Moore is still gripping my wrist, but instead of jerking me back down, he rises at my side. “You can’t keep him out, Ms. Vale. Not when they’re mates.”
Kennedy puts her hands on her hips, unrepentant. “She’s unmarked. Unregistered. There’s no legal bond here.”
I feel fury ripple across my skin like a desert wind. “Fucklegal. She’smine.”
“Or mine, if that argument works better.” I don’t know who gapes at Moore harder – me or Kennedy - but he just shrugs at the alpha female. “You accused Lily of stealing her slick. If that’s the case, Diana is my scent-match, right? Because I’m one hundred percent certain that the omega I smell on Lily is mine.”
“That’s bullshit. Given what she’s been through, the legal argument is flimsy, at best…”
She’s still glaring at us, but she doesn’t sound as certain as before, and I laugh, slapping Moore on the back. “He was a lawyer before he became governor. Good fucking luck winning this argument, Vale.”
She glares at me, but Moore is all business now. “You can’t have it both ways, Ms. Vale. If Lily has stolen her scent, then I deserve at least a conversation with Diana. And if she’s in heat, she should be with her alphas. Unless you have some claim we don’t know about.”
A growl rumbles in my chest, but Kennedy waves me off. “It isn’t like that, but she’s not alone, either.” She raises her brows at Moore. “And she’s being taken care of, I can promise you that.”
Jealousy bites me,hard. Who the fuck is up there with my mate?
Her brother? That useless beta? Some ring-in with a big knot, or one of those omega clinic hard-ons?
“The law is clear on this,” Moore goes on, as if unaware of my growing rage. “I can get a judge on the phone if you need to hear it from someone else.”
“Scent-matching doesn’t mean you get to touch her,” Kennedy replies, but I can hear the waver in her voice, and I try to rein my anger in. If she’s going to bargain with us, now is the time. She’s losing the legal argument, but she knows we’re both invested. I wait for her to demand money, a confession, maybe even a way out from under her brother’s bitch of a boss, but she just takes a step back. “Give me an hour and I’ll get back to you.”
“You have ten minutes,” Moore says in his clipped, this-meeting-is-over voice. “Omegas need their alphas, Ms. Vale. We shouldn’t have to tell you this.”
Kennedy grumbles something and runs a hand over her face, looking like she hasn’t slept in a week. “A conversation,” she says slowly. “I might be able to do that. Wait here.”
She turns and strides off, and it takes everything in me not to stalk after her. But the reporters in the corner are watching us, and the bartender looks like he’s about to lunge for a panic button. I grip the edge of the table, trying to breathe around my thrashing heart. Moore doesn’t sit back down, but he does sip his drink, his gaze on his phone. I can’t tell if he’s waiting for a text or counting down the minutes. “So, you believe us about the bitch?”
His eyes flick up to mine, and anyone who didn’t know him well would probably think he was as cool as the ice cubes clinking in his glass. “I’m… taking it under consideration.”
Fuck me. If I ever wanted to strangle the guy, now’s the time.
“But this isn’t about me,” he says quietly. “If she’s really your mate, then she needs you. And there’s not a force on this earth that should be allowed to keep you from her.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
At some point, a heat surge drags me up from the safe cocoon of sleep. I reach instinctively for comfort, but the guys on either side of me don’t stir as my needy fingers brush over their bodies. A whimper of protest builds in my throat, but the setting sun through the skylight carves deep grooves in their faces. They both look…exhausted, and my heart squeezes with regret. They’ve taken such good care of me, they’ve forgotten to look after themselves.
Even still, the next wave of empty, clawing pain has me on the verge of waking them. I have to dig my nails into my palms to resist, but I can’t stop the small gasps from falling from my lips.
Dex stirs, his movements sluggish as he tries to pull me close. As much as I want his caregiving, he needs to sleep more, and I force myself to roll to the edge of the mattress. Clutching a velvet pillow to my stomach does little to stem the next violent wave and I roll further, dropping off the side of the nest and onto my knees.
Oh, God…
The floor is well padded, but the shock still vibrates throughmy aching bones. Everythinghurts, and I almost claw my way back into the bed, but the guys have done enough. Flashes of molten skin, of limbs clutching and mouths clinging, play through my mind, and I suck in a gulp of my own bruised scent. As much agony as I am in right now, my heart swells with the knowledge that they’ve done everything they can to keep it at bay.
They’ve done so much for me, it feels wrong to leave them, but the rational part of my brain knows I’ll only hurt them if I stay. I’ve lost count of the number of times they’ve come inside me, pushing their bodies to the limit to satisfy my heat. But that ends now. I need to take care of this myself, even if it just means finding a distant spot in the suite and curling up into a ball.
As I crawl out the door, I consider grabbing something to eat, but nausea burns my throat at the thought of food. I’m empty, but not in a way that can be filled with anything as simple as a sandwich.
Kane.
This close to the edge, I can finally admit that I’m pining for my alpha. I want his strong arms, and the soothing comfort of his raspy growl. I want his thick knot buried deep inside me and I want his teeth in my throat as he claims me for himself. I don’t care about all the dreams I spun back at the center, trying to imagine my future life with my perfect scent match. I don’t even need a raw ride on a V-twin Softail. I just need Kane. Here. With me.
Longing almost overwhelms me as I make my way slowly down into the sunken lounge. A stunning sunset is bleeding into the mountains, but I keep my blurry gaze on Rowan’s box of toys. There’s another silicone knot lying on its velvet bed, but the sight just makes me cry harder. I want Kane’s knot, but I want his arms around me more. I want him to look at me like I’m his world, not this messy wreck of an omega…
Sniffling, I take a cherry sucker from its wrapper, pushing it between my trembling lips. Rowan said it helps with the cramps, and I drag the blanket from his trailer around me as I wait for it to work. I sniff the soft fabric, but his delicious cookie scent is all muddled with mine, and I squeeze my eyes tight. I don’t want to look at the dying day, or the distant mountains, or the box of helpful toys. I don’t want to see the confusing world outside, or to wonder where Kane is and why he hasn’t come to find me.
