The Night Movers - Season 1 - Ep. 14 (Patreon)

Unbeta'd/Unedited Totally unhinged. More sexy times next chapter. Sugar entered the room and handed Ridley a bottle of water and three pills. One blue. Two white. “Take these, then we’ll talk.” Ridley stared at the three pills like they were poison, struggling to keep the contents of his stomach where they belonged. Would Sugar be super mad if he vomited his soup all over the already destroyed mattress? Ridley popped the pills into his mouth, swallowing them down with the tiniest sip of water, afraid any more would cause him to throw up. Only once they were down did he think to ask, “What were they?” “The blue pill is to make sure no pregnancy takes. You’ll have to take one every morning until your heat breaks. The other two are painkillers. I could smell your pain from down the hall.” “Oh.” That was nice of him. “Thanks.” It was only once Sugar loomed over him, that Ridley realized how tall he was. He crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Let's talk.” Dread shot through him. He didn’t want to hear whatever would come next. “Can-Can I shower first? I’m…” He looked down at himself with a grimace. “This is uncomfortable.” Sugar’s patient nod set Ridley’s teeth on edge. “Can you do it yourself or do you need help?” Why was he being so nice to him? Ridley felt like there was a weight on his chest. Something was very wrong. He swallowed, wincing at the pain in his throat. “I’m fine. I just…need clothes.” “The next wave of your heat is bound to kick in any minute. Clothing seems like a waste,” Sugar said. “I’m cold,” Ridley said, even as sweat dripped down his face. Sugar said nothing, just walked past Ridley to the bathroom. He heard the metal grinding on metal sound of the handle protesting, then water running. A nervous trill ran through him at the thought of being clean. When Sugar reappeared, he gestured behind him. “I’ll go find you something to put on. But don’t take all day and don’t go anywhere.” Ridley nodded, in no mood to argue with the alpha. He took Sugar’s words to heart, scrubbing his body with his hands even without the benefit of soap. It was better that way. He wanted to wash off the fluids and clean the wounds but he didn’t want to wash away their scent. No matter how fucked the situation was, having their scents clinging to his skin soothed his stupidly giddy omega. When he finished, he wrenched the water off and stepped out, not surprised to find Sugar leaning against the door frame. “Have you been there the whole time?” “Not the whole time,” he said, handing him first a towel, then his clothes. Ridley dried off quickly, then pulled on a t-shirt that fell to mid-thigh and pants that pooled around his ankles. He glowered at himself in the cracked oval mirror. He looked like a kid playing dress up in his father’s clothes. Sugar smirked, then crossed the room, lifting the t-shirt out of the way to find the drawstrings on his pants, pulling them taut, then tying them in a bow. Sugar took the towel and aggressively dried Ridley’s hair until it no longer dripped onto his collar.Ridley was certain he looked ridiculous, but at least he was clean. When Sugar pulled the towel off his head, he was biting back a smile. “Come with me.” Ridley padded along behind him on bare feet. Would he ever have clothes that fit again? As he walked, he looked for any signs of the others, but it was eerily quiet in the cavernous space. Sugar led Ridley to another hotel room turned bedroom. Ridley looked around, his surprise likely evident as he took it all in with wide-eyes. But he couldn’t help it. The difference between Titus and Sugar’s rooms was night and day. Titus’s room was barren with only a bed, a light and some books. Sugar’s room was lined with lights that glowed a soft red. Like the sofa room, graffiti covered Sugar’s walls. Not the messy scrawl of words that looked like vandalism, but the type that was pure art, like the car someone had painstakingly painted. Someone—Sugar, maybe—had taken the time to paint a pair of boxing gloves over the bed, a motorcycle, the face of a young black boy and many other images that weren’t quite clear in the glow of his red lights. Whoever the artist was, they clearly had a talent Ridley could only dream of. Sugar’s bed was covered in two worn but soft-looking blankets and at least five pillows. It looked…warm. No, it was warm. The air was toasty, helping to rid the chill from Ridley’s bones. That was when Ridley’s eyes fell on the electric heater in the corner. Sugar gestured towards the bed. Ridley hesitated, then perched gingerly on the edge, trying to quell the sudden worry rearing its ugly head again. Sugar rolled his eyes, then fell onto the bed, his head landing on the pillows, before he pulled Ridley down until he was sprawled on top of him. Ridley wanted to protest, but he was so warm and Ridley could tuck his nose right against the alpha’s throat, inhaling that spun sugar scent. Large hands slid under his shirt, squeezing the muscles there. “If you keep doing that, I’m going to fall asleep,” Ridley mumbled. “That’s fine.” Ridley lifted his head up to glare at the alpha. “No, it’s not.” He rolled off of him, but still allowed himself to wrap around Sugar’s side. He pressed his head to his chest, letting the alpha leach away some of his anxiety. Was it the claiming bite that made this stranger who hated him still feel comforting?“So, talk,” Ridley said softly, listening to the gentle thud of Sugar’s heart beating beneath his ear. “What happened while I was unconscious?” “Aside from the obvious?” Sugar countered. Ridley lifted his head just enough to give him a look. “If it's that obvious, why do I feel so confused?” Sugar sighed, bringing his hand to the back of Ridley’s damp head, gently pushing it back down to his chest like he couldn’t look at him and answer his questions. Once Ridley’s cheek was once more pressed to his wide chest, the alpha began to scratch blunt nails over Ridley’s scalp, tugging softly. He shifted uncomfortably, hoping he didn’t get hard with his cock pressed against Sugar’s hip.“Why did he do it?” Ridley asked, hand floating to the bite on his neck, pressing it just to feel the pain. “The short answer?” Sugar asked. “He lost control.” Ridley stared at the motorcycle on the far wall, trying to process Sugar’s oversimplified answer. How could three words encompass the magnitude of the clusterfuck the aftermath of this would cause Ridley? “What?” “He lost control,” Sugar repeated, his voice softer than Ridley had heard it in his brief time there. Ridley gave a humorless laugh as his rage surged, his words erupting from his throat like lava, no longer caring what happened to him after this. “Oh. Yeah, sure. No big deal, right. Doesn’t matter to him, right? Just a life of following him around then dying of a broken heart when he dumps me,” he snapped. “But what does he care, right?” Sugar said nothing, but his anger suddenly drained away, replaced by a sudden peace. Ridley elbowed him in the side hard enough to make him grunt. “Don’t,” Ridley said through clenched teeth. “Don’t use your alpha shit to manage me. I’m allowed to be pissed about this.” The calm faded, but his anger bled back in with a healthy dose of fear. “Of course you are,” Sugar said patiently. “I’m not trying to…manage you. I’m trying to keep you from throwing yourself into your next heat prematurely.” When Ridley just continued to seethe quietly, he sighed. “He feels terrible.” “Does he?” Ridley mocked in a voice he wasn’t proud of. “Poor baby.” Sugar tightened his fingers in his hair, forcing his head up to look him in the eye. “We claimed you. You’re protected now. You’re safe.” “Until your alpha grows sick of me and throws me away, leaves me to die,” Ridley spit, the words dripping like poison from his tongue. Sugar shook his head. “He’s not gonna do that. He would never do that to anyone, not even a stranger.” Fear and anger had him losing any sense of self-preservation. “And I’m just supposed to do what? Take your word for it?” “We trusted you enough to claim you. Can’t you trust me enough to believe we won’t hurt you?” Ridley stared at him, incredulous. “You didn’t believe me. I’m not fucking stupid. You claimed me for…damage control.” “It’s not like that,” Sugar said. Ridley had never wanted to run away so badly in his life. But he couldn’t. He could never run away again. He was essentially a hostage to his own heart. Soul bonded to a stranger. He tried to sit up. He just needed to move, to pace. But Sugar held him in place beside him. Ridley was going to choke on his own anger and panic. “Does it even matter?” he asked, hysteria creeping into his voice. “I have no choice but to just…believe you. It’s not like he can take it back. Unless your alpha also has access to a fucking time machine.” Sugar rolled to his side, his massive arms coming around Ridley in a bear hug that stole the air from his lungs. “We’re going to take care of you.” Ridley’s eyes met his, voice thick with unshed tears. “What does that even mean?” His amber eyes glinting red under the lights as he studied Ridley’s face. “It means we’re never going to put you out on the street. We’re never going to sell you or trade you. There’s nothing safe about our lives. There’s nothing safe about what we do. But I promise we’ll all protect you to the best of our ability.” Ridley shook his head, refusing to let himself believe these alphas were so self-sacrificing. “For how long? What happens when he gets tired of me? What happens if he finds someone else? What happens when you all get bored of me?”“That’s not going to happen,” Sugar said. “Why should I believe you? You hate me.” Sugar frowned at that. “You think I hate you? Even after what we did earlier?” Ridley snorted. “You can hate me and still want to fuck me. I’m still an omega in heat. I’m not an idiot.” Sugar closed his eyes for a long moment, like he was praying for patience. When he opened them again, his look had Ridley’s pulse galloping. Ridley sucked in a breath as Sugar’s mouth found his in a kiss that lingered. Heat shot through Ridley’s belly when Sugar deepened the kiss, tongue dipping into his mouth for only a moment before he broke away. Ridley wanted to whine over the loss. Sugar pressed his forehead to Ridley’s. “Listen to me. Like…really listen,” he asked, voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t hate you. None of us hate you. We don’t know you. And you don’t know us.” “Then why were you fighting the others so hard earlier? You and Steele were adamant I’d ruin everything. That I’d blow up your whole pack. “Try to see it from our point of view,” the alpha pleaded. “We’ve spent the last decade trying to keep omegas like you from having packs like ours take advantage of you. Claiming you as our property goes against everything we stand for.”Ridley’s insides twisted with guilt. He’d never really thought of it that way. His life was growing more complicated by the second. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt…normal. “Like you, we’ve all lost people to this crazy, dystopian, nightmare world this new regime created almost overnight. Steele and I don’t hate you. And we’re obviously attracted to you physically,” he said carefully. “But taking you in stirs up a lot of shit for all of us. Personal shit. Hard shit. Shit that scarred us enough to turn us into people we hardly recognize.” Ridley’s chest felt…hollow. It had only taken hours for Ridley to do just what they said. “So you guys were right. I have blown up your pack.”“No. That’s not—” He cut himself off like he was trying to choose his words carefully. “None of us could have predicted Titus would do what Titus did. Not even you.” Was that true? Ridley wished he could replay his vision like an old movie, just to see, just to know if he’d seen it happen. But he’d shared the vision with Titus too. Wouldn’t he have seen it if Ridley had? He hated how little he knew about his own gifts. A new wave of sorrow washed over him, clinging to him, making him feel heavy. “So, now I get to be your burden for life. This…thing you can’t shake without sacrificing your own morals. Great.” Sugar was silent for a moment before saying, “Titus is going to let you claim him back. Ridley sucked in a shattered breath. “What?” “We all realized the ramifications of what he’d done. Especially Titus. He is…disgusted with himself. With a mating mark, you didn’t need us to claim you as a pack, but we did, hoping you would understand that we stand by his decision to seal the mating bond.” “What a fucking martyr,” Ridley spit. “Sacrificing himself for the cause.” He knew he wasn’t being fair. He knew that they were all trying to make the best of a fucked up situation, but Ridley hadn’t planned on staying forever. He’d just wanted to find his sister and go. This mark tethered him to Titus for life. Without claiming Titus back, Ridley would live his life with a noose around his neck, constantly waiting for Titus to kick the chair out from under him. But there was no satisfaction in claiming him back, only mutually assured destruction. “And what about you guys?” Ridley asked. “What about us?” Sugar asked, looking genuinely confused. “Am I still the pack omega or do I strictly belong to Titus now?” Ridley asked, flushing until he felt as red as the roots of his hair. Sugar tilted his head, studying his face before he said, “That’s still your decision. Way back, when things were…equal, before the world ended, packs shared their omegas. But its entirely up to you. We all want you, but you’re entirely safe even if you don’t want us in your bed…any of us. Even Titus.” It occurred to Ridley then. Sugar was right, before everything fell apart, back when omegas had rights and packs consisted of both mated and unmated members, they’d thought nothing of sharing everything with their pack mates. Their bodies, their children, there was no I, only we. One omega could provide children to several different alphas and all would be loved equally amongst the pack. But that was forever ago. Things were far different now. “Packs share their omegas, they don’t mate with them. Are you planning on locking me in here forever so the other packs don’t ask questions? Forcing me to wear a turtleneck when we’re in public? Are you going to try to convince people I’m…a beta?” Sugar rolled them until Ridley was on his back, rubbing his cheek against his, then dipping his head to do the same to his throat. Ridley let it happen, scenting him in return. He knew this was the alpha’s way of soothing him without pushing unwanted pheromones on him. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t feel safer beneath the wall of muscle that was Sugar. “We talked about it while you were unconscious,” he said. “We’re not going to hide you and we’re not going to try to trick people. Diesel was right. There’s a level of…respect we’ve earned as a pack. A level of…fear. We’ll leverage that to ensure people understand you’re untouchable.” “You’re the one who said if you made me look special, they might try to take me from you,” Ridley reminded. “That was when we planned on claiming you as our pack omega. Titus mated you. Even criminals aren’t stupid enough to think they could hurt a mated omega without severe retribution.”“I think you’d be surprised what criminals are willing to do to omegas, mated or not,” Ridley said, heart twisting as his sister’s face swam into his mind. Where was she? Was she okay? Was she cold? Tired? Hungry? Why couldn’t he sense her any longer? If she was hurting, suffering, she would sever their connection to save Ridley the agony of seeing it all. But that just made it all so much worse. Not knowing. He blinked away tears as his chest tightened. “If anyone comes for you, we’ll make an example out of them,” Sugar promised. “Jensen was right. Packs might not respect authority, but they do respect violence.” “I don’t want you to kill people for me.” Not just to keep him safe anyway.Sacrificing people’s lives for the good of many was far different than killing to protect one insignificant omega. Sugar took his mouth in another lazy kiss, drinking from his lips not for lust but for comfort. “Don’t get it twisted, strawberry. We’re killed for far less. We’re not the good guys. You can’t be a good guy and do what we do. Being part of our pack is dangerous and its bloody and people will get hurt. People will die. But not you. And not us. We’ll do everything in our power to keep you safe as our alpha’s mate. But nothing is without risk. We can’t guarantee your safety.” “I’m not worried about dying. I’m worried about finding my sister. She’s out there somewhere. Alone. And I can’t sense her anymore. I can’t lose sight of that.” “Nobody is asking you to,” Sugar promised, kissing him again, then again until Ridley melted like candle wax. “Even if the others won’t help you find her, I will. But I don’t think it will come to that. I think the pack will want to help you.” When Sugar broke the kiss, Ridley asked, “Why are you so calm about all this? You and Steele fought this the hardest.” Sugar huffed out a laugh. “Titus. He said he knew your vision was real because he recognized the room we claimed you in. I thought it sounded convenient, but over the last several hours I’ve watched the pieces fall into place like dominoes and it’s starting to feel…predestined.” “Predestined,” Ridley echoed, liking the way the word danced on his tongue. “Yeah, strawberry. I think you might be right. I think maybe you were meant to be ours all along. Or we were meant to be yours.” “So you don’t think I’ll blow up the pack?” Sugar came up on his forearms to look at him. “After Titus bit you, I’ve never seen the pack come together so quickly to fix the situation.” Once more his gaze roved his face. “If you tell anyone I said this, I’ll deny it. But I think you might be just what our pack needed all along.” Ridley blinked rapidly, processing his words. Finally, he thought to ask, “I-What do I do now? Does Titus want me to go see him?” Sugar shook his head. “Yes. But not yet. He wants you to think about it. About all of it. Then you two can talk after your heat ends. It should be over soon.” “What do I do in the meantime?” Ridley asked. “My next wave is going to be here any minute. Does he expect me to ride it out alone?” “He’s not the only one who can help you, strawberry. There’s five of us here to help you. But only if you want us,” Sugar said. “Even as we speak, Diesel’s waiting for you in his room. He figured you probably don’t want to be alone.” “Diesel wants to be my next…knot?” he managed, grateful the red lights hid his flushed face. “Diesel wants to be your cuddle buddy. Nobody likes a snuggle puddle more than that dumbass. He will happily knot you if you ask, but he will also just hold you.” “Oh.” Sugar looked like he wanted to say something. Creases formed between his brows like he was fighting with himself. He seemed to come to some inner conclusion before he said, “You know that all that shit we say to you during your heat is just…talk, right?You’re still in charge of who you fuck, even with that mating mark on your neck. Titus is a lot of things, but he will never force you to do anything against your will. He’s a good guy. He just…lost control.” “Lost control?” Sugar grinned and Ridley’s stomach swooped again, not out of fear but lust. He had the most beautiful smile Ridley had ever seen, so beautiful it stirred that tell-tale melted honey feeling low in his core, making him leak into his borrowed sweatpants.“Can I tell you something?” Ridley asked. “Does it have to do with how good you suddenly smell,” Sugar asked, voice lowering to a silky depth that made Ridley crazy. “Sort of.” “Tell me.” “All the stuff you guys say to me…during sex…the things you do to me…using me how you like, when you like…I like it. I like it a lot. So much it's embarrassing and feels a little like a betrayal to other omegas.” “You can’t fight biology, strawberry. We’re all slaves to our inner beast. We promise not to hold any of it against you if you promise to do the same. You make us all a little crazy.” Ridley bit back a smile and Sugar chuckled. “You love that kind of power, don’t you? You’re going to be such a monster, I can just feel it.” It wasn’t said with any malice. If anything, it sounded like a compliment. Ridley kissed his lips once more, then watched the alpha stifle a jaw-cracking yawn. Ridley laughed. “Can you-Can you take me to Diesel now?” Sugar smiled. “Sure.” He rolled off Ridley and was on his feet in one graceful motion. He extended his hand and Ridley took it, allowing him to help him stand. “And…And can you tell Titus I’m not mad?” Sugar’s smile grew to a full blown grin. “Sure, strawberry.” Ridley smiled ruefully. “You guys are never gonna stop calling me that, are you?” Sugar dipped his head, trying to appear contrite as he said, “I’m not gonna lie, I don’t actually remember your real name.” Ridley sighed. “Strawberry will do.” Despite everything, anticipation had his blood humming. Diesel would take care of him. He’d give him what he needed and then some. Ridley once more followed Sugar out of the room and down the hall, this time going down the steps to the floor where Titus’s room resided. As they passed the alpha leader’s room, Ridley’s gaze lingered on the closed door. Titus wanted him to think about it. Think about him. A life with him. A life in this pack, with these men. The sole omega. Not a pet, but a mate. An equal. Well, as equal as any omega could be nowadays.Ridley slowed as a question hit him. “Sugar?” “Yeah?” he asked, slowing to keep pace with him. “What happens if I do get pregnant?” he whispered.