Chapter 5

I watched Isolde lead us through a house that could easily be used as the set of a film. Our house was lovely, and not too far from here, but this was an entirely different level. Which made sense. Adelaide Allen Caruso was known across the world for her design skills.

Something you couldn’t really appreciate unless you saw the details up close.

It was impossible not to look at Isolde as she walked—all of her. From the curves those leggings hugged to the slight hunch in her shoulders that told me she was uncomfortable. I’d never wanted to be a piece of spandex so badly. Especially now that I knew what was happening.

Isolde smelled incredible. Something intangible that made me want to draw her closer and dig beneath the surface to figure out what made her tick. What made her moan.

Not to mention that fucking list she gave us told me she wanted exactly what I could give her.

As soon as we stepped out of the airport and Vaughn had Isolde far enough ahead of us, I turned on Joel. “What the fuck is going on with all of you?”

His expression rested somewhere between terror and awe. “She’s ours.”

I stopped walking, nearly tripping over my feet. “What did you just say?”

“She’s ours, Cade. She’s our match. Scenting her feels like a battering ram in the gut.”

Not for the first time, I wished my designation was different. Isolde smelled so fucking good, but I couldn’t ever feel what Joel described. I’d never know what it was like to know with utter certainty someone was meant for me, no matter how much I wanted it.

“You’re sure?”

“He’s sure,” Rowan said from behind me. “It’s true.”

I looked again at the small Omega. Her bright red hair tousled like she’d taken a turn at the mile high club. Her unsure smile. Her fucking incredible scent.

One thing was certain: I’d never scented anyone like her before. It did hit me differently. Maybe there was something my soul recognized too, and I wanted it. Even if I couldn’t, it wouldn’t matter. If she belonged to my pack, she belonged to me. End of story.

No one in my pack had ever cared that I was a Beta. We belonged together as surely as the woman in front of us belonged.

Rowan’s hand came down on my shoulder. “She’s yours too.”

I pressed my lips together, rolling my shoulders back. “Thanks.”

“Now we just have to figure out a way to tell her that doesn’t make her run,” Joel said quietly. “Something happened to her. Clearly.”

This I could work with. We needed a plan, and I was good at making plans. Figuring out puzzles, too. Isolde was a puzzle. Relief flowed through me as I walked the rest of the way to the car. “We’ll figure it out.”

Now, as we followed her through the house, I reviewed what I knew about her. Sure, the client questionnaire told us a lot, but it was basic information. Things you might find on a dating profile or a job interview. It didn’t tell us about her soul or who she was when no one was watching.

It didn’t tell me why she seemed so nervous about being here, in a home with a family who clearly loved her. It didn’t tell me why the idea of staying in the same room as us made her panic.

All it made me want to do was get my ropes and tie her up so I could pleasure her until she gave me true answers. And maybe let me replace whatever thoughts made her shoulders cave in like that.

My phone chimed in my pocket. The pack group text.

JOEL

I’m refunding her money immediately. Any objections?

That made sense. As far as we were concerned, Isolde wasn’t a client. She was ours. We weren’t going to take her money while we were courting her and trying to figure out how to tell her who she was to us.

Ahead of me, Hawk checked his phone and typed a response.

HAWK

You don’t think she’ll notice? I don’t care, I just don’t want to blow the play early.

JOEL

I don’t think she’ll notice. She seems overwhelmed, and while she’s here, we’ll be taking care of things.

I typed my response.

CADE

No arguments from me.

The others gave a quick thumbs up in the chat.

“It’s right here,” Isolde said, gesturing to a set of tall double doors. Intricately carved wood that somehow didn’t seem out of place.

She pushed one open, and we followed her inside.

It was basically an entire house. A kitchen, living room, and covered veranda that overlooked the back of the estate and down to the ocean.

A man in a dark suit was rolling our suitcases into what must be the pack bedroom. The one that made her nervous. “Thank you, Geoffrey,” she said.

“Of course, Miss Allen. It’s good to have you home.”

She went out onto the veranda and leaned against the marble railing. I recognized the pose. Her head dropped, shoulders rising and falling. She was overwhelmed. This, I could handle.

I held out a hand to the others, telling them not to follow before I joined her. It was a risk to touch her, but Vaughn was right. She couldn’t jump every time we made contact if she wanted this to work.

And we wanted to keep touching her long after this.

I let my hands gently land on her hips before placing them on the railing on either side of her, lining our bodies up together. “You okay?”

“Of course.”

Laughing once, I covered her hands with mine, seeing how far she’d let me push. Isolde stiffened, but she didn’t pull away. So I intertwined our fingers before wrapping her arms around herself so I was hugging her too. “Take a breath for me.”

“I’m breathing.”

“Isolde.” I let my voice drop into a place of command. She might not understand that she needed it, but I did. “Take a breath.”

She did, body expanding in my hold. The softness of her against me was so damn tempting, I couldn’t resist leaning down to press a kiss to her neck. “You seem overwhelmed.”

“That’s an understatement.”

“Why?”

She huffed out a breath. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll be fine.”

Turning her in my arms, I pushed her back against the railing and met her eyes. Green, but soft. On the grayer side. Like moss on stone. Utterly fucking captivating.

Her scent whirled around us, and I held back my smile. The little Omega was far more affected by us than she let on. The entire car ride I inhaled breath after breath of it, and I’d been about five seconds from pulling her into the back seat and testing her commitment to abstinence when we pulled into the driveway.

“Do you know why we do what we do?” I asked.

She raised one eyebrow. “Money?”

“It helps,” I acknowledged with a grin. “But no, not entirely.”

“Then why?”

“Because each of us knows what it’s like to go through something alone, and desperately need someone to be there with you. Especially if someone is going to judge you. The fear climbs up your spine and your throat and it feels like your lungs are so full of rocks you can’t take a full breath.

“And all you want is someone to stand in that space with you. We like taking care of people.”

Isolde looked at me skeptically. “You’re telling me that all of you do this because you want to help people and not because you’re all really fucking hot and can have sex for money?” Her voice lowered on the last words, like there was anyone around who could hear her.

I smiled. “There’s actually a lot less sex involved than you might think. But I’m glad to know you think we’re hot.”

Her cheeks turned a delicious shade of pink. I wanted to see that pink on every inch of her body. Preferably while bound and squirming in my ropes.

“I want to make something clear,” I said gently, gripping her hips. “You came to us, and we said yes. That doesn’t mean we just show up and pretend to be with you while ignoring who you are and what you need. Sorry if that’s what you thought was going to happen.”

A whole new kind of fear bloomed on her face. “I’m not interested⁠—”

I lifted my hand to her cheek, silencing her. “I know. We know.”

“So…”

Our bodies were already lined up. I just closed the distance, pressing mine into hers just enough to feel her gasp. I smothered my own reaction. She could claim she wasn’t interested all she wanted—we would happily wait.

“So, you called us. And people rarely call us because it’s easy and things are going well. We’re here to help you. Let us in. Let us take care of you while we’re here.”

I watched her eyes gloss over with tears and how she tried to blink them away. “I don’t know how to do that. I didn’t… expect that. I just can’t be alone. Not when⁠—”

She caught herself before she admitted the truth, but I waited, letting the silence draw out. She needed to be the one to fill it.

Isolde hadn’t told us why she wanted us here. Joel said she had cried when she called, begging us to help her for this three week stretch. But as to why? She’d given no clues.

“I promise you. Whatever it is, we can handle it. And we’re not going to judge you for it.”

She swallowed, and I followed the movement with my gaze. The longer I stood here pressed against her, the harder it was to keep myself in control. But I had no doubt she was mine. No other Omega had ever captivated me like this. Her scent, her eyes, the way she breathed.

Mine.

Her teeth worried her bottom lip, and she looked away before she finally spoke. “My ex is the best man. He dumped me out of the blue a year ago. Now he’s engaged, and I didn’t want to be the sad, lonely Omega who everyone looked at with pity. Like I wasn’t good enough, even if it’s true.”

Anger flared through me. No fucking wonder she was overwhelmed. This was her home, and it didn’t fucking feel safe for her. I wasn’t surprised she tried to keep the idea of sex and happiness at arm’s length—she’d been hurt. Her heart butchered. And now she was going to see that heartbreak paraded in front of her for the next three weeks.

“How long were you together?”

“Four years.”

Fuck. That was a long time to recover from. Her words were a pained whisper, and my own burned in my chest. “Do you want him back?”

Please say no. Please say no.

Isolde shook her head. I felt dizzy with the pure gratefulness that dropped through me. Waiting for her was one thing. Helping her win back an ex who clearly didn’t deserve her was another.

“No, I don’t. I just don’t want everyone to stare and wonder what’s wrong with me. Or give me their condolences. Or tell me this should be my wedding and not Ellie’s.”

Shifting my hand from her cheek to the back of her neck, I pulled her closer. “Thank you for telling me. Do you mind if I share it with the others?”

“That’s fine. I know it’s pathetic, not being able to face an ex. It’s not like I’m pining for him. I just⁠—”

I closed the remaining distance between us again and dropped my lips onto hers. Fully this time. Isolde froze, stiff against me, before she absolutely melted. She tasted as sweet as her scent, hands coming up to brace against my shoulders like she wasn’t sure if she wanted to shove me away or haul me closer.

The plush softness of her lips under mine, her body under my hands… I was a goner. Tightening my grip on her neck, I deepened the kiss, tracing her lips with my tongue, savoring the little gasp that let me in.

Isolde tasted so fucking sweet. Would she taste like this everywhere?

She let go. I felt the moment it changed. Her lips and tongue turning from hesitant to desperate, hands finally pulling me closer. Yes.

Fuck, I wanted to kiss her forever, and I couldn’t.

Pulling back, I pressed my forehead against hers. “Not wanting to face someone who ripped your heart out isn’t pathetic. Far from it. And we’re not going to let anyone look at you with a shred of pity, Isolde. The only thing your ex is going to see is the fucking radiant Omega he left behind, and he’ll regret the day he did. I’ve only known you for an hour and I already know he doesn’t have a clue what he lost.”

The hope in her eyes was painful. All I wanted to do was kiss her again so I could take that pain away. Push her up against one of these columns and show her how good it could be.

“Clearly we’re interrupting something,” a voice said from behind us.

I turned, seeing a familiar face, and suddenly this adventure made a lot more sense.