Forbidden: Part One – Chapter 11

I downed my fourth cup of espresso, the caffeine hitting my system with a jolt. My hands trembled slightly as I set the cup down. I needed to get my anxiety under control before Josie arrived, but I felt like my heart was going to explode out of my chest.

I groaned, involuntarily running my hand through my hair. Fuck, now I have to fix it again. I stopped at the hallway mirror, trying to force my hair to look effortlessly styled as if that would somehow mask the chaos inside me.

I tried to block my anxiety from the bond I shared with my brothers, not wanting them to know how unmoored I felt. I couldn’t stop my racing thoughts, couldn’t stop obsessing about Josie. How had her night been? Did she resent having to move in with us? Would she be happy here? I wouldn’t feel settled until she was with us, preferably in my arms.

I sat down on one of the sofas in the sitting room and stared at the clock, willing time to go faster. The minute hand mocked me with its slowness. Sunlight streamed in through the large windows, illuminating the sparse room. We bought this house several years ago, falling in love with the historic charm and quiet of the neighborhood. None of us had cared much about the interior, filling it with furniture that was practical and not much else. It lacked the coziness and charm an omega deserved. At least everything was spotless. The welcoming smell of Ben’s baked goods wafted out of the kitchen, and the nesting supplies I’d purchased were waiting for our mate upstairs.

Yesterday I had gone to our friend Jewel’s high-end boutique while Cam took the first shift watching over Josie’s apartment. Jewel was a rare female alpha—one of only twenty in the entire province. We had known her for years and trusted her with our lives. She had greater cause to hate the Designation Government than most after what she had endured under their female alpha experimentation program.

Jewel had gifted me a rare smile when I told her we had found our mate.

“You finally going to have sex, then?” she had asked with a smirk.

A few years ago, I had confessed to her, late one night after copious drinking, that I was a virgin. She had cackled and teased me, but I knew she didn’t judge me. Jewel was all about breaking out of the strict designation expectations and living as freely as possible.

Under Jewel’s guidance, I purchased half the store, buying a huge variety of bedding and pillows for the nest, along with toiletries and clothes. She had also convinced me to buy a selection of sex toys, which had made me blush, much to her amusement.

I wished I’d had more time to research omega heats. What if the things I’d chosen weren’t right for her? I felt terribly unprepared to invite our mate into our home. I was still reeling from seeing her walk into the interview room. I hadn’t let myself hope I would ever get to see the angel omega from the grocery store again, but there she’d been. A clawing discomfort had settled in my chest the moment the medics took her away at the store. Now I could finally take a breath.

She had been gorgeous in her black jumpsuit, her delicious curves on full display… and I knew I was a goner. To my astonishment, I had grown hard when I scented her. I’d never felt instantly attracted to someone like that. After the interview, I refused to change out of my clothes, wanting her vanilla scent to surround me as long as possible.

I couldn’t wait to get to know her more. The questionnaire she submitted had been… interesting. So what if our girl had varied interests? I didn’t give a fuck. She was perfect.

I checked the clock again, and it was official: it must be broken—the hands weren’t moving at all. Irritated, I leapt up and started adjusting and re-adjusting one of the cushions.

Ben walked in, a tray of pastries in his hands.

“You’re worse than an omega in their nest with all your primping,” he teased.

“Like you’re any better,” I grumbled, knowing that he had a breakfast spread in the kitchen so elaborate it would put most restaurants to shame. “I just want her to feel at home.”

Ben set the tray down on the coffee table and turned to me, taking me in.

“It’s going to be okay,” he said gently.

“I know,” I said, shoving the offensive cushion back on the couch and moving to leave the room. Before I could take a step, Ben launched himself at me, wrapping his arms around me in a tight hug.

“Cam!” he yelled.

“Fuck, what are you doing?” I asked, trying to push out of his hold.

“We need Cam,” he said. “Cam!”

“You’re going to burst my eardrum,” I grumbled.

“What are you shouting about?” Cam asked as he entered the room.

“We need a group hug,” Ben announced.

To my surprise, Cam didn’t protest. He came over to my other side and wrapped his arms around us.

“I know we’re all stressing,” Ben said. “But it’s going to be okay. We have each other. We’ll figure this out together. We’ve just got to focus on Josie.”

I allowed myself to relax into the embrace. I couldn’t remember the last time we hugged like this. Ben thought he lacked emotional depth—he sometimes made these self-deprecating comments about himself that killed me. I knew the truth. My brother was kind and thoughtful and often intuitively knew what Cam and I needed.

After a few minutes, we pulled apart. I opened myself up to the bond and could tell we all felt more settled.

Cam snorted. “You really thought you could hide that you’re anxious from us?”

“I guess not,” I said, chagrinned.

“You know you don’t have to do that,” Cam said gruffly, crossing his arms.

I nodded. I hadn’t been allowed to show any weakness growing up. I hid my anxiety from my family, but Cam and Ben had always known my struggles and supported me. Sometimes, though, I fell into old habits and tried hiding what I felt from them.

“Is the nest set up?” I asked, needing to change the subject.

“I put all the bedding and supplies near the bed and hung up those lights,” Cam responded. He surveyed the living room and gave an approving nod.

An article I found about nests suggested omegas enjoyed softer lighting, so we’d gotten string lights to hang around the room.

“I can’t believe we’re having to host those two assholes,” I said, referring to Josie’s pack fathers.

Jericho and Richard Porter were well known in Alliance circles for being power-hungry, designation traditionalists. We’d had the misfortune of running into them at a dinner party last year. We hadn’t spoken beyond our frosty introductions, but I remembered thinking how smarmy they were. They kept their personal lives private, which wasn’t unusual for politicians who worried public scrutiny could put their families in danger, particularly if omegas were involved. I hadn’t even known they had an omega daughter until I read Josie’s file right before the interview.

Sympathy rolled through me, thinking about what she must have experienced growing up. Just the other day, Jericho had been on the news talking about how the current Designation Laws were too lax and omegas were destroying the very fabric of society with their sex-obsessed manipulations. Now, rage pumped through my veins, knowing that my mate’s family had betrayed her with their political actions. The only thing keeping me grounded was knowing we would protect her from them moving forward.

While my packmates and I kept our political involvement quiet to deflect attention from our role in the Alliance, it was clear we weren’t traditionalists. I hoped Richard and Jericho wouldn’t make today’s meeting difficult for Josie. I hated that she would arrive with her parents, and we would have to wait even longer before we could talk with her freely.

“They’re the fucking worst,” Cam agreed, clenching his hands tightly. I stared pointedly at his fists.

“I’m not going to do anything,” he said with an eye roll. I nudged him in the side with my elbow and he shoved me as we moved towards the foyer. We stood at the large dining room window, keeping an eye on the driveway.

Time was finally on my side as a luxury BMW pulled into our circular driveway. Jericho exited first from the driver’s side, with Richard shortly following from the passenger’s side and Josie’s her mother exiting from the back seat. I held my breath as I waited to see Josie. Finally, she emerged from the car.

Josie wore a frilly blue dress with long, lacy sleeves and a full skirt. The top of the dress was tight and pressed up her breasts, which was hot. But the dress didn’t seem to suit her, and as I took in her face, I noticed she looked uncomfortable and unhappy. My heart clenched with the fear that maybe it wasn’t just the dress… maybe she was unhappy because she didn’t want us.

Josie’s mother rounded the car with a furious expression on her face. She gripped Josie’s arm, jerking her closer. Once her mother had turned away from her, Josie’s scowl transformed into a heartbreakingly vulnerable expression, and I thought I saw her blinking back tears. I clenched my jaw as Cam growled next to me.

Josie’s pack fathers ignored the altercation between their bonded and daughter, looking distinctly bored. Jericho checked his watch before saying something to his daughter, his lips curling with disdain. Josie’s shoulders curved in, and her parents left her to drag her small suitcase out of the boot of the car while they all moved towards the front door.

My blood pressure rose, witnessing how our mate’s family treated her.

“Don’t give them any reason to take her away from us,” I quickly reminded my pack brothers as our combined rage vibrated through the bond.

Everything in me screamed to pull my mate into the house and lock the door behind her, leaving her parents on the front porch. And then it could start pouring down rain. With lightning. A little electrocution of your enemies never hurt anyone.

The knock at the door jolted me out of my thoughts. Ben rushed to welcome our guests, pulling Josie into a hug the second she crossed the threshold. My insides melted when I saw her cheeks flush pink at Ben’s exuberant greeting. We could get through this meeting. How hard could it be?