The Night Movers - Season 1 - Ep. 8 (Patreon)

Unbetad/Unedited. Moving right along. I am uploading episode 9 right behind this one. I hope you like it.

Ridley shouldn’t have felt smug. He shouldn’t.He hadn’t won anything. 

Yet. 

But he couldn’t help but feel a little smug as he watched the two alphas whisper heatedly in the hallway. Ridley sat in bed, quietly eating his soup pretending he had no interest in their conversation. He wanted to know what they were talking about so badly it made him feel like bugs crawled under his skin. 

But he had to prioritize, and, right now, his priority was satisfying his gnawing hunger. His brain screamed at him to gorge himself, whispering that he didn’t know when he’d get another meal. But every spoonful landed like a bolder in his painfully empty stomach, reminding him to pace himself. Which is what he did. Bringing each spoonful to his lips then waiting a full minute before taking the next. 

He was most definitely in pre-heat. While the food helped and Titus’s hands had eased the ache, there was no denying the telltale signs. Newly presented or not, the signs of a heat were pretty standard. Ridley ran through the symptoms in his head. 

Fever. Check. Cramps. Check. Horniness. Triple check. He wasn’t in full heat despite what Titus had said. Ridley had seen omegas in heat. They were blinded with lust, compulsively nesting while crying and begging for a knot. While Ridley could admit he’d been a little…desperate while sandwiched between two very…healthy alphas, he wasn’t so far gone he couldn’t consent. 

If anything, he felt more in control than ever. In fact, he couldn’t remember a time where he’d ever felt more at peace with his decisions. Things were bad. Horrible. The world was a nightmare and Ridley’s twin sister was out there living in it, alone and scared, but for the first time since she’d disappeared, Ridley felt like things were coming together as they should be. 

That vision hadn’t been for them. It was for Ridley. It was meant to show him the way. To show him just what he needed to do to save not only himself and his sister, but other omegas too. He didn’t know how he’d do it. He couldn’t even imagine how someone like him could do it. But unlike the well-meaning alphas residing in this sunken hotel, Ridley would find a way to make it happen. 

Failure wasn’t an option. He’d figure it out or die trying. He was determined to make a huge fuss either way. He needed to shake things up. Starting with these boys. There was a lightness in his chest. Was this what hope felt like? Or was he just slipping into a state of delusion? Either way, he was going to ride this high for as long as he could and nobody was going to stand in his way. 

Ridley set his tray aside, picking up the bottle of water lying on its side next to him, taking a timid sip, before closing it and returning it to its place. He watched the two men, this warm feeling rushing through him. Not like earlier. This wasn’ t that low throbbing heat in his core, this was a heavy sense of gratitude…of…fondness. He looked at the two men just out of reach and he ached with a sentiment that he almost felt. 

He wasn’t in love with two strangers he’d met just a few hours ago, but he was at peace knowing someday he would be. Deep in his soul he knew that the six men in this building would one day be Ridley’s whole world. He knew…he knew with the same certainty as he knew the sun would rise in the morning. He knew that one day these men would kill for him. That they would die for him. That they would love him more than they loved being alive. 

He picked up Titus’s pillow and wrapped his arms around it, hugging it close, burying his face in the stubborn alpha’s scent. Diesel would one day be Ridley’s staunchest supporter. The one who believed in him intrinsically, who defended him and argued for him. But Titus…Ridley inhaled deeply, that low throb returning…Titus would turn Ridley’s world upside down. Maybe he already had. There was something about him, something that tugged at something deep in his core, pulling him in like a magnet. Ridley would love all of these men, but with Titus it would be something else entirely. 

Ridley just didn’t know what. 

Titus was sure the others would refuse Ridley’s idea. He was certain that his pack would never allow an omega in their ranks, regardless of his level of autonomy. Ridley knew that Diesel would stand up for him, would argue his case, but he also knew Titus would too. Even if Titus didn’t. The knowledge made him giddy, like there were bubbles in his heart, tickling him from the inside. 

Titus appeared in the doorway, glowering at him as he grumbled, “Stay here.” 

It wasn’t a question, so Ridley didn’t justify it with an answer, just gave him a serene smile that only seemed to further irritate the grumpy alpha. Titus had given him an order. Ridley compiled for a whole ten minutes before he slipped from the bed, wrapping his blanket around his shoulders before he headed out the door. 

The marble was cold against his bare feet and the wind whistled through the wide open staircase. Where was the wind coming from? What even was this place? There had always been rumors. Urban legends about an underground city run by criminals. It had always sounded so silly to Ridley, he’d never given it much thought…until now. 

He crept up the staircase, stopping as soon as he could make out voices. If he got too close, they’d be able to smell him. Luckily, alphas were always so loud, like every thought they had was so brilliant it needed to be heard by everyone in the room. He sat down on the step, wrapping the blanket around himself as he listened. 

“Where is he now?” Ridley heard Steele ask.

“Locked up,” Titus replied with so much confidence that Ridley looked down at himself as though that might somehow be true. He shook his head at his own ridiculousness. Why would Titus lie about that? Why would Diesel go along with it?

“You locked him up?” Jensen said, tone just indignant enough for Ridley to smile. “That’s kind of fucked up, no?” 

“He’s in heat,” Titus said, tone somehow even grumpier than before. 

Preheat, actually, thank you very much. Ridley shivered as another gust of icy wind blew past, pulling his blanket tighter as Sugar’s voice boomed echoing throughout the space.

 “Heat? Here? In our house?” 

Ridley rolled his eyes. Was it really that scandalous? 

“That’s what I said, yeah,” Titus snapped, the strain in his voice almost making Ridley feel bad. 

Almost. 

“Preheat, I’d reckon,” Diesel said, always the voice of reason. “He was far too level-headed to be in full heat.” 

Thank you. Was Diesel an alpha or an angel? Ridley couldn’t decide. There was something so appealing, so cozy, so…addicting about the stocky alpha with his pretty lips and his cleft chin that Ridley had to bite his lip before he got too excited and let everyone know he wasn’t actually locked up. Still, Ridley just knew once he was in Diesel’s bed, the alpha was going to ruin him in the best possible way. Or maybe Ridley was just really fucking horny. 

“What should I have done?” Titus asked. “Let him send everyone into rut? He’s not on suppressants. That means he’s likely not on birth control. Any of you feel like bringing a baby into this shit show? Hmm?” 

Ridley’s omega purred at the thought of a baby. Their baby. A pack baby. He bit his lip as his mind conjured up images of each of them breeding him, separately…together…Ridley’s omega didn’t care how they did it, but they definitely wanted it done. And soon. While there was no way Ridley would ever even consider bringing a baby into—as Titus stated—their current shitshow. Someday. Someday he would be a mother. 

His omega wanted that now, but his omega wasn’t the one who had to deal with the very real consequences. The only thing worse than being an unmated, unclaimed omega was being an unmated, unclaimed pregnant omega. The government would rip that baby away from him the moment it drew its first breath and Ridley would die before he let that happen. 

Ryker’s soothing voice poured over Ridley like warm water, pulling him out of his horrific thoughts. “We’re just trying to figure out what’s going on. Why are you at eleven right now?” 

Ridley thought about his interactions with Titus thus far. The alpha had been at eleven since the moment they’d met. Ridley hadn’t realized he even had another setting. 

As if to prove his point, Titus gave a frustrated growl, but it was Diesel—Ridley’s champion—who answered. “Because we’ve spent the last hour comforting an extremely horny, extremely wet, very desperate omega who spent that whole time begging us to fuck him into the mattress while grinding against us.” Ridley flushed, growing grumpy. Not the whole time. “Do you know how hard it was to say no?” 

Who’s fault is that? They didn’t have to say no on his account. They were the ones being stubborn. They were the ones who didn’t seem to understand just how ready and willing Ridley was to fulfill his side of the deal. Ridley stood, staying crouched as he went up three more stairs until he could see into the large empty space. 

Everyone was standing, posture closed off, arms crossed over chests. He looked over each of them. They were all so beautiful. Sugar and his flawless skin and gorgeous lochs, Titus with his sea glass eyes and perfect jaw. Ryker’s wide eyes and Jensen’s perfect cheekbones. Even Steele, who Ridley thought of as his biggest opponent besides Sugar, was exceptional. Golden windswept hair and bulging muscles, eyes as pretty as they were mean. And Diesel, his perfect bear, the one Ridley wished he was cuddling with right now. 

“Dammit,” Sugar said. “This is a fucking mess. We have to get him out of here.” 

“Tell them,” Diesel said to Titus. 

Titus gave another long-suffering sigh, expression slightly constipated. “Just…give me a fucking minute.”

“Tell us what?” Steele asked, shoulders going back like he was preparing for a fight.

“I said I need a minute,” Titus snapped. 

Diesel, it seemed, did not. “The kid wants to make a deal,” he said. “We claim him but he sets the terms.” 

Ridley winced. Okay, Diesel could have like…eased them into the idea. He didn’t have to be so blunt about it. Ridley bit down on his lip. This was why alphas couldn’t be trusted with anything that required delicacy. They were…sledgehammers. 

“Claim him? As in make him our pack omega?For real?” Steele barked just as Sugar roared, “Are you out of your fucking mind?” 

Ridley sighed internally, dropping his head into his hands. This definitely could have gone better. 

“What are your objections?” Diesel asked. 

Sugar snorted, beginning to pace the room. “How much fucking time do you have? We don’t own people.” 

Ridley expected to hear Diesel’s voice, but it was Jensen who spoke up. “This isn’t about owning someone. It’s about protecting someone. He’s a sitting duck without us.” 

Ridley lifted his head just in time to see bespectacled alpha collapse onto the sofa, Ridley hadn’t seen him coming to his defense. 

“He knows who we are, what we do,” Ryker added, hopping over the back of the couch sitting on the edge with Jensen between his knees. Ridley warmed as she watched the long haired alpha pet through Jensen’s thick wavy hair. “If you’re really pro-omega then our options are slim to none. We claim him and let him decide who he sleeps with and when or we don’t and he gets torn to pieces.” 

Ridley very much preferred option A. His calmness following that statement was a testament to his confidence in his vision for the future. He just knew they would come around. They had to. 

“Why do we have to claim him just to protect him?” Steele asked. “We can keep him here with us without having to claim him.” 

“Like hold him hostage? Keep him under lock and key forever? How is that a better option?” Jensen asked. 

Steele let out an angry breath. “I’m not saying keep him prisoner. He could be…under our protection.” 

“There’s no such thing as protecting an unclaimed omega,” Titus asked. “Have you forgotten who the world thinks we are?” 

“Titus is right,” Diesel said emphatically. “If we keep him, but don’t claim him, every enemy and ally will think he’s up for grabs. You’ve seen him. He’s beautiful, smart, genetically rare. Nevermind that he’s one half of a matching set. Without a full claim, he will suddenly be the prize they demand in every fight, every race. Do you want to risk losing him because one of us has an off night in the ring?” 

Unease crawled under Ridley’s ribs. He didn’t even know what that meant, really but he definitely didn’t want to be a prize to be won. 

“There’s also a half dozen crews that would snatch him from us and sell him without batting an eye. The only way to keep him and keep him safe is to claim him,” Titus said. “There’s no other option.” 

“The only claim these alphas will respect is another alpha’s mark,” Jensen said. “If he belongs to the pack, he’s untouchable.” 

“He’s only untouchable if he can be respectful. Does he strike you as particularly well behaved?” Sugar asked. “Five minutes with him and I knew his mouth was going to be a huge fucking problem.” 

Rude. Ridley had barely said two words to the man. So you’re what all the fuss is about. If anything Sugar had been rude to him, but he didn’t see Ridley holding a grudge. 

They all fell silent for so long Ridley's confidence began to dwindle. 

“There’s one thing we haven’t considered,” Jensen said.

“Which is what?” Steele asked, sullen. 

Jensen shrugged. “Having him around can work to our advantage.” 

“That’s not a fucking explanation,” Sugar snapped. 

“Our entire financial operation depends on betting…people who bet on us and money we bet on others…” Jensen said. 

“And…” Steele ground out. 

“And he can see the fucking future,” Ryker said, like he was catching onto Jensen’s logic. 

Oh, that was a good point. Ridley hadn’t really learned exactly how to trigger his gift, but if he could, he could be as useful to them as they would eventually be for him. 

“He can all but guarantee us a win every time,” Jensen said. 

Ridley squeezed his eyes shut. Don’t oversell it.

Titus shook his head. “No fucking way. If the other crews found out, they’d kill him. If we claim him, it's because it’s the right thing to do, not because we’re using him for his gifts.”

“We all use our gifts,” Jensen said, exasperated. “When did you become the king of the moral high ground? Do you want us to claim him or not.” 

What were their gifts? Ridley was just dying to know. He’d seen some of Titus’s when he’d sapped his pain, but he didn’t think that was his only talent. 

“They have a point. We can make sure they don’t find out,” Diesel said. 

“That doesn’t fix his mouth problem,” Sugar muttered. What the fuck was his problem? “He was so mouthy with his kidnappers, they risked injuring him just to shut him up.” 

Lies. 

“Sugar’s right. Pack omegas are meant to be seen and not heard. They’re pets. You think your precious little strawberry-flavored chew toy is going to be okay with us trotting him around on a leash and treating him like he’s property?” Steele asked. 

Ridley huffed. He didn’t really want to be treated like that, but if it helped serve the greater good then he’d do what needed to be done. He’d do anything to find his sister. 

Diesel clearly had other ideas. “Then maybe we just don’t?” he said, raising his voice enough that it echoed around the mezzanine above where Ridley sat. “Maybe we just treat him like a fucking human being because that’s what he is?” 

Ridley’s heart tripped at Diesel’s anger on his behalf. 

“You think I don’t fucking know that?” Steele countered, just as loudly. “You think I want to treat him like that? You think I want to treat anyone like that? You know what they did to my mother, my sisters. I’m just being realistic, asshole.” 

“Calm down,” Jensen said, like he was used to their screaming matches. 

Diesel deflated, his voice dropping down to a dull roar. “I’m just fucking saying that the whole point of being the bad guys is we don’t have to follow the fucking rules. We can do whatever the fuck we want and if others don’t like it they can go fuck themselves. How we treat our pack omega is none of their fucking business.” 

Yeah, you tell ‘em. Ridley leaned back, relieved, hissing as his head made contact with the iron railing. 

He was rubbing his head when he realized everyone had grown very quiet. Had they heard him? 

Well, fuck.