Knot Your Damn Omega (Slate City Omegaverse)

The shower was something I actually got to appreciate this time around. It was big enough to fit all of us, with heads coming from every direction, including straight down. I didn’t really want to wash all of them off me, but the hot water felt good on my exhausted muscles. And right now I was so covered in them the only way I was going to not have their scent on me would be to use scent cancellers.

Yeah. No fucking chance.

I washed my hair with one of my gifts. The basket was still on the counter in the bathroom. From Rylan, it was filled with everything from shampoo and body wash to bath bombs in a whole rainbow of colors. Lotions, too. It wasn’t lost on me that the scents he’d chosen resembled everyone in the pack.

The shampoo I chose smelled like strawberries enough to remind me of him, and I chose it for that reason.

The socks Avery bought me were in the laundry. They’d had to be after surviving a few rounds of the heat, but I wanted them back. They were soft and comfortable.

The others hadn’t quite given me their gifts yet, and my stomach flipped. I wanted to say I didn’t want them or didn’t deserve them, but I did want them. I wasn’t a person who needed things to be happy—it wasn’t about that—it was that they’d thought about me and what might make me happy.

I rinsed out my hair and wrapped it up in a towel before finally turning off the water. It felt like I’d pushed myself too hard on a run, but for five days straight, and in a way I had. My pseudo-heats weren’t nearly as exhausting even though they were way more painful.

There was a soft knock on the door from the hallway as I dried myself off. No sense in being modest with them now. “Come in?”

Luke poked his head in and smiled. His own hair was damp, but he was wearing clothes, and there was a small part of me disappointed by that. Still, the sweatpants and t-shirt he had on showed me everything I needed to see.

He had one hand behind his back. “Have a good shower?”

“Yeah. My body feels like I’ve run three marathons.”

“Ours too.” He stepped in and shut the door behind him. “Time for my gift.”

“What is it?”

He shook his head slowly. “Close your eyes.”

I did, startling when he pulled my towel away. “This seems like a different kind of gift than I thought.”

“Such a sassy little Omega. Don’t tempt me. I’m perfectly willing to bend you over this sink and take you again.”

But he didn’t. Instead, I felt fluffy softness over one arm, and then the other. It completely enveloped me. “You can open.”

I did, and took in the robe I was now wrapped in, a beautiful shade of violet. “This feels so nice.”

“I thought so.” Luke took the sides of the robe and closed it and tied the belt all while his arms were around me, and when he was finished he didn’t remove them.

“This was at the nesting store?”

“Mhmm. There’s a whole section devoted to pampering Omegas. We would have taken you down there, but you didn’t have that kind of time. We’ll go back next time.”

He rested his chin on my shoulder. He had to lean down to do it, but I liked it, especially the way he was meeting my eyes in the mirror, just holding me like it was natural.

“The way you were in the heat…” I looked away. “I didn’t see that coming.”

“Is that a bad thing?” The words were careful.

“No. Not at all. But when Avery said some of you were more dominant than others, I just didn’t think it would be you. Kade, I figured. And Avery. I wasn’t sure how you’d be.”

Luke turned me around and lifted me to sit on the sink so he could stand between my legs. “I’m glad you don’t mind.”

No, I didn’t ‘mind.’ That was the most mild description I could think of to describe the way I’d reacted. “How far does it go?”

“How do you mean?” His hands were on the counter beside my hips and he was leaning into me. I could feel him between my legs, our bodies separated only by the thin fabric of his sweatpants.

Swallowing, I had to remind myself I wasn’t in heat for a second because the urge to reach down into his pants was so strong. “I mean, is there a secret dungeon in the mansion I don’t know about? Am I going to be in your bedroom and find whips and chains?” I laughed. “Not that it’s a deal breaker, I’m just curious. I think it’s probably something we would have talked about if my heat hadn’t come on so quickly.”

“Yes, it is something we would have talked about. And no,” he chuckled. “I don’t have a dungeon or whips or chains. Well, that’s not strictly true. I do have some handcuffs and rope. I can’t remember the last time I used them, though. Does it bother you?”

“Nope. In case it wasn’t exquisitely clear, I loved it. It wasn’t just the heat. I’ve just never done anything like that.”

Lifting a hand, he tugged the towel off my hair and ran his fingers through the damp strands. “I love being able to create a space safe enough to let go and trust. And just to reassure you, I haven’t done it often.”

My cheeks flushed. He answered my worries before I could even voice them. I didn’t want him to stop, and I felt silly for worrying about anyone else after they spent four days locked in a room while I begged them to fuck me. “I’m sorry I’m so…” I sighed. “Whatever the hell you want to call it.”

He kissed me, catching my mouth with his. Fresh mint mixed with his ocean-like scent. “I don’t want to call it anything, sweetheart. There’s nothing wrong with you, and certainly nothing you need to apologize for.”

I turned my head to lean on his shoulder. “Okay.”

Wrapping his arms around me fully, he held me quietly for a few minutes. It was nice to just rest, wrapped in his scent and the softest robe on planet earth.

“If you ever want to tell me about it,” he said softly. “I’m happy to hear it.”

“Not yet.”

“Fair enough.” A hand stroked down my spine. “As for the other thing. I like to be in control, but it doesn’t have to be anything you don’t want it to be. It’s not a requirement.”

I shook my head against his shoulder. “I like it. It’s hard for me to stop thinking sometimes, and I like not having to worry.”

Luke laughed once. “You do worry a lot, little Omega.” He pulled back and pressed his thumb to the crease between my eyes, smoothing out the worry line there. “But I’d like to explore it with you. If there’s ever anything I do—hell, that any of us do—that makes you uncomfortable, tell us. This is about finding what works for all of us.”

Because they were courting me and wanted to keep me. “It doesn’t feel real,” I admitted.

“We’re very real, and no matter if we make light of it, we’ve been waiting a long time for you. I don’t say that to put pressure on you. I say it to tell you how serious we are about this courtship. It’s not a fling, and it’s not all of us liking your scent and figuring we’d have a go.”

My eyes slid away from his instinctually. Luke didn’t let me get away with it. He curled his fingers into my hair and firmly guided his gaze back to his. “I know talk like this makes you uncomfortable because you’re so used to thinking no one wants you, but I need you to hear me and believe it. If you understand, tell me ‘Yes, Alpha.’”

The command in his tone was just shy of a bark. Not compelling me, but offering the dominance we’d spoken of as a lifeline. Let him lead me to where I needed to be and start the journey of getting my head around them and what was happening between all of us. “Yes, Alpha.”

Luke’s eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled. “Good girl.”

My stomach swooped, and I groaned. “I shouldn’t like it when you guys say that. But, fuck me, I do.”

“Why shouldn’t you?”

“I—” Luke looked at me expectantly, and I tried to find the right way to explain it. “Because I’m a woman, not a girl? People would turn it into something it’s not meant to be. They always find a way to make it look bad.”

He nodded. “I agree. You are an incredible woman. But in this house with us, there’s no one else to make it seem like what it’s not. I’ll stop if you want me to, but I like the look in your eyes when I tell you you’re my good girl.”

The words brought out a soft whine, and he laughed. “Should I take that as you wanting me to keep saying it?”

“Yes, please.”

Luke winked. “Good girl. Now let’s get you some food.”

He lifted me off the counter and held me in his arms, pushing the door open with his foot. We made our way slowly downstairs, and already I could smell something amazing.

“Just not in public,” I said. “I can’t—I don’t want them to know.”

“Esme, look at me.” Luke’s face was serious. “No one in this pack has any interest in making your life anything but perfect, and we certainly don’t want to make it harder by giving the idiots with cameras who exploit you to make a living more ammunition.” He lowered his voice. “You’re my good girl, and maybe I’ll share you with the pack. But you’re no one else’s.”

I was pretty sure my whole body turned pink with pleasure.

Everyone was in the kitchen, and the smell of Italian made my mouth water. Ben was at the stove minding a boiling pot of water, and Rylan was with him stirring sauce. The oven was on, too. “Is that garlic bread?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Kade, take over for a second,” Ben said, grinning at me. No one batted an eye that I was naked, in a robe, and in Luke’s arms. “Can I borrow her for a minute?”

Luke passed me over and I squeaked. “I can use my own legs.”

“You can,” Ben said, sitting with me at the table. “But I don’t find it necessary at the moment. Now, this isn’t my heat gift, but it’s something you and I both need.”

“Oh?”

From behind me, he pulled a cupcake out of nowhere. “As far as I remember, you still haven’t had your cupcake.”

My eyes went wide. “No, I never got one.”

Maneuvering me so he could use both arms, he peeled the paper off. “Open.”

“Ben, you don’t have to feed me the cupcake.”

“Oh, I think I do.” His voice was a low purr.

I opened my mouth and took a giant bite of the cupcake in his hand and moaned. He was right, something about finally getting the hit of both cake and sugar after wanting it for days was so fucking satisfying.

“That’s really good.”

“Bet your ass they are.” He fed me another bite, and the lust in his eyes was enough to send me into a second heat. He kissed me on the last bite, stealing some of the frosting with his tongue. One hand cradled my face, keeping me where he could kiss me, and I faded into the true scent of vanilla.

“There are more, right?” I asked when he released me.

“Yes.”

Avery pointed at the two of us. “But maybe some real food first, considering we’re all running on fumes?”

He had a point, but damn if I didn’t want another cupcake.

“You need your strength,” Avery said, looking pointedly at me. “For tomorrow.”

“What’s happening tomorrow?”

Rylan turned. “Shopping. This time for your room.”

My mouth popped open. “You guys don’t have, like, an air mattress or something?”

They all burst out laughing, and Ben started purring, nuzzling into my hair. “Our Omega isn’t going to sleep on an air mattress.”

“Okay, but hear me out,” I said, sitting up straighter. “I don’t know how much money you spent on the nest, but I know that stuff isn’t cheap. Furnishing a bedroom so large is like an entire apartment. You don’t need to spend that kind of money. I’ve got money.”

I had plenty. My paintings sold well and when my father died, both Eva and I received extremely generous inheritances. When my mother passed, we’d get more. I didn’t need them to go broke for me.

Kade looked at me. “Absolutely not.”

“Let me make you feel better,” Ben whispered. “There’s not one person in this room whose talent doesn’t bill out for four figures an hour. And on top of that, I come from a family like yours. I consider it the pack’s money, but we’re not wanting for it.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

I pressed my lips together. “Okay, fine. Because you guys aren’t going to let me protest. But—”

“No buts.” Avery cut me off. “We know there aren’t any official rules to courtship. This is one of ours. We fully intend to spoil you. So when we go tomorrow, you won’t be looking at prices. The only thing you need to think about is what you want.”

Instinctually, I nodded, my Omega responding to the Alpha’s command. I did feel spoiled. I had five men who were bending their lives to fit me into it. Hell, they’d already made space for me and were begging for me to fill it in.

Another thought froze me. “What if we’re followed?”

“By photographers?”

“Yeah.”

Kade looked at me. “We’ll call the store and see if they can give us a discreet entrance. But we can’t guarantee we won’t be seen forever, baby. They’re going to find out sometime.”

That was true, as much as I didn’t want it to be. “It’s not that I’m ashamed to be seen with you, I promise.”

“No one was thinking that,” Ben said.

“I just don’t want to share you yet.” But there wasn’t a way to get around it. The paps were hungry for more of the ice queen, and even with a discreet entrance wherever they were taking me, it wouldn’t be long until someone called them.

“Whatever they write about you, I’m sorry. It probably won’t be nice. Or it might be fine about you. I don’t know what they’ll think.”

“Nor does it matter.” Luke settled in the chair across the table. “The whole world doesn’t know our names, but we’ve had our fair share of press. It’s never fair, never flattering, and never actually about you.”

The oven door opened and I was hit with the amazing smell of garlic bread. Suddenly, my mouth was watering and I was ravenous. We’d eaten during the heat, but I could still consume an entire restaurant by myself.

“Food’s ready,” Rylan called.

Ben finally set me beside him on my own chair, kissing me on the cheek before he let me go.

Kade brought the pot of pasta, Rylan brought the sauce, and Avery was the bearer of the garlic bread which currently had a hold on my soul.

“Let’s eat,” Kade said, but looked at me. “Don’t worry, Esme. We’ve got you, no matter if there are photographers. We knew who you were before we started this, and some photos or bad headlines aren’t enough to make us change our mind.”

The way he said it, so matter of fact, flattened any remaining worry in my chest. They’d decided, and that’s the way it was. Just like when I’d told Luke I liked to let go, it didn’t have to be sex. This blissful, worry-free space I was existing in was new, but I loved it.

So I took a breath, put all the thoughts about tomorrow aside, and we ate.