Forbidden: Part One – Chapter 25

I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror. I’d just showered, blow-dried my hair, and even applied a touch of makeup. I looked… happy. It was hard to even recognize the emotion on my face after the past few years of torture.

My heat had broken last night after my playtime with Ben and Theo, and I blushed thinking about it. I dropped my towel, wondering if my body had changed this past week. I bit my lip, hesitating before reaching my hand down to cup my vulva.

I’d had Ben’s fingers inside me, and Theo had brought me to orgasm with a vibrating dildo. I expected to feel different somehow, but I still felt like the same omega. A little smile quirked on my lips. An omega who might be addicted to orgasms.

My hand moved up to my stomach. For a moment, I fought the urge to check my side profile to see how much my stomach was jutting out today, but in the end, I couldn’t stop myself. I hadn’t eaten much during my heat, but somehow my stomach looked as huge and flabby as always. I sucked in, trying to make my stomach flat, but it refused to yield.

I faced the mirror head-on again, trying to shut down the cruel voices playing their familiar berating script. Why couldn’t I have a normal omega body—thin and beautiful and perfect like all my friends? It was completely unfair. But then… I’d gotten to spend the past week with three incredible alphas. Maybe I wasn’t so unlucky after all.

Shoving aside the panic I felt about my body, I pulled on the shirt Ben had given me—one of his—and a pair of underwear. The shirt was baggy, making me look even larger than I was. But then I remembered the lust in Ben’s eyes when he handed it to me with a whisper that he couldn’t wait to see me in his clothes.

Be brave. Go out there with confidence.

I gave myself one more look in the mirror before heading out of the bathroom. Ben was lying in bed—Theo and Cam had left to get us all breakfast from their favorite cafe. I told them I was feeling well enough to go out, but they insisted on me staying in bed.

Ben propped himself up, a wicked smile spreading across his face as he raked his eyes down my body. His eyes were heated, and I couldn’t stop my blush. I walked towards the bed, adding what I hoped would be a sexy swing in my hips, before crawling onto the mattress.

Ben held his arms out, pulling me flush with his chest. The moment I was in his arms, my anxiety melted away.

“You are so sexy,” he murmured, reaching down to cup my ass. “How did I get so lucky?”

I pressed my face into his neck, scent marking him. I thought being out of heat would make me less possessive, less needy for their touches, but none of that had faded.

“One of your courting gifts is arriving in about an hour,” Ben said.

I flushed, thinking of Theo’s gift yesterday. Was it wrong that I still wanted more?

“Unless you don’t want any presents. I’m sure we could return it,” Ben said teasingly at my lack of response.

I popped my head off his chest, my bottom lip automatically jutting into a pout. “You would take my presents away?”

“I don’t know, precious. Didn’t seem like you were interested.”

“No, I am,” I blurted out. “What is it?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure if I should ruin the surprise.”

“No, I think you should,” I said eagerly.

“The guys will be angry at me… but I suppose I could handle their anger if you give me something in exchange.”

“What do you want?” I asked suspiciously, taking in Ben’s gleeful expression.

“I want you to mark me,” he said, a slight blush creeping up his neck.

I raised my brows. Did he mean…?

“Umm… like a hickey,” he clarified.

Now it was my turn to grin. “You want me to give you a hickey?”

“Right here,” Ben said, pointing at a spot high on his neck.

My heart fluttered, and my omega preened with happiness. It hit me that she was ready to bond these alphas. She wanted to see her mark on them permanently. I knew I wasn’t there yet, wasn’t ready, but marking Ben in this way? Yes, that’s something I wanted.

“You drive a hard bargain,” I murmured, grinding myself against his hard cock. “But I guess it’s a fair trade.”

Ben’s eyes sparkled with delight, his grip on my backside tightening as I lowered my lips to his neck and started nipping and sucking. The taste of him was everything. I soaked up his scent as I sucked harder, wanting to make sure everyone would see my mark on him. He groaned, cupping the back of my head, holding me to him as he breathed me in.

“Feel what you do to me, precious? This is all for you.” Ben thrust his hips into mine, his cock rubbing deliciously against my clit. I pulled away, examining my handiwork. A deep red mark adorned his neck and I smiled, wiggling happily.

“How does it look?” he asked, eyes hooded.

“Like you’re mine,” I responded without thinking.

Ben’s lips parted and his expression turned tender. His fingers were featherlight against my face, running down across my lips before he captured them with his mouth. I got lost in his kiss, the taste and feel of him like lightning through my body. I tangled my fingers in his curls and tugged on them, needing to keep his face close to mine.

“Feels so good,” he gasped before nipping my bottom lip.

I whimpered, needing more.

“I’ve got you, precious,” he said, moving his hand down my body.

I arched into him as he tweaked my nipples, the hint of pain increasing my pleasure. My underwear was drenched and I perfumed, my scent filling the room. Ben licked the column of my throat and groaned. I was beyond reason, beyond coherent thought. All I knew was that I needed him closer to me, needed more of him.

“We need to stop,” Ben said between deep kisses.

I nipped his lower lip in protest and shook my head. He gripped my hips firmly, trying to hold me still on top of him, but all he did was increase my arousal.

“We need to stop so you can eat breakfast and then get ready for your present.”

The reminder that I was getting a gift helped me break through the fog of lust. I planted one more kiss on his lips before pulling away.

“What’s my present?” I asked eagerly, trailing my hand down Ben’s smooth chest.

“You’re so dangerous,” he said, a smile on his lips. “We’ll never be able to deny you anything.”

I flushed with pleasure.

“Our friend Jewel owns a boutique. She’s coming over so you can pick out things for your room and get clothes and other stuff.” He trailed his hands down my arms, his touch raising goosebumps on my skin even as a sick feeling settled in my chest.

“Who is Jewel?” I asked, trying to keep my voice even, but my omega felt vicious. Who was this woman and how did my alphas know her?

Ben’s brow furrowed in confusion, scenting my anger. Then a slow smile broke across his face.

“Jewel is just a friend. She’s an alpha. We’ve known her for years, but there’s never been anything between us.”

I sniffed. I guessed that was acceptable.

“You feeling jealous, precious?” he asked, pressing little kisses all over my face.

“No,” I said.

“Mmm, of course not.”

“Wait, Jewel is an alpha?” Female alphas were among the rarest designations, second only to male omegas.

“Yeah. She’s also part of the Alliance.”

Just then, the bedroom door opened and Cam and Theo walked in.

“What do we have here?” Cam growled, swiftly moving to pluck me from Ben’s grasp and settling me in his lap, my back to his chest.

“Missed you, sweetheart,” Cam said, kissing my forehead.

I snuggled into him, a smile tugging at my lips. He had missed me after being gone for less than an hour. Cam always wanted to be the one holding me, touching me. But we hadn’t done anything sexual since my first morning here. A spark of insecurity formed in my stomach. Did he not want me the same way?

I leaned against him, turning so I could press my nose against his chest. As I shifted, I felt his hardness against me and scented his arousal. I took a deep breath. He wanted me. I could feel that he wanted me. Was he holding back to be careful, or was there something else?

“We have a surprise for you today, love,” Theo said, kissing me gently before pulling food out of the brown paper takeout bags.

Ben and I exchanged looks. He shook his head as if to stop me from tattling on him.

“You told her?” Theo asked, exasperated.

“What?” Ben gasped in mock innocence. “I would never.”

I burst out laughing.

“She coerced me!” Ben said. “I’m not good under duress.”

“Duress!” I shot back. “As if. You wanted to tell me.”

Ben winked, ignoring Cam’s growl.

“What the fuck is that?” Theo asked, lifting Ben’s chin and taking in the hickey.

“A gift from my omega,” Ben said smugly.

Cam tightened his hold on me, twining his fingers in my hair. I glanced up at him, worried he was upset.

“You can mark me anytime,” he whispered in my ear. “In fact, I might insist on it.”

Theo handed me a container piled high with waffles, home fries, and scrambled eggs.

“What are we going to do with you two?” he asked, affection suffusing his voice.

“Feed us, tell us we’re pretty,” Ben responded, digging through the bag until he found his breakfast. “Yes! Pancakes! One of these days, I will figure out this recipe.”

“Have you always been this insufferable?” Cam asked Ben before turning his gaze back to me. “We can kick him out of the pack, sweetheart. You just say the word.”

I grinned. “Let’s keep him for now.”

I took a bite of a waffle and did a little happy dance at how good it was.

Cam grunted and grasped my hip to still my movements.

“Oh! Sorry. I’ll get up so you can eat breakfast,” I said.

“No,” he grunted.

“No?”

“No. Want you here.” He punctuated his words with a small thrust of his hips into mine, showing me just how much.

I rolled my eyes at his possessiveness, but a warm flush bloomed across my body. The breakfast in bed and courting gifts were amazing, but nothing could compare to just being wanted.

“We’re not going to Jewel’s shop?” I asked. “Wouldn’t that be easier?” I loved being in my nest, but I also felt a little antsy. My omega also loved the idea of being out with my alphas… of showing them off and maybe even them showing me off.

“She’s going to bring everything here,” Theo said, a soft smile on his lips. “That way, you don’t have to leave your nest.”

“She’s going to come in here?” I asked, my chest feeling suddenly tight.

“Yeah,” Ben said, swallowing a massive bite of food. “Concierge shopping service.”

I stiffened, my omega unsettled by the idea of another person, especially another alpha, in our room. What if she touched my nest? Even if she didn’t touch anything, her scent would be in the room. Right now, it was the perfect combination of all our scents—rich and sweet.

But the guys were looking at me, so pleased with themselves, I didn’t want to ruin it.

“That sounds amazing,” I said, trying to inject my voice with as much enthusiasm as I could muster.

“Why are you stressed?” Cam asked, pressing his face into my neck.

“I just… don’t want you to think you have to spend money on me.”

I wasn’t lying—money was a concern as well. Somehow, it felt easier to speak that worry out loud. Admitting that my omega was on edge about scents felt high maintenance. I needed to prove to them I wasn’t a nuisance, wasn’t ruled by my omega instincts.

“Baby girl,” Cam admonished, his lips brushing my ear. “We want to provide for you. We need to get you everything you want. It makes us happy.”

I sighed, forcing myself to relax again. Everything would be okay. And so what if Jewel’s presence made me feel stressed? I could get through it to please my alphas.

I was not okay.

After finishing breakfast, I dressed while the guys cleared the food. I’d tried to go downstairs but Cam stopped me, insisting I relax in my room because “omegas need their nests after heat.” A little prickly feeling started building under my skin and only intensified in the intervening hours.

Jewel arrived, her very presence commanding and pure alpha. She must have been over six feet tall with jet-black hair down to her waist and almost black eyes. Her scent was pleasant, like springtime flowers, but there was an unusual hint of metal mixed in, which gave me pause. I breathed through my mouth, trying to calm down and suppress my territoriality.

Jewel, to her credit, didn’t touch anything in the room and gave me space. She ordered the guys to bring everything she’d brought from her store up to the room, which was how I had ended up surrounded by pillows, blankets, lighting, and decor. The guys kept pulling more things out, asking what I thought about each item.

I was so fucking overwhelmed.

Theo decided I had to have anything I glanced at for even a moment. Previously, my possessions had fit into a couple of small suitcases. Now they were trying to buy me an entire store. It was too much. The cruel voice in my head kept up a steady monologue. One day, they’ll wake up and realize they don’t want you anymore and take all the stuff away. It’s not really yours.

A whimper escaped my lips, and my skin was tight and itchy. At the sound of my distress, all three guys flew to my side, petting me and asking what was wrong. Usually, I loved having my alphas close, but for the first time, it felt stifling.

“Nothing’s wrong,” I said, my voice cracking.

“Do you not like this bedding?” Theo asked, looking at the piles of soft blankets in front of me as if he were going to burn them for offending me.

“Are you hungry?” Ben asked. “I’ll make you something to eat.”

“Don’t worry about choosing your favorite blanket,” Cam said. “We’ll just get them all.”

My breaths started coming faster. Their scents, usually so soothing, felt thick and oppressive. I curled up tightly in my chair, wishing I could be alone in the dark closet with one of the blankets from my nest. I didn’t want any of the new blankets. They didn’t smell right. In fact, none of the new things smelled right. The room had been perfect this morning, and now there was a mix of clean, sterile scents that felt all wrong.

“Why are you crying?” Cam’s voice was panicked and loud, sending sharp spikes of his scent into the room. My omega whined, needing to fix the upset alpha, but I had hit my breaking point. I felt myself shutting down, disconnecting from the room and my body.

“For the love of god, it’s like watching a train wreck,” Jewel said dryly, a hint of amusement in her voice. “You three, out,” she barked.

Cam, Ben, and Theo were all in an uproar, arguing with Jewel, which made my tears come faster.

“You see what you three overbearing assholes are doing to her?” Jewel asked.

“Josie, love, what do you need? Just tell us how to help.” Theo crouched next to me, his hand resting lightly on my thigh. His question made me more anxious—how was I supposed to know what I needed?

“For fuck’s sake. If you want her to stop crying, get out of the room now. You can return when you’ve learned to listen to your omega.”

I wanted to say something—to apologize for freaking out, smooth things over, anything useful. But I was numb, floating outside my body.

It was a testament to Jewel’s alpha-ness that she got the guys to leave the room. They were shouting and swearing as they argued with her, but I was too far gone to understand what they were saying. The door shut and I was alone with Jewel, scared and awed by her authority.

Jewel eyed me critically and I cringed, wondering what she thought of me. She nodded sharply to herself as if satisfied by something.

“You are going to get in your nest,” she said.

She hadn’t used her bark on me, but I followed her instructions automatically. I sat in the middle of the bed, unsure what to do next.

Jewel sighed. “Put that blanket over you.”

She pointed at my favorite dark blue velvet blanket. It was soft and smelled most like my alphas. The second I pulled the blanket over me, the itchy, restless feeling faded away.

“Very good,” Jewel said. “You stay there. I’m going to move all these things downstairs. I told those idiots it wasn’t a good idea to have me here so close to your heat. Alpha males are more than useless.”

Jewel kept up a steady stream of insults—towards my alphas, males in general, and the government. Her angry mutterings lulled me into a sleepy daze. Every time she opened the door to remove another bundle of items, my alphas’ scents wafted over me. They were staying as close to me as Jewel would allow, and that filled me with tingly warmth.

“Okay, omega, everything’s cleared out. Time for you and I to have a chat.”

I poked my head out from under the blanket as Jewel dragged the armchair to the side of the bed, sitting on it like a throne. I’d never seen someone so self-assured. I moved to a seated position, waiting to hear what she had to say.

“Why would you let me into your room?” she asked.

“What?”

“You’ve just finished your heat. You’re brand new to this pack. Why would you let another alpha into your private space?”

I squirmed under the intensity of her scrutiny. How did she know what I was feeling?

“I didn’t want to be rude,” I said, my voice almost a whisper.

Jewel rolled her eyes. “And why the fuck not?”

I scrunched my nose, confused. “Why didn’t I want to be rude?”

“Yes. You’re an omega. You have needs. Your alphas are here to meet those needs. Those three overzealous, overbearing alphaholes out there are clueless.”

“They’re not clueless,” I said defensively.

A slow smile spread across Jewel’s face. “It’s cute seeing you defend them. Why didn’t you tell them what you needed? Why didn’t you tell them to back the fuck off?”

I paused, my thoughts tangled in my mind. Why hadn’t I spoken up?

“I didn’t want to be a nuisance,” I finally said.

“So you’re content to be passive? Let them make all the decisions for you?”

I frowned. “That’s not what I said.”

“Of course, alphas know what’s best for helpless little omegas.”

Anger flared through me, and I clenched my fists. “That’s not true.”

“Ahh, so you do have some fight in you,” Jewel said with satisfaction. “After how Luc described you, I didn’t expect you to be quite so pathetic.”

“I’m not pathetic,” I said without much confidence. Jewel just arched a single, disbelieving eyebrow.

“You know Luc?” I asked.

“I know everyone,” she said smugly, looking down at her perfectly manicured black nails. “He told me about this pain in the ass omega who convinced him to run an illegal self-defense class. And here you are, deferring to your new alphas at every turn. It’s weak.”

My cheeks heated in embarrassment. “You don’t know anything about me. You don’t know what I’ve been through.”

“Oh, please. Do you think you’re the only one who’s had a hard life? That you’re the only one the Designation Government has harmed?”

I inhaled a sharp breath as it clicked. Jewel’s odd scent, the almost artificial edge to it… had the government done something to try and change it?

“I’m sorry,” I said softly, blinking away the tears threatening to form.

Jewel snorted. “No one in this room is at fault for the shit they did to us. But you’re letting them win if you stop fighting.”

I wanted to protest what she was saying, but part of me recognized the truth in her words.

“Don’t you understand why the Designation Government is so fucking terrified of omegas?” she continued. “It’s because you rule alphas without even trying. Our biology pushes us to care for omegas, to do whatever we can to meet their needs and protect them. That doesn’t mean we’re mind readers. The three alphas plastered to the door are decent men. But that doesn’t mean they’re going to get everything right. They’re still men, after all.”

My lips quirked.

“If you want to stay on the sidelines and let your alphas make all the decisions for you, be my guest. But something tells me it’s not going to go well for any of you. Those three need to learn to listen. You need to learn to speak up.”

Her stern gaze was hypnotizing, and I found myself nodding. I had gotten so used to people seeing me as weak that I had started seeing myself that way, too.

“Now, I’ve left some things in the living room for you. Anything you don’t like, bring it back to the store. I’m going to go so you can get rid of my horrific stench.”

Her tone didn’t betray her emotions, but my heart clenched at her self-deprecating statement. How many times had I said or thought even worse things about myself?

“Your scent isn’t horrible,” I said.

Jewel arched her eyebrows. “You don’t need to lie to me, omega.”

“I’m not,” I insisted. “There’s a little artificial edge to it… almost metallic? But it’s not bad. And mostly, you smell like springtime. I like it… just not in my room.”

For the briefest moment, Jewel’s impenetrable mask fell. She looked stunned, as if she couldn’t quite digest what I’d said.

“You’re welcome at my shop anytime, Josie,” she said, her voice almost tender. And then she strode out of the room without a second glance.