Frenzy (The Omegaborn Trilogy 1)

Chapter Nine

Raven

Ivan carried me a fair distance away to a small, clear lake surrounded by trees. It was its own little oasis, hidden away in the depths of the jungle. My body felt small in his arms as he held me close, keeping me warm against the gentle forest breeze. When we arrived, he had put me down on the soft, sandy bank and I walked into the warm water on my own. I was naked, but it didn’t bother me like I expected it would. He wore only his leather pants, leaving his chest uncovered. I caught myself studying him and admiring the form of his body—strong, wild, and decidedly male. He quickly undressed and joined me, taking the water in his palms and slowly passing it over my skin. It felt like luxury.

“I wish I had something to wash with,” I whispered, and he chuckled. He reached out beside us and broke off a white flower growing on top of the water.

“Nature gives us everything we need,” he murmured, while crushing the petals in his palm. He then took a soft yellow leaf off of the same plant and placed it in his palm with the crumpled flower. Taking his hands, he pressed and then rubbed them together and at once, a sweet flowery scent reached my nose. When he opened his fingers, a soft soapy residue was left behind, and I gasped in wonder.

“That’s incredible,” I whispered. He just grinned.

He rubbed it into my skin and hair, cleansing away the dirt and residue from the past few days. His fingers dug into my scalp and I moaned, the feeling heavenly. His touch was soft but sure and I adored every moment of it. It calmed me immensely and I began to grow much more comfortable around him. When he was done, I suddenly had the urge to take care of him as he had done for me.

I mimicked what he had done with the white flower and yellow leaf, washing him in return and he groaned low in appreciation. Running my hands over his firm chest, I washed all the dirt, grime, and dried cum from his skin, feeling hard sculpted muscles underneath.

He was perfection.

My heart pulsed, sensing my connection with my three alphas.

Ivan’s long golden hair rose in the breeze and I touched it, running my hands along the wavy, silky strands.

I sighed happily.

“I’m glad you and your brother found me,” I finally whispered, and he smiled gently.

“You are one of the rarest of omegas,” he answered. “I recognized it when I first saw you, could feel how your heart called to me and my brother too, along with Alix.”

I curled into him, feeling his body press up against mine.

Ivan was almost a perfect stranger to me, but still, now he was my mate and my alpha. The omega inside me clung to him, knowing her mate instinctively.

“Hogging our mate all to yourself, brother?” Wolfe’s voice echoed behind us and I turned to face him, taking in his dark rustic looks and I mewled softly in response.

“Taking what I can get.” Ivan winked at his brother.

“Where’s Alix?” I asked, looking between the two of them. My mind told me I should be nervous, but the bond shook that thought away almost as quickly as it had appeared.

“Gathering supplies. He’s going to meet us here shortly before we move,” Wolfe answered.

“You’re going to get us back to the city?” I asked hopefully.

Wolfe shook his head.

“No. Tharia is not safe for you,” he responded to me.

My face fell and my heart began to pound. I felt myself start to panic and no matter how much our link tried to calm me then, it didn’t help.

“Where do you plan to take me?” I questioned. I didn’t belong out here in the wilds. I belonged in the city, where I was safe from my instincts and the beasts outside the walls, where I was a well-respected, top tier scientist in the leading research company in the city and where I had the freedom to choose my own fate.

“We’re taking you back to our pack,” Ivan eventually responded, and I stiffened in his arms. There was no way I was going anywhere deeper into the wilds. I was going to collect the purple-flowered corydalis, finish the recipe for my improved drug, and get back to Tharia as quickly as I could. That was my original mission and I would do whatever it took to achieve it.

Wolfe’s dark gaze told me differently.

I growled, my omega challenging his alpha and his lip rose slightly in response.

“I won’t go. I need to get back to the city,” I countered, rising tall despite my wet nakedness. I lifted my chin high in defiance, squaring my hips while my fingers tightened into fists by my sides beneath the surface of the water. No. I belonged in Tharia, not with the three of them.

Beside me, Ivan stiffened at my rebelliousness.