He studies me for a long moment before his hand falls away.
“Let’s sit down.” He takes the lounge chair closest to us, dropping into it like he owns the air around him, the right choice for our faux pack alpha. “There’s something we need to talk about.”
I move to the other seat, but he gently catches my wrist and tugs me toward him. I hesitate, but he doesn’t push, just waits. So I let myself settle into his lap.
“We don’t know each other well, Ava, but you intrigue me.” He rests his hands loosely on my hips like he’s giving me room to decide. “Emily clearly cares about you, and I trust her judgement. Plus, you’re… well, you’re my scent match, and I don’t want to walk away from that. I’d like to get to know you. Court you, if you’ll let me.” His voice dips, rougher. “As my omega. Our omega.”
“I don’t know if I want to be an omega,” I whisper. The words surprise me.
He chuckles and wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me against him. “I don’t think you have a choice there, little inferno.”
I exhale hard through my nose. “I mean, I don’t want people to find out. I want to keep swimming. And go to the next Olympics. Living under the thumb of an alpha isn’t exactly on my bingo card. I may technically be an omega, biologically, butI’ve never been soft the way omegas are. I’m not like Emily. I’m not what you want, Declan.”
I try to stand up, but he stops me, keeping me locked against him. “How do you know what I want?”
“You’re an alpha.” I snap. “Of course, you want a sweet little obedient omega.”
He huffs a breath, not angry, almost amused. “No. I don’t. I like how blunt you are, how you speak your mind, know what you want, and go after it.” His fingers trail lightly along my arm, not grabbing, just reminding me he’s there. As if I could forget. “I loved the way you pushed back and fought with me before your heat. You got under my skin. You made me think about things I’ve never considered before.”
“Like what?”
“Like how it would feel to be an omega.” He says it without shame, like it’s just the truth. “Today, Knox and I picked up an entire box of suppressants and scent blockers. If you want them, I’ll give you some.”
I suck in a breath. “Really?”
“Yes.” He meets my eyes, steady as stone. “It’s your body, Ava. Your choice. I would prefer to take you to the doctor myself when we get back to the States, get you exactly what you need in a safe and regulated environment. But… I get it. I won’t take the choice away from you.”
I don’t know what to say. My brain’s trying to short-circuit around the wordchoice.
“I’ll protect you,” he says, softer now. “If you’re not ready to come out as an omega, if you’re not ready to bond with alphas, I’ll let you have what you need in order to buy yourself more time. On your terms.”
“You’d break the law for me?” I can’t believe what I’m hearing from the straight-laced officer.
“Yes.” No hesitation. “But I want you to know something first.” He leans in a little, voice dropping enough to wrap around me like the heat of a summer afternoon. “You don’t need to hide. You don’t need to be some stereotype of an omega. There are four people in this room who want you just as you are. And who will protect you and provide for you if you decide not to medicate your designation away.”
I don’t reply. I can’t.
He doesn’t push for more. He picks me up as he stands, sets me back down on the chair, and goes back inside.
I stay on the balcony alone, the wind tugging at my hair, the scent of salt and stars all around me.
And for the first time in a long time, I let myself wonder what it would feel like to be wanted. No masks. No walls. Just as I am.
51
LUCAS
The last three days have been everything I’ve ever wanted, and nothing I ever expected to have. We’ve had this unspoken agreement between the five of us not to talk about what happens after we dock. Don’t ask what comes next. Just live in the now. Pretend we’re already a pack, keep the act up, and let fantasy stretch as long as it can. It’s my fantasy, anyway.
Even Declan and Knox have managed to get along. Sort of. They’re still circling each other like two wolves who aren’t sure if they’re going to share a den or rip each other apart, but they’ve played nice. No punches, no yelling, no arrests. Progress.
We’ve all been sleeping in the big bed upstairs, crammed in like we’re afraid to break the spell. No more stiff necks from the couch, no more throwing blankets on the floor. We’ve talked late into the night—laughing, roasting each other, sharing the kind of stories you only tell in the dark when you're half-sure they’ll disappear by morning.
Whether on purpose or not, we’ve avoided anything too serious. We’ve spent all day in the pool, played shuffleboard, and danced at the club until our feet gave out. Ava won the limbocompetition against Knox and made him wear Declan’s swim trunks like a crown. It suited him, honestly.
And it wasn’t only fun. There were touches. Connections. Declan kissed me lazy and slow in the pool. Knox fingered Ava in the elevator while the rest of us ran interference. I went down on Emily out on the balcony with the ocean wind in our hair. Ava got Declan off under the dinner table with all of us pretending not to notice. We’ve fucked in every combination, on every surface of the suite even without Ava’s heat driving us.
It’s been heaven. Every part of it.
