Ronin walked towards one of the two doors in the room, and Oliver followed.
Once in the bathroom, he opened a cupboard. “Everything you need is here and under the sink. If you need something else, just think of it, and I’m sure I’ll come running.” He smirked and placed a kiss on Ollie’s lips, then brushed against him in a seductive manner. Oliver immediately felt a tightening in his crotch. He reached out and grabbed Ronin’s hand to stop him from leaving.
“Need something already?” Ronin teased.
Oliver smiled and moved in closer. “I need to properly thank you.” He took a deep breath before doing what he wanted to do.
He pressed Ronin against the door of the bathroom, then went on his tiptoes and kissed him. He ran his hand down Ronin’s stomach before slipping his hand into Ronin’s pants, massaging the erection there. Ronin chuckled, but it ended with a groan, and that was when Oliver pulled his hand out and pulled back from the kiss.
“I think that should be the only way we thank each other from now on.”
Oliver giggled and didn’t wait for Ronin to leave before he began taking his clothes off.
“You’re trying to kill me,” Ronin groaned.
Ollie tossed his alpha a look over his shoulder as he opened the door to the shower and got in.
He lifted his gaze and smiled at Ronin, whose eyes were on him, a hungry look in them.
“I should go,” Ronin said, but didn’t move from his position.
Ollie smiled and shrugged, turning on the shower like he didn’t have a care in the world. But there was something about knowing how much Ronin wanted him that made him feel powerful.
He felt Ronin’s presence for a while as he used the wash cloth to clean himself. He couldn’t stop the moan that escaped—finally, he was having a real shower.
It wasn’t until a phone rang that Ronin left. As the door closed, Ollie couldn’t help thinking that as long as he got a chance to see his parents, he would definitely want to stay here forever. Truth was, he wasn’t sure he could ever leave Ronin now. Just thinking about it had his heart clenching.
There was a small voice that whispered that it might not be his choice, staying here forever. Even if he went home and his parents knew what he was, they might never want him back.
Chapter Fourteen
Ronin
It was three days later and almost four in the afternoon when Oliver tossed the bags in his hands down on the floor in the living room. He turned to his mate, and Ro loved seeing the twinkle in his eyes.
“I have never spent so much money on myself.” Ollie looked like a kid that had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Ronin laughed, stepping into the living room with the rest of the bags in his arms and setting them on the ground beside the ones Ollie had already deposited there.
“You deserve it, though, after all you’ve been through this year.” He pulled Ollie into his arms. “And you should go and get changed because everyone will be here soon.”
“But now I have a tough decision to make.” Ollie sighed dramatically.
Ronin arched an eyebrow. “And what decision might that be?”
“What I’m going to wear.” Ollie frowned at the bags on the floor.
Ronin laughed and looked down at the bags in front of them. When he looked up, Oliver’s eyes were on him.
“Whatever you choose, I know you’ll look amazing in it.” Ronin leaned in and brushed his lips against Ollie’s. His mate blushed when they parted, and Ronin smiled at him. “Run upstairs and get changed. My family will be here any minute.”
“It will be good to finally meet Devon,” Ollie said.
Ronin nodded. He hadn’t met Devon yet, either, but he knew that he made Roman happy, and that was what mattered most to him. Now that Ro had found his own mate, he could fully understand how Rome felt.
When Oliver disappeared upstairs, Ronin reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone. He waited till he heard the door to the bedroom shut before making the call.
A woman answered on the other end. “Hello?”
“Hey, it’s Ronin. I was just checking to make sure today is still a go. You’re still going to make it right?”
“Of course! We plan on being there at six o’clock this evening.”
“Great.” Ronin let out a relieved sigh. “Oliver will be so stoked, and he has no idea you’re coming.”
“We can’t thank you enough, Ronin. We can’t wait to get there,” the woman on the other end said.
“Perfect! I’ll see you then.” Ronin hung up the call and looked up the stairs. Oliver was going to be so surprised when he saw that his parents were there. He knew how much his mate wanted and needed to see them. He could see that was what was missing from Ollie’s life even though he tried to hide it. And as Oliver’s mate, Ronin was more than happy to make it happen.
Making Oliver happy was his main job, and it just so happened that it brought Ronin happiness too.
Ro headed up the stairs and stood outside his room… well, their room now. His mate had slept there alone the past few nights, while Ro had been on the couch spending most of his nights thinking about Ollie, picturing him in his bed all alone. He’d gotten off the couch more than once to go lie with his mate, but stopped himself. Even though they were mated now, Ro was still trying to do the right thing by Oliver and not rush things, though he craved being close to him. But he had to admit the past few days just hanging out with his mate, seeing him smile and laugh, getting to know him had been totally amazing.
Ronin knocked on his room door and Oliver opened the door for him fully dressed in one of his new t-shirts and some cute denim shorts. Ro gave him a once-over and nodded with satisfaction.
“Not sure what you were worried about.” Ro took in his mate. “You look amazing to me.”
Oliver grinned. “Thank you! You’re looking pretty good yourself.” Ronin had quickly grabbed a fresh shirt from the laundry.
They kissed, and he savored the feel of his mate in his arms until they were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. Ronin pulled back from Ollie.
“Looks like everyone is starting to arrive.” Ronin held his mates gaze. “Ready?”
Ollie nodded and Ronin held out his hand. “Shall we?”
Oliver grabbed his hand and they headed down the stairs. They parted once they reached the foyer and Ronin walked over to the door and opened it up to greet the first ones to arrive. Just as he expected, it was Roman and his omega, Devon.
“Good to see you, bro.” Roman came in for a hug, and when Ronin pulled back from the embrace, his brother proudly presented his mate. “And this here is Devon.”
“I’m so happy to meet you, Devon,” Ronin smiled widely at his brother’s mate, then stepped back so they could enter the house.
Devon looked at Oliver and they went to one another. They embraced and Ronin could hear Devon as he cried.
“I’m so sorry.” Even though Devon’s voice was low, he could hear every word. “I’m so sorry I left you guys.”
Oliver shook his head. “I don’t blame you. No one blames you. We’re just so grateful you’re alive.”
Even though the omegas were meeting for the first time, they had an experience that bonded them.
They parted from the hug, and Devon turned to Ronin while still holding on to Oliver. “Thank you for finding them and going after Anton.” Devon’s voice caught. “Thank you.”
Ronin smiled. “Trust me, I am very happy to have done it.” His eyes met his mate’s, and he couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his face. He’d found his mate, and for that, Ro would always be grateful to Devon.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Roman was watching him. The doorbell rang again, and everyone else piled into the house. Tears and hugs were flowing as everyone reunited with Devon, grateful that he was alive.
As the reunion continued, Roman wandered over to Ronin.
“Hey,” Roman said.
Ronin arched an eye
brow and laughed. “Hey?”
“So, Ollie seems pretty special.” His brother’s eyes wandered over to where the omegas were talking to each other, landing on Ro’s mate, but he didn’t miss how Rome’s eyes went to Devon’s almost immediately.
Ronin chuckled and looked away, hoping his face didn’t reveal too much. “Yeah, I guess so.” Roman jabbed Ronin in his side and he turned to his brother. “What?”
“I can see it all over your face, and I can see it when Ollie looks at you. He’s your mate, right? You don’t even have to answer. I guessed from your voice over the phone when you spoke about him.”
Ronin rolled his eyes and looked away from his brother, and his gaze landed on Oliver. He couldn’t hide the smile that crept onto his face. “Yeah, yeah he is.”
“Told you so,” Roman snickered.
“What?” Ro asked his brother.
“Told you when you met your mate, it would be game over.” Roman had a knowing smile. “I’m happy for you. Bro, you deserve this. Don’t mess this up.”
After everyone ate their fill of the snacks and food laid out, all the omegas found their way to the living room at some point. There was a mini celebration, and the vibe in the room was better than Ronin had ever seen with each omega grateful Anton was gone from their lives. They now knew that if he attempted to come back, especially if he stepped foot in Wildwood, he would get what was coming to him.
Ronin, Roman, Zander, Nix, and Maddox stayed in the kitchen to tidy up after shooing the others away from helping, but they still heard when Devon began speaking. Once the cleanup was finished, they went and joined the others.
“Anton came into the picture and things were supposed to get better in the pack. He was supposed to make things better.” Devon sought his brother out and they smiled at one another. Devon walked over and grabbed Roman’s hand while he rested his other hand on his stomach. Any day now, Devon would give birth to Roman’s and his pup.
Watching them at that moment, Ronin realized he was feeling content, maybe for the first time since he returned from the war. His eyes immediately sought Ollie’s, and they both smiled.
He could totally see his mate swollen with their child.
Devon continued, “Instead of things getting better, they got worse—way worse. A lot of people left, sneaking out at night, but I had nowhere to go.” Ronin watched his brother as he rubbed soothing circles on the top of Devon’s hand. “That was when things got more terrifying. At first, Anton was nice, you know? For the first time, someone paid attention to me… I guess I was too stupid to know what that meant. Then the abuse started, and he had me injected with drugs that stopped my heat… until I couldn’t take it anymore. I guess he figured I would never run because he’d had too much to drink—and took some other stuff—and passed out one night. I had to run since he’d made it clear he would be handing me over soon... to someone who would ‘teach me to behave…’ His words, not mine.”
Ronin saw as the other omegas nodded in agreement, and that feeling of wishing he’d killed the bastard when he had a chance returned.
“I think all of our stories are pretty much the same.” Jax’s voice was low and filled with sadness. “I was homeless, living in a shelter, and sometimes I didn’t even have a bed. He came around for a couple of weeks, bought me meals. I thought he was there to help…” the omega’s voice caught. “I was just naïve enough to think that it was possible. Then I, well, I guess you know the rest of the story…”
“Yeah, we do.” It was Marco this time who spoke up. “Getting sold to alphas so that they could do whatever they wanted.” His tone was bitter, but Ronin couldn’t blame him.
Shawn chimed in. “Scars that will probably never fade because we weren’t allowed to shift.”
“Yeah.” Sophie’s voice was barely above a whisper. “Sometimes he watched.”
Fuck, Ronin regretted not strangling Anton with his bare hands.
“I think he was shocked when you ran, Dev. I think he hoped we would believe that was the life we deserved and never try to leave.” Cybil’s eyes were on her hands, not looking anyone in the eye. “I was stupid. I should have known better after leaving an abusive situation. Somehow I got out of that and found worse.” She took a deep breath. “What Anton was offering sounded like a saving grace. But it turned into something much worse than what I was running from. I’m done. Enough is enough.” Her voice cracked and tears streamed down her face. “I deserve better.”
Sophie’s arms went around Cybil, comforting her. Ro could feel how much all the alphas in the room were trying to hold in their tempers. He knew they were thinking about not only Anton, but every low-down alpha that had treated these omegas poorly.
Ronin knew his friends and brother wished they could hunt them down.
“We all do,” Shawn said. “Every one of us deserves more.”
“And now… thanks to Ronin, Maddox, Zander, and Nix, we have a chance to make it happen.” Marco’s voice was filled with gratitude.
Ronin walked up to his mate and took a seat beside him. His eyes on everyone were guilt filled, and he could tell his mate felt horrible having not been through what his friends had. Ronin took Ollie’s hand in his and squeezed it supportively. He nodded encouragingly when Oliver looked in his direction, telling his mate it was okay for him to speak up.
“All of your stories are pretty similar,” Oliver started, and immediately everyone’s attention was on him. “Mine is a little different,” he said. “I was taken, but because I ran away after my first shift… I didn’t know what to do, and I was scared, and Anton... I guess he knew how to spot that.” He swallowed, and Ronin could feel Ollie’s nerves as if they were his. “I had a family and home, and I’m not saying this because I want to upset any of you, but I wonder if that’s why Anton didn’t sell me off to the Alphas like he did you guys. I don’t have the same bruises that you do. I was terrified, just like all of you were. I feared for all of our lives, but there was something different. And I’m sorry that you all had to go through what you did.”
“We’re not upset because you didn’t get the same abusive treatment we did.” Jax was the first to speak. “It’s not like there’s a scorecard and we’re trying to keep track. You were abused too. You were terrified too. We don’t have any negative feelings for you, because you weren’t sold to an alpha. Besides, you were probably terrified waiting for something to happen.”
“Jax is right,” Sophie said. “This isn’t a competition. And if it was, I’m glad someone lost… because you’re our friend and we wouldn’t wish any of that on our friend.”
Oliver smiled and squeezed Ronin’s hand that he was still holding onto. As they all sat there, Ronin could feel his mate’s relief. He knew how worried his omega had been that his friends hated him for not sharing their pain. He was glad to feel Ollie’s mind ease.
The doorbell rang, and Ronin withdrew his hand from Oliver’s and glanced at the clock. It was fifteen minutes to six, he figured it was most likely Oliver’s surprise, and stood up.
“I’ll be right back,” he said to his mate, and the room in general. Ro had been blocking this part of his thoughts from Ollie, and he hoped his mate was happy with the surprise.
He went to the door and opened it up, only it wasn’t Oliver’s parents on the doorstep. Instead, it was Rick and River. “Hey, didn’t think you guys would make it.” He hugged them both before they stepped into the house.
River was Ronin’s only omega brother, and he knew he would fit in well with everyone, so Ronin was glad he could join in.
“Are you kidding me? And miss this homecoming?” Rick said. “Good job, baby brother, good job.”
“Thanks, brother.” Ronin couldn’t help being pleased that Rick was proud of him.
He led them to the living room and then made some introductions. As he was going around the room, everyone nodded and bid their greetings, but when Ronin got to Nix, something was different.
“Phoenix, meet River and Rick, my
brothers. River, Rick, this is Phoenix.”
Phoenix nodded and smiled. “Call me Nix,” his friend said, but his eyes were firmly on River. There was a funny look on Nix’s face, and Ronin looked at him, brow raised, but his friend didn’t even notice.
When he glanced at his older brother, it was to find River was blushing, and at that moment, Ronin couldn’t help wondering if what he thought was happening was actually happening.
The doorbell rang again, interrupting him from maybe poking fun at the two of them.
“Who could that be?” Maddox asked. “I thought everyone in town was already here.” The room erupted into laughter at his comment, but Ronin simply smiled. He knew exactly who it was, and he hurried to the door to open it. The couple and a younger boy—Ollie’s brother, Lucas, he assumed— weren’t anyone he recognized, so immediately Ronin knew they were his mate’s family.
“Hello, you must be the Scotts.” He held out his hand to greet them.
“Ronin?” Oliver’s mother asked.
Ronin nodded. She moved in and greeted him with a hug. The embrace lasted longer than he would have expected, but he didn’t back away from it. When they parted, Ronin saw tears in her eyes that she quickly wiped them away.
“She’s trying to say ‘thank you,’” her husband spoke up.
Ronin smiled. “It was my pleasure. Trust me,” he said. “Come on. Let’s go in so Oliver can get his surprise.” He led them into the house and toward the living room, but before they could enter, he asked them to wait beside the doorway before going any further. Then, Ro stepped into the living room.
“Ollie? Will you come here for a moment?” Ronin asked his mate.
Oliver frowned, but stood up and moved towards him. “What’s going on?”
“This day wouldn’t be complete without your surprise.” Ronin couldn’t stop the Cheshire-cat-like grin on his face.
Oliver looked around the living room, brow raised. All eyes were on them. “Are you kidding me? Today couldn’t be any better,” he said.
Home In His Arms (Wildwood Mates Book 1) Page 11
