the fingers of his hand beneath her head and hers. She closed her eyes, resting against his hold, against his body, against the closeness of the moment.

His breath warmed her neck, her cheek, and his tantalizing scent wrapped around her. Her own orgasm was close, but it was so much more than that. It went beyond some primal instinct of her body.

And that shook her. The idea this wasn’t just what she needed by biology. It wasn’t just instinct. This wasn’t some bond telling her she needed his body. It was more than that, and in that moment? It was her choice, too.

So Claire leaned back against his broad chest, allowed herself to accept the moment, to feel that closeness she’d sworn she’d never allow.

He angled her hips back as his knot grew so he could hook inside her snug pussy, not an inch of space between them. His knot was larger than Bryce’s, and as it widened inside her, it tested the limits of her cunt. A whine left her at the tight fit as he spread her, as he trapped her with his body. One last rock of his hips had her coming on his thickness, not even a sound escaping, air freezing inside her lungs. The orgasm rushed through her, triggered by the primal feeling of his cum filling her as her pussy squeezed down on him.

Kaidan kissed her shoulder as she caught her breath, his knot tugging at her, teasing her body. “Are you okay?”

Once she could think, she relaxed against him. “Are you always so—” A startled gasp left her when his dick jerked, when it forced her cunt to grasp around his knot again, pulling more cum from him. “—worried?” she finished when she could.

“Any smart alpha is. It’s not like I can get away, and being tied to an angry omega is a dangerous thing.” He played his soft lips across the side of her neck and the line of her shoulder. “So, are you all right? Nothing hurting? You’re due for another dose of medication in twenty minutes.”

“I feel…”

He didn’t prompt her, stroking his fingers up her side as he give her time to sort her thoughts out.

Finally, she sighed. “I don’t know. Confused? This isn’t the life I thought I wanted.”

“That doesn’t mean it isn’t a good one. Do you know what I expected to do when I was eighteen? I thought I’d be a teacher. I’d planned to go to school, get an education and teach third grade. I’d expected to have a mate, to have young of my own. Life doesn’t go the way we plan, but that doesn’t make it bad.”

“You’d make a good teacher,” Claire said, smiling at the thought of Kaidan dealing with a class full of children. She could see it and he’d have been great at it. “What happened?”

“I didn’t grow up in a family with money and that meant I needed to work more than I needed to go to school. The military was an obvious choice. By the time I got out, I met Bryce and Joshua and we started our company.”

“So no more mate idea, then? No more children plan?”

He slid his hand over her lower stomach. “I wouldn’t say no mate.”

The words had her freezing, the thing none of them had said out loud. They were…something, but a mate was official. It was the difference between dating and marriage. Matings rarely broke apart until one or the other died.

“Shh,” he whispered, not moving his hand still flat across her stomach. “Don’t think about it right now.”

She realized she had started to tremble. She could still leave with things as they were, but being their mate? That would bind them in a way she couldn’t just walk away from. “I don’t know if I can,” she admitted.

“You didn’t know if you could do this, yet you have. You’re braver than you think, love, and I have no doubt you’ll be able to do anything you want.”

“What if I don’t want that? What if I never want that?”

A shrug from him caused his still full knot to shift inside her, and she tightened her fingers on his arm in response. “Then I’ll spend the time trying to convince you.”

“And the other part? The children?”

“I would like children very much. I’ve always wanted them, but it’s never happened, never been the right time. I’ve never found a person I’d like that life with, a person I’d trust with my children.”

“And what about now? What sort of life would this be? How would that even work with Joshua and Bryce?”

“You think too much, Claire, worry too much. It would be a good life and any children would have a loving mother and three fathers willing to do anything to keep them safe. That’s a life we’d all like, don’t you think?”

She tried not to think back to growing up, but found herself answering. “It would have been better than mine.”

“How so?”

She swallowed hard, then stroked his arm to soothe herself. “I was tested as a baby for my designation. They ran the test when trying to figure out why I wasn’t gaining weight. It meant the school, my teachers, they all knew I was an omega at a time when most children wouldn’t know. They singled me out from the start, told me I had nothing in my future but being given to an alpha. My parents were betas, and they didn’t expect this. Not many betas end up having alphas or omegas, so they weren’t prepared.”

She didn’t even realize tears ran down her cheek until Kaidan nuzzled her, and the action had her continuing her story. “My sisters and brothers were all betas, so I was the odd one, and everyone treated me that way. My parents, my siblings, the teachers, the school. In the end, I think my dad was thankful to get the money from James for me, to get me out of the house, to end that stress. I never really belonged.”

A purr vibrated out of Kaidan’s chest, and she could feel it through her back where he pressed against her. “That sounds lonely. I imagine after James, after escaping, it would have felt the same. Have you ever not felt lonely? Ever felt a sense of belonging?”

“When I first got to town, an omega helped me. Her name was Penny, and she took me in, taught me how to hide, how to take care of myself, how to take care of others. She wasn’t my sister, but she was the closest thing I ever had to family.”

Silence slipped into the cracks between them, between her past and her future, between what she wanted and what she was brave enough to try.

Kaidan’s voice broke through and reached out to her. “We could be your family, Claire. We could build one, and you wouldn’t be lonely, not ever again.” He pressed a kiss to her neck, then settled in behind her, pulling her against him. “You just have to decide if that’s worth the risk.”